An update…

– Yes. The girls are wearing Halloween costumes in that picture. And, yes, those aren’t the same costumes that they were wearing in the previous Halloween picture. Changing costumes mid-Halloween celebration is just one of the perks of owning dress up clothes. Ana was being especially loving in this picture, and Emma was letting her since she wasn’t completely over her illness.

– And speaking of her illness, Emma was sick for SIX DAYS. And that particular type of sick was bad enough for one day, much less nearly a week. I took her to the doctor on Monday, worried that it might be something more than just a run-of-the-mill bug, but she assured me that this was nothing out of the ordinary and that sometimes these things last for a long, long time. And as predicted, Em was back to normal shortly thereafter. I hope this is all we get this season… but what are the odds?

– And speaking of bad odds, our odds were pretty bad that we were completely in the clear with our AC. Yeah, the fan was fixed this summer, but now, it’s something else. (Paying for a new unit piece by piece, y’all!) We noticed a couple of weeks ago that our AC wasn’t working right. It was blowing, but it wasn’t blowing much. Of course, we haven’t been using it much thanks to the cool, cool weather we’re having, but as Wes wisely suggested, we thought it best to call the AC guy and get it looked at before we needed to turn on the heat. He came out yesterday, worked on the inside part of the unit, and as soon as the air started blowing harder, an awful sound started coming out of our outside unit. Uh-oh, we thought. And uh-oh was right, to the tune of about $1400. Oh, well. All this made it that much easier to hear that the burned out headlight on our Sonata can only be replaced at the dealership, for a “small” fee that is actually higher than the cost of the bulb. What is that when compared to the price of an AC compressor? (And, to be fair, what is the price of an AC compressor when compared to the price of an entirely new unit? It could always be worse, y’all!)

– And speaking of headlights on Japanese cars that can only be replaced by overpriced dealerships, it turns out that it’s NOT true as the Auto Zone guy told me, and thanks to some assistance from my dad (who turned 64 today — happy birthday, Dad!), Wes found a bulb and changed it himself, which involved taking apart the entire front part and inside of the headlight. Something I’m glad I did not witness firsthand and something that makes me rejoice because the problem was taken care of for about one-fifth of the cost the dealership projected. Oh, yeah! Put that extra cash towards the AC compressor!

– And speaking of my dad and repairs, my parents came to town on Saturday, and my dad helped Wes to cut down all of the trees in our backyard. I didn’t know they were going to do this beforehand. Actually, I don’t even think THEY knew they were going to do this beforehand. I think the intent was to “trim up” a few areas, and by the time they were finished we were bereft of any and all trees. I’m not complaining, though, because it looks so much nicer out there. Charlie doesn’t seem to appreciate it much because it has completely hindered his ability to be sneaky and hide behind the apple tree when I come out to get him. The tiny bushes left don’t do half the job of covering up his huge self, and he only accomplishes the goal of looking ridiculous, trying to scrunch himself up behind them. (The only way to get him in while the weather is so crisp and refreshing is to have one of the girls come out with me. Ana does this whistle thing, which is not a whistle but a high-pitched, shrill, shrieking. Sends Charlie running into the house every time!)

– And speaking of Charlie, he’s huge. And I think he’s finally done growing! Sure, he’ll probably still bulk up/muscle up as he continues to mature, but I think the exponential bone growth is finished. He’s been pano-free for a few weeks now, and there is a new springiness to his gigantic step. He’s especially eager and excited on our walks, just like he was back before he had his first bout of pano. Of course, back then he only weighed twentysomething pounds, and now that he’s closer to eightysomething, walking him in his full health is a new beast altogether. Literally. He’s good as long as we’re walking with me in the lead, but if a random dog or bird pops out anywhere (yesterday it was an unleashed chihuahua), he struggles to stay focused. Fortunately, I’m still bigger than he is, and despite his strength, his need to please is greater than his need to meet new four-legged or flying friends. I’m SO glad that we spent all that time working with him when he was little. Otherwise, he would be pulling me all over the neighborhood now. For real.

– And speaking of me being pulled in every direction, I should probably close this and fold that load of laundry, or finish loading the dishwasher, or just sit myself down on the couch and veg out for a bit. Hmm… what to do, what to do…