Chicken Pox

What a week! Abby noticed them first on Monday evening. I checked Stevie and sure enough, he had them too. It was quite a surprise because they had been vaccinated for them when they were small. Stevie had them worse than Abby by far but both of them were itchy. I think that they are pretty well over them but they still have some scabs. Thankfully, the vaccination prevented them from having a severe case but it was bad enough. Steve brought their homework home from school and they are pretty much caught up but they are more than ready to get back to the real world. The first part of the week wasn't so bad. They both slept alot and took lots of oatmeal baths. As they got to feeling better, they wanted to to more things. Fortunately for Abby, the sewing machine that she's been saving for arrived Monday evening and she has had fun sewing some things on that. Stevie did alot of reading--of course, and some computer games. Friday night, we needed to do something but we didn't dare go out in public. Steve made a chart on the computer with the names of several fast food places around Salem at the top and down the side he put "sandwich, side, drink, and dessert" We bundled up and went through the drive through at Wendy's, McDonald's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken to get our supper. We actually went to Arby's too but Steve went in because he had a coupon. It was fun--and more expensive--but we kept our insanity intact. Yesterday, the kids stayed home alone while Steve and I did some grocery shopping. I was happy to get out too. I told the kids that I wanted to take some pictures of them to post and they protested. Steve said that we could zoom in and get just a spot or two but they didn't like that idea either. We did take a picture of the table with all the fast food bags and food spread out on it. Maybe I'll post that one later.

Veteran's Day

On Veteran's Day, it is appropriate to honor my Dad who fought in WWII. When Dad turned 18, he was drafted out of his senior year of high school. He was trained in the deserts of the Southwest to be sent to North Africa. He was then sent to Europe instead. He was a member of the 95th division. They landed on Normandy in September after D-Day. They traveled through France, Netherlands, and into Germany. They captured the city of Metz November 22, which had not fallen for centuries. It was protected by a number of castles and walls. My Dad told about helping relieve the troops in the Bulge during the Battle of the Bulge but I didn't see it in the histories. I wonder if his section was transferred at that time.

Dad was a medic under fire. He worked in a field hospital as well as on the front lines. He told of seeing a soldier fall under gunfire and an officer telling him "Go help him."

Thank you Dad for serving your country and keeping us free.






P.S. Here are a couple of websites I found that weren't around when I was looking a couple of years ago.

http://mathieu.gitzhofer.free.fr
http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/95thinfantry/index.html

Elections

The election board prepares for their first voter of the day.



Stevie the poll worker gives directions for inserting the ballot into the ballot box.



A student excercises choice in the voting booth.



And the winner is . . .


Well McCain lost, but Cocoa won. As a family, we are happy for Stevie and his Love at First Bite Party. Congratulations to all in a well fought battle.

McCain Rally

Friday morning, Stevie went on a field trip with the government class to a McCain Rally. Rudy Giuliani was there as was Lindsay Graham and the McCain's (of course). The rally was at United High School in Hanoverton-Middle of Nowhere-OH. There were between 2500 and 5000 people there. Stevie was at the front of the crowd so he had a good view. He didn't get a handshake because he got behind Mr. Forrider and he isn't that aggressive but he did enjoy it.

The 5th and 6th grade teacher, Mr. Duvall wanted to go with his family. Since Steve's classes all went to the rally, he substituted. That was a bit of a different experience, but it went really well.

Check out http://www.McCainBloggette.com "America is Worth Fighting for" The first two pictures are of the rally Stevie was at. In the first picture, Mr. Duvall is on the left in the green sweater (I think its green at least).

New Blog

Check out Steve's new blog, Defending Genesis. Just click the link on the left.