The plumbing

It has been a roller coaster couple of days. On Saturday the plumber that our home warranty wanted to come came. He looked around to see if he could figure out why we didn't have cold water in our kitchen and to the washer. After about half an hour he felt like it was a clog in the line or the line was pinched. But here is the kicker, all the plumbing from the main in AZ is run in the cement slab foundation. So his suggestion was to jack hammer our kitchen floor and garage to find the problem with thousands of dollars, and after a phone call to the home warranty company with his findings they won't cover the cost because they feel it is a preexisting condition. After a few tears were shed and an ulcer created with stress we got a second opinion. Second plumber, 4 hours and 300 dollars later problem solved. We had to cut a few holes in the drywall in the pantry but who cares. The problem was the cold water running off the main by the water heater had some previous repair work done and the plumber who did the work shoved what looked like a paper towel in the pipe, for a temporary reason, but then forgot to remove it and it cloged the line. Michael and I were so excited that it was only 300 dollars and not 3 thousand that we took the kids out for ice cream. On a side note the refigerater finally got delivered on Tuesday so we are doing great. Now the only problem is the TV. We took it to a repair place and they quoted 500 dollars to repair it. Michael decided to order the part off the internet and fix it himself. Part came Monday but the TV still will not work. I guess we now have to buy a new TV. But it will have to wait a while. Esther needs a bed first.

We finally made it.

With much anticipation we finally are in our new house. There have been many ups and downs so far. We signed paperwork on the Friday before Thanksgiving but the money did not fund until that following Monday, that is when we got the keys. We had the carpets cleaned that Monday and our storage container with all our stuff was supposed to be delivered that day too. Well the truck that brings the container broke and they could not get it delivered till Friday. We were not happy but what can you do. So we spent the week buying a washer, dryer, refrigerator, microwave and a dishwasher. We were not expecting to buy a dishwasher but when I was cleaning the kitchen I noticed the dishwasher had water sitting in the bottom of it. It smelt like rotten eggs. We tried running a cycle but it just leaked water and still did not drain. We bought the washer, dryer, and refrigerator from Home Depot because they were doing black Friday sale prices all week. The problem with that is they are selling a ton of appliances and the delivery is backed-up. The washer and dryer were delivered on the 30th, but when the delivery guys went to install it we discovered that the cold water is not working. We knew we did not have cold water in the kitchen, not sure why. The washer will not work if the cold water is not turned on. We have cold water for the rest of the house. So we had to call a plumber and of course can't come out till Saturday. Till then I will keep wearing the same pair of pants. The refrigerator can't be delivered till the 7th so we are using our deep freezer as a fridge. We have it on the lowest setting and we plug it in for a couple of hours at a time. We leave it unplugged at night or everything starts to freeze, we do have a thermometer in the freezer to make sure it does stay cold enough. I know it sounds crazy but if you could have seen Henry's face lit up when he saw his crib in his bedroom it has been worth it. He and Esther have been sleeping in pack-n-plays in the same room at Michael's sister's house, I think he was getting tired of Esther's middle of the night chit chat sessions. We are trying to get unpacked and settled in. Esther and Henry have been enjoying the warm weather. It has been around 65-70 degrees during the day and 50's at night. We have had to turn the heat on at night. We have been to the park several times. I will include pictures as soon as I find the cable to down load the camera.

SOLD

We finally sold the house and are set to close on the 8th of November. Michael is going to fly in on the 3rd to help pack up the house. We will sign papers on the 8th then load in the car and drive to Saint George that day. We will spend the night in Saint George with Michael's parents then drive the rest of the way to Arizona. We don't have a house yet. I am going to leave the kids here with my mom for 2 days next week fly to Arizona and pick out a house with Michael. We will stay with Michael's sister till we close on a house there. We are hoping to be into our new home by Thanksgiving. We are very excited and can't wait to be together again and start our new life in Arizona. We will miss all our friends and family here in Utah. Utah will always be home for me and I plan to visit a lot.

Trying to catch up

Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 4 months since my last blog entry.
What can I say other than it has been a crazy summer. It all began back in May. I was looking forward to a relaxing and fun summer. With the adoption of Esther in July 2008 and the birth of Henry in June 2009 came more house renovations to accommodate such children blessings. So the last two summers lacked that great summer fun. I was determined that nothing was going to ruin this summer. I wanted to spend time at the pool with the kids and do very little work on the house. My plans changed before summer even got here. At the beginning of May Michael and I decided that it was in our best interest to make a move to Arizona. This was not an easy decision and I won't go into all the details but that this is something we are supposed to do. With that decision I knew my summer was gone. It meant that the rest of the house projects would need to be finished in order to put the house up for sale. The week after we decided to move I found out I was pregnant. Now I really knew my summer was long gone. This meant 2-3 months of morning sickness. So between house projects and the pregnancy, life has been a little busy. Michael started his job back in August and I am still here in Utah waiting for the house to sell. We continue to wait till we can be together again and start a new life in Mesa, AZ where I will leave Utah winter and have more summer to maybe enjoy. We are way excited to add another baby to our clan in January. I will try to keep everyone updated on the house and when we make the actual move to Arizona.

Henry's First birthday

On June 7th we celebrated Henry's first birthday. I can't believe a whole year has gone by. We did a dutch oven dinner in the back yard with a few friends and family.

Henry' s Birthday Cake

Esther enjoying some of Henry's cake.

Walking?

This last Saturday Henry walked. He took his first official steps on his own. We were at a friends house, Henry was playing in the kitchen just hanging onto the cabinets when all of a sudden he decided to walk(about 8 steps)to our friend. We were so excited. Michael and I are sad that it wasn't to one of us but at least we were both there to see it. Michael was working when Esther took her first steps. Here is a very short video of Henry walking. sometimes he gets too excited and has a hard time getting his balance before he takes off so he still falls a lot. I bet by his first birthday we will have another walking in the house.

Mother's Day

Here is what I received for mother's day. Michael got me a very huge bouquet of flowers and Esther made a service card in nursery. I was so excited about the card from Esther. I remember giving a card like to my mom for mother's day. It made me feel more like a mother than anything else on that day. We will see if I get my kiss and huge though. It is a rare occasion to get a kiss from Esther, unless you are the doll she is constantly carrying around.

Saint George May

Since Michael has some time off we thought it would be fun to get out of the cold and take a trip to Saint George and visit Michael's parents. We left after church on the 2nd. The drive was very pleasant on the way down and the kids were angels in the car to both of our surprise. That night I was a little worried that we would have some sleeping issues from Henry and Esther since they were in a new place but to my surprise again they both slept through the night without a peep. On Monday we just hung out at the house. I was excited for Monday night baths because the kids would get to bath in a real bathtub and not the kitchen sink. Well it did not go so well. They both hated it. I got the water a little to hot and that turned them off to the whole idea of the tub. Even after we cooled the water neither one of them liked the tub. I was very sad. On Tuesday Michael and I attended a session at the temple while the kids took there afternoon naps. On Wednesday we took the kids to the library where they have a water fountain and a little stream to play in. It was about 85 degrees and gorgeous. Henry and Esther had a blast. Esther just jumped right in the fountain and as you can see got soaked. I wasn't sure Henry would like the water. At first he did not want to put his feet in but once he did he wanted to sit down and splash. Esther had a great time following the other kids up and down the stream. On Wednesday Michael's mom took us shopping for kids clothes. Esther was wearing shorts and fell on the sidewalk and got her first official skinned knee. Later that day we went back to play in the water at the library. On Thursday we packed the car and came home. We didn't have as much luck in the car this time. Henry and Esther cried from about Payson till we pulled the the drive way. Esther would cry for a bit then take a breath while Henry cried and visa versa. It was a long drive home but it was worth it.

Time for Bed

Here is the response we get when we tell Esther and Henry it is time for bed.

Graham crackers and Chocolate

Here is what happens with graham crackers and chocolate.

Surgery?

It has been a couple of crazy days. It all started on Thursday morning. Henry had just finished drinking his bottle and was sitting on my lap when I noticed a red spot on the left side of his jaw just below his ear. Not only was it red but it was a huge lump. Henry has had a runny nose for the the last couple of days but nothing serious. We decided to call our pediatrician and get it looked at. After two hours in the Doctors office, later that day, Henry was found to have strep throat and our pediatrician wanted him to see an ear, nose and throat Doctor about the large cyst on his neck. So the next morning at the ENT office it was decided to be a very large puss filled cyst that needed to surgically drained. Yes, surgery at 8am the next morning. So we got up at 5am this morning to be at the hospital at 6am so they could operate at 8am. Through all this Henry has been a good sport.
Here is what the cyst looked like on Thursday.


Here is Henry in his snazzy hospital gown.

Here is what the cyst looked like right before surgery. It had grown noticeably in size since Thursday.

This was taken after the surgery and after Henry finally got something to eat.

Michael was able to go in and watch the surgery since he is an employee of the hospital and he loves to watch big zits explode. I did not want to see the surgery. Michael said the Dr. made a small incision and puss came oozing out. Then the Dr. squeezed it and more came out. The surgery took all of 5 min. Henry got a shot of antibiotics at the Dr.s office and after the surgery and is on an antibiotic at home. He is doing well a little crabby but I don't blame him. We just have to change the dressing on his neck for the next couple of days and hope that this is the end of his big zit. Esther through all this has had a great time because she has spent the last 2 days with Grandpa(my dad)and has loved it.

How to get tapioca pudding out of the microwave.

I had to buy tapioca pudding this weekend for a plum crisp that I was making for a family get together. This morning I thought since I have left over tapioca I would make some. It has been years since I have had tapioca pudding and I have never made it before. Keep in mind this is instant tapioca so it can't be that hard. I read the directions and decide to try the microwave recipe. I put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir it up. The bowl I am using is a little small but it is the only glass bowl I have clean at the moment, it will be OK. I am supposed to cook it for 10-12 min stirring every 3 min. I put it in the microwave set the timer and go down stairs where Esther is, Henry is napping. After a couple of minute I return upstairs to stir and then return back down stairs. Do you see where this is going. After a couple more minute I return back upstairs and open the microwave to reveal tapioca everywhere. The bowl that I thought would be OK was of course way to small and all the tapioca boiled out all over. I have to use oven mitts to get the bowl out of the microwave and wait till the tapioca cooled before I can start the clean up. After about 15 min I return back to the microwave. I pull out the glass plate which drips all over the floor as I move it to the sink. Then I have a brilliant idea. I will just scoop all the tapioca out onto a plate. Of course as I am pushing it out of the microwave onto the plate it runs all down the microwave into cracks that I have no idea how I am going to get it out. Then the piece that the glass revolving platter sits on has tapioca underneath it so I just pull it out. Now there is tapioca inside the inside of the microwave. Finally after 20 minutes of cleaning I get most of the tapioca taken care of. The kitchen smells like tapioca and I don't have any to eat. I return downstairs to find Esther licking the mouse to the computer. This is just how my days go and today it just 10am.

11:30
I am fixing lunch for Esther and Henry who are not the most patient kids when it comes to food. Sometimes if a need a moment to get things ready I give them gold fish crackers. In the past I have given Henry half of one but Michael gave him a whole one the other day and he did just fine, do you see where this is going. I give him a whole one and he does just fine so lunch continues. After about 20 minutes Esther starts throwing her food on the floor so get her down which produces an outburst. I give Henry another gold fish to keep him busy while I deal with Esther. Now Henry is very sensitive to textures and has gaged/coughed before but nothing real serious. So of course this time he didn't chew enough and starts to choke. I encourage him to keep coughing but this time he starts to go dusky, thank goodness I know the Heimlich. With Esther continuing her fit and Henry going blue I give one quick thrust to his back and out comes the goldfish. After tears and noses are wiped everyone is back to their happy selves. I can't wait to see what the rest of the day has instore.

PS. I have lost my cell phone

A hint of spring

As many of you know we have a tangerine tree in our house and we are very fortunite to have it bloom twice in the last 6 month. Right now there are about 5 blossoms opened and our back room smells like a tropical island. In a couple of days more will open and the sweet smell can be smelt through the entire first floor. I love to just sit on the couch in the sun and take in the smell. It makes me long for spring even more. If you would like to come for a visit you might just catch the sweet frangrance.

New Pictures

We had family pictures taken after christmas. Here is a small sample.

New Rooms

We have always planned on switching Esther and Henry's rooms. The plan was to finish the basement, before Henry came, then move Esther into the old guest bedroom and Henry into her bedroom. Well the basement took a lot longer than planed so non of the above happened. It has been bothering me for quite some time so, a couple of weeks ago I decided to just get it done. I moved Henry into the new guest bedroom so that we could finish mudding walls and painting. Then Esther was moved into that room. Next Esther's old room was painted blue for Henry. Now all the cute decorations that I purchased months ago are up and everyone is in the correct room. It has been great and such a relief that it is finally done. Esther's room still needs the floor refinished along with our bedroom floor but it has to wait till it is warmer and we can have the windows open all day.

Why 2 kids are better than 1

It is so much fun to have two children. I know that once Henry becomes mobile the fun will only get better. Henry and Esther will have such a blast chasing each other around.