Beth had her surgery on Monday this week, so I was off work again for the first 3 days. Monday we got the kids off to school and the Lemps picked them up and had them at their house all day until we got back home at around 6 or so. The surgery went very well and she's been feeling good. Tuesday I got the kids to and from school and afterwards took them out and about a little, including getting a kickstand for Alex's bike. He's getting pretty good at riding without the training wheels, so I think they have come off for the last time. Him crashing into a parked car in the parking lot by the Trailhouse notwithstanding. The rest of the week someone helped get the kids to school and I picked them up afterwards on my way home for lunch. Friday was Alex's carnival at school, which Beth attended even though she was probably too sore to go. They had all the standard games and things, inflatable obstacle courses, shooting baskets, golfing, etc for tickets that you could cash in for trinkets at the end. There was also a cake walk in which Alex won some cupcakes and frost-yourself cookies. Yesterday was a Katie day and Beth and I went out to see "Duplicity," which was all right but I predicted the amazing plot twist about an hour before the big reveal. And tonight...the Spartans reached the Final Four by punching Louisville in the neck in the second half. Beth was on the couch next to me for the game, and with about 5 minutes left she says "It looks like they're not even playing any more. Like they gave up." Yep. My bracket is hosed but I'm liking the new developments anyway.

It has been a sick week all around. Everyone in the house has been to the doctor at least once, and some of us twice, in the last week or so. Missy has had an awful cough at night, Alex can't seem to shake the nose thing, Beth has been coughing as well. I was in the doctor Tuesday and missed work Wednesday and Thursday, then tried to go back to work but wound up back at the doctor for a second round of a different antibiotic on Friday and missed most of the day then too. I think we've all turned the corner on it; hope so anyway. I'm still so congested I feel like I'm drowning in snot. Missy had a birthday party at Joy Jungle yesterday for Sydni that she was thankfully well enough to attend. Alex got to go to this one too, and we again all went to Taco Bell afterwards. Also on Friday, Wake Forest (one of my final four) trashed my bracket by losing. UN-believeable.

Bracket time! Here is my Final Four: UConn, Wake Forest, Pitt (champion), and Oklahoma. Mark it down.

It has been all about Alex's birthday this week. Judy came to visit on Sunday and was here through Tuesday; Mom got here Wednesday and was here thorough today. Alex got a present from Aunt Judy while she was here, then he opened presents from Mommy and Daddy and Gramma and Grampa on his actual birthday; Saturday we all went up to Michigan to have a birthday party for him at Chuck E. Cheese's in Kalamazoo with his cousins (and got a couple presents there), then back home late and another party on Sunday for his friends here. Overall he scored pretty big with the presents.

I finally made the trip to Vancouver this week. I flew out there on Monday, and found that nobody expects people to fly into Vancouver on a Monday, because there were about 3 immigration agents working for about a million people arriving. So it took over an hour to get through the line. But I got to the plant and had a good half a day working, except by the time I got done for the day my voice was shot from talking over the noise at the planty all day. I got in a tiny bit of geocaching Tuesday morning before the plant opened (there is a river walk that goes right by the plant, with 2 caches nearby) and worked all day again, finishing everything I came to do by about 8 pm. Wednesday morning I had some time free (noon flight) so I did a bit more caching in a forest primeval (city park) failing to find any but one. Then, on the way back to the airport, I could not find a gas station to refill the rental (a nice Mazda 6) to save my life. I wandered around for about half an hour before getting back near the airport, then I was running late so I couldn't get my bag checked. It was only 50 minutes until departure, you see. So I tossed my toothpaste and deodorant and carried it on. Uneventful flight back. This weekend, Missy had a birthday party (for Peyton) at Joy Jungle, where Alex really wanted to be, but I promised him we would do something fun together. So after dropping Missy off we went to Taco Bell and Somethin' Fun. The line for go-karts was too long, though, so we just played games instead and got some tickety prizes until it was time to get Missy. Today, we all went out to go swimming at the YMCA and babysat the Boschain kids for the evening.

I finally got the van in for service this week. New rear shocks, so it won't grind the compressor all the time, and the clunking noise was a broken sway bar. About $500 of service altogether, ouch. Friday we had Bible study at our house, or tried to, since the Boschains were the only ones who could come and shortly after they got here, Jake started getting feverish. They left very soon after that. I heard that he started throwing up during the night. Our kids didn;t catch whatever it was though, and yesterday was a Katie day for us. For the first time in a while we went to see a movie, "Slumdog Millionaire." I was surprised it was playing in town but it was, so we went to see it. So should you, it's excellent.