The Anderson Update

All victims of hand, foot and mouth disease are no longer contagious and are merely dealing with dry/dead skin issues.  If I had the C-average version, David had the A+++ variety.  I don't recommend it...ever.  That was worse than the chicken pox.  The kids' barely even registered on the scale.  I guess in hindsight it was better that they didn't the scary version, but it still sucked.

We took Vader into the vet last weekend for his yearly check up and shots. Here's a paraphrase how the exchange went between the doctor and myself:

So it's been 7 years since he's been diagnosed diabetic.
Yeah...that sounds about right.
And 3 years without monitoring.  (FYI - monitoring = expensive blood tests that take all day every couple weeks which Vader hates and we hate).
Yeah...that sounds about right too.  Can't really afford it right now.
So he's just a little heavy but otherwise doing great.
Yeah...he's always been that way.
Well I think I need to shake your hand since it's not often that a diabetic cat makes it this far let alone continuing to thrive.
(Jenny laughs hard on the inside)

Vader is about 13 1/2 right now.  He does take a little longer to get up and sit down than he used to, but once he's up he can still run if the spirit moves him.  I'm guessing I'll be getting less guilt trips from the vet about monitoring his blood work than I have in the past.

David is still up to ears with phone calls/tasks/researching to arrange to get Grandma Linda up here.  I'm thinking it will happen soon.  Probably as soon as we get a place locked down for her to go to, everything else pretty much hinges on that.  It sounds like she's doing good with physical therapy and is able to do a little more than she used to.  So everything is progressing in the positive direction.

I hoping not to jinx myself, but I just might be able to get out in my yard this weekend.  It might be dry enough and myself well enough to be able to get something done.  I also have my pickling class on Sunday so I'm excited about that too.

The kids are doing great.  Johnny sings songs all the time, counts all the time (2 and 9 seem to be his favorites), tons of new vocab and has taken up coloring with a passion.  Now I ask him if he pooped his pants he grins and points to his butt. Nice!  Holiday is doing great in school.  I just submitted her registration papers for Kindergarten.  I additionally submitted the Choice form since we're requesting that she attend a school near where we work as opposed to where we live.  We'll see how that goes.  The really big thing right now is that it has been over a month since she's wet the bed.  Super Awesome!