Happy 4th of July!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted anything. I told myself that if I didn't have time to keep current on the stack of bills on my desk, I certainly didn't have time to blog. I don't think I actually got behind on the bills and stuff, but it was all I could do to get everything paid on time, including occasional online payments the day things were due. But I finally got ahead of the critical things and I have a few minutes. Ever since Baby D's arrival, most waking moments have either involved working or taking care of one or both kids. I've been able to watch movies and more TV than I've watched in a year, but only while holding an irritated or sleeping baby. Doing anything involving hands or a brain hasn't been much of an option. But we're getting better at it, so maybe this blog won't die after all.

In the time since I've last posted, I've missed (blog-wise anyway) a bunch of stuff. There were several birthdays, including Franny's and the Mizz's and the actual births of two new nieces. Baby D has started to smile and laugh at me all the time. My boss got back from a 6 week vacation beyond phone-reach. Both the Mizz and D have done numerous funny and/or impressive things. There was Mother's Day, during which my mother was visiting, and Father's Day, during which my father was visiting. The Democrats finally chose which history-making presidential candidate they are going to field. And gobs of other stuff that's escaping my mind at the moment.

Anyway, while the rest of the country is outside blowing their fingers off, I have a little time to myself. The Mizz and I left Franny and D at a 4th of July cookout so the Mizz could get to bed. the Mizz had a big day today (Thomas) and a little nap in the car on the way home, so he wasn't up to partying all night. So it's just me and the internet and a bunch of explosions outside my window. Happy 4th.

Happy Mothers Day!

To all the mothers in my life, a heartfelt thank you for all you do. This is meant for everyone but is especially aimed at Tutu, who did such a great job with me, and Franny, who is proving to be every bit as good with my own kid.

Franny and I (and the Mizz of course) spent the morning hanging out with a very expectant 2nd time mother friend of ours. She's officially due in three weeks, but she was pretty early last time and is pretty much ready to be done now.

Franny got the obligatory flowers, but they came in the form of a boatload of seeds to expand our garden. She also got some tomato seeds and a large planter to grow them in. These are definitely for her. I prefer my tomatoes in the pizza sauce or ketchup forms. This evening I got to add the elbow grease to the present and get to work tearing up our yard. I always forget the poor quality of our soil based on the number of rocks in it. Franny and the Mizz helped load rocks into a bucket. The Mizz occasionally decided it was much more fun to take the rocks back out of the bucket and drop them over the fence onto the sidewalk, and Franny got some exercise running around the fence a bunch of times to retrieve them. Right now we just have some bare dirt with at least the big rocks removed. Now we just have to wait a little while for something to start growing. We're hoping for flowers, but based on my track record, I'm thinking weeds. We'll see what happens.

We also got another tidbit of good Mothers Day tidings. Marketing Mommy's sister Eleanor just had her first today. In an odd bit of irony, she's currently living in Australia, so I'm not sure a) whether Mother's Day is celebrated down under, or b) due to the dateline, exactly which "today" it even was. But congratulations anyway, and we'll give you credit for good timing.