Dear Family,

Well, it’s Monday morning and here I am getting my letter written. We were having the barf-o-rama yesterday (actually it was just Ry, but he threw up enough for the whole family!) and today I am trying to ignore the fact that my arthritis is acting up and keeping me from running, so I will just write a letter to drown my sorrows.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks. Josh has had LONG hours at work and LONG hours at church. Jillian’s new favorite phrase is, “Daddy at a meeting!” He’s adjusting to his new position at work, but it’s taking its toll. He’s gone by the time the kids get up in the morning and has sometimes been headed straight to the church from work. So, I have newfound respect for single parents.

Alex and Ryan have found new levels of volume, and I thought they were loud before! They seem to be compensating for the lack of Daddy-wrestling time with more noise. Luckily for me, they are the best of friends and Alex has an excellent imagination. The two of them have turned our back yard into a ninja training arena, and the playroom into a medieval armory. They’re either outside whacking each other with sticks, or inside pounding on their cardboard armor with plastic hammers.

Alex is going through the week-long standardized testing that Arizona uses to torture third graders and their teachers. Fortunately, the test is not actually timed, so they do one section each day and the kids who finish can pick up a book and read while they wait for the others. Thanks to the testing procedure, Alex has made some great strides toward being an independent reader this week. He’s been taking the Percy Jackson book that we’ve been reading together to school. Last night I looked over, and he was just sitting there on the sofa reading. Now, unless you know Alex, you may not realize how extraordinary it is for the perpetual motion machine to sit so still!

Alex’s teacher had asked us to take him to get his eyes tested. Sure enough, he’s already nearsighted enough to need glasses. We’ve already had the, “You don’t’ need to wear your glasses to play ninjas and on the playground” discussion. He’s really excited. I am not naïve enough to think that it will explain all of the attention issues he’s had in school, but here’s to hoping!

Ryan has discovered LEGO’s since his birthday. He spends his down time poring over LEGO catalogues and deciding what he’s saving his money for. He is gearing up for the end of preschool and keeps asking me what day he starts Kindergarten (July 28). His preschool teacher has been wonderful. She’s promised a little flag to any of the kids who learn the whole pledge of allegiance and Ryan is a pro now!

This week has also been the week when Jillian turned into a little girl. We got her a little doll stroller early this week and it seems to have awakened the motherly instincts in her. She had been pushing her doll around and came in to find me with a plastic bin and a blanket. It didn’t take her long to get across that she wanted a crib for her baby. So we folded the blanket inside and she put her baby in and gave her a binky and a toy and a bottle. We have to take the baby and her crib with us wherever we go.

Mom made her a new dress and sent it in the mail. It has a full skirt and Jillian has been wearing it around and dancing and twirling in it. She loves her Grandma Shelly dress! Jill is also a major Winnie the Pooh fan. However, she has one problem. She continues to refer to Pooh as “Poo-Poo”. She asks if she can watch poo-poo, she sings songs to poo-poo, and she loves to read books about poo-poo. If she weren’t already potty trained, I’d be beginning to wonder.

The official report from the “No TV” experiment is, “Wow! Why did it take us this long to kill our television?” Our home has been a really great place without it. The feeling here is better and Josh and I spend more time doing useful things when the kids are down. He’s almost done milling all the parts of the built-in cabinets and bookshelves he’s making for our room. It’s amazing what you get done with the number one time-waster eliminated!

I guess that’s about all from the Felt house this week. We were pleased to hear that Sunny and the girls are going to spend the summer being nomads. Josh told me to tell Sunny that we’d love to have her and the girls “come spend a year with us this summer.” I can’t wait to see them again whenever and wherever I get the chance. Still no word from Alan. He keeps showing up in my dreams, but nothing else. I hope he’s finding a way, wherever he is.

Love to all,

Cheryl