By the way ...
Hannah, Sammy & Pejo left last Monday to go home for a few days. They had planned to come back to be here this weekend, but while they were back in Kansas, Hannah's grandfather passed away. So now they are in Oklahoma City, or will be headed there soon, where her grandparents and mom live. He had been ill for quite some time.
Also, I had mentioned our air conditioner problems. We did get that repaired last Friday after only five days of sweating to death.
And in other good news, our closing costs were much less than we anticipated and were prepared to pay, so now we have some cash to put towards a riding lawn mower. Woo-hoo!
Goodnight ...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Closing, FINALLY!
Well, it is official now. We own two houses. We have two mortgages. YIKES! :) This is good news, though. We finally closed on our new house this morning. It's been more than two months since that auction back on April 18th.
We spent this day working over there, painting and putting up a fence. My grandparents are here, along with my uncle David, as well as my parents. We have lots of good help! Greg was off today and will be off all of next week. If he can keep himself away ... He has a hard time breaking away from work because he always has so much to do. Job security, I guess.
Anyway, we got most of both bathrooms painted, the front one a really pretty medium blue, the one in our room, the perfect shade of lavendar, my very favorite color. I was a little surprised Greg said okay to that, and as it turns out, I guess he was just doing it for me. Today I asked him if he liked it, but all he would say was, "It's purple." But whatever his reasons, I accept because it's LOVELY!! We plan to paint the kitchen and dining room a pumpkin-y orange color. It should be bright and cheery, I hope. The living room and hallway are going to be a brown color called Covered Wagon. Not too dark but not tan or anything. The girls room will be an ocean theme with the bottom of the walls a really bright blue for water and a light blue like sky for the top. Greyson's room is a really pretty green -- "Ivy Green." If you ask him, he says green is his favorite color. I would guess this is due to the green shirt from Steve off of Blue's Clues, but I could be wrong. Our bedroom is going to be a really pale green to match the flowers in our curtains and bedspread. It's just going to be a ton of work.
Granddad, Greg, & Uncle David are working on the fence outside. They made what I would consider to be remarkable progress today and are hoping to finish up tomorrow. With any luck, it will cool off a little and the wind will die down, too. It got up to 102 degrees today and the wind was just out of control. I was glad my job was inside the house. :)
Well, I'd better get my kiddos in bed. They have Vacation Bible School tomorrow and I'm going to need to be up and ready to work around 6 AM if I am going to keep up with my grandparents. I sure don't want to be sleeping while they are working! I'm planning to do my paper route and then just head on over.
Have a great weekend!!
We spent this day working over there, painting and putting up a fence. My grandparents are here, along with my uncle David, as well as my parents. We have lots of good help! Greg was off today and will be off all of next week. If he can keep himself away ... He has a hard time breaking away from work because he always has so much to do. Job security, I guess.
Anyway, we got most of both bathrooms painted, the front one a really pretty medium blue, the one in our room, the perfect shade of lavendar, my very favorite color. I was a little surprised Greg said okay to that, and as it turns out, I guess he was just doing it for me. Today I asked him if he liked it, but all he would say was, "It's purple." But whatever his reasons, I accept because it's LOVELY!! We plan to paint the kitchen and dining room a pumpkin-y orange color. It should be bright and cheery, I hope. The living room and hallway are going to be a brown color called Covered Wagon. Not too dark but not tan or anything. The girls room will be an ocean theme with the bottom of the walls a really bright blue for water and a light blue like sky for the top. Greyson's room is a really pretty green -- "Ivy Green." If you ask him, he says green is his favorite color. I would guess this is due to the green shirt from Steve off of Blue's Clues, but I could be wrong. Our bedroom is going to be a really pale green to match the flowers in our curtains and bedspread. It's just going to be a ton of work.
Granddad, Greg, & Uncle David are working on the fence outside. They made what I would consider to be remarkable progress today and are hoping to finish up tomorrow. With any luck, it will cool off a little and the wind will die down, too. It got up to 102 degrees today and the wind was just out of control. I was glad my job was inside the house. :)
Well, I'd better get my kiddos in bed. They have Vacation Bible School tomorrow and I'm going to need to be up and ready to work around 6 AM if I am going to keep up with my grandparents. I sure don't want to be sleeping while they are working! I'm planning to do my paper route and then just head on over.
Have a great weekend!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Life in General
Wow, has it really been a week since I last wrote? I can't keep up! We are finally closing on our new house early next week. It's been two whole months since that auction. We've only been in the house once, and it was closer to three months ago. It doesn't feel real anymore, more like a vague dream I once had. We plan to paint the rooms next weekend and start moving our stuff during the following week. I just need to get motivated to pack things up. Yes, I am admitting to you that I haven't really started.
Lately I've been spending all my time doing laundry. The kids play in the water constantly so I'm forever washing towels, wet clothes and swimsuits. The swimsuits I can let dry and only wash every now and then, but not the wet clothes. They start smelling like mildew within a day! I am really enjoying my new washer and dryer, though.
We did buy a pool this summer, a 10-foot one, but we decided not to put it up until we are in the new house. The directions say to find a spot at least 15 feet from your house, away from trees and on level ground. Well, we didn't find anywhere meeting all those qualifications in our current backyard. Besides, why create more work for ourselves by putting it up, taking it down, then putting it up and taking it down again, all in the same summer?
The girls have been VBSing for the last two weeks since we returned from San Antonio. Next week I won't know what to do with them in the evenings! Our church is having its VBS all in one day, Saturday, the 28th. Guess that will occupy them while we paint.
Sammy and Pejo are still here, and their mom Hannah is here now, also. They will be staying with us for a while. It's really been nice to truly get to know my niece and nephew. We've all lived in different states far apart pretty much forever, so we are trying to take advantage of the fact that only four hours separate us right now. My brother, Andy, gets to come home from Iraq in July for his R & R break. I wish they'd stop sending him over there.
Oh, there is a little drama going on at the moment. Our air conditioner in the house has stopped working. It was Sunday when we noticed it, so I had someone come out on Monday. He was able to get it running again, but that only lasted until late Tuesday. Turns out we are going to have to replace the unit. Again, it's a really good thing we got a nice income tax return and that economic stimulus payment this year!!
Well, I will sign off for now. Better get back to the dishes and laundry, maybe pack a box or two. Maybe. Tune in again soon for the latest update in the ongoing saga of my life! :)
Lately I've been spending all my time doing laundry. The kids play in the water constantly so I'm forever washing towels, wet clothes and swimsuits. The swimsuits I can let dry and only wash every now and then, but not the wet clothes. They start smelling like mildew within a day! I am really enjoying my new washer and dryer, though.
We did buy a pool this summer, a 10-foot one, but we decided not to put it up until we are in the new house. The directions say to find a spot at least 15 feet from your house, away from trees and on level ground. Well, we didn't find anywhere meeting all those qualifications in our current backyard. Besides, why create more work for ourselves by putting it up, taking it down, then putting it up and taking it down again, all in the same summer?
The girls have been VBSing for the last two weeks since we returned from San Antonio. Next week I won't know what to do with them in the evenings! Our church is having its VBS all in one day, Saturday, the 28th. Guess that will occupy them while we paint.
Sammy and Pejo are still here, and their mom Hannah is here now, also. They will be staying with us for a while. It's really been nice to truly get to know my niece and nephew. We've all lived in different states far apart pretty much forever, so we are trying to take advantage of the fact that only four hours separate us right now. My brother, Andy, gets to come home from Iraq in July for his R & R break. I wish they'd stop sending him over there.
Oh, there is a little drama going on at the moment. Our air conditioner in the house has stopped working. It was Sunday when we noticed it, so I had someone come out on Monday. He was able to get it running again, but that only lasted until late Tuesday. Turns out we are going to have to replace the unit. Again, it's a really good thing we got a nice income tax return and that economic stimulus payment this year!!
Well, I will sign off for now. Better get back to the dishes and laundry, maybe pack a box or two. Maybe. Tune in again soon for the latest update in the ongoing saga of my life! :)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Extras kiddos
This week we acquired a couple more kids! Our niece Sammy and nephew Pejo are here to stay with us for a while. Our kids are thrilled! We are all enjoying them. They arrived Wednesday night and have been having a grand time playing together every moment since. Greyson and Pejo are both three; they were born one month to the day apart. And they are two peas in a pod! It's sort of like having twins, very busy twins, but I am especially enjoying watching them interact. Samantha is eight -- almost nine, actually! -- and she and Susannah and Makaley all also get along really well. I am glad for them to have some time to really bond. I'm attaching a picture. It's from a previous visit in February, but you can tell that they are all good buddies.
That Patchy!
Today we had an interesting experience. We took Cuddles & Patches back to the vet for their second set of new kitty shots. I didn't have the cat carrier ready to use so we just let them roam around in the van on our drive there. That worked fine last time. Well today, Patches went under the gas pedal and up into the area behind the front part of the van's interior and got stuck! I could hear her meowing but I couldn't see her or reach her. It was quite an ordeal. Susannah was nearly hysterical, as you might imagine. We had to call Greg to leave work and come help. He and our friend from church, Kelli (who works at the vet), finally managed to locate Patches above the glove compartment and get her out safely. But what a nightmare! Poor baby was pretty stressed out, but everything turned out okay. Guess next time I'll make preparing that cat carrier more of a priority ...
Vacation
Well, we are back from our vacation in San Antonio. It was a wonderful week! We were ready to be home, though. I think it was just about the perfect amount of time to be away. Greyson survived without one episode of Blue's Clues. Poor guy, he had to go cold turkey! J He only asked for it a few times; I was surprised.
Greg's class went well, and the kids and I had fun staying busy while he was gone. We got to the hotel on Sunday night and settled in. The next morning, Greg went to class and the rest of us slept in. Then we spent the afternoon in the swimming pool. We really had it rough, didn't we? J Swimming was probably the highlight of the whole trip for the kids, especially the girls. They got to swim every single day, and sometimes twice in one day! Most evenings we ate at a restaurant on the Riverwalk. Monday we went to the RainForest Café. Greg had been there before and was anxious for the kids to go. It is a neat place set up like a rain forest with animals that come to life every now and then. We sat right on the 3rd floor right next to a waterfall. After dinner, (sorry, Dad, I meant supper …) we rode the boat through the Riverwalk. You can't go to the Riverwalk without doing that, no matter how many times you have been there!
On Tuesday the kids and I ventured out of the hotel and walked a couple blocks over to the Children's Museum. That was a neat place, three floors of cool things to see and do and learn about. On Wednesday we toured the River Center (mall). It was a long walk to get there and then more walking inside, but fun. And good exercise, right? Then we went back again that evening with Greg to eat in the Food Court. On Thursday we got the van out of the parking garage for the first time all week and drove to the San Antonio Zoo. That was a lot of fun. It turned out to be a cloudy day, too – perfect zoo weather! The animals were all out and about and it was hot, but not like it could have been.
Friday, Greg's class ended at noon, so we met up with him and checked out of our fancy hotel. Then we drove across town and checked into our Super 8, where the girls immediately donned swimming suits to try out that pool.
The next morning, which was Saturday, we got up and took ourselves to SeaWorld! We were there from 10:00 AM to about 6:30 PM. It was really a lot of fun. We went to the killer whale show twice. The first time our section didn't get splashed and Makaley was devastated, so we went back again later. And oh my goodness, those whales made up for it that time! The trainers have them stick their tails up out of the water and splash the audience. Our section got it five times -- and that is no exaggeration! They have very strong tails, too. They can splash sixteen rows up! Of course, we were on Row 3 so you can imagine that we were actually dripping. But the girls were smiling so I guess it was worth it. :)
And now we have been back home almost a week already. Although I have yet to finish unpacking. This, too, has been quite a week! Life is never boring around here.
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