Blood, Sweat & Tears

Hi everyone,

I'd like to say I've spent the past 7 weeks working on a structure for this, but sadly it's off the cuff so we're gonna roll with it because if I actually wait for something to fall into place it'll be at least another week.

So, blood - Mine :( - was spilled due to my own laziness/stupidity as I managed to knock the hose from the deck while mowing below, of course the part that impacted my head was the metal sprinkler part.  Paul & Jessica managed to interpret my calls as something other than a call for help as the claret rained down, so I eventually needed to fumble for my phone and call her to bring a towel to at least stem some of the blood flow.  No 10 count, no stitches, only a minor headache and much to Jessica's relief, I hadn't cut my fingers off!

Sweat, well it's bloody hot of course, and as expected all the whiny bastards who complained how cold it was in Winter are now complaining it's too hot.  It's VIRGINIA people!  4 seasons, ranging from 100 down to 10, enjoy it because a climate where it's a steady 75 all year round is where old people go to die.  Also putting in the hard work is Ryan who finally got promoted in his swimming class - hoorah! Even better he's not going up 1 group, he goes up 2.  He managed to get the concept of small leg kicks instead of 'riding a bike' and hopefully he'll enjoy the challenges ahead in his new class.  He's enjoying summertime with his camp trips to various water parks and other activities, plus playing outside with some new friends, though they now know he's got a scary Dad who yells at them when they steal his toys, don't play with him and refuse to give them back and instead throw them at each other - no, it wasn't a ball and it led to me telling the kid in question he needed to get some manners and be a nicer friend.  A nasty experience for Ryan, but as I explained to Jessica, boys will be boys, it's pretty normal. But you defend your kids and protect them & their stuff.

Tears.  Well we have a big day coming up on Friday but more of that next time, so we'll talk about Hannah tantrums, she's becoming more & more independent and mobile and rather opinionated too.  Her attitude to having had enough to drink is to look you in the eye and simply drop it to the floor in a "yeah, I did that" manner, but her biggest amount of utter "Wubbery" is to laugh at you when you tell her "No!".  After that fails to persuade you that she really ought to be left alone to commit whatever act it is she wishes to carry out, the water works come out.  Learning to be manipulative already, clearly learning from Mom there.

We also passed another year without Nathan, for the first time we have a new addition and for Jessica that may have made things a little easier, however we still miss him and would love to have had the chance to see him grow up.  Ryan has been more inquisitive recently about both Nathan & Nugget which is an interesting development in his growth, hopefully not something he'll have to deal with for several years to come.

Ok, enough of an update, I promise I'll get a report into the forthcoming event very soon!

J, J, R & H.