Curtis proved that dads can fix anything this morning. What did he fix? A banana. Yes, a banana. Jack loves bananas in the morning. Curtis started cutting one up for him, but he forgot that Jack had recently decided he needed a whole banana instead of banana pieces. Jack pouted "It broke." So Dad to the rescue! He grabbed a toothpick, fixed up the broken banana, and then carefully supervised the rest of breakfast. Jack was happy once again!

Can you tell who is who??

Merry Christmas to all!

We finally got a Christmas tree tonight! Yes, I know there are only 9 days left until Christmas, but it's a long story including busy weekends and tree farms not open after dark. Anyway, the boys had fun decorating our Charlie Brown tree. Jack was happy to find the Dora and Boots figurines. Trystin got the privilege of putting the star on top. It looks pretty nice, but we had trouble getting our heavy ornaments to stay on the fragile limbs.

Max was almost ready for bed when we started decorating. All the commotion perked him up for a while. He was happy to hold his ornament and watch his brothers.

And for the record, Charlie Brown's Christmas was on TV while we were decorating our Charlie Brown tree.

Jack is becoming quite the talker. Here are a few recent things he's been saying...

"Wait! What you think you're doing?" That's what Jack said today when Renee from the SEP Early Learning Program was showing him a new way to play a game and he wanted to play the game the old way.

"Oh no! What do we do?" That was Jack's response to dad when he asked Jack to open the fridge and put the milk away.

"It won't go! Stuck!" Jack wanted to bring the container of wrapping paper into the living room all by himself. As he was pulling the tub through the hallway, he had trouble keeping hold of the tub, his Spider-Man toy, and moving forward at the same time. When I tried to help him, he then told me "No no!" and proceded to have Spider-Man hold the tub and try to pull it. I wish I had the camera for that one!!

"Crack - ker. Please! Please!" He tries so hard to pronounce cracker just right. And the way he says please is so sweet - it's hard to resist his requests.

Snow! Jack got to put on all his winter gear yesterday and play in the snow before it melted away. I tried to make a snowman for him, but he had more fun knocking it down. So I kept making him snowballs, stacking them, and letting him push them over. Trystin showed him how to make snowballs and start a snowball fight. At supper that night, the restaurant had snowflakes hanging from the ceiling - every once in a while Jack would look up, point, and say "Snow! Snow!"

After supper, we headed over to Tommy & Steph's place. Curtis wanted to drool over Tommy's very sophisticated entertainment setup, and Trystin wanted to play Transformers. Jack had fun checking out everything else. He did laps around the coffee table chasing the train. And when Jack finally decided to join everyone downstairs, he was very excited to see the "rock" which he learned was actually a turtle.

Max has become quite amused with himself. He now has his "regular" giggle and his "I'm so funny" laugh. Max can entertain himself for long periods of time playing peek-a-boo with his blanket - he LOVES covering his own face.

Jack likes singing and dancing today. Earlier he was boogeying with Dora the Explorer, and here he is singing a new song...

And congratulations to my cousin Jamie & Whitney for their new little girl Olivia!

Yeah for a big boy bed! Curtis converted Jack's crib into a toddler bed on Wednesday. As you can imagine, Jack loves it. He is so excited to sleep in his "big bed" and to be able to get up on his own. He does not like the dark, so when he gets up he comes straight to our room and no where else...at least yet. This morning he wanted to play in his bed with his pillow and covers. And then Jack said to me, "Cheese. Picture." So I took his picture.

And this picture is pretty indicative of Trystin's week....

Max is a tripod! Well, not exactly, but he is working on mastering sitting with the help of his arms.

And Jack likes "pee-ah bah." For those not fluent in toddler speak, that's peanut butter.

"Why don't you eat clowns? MOO!" Well, the joke isn't exactly supposed to go that way, but that's the way it came out when Trystin and Jack were trick or treating with their friend Chloe. Jack the cow had a great time trying to keep up with the big kids running from house to house. Of course, he couldn't keep up for long and had to come back to Big Jack's house to hand out candy while Trystin and Chloe raced on for more goodies. (For the record, you don't eat clowns because they taste funny).

Max is venturing into the domain of solid foods. Saturday was his first day to try rice cereal. And today he just gobbled his second bowl of cereal right up. Tonight at supper Max was studying each of us intensely to see how we ate - I think he thinks he's ready for more solids already!

Curtis shocked his coworkers with his pastry skills on Thursday. He told his coworkers about an apple pie he had made at home, and no one believed him, so he promised to bake another and bring it in for everyone to try. Curtis being Curtis went all out - the pie was a carmel apple pie decorated with apple and leaf cutouts and a sugar coating to make it sparkle. The pie didn't last long at work, and everyone now realizes Curtis can bake.

Boy, what a couple of weeks. I don't have a lot of time at the moment to give a lot detail (Jack has been patient enough letting me get all my pictures loaded), but just know we had quite a bit of fun until the last week when everyone got sick (I had a fever for 5 days and then lost my voice for 2 days after that). At least I got our pictures ready for your viewing pleasure....

I finally had to admit Curtis is right....Jack is a big boy. He had his 18 month checkup yesterday. He is at about the 75th percentile for weight and off the charts for height. So yes Curtis, Jack is a big boy.

After the doc visit, I picked up Alex & Andy Hopkins to come play. We headed to Yellowbanks Park, where Trystin & Andy played Hulk and ran from Jack the Baby Monster. Even Max got to have fun at the park - he loved the swings and the fresh air.

And Curtis owes me another chick flick. Don't ask....just know I'm horrible at picking movies.

I know, I know. I haven't done a decent update on the addition lately. Things have been a little slower lately while we wait on building inspectors. Curtis also had to redo the plumbing 3 times (very important to have right!) With help from Jack, we now have some of the upstairs walls up. I think Curtis' plan is to blame Jack if the walls aren't level!

Max is a thumb sucker! I've been trying to break him of that habit and get him on to a pacifier, but I'm finally starting to give up. He's just happier with his thumb. And it doesn't help he looks so cute sucking away...

First Jack works....

Then Jack plays....

Well, not much new has happened in Cunningham Castle the last couple weeks, but I thought I would add some pictures for your viewing pleasure....

Wow! Where has time gone? Trystin started 4th grade last week. Jack joined a "play & learn" playgroup. And Max goes for his 2 month well-baby checkup next week.

The major construction on the house is pretty much complete with the outside walls and roof complete. Now we just need to install the sliding glass door, 1 window upstairs, and the garage doors to be completely sealed. Curtis has the basic wall and plumbing for my laundry room done. The rest of construction from here on will go more slowly as we'll just be going room by room due to budget constraints. So maybe by next summer the boys will have their own rooms....

Phew! I am so exhausted from yesterday I am almost physically ill today (sorry Alex!!). Why so tired? With the help of Grandpa & Grandma Groth (thank you, thank you, thank you!), Curtis & I took the boys to Adventureland yesterday afternoon. We had a great time!

What was Trystin's favorite ride? Well, pretty much everything, but he says it was the Dragon (for those unfamiliar with Advetureland, that's the roller coaster that goes upside down). Curtis got some really entertaining pictures of him in the Fun House Mirrors on the way out the exit doors. He got to go on the Silly Silo and the Space Shot multiple times. And he even convinced Curtis to help him win a few stuff animals in the game areas.

Curtis thought we should all brave the rapids, so Trystin, Curtis, & I all waited in line about 30 minutes for the Raging River. Was the wait worth it? Nope. Trystin & I got soaked (yes, I know that's the point), but only got hit with water once. Our little raft got stuck in the river at one point. And the waterfall near the end is no longer active.

Jack was a little leary of all the rides at first. He was so scared on the Tea Cups that he just clung to me for dear life. But by the end of the day, he understood what to do and could ride the toddler rides all by himself! Such a big boy. And so tired! Several times we almost got him to take a nap there, but he would never fully give in to sleep.

What did Max think of his first trip to Adventureland? He must have thought it was "dreamy" because he slept almost the entire afternoon!

Free admission! Yep, we joined the tens of thousands of fairgoers taking advantage of free admission at the state fair today. Unfortunately, we did not get one of the free corn dogs. Supposedly they only had 8000 corn dogs, and when we got there over 10,000 people had already gotten numbers and a few thousand more people had been turned away. But we still had a good time!



I've also got pictures from yesterday when Trystin went to one of the pig farms where Uncle Gary and cousin Mike work. And I actually have evidence of Trystin working to husk corn (it was quite a task to get him to agree to!). Jack decided he likes corn on the cob, but will only eat it from the end.

I brought the boys to Newell for a few days (poor Curtis had to stay home to work). This morning Trystin rode bikes around town with his cousin Trevor and another boy around their age. Jack wanted to ride bikes as well and went running after them yelling, "Boys! Wait! Boys! Wait!"



In the afternoon, the Cunningham princes journeyed to King's Point - a water park in Storm Lake. Max hung out with Grandpa Den under a canopy and slept almost the entire time. Jack was a little overwhelmed at first, but he was loving it by the end. As usual he thought he was a big kid and loved it when we took him into areas with deeper water (holding him, of course). He even got brave enough to dip his head under water to blow bubbles a few times. Trystin LOVED the slides. Favorite of the day? The "spooky" slide - the enclosed orange slide that plays music and lights up as you go down.

Oh my! What a hot one today. Trystin's friend Chloe stayed overnight last night. I decided to swing by Ashby Park before we took her home. The water in the splash pool was nice at first, but after a few minutes it didn't feel quite as refreshing anymore. Jack tried getting out to play on the toddler equipment, but the rocks burned his feet and he wasn't ready for shoes yet (because that would mean we were going home). Max got heat rash - his poor face is all broke out. Everyone was exhausted after just 30 minutes.

Yeah! We finally have interet again. During one of the storms a couple weeks ago, an electrical surge came through the cable line and took out a bunch of equipment. Curtis (aka Mr. IT) thoroughly inspected our home network, and got to work. Unfortunately, each time he fixed or replaced something, he discovered another piece needed fixed or replaced. So with a couple trips to Mediacom and special orders from NewEgg, we are finally back in business. I never realized how much I rely on email and this blog to stay in touch with the outside world.

So....what's been happening around here? Well....

• Max is stretching out (his limbs are SOOOO long and skinny) and starting to show us his personality. He loves his daddy - smiles whenever he hears Curtis' voice. Last night Max only woke once during the night!!! It was really nice to get a 5 hour stretch of sleep instead of just 2-3 hours.
• Jack loves to dance. I'll try to add a video I captured of him - he does the funniest thing with his hips. Whenever Curtis asks him if he wants to go to the "tool store" (Lowe's), Jack runs to get his shoes. His favorite phrases are "Where'd it go?" and "Wait!"
• Happy 10th Birthday Trystin! We got a DQ ice cream cake Thursday to celebrate. He spent today watching his Ben 10 Season 3 DVD and playing Hulk & Ironman on the Wii. Tomorrow we go for pizza and bowling.
• Happy 3rd Anniversary to Curtis & me! Yes, it has really been 3 years. Curtis brought home the most beautiful flower arrangement ever for me. And I must say, he looks extrememly handsome in the new polos I bought for him. We are going to try to go out to Red Lobster one of these nights. But with 3 boys and the addition project, who knows how that will work out.
• As for the house, Curtis will probably start shingling this weekend. I'm hoping I have enough Gatorade mix to keep up with him since it's supposed to be in the 90's with high humidity. It'll be so nice to have the roof complete so we don't have to worry so much about all the rain we've had this season.
• Speaking of rain, our yard is a swamp. We've developed a low spot by the driveway that constantly oozes water. Several spots in the field cannot be mowed because we can't get the mower through the soggy ground. And about a week ago, the creek flooded for the 3rd time this summer.

For the fans of our pictures and videos, I'll get those added later this weekend. So stay tuned - I'm back on the net!

Will our water woes ever end? Last night we were up until about 11:30 trying to stop the rain from leaking in the attic over the kitchen. Curtis kept calling for bucket after bucket until we ran out of buckets and had to start handing any container we could find - coolers, tupperware, cut up milk jugs.....Curtis stayed home from work today to patch up holes in the roof. He thinks he got most of them. Fingers crossed we don't have to re-roof the whole thing, which is what it was looking like we would have to do last night.

Max's bilirubin is still elevated, although not enough to require more time on the blanket. We went to the doc Mon, Wed, and Fri this week. We go back again Tues. I think his problem is that he just doesn't poop enough. When he finally does poop for the day, we've started cheering for him.

Wanda got a haircut this week. I don't have a picture yet (she's is so NOT photogenic), but trust us - she's adorable once again. No more dreadlocks.

Yeah! Max is off the bili-blanket! It's so nice to not be attached to an electrical outlet. However, we still have to go back to the doctor on Monday to get a new bilirubin level and weigh him just to make sure he's really doing well. But I can live with that. Today I took him outside several times to get some natural sunlight - anything to make sure we don't go back on the blanket.

In construction world, the 2nd story walls started to go up. Curtis built the walls in sections so installation is going easier than expected. Of course, after 2 trips to Lowes for the day, we still don't have quite enough 2x4's on hand to complete the north wall. Oh well - maybe Jack will get to go tomorrow. He loves the tool store! Curtis's dad also got the stairs installed. I tried walking up them, but they're not enclosed yet and the boards for the steps are only temporary. My fear of getting to heights (not a fear of heights - just a fear of getting to them) kicked in and I had to go back down before making it up the full flight.

Jack had a visitor today - Alex! He has her wrapped around his little finger. They spent most of the afternoon with Alex carrying Jack, and Jack pointing where to go next. He has a tooth that's bugging him, so he had to take a cartoon break for a while to let the Children's Motrin work its magic. But once the medicine kicked in, he was back to normal Jack.

Max is glowing green! I took him for his first doctor's visit yesterday afternoon, and his bilirubin count was at 14 (should be less than 10). So he's hooked up to a bili-blanket, which is basically a light pad that gives him a constant exposure to UV rays which break down the bilirubin. It's the modern day version of the old wives' tale of sitting the baby in the window. We had tried keeping Max near a window and short walks with him outside before his doctor visit, but with the high heat and humidity, it was difficult to get him out there enough. Now we're trapped inside and can't be too far from an electrical outlet. Hopefully we hear from the Home Health nurse soon about when they will be out to get a new bili level and see how quickly we can take him off it.

Here's Trystin helping give Max a bath yesterday morning. Well, mostly he just stood there and watched. But he was a good big brother. Last night he was a good helper for dad, too. He picked up loose screws. Curtis has the garage area pretty much enclosed - we're just waiting for garage doors, need to install 2 windows, and start building stairs and walls for the laundry room. The flooring is all screwed down, so he will be starting to build walls for the 2nd floor. Roof trusses have been ordered and will be here next week, if not by the end of this week. It's going fast now!

And Jack is still all boy. Here he got a hold of daddy's hat before heading to play in the dirt. Yesterday he got a hold of Trystin's shoe, managed to put it on correctly (well, not the right foot, but had it on his foot nonetheless), and walked around the living room like it was no big deal. He's been very entertaining. Every once in a while he gets a little upset that mommy can't always pick him up, but he's very happy to have Grandma Elaine's as a back up. He likes to check on baby Max in the basinet. The little booger is so strong he can do a pull up on the basinet without any assistance - nice show of strength, but unfortunately for him something that gets him in trouble!

Welcome Home Max!!

Jack finally got to do some w-o-r-k!

4 generations: Mommy, Grandpa Den, Jack, and Great Grandpa Ed

So Max decided to show us who's boss once again. Monday evening I started having contractions that wouldn't stop no matter what I did, so we decided to get checked out, thinking Max was still breech. When the nurses did their initial exam, we were delightfully surprised to discover Max had flipped over at some point in the evening and was now ready to be born on his own - no c-section! So the nurses started monitoring and we waited. And waited. And waited. Every time we thought the contractions were starting to pick up, they would stop. And just when we were convinced the contractions were totally done and it was time to head back home, the contractions would start up again stronger than before. Finally late Tuesday morning, Dr. Morgan ordered an ultrasound after a brief concern that Jack was not handling contractions well. Max was just fine (he had just been taking a cat nap in the womb), but we all decided today was the day and we weren't going home. Dr. Morgan broke my water to encourage things along. Once again though, my contractions were strong but didn't progress. So around 1pm or so doc ordered the lowest dose of Pitocin. And things finally started taking off. Max took his first glimpse of the world at 4:31pm July 1. He weighed just barely under 6lbs and stretched out 19 1/4 inches.

So yea! No surgery required. We were able to deliver just the way we wanted. No pain killers - just ibuprofin afterwards. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of person Max will become. So far we think he's going to have an "I'll show you" attitude. Why do we think that? Well....

• I didn't think I was pregnant in the first place. Curtis made me take a test anyway, and well, Max showed us!
• We were convinced we were having a girl. But Max showed all boy at his 21 wk ultrasound.
• He made us go through the whole breech situation. Yes, it was fun to see him with the extra ultrasounds, but the idea of c-section had us really anxious.
• Everyone said we would never make it until July (due date was July 15). Max showed us by coming early but of course he waited until the first day of July to prove everyone wrong.

Trystin and Jack have each had a turn to visit already. Trystin held him for a while and then asked for his Big Brother present. Unfortunately we had forgot it at home in our rush to get to the hospital Monday night. But he understood and is looking forward to finding out what kind of book he'll get once Max is home. Jack was also thrilled to meet his brother. I know he doesn't understand the concept of baby brother, but you could tell he knew Max was special to our family. Jack gave Max the sweetest kiss to welcome him.

We'll add pictures once everyone is settled back at home. Thank you to everyone who's sent us messages!

We have walls and a door! I can't believe it's starting to look like a house and garage. Next Curtis will be starting on putting up the posts that will hold up beams for the 2nd floor. We'll also be getting the last wall ready - I think we even finally have garage doors decided on - not ordered yet, but at least we finally agreed on what to get.

We also have a date for Max's arrival - July 9. Since he was still laying breech at Friday's doc appointment, we decided to go ahead and set the date. So he will be joining the "family birthday" as the date is shared by Grandma Elaine, cousin Trevor, and Aunt Jane already.

Jack had a new phrase today - "I work." And boy, did he work. We had water leak into our bedroom through the hole knocked out for the addition. Jack decided he had to help Grandma Elaine vacuum up. At first he was satisfied just holding the cord for her, but then he had to actually push the vacuum itself back and forth. He also insisted on carrying the bucket to the bathroom to be emptied and carried the bucket back for more vacuuming.

The creek was also out of its banks and well into our yard today. It was pretty close to the level of a couple weeks ago. We estimated we had about 4 inches of rain so far. More rain is predicted for tonight into tomorrow.

Jack also got his 2nd hair cut today. Yes, we kept the curls, but at least he doesn't look like a girl anymore! He sat much more nicely than last time (thanks to a bribe of Reece's Pieces from Grandma Elaine). And thanks Jenn - my hair is so much better now that you're back!!

Well, we’re back home now from trying the external version (for those who don’t know yet, we found out at the end of last week that Max is breech). To sum up the experience - it sucked. First they gave me medication to relax the uterus. Unfortunately it has a strange side effect – racing heart and jitters that make it difficult to really relax. But I did my best as the doc started pushing on my belly. Max started to rotate and felt like he just might make it all around, but then Max grabbed hold of my spine and ripped it out – or so it seemed. So doc stopped to let me settle down before trying again. Every attempt though Max would get almost there, hit that spot on my spine, and just couldn’t get any further without excruciating pain for me. I was shaking so badly that we all agreed it just wasn’t going to happen today.

What next? I have an appointment Friday afternoon. If he hasn’t flipped on his own by then, we will be picking a date for a c-section.

Where to begin?? It has been quite the week. Well, I guess we start with the good news. We have cement!! The ground was finally dry enough for the trucks to get in without sinking, so the workers arrived Wednesday. We now have a beautiful, smooth garage floor. They also finished the cement pad in front of the double doors so we don't have to walk on sheets of plywood anymore. At last our house isn't looking so trashy! This weekend Curtis plans to finish the new section of roof over the existing house. Trystin has been an excellent helper up there - he has been earning money by removing shingles, pulling out nails, and sweeping. Now if we can just get him to listen that well and help out more inside the house....

And now for the not so good news. The crazy lady's prediction for Max did not come true. What crazy lady? About a month ago, I ran into a lady before my doctor's appointment who told me not to leave town on the Wednesday the 3rd week of June because that would be the day. While I had plenty of Braxton Hicks that day, he's obviously still not here.

And finally the really not so good news (yep, I buried this last cuz I still can't quite believe it). Yesterday we found out Max is in the breech position. So later today I have to call my doctor's office back to schedule a version - a procedure to try to turn him - in hopes of avoiding a c-section. It is an extremely uncomfortable procedure with risks. The version has only a 50/50 chance of working. If it does work, he may flip back on his own and end up with a c-section anyway. The procedure could also put me into labor or cause fetal distress, likely meaning an emergency c-section. But the procedure does give us a chance at natural birth. Considering Jack was born 100% natural (completely drug free), I think I can handle this. I'll be calling the doc this morning, so we'll know later today what the schedule will be for next week. In the meantime , please start praying that Max flips head down safely!

Update: The version is scheduled for 8am Tuesday at Methodist.

What a weekend! Friday started us off great. Alex from TKD came to spend a few hours with Jack. Oh did he have fun! Those two just ran and ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore. They blew bubbles, colored, and finally ran some more. Jack was so exhausted that when I sat him down with his new favorite snack (oreos), he could barely lift the cookie from the bowl to his mouth. Then Grandpa Den and Grandma Elaine arrived to help with mowing and spend the evening. Between grandparents and Alex, Jack was pooped. But I managed to get quite a bit of housework done without feeling like I was in labor! That night Curtis took dad up in the airplane so they could check out the status of the flooding. The picture shows the Saylorville emergency spillway and the road down to the regular spillway completely taken out. For more of Curtis flood pics, check out the KCCI.com slideshows which posted quite a few of his from downtown.

Saturday Curtis decided to start working on the roof. So after runs to Menards and Lowes, he was gung ho. By Sunday afternoon, he was pretty much finished (with help from his dad). Unfortunately in the meantime, Jack came down with a nasty bug. His poor bum is still recovering.

Max count down is just under a month now!

Here's a fun little video from yesterday....




Tim starts over in his yard and then crosses the creek at the 20 second mark into our yard.

We finally have our moat! The garden is completely washed away. And now we're starting to wonder if our bridge will get washed away too. Plus it is STILL raining....

During a pause in the rain, Tim brought over the airboat for a little fun. At least we're making the most of this mess!

But with the looming threat of Saylorville going over its dam within the next few days (if not later today), Curtis made the executive decision to head over to Morningstar and fly the plane over to Ankeny. The next pic shows how close Morningstar's grassy runway is to being under water already.

While headed over to Ankeny airport, Curtis cruised by the Saylorville spillway and got another perspective on the flooding. They haven't raised the emergency gates yet, but the water is getting close to Flood of 93 levels.

The plane is now safely tied down at the Ankeny airfield. And our creek has started to recede so the yard is no longer underwater at the moment. But yep, it's raining again....

Happy Birthday to me! And what a great day I had with my family. After a slow (yet nice) start to the morning, we headed downtown for the farmer's market. Of course, several of the booths were starting to close by the time we got there, but we still enjoyed strawberry smoothies, kettle korn, and dutch letters. With the boys getting hungry for more than snack food, they took me to one of my favorite restaurants - Carlos O'Kelley's. If our waiter happens to come across this site - thank you for the great service.

Next was the home show in Ankeny. We checked out the pricey homes for ideas for our addition. Unfortunately, we stayed past both boys' tired limits. Trystin stopped listening, and Jack got clutsy and took a couple tumbles. Jack fell asleep before we left the parking lot. So when Curtis needed to run into Home Depot, I stayed with Jack in the car so he could get his rest in before our next stop.

And what was our next stop? Saylorville Dam

to check out the spillway. As you can see from the pics, Trystin got a cold blast!

On the way home, we passed by Camp Dodge and couldn't resist one more photo opportunity with the boys. Trystin loved pretending to fire the tank cannons. And Jack loved checking out the tracks.

Well, Max is going to be a fiesty guy. He was moving around so much (and visibly so) that doc had a horrible time getting his heartbeats counted at today's appointment. My belly is measuring a tad small (32cm instead of the expected 34 cm), but doc thought it was probably because Max has dropped. Hemoglobin was perfect. So, 5 1/2 weeks till due date. And 2 weeks until next appointment. However Curtis is convinced Max will come Saturday (my birthday). I told him we'll have to walk around Lowes and Menards all day if he wants that to happen (which is how I went into labor with Jack).

Trystin has turned into a mud puppy! Overall he had quite a good day. Although he got out of school last week, today was our first day of "summer routine" where I made him do a little school work before he got other privileges. Boy am I glad I found the book "The Explosive Child" when I did. The information in that book has been really helpful in managing Trystin's daily frustrations. For instance today, he got really upset because the math problems in his work book were written horizontally. I rewrote the first few vertically, and then I told him I would show him how the problems were the same so he didn't have to do the extra step of rewriting the problem. But he absolutely refused to try any horizontal problem. So with Plan B in mind (Basket B for those reading the 1st addition of the book), I got him back on track doing his school work but gave up on trying to show him how to do the problem horizontally - he did fabulous vertically.

We met my friend Jenn and her 2 little boys (Grant - almost 3 - and Landon - 2 months) for lunch. Trystin was very good at keeping Grant entertained without going overboard like he sometimes does. And Jack thought those 2 were just hilarious. When Trystin and Grant took off for the play area, Jack did his best to keep up and laughed the whole way through the mall.

And still no more work done on the house - at least on the foundation. Darn rain! And darn contractors for not getting this finished during the weeks of nice weather before all the rain started! This weekend we plan on doing a little work on the roof to prepare for the next step. So, anyone in the area willing to help, we could use you!

....6 weeks or less (we're betting on less) until Max arrives.

Hello from Cunningham Castle! So where to start? Well, Prince Jack is in his fussy hour of the day. Prince Trystin is playing in his room with his new Lego Indiana Jones set to celebrate the last day of 3rd grade. And we still await the arrival of Prince Max (7 weeks or less!).

This weekend was quite the interesting one. I'll try to add more later, but for now can anyone figure out what is special about the picture below?