Dear Kids,
      Here’s another news flash: Heather is having a girl! Haven’t I been predicting a clean sweep of girls? Now the pressure is on Sharon, who’s having her ultrasound on Monday. So maybe by the time you get this letter she’ll already know. Or I could be wrong–she could have another boy–a thorn among the roses. We’ll see.
      Sharon goes out running every morning, with Charlie in the jogger, and now Seth’s going with them. Sharon said she wasn’t feeling too safe out there, so she persuaded him to come along, and now he really likes it! (You gotta love those endorphins.) Go, Thackers! Charlie really likes all the things he sees, like squirrels and school busses.
      Nora’s preschool is in full swing now, and Addie is part of the group this year. Ben was, too, for a short time. Nora thought he might do OK, and save her the hassle of a babysitter for him. That is, until she heard little girls running and screaming, and went to see what the trouble was. Ben was chasing them with a lion puppet on his hand, making growling noises. So he’s been kicked out. Well, he’s only 2. He can buckle down when he’s a little older.
      Nora’s book club had a great time at the cabin Friday night. Of course I had to be there for the fun! (I go to her book club every couple of months, if it’s a book I like.) They were discussing “The Devil in the White City,” which is sort of ghoulish and depressing. But other topics always come up, like their kids. And toilet training–that’s always a hot topic. We sat around the campfire, and the moon was out, and there were three babies bundled up, including Paige. One carload of girls was going to stay over, and the other carload was supposed to leave for home when the discussion was over, but they were just hitting their stride when I went to bed at midnight. I think the “carload for home” finally left about 3 am. They should have all stayed over! In the morning, we ate breakfast and drove the Yerf Dog. Nobody was very eager to head for home, and get back to their husbands and kids, but Nora reminded everybody that they were stopping at the outlet stores, so that got them motivated to pack up. With Nora’s book club, there’s no stopping the fun.
      LizBunkall’s wedding reception last Thursday night was a lot of fun. It was at the Carmelle, a ritzy place on Highland Drive, and Liz and her new hubby looked really happy and excited. We’re really happy for Liz.
      I visited Tom at his new work site last week. It’s in an old historic remodeled school building, about 100 East and 200 North, in Heber, which I’ve been interested in for a long time, now. I liked to drive by it, while they were working on it. (Supposedly, they spent a fortune on it, and the whole school board was voted out, after that.) But who would’ve ever guessed that Tom would work there someday? His work area is down in a dungeon, full of cables, wires, plugs, boxes, inverters, diverters, converters, routers, reversers, who knows what? Tom says it’s a treasure trove of stuff. There’s another whole room full of computers, humming away. Tom says his job is so much fun, he totally forgets about the time. In fact, he can’t believe he’s been there more than a month already. John has taken him out looking at houses, but so far, everything’s way too expensive. Hopefully, when winter hits, all those people who are tired of the cold will put their houses on the market at the same time. It could be a buyers’ market!
      Conference week is coming up! Dad and I will be at the cabin from Friday afternoon, Sept. 29, to Sunday night, Oct. 1. Let me know if you want to reserve a room.
      Lots of love, Mom