Race, kids, and cats

Things are very very busy in our lives right now. The race is so close now that it takes up all of my free time. I knew this would be a lot of work, but I now have a healthy respect for anyone that undertakes such a project. It seems like I hear no 20 times for every time I hear yes. I'm hopeful that next year it will be easier--and that Mindy and I will have more local help. Everything is shaping up decently though. Our goody bags are not going to be as full as I would like and we only got one $50 sponsor. But we have raised almost $15,000, which is significantly more than the $10,000 goal we started with. I'm optimistic that we could get to $20,000 and make it into the top 5 walks in the U.S.

We are trying to make the most of the nice weather as well. It's not crazy ass hot yet but it has been warm enough for Bennett to enjoy the backyard pool. I am jealous of that child's skin. It's a nice even color and he tans so easily. Vivian on the other hand got her skin from me-white, sensitive, and splotchy.

After the race it's only three or four weeks until we head to North Dakota and Great Falls. It should be interesting with all of the flooding. I'm not sure how I feel about the high school reunion. We are going to go, but I agree with the rest of you about the terrible organization. We should be able to make some fun out of it I hope.

Speaking of flooding, Bernie went to Great Falls to work in their office last week to help them out. It was the first time I had been alone with both kids. We made it through, but not without a few "good mom" moments. My favorite was when I accidentally left the door to the garage open and Bennett disappeared for a few minutes. Just when I was about to freak out, I found him driving the van with a huge grin on his face. I won't be a fan of doing it again any times soon. It is amazing how difficult it is not to have the small breaks you are used to when in comes to parenting. And I missed Bernie too of course.

Vivian has finally turned on the solid food machine. She has been spitting almost everything out for the past six weeks. For two days now she has been scarfing everything down. We all had a cold last week and she was still looking sick yesterday. I took her to the doctor and of course all was fine. I'm hoping she will get over everything soon so we might have a healthy week or two around here.

Bennett had his follow-up appointment with his doctor regarding his speech and occupational therapy. He seems to be making some progress with his sensory issues, but his speech remains the same or maybe worse. His is still at about three words and endless unintelligible babble. The therapists think his sensory difficulties are actually causing his speech delay. I have no idea. It's just frustrating to not be making speech progress. His doctor recommended a developmental evaluation at Children's Hospital to check for Autism, so we have to figure that out soon. The waiting list is 4 months long and the actual appointment lasts 5 hours.

I am going to ask opinions on a ridiculous subject. There is a cat in the neighborhood that roams free. It is not a stray, has a collar, and seems well-looked-after. In fact, it's owner came to the door with a flier explaining the cat and it's history as an outdoor cat. There have been instances where I have been plating flowers in my outdoor pots and have found cat shit. This pisses me off. I compare it to my dog. I don't let her roam around wherever she wants and let her shit on other people's property. Could you imagine what would happen if I did? Am I just a cat-hating bitch to say that these people should keep their animals on their own property?