huh?

This was the vehicle from which my packages were delivered this week!  

Seriously, I love our mailman in his older-than-dirt jeep.  I've even grown to love the random guy in the tan truck who delivers our weekend mail...often at 9:00 at night...and even when he just goes into our garage and leaves our packages on our garbage can!  (Yep, that one almost ended badly!)  But should I just accept that my UPS packages are now delivered by golf cart?  Ahhhh, I love the unexpected!

Together Again...

We are home...all home...TOGETHER!!!  :)  I've been playing single mom for a while now and am LOVING being together again.  I'm not cut out to do this on my own!  :)   Steve's been out of town three out of the last four weeks, though I really can't complain.  Out of the last two years, he's only been gone those three little weeks.  

We've been busy and productive though.  Lots of park outings, bike rides around the block, and earlier bedtimes!!!  I'd much rather have him home...but I have to admit that it is very nice to have extra time to work on projects.  I got a few pictures hung, hosted a few girl's nights, cleaned out a few closets, sewed a bit, watched a girly show or two and knocked out a few of those things on my to-do list that I just never seem to make time for!  It was fun while it lasted...but I am MORE than happy to have Steve home again!  And I do have to admit...the kids are grateful too.  There were some days that the boys would pray for their daddy...and pray for him to get home QUICKLY!  :)  I think they were ready for another parent to be around...maybe one with a little more patience than an over-worked, tired and cranky mommy!  :)

yep...done that.

Just something to cross of our 'to-do-sometime' list...

summer activity #57

What better way than this to get through yet another rainy afternoon???  (and yes, I mean the WHOLE afternoon...or at least all of naptime - which is essentially the same thing in mom-language!!!)

But really, Garrett is a pretty good banker!  It's fun to watch his little brain trying to figure out the sums when I hand him the coveted $500 bill and ask for my change!  :)  Aren't I mean!?!?!?

Reasons

Reason #49 for not blogging...lack of sleep!

My brain just can't seem to put two coherent thoughts together - not that this blog has ever been very logical or coherent, so I don't know why that should stop me now! But seriously, if I had known the toll that 3 kids takes on your sleep schedule...I might have thought a little more seriously about the whole thing! :) hehehe...totally kidding!

Maybe I'll try again to write after nap-time - the kids naps...not mine!!! Let's get serious here! :) There is a lot to catch up on!

Stormy Day

I love days like today! Unbelievably windy and rain pouring down in torrents every once in a while! The funny thing is, I took Ethan and Olivia on a walk to our favorite nearby fountain since it was beautiful outside and slightly cooler than it has been the past few days. I knew the rain was coming (at least according to the trusty weathermen on the morning news!) but it was great outside at the time! But within 2 minutes of coming inside, the rain started POURING! I think we'll stay tucked away inside now! And if it weren't still 90 degrees outside, I'd want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate! Oh well, you can't have it all!

Funny Story

So yesterday, I dropped my boys off at a friend's home while I ran down to the hospital. Soon after I left their house, I pulled up to a red light and noticed a homeless guy with a sign walking down the line of cars. His sign read that he was 'looking for work, had two kids and loved God'. It drives Steve crazy, but I always hand these guys a granola bar or a bottle of water or whatever I have. I won't give them money (which I'm sure they'd much prefer!) but what mom doesn't have an extra snack or two in their bag??? Steve just laughs at me and doesn't think they'd want random food handed to them, but their signs say that they want food or that their kids need food - I just can't ignore them! And really, my kids and I can do without a snack for an afternoon to help some hungry guy out. They're usually very appreciative and don't seem to really mind the lameness of my snack options.

Yesterday though, I smiled at the guy, all while shaking my head. I appreciated the fact that he had 2 kids at home...but I didn't think I had anything to eat with me. Then I realized, I had some fruit roll-ups in my bag...so I started rummaging through the bag trying to find them. I found them just as the light turned green, so I just handed them out the window and said "Here you go...this is all I have." He looked at me, took them, and then responded "I'd rather have your phone number!" I just laughed and shook my head and said something about how I hoped he enjoyed his fruit roll-ups!

I drove off, thinking that my new sunglasses must do a great job hiding the huge dark circles under my eyes from my lack of sleep and crazy schedule these days or my new set of wheels must be pretty alluring! But then I really got to thinking about it - really, is the best time to ask for a girl's number, the moment that you're accepting handouts and advertising the fact that you have no job, no money and have 2 kids to support?!?!?!? Sure guy...here's my digits. Give me a call if you can bum a quarter off the next couple of cars in line and track down a payphone sometime to call me! I can see how that relationship would be off to a great start!!! Sooooo funny!

When I told Steve about it, he laughed really hard and then wanted to know if it was the guy who does the hat tricks while asking for handouts??? Like it would have been okay if it were that guy...since he does really cool tricks!?!? :)

A day in the life...

Each day now is so extremely different from the day before. Now that Grandma is gone, the juggling act has gotten a bit more interesting! It's challenging, but great...just in different ways.

Today I woke up early (really early for me) and quickly headed out the door for the hospital, trying desperately to stay ahead of morning traffic. It was so fun to spend my early-morning hours snuggling with Olivia. Yesterday she didn't sleep much when I held her, but this morning, she tucked right in and slept for a good long while! I love it...and I'm convinced she grows more when we get to hold her for longer periods of time! :)

I then rushed back home so that Steve could make it into work without missing too much of his morning. The boys and I ran a few errands and then rushed back to fit in a super-late nap for Ethan. We enjoyed a quick break at home (meaning, we had time to do a few things like start a load of laundry and empty out the dishwasher - much to Garrett's excitement...but also had some fun visitors too! Thanks again for stopping by guys!!!)

Then we had to rush back out again. I dropped the boys off at a dear sweet friend's home who agreed to take my boys for the night so that Steve could come help me at the cannery. My poor husband knows me all too well, and came to ensure that I didn't do any heavy lifting throughout the night as I tried to help everyone fill their orders! Thanks again Steve...I would have popped every stitch for sure if you weren't there! :) Then afterwards, I rushed home to pick up the boys and tuck them into their beds...while Steve took the chance to head down the the hospital and see Olivia.

This is our life - crazy, but wonderful at the same time! Easy to say now that I have a second to sit and catch my breath! :) Thankfully, not every day is this chaotic - I'd fall apart if they were!!! But it's days like this that make me so excited to get Olivia home so that we can be together...no more rushing back and forth to the hospital at the wee hours of the morning or late hours of the night! And yes, I know that life is always busy and crazy...and, we're not the only ones with hectic days right now - everyone is bustling around with back-to-school stuff, crazy work schedules, last-minute vacations...it's just that time of year! But just knowing that hopefully sooner rather than later, our family will be together...the way we should be! :) I can't wait!!!

So, thank you, every one of you, for all your help...either with watching my boys, bringing us meals, stopping by to chat, thoughtful phone calls, prayers in our behalf, touching emails or even comments on this crazy blog! We appreciate all of you and your thoughtfulness!

Life

Life continues to revolve around trips to the hospital, time with the boys - and apparently no time at all spent on the computer keeping everyone updated! :) Sorry!!!

We are doing great. Olivia is continuing to do well...she officially has gained 1 pound since birth...so we're excited about that! She's up to 3 pounds 11 ounces now...really packing it on! She's still feeding through a tube and doing great. We're anxious for a few more weeks to pass so we can try a bottle feed...just one more thing she has to master before she can come home! They say, it's usually around 34-35 weeks that babies can figure out how to suck/swallow/breathe at the same time...so hopefully she'll be a natural eater (like the rest of the family!!!) and figure all that out quickly! :) She's also starting to reach the weight where some babies can start to regulate their own temperatures...so we've been able to put clothes on her now and it is soooo fun! She's adorable in her 'way too big' onesies and outfits!!!

The boys are doing great still too. My mom has been here since the day after Olivia was born, so they have pretty much had their normal life...just minus the parents a little more than usual! But they've done so well and have had SOOOOO much fun with Grandma! Grandmas are just way better than Mom's...nothing but fun! :) Between trips to the library, swimming at the pool, puzzles, toys galore, walks, sidewalk chalk, extra bedtime stories, lunch dates, sprinklers, and puddle jumping...the boys are busy and happy and perfectly content with their new-lifestyle! Grandma left last night though, so we'll see how this next adjustment is handled...I know I'm not nearly as fun as Grandma!!!

Steve and I are doing well too...just trying to continually find the ever-changing balance. Steve's been back to work...though with a completely flexible schedule, which is such a blessing!!! We've still been able to go to the hospital together most days which is so nice! I'm healing up well from the c-section and feeling pretty good still since delivery. I'm sure the transfusion is still carrying me...got to love blood that has actual necessary components to it! But hopefully my body will find some way to regulate itself and continue this upward trend. The doctors are still baffled and offer no explanation, but at least they're hopeful that post-pregnancy will be better than pregnancy...so we'll see how it all goes!

Here are some pics from the week...

Wide awake!

She's growing...still teeny tiny...but growing! :)

When she straightens her legs, she has the cutest baggiest knees! I guess my dream of having a cute chubby baby with all the rolls and dimples has officially come to an end...I get the scrawny little bird-like babies! Not that I mind at all!!! She's just as perfect scrawny as she would be chubby!!!

Olivia's first real outfit...the boys picked this one out for her! Plus, it was my first time dressing my little girl...sooooooo fun!

Aunt Debby's outfit...minus the cute flowered pants. I think the nurses get tired of putting pants on after every diaper change...but they she looks adorable anyway! Thanks Deb!!!

Sweet baby!

I LOVE that her hand is on the puppy the boys gave her! Makes her seem not so lonely in her little box!!!

Apparently we missed out out on 'SUPER HERO NIGHT' at home...but it looks like fun was had by all!

balance

Well, I figured that it was time to make time for an update. That seems to be what life is all about right now...making time for all the things that we need to do. That balance is out there...it's got to be, right??? So hopefully we'll find it soon! Although, I think that balance is something that will change daily...or even hourly!!! But that's okay...how can it not when you are dealing with life on a normal basis...not just in crazy-mode like we are right now! :)

Olivia is doing amazing! She is absolutely perfect! (Can you tell, I'm slightly in love?!?!?) She is increasing her feedings and tolerating them well. She's 2 lbs 15 oz...so we're making progress! She's still on the CPAP, but doing great with it. They've mentioned trying to take her off again and see how she does with a few more days under her belt. So we'll see how that goes. They put a different type of CPAP machine on her this second time around which seems a whole lot more comfortable for her and didn't need to be adjusted because of it always falling out. It's held on by this mask thing that fits over her face...so she looks like a little scuba diver/super hero and I think it's adorable!

She was more awake yesterday than I've ever seen her...he eyes were wide open and she seemed to be taking everything in (as much as you can while laying in your little incubator box!) My mom was able to come up with us yesterday...so that was so fun to see her fall even more in love with her too. Olivia seemed to love having a new face to look at and you could see the bond form between them instantaneously! It was so fun!!!

The boys are doing great! That's been the other major balance thing in life right now. But having my mom here has been the greatest blessing. Their lives are still constant...just minus the mom and dad around the house! But they're having so much fun with Grandma that I don't think they mind! It's been nice to focus on them more though too...just to make sure they know that they are still loved as much as ever. All those extra things in life just don't seem as important right now...thus my early morning blogging - it's the only time I can justify spending more than a minute on the computer. I'd rather be with the boys while I'm home...not plugging away at all the extras!

We try and take some video at the hospital each day...so when we come home, we all snuggle up on the couch and watch Olivia, so hopefully they'll get to know her through that a bit and be able to be a part of all this in their own way. Garrett can come in to the NICU but poor Ethan is too little...so that's our way of sharing her with them. It's pretty cute though to see them soooo enraptured by the baby on tv. Ethan is always so concerned she cries and asks if she is sad. He can't quite say Olivia...which is the cutest thing...it's more like 'Yee Yaa' (I'll have to try and get a recording of him saying it and post it on here!) Garrett is enthralled by her size by way of diapers. The nurse gave him one of the teeny tiny diapers to take home and show his friends when he came up to see her and so that is how he tracks her progress. I brought home the next sized diaper for him yesterday and he was so excited by how much bigger it was! It's pretty funny!

We went out for burgers and ice cream last night...here's the boys being as goofy as ever. Yeah, I think they'll make it through all this okay!!!

So that's our life as of today! We just feel so blessed and loved, so thank you for all the prayers and thoughts sent our way from all of you. We could not make it without that extra help that is definitely carrying us through all this! We see the hand of the Lord in our lives so clearly right now, that it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the immense joy we feel even though things are so hard! The emotions and feelings are almost too crazy to describe...but even as everyday is challenging, it is also wonderful at the same time. We get to spend time with our three children and life is good!

My Scissors

Kind of random, but I keep a pair of kids' school scissors in my car. You never know when you're going to need them, and they have come in handy more than once! But today, my love for my scissors grew even more. :)

We've been having minor car problems lately with my car...nothing big - just annoying little things! So today, I left the house believing that all problems were behind us, as the latest little thing was figure dout. But the car must have know that stop #2 on my trip was to stop and check-out a car that has the potential of fitting more than 3 children into. (Got to upgrade sometime, right???) But apparently, the car was holding a grudge because after my first stop...the blasted thing wouldn't start! Mind you, we had been in a store for 15 minutes and the car was already 900 degrees inside the car and I had my kids all strapped in and ready to go before I realized that we were completely stuck. So I open all the doors of the car to catch a breeze for my kiddos and pop the hood (big ol' prego belly and all), get Steve on the phone and try to understand what the new problem is.

Apparently, I should have packed some tools, because to fix the new problem, I would be required to remove bolts this time and get a bit deeper than before - info that might have been useful BEFORE leaving the house!!! :) Hmmmm...no wrenches or screwdrivers or anything in the car...but my trusty pair of kid scissors! So the point of all this is...yes, if you're praying hard enough, you can unscrew bolts with scissors, in case anyone was wondering! I am not attributing any of this to my amazing scissor-handling skills, but they did come through for me in amazing fashion - both the scissors AND the prayer!!!

So moral of the story...don't leave home without your scissors and sense of humor! You never know what you'll need them to do throughout the course of a day!!!

We need a trampoline.

Garrett informs me daily that he is the ONLY person in the whole entire world who doesn't have a trampoline to jump on. :) Poor deprived child, I know! But really, in all actuality, I'm starting to see the brilliancy of owning such an outdoor play thing! Here are my latest reasons...

1. My couches would last a whole lot longer. While we have had a 'no jumping on the furniture rule' in our house...but, me being out of commission for so long has seriously detracted from the seriousness of this rule. Our couches are now jumped on and off of all day long...and I can't bring myself to end the fun...the jumps and flips that the boys can now do are really quite impressive! Plus, I've already informed Garrett that once he grows up and has a job...he has to buy me new furniture for the sacrifice I'm making now! :)

2. It would be yet another thing to entice the kids outside (since our backyard is completely devoid of all fun play structures!) Spring is amazing here in TX and I am convinced that they boys need to be outside as much as possible before it gets too unbearably hot to even leave the house at all!

3. Who am I to stifle the jumping genes that both boys apparently have in abundance! They love it!!!

4. I don't know how many more jumps and belly flops our guest bed can take...sorry to any visitors who may want to come in the near future...your bed is now a bit more broken in!

Okay, I could go on and on, but here are some pictures that will hopefully explain things further...

This is the entrance to our guest room (which still needs a lot of work as it is still partly a storage room too...extra mattresses leftover from a recent bunk bed purchase, the extra kitchen chairs). Garrett has labeled this room as it evolves...first it was 'Dog's Room' when Garrett was obsessed with crawling around like a dog. Then it was 'Dog and Cat's room' as both Ethan wanted in on the action and was assigned his own animal to act out. Then it was the favorite wrestle spot before bedtime. Now it is the 'Jump Room' (which I apparently didn't get a picture of!)

Ethan's favorite part is the 'slide' that Garrett makes for him. He'll stand at the top of this mattress hill and run towards the door at full speed...maybe I should add some pillows for a safety precaution.

Oh yeah, can't forget the somersaults on the way down!

And now for my personal favorites...Garrett in action. And yes, Garrett declared that it was way too hot in the 'jump room' and had stripped down to his cute little boxers before we even came up to see the show. Don't worry...we're usually a bit more modest around here!

How I love this skinny kid!!!

Confession

I have a confession.

It is now January 6th and my Christmas tree is still twinkling proudly in my living room! I know...what am I thinking?!? It is stripped of all its decorations except the lights...but it is still there. So here's my excuse...though that's really all it is, an excuse...I am a sucker - plain and simple. Garrett pleaded with me one day to keep it up until his birthday...and since I am a total push-over, I obliged, stacking his presents (as requested) neatly beneath the tree. I even thought about decorating it again with streamers and balloons...but I settled for hanging a million and two balloons from the ceiling instead and wrapping my painfully bare, post holiday banister in streamers.

So, there you are...my house in in the middle of two holiday decorations! A twinkling Christmas tree and birthday balloons! And I do have to admit...my favorite thing in the world is a lighted Christmas tree twinkling in the dark, while my boys' favorite thing appears to be the millions of balloons floating around the house...so we'll see how quickly it gets all put away! :)

A Christmas Miracle

Will wonders never cease??? This is what we got to enjoy last night!

We saw a few flakes and bundled up as fast as we could to enjoy our magical winter weather -aka a few snowflakes mixed in with freezing rain! Little did we know it would turn into a real snow and last all night long!

I made Steve go outside with me around midnight to take pictures! And surprise, surprise...this was my favorite shot! I am including a lame one of me that he got while I was in the middle of a crazy pose...just so I can claim that I am fair in my blog picture posting goofiness...equal opportunity...that's what we're all about! :)

And one more...sorry to bore you! But I had to post a picture of our Christmas lights. Yes...we've only done one level...but this is a good start for us since I had to BEG and PLEAD for the lights at all. Steve...while being the most un-scroogey person I know, thinks holiday decorations are ridiculous when put up on a green lawn and a roof-top completely devoid of snow! Okay, so he's not really too anti-lights, and I didn't have to beg too much for those...but those big blow up snowmen or Santa's...that's another story! And to be honest, the night that we did put up our lights...Garrett and I managed to break quite a few bulbs between the two of us...so I need to go buy some replacements anyway before anyone is going to be climbing up on the roof...so really it's my partly my fault that we're only halfway to our full lighting capacity!!! Regardless, maybe it's possible to get our house decorated since we proved last night that a white Christmas just might be possible here in Texas!

Can you hear me now? Good!

One of my lamest things lately is in regards to my cell phone. While I love having it, it might make a little more sense to actually have a phone that works, right?!? One whose battery holds a charge for more than 20 minutes??? Yep, that were some of my super wise thoughts as I was anticipating leaving town. So, I finally found a deal and bought a phone, but of course with the whole 'Hurricane Ike' minor detail, I am nervous about buying it and having it sent to my house - what if the whole mail system is taken out and my phone that I am going to NEED on vacation will be stuck in no man's land! So I, thinking I'm quite the genious, decide to send it to my in-law's house...that way I'll have it for sure when we're in Utah, right?!?

My plan worked out perfectly...EXCEPT for the fact that the week before we left (and had no power at home, thus no home phone) - my cell phone decides to completely die...making me completely unreachable! Steve would take it and charge it at work, only to have it last long enough to maybe check one voicemail and then the battery would fizzle out and leave me stranded once again! It really was quite funny!!!

Okay, so really, this is a post about nothing. Only about my gratitude for having a working cell phone (and working home phones) that I can use to actually communicate with those I love once again! Isn't it funny how quickly we come to think of these things as necessities instead of optional things in our lives! I don't use my cell all that often, but I really do love the convenience of it! :) So there you are...if you're anticipating a major catastrophe, be sure your cell phone is in good working order!

Hummmmmm....

Ahhhh, the glorious hum of electricity!

Just as we were getting into the car to head off to the airport for our flight back home, I got a call from our sweet neighbor informing us that our power had just been restored! I don't know if I've ever gotten better news...ever! So we came home to a cooled house, power working and we've never been more happy to be home! :)

So, now we're home and back to normal life...it seems like forever since it's been that way! Garrett's been out of school for over 2 weeks, and is very excited to go back tomorrow! We were hesitant to schedule our trip a few months ago, thinking that he'd miss a whole week and miss his picture day and everything...but it ends up that his school was cancelled the whole time and he didn't miss a single day - he was pretty excited about that! So, now I have to adjust all over again to having him gone all day! I think it's going to be harder to let him go now than it was for the first day of school...now I know what I'm in for and I'm missing him already! :)

We made it...

Sorry for the lapse in posting. We have been w/o power for far longer than I ever expected! Not that I can complain...we had a trip planned before Ike was ever even a thought in those open Atlantic waters...and escaped good ol' ravaged TX as soon as the cool front started to leave- good timing, huh?!? So we are now enjoying the benefits of electricity and cooler weather once more! :)

Ike was really something! I don't even know how to describe it...but let me just say, that it is very humbling to see what wind alone can do to a neighborhood (or even a country!) - my bro-in-law lost power way up in Ohio due to Ike! So crazy! We got through the storm pretty well. I had no idea what to expect, so we all slept in our closet that night and I have to admit...it was pretty quiet in there! We felt really safe and secure! I woke Steve up a couple of times to go peek out the windows with me and it is crazy to see the trees in your yard bending completely to the ground! I always knew what hurricanes were...but I could never fathom the power behind it all until I saw it first-hand! And this was just a category 2 hurricane...I can't even imagine a 3 or 4!!! It was amazing and frightening all at the same time! My biggest regret was that I didn't go out during the eye. I woke up because it was so eerily quiet, but the kids in the closest with us were stirring on and off during the whole eye...and I didn't want to risk waking them and then us all being up for the rest of the night in a tiny little closet! But I know that I will regret that forever...when do you get that chance to experience that eery calm - hopefully not often! :)

We had the expected damage...our little trees in our front yard completely knocked over and such...but we also had a big tree come down in our backyard. We are just so grateful that it blew opposite of our house and landed on the fence instead of our roof! Steve and a bunch of guys from church came and worked their magic with the chainsaw and got it taken care of easily! The only problem now is, Steve is convinced that he 'needs' a chainsaw! He had so much fun out cleaning the wreckage...that he is wanting to buy yet another power tool to add to our collection! And let me just add that he openly admitted that the remaining 5 large trees in our backyard would be in serious jeopardy if he were to get one though...I can just see him bored at home one day and would be just itching to try out his new saw...and our perfect backyard shade trees would be toast! We'll have to see about that! Steve also, on his exciting, chainsaw-yielding work party, came into contact with some serious poison ivy or poison oak or something and is pretty miserable about now...but at least that will give me a few extra weeks to push the importance of keeping our shade trees! :) Poor guy!

Anyway, I didn't mean to write so much...I really just wanted to check in and let everyone know that we were still alive and kicking! :) I'll write more regularly when we get back home and when they ever decide to turn back on our power! Seriously, this coming Thursday is the latest report! That's two weeks w/o power in the heat of a Texas summer! Luckily that cold-front lasted almost a week...and I have never been more grateful for anything in my life!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Ike!

Wow! Never a dull moment when there's a big ol' powerful hurricane that seems dead set on correcting its path until it is headed straight towards you! It looks like we're going to meet Ike head on...according to the constant coverage via our great weathermen who definitely earn their money during these crazy hurricane seasons! Garrett loves to turn on the TV and 'track Ike' right along with them. He is so interested in it all...hopefully he feels the same 48 hours from now!

So here's the scoop, for those of you whom I haven't talked to today! Ike is headed towards the West end of Galveston Island. There are many places that are being evacuated...but we are not among them. And I have to admit, after Rita 3 years ago...I'm quite happy to get ready and hunker down here in my own home! Forget the stand-still traffic on the HOT HOT HOT roads...we will just wait it out here. We're not in any flood zones and we've prepared all we can for the winds. We'll ride out the storm and then depending on our power outage situation, we'll decide whether we'll evacuate then to seek cooler surroundings! So any of you within driving distance...watch out, we might just show up on your doorstep, begging to share in your A/C!

We're praying for all of you out there who are 'hunkering down' and are bracing yourselves for Ike! Good luck, stay safe and we'll see you all when things calm down!

We're back...well kind of!

In an effort to try and salvage my blog...I am posting. But just a warning...this is going to be quick!

We are back from our trip and had such a wonderful time! But upon returning, I have come back to to one of the busiest weeks of my entire existence! Whew...even my poor kids are feeling it! Poor Garrett, after returning from he and Ethan's millionth trip to the babysitters' or friend's houses (as my friends are watching my children around the clock!), he informed me that he didn't want to go to anyone else's house for at least 10 days after the quilting bee! Poor baby...he broke down and told me this as I'm hanging up the phone from working out tomorrow's line-up of child-care! I don't know how day-care mommies do it...this is about to do me in - and I'm only leaving them with great friends whom we love dearly!!! :)

So, here's my promise to resume writing/posting/catching-up by mid next week! I just have a few huge projects to get through and I'll be officially back!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the chaos of summer! It seems like we are all so busy right now!

AAAHHHHH!

"Wow, Mom! The doorbell hasn't stopped ringing all day!" This is what Garrett said this morning after what seemed like our 700th visitor, all before noon today! Now, don't be thinking that we are just extremely popular and the social hub of our neighborhood! We all know that that just isn't possible...me being the not-so-social person that I am...but we have had a constant stream of warranty men, home-builders, electricians and roofers coming in and out of our house the past few weeks...but today especially! My poor kids have been wondering who was coming next? Maybe our lovely warranty guy can bring his kids next time...why not make a play date out of it, right??? Garrett would love it!

At least today, I convinced a few of these "know-it-all...don't have time for a silly housewife's complaints" workers that I actually do have real issues in our house right now! Finally (I hope), someone has figured out why the electricity to our utility room seems to come and go as it pleases. Yeah! Maybe I'll be able to do my laundry now...from wash to dry! I can't even remember what that's like!!! And by how often our friendly electrician assured me that the problem wouldn't burn down my house...I was getting the feeling he was trying to cover his tracks and was hoping we wouldn't investigate any further and find out that the problem was really very serious! And then, the water running down my office wall...hmmm, well isn't that a nice addition to the house!?! I'm sure if our regular warranty guy had been here, he would have tried to convince me that besides it being normal condensation (yea right!)...that it really was a lovely home accent that people would go crazy for...doesn't everyone want to install an relaxing fountain!

Seriously, it's almost enough to drive us back to apartment living! Okay, not quite!