I guess I have been waiting for some big news in order to post a new article on here. That could be awhile if I keep expecting a huge event to report on. So I'll just post a commentary and some recent little tidbits of what's going on.

I just came in from cutting out some brush from the drainage ditch from the front of our property. You know how sometimes you let things go and the next thing you know you suddenly realize that you have let something get to the point of rediculous? Well, that's the deal with this brush out there. I mean, I have a hard enough time keeping up with basic yardwork such as mowing and weedeating, much less cutting down huge weeds/trees that are twice my height. The funny thing about it is that I have virtually no apprpriate tools for this project and ended up using this tiny hacksaw. After about 25 minutes of work, I had cleared out the largest growth and started feeling like I was going to pass out from exhaustion, so that's it for today. Not real sure what I'm going to do with the brush, probably throw it over the road into the woods over there.

Kim just completed her first week back to school since December. Monday is her first "real" day back, though, because the first week in Kindergarten at her school is just testing with the kids and meeting with the parents. Regular school days begin tomorrow. She really seems happy to be back, although it looks like she will have some challenging kids and may have to do without an aide this year. Jackson and Carson are adjusting pretty well to having a new sitter and we feel like we made the right choice with Sheila.

Other tidbits: Carson is getting his two top teeth now and has just started crawling regularly ather than the "belly flop"...Big Time Fantasy Football starts with the draft on August 31. This will be the fifth year for the Whited's fantasy league under the current format - John Whited of the Cincy Bears has the #1 overall pick....I just completed my eigth year of full-time employment with the Youth Services Bureau - I celebrated by rearranging my office...It has been reported that Billy Wilson has received medical bills for a "leg amputation" but apparently this is news to Billy...Jim Whited has been enjoying a new hobby of building birdhouses, so place your orders now...

Birfdays, Colts Camp, and mini-milestones

Last weekend the Whiteds got together to celebrate Kim's 32nd birthday and Jim's 59th. A delicious batch of spaghetti and meatballs were served by Juanette, as requested by Jim. The meal was terrific, although Juanette indicated that she was not happy with her soggy and limp garlic bread. The garlic bread was great, too. Jim received a Lowe's gift card, a Nascar t-shirt, and a round of golf at Clover Meadows. Kim received a scrapbooking kit, a Harry Potter book, some scrapbooking pens, and a book light. A great day.


That evening Marc, Jim and Jackson Cade headed over to Colts Camp to watch them have night practice. It was family night at camp and it turned out to be an all-time record attendance of 6,500 people. They stopped at Wal-Mart to get a Colts hat for autographs, and they had none - but they did have a Tennessee Vols hat. Marc thought that was great as long as they could land a Manning autograph for the second straight year. But that limited them to Manning, and after practice Marc and Jackson were within 5-6 feet of Peyton, but the security guard had to tell Manning to go inside because people were going nuts, pushing and shoving there way towards the front creating an unsafe situation with little kids around. So they came home empty handed on autographs but they did all get to meet linebacker Gary Brackett #58, shake his hand, and have a 5-minute conversation with him. It was cool.

Carson turned 7 months old on August first and this has been accompanied by some other little mini-milestones. He can now sit up on his own regularly, crawls all over the floor, and is starting to pull up on things. His legs are so dog-gone strong that this should be an easy transition. He is becoming more and more vocal with his babbling and has been experiencing some samples of some new fun foods like ice cream, cake, and popscicles. Healthly diet, huh.