Westmoreland Asays

I'm probably jinxing myself for writing this, but here goes. Beginning last Sunday evening, everyone in my family became sick. Aaron volunteered first with coughing and a fever; he recovered quickly and passed the baton to Edward, who then gave it to Ian, and finally Meg succumbed to the inevitable. The boys are feeling good now and appear to have mostly recovered, while Meg's battle continues. I, however, have avoided the family illness. Why have I been so fortunate? Was it . . . A . My family contracted a version of the flu that my innoculation a few weeks ago is protecting me from getting. B . I am like that guy Bruce Willis portrays in Unbreakable . C . I consistently lead such a healthy life that nothing can attack my immune system. D . Like Mr. Burns , I have "Three Stooges Syndrome"--I have a little bit of everything, which causes everything to cancel one another out, and which provides me with a blissful homeostasis. E . I just wasn't home enough ...

Several people came up to me today and commented on how much they enjoyed Edward in our ward's primary program (where the kids ages 4-11 take over and present for the entire sacrament meeting, which includes each child delivering a small speaking part). Eddie had memorized his short, one-liner, and said he would deliver it by himself--Meg had prepped him well over the last few weeks. But this isn't why people were impressed with Eddie. Let's back up to see how we came to this situation. Eddie was on the floor at church when Ian puked on him--it wasn't normal spit-up, unfortunately, and probably caused by the grilled salmon sushi from Vista Market that Meg ate with me the night before to celebrate my 15-year anniversary of arriving in Japan for the first time. Eddie was understandably upset at having to wear a nasty shirt, so Meg raced home to bring him a new, clean one. She made it back just as the kids were moving forward to take their seats at the front of the cha...

We had a whole week of gorgeous weather (for October), so Meg organized a weekend yurt-camping trip with our friends the Watkins . Our destination was Tugman State Park , a few miles south of Reedsport (about two hours north of where I took the boys in August ). I took Friday afternoon off so we left right after eating lunch. The boys behaved quietly in the back seat while I entertained Meg the driver with all of my witty and insightful conversation. We had a few hours to burn before the Watkins arrived, so I took the older boys hiking around Eel Lake , which of course included a compulsory stop along the shore to throw rocks into the water. After the Watkins arrived, we fixed dinner/dessert, hung out around the campfire, and talked until about midnight (the kids went to bed several hours earlier. Brent W. took the kids fishing late Saturday morning and actually reeled in a 12" trout--a fish he really didn't want to catch, and which he tried to release (but the poor fish...

Ian has reached six months old. Here are a few observations about the boy: Weighs 19.2 pounds (with diaper) Sits on his own for long periods Prefers to lie on his stomach Likes to spin around on his belly Can roll and spin to move to where he wants Sticks everything nearby into his mouth Eats baby food twice a day Has 1.5 teeth and isn't afraid to bite Doesn't like it when Eddie smothers him (happens multiple times every day) Doesn't like long rides in the car