Beth and I took the kids up to Michigan this weekend to visit with Judy, who was up from Alabama and staying at a friend's house by the lake in Vicksburg. We all headed up on Friday so we could visit with Amy and her girls, who were visiting from Pennsylvania and also visiting Judy. We did some swimming and fishing and boating over the weekend, and went to a very impressive farmers' market in Kalamazoo. Friday was also Alex's first day of kindergarten! He has been so excited for weeks now. I stayed home from work long enough to see him off to the bus in the morning, and when I got home from work for lunch he came running up to me and said "Daddy, kindergarten was awesome!" He should do well. I was afraid he wasn't going to make it to his first day because Beth and Missy were both sick this past week. Beth had taken the kids up to visit Judy during the week on Wednesday, and called that evening to tell me she had the flu. She had been sick almost all day since getting up there and didn't think she could make it home, but later on she called and had decided to try. She did make it, but she was sick sick sick. I slept on the floor in the hallway upstairs to keep the kids from crawling into bed with her during the night, which they have been doing a lot lately. I stayed home the next day to take care of the kids and keep them out of the house (and even found a garage sale with a Tonka bulldozer for Alex). Beth was doing better by evening, but then Missy threw up all night. Beth and I changed her sheets and nighties a lot during the night. I was worried that Alex would have it by the time school started, but he didn't ever get sick.