We have been busy with Christmas. Most of my side of the family has been in town- except the nine months preggers Ashlyn and her fam. I have two sister-in-laws due in January. One is Jan. 11th, the other Jan. 20th. Who knows...maybe I'll beat them both. The race is on!! I have an appointment in an hour, so I will update how things are going on the baby front. Right now, I am just tired and very uncomfortable.
The power supply on our computer went out, so we have had to re-install windows. I am not sure if the picture loading program is working yet and I don't want to experiment without Ken here in case I mess something up. I will post our Christmas pics later. All in all, we have had a great vacation.
In other news...Nathan is on his second round of antibiotics for the month. He got an ear infection that pushed his left tube out of his ear drum. She can't see the right tube. The doctor said we need to watch and track his health very closely during the next 6 months. He may require another ear surgury. Of course, my plan was to hard core push on the potty training this week. Last week went out the window becuase we were almost never home. But antibiotics make kids...runny. I don't want to clean that out of my carpet so I have to keep him in a diaper. And though he is more than willing to use the potty when he is taken, he could careless if he goes on himself in between. My dream of having a break- no matter how small- in diapering is rapdily disappearing.
We also found out why we haven't gotten our insurance check. Texas Windstorm kicked back our claim- again- this time for a re-inspection. We don't have any idea why. It could be that we are just one of the lucky few they do that to in each batch of claims. We were assigned to a new adjuster. He came out yesterday and I went through the whole process again (Ken was working). Good news, we should have our check within the month and can start getting our home repaired- just in time for the next hurricane season.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
33 Weeks
Not the best picture of me, but that is what I look like after a day of working and kids. I'm a lot smaller with this baby than my other boys. Could be that I have only gained 13 pounds and I had gained a lot more with the others.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
To make up for not sending out cards...
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Merry Christmas!!!
P.S. We did NOT rip this off Mike & Ashlyn's blog. (We would never do anything like that.)
Oh My...
I went to the doctor on Monday. Found out I was dilated to almost a 2. Not good news for a person with a history of pre-term labor, who is taking medication to stop contractions, and is only 33 weeks.
The doc isn't going to put me on full bed rest- yet. I am very grateful for that. Spending months in bed with Nathan was hard enough. However, until January (36 weeks) I am not allowed to shop, clean, lift, do laundry, cook, etc., etc., etc. Basically, anything that is not point A to point B movement is off limits. If I am still dilating after my appointment on the 30th, I will have full bed rest for a week with steroid shots to get the baby's lungs ready for the world.
On that note, Ken got home from work at about 7:00 tonight. He had said he would make dinner since I couldn't.
My husband is an amazing cook! However, he is not a "cook to feed a family everyday" kind of cook. He microwaved a large plate of chicken nuggets for us all to share off one plate. He was going to leave it at that, but I told him they kids had to have something else to eat in addition to the nuggets.
The boys got a packet of fruit snacks and a juice box.
I sat there and watched my husband teach my little guys how to live in a bachelor pad.
I even offered to open a can of fruit, but they were having fruit snacks- doesn't that count?
Oh my...
The doc isn't going to put me on full bed rest- yet. I am very grateful for that. Spending months in bed with Nathan was hard enough. However, until January (36 weeks) I am not allowed to shop, clean, lift, do laundry, cook, etc., etc., etc. Basically, anything that is not point A to point B movement is off limits. If I am still dilating after my appointment on the 30th, I will have full bed rest for a week with steroid shots to get the baby's lungs ready for the world.
On that note, Ken got home from work at about 7:00 tonight. He had said he would make dinner since I couldn't.
All I can say is I had better not ever die!
My husband is an amazing cook! However, he is not a "cook to feed a family everyday" kind of cook. He microwaved a large plate of chicken nuggets for us all to share off one plate. He was going to leave it at that, but I told him they kids had to have something else to eat in addition to the nuggets.
The boys got a packet of fruit snacks and a juice box.
I sat there and watched my husband teach my little guys how to live in a bachelor pad.
I even offered to open a can of fruit, but they were having fruit snacks- doesn't that count?
Oh my...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Oh Christmas Tree! Poor Christmas Tree!
Since we can't going anywhere this year on account of my being shaped like a whale, we decided to get a real tree this year. So, out we went the Saturday after Thanksgiving to get a tree. Naturally, my visions of Hollywood worthy fun family time picking out the tree and singing carols on the way home were dashed by the stark reality that my kids could have cared less which tree we picked out. They were more into running around and attempting to get lost in the fake tree forest. I will admit, after asking them about 2 million times to please stay by us so they wouldn't get lost, I began to contemplate how bad would it actually be if they did get lost.
I know...I'm the epitomy of a role-model parent.
After wondering around for about 15-20 minutes, we finally found a tree that would probably fit in our living room and only take up about 1/3 of the leg room space in front of the couch.
Pretty, huh.
Since we were "going green" we decided to further help the environment and switch to LED lights. They don't burn as hot so the tree won't burn out and they use a lot less energy. We got some pretty bulbs and we, I mean our resident pack mule we named Daddy, lite up the tree.
I know...I'm the epitomy of a role-model parent.
After wondering around for about 15-20 minutes, we finally found a tree that would probably fit in our living room and only take up about 1/3 of the leg room space in front of the couch.
Pretty, huh.Since we were "going green" we decided to further help the environment and switch to LED lights. They don't burn as hot so the tree won't burn out and they use a lot less energy. We got some pretty bulbs and we, I mean our resident pack mule we named Daddy, lite up the tree.
Hanging the ornaments.
The tree looked good, so we turned off all the house lights and turned on the tree.
Um, something isn't right here. This doesn't look like a Christmas tree. It looks like it belongs on top of a Las Vegas casino.
Have you ever been driving and passed a car going the opposite direction who had LED headlights? They are the ones with the brilliant, bright, white-almost-blueish lights.
Well folks, that is what's on our Christmas tree. No soft glow. Just bright, white-almost-blueish lights. Our tree looks like it is being run through some kind of hospital sterilization procedure.
But we sure aren't un-decorating the entire tree just to fix it. Next year we'll add the bright white lights to our exterior illumination scheme. They should blend nicely with the 8 foot inflatable snowman and lit candy cane path. In the meantime, instead of basking in the soft glow of our Christmas tree, we will sleep peacefully knowing we sacrificed in the name of "going green."
ps- I took picutres, but they don't translate into film well. Sorry. Just imajine.
Um, something isn't right here. This doesn't look like a Christmas tree. It looks like it belongs on top of a Las Vegas casino.
Have you ever been driving and passed a car going the opposite direction who had LED headlights? They are the ones with the brilliant, bright, white-almost-blueish lights.
Well folks, that is what's on our Christmas tree. No soft glow. Just bright, white-almost-blueish lights. Our tree looks like it is being run through some kind of hospital sterilization procedure.
But we sure aren't un-decorating the entire tree just to fix it. Next year we'll add the bright white lights to our exterior illumination scheme. They should blend nicely with the 8 foot inflatable snowman and lit candy cane path. In the meantime, instead of basking in the soft glow of our Christmas tree, we will sleep peacefully knowing we sacrificed in the name of "going green."
ps- I took picutres, but they don't translate into film well. Sorry. Just imajine.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
It's Snowing!!!
This is a picture of the last time it snowed here. It was Christmas Eve 2004. Kenny was 2 1/2. I was in my 32nd week of pregnancy with Nathan.
This is the scene tonight. Incidentally, this snow is occurring during my 32nd week of pregnancy with baby no-name. Interesting.
I hope it sticks around long enough for the boys to get to see it and play before school tomorrow. The only negative about this is that our heater broke last winter and the house is a bit on the chilly side. However, we have a couple of space heaters and a lot of blankets so we will just snuggle up. A cozy winter's night.Monday, December 8, 2008
One of Those Days
Nathan is really sick. His tonsils are so swollen he can't move his neck or shoulders and he is not eating or drinking.
I am exhausted from literal around the clock care for the last few days. He needs medicine several times in the middle of the night and he is just crying at night in pain.
So that's my day. Hope your was better.
I am exhausted from literal around the clock care for the last few days. He needs medicine several times in the middle of the night and he is just crying at night in pain.
So that's my day. Hope your was better.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Wii Boxing
If I remember corretly, they each won a round. I wonder if Wii boxing your in-laws should be incorporated into couples therepy sessions? Could be interesting.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Finding Joy
When life gets busy, it is nice to remember what is truly important. Click on the picture below to enjoy a few simple truths.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
All I Want For Christmas...
...is our insurance check. Our insurance check. Where's our insurance check?
Gee, if we could only have our insurance check, then we could get rid of our blue-tarped roof!
Oh, gotta love red tape!
Gee, if we could only have our insurance check, then we could get rid of our blue-tarped roof!
Oh, gotta love red tape!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
We cooked in the morning, watched the parade on t.v., ate a great dinner at my parents house, had a little rest time, and came back to our house to play Wii. It was a great day filled with my favorite things- food, family, and fun!
Here are a few pictures of our meal prep. The boys helped make the orange rolls.
They each wanted their own little bits of dough. They loved playing with it.
Between the double batch of orange rolls and the mashed potatoes, I used 4 full sticks of butter an over a cup of half and half. Good thing I need to gain weight. Sorry for the rest of ya'll.
I have a great video of Papa and Ken Wii boxing each other. I will try and get it uploaded in the next few days. And let's just say little Kenny will clean your clock at bowling. Anyone is welcome to challenge him at Christmas and see if you can beat a six year old!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Baby's Health
I meant to post about this last week, but it was scary and I was trying not to think about it.
I did have to go to the hospital after my last doctor's appointment. You see, this little guy has a low heart rate and it is hard to find his heart beat. Even at 7 months it takes some time to find him. His heart rate is on the low side of what is considered normal. He also is very still. It is not uncommon for me to go 4-6 hours and not feel a thing. He often fails the daily kick counts I have to do. Also, I had been effacing for awhile, but I was dilated to 1 cm (28 1/2 weeks). That is still considered okay for now, but it is concerning given my history of pre-term labor. After my appointment the doctor hooked me to a monitor to do a non-stress test- just to make sure he was okay. He failed miserably. They couldn't keep his heartbeat on the monitor and the few movements he did make were not reactive (his heart never varied from it's low point.)
That got me sent over to the hospital to do a complete bio-physical profile. It took some time, but they were able to get a reactive monitoring strip and he looks fine on his ultrasound.
Current prognosis- This baby is prone to fetal distress. I am not allowed to get stressed in any way- emotionally, physically, etc. His heart rate is low and he doesn't move much, but everything looks okay from the ultrasound which is the best they can do for now. I continue the daily fetal kick counts, though I don't know why because he usually fails. It frequently takes me hours to get 10 movements. As for my labor issues- I am continuing medication to keep things quiet in there, resting as much as possible, and praying really hard that the dilating stops so I can stay out of the hospital and off bed rest.
I did have to go to the hospital after my last doctor's appointment. You see, this little guy has a low heart rate and it is hard to find his heart beat. Even at 7 months it takes some time to find him. His heart rate is on the low side of what is considered normal. He also is very still. It is not uncommon for me to go 4-6 hours and not feel a thing. He often fails the daily kick counts I have to do. Also, I had been effacing for awhile, but I was dilated to 1 cm (28 1/2 weeks). That is still considered okay for now, but it is concerning given my history of pre-term labor. After my appointment the doctor hooked me to a monitor to do a non-stress test- just to make sure he was okay. He failed miserably. They couldn't keep his heartbeat on the monitor and the few movements he did make were not reactive (his heart never varied from it's low point.)
That got me sent over to the hospital to do a complete bio-physical profile. It took some time, but they were able to get a reactive monitoring strip and he looks fine on his ultrasound.
Current prognosis- This baby is prone to fetal distress. I am not allowed to get stressed in any way- emotionally, physically, etc. His heart rate is low and he doesn't move much, but everything looks okay from the ultrasound which is the best they can do for now. I continue the daily fetal kick counts, though I don't know why because he usually fails. It frequently takes me hours to get 10 movements. As for my labor issues- I am continuing medication to keep things quiet in there, resting as much as possible, and praying really hard that the dilating stops so I can stay out of the hospital and off bed rest.
Questions
I borrowed these questions off my friend Tiffany's blog and decided to ask Kenny these questions. Nathan is too little to answer. He just repeats the question or whatever Kenny says.
Why did God make mothers?
Cuz' they love kids
How did God make mothers?
with a special machine
What ingredients are mothers made of ?
human
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
God thinks I will like you.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
I think you had blond hair
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
If you would like him
Why did your mom marry your dad?
Cuz' he is a good dancer
Who's the boss at your house?
Daddy- no wait, wait. Me. I'm the boss. Me, me, me. (I think we need to talk about this one).
What's the difference between moms & dads?
Dad's have flat hair and Mom's have big and little hair
What does your mom do in her spare time?
lay down on the couch with the baby in her tummy
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
I just want you to get new clothes made out of paper.
Why did God make mothers?
Cuz' they love kids
How did God make mothers?
with a special machine
What ingredients are mothers made of ?
human
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
God thinks I will like you.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
I think you had blond hair
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
If you would like him
Why did your mom marry your dad?
Cuz' he is a good dancer
Who's the boss at your house?
Daddy- no wait, wait. Me. I'm the boss. Me, me, me. (I think we need to talk about this one).
What's the difference between moms & dads?
Dad's have flat hair and Mom's have big and little hair
What does your mom do in her spare time?
lay down on the couch with the baby in her tummy
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
I just want you to get new clothes made out of paper.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Clone Wars Party
One of the great things about having kids is that by adding the word "party" to the end of anything makes it extra special.We got a few of the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoons on Netflix. It was Saturday and I told the boys we had a lot of work to do, but if they worked hard we could have a Clone Wars party that night.
They happily did everything I asked them to do and when night came, they got their party.
The party consisted of making their own ice cream sundaes, wearing pajamas, and watching the movie. Nothing very far from normal. Nothing that cost extra money. But the kids were giddy about it and it served as an awesome motivator to keep them crackin' all day.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
"Please Leave A Sample."
One of the greatest travesties imposed on pregnant woman is the urine sample collected at every visit. I know, your thinking "Buck up. It's just peeing in a cup."To you I offer a challenge. Get a large, oblong watermelon to hold between your thighs. Sit down on the porcelain throne (no cheating guys) and try to bend your body around the watermelon- never letting it slip of fall- and stick your little dixie cup where you think the urine stream is going. Don't be alarmed if you can't see what the heck you are doing. That is all part of the process. Begin your business and move the cup- still blindly- as needed to actually catch a little bit in the cup.
"But won't I pee on myself?" you ask. Of course you will. It's all part of the magic. The last step is to remove the urine sample and attempt to balance it while cleaning off the outside of the cup, without dripping any on yourself or the floor.
Please note- as your pregnancy progresses and the watermelon increases in size, the frequency of this little exercise increases. Just one of the ways our medical community prepares you for the total lose of dignity you will experince during labor and delivery.
Thanks doc for looking out for me!
Kenny-isms
Yesterday:
He came home from school with an ink pen in his shirt pocket. I asked him what that was about and his response was, "I wanted to look like a handsome man."
Today:
**Please note- Kenny got some new Clone Wars underwear yesterday.**
"Mom, I wanted to show everyone my underwear and my brain was thinking about pulling my pants down but I didn't listen to it."
He came home from school with an ink pen in his shirt pocket. I asked him what that was about and his response was, "I wanted to look like a handsome man."
Today:
**Please note- Kenny got some new Clone Wars underwear yesterday.**
"Mom, I wanted to show everyone my underwear and my brain was thinking about pulling my pants down but I didn't listen to it."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Reading Development
Kenny has reached the reading milestone of print awareness. Kindergartners sometimes reach this towards the middle/end of the year but it is very apparent in the start of first grade. This is the stage where a child knows their letters, sounds, how to blend (sound-out), and enough sight words and knowledge of how language works to become aware that the word is full of words and every word has a message to convey. Up to this point, most kids recognize letters and the occasional word on signs, but they do not make too much of an attempt to figure out the information being conveyed through those letters and words. It is also characterized by a sudden interest in writing anything and everything.
This is a great stage because it signals that the child is ready to begin more advanced reading instead of only controlled print (same words repeated page after page and using only certain short vowel combinations).
The down side is that Kenny asks us about everything. Mail, signs, poster, etc. are all fair game for reading. He will study them and figure out what he can on his own, but he is constantly asking things like "What does p-a-r-t-y spell?" It is like the "why?" phase all over again. And since Nathan is in the "What's that?" phase, we are getting a double whammy.
This is a great stage because it signals that the child is ready to begin more advanced reading instead of only controlled print (same words repeated page after page and using only certain short vowel combinations).
The down side is that Kenny asks us about everything. Mail, signs, poster, etc. are all fair game for reading. He will study them and figure out what he can on his own, but he is constantly asking things like "What does p-a-r-t-y spell?" It is like the "why?" phase all over again. And since Nathan is in the "What's that?" phase, we are getting a double whammy.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Our school had a contest making storybook pumpkins. Each class that participated picked a book and made a pumpkin to go with the book. There were some awesome pumpkins- curious George, Where the Red Fern Grows, Corduroy Bear, The Three Little Pigs. and many others.This is my class pumpkin. I love this book. If you have little kids, get this book! It is a cut-away book with short, simple text and vivid colors.
Photo was taken by our school librarian, Lisa G. Click on the picture to see her blog.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Frustrated!
I have our pumpkin carving and Trick-or-Treating posts ready to go, but I cannot get the pictures to load onto our computer off the camera! I think it is because we switched to Windows Vista. It is very different in a lot of ways. Even the Microsoft Office programs are set up different. Sometimes I hate technology- it just moves too fast!
In other news, during Sacrament meeting on Sunday Nathan was trying to button Eppie's overshirt/jacket thing. He had the buttons all lined up wrong so he had to pull really to get the two sides to get together. So he said, "Too big, Eppie too big!" It was funny.
Life is just going along normal here. I have a picture of my baby belly but it is stuck on the camera. Anyway, I look a lot smaller than I did two weeks ago when I took the picture because I have lost 3 pounds! I'm seriously afraid I'm just going to wait until the last month and suddenly put on 20 pounds. The good news right now- no new stretch marks and my previous battle scars have yet to turn back to ugly purple. I am also carrying very low- as usual, so I can breathe just fine. However, walking is becoming a bit of a painful issue. Bound to happen when your baby basically stays below the belly button the entire time.
Check out my brother David's blog. He had his baby girl this weekend. That makes 2 down and two to go until it is my turn.
In other news, during Sacrament meeting on Sunday Nathan was trying to button Eppie's overshirt/jacket thing. He had the buttons all lined up wrong so he had to pull really to get the two sides to get together. So he said, "Too big, Eppie too big!" It was funny.
Life is just going along normal here. I have a picture of my baby belly but it is stuck on the camera. Anyway, I look a lot smaller than I did two weeks ago when I took the picture because I have lost 3 pounds! I'm seriously afraid I'm just going to wait until the last month and suddenly put on 20 pounds. The good news right now- no new stretch marks and my previous battle scars have yet to turn back to ugly purple. I am also carrying very low- as usual, so I can breathe just fine. However, walking is becoming a bit of a painful issue. Bound to happen when your baby basically stays below the belly button the entire time.
Check out my brother David's blog. He had his baby girl this weekend. That makes 2 down and two to go until it is my turn.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Trunk or Treat
I know it has been a week since my last post. Ken has been installing Windows Vista on our computer. Plus, I have a job, two kids, I'm pregnant, and my hubby works 10-12 hours a day and doesn't get home till the boys bedtime. Basically, time is not a luxury I have. My posts will probably be more photos with captions. Sorry, it's all I have in me.Last Saturday was our ward Trunk or Treat and chili cook-off. We always have fun at this activity. There are games and face painting and the ever important distribution of candy. I don't have many pictures of Kenny because (surprise, surprise) he was not listening very well and kept running off. The boys were both Jedi Masters allowing us to get a second use out of last years costumes.
I didn't win the chili cook-off. I never expect to here in Texas. I have won a chili cook-off in Utah, but this state is serious about their chili. Nevertheless, my pot was almost empty by the end of the night. My INSANE husband ate 4 chili dogs with sour cream and two full bowls of chili. Let me tell you, he slept on the couch for a few nights after that.
Nathan was a little nervous with all the people and strange costumes.
Kenny and one of his best friends, Daniel.
Costume paradeTuesday, October 21, 2008
My RandomThoughts Are Wandering
Exhaustion is the name of the game. And I can't get rid of it. It doesn't matter what time I go to bed (I average 8:30) I wake up totally exhausted! By my 10:25 lunch time I am ready for a morning siesta. Unfortunately, it is frowned upon for teachers to sleep on the job. Especially kinder teachers. There is no telling what an unsupervised group of imaginative 5 year olds can come up with.Which reminds me of a story.
You know you're a kindergarten teacher if you can find a pair of used underwear on a chair in your classroom and it has absolutely no effect on you.
This happened to me. No kidding.
I am in the middle of doing this little song about the sound of the letter T when one of my little ones pipes up, "Um, Teacher, there is undies in the chair."
What?!?
Sure enough, there was a pair of electric blue Spiderman underpants with a red waistband on a chair by the computers.
Without missing a beat I turn around and find myself saying, "Who doesn't have on underwear? Boys and girls, let's not take off our underwear at school. Leave it on. If you have an accident, let me know and the nurse will help you clean up. What's that? Oh good, I'm glad you put on new underwear this morning, but are you wearing it now? Bobby (name changed to protect his not-so-innocence- he is usually my most likely suspect) come here so I can check you. We have to keep our underwear on. No, no Bobby, please don't undo you pants here, go to the bathroom first. Bobby...BOBBY, GO TO THE BATHROOM FIRST!"
It wasn't until later when I sat down and had time to think that I realized I went to collage for this! I worked hard to get my four year degree so I could be a professional underwear detective.
I know anyone who works in childcare or as a teacher understands what I'm saying. Other than being a mom, I love my job. I love teaching little kids. But every once and a while there are moments when I wonder why I didn't become a marketing director with a nice office desk job and adults to talk to during the day.
Well, it is now 9:00 pm and WAY past my bedtime. Nerdy, I know, but I am beyond caring. I have to get up at 5:45 am for another day of underwear sleuthing. Night-night!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Here's The Story...
Please note: Before all this occurred my husband did not know much about plumbing or flooring replacement. Good thing he is smarter than I am and taught himself how to do all this.
Nathan shoved toys down the boy's toilet and our toilet. Luckily, he had enough compassion to leave us with one working commode downstairs. Snaking the toilets did not work to remove anything. Ken pulled up the boy's toilet, ripping out the improperly installed linoleum tile flooring in the process. After getting the toilet removed, he noticed the flange was cracked and leaking.
After removing the flange, we found out the sub floor was rotted out because the pipe connecting the toilet to the sewer was cracked and leaking.
Off to Home Depot to buy a new sewer piping and materials for sub floor replacement.
Taking out the sewer pipe was a messy, horrible job. Ken said he was so happy we have a wet/dry shop vac. After getting the toy removed, pipe replaced, and building a new sub-floor we went out to the garage to find extra flooring tiles.
There weren't any.
Oh shoot.
The tiles that came up with the toilet were torn beyond patching. We needed a new floor.
Nathan shoved toys down the boy's toilet and our toilet. Luckily, he had enough compassion to leave us with one working commode downstairs. Snaking the toilets did not work to remove anything. Ken pulled up the boy's toilet, ripping out the improperly installed linoleum tile flooring in the process. After getting the toilet removed, he noticed the flange was cracked and leaking.
Off to Home Depot to buy a new flange.
After removing the flange, we found out the sub floor was rotted out because the pipe connecting the toilet to the sewer was cracked and leaking.
Off to Home Depot to buy a new sewer piping and materials for sub floor replacement.
Back and forth a few times to get the proper things to do the job.
Taking out the sewer pipe was a messy, horrible job. Ken said he was so happy we have a wet/dry shop vac. After getting the toy removed, pipe replaced, and building a new sub-floor we went out to the garage to find extra flooring tiles.
There weren't any.
Oh shoot.
The tiles that came up with the toilet were torn beyond patching. We needed a new floor.
Off to Home Depot to buy a new floor.
We researched out flooring options and decided to go with vinyl planks called TrafficMaster Allure. It looks like tiles, but installs in panels that have interlocking glue strips. The floor is actually a floating floor and does not connect to the sub flooring, which meant we could save the cost of needing to install an underlayment before the laminate flooring. (Wow, I know way too much about this.) The flooring is sold in boxes of 8 panels and we needed about 18 panels to cover the floor. That meant we would have enough to re-do our master bathroom floor as well. Yeah! Ripping up the rest of the boys bathroom floor was the next step. This part was relatively easy because (as anyone who has taken a shower in that bathroom without the bath mats down) the self-stick tiles were improperly installed and they stuck to your foot rather than the sub floor. The hard part was scraping the glue residue off the floor and using some special kind of compound to level out the floor.
Off to Home Depot to buy leveling compund.
The result before new flooring.
He got the flooring installed and it looks great. Unfortunately, the quarter rounds on the base boards didn't come off the wall well and would need to be replaced. This was the time I was sent to the store on my own.
Now that's trust.
Our bathroom floor during the toy removal process.
It finally looked like everything was fixed with only trim installation left. That's when little Kenny used his bathroom to do the "big job" and we found out the toilet was still clogged. We're pretty certain that this toy was put in at the same time as the others, but it was stealthy and didn't interfere with the flow of things until there was poop in the toilet. Surprise! Ken tried snaking the toilet again, to no avail. Once again, Ken had to remove the toilet. He then spent a couple of hours tooling, heaving, cursing, praying, and pondering child sacrifice to get the toilet gods' assistance in getting this @#%!$ toy out. No luck. At one point, with the toilet upside down in the bathtub, the auger got stuck during yet another hopeless attempt, but this time there was a faint ray of light at the end of the tunnel. (Actually it was a faint glimpse of blue plastic just beyond reach in the opening of the toilet drain.) The auger was wedged in tight behind this little plastic menace. After breaking one auger and sending a stream of toilet-sediment up his pants, shirt, the wall, and part of the ceiling, Ken was a little reluctant to pull with all his might to break the auger loose this time. With this faint glimpse of hope (blue plastic) Ken's creative juices started flowing. First he tried "flushing" it out with the shower. No luck. Next he tried "pushing" it out by snaking the broken auger through the other end of the toilet. No luck. Time for some serious outside-the-box brainstorming! Out came the Dremel, with its 3 foot flex hose attachment and universal drill bit. 10,000 rpms of fury crammed up the backend of a porcelin throne. (Yeah, THIS was a good idea!!!) It made scratches on both the toilet and YES!!! the plastic toy!!! Now we're getting somewhere! Prodded on by this tiny bit of success, Ken was anxious to win, and came up with the Atomic Bomb of ideas. Fire. He headed to the garage to go get some gasoline. He was going to torch the the toy out! Whenever Ken gets "in the zone" it is my job to sit back and watch him as he busily goes about his work. While it can be entertaining watching Ken in a frenzy like this, the real reason I watch him is to make sure his ideas don't get past a certain point of stupid. Fire in the toilet is that certain point of stupid. I stepped in and tried to reason with Ken about fire in the toilet. It didn't work. I at least got him to trade the gas can for a bottle of hairspray. With the kids downstairs in a secure place, a fire extinguisher in one hand, and a phone with 911 on speed dial in the other, I let Ken go upstairs, alone, with his pyrotechnics in tow. I don't want to know the details of what transpired after that point, but a little while later, with a funny smell in the air, Ken started hooping and hollering with victory. He had melted the toy loose and got it out! While Ken finished cleaning the remnants of the previously-freshly-installed wax ring off the toilet, I checked the bathroom for scorch marks. Again, I don't want to know the details, but het got it out, and didn't burn anything, except for the blue plastic traingle puzzle piece that was now a smoldering heap in the tub. Wow!
We researched out flooring options and decided to go with vinyl planks called TrafficMaster Allure. It looks like tiles, but installs in panels that have interlocking glue strips. The floor is actually a floating floor and does not connect to the sub flooring, which meant we could save the cost of needing to install an underlayment before the laminate flooring. (Wow, I know way too much about this.) The flooring is sold in boxes of 8 panels and we needed about 18 panels to cover the floor. That meant we would have enough to re-do our master bathroom floor as well. Yeah! Ripping up the rest of the boys bathroom floor was the next step. This part was relatively easy because (as anyone who has taken a shower in that bathroom without the bath mats down) the self-stick tiles were improperly installed and they stuck to your foot rather than the sub floor. The hard part was scraping the glue residue off the floor and using some special kind of compound to level out the floor.
Off to Home Depot to buy leveling compund.
The result before new flooring.
He got the flooring installed and it looks great. Unfortunately, the quarter rounds on the base boards didn't come off the wall well and would need to be replaced. This was the time I was sent to the store on my own. Now that's trust.
Off to Home Depot to buy new toe strips.
I was almost out of the parking lot when Ken called and asked me to get a certain type of caulking.
Off to Home Depot to buy caulk.
Time to put the toilet back on. Ken spent a good amount to time scraping the old wax ring off the bottom of the toilet.
Off to Home Depot to buy two new No Seep beeswax rings.
After getting things squared away in that bathroom, he moved onto the master bathroom (without the pipe or flange replacement). Luckily, since the new flooring is floating, we were able to simply place it over the existing floor.
Our bathroom floor during the toy removal process.
Off to Home Depot to buy a new No Seep beeswax ring. The people at the store now know Ken quite well. We are expecting Christmas cards.
Toilet back in place and working quite nicely (we tested it with a big wad of toilet paper to make certain) we finally come to the trim replacement. True to form, Ken got creative when he came across a problem. We have two little "lips" of ceramic tile that we needed the trim to go around. Ken used a utility knife to hand carve the vinyl trim to make an exact fit. I told him not to cut his fingers off. He said it would be fine if he went slowly. apparantly, raazor blades don't cut if you go slow.
Toilet back in place and working quite nicely (we tested it with a big wad of toilet paper to make certain) we finally come to the trim replacement. True to form, Ken got creative when he came across a problem. We have two little "lips" of ceramic tile that we needed the trim to go around. Ken used a utility knife to hand carve the vinyl trim to make an exact fit. I told him not to cut his fingers off. He said it would be fine if he went slowly. apparantly, raazor blades don't cut if you go slow.
My bedroom during the put-it-back-together phase. I have loved having half the garage in my bedroom for a week.
Ta-Da!
P.S. I am taking bets on how long it takes Ken to get all the garage stuff out of our bedroom and back into the garage. The winner gets... something that I will think of later!
(P.P.S. Keep in mind it took a full year and 6 weeks to get the dining room wall fixed.)
Ta-Da!
P.S. I am taking bets on how long it takes Ken to get all the garage stuff out of our bedroom and back into the garage. The winner gets... something that I will think of later!
(P.P.S. Keep in mind it took a full year and 6 weeks to get the dining room wall fixed.)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
FYI...
Just letting you boys in the fam know your wedding YMCA video on You Tube has been viewed 552 times.
Just in case you missed it before, here is the link.
Just in case you missed it before, here is the link.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
"Ta Da!"
Our little man's favorite words.
He'll hold his little hand out at whatever he is proud of and say "ta da!" Everytime he pee-pees in the potty we get a "See that, ta da!" This morning I was woken up with him handing me his Geo Track train. He said, "Mama, fix it train." I sort of opened my eyes and told him I couldn't fix it without new batteries. He bent over for a few seconds and came back up, holding a new AAA battery in his hand, and said, "tada!" It was so cute! It told him we needed three batteries. "Ok Mama. You stay here. I be right back." I have no idea how long he dug around in the battery drawer, but he finally found the necessary batteries and I got his train running.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
We Still Love You Nathan
Who would have thought a little boat could do this.
And this.
And this.
And this.
After we finish getting this bathroom put back together we get to move onto getting the cup out of the master bathroom toilet, which has rendered it unusable.
Whoever coined the phrase "terrible twos" did so before three!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Our Baby- The Tapeworm
Cartoon from babygaga.comThis is what our new little bundle has reduced me to. I am always hungry. One day this last week, I ate eggs and toast with yogurt for breakfast. For lunch I had a sandwich, a whole tomato, bag of grapes, rice krispy treat, an Almond Joy candy bar, and a granola bar. An hour after lunch, I bought a catered lunch some people where selling in the staff lounge. I ate a chicken leg/thigh, a quarter link of smoked sausage, potato salad, and mexican rice. For my after school snack I ate rasainets. For dinner I had tator tots, a hamburger, and corn. Then I snacked on an apple and some chips after the kids went to bed. The real kicker...I lost half a pound by the next morning! As of this morning, I have gained a whooping 4 pounds. Now, why can't I eat like this and not gain weight when I'm not pregnant and I can't gain weight while I am pregnant? One of life true cruelties.
Rebuilding
I know it has been a week since I blogged last. Been busy and I have felt very unmotivated and a little depressed. Everyone here has a lot weighing on their minds and I have all these crazy hormones to contend with.
Debris removal from our yard is complete. We are now in the rebuilding phase. I have pictures of our new backyard fence, but I can't find the camera-to-computer cord. We still do not have any side yard fencing.
We had church in the parking lot one weekend due to loss of power and only an hour last week because we have some displaced members living in our building. Some of these people have lost everything. We had men in work clothes at church on Sunday for the Primary Program. The men in the ward are spending the weekends in Galveston and I helped make lunches to take to the crews and the families they are working with last Sunday. I also made and took dinner to a dear friend of mine and her family who flooded bad and she has had to gut out her home. It felt good to be doing something to help. It is odd to me that seeing piles of debris, blown out signage, blue roofs, leaning or broken power poles, and smelling mildew in stores are all a normal part of life. Every morning on my way to work I see convoys of power trucks and telecommunication vehicles. My kids drive around with us and point out big damage verses little damage. Even Nathan says, "Mama, look a damage. More damage, more damage, etc." He's only 3! Kenny has struggled with this storm. At least once a day he says he wishes storms never happen. Last Sunday he asked me why Heavenly Father let the storm break the good people's house and not just the bad people's houses? Try explaining that to a 6 year old.
We all went back to school and work on Monday, which was a bit stressful. I have lost two weeks worth of teaching time. It is already October and I have to start testing for the first report card next week. Thank goodness the passing requirements for the 1st kindergarten report card are fairly low and most students can basically pass the testing with what they came to kinder knowing. But I have about 4 who do not have a hope or a prayer of passing. They came to me knowing very little (a few shapes, no letters, could not write names, can only count to about 5, etc.) I have not had the time to get those poor babies enough knowledge to pass the test. My school also went ahead and held Open house last Tuesday. We had been in school 12 days, 1 day since the hurricane, and I had to do Open House. Let me tell you, it was my lamest Open House ever. Luckily (I guess), the parents only had 1 day's notice after the hurricane and I only had 5 parents show up.
So Guess What!! All the stress of evacuating, hurricane clean up, and returning to week has proved to be more than my body could handle. I started having contractions every 5 minutes, along with back pain and nausea yesterday. Things eventually stopped and I was ordered to spend the rest of the weekend on bed rest. Assuming things stay calm, I can again return to my modified bed rest plan on Monday. Maybe I'll get lucky and this will be as severe as my pre-term labor problems get this time around. Who knows?
Debris removal from our yard is complete. We are now in the rebuilding phase. I have pictures of our new backyard fence, but I can't find the camera-to-computer cord. We still do not have any side yard fencing.
We had church in the parking lot one weekend due to loss of power and only an hour last week because we have some displaced members living in our building. Some of these people have lost everything. We had men in work clothes at church on Sunday for the Primary Program. The men in the ward are spending the weekends in Galveston and I helped make lunches to take to the crews and the families they are working with last Sunday. I also made and took dinner to a dear friend of mine and her family who flooded bad and she has had to gut out her home. It felt good to be doing something to help. It is odd to me that seeing piles of debris, blown out signage, blue roofs, leaning or broken power poles, and smelling mildew in stores are all a normal part of life. Every morning on my way to work I see convoys of power trucks and telecommunication vehicles. My kids drive around with us and point out big damage verses little damage. Even Nathan says, "Mama, look a damage. More damage, more damage, etc." He's only 3! Kenny has struggled with this storm. At least once a day he says he wishes storms never happen. Last Sunday he asked me why Heavenly Father let the storm break the good people's house and not just the bad people's houses? Try explaining that to a 6 year old.
We all went back to school and work on Monday, which was a bit stressful. I have lost two weeks worth of teaching time. It is already October and I have to start testing for the first report card next week. Thank goodness the passing requirements for the 1st kindergarten report card are fairly low and most students can basically pass the testing with what they came to kinder knowing. But I have about 4 who do not have a hope or a prayer of passing. They came to me knowing very little (a few shapes, no letters, could not write names, can only count to about 5, etc.) I have not had the time to get those poor babies enough knowledge to pass the test. My school also went ahead and held Open house last Tuesday. We had been in school 12 days, 1 day since the hurricane, and I had to do Open House. Let me tell you, it was my lamest Open House ever. Luckily (I guess), the parents only had 1 day's notice after the hurricane and I only had 5 parents show up.
So Guess What!! All the stress of evacuating, hurricane clean up, and returning to week has proved to be more than my body could handle. I started having contractions every 5 minutes, along with back pain and nausea yesterday. Things eventually stopped and I was ordered to spend the rest of the weekend on bed rest. Assuming things stay calm, I can again return to my modified bed rest plan on Monday. Maybe I'll get lucky and this will be as severe as my pre-term labor problems get this time around. Who knows?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
What Is Up With Us?
I can sum up what is going on here in a simple sentence.
Other news, I started back to work today and my students and Kenny start on Monday. We went to the zoo on Wednesday with my sister-in-laws sisters (the family is from Galveston and they are currently living at my parent's house.) I have some adorable pictures to post as soon as I find the cord to get them from my camera phone to the computer. Our insurance adjuster has come by and things are looking good on that front. Hopefully it stays that way. The baby is doing fine. And we are NOT naming him IKE! On baby news, Cassie and Jonny had their baby girl yesterday- about 4 weeks early. We are super excited for them.
That sums it up. Very exciting 'round here.
Debris clean-up.
Other news, I started back to work today and my students and Kenny start on Monday. We went to the zoo on Wednesday with my sister-in-laws sisters (the family is from Galveston and they are currently living at my parent's house.) I have some adorable pictures to post as soon as I find the cord to get them from my camera phone to the computer. Our insurance adjuster has come by and things are looking good on that front. Hopefully it stays that way. The baby is doing fine. And we are NOT naming him IKE! On baby news, Cassie and Jonny had their baby girl yesterday- about 4 weeks early. We are super excited for them.
That sums it up. Very exciting 'round here.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A Cause For Celebration!
With all the insane-ness going on this week, Ken reached a huge milestone. After returning home on Tuesday I barely saw him as he took to the air to take two check rides on Friday (instrument and commercial). The big news...He is now a certified commercial helicopter pilot!!
I cannot begin to explain how happy and proud I am of him. Ya'll have no idea how hard he has worked and the sacrifices he has made to get his ratings. He has consistently scored perfect or near perfect scores on all his written exams. He is described as a very safe and capable pilot. And all this time he has been attending collage to earn his degree. He has has worked during his training and often gets very little sleep trying to work full time, be a full time flight student, and a full time collage student, as well as the best husband and father ever! This isn't the end of the road, but this is a HUGE step.
Congratulations!
I cannot begin to explain how happy and proud I am of him. Ya'll have no idea how hard he has worked and the sacrifices he has made to get his ratings. He has consistently scored perfect or near perfect scores on all his written exams. He is described as a very safe and capable pilot. And all this time he has been attending collage to earn his degree. He has has worked during his training and often gets very little sleep trying to work full time, be a full time flight student, and a full time collage student, as well as the best husband and father ever! This isn't the end of the road, but this is a HUGE step.Congratulations!
We Love You!!!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wow...That's About All I Can Say
I made notes during our little "hurrication" and I will post them according to dates. So go back a few posts to read the story in chronological order.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Clean-up
We spent Monday in Austin preparing to go home. We were still out of power and though water was running, it had not been cleared in our city to drink. We bought a few perishable supplies: extra water, charcoal, diapers, etc. Thanks to inspired church leaders we had plenty of food at home. We wouldn't be eating great, but I knew I could feed my family three meals a day. That was a great comfort to me. That evening we picked up my parents at the airport. Tuesday morning, we headed home.
We put the kids to work. You should have seen how hard Nathan worked. He is only three and he never gave up even when it was hard, unlike another who whined the whole time.
We put the kids to work. You should have seen how hard Nathan worked. He is only three and he never gave up even when it was hard, unlike another who whined the whole time.
Collecting singles. Our as the boys call them "damages".
So cute! My little men!!
On Wednesday a crew from church (the yellow shirt Mormon Helping Hands) came and tarped our roof. On Thursday another crew came in in less than an hour had cleared all our downed trees and chopped out the banana trees. One of the things I love about our church is the humanitarian efforts. My dad said with a day of the hurricane the church had a truck here filled with cleaning supplies, tarps, etc. And there was a segment on the news of church crews out helping the community. Very cool!
Our current debris piles. This pile is only the trees. We still have about a third of a tree up that we are waiting on the power company. Believe it our not, but Ken's car is behind that pile and it runs the entire length of our house.
The blue roof on our blue house.
So cute! My little men!!
On Wednesday a crew from church (the yellow shirt Mormon Helping Hands) came and tarped our roof. On Thursday another crew came in in less than an hour had cleared all our downed trees and chopped out the banana trees. One of the things I love about our church is the humanitarian efforts. My dad said with a day of the hurricane the church had a truck here filled with cleaning supplies, tarps, etc. And there was a segment on the news of church crews out helping the community. Very cool!
Our current debris piles. This pile is only the trees. We still have about a third of a tree up that we are waiting on the power company. Believe it our not, but Ken's car is behind that pile and it runs the entire length of our house.
The blue roof on our blue house.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Damage
I spent the day at Marrissa and Kevin's house, still anxious over what was happening and even more so knowing Ken was in the middle of it and I couldn't reach him. Power was out and water for a time and you could not get any cell phone signals. Ken said it was like a war zone.
The backyard gate.
After Ike.
Notice how all the branches and needles are permanently bent one direction. We have seen this all over the place.
Back to the front, opposite side as the gate. Ken really likes the lone standing fence. It is a bit artistic.
Close ups of roof damage from the street. The only leaks we have found was in the garage attic. The garage ceiling has little bits of the sheet rock falling. Very grateful it is not the main house.
We are going to need a new roof, but it did not leak as far as we can tell. We feel truly blessed and looked after. The damage could have been so much worse and we have friends who have experienced much worse. Our goal is to get ourselves cleaned up as soon as possible so we can be available to help others.
Here is the front of the house from across the street. We lost some gutters in the front and a little in the back.
The backyard gate.
The side yard fence attached to the gate. Notice our neighbor in the background with missing siding.
Part of the backyard fence and our orange tree. It had fallen into our neighbors yard so he pushed it back over and cut it up a bit.
Bye-bye banana trees. Don't worry. Nothing actually kills these trees. They'll be back within 2 months.
The far back corner. These were the tree that survived.
We are so blessed that this tree fell away from the house and the bit that remained was the part tangled up in the power lines. We are going to have to wait to take down the whole tree until the power company comes to untangle the branches. It is very lopsided now and dead so I hope it won't take too long. The cedar tree in the background uprooted.
A Week Before Ike.
Part of the backyard fence and our orange tree. It had fallen into our neighbors yard so he pushed it back over and cut it up a bit.
Bye-bye banana trees. Don't worry. Nothing actually kills these trees. They'll be back within 2 months.
The far back corner. These were the tree that survived.
We are so blessed that this tree fell away from the house and the bit that remained was the part tangled up in the power lines. We are going to have to wait to take down the whole tree until the power company comes to untangle the branches. It is very lopsided now and dead so I hope it won't take too long. The cedar tree in the background uprooted.
A Week Before Ike.
After Ike.Notice how all the branches and needles are permanently bent one direction. We have seen this all over the place.
Back to the front, opposite side as the gate. Ken really likes the lone standing fence. It is a bit artistic.
Close ups of roof damage from the street. The only leaks we have found was in the garage attic. The garage ceiling has little bits of the sheet rock falling. Very grateful it is not the main house.
We are going to need a new roof, but it did not leak as far as we can tell. We feel truly blessed and looked after. The damage could have been so much worse and we have friends who have experienced much worse. Our goal is to get ourselves cleaned up as soon as possible so we can be available to help others.
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