Oh boy! Where to start, huh? Well, first off: We had puppies born on the 16th of May. Jo's lab, Opal, had 11 puppies. She was in labor all day, much longer than usual (this was her 4th litter). We were beginning to get concerned. Jo even called the vet and they said that sometimes it just takes longer. Well, about 8 that evening, we figured out the problem. She had her first puppy and it was stillborn; it was huge and severely deformed. It was the size of a two-week old puppy - no wonder she had a hard time getting it out! Anyway, all was sadness as we had to bury the little thing. But soon we were rejoicing because the other ten were perfectly healthy and well-formed. They are two weeks old now and trying to stand. They just opened their eyes. Next week, they will slowly be introduced to the outside, once they can stand and walk around a little. We have 4 black, 3 white, and 3 chocolate.

On the 19th, Elly got her braces put on the top row of teeth (no wires yet, just posts). She chose blue rubber bands. They actually look cute on her. Next week she is going to get contacts. This will be a good choice for her as the girl in the vision center at Wal-Mart recognizes Elly -- she's in there frequently to get her glasses fixed! She likes to play games outside and invariably, someone accidentally bumps her and breaks her glasses. The insurance we pay at time of purchase pays off over and over and over.....

On the 20th, Alyssa and I went in to have our hair highlighted. Elly had had hers done a week or two prior, and it came out really nice, very natural looking. Well, the beautician, whom we really like (Vicki), starts with Alyssa. She gets her all done and sets her in a chair while she starts on me and after 10 minutes she checks on Alyssa. Lys's hair is almost white! "ACH" We need to get this washed out NOW!" So Vicki starts washing out Lys's hair, and I'm kinda freaked, seeing tiger stripes on my daughter. Vicki is amazed - it usually takes at least 20 minutes to get a color change. Elly's took about 25. Lys should have been stopped at 5 and it is just surprising the hairsylist all to pieces! (Me, too!) Anyway, after the initial shock had passed and her hair was dried, etc., the streaks didn't look SO bad. Vicki assured us that they would mellow over a couple weeks time, but that if we really didn't like it, to come back and she'd change the color. Well, it has blended and Alyssa likes it a lot, and it doesn't look nearly as unnatural as when it was first done. Now mine, on the other hand, only lightened up very slightly after 45 minutes! So, next time I go for highlighting, we'll actually have to add a little bleach to lighten it. Amazing how people's hair can differ from one to another.

On the 25th, we took the kids to watch the balloons for Freedom weekend aloft. We love that! This year, some of the balloons were having problems getting enough life, and the canopies bumped into each other a few times. I have to say there is a lot of skill involved in not letting the gondolas bump into each other.

Susan had the opportunity to share her testimony of salvation to a church in Atlanta that is trying to reach Jews for Christ. On her way home Sunday, the car started making funny noises and spewing steam so she pulled over. The car had to be towed home and we let her borrow Curt's Sable. The bad news: she needs a new engine. The worse news? She still owes money on the car, so she can't go buy a new one yet. So, we are letting her borrow the Sable for a while. The only damper is that I have to drive the 15 passenger now if I have to go anywhere - what a gas hog! We try to save using it only for family trips.

The 26th - we celebrated Memorial Day at the pastor's house.

This week I've started editing for the summer issue of Seasons At Home - looks like it will be another great issue! I'm trying to light a fire under Alyssa and Elly to finish the illustrations for my children's book - I really want it to be in print before we go on vacation.