Some more pictures

The military honors for a fallen hero.

Elainea and her cousin Josh.

Brothers. The won't even sit down to have a picture taken with you!

Always busy.

Fencing the plants.

August is here and gone!

Uncle Kenneth Wayne McCoy

Hannah at her desk on the first day of 2nd grade.

Hannah on the first day of school.

Hayden and his catchment basin (yes he can do what Hannah can not)!

Hayden and Aunt Nanny at Lagoon.

I can not believe how fast August went by. In our house it was again filled with the 24 hr flu and other random illnesses. We went to Lagoon and went boating but otherwise we pretty well stayed around the house.

It is with a sad heart that I report that I lost my Uncle Ken. My Dad's brother was 76 when he passed away on August 19th. I think I was in denial for a long time about how sick he was. It was easier to deal with it that way. The way that we lost him was so similar to my Dad's that it made it even more painful. All I can say is that I was a better person for knowing him. He was a very loving, kind and generous man that was always quick to smile. Whenever he would see Joe he would say "Hey Joe what do you know?" and flash his contagious smile. When we were kids he would always tickle us and spoil us with attention. We always looked forward to going to his house. He was an instrumental member of his church where he demonstrated the virtue of selflessness and service. He was a mentor and a friend and will be missed very much.

Hannah started school and loves her new teachers. She is in second grade. I can not believe it. Elainea is ready for school and wants to go so desperately, but she does not start kindergarten until next year. Until then she is proving herself worthy of being a big girl by getting potty-trained at night. We are so proud of our little girls that are growing up so strong and beautiful.

Hayden started walking which brings a whole new dynamic into the household. For instance, this morning I found that he transferred a bunch of garbage from the garbage can to the clothes hamper. What a big help he is (I type that sarcasticly of course).

Joe is hanging in there. Neither one of us are doing well under the pressures of lack of sleep. With all of the health issues in the house it has been hard to get good rest around here. We are trying to take it in good stride and not be the cranky parent, but most of the time it does get to us. It is a good thing that kids are resilent.

Today I go in to get my left knee repaired. It is a simple scope surgery and I should be good as new by tomorrow. I look forward to not having to deal with the pain at night so I can get some good sleep. I will post more pictures soon....

Cough it up!

Dad and kids lounging on the lounge chair he got on Father's Day.
Our cute little Tinker Bell at her dance recital.

Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Arlen on the 50th Anniversary Party.

Kids can't wait to get a taste of those cookies!

Our poor little baby Hannah. We took her into the doctor for a persistent cough and it ended up that she has pneumonia. She has been on antibiotics for three days and does not understand why we still can not go out and socialize with everyone. So instead we have stayed inside and played video games and watched some movies. I rented a princess movie that aired on the ABC Family channel and boy was I disappointed. If that is what they call a family movie I am certainly glad that we do not have cable TV. Needless to say Hannah is sleeping in Elainea's room because she is too scared to sleep on her own tonight.

Hayden is almost walking. At last! I never thought I would be excited to see his milestones as he is our last baby, but there comes a time when even the most selfish of Mom's want it to happen. He is totally capable, he just does not see the need for walking. He already can power crawl faster than you think humanly possible. You need to sprint to keep up with him.

Elainea is still in her whiny stage. Let me tell you this one can not end soon enough! She is enough to drive you nuts. We love her so much but when she starts to whine we have to send her out of the room because it can not simply be ignored. I know that is one of the most powerful weapons we have as parents, but no amount of training can prepare you for the overwhelming manner in which she wines. She has it down to an art.

We got the truck back from the service shop and it looks great. What a relief that at least that part of our lives will be getting back to normal.

I will write more later....

Pam