A good catch

Hi! As you can see in the photo, Jack caught his first fish this past weekend. Our neighbors, the Murphys, took him with them when they went to a local lake for a little weekend angling. Jack ended up catching five total. Four were little bluegills and sunfish, which he brought home. He also claims to have caught a much bigger one that he had to throw back because it was too big. How's that for a fish tale? : )

Jack's fish aren't the only good catches we made this past week. We also hired ourselves a couple of babysitters. Their names are Lauren and Grace, they're both soon-to-be juniors in college, and one of them will be coming over each afternoon to watch Finn and the other kids while I take my much-needed afternoon siesta. The two girls are long-time friends, and Lauren is a maternal cousin of Katie, who has served as the Murphy's nanny for at least as long as they've lived next door (more than six years).

We have gotten to know Katie quite well over the past several years and she has gotten to know us well. When we decided to hire a babysitter, we were hoping to find someone just like her, so we asked for her recommendation. She came through in a big way. Lauren and Grace both have fun personalities, seem to truly enjoy being around the kids, and are more than willing to give a hand around the house if we need it. What makes them an even better match for us is that Lauren (like Katie) knows first-hand what it's like to have a parent with cancer. Lauren and Katie's mothers are two of nine sisters, all of whom have had breast cancer. Their mothers both died of the disease, as well. Katie's mother passed away three or four years ago; Lauren's mother died when Lauren was about the same age as Regan. It seems like more than luck that these young women have come into our lives, and we are so grateful for their assistance.

On an unrelated note, the kids are still in school if you can believe it. Their last day is June 14th!

Jeff