Penchuk.com

Now that the calendar has flipped into February, it’s time to update the ol’ website. I know that my legions of fans (yeah, basically there’s 3 or 4 of you) want to know what’s happening here in the great state of North Cackalackey. So, here goes…

• Jack - He’s crawling and drooling everywhere. I could type that last line 7 times and it wouldn’t be enough. Especially the drooling part. You can’t hold him for 5 seconds without getting drenched. He’s getting much more mobile, too. Not only can he crawl, but he has no problems pulling himself up to his feet. Getting down is another story. He’s also using a push toy to get around but still needs some help turning and maintaining a straight line. He constantly smiles and makes us very happy despite the drool. Did I mention that he drools?
• Ben - Ben is a great kid. He’s so much fun. A couple of weekends back we went bowling and had an absolute blast. Bowling alleys are now incredibly kid friendly. Every time it was Ben’s turn, bumpers automatically went up so he couldn’t roll gutter balls. The ball was half the weight of a normal ball. Ben didn’t even have to bowl. He just carried his ball to a metal frame that once you gave the ball a little push, it rolled down a sloped surface and then down the lane with more than enough force to knock down the pins. Anyway, the kid has a blast. Throw in the fact that they had air hockey and arcade games like a basketball shoot game, and Ben was in heaven. The enjoyment we got out of the afternoon was well worth the $20 it cost us.
• Laura – When I asked Laura what she wanted me to write about her, she quickly said that she is “keeping head above water, barely.” She’s been struggling with allergies, work, kids, me, and all the other things that happen in life. Neither of us were ready for what having two young kids could do to sane, rational adults. The allergy thing has been real tough. Laura had an appointment with the allergist last week. They instructed her to stop taking any medications for the 5 days leading up to the appointment so they could run tests. Well, we had the threat of snow here and the school systems all closed schools the night before the expected snow. As a result, everything else closed, too. And by the way, when we woke up at 6 AM and looked outside, there wasn’t a flake in sight. It hadn’t even rained yet. The folks down here need to get a grip. But, I digress. The “snow” canceled Laura’s appointment and they rescheduled for a few weeks from now. So, that was a tough 5 days and she gets to do them all over again.
• Andrew – I’ve been working hard (50+ hour weeks) and not getting lots of sleep (averaging about 5-6 hours per night). It’s not a great combination but it’s been necessary. I did travel a little in January and visited the Big Apple to visit clients. While there I went home to Mom’s and got a great home-cooked meal. It was great to see her and get away from the hotel for a few hours. Right now, it seems like life is sleep (a little), kids, work, kids, work and then start all over. But, they’re only young once, right?

So, overall, we’re doing well. We’re challenged at times, but we’re very happy. Until next time…