Snow day.

Today was going to be one of the most complicated days of this school year...

• Work and school
• Abbie's Jazz class
• Abbie's Holiday Band and Chorus Concert
• Nate's CDYC Rehearsal
• Nate's "13" Rehearsal
• Adventure Club
• Church choir rehearsal
• Kim's Small Group
• ... and an event at St. Rose that Rob wanted to attend

At this point, I suspect that only Nate's CDYC rehearsal will actually happen.

Sometimes things time out just perfectly. A little bit of snow has defused this bomb.

All's Well that Ends Well

by Rob

Kim was in an accident today.

She was traveling to work at about 7:45, headed west on I-88, when the vehicle in front of her lost control, spinning and bouncing off of the guard rails, back and forth across the road. Despite her best efforts to stop and stay out of the way of the other vehicle, it hit her door.

Kim was so badly shaken that she stayed in her car. One of her colleagues from school was traveling behind her and saw the accident. Stephanie stopped and came to Kim's passenger side door. She quickly made the choice to call for police and ambulance. Then they called me at work.

The good news is that Kim is fine. She was taken to the hospital in Schenectady, where I was able to meet her when she arrived. After being examined, she was given some Tylenol and sent home to rest. She'll stay at home tomorrow as well.

We're waiting to hear about our car. It's been determined that the other driver is 100% responsible for the accident. Good thing, since we didn't have collision on this vehicle. The frame of the car is damaged, so we think that it's likely that it will be totaled. Shopping for another car is not something I'm looking forward to, but I have no complaints at this point. Kim is fine and that's all that matters.

The door was in this position after the accident and will no longer close.

Season of Flu

by Rob

This school year continues to feel strange and irregular.

I don't recall a fall when so many kids have been missing school, and the stories that I hear each day about the absenteeism in other districts add a sense that something quite unusual is taking place.

Add to that, we have been missing school and work too. Abbie is home again today. It's her fifth day in the last two weeks. Kim and I had been able to leave her at home alone when she was ill back in September, but with the flu and her goopy sounding cough, we have been uneasy about leaving her. At this point, we've managed to trade off days, but I seem to keep missing the same classes.

I don't care, though. More than anything, I've come to a point where I realize that this isn't anything that anyone will remember in three months. I think what we'll recall is that there was a whole lot of illness this fall, but beyond that, everyone will do what they need to, and that's all.

On the dog front, we've had to make some changes. Last Saturday, Millie figured out how to leap out of the pen we had in the living room. It was quite impressive, but after the fifth escape, we knew that it was time for phase two. We don't want her to get out and run around the house when we're not here, but more importantly, we don't want her to injure herself. So the pen is gone and we have set up a large wire crate that we bought last spring. It's smaller than the pen but still roomy by crate standards. They don't like it as much as the pen, so it's harder to get them to go into it calmly. The upside? When we came home on Monday, they had not relieved themselves in the crate. We had been leaving a pee-pad in the pen, but sensed that this was the time to take that away. I'm hesitant to say that they're house broken, but at this point, I think we're well on our way.

Now if we can just figure out why Zeke throws up so often...

Mid-October

by Rob

Today is October 17. We've been at the school year routine long enough now that it's kind of hard to remember how the summer days felt. For the most part, all is going well. The kids are certainly busy enough, and whenever we're not carting them around, we're looking after the dogs.

Millie and Zeke are a wonderful addition to our family life. We feel like we hit doggie gold with these two. Sure they're puppies and needy at times, but mostly they are just a joy. I'm really enjoying our morning walks now, and they seem to have warmed up to them as well. By the time that I leave for work, they are settling down in the pen, seemingly unbothered by my departure. In the afternoon, we walk again, or go to one of Abbie's soccer games. In the evening we let them out of the pen for awhile. They play in the living room, or we spend time combing them -- which fortunately, they really enjoy. Each night at about 10:00, we get them into a crate for the night. They sleep next to one of our beds. We know that they get awake every now and then, but there has been no whining or barking for weeks, and they wait patiently for me to get up in the morning to take them out.

Abbie's soccer team has done well this fall. Only one loss so far, and that was a close game. They have two more games next week. It's surprising how quickly the season has gone. She has enjoyed it, and tells me that she plans to do it again next year. In addition to soccer, she's taking two dance classes and guitar lessons. Church activities and homework fill up what's left of her time.

Nate is in CDYC and Schalmont's marching band again. He doesn't seem to be nearly as busy as Abbie, but I think that suits him better. He pays a lot of attention to his social calendar now, and he gets a little annoyed if one of his activities gets in the way of a social event. He seems to like school again, and I know that he looks forward to seeing his friends there each day.

Kim is adjusting to her new work situation. She told me the other day that the honey moon is over. I think that means that the kids are now beginning to act out a little more. She only has two students, but from what she has been telling me, she has more than enough to do. She also is learning on the job, since the conditions of these two students are new to her. I think she's enjoying the challenges though, and I believe that the change in assignments has been good for her.

Zeke

Zeke

Millie

Millie

At Thirteen Weeks

by Rob

Millie and Zeke had their first grooming appointments today. Unsurprisingly, Zeke got high marks for being calm and polite. Millie was a little feisty. She didn't nip at anyone or anything, but she also wouldn't hold still or cooperate.

If this is as bad as it gets, and many people tell us that the puppy days are the hardest, things are looking pretty darn good. Yeah, they're a lot of work, but it's been a lot of fun, and everyone of the four of us is enjoying it.

Kim with Millie (I think)

Nate and Zeke

Millie

Zeke