Happy Fourth of July

233 years ago our Founding Fathers defied the Authority that had created their Colonies to declare these United States of America an independent nation with Liberty and Justice for all.

3 hours ago an American Fundamentalist Christian told me with a straight face that the definition of "sin" was "to defy the Authority that created you." I know, weird huh?

30 minutes ago we celebrated our country's birthday with Bison burgers, fireworks, and the Annual Sparkler Dance with Barking Terrier.

Happy Independence Day!

We seem to all be over the worst effects of the flue except for Sunshine. It hit her worse than it did the rest of us. Now we just need to get our strength back.

Got flue?

We have since Christmas. We're not just talking the at-least-one-day-down-for-one-day-up kind. We're talking about the kind where phlegm comes out your tear ducts - yuck! But aside from exhaustion and sore throats no one's really suffering, so I'm grateful for that.

27 inches

19 pounds

3 1/2 months old.

He started out on the highest trendline on the infant growth chart. Now he's above it.

And he's nursing like mad so he's obviously about to start another growth spurt.

I'm so tired I can barely remember my name. Lion-something?

Pre-teething. 'nuff said.

Special Needs Mother Leads the Heroes in New TV Show

I don't know when it's coming to America, but there's an interesting show on the BBC right now. It's Survivors, a six-part story about what happens to the survivors of a devastating plague that wipes out 99% of the population. The show is a remake of a 1970s series by Terry Nation, the Classic Doctor Who writer who created the Daleks, and the cast is chock full of New Doctor Who/Torchwood alumni. A groups of survivors bands together under the leadership of Abby Grant. Her qualification? Years of mothering a son with leukemia has left her practical, compassionate, and very self-disciplined. It's a heartening endorsement of what we all know but society usually doesn't acknowledge. Here's the website http://www.bbc.co.uk/survivors/

Benchmarks

This week Owl lay on his tummy, lifted his head, and kicked his feet up for the first time.

This week Sunshine made a 100 on a spelling test for the first time.

This week Brighteyes followed a recipe for the first time. She made biscuit dough for chicken and dumplings.

Today Owl made the "g" sound for the first time

Today Sunshine discovered that silent movies could be wonderful and not at all boring for the first time. (Thank you, Buster Keaton.)

Today Brighteyes laughed at herself for the first time.

Today I learned all over again that I can be completely exhausted and still be an okay Mom.

Not a bad week.