It looks like we dodged another one. Ike totally missed Florida. Thank goodness!!! Madisyn's birthday is on friday and it seems like we haven't been able to celebrate her birthday on too many occasions because of different issues (hurricanes, national disasters and family issues).
It is raining less these days and I think the ground is starting to dry out. An article in the local newspaper stated that instead of mosquitos, we are being overrun by tree frogs. I can totally understand our house is covered with them. It feels like we are Moses living in the plague. We have even found a couple in our house. Anyway all is well with us and we are really glad we dodged another storm.

What is with the mayhem in the tropics????

Even though Fay was just a tropical storm, she dumped a ton of water on us. Then there was Gustav. Today we got wind and rain from the outer bands of Hannah. The storms are lining up like people for a ride at Disney. Now all eyes are on Ike to see what direction he is headed in and then just watching Josephine out there floating around hopefully not causing much for concern. Our days seem to be filled with watching the Weather Channel and seeing where Jim Cantore is located,since he is always sent where the storm is going to make a direct hit, and going online to NOAA and looking at the projected pathes of all of these storms. I'm hoping and praying that the storms will pass so we don't have to put up the shutters and feel trapped inside a dungeon. However I do like them on the bedrooms upstairs because it makes them nice and dark.

School Days here we come!!!!!!

Last week was the official start of school. However, mother nature had other plans. The girls had school on Monday, no school on Tuesday, school on Wednesday, no school on Thursday and school on Friday. What caused all of the chaos??? Tropical Storm Faye dumped quite the rain on us and caused flooding in a lot of areas. The girls seem to really be enjoying themselves and are doing great. During some of our rain days McKenzie & Mallory rode boogie boards in the driveway.

A Mother's Day to remember.....

Mother's Day started out pretty normal and ended with mass chaos. We all went to church and out to lunch. Evan got to have his apple pie and cinnamon ice cream at Lake Region. He looked as if he had died and gone to heaven. We all went back to my Mom's and started watching 27 dresses. Maryssa was out walking Logan when all of a sudden we hear screaming at the front door and the door bell rings. When Maryssa was around the corner from the house a 60 lb. dog jumped the fence and attacked her. The dog bit through her pants in several areas and blood was all down her pants. Once we got her pants off we could see that she had several lacerations on her right thigh and a decent size laceration on her left butt cheek. Once we got her cleaned up we called 911 and she and Evan rode to the hospital on the ambulance. David and I followed in our car. When I got to go back and see her she looked at me and said "Happy Mother's Day." After seeing the doctor, they only gave her two stitches to close the one on her butt because it was pretty wide. All of the other wounds were left open so they could heal and the infection, if any, could get out. She will go in 10 days to have the stitches removed. She has done really well with the whole thing. I think she thoroughly enjoying all the pampering she is receiving. She gets her meals on the couch, foot rubs from Mom and McKenzie, her chores done for her and Daddy carries her upstairs. We consider her very blessed that her injuries weren't any worse. Please pray that she will heal quickly with minimal to no scarring and that she will not develop a sense of fear towards animals.

Happy Spring!!!!

The ball seasons are winding down and I am trying to fill up the girls summer calendar begins. I am trying to have plenty for them to do to hopefully minimize the phrase "I'm bored". Mallory is becoming quite the politician.... Evan and I like to ask her who's girl she is. She used to be Mommy's girl, but now she is learning to be whoever is arounds girl. Maryssa had a great soccer game this past Saturday as her team won 11-2. She did much better staying focused and in the game. Madisyn's team lost their last two games and McKenzie is off this week as she is on a get away to North Carolina with Nina. She calls or emails daily and it sounds like her days are very full. Evan and I are on our last weight training week of P90X. Next week we are all cardio. It is hard to believe we have been doing this for 12 weeks.

Take care. I'll update soon.

Hello friends and family!!!!!

Happy April Fools Day!!!!! We are enjoying spring Break. It is truly a break. A break from school and a break from ball games and crazy schedules. These days our schedule consists of constantly running to ball games and practices since McKenzie is in fast pitch softball, Madisyn is doing Little League Baseball and Maryssa is playing soccer. Evan is helping coach Madisyn's team and Mallory and I shuffle from game to game supporting the girls.

Madisyn is doing really well this year in baseball. Many of the parents comment on her performance and say she is the MVP. She really enjoys it and wants to continue playing with the boys and baseball. She also enjoys the fact that she plays for the Red Sox, our favorite team.

McKenzie is enjoying her first year at fast pitch softball. She is learning a lot about the game. She really loves the stealing bases part. We are alright with that as long as that is the only thing she steals. She and her best friend Andi just closed down their salon, MA Nails. They were so cute turning McKenzie's room into a spa and doing manicures, pedicures, massages and other spa treatments. Now they have created a church for the neighborhood kids called U Turn. She thought it was more important for the kids to hear about God than get spa treatments. She is growing up so much. It is exciting and frustrating at the same time. Here we go on the roller coaster called female hormones.

Maryssa is getting back into the hang of soccer. We have to sit on the sidelines and make sure she stays focused. She still loves animals and spends most of her days on her hands and knees pretending she is an animal of some sort. Over the Eater weekend she accepted Christ into her life. We are so excited for her!!!!!

Mallory is 2 going on 10. She thinks she is as old as her sisters and will do whatever it takes to be just like them. She drinks from a regular cup, sits at the table in the chairs and will climb to get something that is just beyond her reach. Evan has nicknamed her "Mooch" as she likes to go from person to person and eat whatever you are eating.

As for Evan and I, we are staying extremely busy. I (and Michele) just finished the Easter programing for the kids and will soon begin planning VBS. Evan is busy at work with loans and everything else. We just started phase III of the fitness/diet program we are on, eight weeks down and four weeks to go. We are seeing great results but I am very ready for a really big cheat day.

Take care and I'll update soon.

The Englishes