Ah, another gorgeous, blue sky, sunny day! I know I should be hoping for rain, because the drought is getting severe, but there is just something to waking up to these crisp, clear autumn days.

So, time to update the blog. Of course, as usual, the days are full and never boring here. I last wrote on Wednesday morning. After a long walk with Christine, I picked Saskia up from school and went to the dentist with her. She had to take Demerol to calm her down and after half an hour, we went back and she got nitrous oxide, bubblegum smell. Then, when she was sufficiently calm the novocaine. She was a real trooper, even smiling at the dentist's jokes. She now has a beautiful white crown where her severely decayed tooth was and he fixed another cavity as well. She also got her healthy teeth sealed. Now we have to return in December for the rest of the cavities.

After the dentist visit, we got Wendy's Frosties, as we were both starving (Saskia didn't have breakfast because of the medication). And then of course a visit to Toys R Us, where Saskia selected the Bedtime Carebear.

On Wednesday night, the school's ice cream social was on. Rick took the kids, as all the emotions of the day had left me exhausted.

On Thursday we went to Katja's back to school night. My dad babysat and it's heartwarming to see how he is building up loving relationships with the kids! He cuddled with Saskia and put her in bed, reading her a special Dutch fairy tale. The back to school night was crazy! Listening to Katja's 7 teachers talk for 10 mins each and running upstairs and downstairs in 5 minutes between "classes". Katja certainly gets her exercise just going from class to class!

On Friday afternoon I painted an accent wall in Saskia's room aqua. Very pretty! It really changes the room completely and now I'm eager to paint more, but it's not as easy in the other rooms, as there are heavy bookcases to move and all. So maybe I'll just do a bathroom next. It is gratifying to see the result!

Yesterday we had a wonderful day! We went to an event by the Dutch Society at the house of some members. Their house is located on the Potomac river. Gorgeous! There was so much to do: swimming, kayaking, surfing, old fashioned Dutch games, food and drinks. The kids didn't want to go at all and then didn't want to leave as they were having such a good time!

At night, Rick and I used up a gift certificate at Morton's of Chicago. Yum!

This morning at 7:10am, I received a phone call from the police officer at Katja's middle school. I had left a message for her yesterday afternoon, after Katja came home with a strange story about a schoolbus desecration.

Apparently, some eighth graders had written an inflammatory word or sentence on one of the schoolbus benches. The officer had come on the bus to find out who the perpetrator(s) were. Ok, so far so good, sounds like a good thing to me, as the schoolbus gets used not only by the older kids, but by little ones as well. But then Katja proceeded to tell me, that they had to write on a piece of paper what they knew and when no one wrote anything the officer could use, she proceeded to yell at the kids using words like "hell" and "damn".

Now, Katja is definitely used to her share of yelling from previous teachers and the likes and is not a sensitive child in that area. So for her to tell me this so specifically meant, that it must have been pretty scary for her.

I told the officer what Katja had told me and she claimed she couldn't remember using those words and that she had to yell in order to be heard by the whole bus, as according to her the bus is so huge (later on she told me she was standing in the middle of the bus and to my knowledge yelling is not necessary in a bus, if you're standing in the middle, but ok, she may have felt she needed to to exert her dominance). I told her that obviously, this would be Katja's word against hers and that I wasn't trying to tell her how to do her job, just to make her aware, that her behavior wasn't exactly exemplary to the kids.

She was quite defensive, saying the eighth graders that did it needed a good scolding, because the words they wrote were much worse than whatever words she may have used to the kids. I told her that may very well be the case, but the point is, that there were just a couple of kids involved and there was no need to yell at the entire bus like that (she admitted she'd known who did it before she even entered the bus). She prided herself on not telling the kids what was actually written as "it was quite bad". Ok, that's great. Still no excuse in my mind.

Anyway, she ended the conversation by asking me if there was anything else. Obviously not. And now I'm of course second guessing myself. Did I do right by calling the school? Will Katja forever have a "name" with this officer now? Am I too protective of a parent and should I just accept that police officers have to be rough to the kids? (I really don't think they have to be, honestly). And I didn't like her defensive stance, I would have much preferred if she had said "Yes, I realize I didn't use the right language, but I was frustrated as it had taken me all day to figure out who these kids were and now they were not owning up" or some such.

Ok, off to go for a long walk and then Saskia's dental work!

Mondays are always strange days, yesterday was no exception. It's because the kids' school day is short (only till 12:45) and so we have the whole afternoon "off", which usually means there are thousands of chores to push into those few hours.

After a great workout, a step class, which I love, as it teaches you a dance and it feels great to be in sync with everyone, I ran off to the Container Store. Rick is in the process of emptying out the garage, so he can fit his car and he needed some containers. Then off to Whole Foods for stuff.

Quickly home, took a shower and got the little ones (though Kai would balk at this description of him ;)). We did homework and when Katja came home, I rushed off to the dentist with her for her cleaning. The assistant asked me if I had a running appointment there ;), every week. Thankfully, this was it and only Rick, who takes care of his own appointments, still needs to be seen. Katja's teeth, as well as Kai's, are still perfect. Poor little Saskia is not so lucky and I'm nervous about tomorrow, when she's having a root canal (something I've never even experienced myself :() and a crown put on. I'm more nervous, than she is , I think, as she's singing happily.

After the dentist I barely had time to pick up Saskia to go to her first skating lesson. I took some pictures of her skating, very cute! And between the "scenes", I took some wonderful Monarch butterfly pictures too.

Today, I first went to my biblestudy, very interesting, on how to be an excellent wife. I'll be one from now on ;). Then to the doctor for a checkup and a flu shot, yuck! But I do really like my doctor. She asked about my mom and took down the books that I read about Borderline Personality Disorder.

Then off to the gym (way late, around 12noon!) for a workout and Christine and I had a nice salad for lunch. At 4, the kids and I pushed 4 cats into their pet carriers, leashed Brynna up and went to the vet. My, oh my, what an undertaking! I don't think the vet was used to a family of 5 pets showing up :-O!

Brynna and Miep (15 yo cat, for those not in the now) are having tests done. Brynna on a bump on her side and Miep to see if she has diabetes, hyperthyroidism or renal failure (hopefully the middle one, as that's treatable with tablets). The other three, Sushi (2), Snickers and Meike (siblings, 1) were all healthy and just got shots.

And now it's Tuesday night and Rick is helping Katja with her homework and the others are drawing. No tv! Great!!!

Yesterday was a great day! The storms had drifted over, the pain subsided somewhat and Rick was back home! Yippee!!!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so after a weight workout upstairs, I took Brynna for a short run outside. The dog is loving those walks! Her whole behavior has changed, she used to whine a lot, but now is much quieter. And it's so gorgeous outside, the walks/runs really lift my spirits too.

After lunch, I went over to Christine's with Katja, who babysat Christine's daughter, while we went to Middleburg. We visited 3 wineries: Chrysalis, Swedenburg and Piedmont. The views! Is it ever pretty out there at the foot of the Shenandoah mountains! And Middleburg is a beautiful little town!

I just came back from a run of about 5 miles with Brynna, who's pooped! But the weather is so gorgeous, working out indoors is just not an option!

In a little bit we're going to the Renaissance Festival again. I love that festival so much, I could go every week!

Not up for blogging much these days. Fibromyalgia pains have returned full force and Rick is out of town, so I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth. More this weekend.

I keep wanting to update my blog daily and am just not managing to. Oh well. It may be because I am feeling very tired these last few days. I had a very emotional day on Saturday, having to stand up to my mother yet again. But I just can not think it's right for the kids to think that what my mom did is normal. So I can't keep acting like nothing is going on. So I told her how sad we all are about her move and how she hasn't said goodbye to us. I got a scathing email back, I'll spare everyone the details, but I'm keeping it just in case I'll ever feel sorry for her again.

I wasn't feeling well on Saturday either and after the birthday party Saskia and Katja attended at our friends' house, I just vegged out while Rick took the kids to the second birthday party at Build a Bear Workshop at the mall.

Sunday was better. I went running with Kai and Brynna, who has really gotten used to her daily walks and so I had to give her one both weekend days as well. It's always so funny to go on a run with her as she'll pull me along for the first 2 miles or so, but during the third mile, she'll lose steam and gradually it'll get so I pull her along!

I took my camera on our run, but when I got ready to take a picture, I noticed there was no film in it. Duh!!

Kai stopped by a friend's house where he ended up playing and sent me home for his Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I got a good exercise in!

Then Christine and I went shopping and had a great time. We both came home with new clothes, and sometimes that feels therapeutic. Her mother has been a B**** too, and called again last night with some nonsense message. What is it with these mothers???

Today we had a serious workout, a double step class, it was great! Rick stayed home from work as he's leaving for Hawaii very early tomorrow morning and had to finish some stuff up. We had a great Thai lunch together and picked the kids up from school together, with Brynna, of course.

I went to the Container Store and got Katja some new bins for stuff in her room as she promised to clean her room today and tomorrow.

The weather is gorgeous, but we need rain!!!

Busy day today! This morning I got up early with Katja and Rick as I'm liking it more and more, to have some time to get chores done before the younger kids go to school. This morning I managed to straighten out 4 kitchen cupboards and a drawer, it makes me feel like I accomplished something immediately.

Brynna meanwhile has become quite used to her new twice daily walks to bring Kai and Saskia to school. It's as if she can tell time! She'll start jumping and panting right around the time we're supposed to leave, both in the morning and the afternoon! This afternoon, I was actually planning on getting the kids by car, as we had to head off right away, but Brynna's enthusiasm about the walk made me leash her anyway and walk instead. I think the special attention of the walk helps the rest of her behavior too, as she's not whining about food, water or going out nearly as much these days.

After taking the kids to school I headed off to the gym and thankfully met friends to talk during the workout, which, as always made it seem over with way faster! Then some groceries at Shoppers Food Warehouse next door. I'm trying to slip some vitamins and breakfast into Saskia by offering her Ovaltine. She refuses to eat anything for breakfast and I figure drinking chocolate milk fortified with vitamins is at least something. I hate the thought of her sitting in her class with a practicallly empty stomach! I've tried just about everything, but I think she's like me, her throat doesn't "open up" until an hour or so after waking up.

After the kids got out of school, we went to the opening of Rick's new office. It was a grand affair and Rick had worked hard on getting everything together in time, all the connections and wiring and electronics, he's a true wizard at it. It was fun to hear everyone speak so highly of him! It made my wife's heart swell with pride :).

Governor Warner of Virginia did the official opening and by the time the kids and I arrived that was all over and done with. But Katja wanted to see if the governor was still there and we were lucky, he was just about to leave, but I introduced the kids to him and then he suggested to have a picture taken. I'll have to email his photographer for a copy. Katja was so excited to have met the governor, she told everyone that wanted to hear about it :).

At 6 we rushed home, as we had to be at the kids' school at 7 for Back to School night. We quickly got the kids Mickey D's, bad, bad parents that we are! But there really was no time for anything else. Katja made me feel slightly better about it by getting a salad there.

The Back to School night was fun. We missed the little session with all the politicians, the principal and whoever else doing their talks and went straight to the classrooms. Both kids had made things for us, Saskia had a mystery paper with the color of her hair (orange :)) and eyes (green) and we had to guess who she was. She has a fun teacher, who really loves to teach first grade, it's quite obvious.

Kai in fifth grade rotates among 3 teachers for math, science and social studies. His homeroom teacher is a really nice lady, I had a long talk with her on the field trip last week. His fourth grade teacher has him for math and she was telling me just how smart he is, but that he kind of keeps it hidden. This is what I like about this school, because that's exactly the case! Kai is a GT student, but we didn't send him to the special center, because he hates doing homework and we envisioned 4 years of struggle over that. Some might argue we're not doing him a favor by "giving in", but I firmly believe, that a child should enjoy school and he does. He wouldn't if he would have to work on hours and hours of homework. We do extra stuff at home and he's in the pull out GT program at school, but that's all stuff he enjoys doing. Anyway, it's fun to see how well the teachers read the children.

Now we're about to eat dinner at 9:30pm, yawn! But it was a fun day!

A gorgeous day today! I had to get up early with Katja, as Rick was gone before dawn for a presentation downtown. Katja leaves at 6:55 and so I had a whole 35 mins before I had to wake the younger ones up. Hey, maybe enough time to get the refrigerator (which was admittedly gross!) cleaned out. So I started on that and by the time I had to walk them to school, I had a sparkling clean refrigerator. What a feeling of accomplishment that was!

I had a super workout and personal training session and then went to Fresh Fields for some more of the fresh cheese (yogurt like with fruit flavors) that Kai and Saskia love. And of course, I had to get myself one of their great salads for lunch.

For once there was nowhere to go this afternoon, so I took pictures of a beautiful butterfly on our bushes. I put my butterfly and other insect pics on my Webshots page, under butterflies and insects. Then I walked Brynna to the school to pick up the kids.

Parker (our neighbor's son) and Saskia play so well these days! They pretend all kinds of stuff while playing house, very cute! They can't wait to see each other after school, Parker is in Kindergarten and Saskia in first grade. I hope the friendship lasts, I think a boy-girl friendship is quite cool!

Tonight, Kai and Rick went to Kai's first scouting meeting. I have mixed feelings about the Boy Scouts, but more about that later as it's late.

It's been a hectic week! I'm not going to go over every day, no energy.

I saw my mother last on Saturday and now have no idea when I'll see her again, she left yesterday afternoon forever. Very weird feeling. She didn't say goodbye to any of us, really, just to my dad.
Last night was a difficult night. It's hard to grasp, that someone we saw daily and with whom we traveled and had great times together, changed so much over the course of a year and just eliminated her husband, children and grandchildren from her life.

I keep telling the children, that, even if I live to be a hundred, I'll always be their *mother*. That task, or even gift, won't magically be over when they're adults and I'm 62 or whatever age. I vow to be the best grandmother my grandchildren could wish for. I'm writing this down, black and white, because I want to be able to refer to it again.

I had to re-affirm today for myself, what it means to be a mother and grandmother. I know my own mother does not correspond to the descriptions, but I swear I will! I will not be perfect, but I'll work darned hard at it! I looked up some poems that speak to me about this subject and I'm posting them here for my blog tonight. I'm mourning my mother, I know she is not dead, but as of yesterday, she has chosen a new family and life as we knew it with her will never be again.

The first 2 poems are about the Mother I hope to be and the third about the way my own Grandmother (from father's side) was and how I hope to be a Grandmother some day.

Mother.......

When you're a child she walks before you,
To set an example.
When you're a teenager she walks behind you
To be there should you need her.
When you're an adult she walks beside you
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together..

- Author Unknown.


A Mother's Love

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.

For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above...

- Author Unknown.


GRANDMOTHER'S TALENT

A grandmother has a special talent-
She always knows just what to do
To make her grandchildren happy
And to show she loves them, too.

At the family get-togethers,
She's the first person to look for-
She can entertain small children for hours,
And they always keep asking for more.

You can tell when a grandmother's teasing
By the twinkle that shines in her eyes-
She's an expert at settling problems,
For she's loving, patient and wise.

Her grandchildren always admire her,
Even when they are grown-
They always feel proud and happy
To claim Grandmother as their own!

~By Mary Dawson Hughes~

Ok, I need to recount my memories of September 11th, 2001. Of course, I had just celebrated my 40th birthday, blissfully unaware of the atrocities that would be committed the next day.

I sometimes think of that, how ironic, that on my 40th birthday we could still accompany guests to the gate of their flight, we rarely heard fighter jets flying over, we didn't have to be at airports 2 hours in advance and then still barely make it, we didn't have to listen to the media speculate what and where the next terror attack may take place, worrying they're giving these bandits an awful lot of good ideas! The World Trade Center was still just that, a building to go up in and look out over New York, 2800+ people were still alive, a group of little kids was still looking forward to their trip to Los Angeles. "Ground Zero" was still a term to be used in case of a nuclear war. And much more!

What a difference a day makes! During the night of the 10th, I had gotten sick, something I ate, I guess. I was in no state to take care of children the next morning, so Rick canceled his appointment at the Pentagon to help take the kids to school. This saved us numerous hours of worry or worse, as it turned out.

When he got back from dropping the children off, he came running upstairs and said: "If you ever saw a towering inferno, watch this!" and turned on NBC news. As we were watching the coverage of the first tower in flames, we witnessed the second plane hitting the other tower. It didn't register. In shocked horror we kept watching, unable to tear ourselves away. Then the announcer stopped mid sentence and said they were going to Washington. I'll never forget Jim Miklazevski's words: "I don't want to alarm anyone, but I just felt this building shake."

About an hour later, when all planes should have been grounded, but word had not come yet of the 4th hijacked plane, I heard a plane above our house. I never felt as scared as I did then!

My father was working in Washington at the time the Pentagon plane hit and it took hours for him to contact us or get home. We knew he was nowhere near the Pentagon, but we couldn't imagine what people who had loved ones in the Pentagon must have felt!

I called the school to ask if we could get the children. We were told the superintendent had determined it would not benefit the children to be taken out early and were advised to leave them at school. In retrospect, we should have gotten at least the oldest, as classmates were picked up by their parents and at such rates, that the kids started thinking worse things had happened than the actual events.

Reacting to the call of unity, we all went to the flag stores the next days and got flags for the house and the cars. Somehow that felt right.

We also drove by the Pentagon site. We just needed to see it and feel the reality of it, hard to explain.

For a week or so after the attacks, I was not able to eat or sleep. I kept wondering what would happen next, was I going to see my children rot away with smallpox? Were we all going to die a nasty chemical gas death? I was consumed with worry and couldn't live anywhere near a normal life.

I went to see my doctor, who advised me to turn off the tv. I listened, it helped. But not enough. I needed an event, that would show me, that fate is just that, that we can't control what will happen to us, even if we would desperately like to.

This event unfortunately came with a tornado not too far away in Maryland. The car of two college students was picked up by the tornado and slammed down, killing both girls. Strangely enough, this tragedy snapped me out of my all consuming worries. I realized, that these girls had been just as worried about what would happen next and here their lives ended in a totally unrelated event.

My friend invited me to attend her bible study. I'm not practicing religious, but always very interested in the history of the bible. So I went and for the first reading, one of the verses read: "Who of you, by worrying, added a single hour to his life" (Matthew) I recall that simple sentence anytime I feel the worries taking over. It's quite simply the truth. Whatever happens, we won't be able to change it. So in the past year my main focus has been to enjoy everything I have, the love I enjoy from the kids and Rick, the beauty of nature, the volunteering the schools, the deepening of existing friendships and creating new friendships. All that makes life worth living, no matter what tomorrow brings.

Tonight, I'm remembering those that fell one year ago. I am grateful to them, they showed me just how important the little things in life are. And I hope their families find comfort in the knowledge that so many people all over the country think about them today.

In honor of the remembrance of September 11th, 2001, I'm posting a poem here that Katja wrote last year:

The Things They Did To Me

1 Thing they did to me,
Was make me see,
That the USA is stronger
Than they'll ever be
Another thing they did to me
Was make me see
How horrible and sad
And dangerous and mad
This world can be
I wish I didn't have to know
That people can go
As far as the events of September 11
To send innocent people to heaven

Ok, here I am, freshly 41 ;). I liked 40 much better as a number, but I guess it will have to do. Yesterday, after a strenuous workout, Christine took me out to lunch at Artie's, a fun local restaurant. I have to admit I haven't exactly been watching my diet lately :-O!

Then, when the kids got home, the girls and I had a manicure, Saskia's first ever. And Katja got her nails done red, white and blue with the letters USA on the 3 middle fingers.

I got a lot of phone calls, cards and ecards, so I felt very celebrated. For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant Renaissance Cafe and had a good time with the 5 of us.

Today is the eleventh of September. I slept terribly last night, waking up at 1:30am and not able to get back to sleep :(. So I was supertired. I was worried, even though I didn't want to admit it, that something bad would happen again today. Living so close to DC doesn't make one feel very safe in these instances!

I had purposely signed up to chaperone a field trip for Kai's fifth grade class to go to the International Children's Festival at Wolftrap, the only national park that's devoted to the performing arts in the country. It was a wonderful performance of dancers from China, Korea, Bolivia and Armenia and at the end, the county supervisor and school superintendent led the children in singing "America the Beautiful".

I'm really glad I went! After I got myself a quick lunch at Fresh Fields, Christine came over and we went for a long walk with Brynna, to the dogpark. But when we got there, Brynna was already so exhausted, she just laid down and panted. I guess I need to exercise her more!

As far as the remembrance of September 11, 2001 goes, I have been thinking about how I felt that day, all day. The total fear, the worry for the future, it all kept me from eating and sleeping for at least a week, until my doctor told me to turn the tv's off. I really do think that the media have too much influence on our daily lives. It's hard to get away from them, too. Today I managed fairly well.

This day will never be a normal day for me again, I realized today. Nor will my birthday ever be the celebration it was, there will always be a shadow...

I'm exhausted today and have lots of pain in my leg. The emotions of the weekend probably got to me.

Not a long blog entry today, just a few important things I don't want to forget:

1) I'm turning 41 tomorrow and I always thought I'd hate to be so "old". Truly, despite all the stuff going on with my parents, this is the best time of my life. I'm having fun, I'm loving my family and my friends and genuinely am happy.

2) Today is my anniversary of becoming an American citizen. I swore allegiance to the United States of American on 9/9/99, a fun date, too. I'm proud to be an American!

3) Though September 11th will be a tense day, I should not forget that it's my sister and brother-in-law's third wedding anniversary, their wedding date was 9/11/1999. They are now blessed with a beautiful little boy. So the date does not just stand for ugly deeds, thankfully!

Highly necessary after the past few days:

Five things that have made me happy:

1) When I told Kai last night before bed "Thank you for being you" (I sometimes say this to the kids), he answered "Thank *you* for being *you*, so I can be *me*". It was just so wonderful of a statement.

2) Photographing a bunch of beautiful butterflies this afternoon, nature sure has quite a palette!

3) When I saw Rick dressed in his workout clothes today, to go to the gym with me and endure my griping about my mother, even though I know he is not fond of talking while exercising.

4) When Rick came home with a computer program that teaches Dutch for him and the kids to use. It's so special they all make such an effort to speak *my* language!

5) Talking to my brother and sister and feeling their love and support and knowing that, even if my mom is lost to our family, we won't fall apart, my dad and my siblings and nieces and nephews will still be there and care just as much.

It's been an emotional few days, since my mother came back from the Netherlands. I don't really feel like telling the whole story here again, as I'm sure it will stick in my memory forever. But I'll have to get used to life without a mother, so much is clear.

On Thursday, Christine and I went to the National Gallery of Art to get our minds off everything going on with our respective families (how did two people meet that have so much in common with each other? Coincidence? I think not!). Her mother has totally gone off the deep end and mine is not far behind, if not there already. Same background, same personality disorder, how creepy is that?

Anyway, the Gallery was great, quiet, serene, beautiful works of art and a wonderful little restaurant with a scrumptious buffet. Ah, that's the life!

On Friday I kept busy with workout, massage and haircut and meanwhile tried to mentally deal with the blows coming out of my parental home.

Today was similar. Rick was very sweet to go work out with me as I really needed a companion today. Besides that I mainly took pictures of all the different butterflies in our yard. So far, I identified the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (plentiful), the American Lady, the black female Eastern Tiger Swallowtailand the Great Spangled Fritillary . Some of the pictures turned out great as you can see!

And the schoolyear has started! First we had a wonderful day at the Renaissance Festival in Maryland on Monday. We brought Katja's friend Meghan and Kai's friend Nick with us. The boys really enjoyed the Torture museum (as did Katja, Meghan and Saskia stayed out) and the Unnatural History museum. We ate the wonderful food there, like sweet potato fries, fry ribbons, soup in a bread bowl and fried pickle (my personal favorite).
It's just always a lot of fun that festival. I didn't get a chance to shop much, so I definitely want to go again this season (it goes through mid-October).

My dad came along as well and we all ate dinner at the Renaissance Cafe nearby, a wonderful restaurant and appropriately named ;).

Yesterday was the first day of school! We got up at 6am, to get Katja ready for her bus at 7am. We were the only parents at the busstop, which kind of surprised me. But then I realized all the other kids had older siblings. Still, I'm fairly certain I will wait with Kai and Saskia as well.

Then we walked Kai and Saskia to their classes and took first day of school pictures. I went off to the gym, did a very tough class with Claudia (we both felt we were getting quite a workout! I guess the machines are good, but you do get used to them and the classes use muscles I didn't even know I had!).

After class and shower, quickly back to the school to help Saskia through her first lunch. She only needed me for about 10 minutes so I left and ate lunch at home (the school lunches just don't appeal to me!!).

On the first day of school our tradition is, that I get brightly colored poster board and stickers and shape that into a large cone, which I then fill with snacks and school supplies to make the homework more fun. I thought maybe Katja would feel too old for it now, but nothing was further from the truth! So I went and picked them all up with the huge cones in my arms.

Christine and I managed to get a manicure/pedicure in somewhere in between as well and I cooked dinner (fajita's) for the first time in a long time! I was utterly exhausted last night, as were the kids!

Weekly wrap up (I liked this one!):

1. What is your earliest memory of going back to school? Describe the feelings you experienced and, if you can remember, something that happened that day.

My earliest memory is going to the first day of school in Senegal. I didn't know a word of French (I was 6) and was put in a totally French class. I remember I was very proud at the end of that day that I knew the word for "bird" was "pie".

2. Who was your first teacher? What do you remember about him/her?

Mevrouw (Mrs.) Zinkweg. She was my kindergarten teacher in Holland (the year before we moved to Senegal). I don't remember much about her, except that she had black hair.

3. Did you enjoy the first day of school as a child? Why or why not? Did you enjoy the first day of school as a teenager? Why or why not? If these feelings changed from childhood to teenage years, what happened to change them?

I enjoyed it, except when in grades 4, 5, 6 and 7. Those were the years I was teased mercilessly by one group of 4 kids. I would love to know what became of them. In 7th grade, my parents switched my school so I wouldn't be with that group (I came in in 4th grade from Senegal) and I never had a problem since.

4. What was the most exciting thing about starting school again? What was the most frustrating? Why?

I loved getting new books, supplies and everything. Most frustrating? The long bike ride to and from school! 5 miles each way, rain or shine (or snow).

5. If you have children in school now, how do you mark the occasion of the first day of school? If you don't have children, how did your family deal with the first day of school? What was the best part of the first day?

I await them after school with a construction paper cone, decorated with school stickers and filled with homework supplies (fun pencils, highlighters, bookmarks etc.) and candy. I start this tradition when Katja started first grade and it's always fun to get my mind off missing them that first day, while I buy the stuff and exciting for them to do their first homework of the year.

Second installment of the day, as Rick and I are playing Yahoo's Literati. Fun! It's still gloomy out, but our friend Kevin has taken his 3 kids and our 3 kids to Spy Kids 2. Yippee!

We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's, they changed their menu and I had a wonderful chicken white chili soup and the salad bar (and snacked from Kai's buffalo wings and Rick's crabcake, but those are "free" calories, right? ;)).

Then we went to Payless , as Katja still needed "regular" shoes (non-sneakers) for school and Saskia needed sneakers (always hard with her, as she only likes "dress" shoes). Both were found though, this time. Plus a cute little purse for Katja for personal stuff at school.

When it's so gloomy outside, it's often hard to think of things that make me happy, but here goes:
1. Playing games with my hubby

2. The homey feeling of a sleeping dog at my feet and a sleeping cat on the chair. And the clock ticking quietly. It's home!

3. The greenery outside, it's amazing how quickly nature rebounces and looks green again after some rain!

4. Our friends, I can't say enough just how special they are, especially for taking our 3 all at once, LOL!

5. The prospect of a sunny day in our very near future, at least we know this weather never lasts beyond a few days here!

While the rain is streaming down, hopefully putting a dent in the nasty drought we've been having, I thought I'd update here. Katja's orientation at middle school on Friday afternoon turned into a little bit of an adventure. We went with her and the 2 six year olds and went straight to her locker. She had bought a bunch of stuff to spruce it up (didn't know there was so much you could put in your schoollocker, all magnetic: mirror, picture frames, pen holder, toilet bag, shelves and more!). Everything fit well, but the door seemed a little hard to close when we were done. We checked if anything was in the way, but no, so we gave it a good push and shut it.

As we tried to open it again (Katja wanted to practice her combination), it wouldn't budge! We had Rick and a friend, who was there as well, pull on it, hit on it etc. But nothing. So Katja and Rick went to get help and came back with the principal (a very nice man, glad to have met him now) and his keys. He opened the locker up and we were all puzzled as to why it jammed. Finally we figured out, that one of the shelves was right at the height of the lock, which made it turn wrong somehow. So we moved it and problem solved, yay!

Katja had become quite nervous through all this and wanted to walk through her schedule (literally, from classroom to classroom) several times. This is a big school, compared to her elementary school (though not as big as other middle schools!) and her classes were then upstairs, then downstairs. Good exercise for them throughout the schoolday! Plus they have daily PE, great!

But the 2 six year olds were getting tired and one of them lost a tooth (Jill) and that was a major happening, of course. So I stayed with them, chatted with the vice principal, while Rick went with Katja to her classes. The little girls sat on the floor by the front door, wiggling each others teeth, very cute! It struck me what a world of difference 6 years makes: at 6 they're still so little and at 12 on the brink of adolescence. Sniff!!!

I finished Katja's book, "Forever" by Judy Blume. It *was* too old for her, but I still think it's good she read it. She had read it on Monday night and woke me up at 2:45, because her nose was stuffed up. I thought she might have a cold, but it turned out to be because she had been crying while reading the book.
The book discusses the first true love of a high school senior, including intercourse, in a fairly graphic way. This was not mentioned on the back of the book or in any way clear by looking at the book, by the way, before anyone thinks I don't check what she reads.

She insisted I read the book too, so I did and, as an adult, I liked it and recognized much from my first love (and the "natural" end to that love, because I found someone else). I hope to have a talk with Katja about it. One thing Judy Blume mentioned that I really liked and will keep in mind, is that her character's parents wanted her to bring her boyfriends to her house, instead of "parking". Not because they didn't trust the girl, but because of criminals preying on people who "park".
The book is definitely beyond a twelve year old's scope, but we'll keep it around for her to re-read in later years. Not that I think she'll be one to jump into it, so to say, but this book is a good deterrent for casual sex.

Yesterday I went to the gym and chatted with my friend Jeanne, those are the best workouts, when I have someone to talk to. Then I dropped Kai and Saskia at a friend's house and chatted there too and my dad came over for dinner and we chatted some more. So yesterday was an unfruitful chat day ;).

Now we need to fill in this rainy day, as sitting at home brings back memories of boring, rainy Sundays in Holland, yuck! Though strangely enough, because it happens so rarely here, the occasional rainy day is welcome.

Ok, I've figured out over the past 2 days that I'm not suited to be a child care provider in my home. I would go *nuts*! Saskia's little friend Jill has been here since early yesterday morning, as I wrote yesterday and the other kids have had non-stop friends here. No problem, everyone is entertained.

However, I've been stuck in and around the house for 2 days and all I can say is ARGH! The mess is getting to me, the house is getting to me, the bored children (which Saskia and Jill are now, after so many hours together) are getting to me! Whine! I'm just not used to being able to go anywhere. I think the fact that when I open a closet door, the contents come crashing out, doesn't help. But I've given myself until the 15th of September before I'll start tackling that problem. Too much going on before then (and really, once the closets are organized, they'll last 2 months tops, till Christmas at the most). I'm chanting Phyllis Diller's saying to myself all day: Cleaning the house while the kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing :). Plus I'm telling myself that I'd rather have messy closets and happy kids around, than a quiet house with perfect closets. This house is to live in, not a museum after all (ok, so that's the extent of the positive self speech, basically).

At least Christine came over to work out with me this morning, that was a welcome diversion.

Katja went to her orientation and came home all happy, so that went well and this afternoon we're going to the parent-student orientation. They are really good about helping the children weather the school transition, I have to say! They even gave a guide on "How to survive the first week in school", in it it stresses constantly how it's no problem if they're a little late for class the first few weeks as they're feeling their way around the school. Each "team" (there are 3 teams per grade) has their own counselor to whom they can turn for any questions, concerns or problems. It's all giving me a good feeling, also that the literature stresses that parents are welcome at any time of the day.

Things that made me happy (starting this up again!):
1. Having so many (7) kids truly enjoy our house and for 5 whole hours not utter a word of discord or discontent!
2. Having my friend Christine over for an equally long time and just utterly enjoying each other's company
3. Seeing my hubby buddy Rick again, how fun to be married to him!!!
4. Having something to occupy my thoughts on September 11th, it will make a big difference for me
5. Feeling much better about life again than I did a few days ago!

Today I woke up with a start at 8am, as I was "supposed" (self supposition ;)) to start working out at 9am (at home) in order to be done by 10, when Saskia's friend Jill was supposed to be here. Jill's mom and I saw at the same time that Saskia and Jill's summer camp was over after yesterday. Jill's mom works full time and I could tell she was in trouble as to what to do with Jill. So I on the spot offered to take care of her those 2 days. Jill is a super sweet little girl and Saskia loves to have a friend over, so we would both benefit. And so it came to be.

Around 10:20, when I had just finished my workout and was quite sweaty, Jill's mom dropped her off. I quickly showered then and Kai, Saskia, Jill and I (Katja was still in bed!) walked to the school for the open house. Today it felt like everywhere I went, I picked up an extra child ;). The open house was lots of fun, seeing people we hadn't seen all summer, meeting the teachers (who I knew already, but the kids didn't), both Kai and Saskia have very enthusiastic, fun teachers. I was thrilled to see I could chaperone a field trip for Kai's class on September 11th, as I'd been worrying about that day and how to avoid the constant media frenzy and worry about the next attack. Plus a good friend signed up as the other chaperone, so it'll be fun! They're going to a children's festival.

During the open house, Kai picked up a friend who came home with us and on the way home, Katja's friend Meghan went with us too. So I had 6 kids to feed lunch to, pizza time!

Around 2pm my friend Christine and her daughter came to visit and they just left after dinner around 8:30. I love being the drop in house where everyone just feels at home! Jill, Saskia's friend, told me this morning "Saskia's mom, your house is fun to play in". That's what I like to hear! It made my day :).

Rick is on his way home and tomorrow is the big middle school orientation. My house is a mess, but it's being lived in and enjoyed and that's all that counts, right?

Oh boy, where to start! In the beginning of this week (especially Sunday and Monday) I felt like all the family stress and tensions were finally getting to me, as I was waking up feeling sad and down, never a good start of a day. On Sunday I cleared it up by going to the gym and meeting all kinds of friends to talk to and that made me realize, just how many people I care about here.

On Monday Christine and I took a step class and that was great! I love step, because you have to concentrate the whole hour, otherwise you're either off beat or off step. Great way to not think of "life" for a bit.

Then I took Kai to get his school clothes. We first went to Target and I committed the cardinal sin of not letting him try his clothes on and the result of course was, that the pants were too small, so I'll have to return those. Then to Kids R Us, where he did try everything on and came away with 2 pair of pants and a bunch of shirts. Now we just have to search for more pants.

Rick left for beautiful :-P Montgomery, Alabama and had kind of a problem finding a hotel, as the one he had booked turned out to be an hour out of town! Now he's staying at a Days Inn closer in. He'll be home tomorrow night.

Yesterday I felt much better emotionally, why I don't know, weird how the mind works, but I'll take the positive side of me any day. I took a weights class and am sore as can be now, but it was fun.

Then I took Kai downtown to finally see the T-Rex 3D IMAX at the Natural History Museum. It was a really good movie! Not as scary as I'd feared from the picture.

After the movie, we visited the Giant Squid on exhibit in that museum. Scary creatures! It just amazes me every time though, we've been to that museum a zillion times and yet there are always things we haven't seen yet, the squids were one of those.

In the metro we had read that the American History Museum has a temporary exhibit called Inventions at Play and since Kai is such a budding scientist, I thought that might be fun to see too, so we went next door to the American History Museum. It's a wonderful exhibit! Interactive, learning about different inventors and how their way of playing got them to invent what they eventually were known for inventing. Kai loved it (so did I) and last night before bed he told me he wanted to become a paleontologist or an inventor :).

Last night the Fitzpatrick family came over for dinner as their "dad" was out of town as well, so the moms drank a nice glass of wine to the missed PTA meeting ;) and the kids played and we all had fun.

Today was the first super rainy day in months! Great for the vegetation and the water tables, but not good for entertainment value. When I got up this morning, my first discovery was Kai's frog and it's habitat on the floor in his room (and dead :(). The cats had had their way with it. Kai and I have now decided that his cat, Snickers, does not want Kai to have any other pets besides him ;).

After that disaster, I took Saskia to her last day at the summercamp at her school :(. She didn't seem upset about it, until this afternoon, when she saw her teacher assignment and new classmates at the new school (FWIW I love the teacher she's getting, so I'm thrilled and I'm sure just a day or so after starting, so will she be), when the tears suddenly came. Kai is in a class with a few of his friends and a very nice teacher, so happiness on his part.

Tonight, my dad came and we went to the nearby Japanese restaurant. Tomorrow night Rick will be home.

Yesterday my dad took Katja and Kai to a peach and apple orchard in the Shenandoah Valley. They had a blast! They found an orchard owned by a retired army sergeant, who showed them around, let them taste the fruits and they came home with a couple of bags full of wonderful fruit!

Then they went back home with my dad and worked on a toy log cabin with him. Katja did not want to stay there another night, as she was missing her cat Sushi, but Kai did.

I, meanwhile, got Saskia from summercamp and had a delicious school clothes shopping session with her. I have very girly girls, that's for sure and Saskia has a shoe fetish. So we got her 2 pairs of shoes, one with plateau heels and she's very proud of them. We also got some cute outfits, she has good taste! And then we got some Dippin' Dots and she bought a Diva Starz doll from her own saved money. A very nice shopping date with my youngest!

When we were done at the mall, we went to my dad's to pick Katja up. While we were there, Kai convinced Saskia to stay at my dad's as well. I was a little concerned at that, as the past few times she had stayed with my parents, she had cried in the night (and she was concerned about this herself). But the thrill of going to her favorite Mexican restaurant and a walk in the dark with Opa won out anyway. And she did great! Kai shook their bunk bed and kept her a little awake, but otherwise she slept till 8 am when my dad had to wake both of them up, because the cleaning ladies had arrived.

Meanwhile, we took our oldest out to dinner. Katja, Rick and I ate at a nice local restaurant. Katja has a great sense of humor, so we laughed a lot.

This morning, my dad dropped the younger two here around 11am. Christine called to say her daughter has strep, so keeping my fingers crossed my 3 won't get that, as they played with her on Wednesday night. She came over around noon and we went for a 1 hour and 40 minute walk, the weather was humid but nowhere near as hot as it has been.

When we came home, Katja was excited as she finally got her school papers and her supply list. So we went shopping for those, first at Target, which was just about empty and then on to Walmart, where we hit the jackpot, but also the bees' nest of people shopping! We took Katja's friend Meghan along and Saskia played with Meghan's sister in the meantime.

My dad came over for dinner and now we just watched Bedazzled, great movie! Bedtime! (as one of the cats is eating my toes!)

Wow, two days in a row, I'm getting good at this ;)! We had a nice evening with Christine and Chuck last night, despite their recent terrible losses (Chuck lost his mother and Christine her dad within 7 days). Rick and I got them dinner at Chicken Out and the kids enjoyed themselves and we had dinner and wine (I think I had a smidgeon too much, though!).

Rick disabled all the smokedetectors before we left, so we wouldn't be awakened by them again. I managed to call the manufacturer and the lady asked when was the last time I vacuumed the detectors. Huh? Who thinks of vacuuming their smoke detectors? Certainly not me! I'm not a good housekeeper anyway and that never crossed my mind. So, Rick vacuumed them today and put them back, hopefully they're fine now.

Last night though, we turned in late anyway, all of us, as we got home late and then Saskia had a nightmare around 4:30am and wanted to sleep in our bed (she always sleeps next to me on the floor in a sleeping bag). However, I have a special pillow to help the fibromyalgia pains and Rick likes to sleep on his back, so there is *very* little space in our queen sized bed (we're hoping to upgrade to a king soon). So, the moment Saskia entered the bed, sleep was impossible.

We did get up normal time, but I felt like a truck had run me over! Achy, muscles twitching, headache etc. So, after an hour up and feeding Kai and Saskia breakfast, I went back to bed for an hour and a half. Saskia decided she wanted to stay home from summercamp, fine with me, as I had no energy to take her there. Yuck!

They all played with neighborhood kids while I napped. When I got up, I managed a mini-workout of half an hour on the elliptical machine and then took a shower. Still not feeling much better (and annoyingly nauseous).

Katja got up around noon (it will be tough to get her on the very early middle school schedule next week!) and I made both of us some soup for l(br)unch.

Then Saskia was invited to go to the pool with our friends, thankfully, as she was getting restless. And Katja had an eye doctor appointment (her eyes got much worse in 6 months! Scary! According to the doctor that happens when they have a growth spurt. Katja has had it happen several times already).

Kai is into this strategy game from England, Warhammer 40000 and we went on a wild goose chase for a small game shop that sold just the pieces he needed to go on. The shop was manned by a very obese man in a wheelchair, somewhat grumpy. He was able to walk some with a cane and tapped the cost of Kai's purchase in with it. It was kind of an unusual experience, frankly, hard to describe in words. He had a tape playing which described in very graphic detail the killing of Mussolini. I wasn't particularly interested in hearing that, but the volume was up so loud, there was no choice. And he never turned it down to talk to us. Just an unsettling experience.

Tonight, Kai and Katja are staying with my dad and spending the day with him tomorrow. So we just have Saskia. Hopefully she won't be plagued by any nightmares tonight and we'll be able to sleep through as all 3 of us are exhausted!

I'm updating quickly, just before I'm off to the mall with Katja for a second round of school clothes shopping. The first round she did with her friend and I'm not too happy about her choices. They're cute, but way to skimpy for school. She has a voluptuous figure and is only 12, so I don't see the need for "sexy" clothes. Neither does she, necessarily, but she buys what looks nice, without thought of 14 year old hormonal boys. On the other hand, they're nice feminine clothes, so we'll keep them for non-school purposes. For school we'll have to find a nun habit ;) ;).

Kai is at the mall as we speak, as he was with me on Monday afternoon and we found out, that the Game Keeper holds role playing games for boys his age on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 12 to 5. In order to participate, he has to paint miniature fantasy figures and he's loving it. I'm very curious to see if he enjoyed playing the game too.

Yesterday afternoon, I took Katja, Kai and Meghan, Katja's friend to downtown DC. We took Metro and went to the Natural History museum. Our goal was to see the T-Rex IMAX, but we were just too late. So, we saw Everest instead. Wow, that was an impressive movie! I don't know how people can continually risk their lives scaling those mountains! The kids were also duly impressed and we chatted about it the whole way home. While they were doing the expedition for the film, one man died, whose wife was 7 months pregnant. If Rick went to climb a mountain when I was 7 months pregnant, I would be quite upset! It really must be in these people's blood.

Of course there is plenty to see at the Museum and we had an hour before the movie. But the Immersion Theater production "Sharks" was intreguing us, so we got tickets. It was fun! It's an interactive game about the food chain in the oceans. Educative for the kids too.

We also saw the Dinotopia exhibit. How the series was made and lots of drawings and paintings by James Gurney, the creator. I love his art! It's so bright and colorful and full of fantasy.

Of course we missed a lot, I'd like to see the Viking exhibit next and the El Nino one. I may just have to go without the kids one time, as we always seem to end up in the same places: gems, insects and dinosaurs.

It was clear the tourist season is over, as it was not crowded at all! When we were on our way home, all 4 of us agreed, that an outing to Washington always makes us feel as if we're on a mini vacation. It's such a special and beautiful city and it feels exciting just to walk along the mall and see the monuments, the Capitol and the White House.

Yesterday was Rick and my 14th anniversary too and though I'd already given him a much coveted divers watch and he me a beautiful bangle in Turks and Caicos, we still exchanged a small gift and I got a very romantic one: a music box of Sleeping Beauty and her prince dancing and it plays Tschaikovski's Sleeping Beauty, which was the music of our first dance at our wedding 14 years ago!

Katja watched her siblings and we went out to dinner in Georgetown, a very nice French restaurant, the food was delicious and the service perfect. Afterwards Rick parked at the Washington Monument and we strolled on the Mall under an almost full moon. Truly a romantic evening!

I put my story of our vacation in Turks and Caicos in a separate blog . And the pictures can be seen on my Webshots page, all the albums starting with "TCI". Yes, I did take *a lot* of pictures :).

Wow, what a nice and quiet weekend we're having! It's been a long time since that was the case! It's beautiful weather, hot, but not as humid as it has been (or so it seems, there is a heat advisory out every day though and the drought continues :().

Yesterday we slept late and then Saskia and I went to the pool. I swam 60 laps for my exercise (1500m) and then we played. It was wonderfully relaxing.

Then my dad came over and we had dinner at our neighbors' house, with much wine and Rick and Ross even had blue martini's! The kids played nicely and around ten were so tired we went home and straight to bed.

This morning same thing, long sleeping, McD's egg Mcmuffin breakfast (yum and only 290 calories ;)) and no exercise today for me. Strange how I can give myself the day off and then somehow feel like I'm cheating my body. I hope I won't get to regret it later on today, as I usually need the exercise to loosen up my muscles. But I did push ups, squats and sit ups to accomplish that a little.

Anyway, Rick just took the kids to Spykids 2 and I'm about to go to my dad's to see his new skylights in their house and I'll go and buy some cards to send to my friend Christine, who's having a very rough time right now.

Happiness is:

1. Having a purring cat lying against me while I'm typing this
2. Feeling so in love with my husband and kids I could hug them constantly
3. The sound of the cicada "concerts" outside
4. The prospect of entering a very hot car after being chilled here in the airconditioning
5. The sound of the clock ticking, signaling there is no loud cartoon music to drown it out!

We're baaaack!! Ok, we've been back since Monday night, but only now am I starting to feel like I'm returning to normal again. We had the most wonderful vacation, I'm working hard on a report and putting pictures online, what a dream it was!

These past few days have been spent unpacking, sweating (it's still superhot out! The air quality at least was "only" code Orange today, after several code Red days). It's good to be back. Seeing the monuments in Washington from the plane again made me feel so lucky to be allowed to live near to such a beautiful city! (Unfortunately, the pilot managed to have us all on the edge of our seat as his landing was downright strange and scary!).

Anyway, we're here, no more trips planned for the rest of the summer vacation (except for Rick) and the kids are bored already. Oh my!

Things that made me happy today:

1. Talking to my birthday boy nephew in Canada, he's 6 today!
2. Talking with 2 close friends and catching up with a third one
3. Having Kai sit close to me to read a book on reef fish
4. Receiving said book as a surprise present from Rick
5. Having dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant with the whole family and being so proud of them!

I just came in after cutting daisies in our yard, that had fallen over and I'm dripping with sweat, it's so hot! This is the third day with a heat advisory and heat indexes over 105. I love the heat though, except if I have to work outside in the yard, pfff!

Yesterday I ran around with Katja and Kai, as Katja woke up with a red eye. Her cousin had thrown a Barbie doll against it on Saturday and it didn't get any better. So off to the eye doctor we went. The good news was no infection, but trauma to the eye, so she can't wear her contacts again until the weekend.

That appointment was at 1:30 and at 2:30 K & K both had an orthodontist appointment about 15 miles away. Amazingly, we made it with 5 minutes to spare! The orthodontist had a good chuckle about my tattoo, thankfully I was able to rub it off after my shower today, it was growing old.

Then to several stores for books and sneakers and what have you.

Rick had a cook out with his co-workers, so I took the kids to Glory Days Grill for dinner. They have the best cheese fries and chicken wings! Ok, not healthy, but sometimes it's fun.

Today I had my hair done and ran around cleaning litter boxes and watering plants and doing laundry. Rick has taken the kids to the new Austin Powers movie, I don't care for it one bit, so a moment of solitude now is nice.

Then Rick and I are going out tonight as he heard today he is getting a promotion at work!!! The first one in about 6 years, so it's very, very exciting and a great affirmation of his hard work.

Tomorrow I'll spend packing up, as we're leaving first thing (*very* first thing, our flight is at 7am) for Beaches at Turks and Caicos. This is going to be the vacation of our lives, I'm so excited!! I can't wait to snorkel and swim in the beautiful Caribbean! Going to a resort like that is something I've dreamed of for years and it's finally happening! We'll be gone until the 12th of August, I doubt I'll have internet access there, but if I find a PC, I'll be sure to update my blog.

The sun is back!!! And how! We have a heat advisory going until Tuesday, meaning temperatures will be in the high 90's, pffff. This is definitely a hot summer so far.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday and my sister and brother in law arrived for a visit. My step nephew, who is Katja's age, is staying here for the night. And I got plenty of smiles out of my little 4 months old nephew. Saskia and I have decided we wouldn't mind keeping him, he's so adorable. And it was really sweet how soft and careful Saskia was with him. I can see very motherly traits in both my girls :).

Before we went to my parents, I took some pictures of the Swallowtail butterflies that visit our Buddleia bush. I got a really great one, to be seen in the "Nature Shots" album at http://community.webshots.com/user/petrarick.

I love seeing those butterflies, they're such a nature miracle. And I felt really bad, when one of them flew against my windshield on the way back from Virginia Beach.

Of course, there is plenty to feel happy about:

1. The singing of the crickets outside, such a summer sound!
2. My husband who just handed me my second cup of coffee
3. Waking up to a sunny, hot day and knowing it will be sunny and hot for several days to come (I still remember the rare hot days in Holland, invariably, the nice weather would be finished in a few days). This type of weather makes me feel so much better!
4. Seeing my sleepy 6 year old come down with her sleeping bag and cuddling up next to me
5. Watching the kittens chase a hornet for me, Snickers caught him

Yesterday was definitely the clean up day, blech! Loads of laundry, put everything back in its spot (only to be taken out again next week, but never mind that ;)). The weather has been gloomy and dreary and rather chilly (ok, I know that for those reading in Europe, 21 degrees celsius (70 F) is not chilly at all, but if you've been used to 30 degrees plus, it's a change!). This has made me feel achy and tired, so low energy too.

Anyway, to break the cleaning cycle a bit, Kai and I took Brynna for a walk with my friend Claudia, her kids and her dog. There is a new dog park nearby, with hoops, ramps and jumping bars for dogs. Very fun!

Rick got home around 10 pm and we stayed up too late, despite my feeling so tired. I know, I know, I should have gone earlier.

This morning, my brother called at 8. He's an early bird, that one and I was trying hard not to let on that he woke me up. I think he didn't notice this time. We had a nice chat, though.

Then personal training at the gym and a massage here, highly necessary! My mom came over for a diet Pepsi and a chat. And then Katja and I got our nails painted. I had promised her this at graduation and it finally happened. She has a cute design on her big toes. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience. And we got to watch "Legally blonde", which is truly a fun movie!

And now we're vegging. I'm about to go to bed, as I'm pooped. One can probably tell by my blogs how tired I am, as I have no humor in me when I'm feeling so exhausted. I hate this feeling too! I hope the weather turns warmer again soon!

Home again! Last night was a tough one. Christine fell asleep very early (ok, compared to midnight!) and the kids all went to bed nicely. So I read a bit and went to sleep. Around 3 am, I had to go to the bathroom and Kai was tossing and turning. I asked him what the problem was and he answered he was cold (very good air conditioning at that hotel!) and didn't have enough covers (his sleeping bad is getting too small). So I gave him my covers (I still had my blanket, but that was kind of thin). Then I kept hearing this thumping and clicking and first I thought it was Katja, but she was fast asleep. Kai too. Then it dawned on me: it was the hermit crabs moving about. So, not able to sleep with that noise, I put the cages in the bathroom.

At 7:45 I woke up. Christine was all packed and ready by that point. My problem is, I wake up in the middle of the night and then I'm tired by the time morning rolls around. I finished up packing and cleaning and we went down for breakfast in the seaside restaurant next door.

I ordered poached eggs and a pancake and everyone else got their order in. Then the waitress alerted us to dolphins playing right off the coast! The kids (and Christine and I) got a great show of dolphins really nearby!! It was so cool!

After breakfast, we quickly loaded up the car and got on our way to Yorktown. We didn't see the camp this time, but had a nice walk through the historical town and one of the houses, where a character actor told the kids all about being a doctor at the time of the Yorktown battle. Very nice!

I wanted to go to the camp as well, but the kids were hungry and we didn't want to risk another meltdown. So, after a stop at the Whitley peanut factory, where I got peanuts, hot sauces, mustard and pretzels etc., we got on the road home.

It took us about 3 1/2 hours from Yorktown, via route 17. A beautiful, very little traveled road. Pretty green woods, large cornfields and quaint towns on the way to I-95. We encountered no traffic the whole way. At 5:30 we rolled into our street.

The kids were happy to see their friends again, Saskia and Mallory immediately ransacked Saskia's room (not too badly though) and Christine and I had a glass of wine and ordered pizza for the bunch. After dinner, we said goodbye to Christine and Mallory and I put in a load of laundry, which is now almost finished. What a wonderful trip we had and what a great way to spend the time our husbands are away from us. This will truly be one of those trips with many happy memories and something that really strengthened the friendship between Christine and me.

Well, we left you last on Saturday and here it is Tuesday afternoon! How time flies when one is having fun! The weather greatly improved on Sunday and we spent almost the entire day at the beach and all got the necessary sunburns (though not too bad, considering we were out there from 10am to 4pm!). The water temperature was great and the waves just right. Everyone was very happy.

We picknicked at the beach for lunch and in the evening had a very mediocre dinner at a Mexican restaurant. After that, Christine took the older kids to the mirror maze and Kai got another dragon tattoo on his arm. The girls chose hair wraps, which can stay in for 3 to 6 months!! Right there were some really nice street performers, singing 20's and 30's songs, very fun!

When we got back to the room, we read that there would be fireworks over the ocean at 10pm and we had a great view of them, right from our balcony! It's fun that the city of Virginia Beach puts all that entertainment on. Every month they have a different theme.

Yesterday was another fine, sunny day, but we were so burned from Sunday, that we decided to spend a little less time out on the beach. So, after breakfast, we went to the Virginia Marine Science Museum. There, we petted sting rays, saw penguins being fed and heard a talk about shark and their teeth, they have a huge aquarium with sharks and other big fish. We touched a seastar and a sea urchin and watched the seals play. Lots of fun!

Then we went off the strip to finally find a decent restaurant for lunch and we did find one, the Cobalt Grille!! The moods had turned down again, as everyone was hungry, but the service was great and the food wonderful and those of us who came in grumbling literally left giggling. I have to admit to having had to dig deep into my patience reserves this trip. Especially Saskia can be, um, challenging.

But, happy after a good lunch, we got ready for the beach again and jumped and boogie boarded (Katja and Kai had about an hour's worth of giggling one night, as they were calling them "booger boards") and built sand castles until about 5 pm.

After our showers, we returned to Giovanni's, the restaurant we visited the first night and had another relatively nice dinner there. The kids weren't too hungry and we brought their left over mozzarella sticks and bread to feed to the seagulls on the beach. Those birds are cool! They'll hover and catch bites and some will even fly over and take a piece from our hands.

The tattoo man was there again and this time all of us got a tattoo, I have a pretty little fairy. These "tattoos" are done with henna and supposedly last several weeks, we'll see.

Christine and I stayed up talking till well after midnight, so we got up a little later this morning.

We decided to first go and feed the seagulls our leftovers from last night and then go shopping. BAD decision! That's when the hermit crab adventure started and it ended with 4 hermit crabs in 4 little cages as our travel companions. My kids had been asking about getting one even before we came here, but I tried and tried to bring up excuses: we have 5 pets already, Daddy will get mad at me (he never wants any extra animals) etc. Then, this morning, Kai said he would pay for one with his own money. But I felt badly about that, as he is the one who hasn't been whining for stuff here. So we struck a compromise before going out this morning (or so I thought): we would get 3 hermit crabs, but only one cage. Once at the store though, the question arose: where will it stand so all 3 of us can enjoy them. Visions of stinky hermit crabs in my family room or worse yet, living room, made me decide to get 3 cages anyway (hermit crabs were free with each cage).

Then, of course, Mallory wanted one too, so poor Christine gave in as well. I felt badly about that, as I know she *really* didn't want one. But it is awfully cute how the kids are playing and giggling with their crabs. A lady warned us not to leave them in the hot car, so I guess they'll come and visit Yorktown with us tomorrow.

Next we wiggled the car loose from the very narrow parking lot, where an Aerostar van was parked in a non-spot and therefore I had to maneuver and bent and turn to get out. But I'm proud to say, we departed without a scratch on any vehicle. And that was a true feat!!

After a KFC lunch (coveted by the kids since yesterday afternoon), we went to the beach for about 1 1/2 hours, when the wind sent sand like needles against our skin and the sky became ominously dark. After some deliberation in the room, we decided to get an ice cream at Dairy Queen and then rent one of the family bikes again. This time the six person one was available.

We went the whole length of the boardwalk with it, about 3 miles each way, or so. Very cool! And we scoped out a restaurant for tonight's dinner. Then it's packing for tomorrow. This beach adventure has gone way too quickly! But it sure helped pass the time that Rick's away on his trip. We'll only have about 24 hours before we see him again after we get home. Virginia Beach is close to my favorite beach town on the East Coast. As a matter of fact, at this point, I can't think of a town I like better: the beach is wide and clean, the surf is gentle enough for the kids, the boardwalk is nice and wide and the shopping strip is fun. That and the free nightly entertainment everywhere, makes this a great place to spend a beach week!

Christine and I took off for Virginia Beach with the kids yesterday, after working out and having lunch. We quickly ran into traffic on the interstate, so we decided to take a very direct scenic route, taking slightly longer, but much calmer and very pretty. We stopped in Tappahannock, Virginia, a very cute and quaint town and drove by the Whitley Peanut Factory, where we'll be stopping on the return, as the Virginia peanuts sold there are out of this world.

And then we had to take a detour through old town Portsmouth, because the traffic before the tunnel from Norfolk to Virginia Beach was so bad, that there was a 30 plus minute delay there. It turned out to be ok, and the drive that would normally take about 4 hours, took us 5.

It was so exciting to drive into Virginia Beach! We knew that our hotel would be just about where the road ended into the ocean ;). Our hotel is nice, no extra amenities, really, but the suite is roomy, we all have our own bed (with an inflatable mattress and rollaway thrown in the mix), so it's working well. Plus we're right in the middle of the busiest area of the boardwalk, so we just have to cross the street for excitement, restaurants, shops and haunted houses, much coveted by the older kids (Saskia shields her eyes passing them).

We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, Giovanni's, really great spinach ravioli there! And then the wine ;)!

This morning, we didn't have anything for breakfast, so walked to the nearest beach side cafe, where we all had a quick breakfast. We had brought our beach stuff, Christine rented some chairs and an umbrella. We had a grand time in the water and in the sand! Kai and Katja were digging for sandcrabs and Kai found one, who's now living in a bottle here in the room. But then a storm blew in and at the first thunder we got off the beach and into the (very tiny and hot) pool. But that didn't bother the kids, they still had a good time there as well (the good time didn't last long, as tempers flared soon after.).

Once back at the room, we took showers and cleaned up and Christine and I left the others with Katja, so we could go grocery shopping. The good news: the shopping was done in at least half the time it would have taken with all 6 of us along, the bad news: one child was crying and everyone crabby when we got back.

So, we decided to go out and walk along the boardwalk, first we tried to rent a family bike, one that seats 4 and has space for 2 non-peddlers (which we thought Mallory and Saskia to be). But the kids decided to keep being grumpy, which led Christine and me to a meltdown of our, which then had us pacing along the boardwalk, until we reached an ice shaving stand and all kids got their colors of ice shaving and everyone was happy once again (until the next breakdown, ah, but we're keeping our heads up!).

Now that all moods were turned south, we decided to get one of those bikes anyway, so rented a 4 person one with Saskia and Mallory in the middle, pretend peddling. Perfect! And, I tell you what, that is *serious* exercise!!! So, after a mile or so, we turned around and parked the vehicle and ate some fries, great fries, with cheese and bacon, and Christine and I had some Chardonnay, so we were ready for the return trip.

Once back, the gift shop was literally attacked, t-shirts, frisbees, key chains etc. made it to the counter and happy kids (wow, they can be!) went up to the room.

Now.we're getting ready for our second dinner. More of our adventures with 4 kids and 2 ladies tomorrow (or later of course, this all depends on my mood ;)).

I haven't been keeping up with the things that made me happy category, but I haven't forgotten and I certainly have had plenty of happy things happening. Today's were:
1. Watching a cardinal pick seeds out of the sunflowers in our backyard. When I got my camera, he flew away, unfortunately! The yellow and red was a gorgeous combination!
2. Equally gorgeous was an Eastern Tiger Swallow Tail (Yellow) butterfly feasting on our lavender bush in the backyard.
3. Watching Snickers chase a fly and seriously jumping at least a foot in the air for that! And Snickers and Meike perfectly happily snuggled together on the chair.
4. The anticipation of 5 days at the beach enjoying the kids and my best friend and daughter (too bad the guys won't be there!).
5. Living in a climate where a beach vacation is practically guaranteed to be warm and enjoyable!

I guess this is turning out to be not a daily journal, but a bi-daily journal, I always seem to skip a day. Yesterday was kind of a non-eventful day (yay!). I worked out and then spent the entire afternoon on the phone, first with my sister, then with my uncle who called from the Netherlands (we talked for 2 hours and had a great conversation. He's my mom's brother and wasn't really aware of her recent problems yet) and finally with my brother in the Netherlands. It felt good to talk to all of them. Made me feel connected to family and realize just how important extended family is as well.

Then Lauren came to take the kids to the pool for pizza and Rick and I went out to eat Afghan. We had a great meal! First some dumplings with yogurt and hot sauce and then a dish with raisins, carrots, lamb and tomato sauce over rice. And of course Bakhlava for dessert.

Then we ran some errands to buy stuff for our respective trips (Rick is leaving for business to New Orleans and I am going to Virginia Beach with Christine and all the kids).

Today I had a workout with Christine and then spent the afternoon packing. I can't wait to go, if all goes right, this trip will be very relaxing. Who knows I may just get to read a book!

Yesterday we could hardly wake up, we were so tired! I did make it to the gym and actually had a good workout, cardio, then lower body weight, then upper body weight and repeat that 6 times, for a total of an hour.

After a quick stop at the grocery store, as we had run out of milk and lunch items, I finally after weeks of not having, got a very much needed massage. It hasn't taken all the pain away, but it certainly made a difference.

Then Christine came for some support, as her dad is in the hospital and had emergency surgery yesterday and did thankfully survive.

Today, after the gym, Katja, Kai and I went to the mall, where we met Christine and the 3 ladies got their nails done, while Kai patiently waited. Then we had lunch and went bathing suit shopping for Katja and Christine. Again, Kai waited patiently. Katja tried on 15 or so suits and chose a few, as they were all half price and her old bathing suits are threadbare, after her visit at her grandpa's. Katja definitely takes "shop till you drop" seriously these days! She also dragged us into Express, because one of her shorts had ripped and everything there was 75% off. We were at the mall from 12 to 5!!

Then Kai got his just reward for being so patient, a few packs of Yu-gi-yoh cards, something he's totally into.

When we got home, Peapod was waiting with the groceries, I love that service!!!

I put pictures of our Chicago/Michigan trip online (album names: Sunsets, Sunsets 2, Chicago, Chicago 2, Chicago 3 and RPKKS6)

I'm hoping to get some time to

After checking out of the Intercontinental and a nice breakfast, we got on the road to Michigan. This time we saw the nice Chicago skyline well. The weather was and is beautiful!

We did have a mishap with our alarm system at home, which sent everyone there scrambling to figure out what had happened. Thankfully, it looked like a malfunction and not a case where someone actually tried to break in.

Our trip from Chicago to Muskegon was uneventful and took us through Holland, Michigan, where we came right by the Dutch Village, which is ever expanding and has an authentic windmill.

What is always immediately obvious to me are the Dutch names everywhere. Van Woerkom, Kuipers, Zijlstra (there are especially quite a few Frysian names). And the placenames too: Zeeland, Graafschap, just to name a few. The landscape also really corresponds with the Dutch landscape: flat with lots of water.

Once in Muskegon we were thrilled to see Katja and Kai again, as well as Rick’s dad and my nephew Zack. Katja especially had really missed us, Kai probably too, but he was getting along quite well with Zack, so it wasn’t as obvious.

We spent our days lounging at the beach of Lake Michigan. How great to have that practically in your backyard! I’ve taken some great pictures of sunsets! I can’t wait to place them in a Webshots album.

Last night we said our goodbyes to Rick´s dad and Zack and all spent the night at the Holiday Inn in Muskegon. I had serious neck pain and a corresponding headache, suddenly, so we first went on a wild goose chase for some mineral ice to calm my muscle spasming.

Katja sweetly massaged it in and I slept ok. But I did wake up with the same pain and it´s quite torturous to have to sit in the car for 12 hours now. Oh well, I´ll have a massage tomorrow, very highly needed!!

So now we´re driving through the flat land of Central Michigan, on our way to Detroit, where we´ll turn south into Ohio. We´re planning on taking a different route back than we came, just to break the monotony and have as little turnpike as possible.

The speed limit in Michigan is 70 mph, which is great for making fast time. The farms here are mostly dairy, judging by the shiny blue silos.

3:00pm

Yikes, it’s 3 and we’re still in Ohio! I was so engrossed in my Sims Hot Date game, that I forget to tell him to take his turn to Columbus. This made us go too far west and south.
And we had to take a smaller road to Columbus. Heaven knows how much time we lost there .

On a positive note, we went through a pretty part of Ohio with quite a few lakes, I didn’t even know there were that many lakes in this state! Katja kept saying “photo opportunity” to me, but we wanted to keep going.

Now we’re about an hour out of Wheeling, West Virginia. The good thing about WV is that the speed limit is once again 70, so hopefully we’ll be able to make up some time.

Oh, how I dread these long, long drives!

We just had lunch at Burger King (at 3:30pm!) and I had a very soggy veggie burger. I did notice though, that their coffee is Douwe Egberts, a big Dutch coffee supplier. Cool!

At 6:40pm, we just crossed the Eastern Continental Divide, near Cumberland, Maryland. The weather has also much deteriorated, going from 85 degrees to 69 and it’s raining. Surely a sight we haven’t seen in almost a week.

We’re debating on whether to brave the doubtless tough traffic in Washington or bypassing by taking a slightly longer route through West-Virginia and Virginia. The longer route won out, so at Hagerstown, we’ll take I-81 and then I-66.

I don’t see us home before 9pm . Oh well, it’s the last really long drive for a while (the trip to Virginia Beach next week will feel like nothing!

Well, we got home at 8:45pm and I’m beat. Off to eat some pizza

After a workout and breakfast this morning, we decided to walk along the Magnificent Mile. We literally shopped till we dropped. Didn't buy much, but window shopping is just as much fun!

We ate lunch at a nice bistro and then went to the Observatory at the Hancock Building. Gorgeous views from there! I like it better than from the Sears Tower. We'll be back there tonight for dinner, hopefully I'll be able to take some great pictures of Chicago by dark.

Now we're just resting, as our dinner reservations are fairly late and Saskia needs a little rest (though maybe Rick does, as he is napping ;)).

As I'm sitting here in the hotel room, listening to fireworks in the distance, but missing them, as a supertired 6 year old is asleep right behind me, I thought I'd update some more.

This is an *exciting* city! Much to both Rick and my surprise to be honest. When we arrived last night, all buildings were shrouded in clouds and we had no idea just how many skyscrapers this city holds. Thankfully, the fog soon lifted and today was quite sunny for most of the time (it clouded over and sprinkled some later in the afternoon).

We arrived around 7pm last night (we didn't realize it is 1 hour earlier here until this morning, when we got the times for the trolley tours). First we checked in to the hotel, which was an adventure in itself. We are staying at the Intercontinental, they're having a promotion of half off room prices including breakfast for 2. Now, this is a 4 star hotel (and our room rate is the same as the one we'll have to pay in Muskegon at the Holiday Inn this weekend!!!!), so you'd expect everything to go tip-top. So we get our room key, go to the room and, errr, the bed has been used, the trash bins are full, it's clearly not a clean room.

After a call to the front desk, it's quickly corrected and we're getting a new room, so, down for the new keys we go. Long line at the front desk, tired and hungry little girl, hm, trying not to be annoyed. But this can happen anywhere, right? Ok, so up to new room. Open door. Hey, there is a toilet bag in the bathroom. And a plate of half eaten fruit on the desk. Clearly lived in.

The bellcaptain arrives with the bags and we tell him of our new find. He's already aware of the first mishap and mutters this is not right. Down we go again. Well, three's a charm and now we have a nice room. But not much of an apology and frankly, despite the low room rate, for a hotel this class, I would expect something more. I know, I know, having been a travel agent does not help, I know what a manager (who was present) can do to make it up to a client.

Anyway, we have a king size bed and Saskia sleeps royally on the red velvet cushions of the built in couch. And there is a robe (the sign of a luxury hotel for me) and a wonderful fitness center. So we're most definitely not complaining.

After a nice workout this morning, we went down to the very nice buffet at the restaurant. Saskia had cereal and Rick and I an omelet.

Then we placated Saskia by taking her to the huge Disney store on Michigan Avenue. We walked some of the "Magnificent Mile", saw the Water Tower and the Hancock building and bought a tour ticket on the Chicago Trolley. We took the trolley to the Sears Tower.

An imposing building, the accounts differ on whether it is or is not the tallest building in the world. I guess it depends on how you measure. It is definitely the tallest "structure" in the world. We decided to go up to the skydeck, which took about an hour to get to, including a movie about Chicago from the air. I was a bit nervous about going, as Rick kept talking about the height and how it stuck out above and wasn't I nervous? I finally told him he sure was getting there making me nervous with his talk!

The view from the Skydeck was magnificent. We were very lucky as we still had clear skies, it clouded over soon after. Once down again, we ate pizza at Giordano's, according to many the most authentic deep dish Chicago style pizzeria. Delicious!

Then we had to wait a bit for the Chicago Trolley double decker bus and laid in the grass next to the Sears Tower. Got some interesting pictures lying down! Those buildings are so high!!

We took the double decker to the Navy Pier, where we walked around and went through the maze (Saskia was scared the whole time and there was no way out, once in. She was the one wanting to do it, but changed her mind too late :() and took a ride on the Carousel.

Then back to the hotel for an hour of relaxing and finally we had a wonderful dinner at Russian Tea Time. Especially Rick, as he remembers his days in Russia with fondness and found many foods he liked there. And now I'm off to bed, I'm beat!

At the very early time of 6:15am, my alarm went off. I always have it set on a radio station and I have no idea which one it was, but the first word I heard was: “Hallelujah”.
One can’t start the day better, though I did immediately hit the snooze button.

At 6:30, we had to get up and packed up the rest of the car. It still took longer than expected and Rick forgot something so we had to go back, but finally at 7:30, we left our street behind.

Traffic wasn’t too bad and in Frederick, Maryland, we stopped for a quick breakfast at Burger King. I was happy to see they have a similar muffin with egg, Canadian bacon and cheese like McDonald’s, as everything else on their menu is terribly artery clogging!

I’ll be updating this blog every so often during the trip, it will be a long entry. As I’m writing this, it’s 9:14 and we driving on I-70, just north of Frederick, on our way to the most heinous crossroads I’ve seen in the United States: Breezewood, Pennsylvania.

I’m going to take pictures there, it’s such a sea of signs, neon and ugliness, that it’s special. Every conceivable drive-thru, cheap hotel chain and gas station is represented in just about a one mile stretch of road.

There, we’ll take the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a terribly boring road!

Here in Northern Maryland, the landscape is beautiful, lush green hills and farm fields in between. It always amazes how persistent the ivy and vines are, that grow around the trees and make the woods look like jungles. Looking at it, I can’t imagine how people traveled through it before there were roads! People who live out here (an occasional house stands in the hills) live super far removed from anything.

After passing through Breezewood, we entered the Pennsylvania Turnpike and, as is so often the case in Pennsylvania, it started pouring down rain. A serious deluge!

We ate a (not) delicious lunch at McDonald’s around 12:30 and then Rick had to go on a conference call, so I drove for 2 hours through the pouring rain.

Meanwhile, we entered Ohio and as I’m writing this (4:15pm), we are about 30 miles from the Indiana border. The rain has been off and on, but when on, it’s been really hard.

There are few things more boring than the turnpikes. There are plazas along them, every 30 or 40 miles or so, with boring restaurants like Pizza Hut and Burger King and McDonald’s.

Ohio’s landscape here is flat. Large cornfields and other crops and very nice looking dairy farms, with big shiny blue silo’s. I always love the red “Grandma Duck” barns, that dot the landscape. It’s such an American sight.
If not driving, I’ve been killing time playing the Sims Hot Date. I finally got the chance, after the kids have been “borrowing” it from me for months. Saskia is being a little angel. She gets to choose all the videos to watch, no brother or sister nixing her choices!

My guess is, we’re about 3.5 hours out of Chicago, meaning we’ll arrive there around 7:30, just in time for dinner!

At 6:30, we’re driving through northern Indiana, through a downright ugly area! It doesn’t help, that the weather is overcast and the factories smell. There are more electricity, phone and other kinds of towers than I can count here.

Just 25 miles to Chicago!

Yesterday, Saskia and I went swimming. I swam 60 laps (1500 meters), pretty much nonstop, so not bad. The weather was strange, as the flow was northerly, which pushed the smoke of fires in Quebec this way. Amazing! It was hazy from something happens 1000+ miles up north!

After swimming, we rushed home to get ready to go to the movies with Christine, Mallory and Chuck. Chuck and Rick went to Men in Black II and Christine, the girls and I saw Lilo and Stitch for the second time. It was even more fun the second time around. I truly love that movie! The premise, the colors, the songs (with the exception of some of the Elvis songs, as I'm no Elvis fan at all!).

Lauren came to babysit the girls and Chuck, Christine, Rick and I went out to dinner at the same restaurant we went to for the 4th of July. We were received like old friends. I've seldom frequented a restaurant that's more hospitable! We ordered liquors after dinner and got a complimentary plate with different desserts to accompany it. We had a wonderful dinner!!!

Then today, Saskia and I had a downright lazy day. She could barely wake up this morning and didn't want to go to camp, so I took her to the gym with me. Afterwards, we went home and lazed on the couch, watching tv and reading email (for me). It was something we both needed after the constant going of the past weeks.

Around 4, we went out to Blockbuster's to get the necessary videos for the road trip to Chicago we're going on tomorrow. And some crafts for her to do in the car.

I am mostly packed and she's doing Blopens in the basement with her little friend Parker. I do not want to go and see what damage they're inflicting ;). But they're having fun.

Happy moments:
1. It sounds strange, but the colors and music of Lilo and Stitch made me feel happy, especially since we were watching it with such great friends.
2. Just spending a quiet afternoon with Saskia, it was really enjoyable
3. Feeling much better after my workout, than before, exercise still helps a lot
4. Eating dinner together with friends and having such a great time, last night
5. The beautiful sunflowers in the backyard