Is it fall yet?

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not a fan of hot, humid weather. But as summer in the southland moves towards moves towards new heights of oppression, we try to stay cool and dry when we can.

Nalani, Jessica and Matthew spent the last few days in Elizabeth City, NC, visiting her family there. As some of you may know, Phil recently underwent some pretty major surgery, but is back at work now and doing well.

I took Kendall and Wallace to Andrews last weekend to visit my family. We got up early Saturday morning and drove to Pawley's Island, near Georgetown, to spend the day at the beach. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my camera to work on the beach, so I'm relying on Kendall to send me the pictures that she took WHICH SHE PROMISED ME ON SUNDAY!!!! (hint, hint, Kendall).

We got lots of sun, got knocked down by some waves, made a drippy castle too close to the incoming tide, took a couple of walks to the inlet, and generally had ourselves a merry time.

As soon as I get some pictures, I'll post some here and put the rest on the Picasa site.

Pictures from July 4

On July 4, the Mixons hosted their annual July 4 celebration on Black River. It's also the closest thing to a Mixon family reunion that we have. It's also Granny's birthday (she turned 92).

More pictures are here.

June Update

It's been anything but normal around here for the past couple weeks or so. Kendall just got back from a trip the Florida Keys and promises me lots and lots of cool pictures. Wallace and I spent the entire week together last week. We went on a hiking/camping trip up to Jones Gap State Park, which was quite an experience for her. Hey, spending the night in the wilderness even scares daddy a little bit, too!

Jessica and Matthew have been in N.C. visiting with their dad, but they're back now. Jessica took lots of pictures with her new camera that she earned for exceptional grades. We're very proud of the work she has put into her academics. She'd probably respond well to some encouraging emails from family members (hint, hint).

Kendall, Alligator Wrestler

Kendall is in Key West, and sent this picture Tuesday. I think the look on her face says it all.

Move along, nothing to see here....

Yeah, I know I haven't written anything in over a week, but in my defense, it's been fairly uneventful around here for the past few days. Random thoughts and happenings:

We're still trying to get to the bottom of Nalani's constant nausea, which means more doctor visits and tests.

Jessica received an academic achievement aware from her school for maintaining a B or better average for the year.

I've been invited by another USC employee to join a team to compete in the USMC Mud Run. If you've never heard of a mud run, it's just what it sounds like. You run a 4 mile course through the mud. Oh, and there are obstacles like walls and pits. Each team has 4 members, and the team time is only as good as its last place finisher, so everybody helps their teammates finish. I may have to ride home on the roof of the van.

I'm in the market for a good book, preferably something along the lines of historical fiction. If anyone has any recommendations, I would be grateful.

Matt's music teacher is encouraging the band members to pick up another instrument over the summer, and Matt has decided on the flute.

Hmmmm...that's about it for update material. Hopefull something exciting will happen soon!

Flamingos Seen on Lake Murray

Well, not exactly live flamingos, but plenty of pretend ones. Yesterday, we (belatedly) celebrated Wallace's 10th birthday with a party at her aunt Beth's house on Lake Murray. She wanted a "flamingo party", so that's what she got. There were flamingo decorations, flamingos painted on faces, a flamingo pinata, and pin-the-beak-on-the-flamingo. We even grilled up some flamingo wings! (just kidding about that last part).

She was so excited yesterday morning before the party, she was awake at 6:00 a.m. After the party, we swam in the lake and at Uncle Dave's pool, then came home and had some supper. 10 minutes into the evening's installment of "The Hobbit", she was fast asleep.

Lots of her friends made the party and everyone had a great time. Just look at the pictures!

Face Painting Pictures

Wallace, Matthew and I played with face paint tonight, practicing for Wallace's "Flamingo Party" tomorrow. Here are some pictures!

Gold Star for Jessie

Jessica went for a routine visit to her endocrinologist this morning and came away with a great report. There are two main things the doctor looks at to see how well she is managing her blood sugar. Each visit, the doctor downloads the blood sugar data from the past 3 months from her glucometer. They also take a blood sample and run an An A1C (also known as glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c) test. This test gives you a picture of your average blood glucose control for the past 2 to 3 months.

Her target A1C number has always been 8, but she hasn't been anywhere near that in recent visits, usually hovering around 11. This morning, her A1C was a little more than 8! She's doing a much better of measuring her food and making sure she compensates correctly with insulin for her carbohydrate intake. She's also been on a new medication that helps her body absorb insulin.

We're very proud of her, and hoping this will encourage her to continue to manage her disease for many heathy years.