Vacation

Josh and Katie know just exactly what to do with their vacation time.

Josh played his new video games, he bounced the life out of the trampoline, he floated boats in Nana's "pond," he got as dirty as he could get, and he ate a peanut butter and jelly bagel in just ten bites. Yikes. Proof: Children allowed to run wild can lose all semblance of polish or civilization in just two days of vacation. Joshua also talked Nana into a sleepover at her house, complete with pancakes. "I'll miss you, Mom," he said, "but not too much because I'll be so distracted and having fun and anyway big kids who are five or six don't miss their parents when they have sleepovers." Yeesh...I don't really know what to make of this wise and bratty preteen I'm raising. He told me that the lunch we ate in the warm sun did not meet the criteria for a picnic; there was no blanket, so it didn't "qualify" as the first official picnic of the season. Good grief.

Katie was very happy to be outside, too, even if our picnic did not feature a blanket. There was color in her cheeks this morning, and her heart wasn't racing just to deliver oxygen; she could run and play, and she did. After a nice long visit to the swingset, she happily ventured out to the barn, where she continued to play and to talk (talk, talk, talk) while exploring Nana's cupboards and while grooming Chief. (Bless Chief's heart. She insisted that he help her eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Poor horse...) It was beautiful this afternoon--warm and sunny--and Katie was very good about wearing her hat to prevent sunburn. She was also very glad to see Uncle Mike this evening. Katie's neutrophil count is very low, so she won't be able to mingle much, but she is happy to be outside, so we are taking advantage of the weather. Let's hope it lasts!

Rick and I are both hoping that the weather holds, as we are racing to do as much work outside as we can before vacation ends. There is furniture to finish. We have to rake the lawn that we never got around to in November. There are new bird feeders and roosting pockets to hang. There is the basement...

I don't relax well, anyway, but it is especially difficult for me to waste time these days. Katie begins a new treatment cycle next week, and while it is less aggressive than the cycles she has completed, it is less predictable than the others. There is no clear routine, and medications cannot be administered, during this cycle, unless Katie's cell counts fall within specific parameters. This means, as near as I can figure, that we have to catch up now and remain caught up because we won't be able to anticipate our schedule. Please forgive us if it seems like we are flying by the seat of our pants at any point in the next few weeks. This could be interesting.

The good news is simply that Katie feels good today and loves the sunshine. I hope you'll enjoy the sunshine, too.