Bill W

Horn, I've been wondering what happened to you and I hope everything works out fine. I was a bit surprised when you mentioned Christmas, since earlier you seemed to indicate the atheist environment you lived in and questioned the family's obsession with church. As far as Elliot and the bully, yes Elliot does have a temper, but I don't feel he needs therapy. The family will keep an eye on his behavior though. As for the punishments, kids must know there are limits that cannot be pushed and there are consequences for crossing the line. I'm not advocating beatings, but they won't learn if they don't pay the price for their actions.

Yes,I noticed no comment yesterday and thought maybe you went away or just got busy. No problem. As far as the bully situation, Josh did state his views to the mother about her son being punished again for his actions, but he wasn't about to dictate what they could do with their own child. The second thing is about forcing the bully and the one he attacked to spend time together. This can either work to alleviate the problem or backfire and make the situation worse. Personally, other than apologizing, I think it's best to allow the individuals decide whether they feel comfortable enough to spend time with each other post altercation. As far as how Josh handled the other boys' finances, he made sure they got the periodic statements and were aware of how much they had. Mark took care of the investments, but the boys knew what was in the accounts and could add to it with other monies, if they so desired. Just don't read too much into Elliot's comment(s).

On Wednesday morning, I got the boys up and saw them off to school. After they left, I got busy making phone calls and finalizing the arrangements for our weekend trip. First, I called Andrew, to make certain he didn’t have other plans for either Saturday or Sunday. Once he agreed that he didn’t, I told him we’d be arriving Friday night, so we could spend a little extra time together. It would also allow us to spend all of Saturday celebrating his birthday with him and then we’d stick around

I was 10 when the older kids on the school bus announced to us younger kids that there was no Santa. It kind of ruined Christmas for me that year. .

Yes, I certainly didn't mean to make Elliot sound like a snob. I tried to show his generosity, even though he did make the comment about buying his own car later.

A couple of nights later, after the boys went upstairs to bed, Noah made his way over to Elliot’s room. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds before Elliot noticed him, but he didn’t say a word. For that reason, Elliot decided to confront him about why he was there. “Did you need something?” he asked. “Um… yeah. I want to ask you a question,” Noah responded. “Is that okay?” “Sure. What’s up?” Elliot asked. “I just want to um… know something,” Noah stammered, as he entered the ro

Yes, the trip for Jesse has been rough. The came home after church on Easter and found him and his suitcase on the porch steps. He wasn't scared of Josh, but he and Andrew were close, but he has come a long way from then. As far as Elliot, he's turning into a good big brother for Noah, and even though he did inherit a lot of money when his father was murdered, he has shown he is willing to spend it on the family too. Danny and Brandon have worked with him on this, as when he gave them birthday gifts and wanted to donate to the medical center (the horse betting fiasco). Glad you're still enjoying this.

Jesse’s eighteenth birthday was on Friday, so I wished him a happy birthday when he came down for breakfast. I also made sure that Noah and Elliot knew it was Jesse’s birthday as well and explained that we’d celebrate it this weekend, when we’d have a cookout with the extended family. What I didn’t tell them was that I had other plans that I wasn’t divulging yet. You see, I intended to make a big deal about this birthday and was planning to take everyone to the restaurant tonight for a priva

I just get so torn up when I see a youngster in that much emotional pain. If the world wants to have a war on terrorism, then let's include the terrorists who bully gays and other vulnerable individuals.

You're always trying to get ahead of me, Flash. hehehe Hang in there and you will see if your predictions come true or not. Yes, it is very nice to see the boys bonding.

Dion and Trey arrived home from school a little later than they normally did and had Joshie and Noah with them. I must have had a puzzled look on my face when they entered the house, so Dion attempted to clear things up for me. “Noah went to the meeting about the soccer team, if you’re wondering,” he told me, “but he wasn’t there very long. We’d waited around just to see how long he’d be, and when we saw the meeting ended fairly quickly, we told him he could ride home with us. That way he wo

Flash, I agree that Josh will be busy with the boys and their after school activities,it's just the transitional period that is rough for him. Noah's relative quietness might be a sign of deeper problems, or it might just be that he's normally quiet or it's just his way of exploring his place in the family. We'll see. Althugh we will see the older boys from time to time, the focus of this book is on the new additions. As far as another book, I have no plans in that regard. Don't you think maybe 400+ chapters on the Curries is enough?

The following morning, after Elliot and Noah woke up, they came tromping down the stairs and made their way into the kitchen. They were hungry and looking for something to fill their tummies. Since their fathers had already left for work and Noah was unfamiliar with the choices, I gave him a quick rundown of his options. “We have several kinds of cold cereal, toast, bagels, eggs or I can whip up a batch of pancake batter,” I announced. “What would you like?” “Um, scrambled eggs and toast,

We know that Jesse has tons of brothers, Elliot now has Noah, and Joshie will soon have his own little brother. I'm sure they'll all interact, yet each have their own special connections.

Crash Landing – by BW Copyright 2011 by billwstories Unchanged, as it had been for eons, tumbling through the starry void, drawing ever closer, an ephemeral tug of gravity sealed the natural voyager’s fate; above, a form grew from the blackness – an orb of blue and white, set amidst the myriad of stars. The faintest wisp of air was felt, just a touch, then becoming fire… (C James) * * * * * * * *

Sheriff Taylor is notified that an object has been seen streaking across the sky. In seeking answers, he discovers it was a meteorite, but then people start getting ill. Are these two events related and what are they going to do to stop the spread of the illness?

When Danny’s car pulled in the driveway the following evening, the rest of the family hurried into the foyer. We knew he was bringing Noah with him, so we wanted to be in place to greet them and enthusiastically welcome Noah into our family. Even though the mention of Noah’s name conjures up specific images, he didn’t come in an ark, nor were there any floodwaters. Instead, Noah and Danny merely came inside carrying a suitcase each. Noah is about four and a half feet tall and has an average

How about a giant leap back to the nineteenth century? I have a bi-racial grandson whom I love dearly and it hurt everytime I hear about something like this.

Yes, there are some gaps in the ages, but it's because I didn't want to rush building the family, like I did with Josh. You are also correct that Vinnie parents died in a plane crash, if you want to call it that. They were on one of the 9/11 planes that hit the WTC. After all the vacations the family has been on, I'm not sure why missing out on one is such a big deal. In the past I've been criticized for doing too much and making this a 'travlogue.'

Yes, we all have our own opinions.

I arrived at the hospital Thursday evening and went directly to the main desk, to ask where Frankie was currently located. After I gave the lady Frankie’s name and told her what he was in for, she informed me they had just moved him from recovery into a room. She gave me the room number and directions for how to get there, so I set out for the elevator she indicated I would need to take. When I got up to the correct floor, I went in the direction the sign indicated I’d need to go in order to

Yes, I can't let you guys get too comfortable thinking everything is going smoothly. I guess you'll have to wait and see where these two new situations lead.

I believe they've taken the phrase 'flaming gays' too literally. However, something like this happening in Texas shouldn't be too surprising. I'm not sure where the second incident happened, but the third was in Scotland. It just shows how small minds can be scared by nearly anything. If you don't believe that, just ask the medieval witches that were burned at the stake.

Flash, I think you and Horn are making mountains out of mole hills. First of all, back in the original story, Josh asked Ricky because they hadn't been together very long. Ricky came in chapter 1 and Danny in chapter 4. He later talked to Ricky Danny, Jan and Brandon about Dustin, because they had just gotten back from a lengthy vacation together and school would be starting, so it was a very hectic time. Remmber, Josh and the boys had just returned from vacation so Danny and Brandon had to investigate this situation while everyone was away. They wanted to run this by Josh first, to see if he'd be willing to help them, seeing they worked, and I'm sure they were going to run this by the boys too, but then this situation arose with Frankie. Just sit back and see how things play out.

Horn, yes it is a tragedy that Frankie has been shot and it probably will upset vacatio plans. How badly, we'll just have to wait and see. As far as the new boy, I'm not sure why you think this will be such a big problem. Josh never took a vote before he decided to take someone in. Sometimes the boys were the ones who suggested someone needed their help, or if it was a tough case he might have asked them what they tought about the boy fitting in, but the ultimate decision was always his. Now, it will be Danny, Barndon's and possibily still his.