Easter Pictures.

It doesn't get any better than this. I am so blessed.

Happy late Easter everyone.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden

This is the piece that Mia and I worked on with her class. It is made of recycled materials. As you can see it is a spider web and a spider. We saw a friend from her school there.

Jack could have played in the sandbox all day.

At school Mia's class worked with a professional artist to put together a piece for their art show. It was today, Sunday, so we did not attend. It really makes me sad that I don't get to see it but I know I am doing what I know is right. They had the piece on display last Saturday at the Botanical Garden. The kids and I went to escape the hot water tank fiasco. We had a great time.

Jack loves his Browns hat. He wore it all day this day. It was very warm and both boys didn't feel that great. Jack just about fell in the little ponds they have about three times. He just has no fear.

Fence update

The weather and Colin's schedule finally got together. The Jack and Mia went to a friend's house and we started working. Cole was pretty cooperative and we finished the section pictured here. Mia and Jack got to help just a little. Mia did more posing for the camera and Jack actually was putting the screws in. We are very happy and so are the people that were walking by. Everyone commented on it. We are hoping the weather cooperates again this week. Colin has a few days this next week.

Easter clothes pictures to be coming soon. I hope.

Since we were traveling on Easter and sick last weekend the kids have yet to wear their Easter clothes I just had to get them. I keep thinking I could take the boys' back and they would never know. Jack would probably be happier. He doesn't like new things very much and he will probably complain and I think Cole's are going to be very big on him. I just hope I can get them all ready in the morning without too much trouble or wrinkles. I bought the boys linen. What was I thinking?

Part 2

I got up the next morning after about 6 hours of sleep. I usually need about 9. Colin thinks I am crazy because he goes on about 6 all the time. I was thinking I would go down and find a mostly dry basement. This wasn't the case. The hot water tank was leaking again. Ahhhhh. I called Colin, waking him up, to see if he had any good ideas. We talked more and decided that I would call the home warranty company again and try to actually talk with someone. I tried with no success. I finally looked them up on-line and managed to get a person. I went through the details with her. She said they would try to find someone to come out. I held for about 5 minutes but I didn't care because they were finding someone. Alas, they could not find someone and said they would continue to make calls. She said if I didn't hear from them in a few hours to give a call back. I called Colin and decided that I would get some parts for the drain and a wet/dry vacuum to take care of the water in the basement. I headed off with my three kids thinking this would be a fast trip. About an hour later with 3 things in my cart I headed home. I just knew the warranty co. had called and left a message for me and someone was on their way. No such luck. I called them back and they told me I had to wait the whole 2 hours before they would let me go out on my own to find someone, pay up front, then get reimbursed. I had 11 more minutes to wait. I knew at this point I just had to turn off the main water valve. The water just running down the drain-so to speak-was just making me crazy. I called my home teacher who came out and found it for me. I really looked all around but it happened to be behind the dryer. David, you probably knew right where it was, I should have called. I had piled some things from the floor on to the dryer and couldn't see it. My home teacher, bless his heart, admited that he wasn't handy with plumbing but gave me a plumber to call. I called, they answered, I explained, they put me on hold, they came back to tell me that they wouldn't come unless there was major flooding. I pled my case a bit but he wasn't going to bugde. I hung up and sobbed. I just didn't know what to do. I was so frustrated. I left messages at a few other pluming co. but no one called me back. I finally called my Bishop who gave me a name. I called, he was paged, he called me, I explained, he explained he couldn't come that day. He could come Sunday and put a new valve on the pipe to the water tank to keep it from filling because the old one wasn't doing the job. I couldn't have him come on the Sabbath. It was that day or Monday. Frustrated beyond caring I committed Marty to come first thing Monday morning. I felt good enough about that.

The kids were so great about the whole thing. Jack wasn't feeling all that well either. He had been coughing, sneezing and had a runny nose for about 3 days but I could tell he felt worse this day. I wanted to take the kids to the Botanical Garden which was displaying some art work that Mia had worked on at school. It is also fun to play in the dirt, water and sandbox they have there. The weather was soooo beautiful!!! It was 70 out. We slathered in sunscreen, got dressed in shorts and capris and left the giant mess. I just couldn't take it any more. It was about 2:30 when we arrived. It takes me so long to get out the door! We had a great time in the amazing weather and stayed until it closed.

On our way to the church for an activity of games and a movie we stopped at Wendy's to eat. I just coudln't go home and try to fix something in the messy kitchen with no water. Cole was very warm and a bit cranky. I was thinking he wasn't feeling well either.

At the church the kids watched the movie and had treats and punch. Most of the adults were in another room playing games. I was visiting. Cole was very warm so I gave him some Tylenol. He is cutting all 4 top teeth at the same time. I would be unhappy too!!! Colin finally arrived. We visited a bit more and headed home to a super messy house. I just wanted to get to bed. The kids were down but not without a bit of a struggle from Jackson, as usual. It was about 9:30 when Colin and I headed to bed.

I went in to check on the kids like I do every night and Jack was getting out of bed and started to cry. I almost picked him up when I realized he was spitting. I walked him about 3 steps to the bathroom, not realizing that he was going to vomit and out it came. My instinct was to try and catch it. This only resulted in puke from my elbows to my fingertips. I am hollering to Colin "throwing-up, throwing-up, throwing-up!" Mind you Jack is upset, needing comfort, there is vomit on the hardwood floor (thank you!) and vomit on my arms. I am trying so hard not to smell it or look at it. Colin had just turned the water valve off in the basement and I am upstairs in the bathroom. I almost threw up myself. I firmly but politely asked Colin to run downstairs and turn the water on. He quickly did and I cleaned myself up. All I could think of was why tonight of all nights did he have to throw up? I was sure it wasn't a virus but just that he had eaten way too many pieces of sour licorice, popcorn and whatever else he got his hands on at the ward party. I have to admit I was not watching him at all. I guess I deserved it a bit. Mia slept through the whole thing in the same room even. Colin, my super-duper amazingly wonderful sweet and understanding husband cleaned up the up-chuck from off the floor. I was sooooo grateful I didn't have to do it. I did need to change Jack's sheets and ended up putting my hand in it, not knowing it was there. I couldn't turn the light on because Mia was asleep. Jack went back to bed and I went to bed. I think it was about midnight.

Sunday the kids and I stayed home. Cole was obviously sick and uncomfortable and I couldn't take the chance with Jackson. Colin had to go back to work so he got to go to sacrament meeting at least. It was a very long day and the basement was starting to smell a bit. I don't know why. I hope it just goes away.

Well this morning the plumber showed up and started with the kitchen sink so we could at least have running water. The drain just past the plumbing under the sink was gunked up. He put the plumbing back togther and we put a new turn off valve to the hot water tank so it would actually work. By 2pm we were in hot water business baby!!! Yahoooo!!
Hot water, hot water oh how I love you!
Hot water, hot water I really missed you!

We did have to pay the plumber up-front but because we have a home warranty we get reimbursed. The warranty, which we didn't pay for, the seller did, has now paid for itself twice this weekend.

I have lots of laundry to do and more dishes to unload and load in the dishwasher. Oh yes, and maybe I should go take a shower.

Part 1 - a penguin, garbarge disposal, hot water tank and barf

I was looking forward to a relatively quiet weekend with my kids unlike last weekend which was packed full of adventure, extended family and lot of fun. See previous post. Colin has had to work seven days in a row, which is fairly uncommon for him, and his shifts have been EVERY evening and his commute is almost 3 hours to and from combined. I haven't seen much of him this week. Friday night was no different. We had some friends over, had pizza and and the kids watched Bolt. I can't remember how I killed the time between the time they left and the time I headed to bed, that being 11pm. I loaded the rest of the dishes and proceeded to clean out the sink. I turned on the garbage disposal. The smaller sink bubbled up with the water and would not drain down. I turned the disposal off and put my hand in to see what might be the problem. Nothing. I tried again. Same thing. I put my hand in one more time and pulled out a little toy penguin. I think Jack told me he put it in there. All this time I am on the phone with Colin. I looked under the sink and water had sprayed all over. I proceeded to pull everything out and see what was going on. The water was dripping from the plastic plumbing pipe to the pipe in the wall. I figured that I could do a little trouble shooting and fix it since I was guessing it was a clog. About 20 minutes in to this problem I hear a child walking around upstairs then Cole crying. Jack had gotten up and tried to find me in Cole's room. I really wanted to get back to the sink so I put Jack in my bed, nursed Cole and thankfully they both went back to sleep quickly. Back downstairs I worked some more. It was almost 12am and my patience was thin. I got back on the phone with Colin, told him I would work on it in the morning. While still talking I went to the basement to put a load of clothes in the dryer and opened the laundry room door to WATER on the FLOOR, soaking the laundry that was waiting to be washed and the carpet remanants that were down. My thoughts flew back to last summer when I damaged the PVC pipe that goes around the perimeter of the laundry room and carries the condensation from the A/C to the floor drain. I started scoping things out and soon realized that the water was slowly streaming from the hot water tank towards the drain in the floor that was about 15feet away. Ahhhhhh!!!! I didn't know at that moment what to do. I could see water dripping and leaking from the bottom of the tank in an almost steady stream. Colin wasn't sure what to do either. I got my home warranty book out and got on the phone. All I could do was make a claim with their automated system. No matter what I dialed or what I said I coudln't talk with a live person. HOwever, I knew I had to turn the water off before getting to bed. So, I called my Dad. He walked me through the process of turning off the water to the hot water tank, turning off the gas which always makes me nervous, and draining the water out. Thankfully the only things that were wet was a box with our 72 hour kits in it that happened to be in those giant zip lock bags, some laundry that I could immediately wash and the pieces of carpet that were heavy with water but I could just put them into the laundry sink close by. I called Colin back and off to bed I went. To be continued......

Easter weekend

Where to begin

We have had a great past week and a half!! It all started April 2 when David and Debby/Mom and Dad flew in for a week, plus a little more, with us. David came to help Colin build a fence and Debby came to do my laundry (thank you so much) and keep the kiddos entertained. We made a to do list and headed off to Lowes. We were there for about 2 hours. Mia, Jack and Cole were angels! I think because we played "Spy" and snuck around finding each other. I love that store! The weather was rainy so no fence work but David dug in to the list of things we wanted to get done around the house. He fixed the chandelier, it was hanging by the cord and not the links, installed a new faucet on the wash tub in the laundry room, it was running hot water, installed a "T" at the drain for the washing machine, put pulls on all the kitchen cabinents ( I LOVE THEM!), caulked like crazy all the gaps, fixed outlet plates, installed a light for our deck.

It was sooooooo cold this day. The soda bottle invention was mine. Mia was very proud of me

These, and more, occured over the time they were here but the hard work was the 2 1/2 days of fence post digging, leveling, measuring and cementing the posts for the fence. The weather was sooooo cold and windy Saturday but we got out there, scooped the water out of the holes while Colin and David finished digging them to 30 inches deep. Yes, 30 inches, so they would pass inspection from the city. It snowed over the weekend and accumulated over three days. Tuesday the weather warmed, they got the posts set and leveled and started the cement.

There were 35 bags of concrete, each weighing 80 pounds. With the posts it took two trips.


David always loves to leave a signature when he does things. He spent a cold day in the garage putting a bit of personal touch on the fence posts. Of course, it is thoughtful and tasteful. I really like it!

One day Jack and Mia played and played with each other so nicely. It was so cute to see Mia reading to Jack while he sat in Cole's baby tub.

Jack was in heaven and was sleepy. I just love how he snuggles!

It was so much fun to have David and Debby here! We love you!

Thank you for everything you did and helped with!!