Things are pretty stressful around here... Starting with a week ago, when my mom called to ask me for a recipe, again (write it down already)... I asked how Grandpa is doing, and so she casually mentioned that his doctor said he could die any day now.



Hello? What? I mean, he is 92 and has multiple health issues and is hanging on by the grace of skillful medicating... But, really? On his death bed?

Since I was on my way out when she called, I couldn't get any more details. I *needed* to get to Girl Scouts, after all... So when I got home eventually, after showing up there and being asked to stay the whole time to babysit some kids...

(Sigh... What else do I have to do, really? I'm just a SAHM. I'd LOVE to babysit your hyperactive little kid who dumps entire containers of toys out right in front of me just to see what I'll do... )

Anyway, so eventually we get home, and I started checking flights and DHs call schedule and everything. I had a plan where the little kids and I could go see Grandpa for a week, and it would only cost $850, but DH would have to trade one call day so that Kate could stay home and still go to school, etc. It's a little bit difficult to get out of middle school... So, when I showed DH my plan, he was hesitant to say the least. He pretty much refused to be point-person at home-- he told me I needed to take Kate with us. Fine. Ok. She's seen Grandpa a lot more than I have in the last 2 years because she's been out by herself a few times, but fine. I'll just deal with the school. Then he decided that since the family line has been that *Grandpa could go at any time* for the past 5 years that it'd be best just to wait for our trip in August to go see him. So, I decided to call to talk to my dad, who has a calmer head about this. I called while they were in the middle of the birthday dinner for my Grandma. My mom told me they were eating the cake from my recipe, and then passed to phone to my grandpa. He started talking to me about the wheelchair-scooter they just ordered for him, and how he was hoping to be able to maneauver it down to the pool this summer so that he could see the kids swimming, etc., etc... Eventually the phone got passed to my dad, and I passed it to DH and told him to get the medical story here. Turns out that one of Grandpa's doctors told him that *if he has an emergency surgery for some type of major bodily failure* he should be prepared to not come out of the surgery...

Not exactly on his deathbed, which is good, but still... Emotional rollercoaster. And it left me feeling even more bitter and resentful of Mac's response to it all. He was just so clinical, and unwilling to even consider being the *emergency phone contact* for 1 week with 1 child. What a huge baby...

Sort of related, but not really, the other day he was talking about *my job* being *the hardest job ever*.

So I said, "How do you know?"

He says, "When I tried to do what you do for a few days, it was so hard."

So far so good, right? Except then I said,

"When did you take care of all the kids, etc., while I wasn't here for a few days?"

Him: "Ummm, never?"

Whatever... Really. It's not a competition, but honestly. Sometimes I don't know what he's talking about.

So, now that the health-scare with Grandpa is somewhat resolved, we are just sticking with the August trip plan...

Lately we've been trying to do more fun family activities. This is really hard to schedule in- any little thing is tough. When DH has maybe 4 or 5 days off a month, it's an effort but one I think I need to make. So every month we have a family outing. Kate hates this, of course, but she can bring a friend to lessen the pain. The last family outing we went on was to the air show at Andrews Air Force Base. Kate didn't bring a friend, but she did bring her digital camera. She entertained herself by taking artsy pictures- while trying to look like she wasn't taking pictures because how lame is it to take pictures at an air show with the family. Super lame. Anyway, some of her pictures aren't bad. She does have an artsy streak to her. She wants to become an animator if her rock star gig falls through... (Some back up plan, right?) She definitely has some skills, for a 13 year old!

So, I'll post some pictures from that outing (my pictures are not really artsy, I'm afraid). But not today, maybe tomorrow!