Death by Blogging

It was with no small amount of chagrin that I checked and saw that it had yet again been two weeks since I last posted. That being said, I do realise/(realize) that in some ways, the blog has run it's due course. Still, I have found that looking back and reading the blog myself has served as a reminder of times gone by, and so, I'll see if I can't keep it up for a little while longer, at any rate.

We celebrated the 4th of July in the States for the first time in two years, which was, in and of itself, quite enjoyable. It feels a bit strange to be overseas and feel as though you should be celebrating something, and yet, nobody else seems to think that you should. We went and ate at my parents house with the extended family before heading back to Birmingham for the fireworks, which we watched from Homewood Park - a chance discovery. The view was reasonably good, and we were able to get back home within 15 - 30 minutes, which was a definite bonus.

The following week passed without too much excitement - as I really can't recall too much that occurred during the week. I'm sure Mich and the kids went to the pool, because they are getting increasingly tanned, but otherwise, there weren't any big developments that I can remember.

The weekend came, and we wended our merry way down to Pensacola for a brief beach vacation. It was surprisingly cool for the beach, especially in July, but it was definitely a good, if short, break. We spent a couple of days there before coming back on Tuesday evening. The kids both cavorted in the water, which I was very happy with, and as typical, Dalton was difficult to get out of the water. The rest of the week was spent in pulling information together for our UK tax return (woo-hoo!), and we did manage to do a little more light cleaning around the house, although it still looks like a train ran through it in many places. That being said, it was somewhat fulfilling to get something else started, and the feeling of having accomplished "something" is always good. We did a little bit of yardwork on the weekend, and inherited a television which we have put downstairs. We also bought some furniture so the den/living room won't feel quite so empty and deserted. I feel like it's just a matter of taking "baby steps" until we get everything the way we want it - but at the same time, I'm still a bit aggravated by how long it is taking us to get unpacked. Yes, I know, the classic story is that people have boxes that they haven't opened from the last time they moved, but I really don't want it to be that way.

Maggie got registered for ballet, so she'll be starting that in the fall, and the kids have discovered some of the negatives of having kittens/cats - mainly being the sudden midnight attacks of feet, although our kittens will also attack hands. There is an interesting conflict between Chloe and the kittens, and we're still waiting to see exactly how it will play out.