Let's just add windows and gutters to that, please...

Okay. So the mold is now gone. No problem. They cleaned it up good and got it all. The carpet guy came and did measurements. Things are on track, right? Well...


The mold/wall/clean-up guy sent by the Insurance Company (who, by the way, has been fabulous! He's professional, honest, and works hard. I like this company State Farm sent our way...) found something else:

Our old windows (we have two along the damaged wall) have significant damage themselves, which has aided to the water damage that happened primarily to the frozen/cracked pipe. Yes...and so the water damage around the windows have created cracks in the foundation around them. Soooo....after having another person look at the windows, we have realized we need to replace them. What's good is we will replace them with those great window wells that are safer in case of fire. As of now, all of our windows are tiny and too high to get out of in case of a fire. This is just due to the fact that the house was built in 1962 (or so). Also (as if this wasn't enough) we discovered (which is sad we didn't notice this until now) that there is no rain gutter on the roof above the section of the house where these windows are located. Add that in --more water. More damage.
So, we're getting new window wells and windows.

And probably new soffets and rain gutters.

And a new wall of sheetrock.

And new carpet.

And it will take at least a month for it all to be done.

Insurance will only pay for the last two. So, here we come home equity loan! Here we come...

MOLD? Are you serious?!?!

Okay, people. We have mold.


Luckily, it's contained on the damaged wall. Our home owner's insurance company sent a guy over to assess the damage from our weekend adventure, and he found mold behind the wall and down to the floor. Oh, yay! Turns out that the leak must have happened about 2 weeks ago. Yep. 2 weeks of leaking water. 2 weeks of my children playing in their playroom with that crud growing on the wall. 2 weeks of breathing in spores of mold. 2 weeks, people, 2 weeks!!

Luckily, nobody got sick.

The guy tore down the paneling today and sprayed some sterlizer stuff on it. In the morning, the huge sanitation and resoration begins. I'm just glad the mold will be gone before baby comes. Now THAT is not something I could deal with! A new baby with mold...yuck! Not doing that to the kid.

What's good, though, is the insurance will pay for the mold removal, the wall restoration, and new carpet. But new carpet EVERYWHERE! Yay! New carpet in the whole basement! On the stairs! Carpet we will like! That isn't decades old and grimy! Yay! However, that will NOT be done before baby comes. But that's okay. No carpet in the basement won't be bad like mold in the house would be bad... :)

Golly, what a weekend!

It was an interesting weekend, to say the least.


FRIDAY:
DH was at a Klondike Scout Campout Friday night. No big deal, he often goes (at least once a month). Just after he left, I had scheduled one of the Stooges to bring his family's deep-cleaner-vacuum thing to clean our living room carpet. It was pretty nasty, since it's the most frequented room in the house. So, the stooge came (and brought another stooge) and cleaned the carpet. Since it takes so long to dry, I decided to take the kids to dinner. I called my cousin; she couldn't go. So I called a good friend, and asked her to go with us. She balked at the reason why she couldn't go --I finally convinced her to tell me. It was so sad --her good friend, one week from her due date, and delivered a still-born child. My friend was going to help her, and therefore, couldn't come. This made me feel really bad for her friend --I mean, REALLY bad. I also freaked out (although I swore to my friend I wouldn't) about my own child. For the last 3 days I've been very aware of movement inside of me and I take the time to make sure he's still alive in there...
Anyway, I took the kids to dinner. We went to Red Robin --I decided I wanted a waitress after having to wait in line so long the last time at Wendy's. Of course, we got there and the wait was 30 minutes. The kids were great, though --the waitress very kind, and we even got dessert. :) It was a fun time for all of us (except the rude laughing and looks from some people at a nearby table at the size of the mud-pie ice-cream dessert I ordered. No doubt they thought I was a big fat pregnant pig; did they not notice I put half of it in a container to take home? Man, they were rude. I was about to chew them out, but the dirty look I flashed them made them stop). We came back home, moved the furniture back in place and the kiddies went to bed. I actually went to bed early myself, which is uncommon when I'm without DH at night.

Around 2AM, #2 came in wanting a drink. At 4AM, #3 had a nightmare.

SAT:
We woke up, ate breakfast, dressed, etc. and I had a nice talk with the kids about it being "cleaning day". The kids were actually pretty okay with it; I cleaned the kitchen while they worked on their rooms. And they did a fantastic job! So then it was onto the hardest part: the basement. We have a family room and play room down there --and the kids get it pretty messed up. So, down we went.
Earlier in the week (around Mon or Tues) I had smelled what I thought was cat pee down there --but I couldn't locate the smell. So, I figured I'd find it later. Yes, this sounds just gross and awful that I waited until SATURDAY to search for the "pee" smell. But I did. Anywho --the smell was BAD...it was worse than even Thursday...and I thought "Did our cat bring in a friend to pee on our floor?" #1 told me that she knew where he had gone to the bathroom..."what?!"...and she showed me the "wet spot". OKay, folks, it was NOT pee (thank goodness). It was WAY WORSE.

The entire West wall of our playroom, including about 2 feet (and the entire length of the wall) was soaking wet. With water. From outside. And the smell was MILDEW.

Immediately, I got the kids to get everything out of there. Not much was damaged --and nothing beyond repair. I had a number of blankets and dress-ups to wash, but luckily all the stuffed animals were having a "tea party" at the "fancy restaurant" in the family room. We moved all toys and furniture out of the way, and I called DH and left him a message. I then thought of who I could call, but was too tired to care. I figured if the slow leak had been going on for days and days, another 2 hours wasn't going to hurt anymore than it already had.

So, the kids and I organized all the toys. We filled 4 large garbage bags full of stuff to give away, and another large bag of garbage. It felt good to get it all done; I had been wanting to have it done before the baby came.

Then DH called --VERY UPSET that I hadn't called anyone to come help us out. Within 20 minutes, our neighbor and ward member, who works at BYU over maintenance was at our door and discovered the problem: our pipe had frozen inside the house just inches from our front yard spigot. The pipe broke, and since DH had left the water dripping in order to prevent freezing and cracking (very bad advice we got from somewhere), the water was still running up the pipe, and then trickling back down. Our water main was right there in the wall in the playroom. Therefore, slow leak, bad damage, yucky smell. I was just grateful it was not a FLOOD.

So, thanks to this great neighbor (who told me to call him the next time something with the house happens and DH is not around), DH and he were able to fix the problem. The carpet pulled up fairly easily, and it's drying out with fans. Now we're just waiting for the insurance company to call us back to see how much we can get replaced. The paneling on the wall will need to be replaced, as well as the carpet. It's NASTY. Of course, it would be nice if we could replace ALL the carpet in the basement and up the stairs, since it's all the same. I think we might splurge for that if we can.

Oh, yes. And did I mention that I had woken up SICK Sat. morning? Yeah, that was yucky, too. And no, this isn't pregnant sick --it's head cold, nose running, coughing up gunk, regular kind of sick. That I can't take anything for. Because I'm pregnant. And being pregnant --37 1/2 weeks pregant--isn't exactly comfortable, either.

Luckily, DH and I had a long and peaceful sleep last night (no kids woke up! --oh, wait, yes, #2 had a nightmare, but I had gotten up to use the bathroom anyway, so it doesn't really count) and we were ready for today. Church went well and now we're home. Yes, not a bad day.

But I'm still tired, you know. And almost --ALMOST --laughing about yesterday... :)

Who will they all become?

I've been thinking a lot lately about my children. Of course, each day is filled with meal preparation, dressing, changing diapers, solving problems, stopping sibling fighting, education, playing, and discipline. I can't help but think about them. But I've been thinking about them lately in terms of who they were when they were born, and who they are becoming now.

When each child was born, I remember how much I adored their faces. I loved to watch their eyes looking around, their mouths cooing, their soft breathing; and I would wonder how they would turn out. Will she be creative? Will she be a musician? A scientist? A doctor? A lawyer? Maybe he'll grow up to be a songwriter, or a quarterback. It seemed like the world was open to endless possibilities.

In a way, it still is, of course. There is no set time limit for greatness, nor are there limits to what my children can accomplish. They are all very unique and have their own quirks (as I like to call them). #1, for example, is an artist in every way, but her weaknesses are exactly like mine. She can't seem to control her emotions --yet she is very compassionate. #2 is witty and funny, but has to have things EXACTLY her way, or she goes just nutty. #3 is amazingly curious about all things --he is starting to take things apart to see what's inside. But he can't stand to be left out of anything, and therefore will get violent (2 yr old "normal" violence) with his sisters if he is left out. Yet he is quick to apologize.

So, where will they end up? And how did they get there? I know for a fact that a lot of the way they are is innate, but a lot of what they learn --what DH and I teach them --will help shape who they become as well. It really is a huge responsibility that I try to take seriously, but am constantly having to think about it, pray about it, repent over it, and try, try, try again.

I know the reason this is all on my mind, of course. In less than 2 weeks, a new life will be in my arms. I'm sure I'll stare at his beautiful face and wonder the same things I wondered with my older children. I hope that I'll have the energy to continue to try my best. I'm nervous, of course, but excited. If he's anything like my first three kids, then I will be so blessed. :)

No MBA for now...

Well, DH has decided NOT to apply to Wharton this year. After his preliminary (preapplication?) interview, he's learned that Wharton does not readily accept people unless they have a solid company backing them up (i.e. he needs a secure job that will support his decision to go there), and since DH doesn't "technically" have a job right now, he's afraid Wharton will reject him on that point alone. If so, it will be a waste of time and money on our part....therefore, we will apply next year instead.

Sooooo.....that's all. We will find out by Friday if he gets the job in San Francisco!! (well, they told us we'd know by Friday, so we sure hope we'll know!). I will be quick to the phone and to the blog if and when we get the job. If we don't? Well, maybe I won't be as quick. :)

I can't wait for these hormones to go away...

I am one of those people who don't get "offended" by what people say at church. I profess to be more concerned with my own salvation then running into someone who has offended me at church. But now I'm starting to understand why people want to leave --at least for a while.

Okay, it's really quite stupid, but today I called a new teacher to talk about "new teacher" stuff. She'll be with our Sunbeams (3 yr olds) and we're still trying to get her a co-teacher (there are 11 Sunbeams!). At first I thought the conversation was going okay --but soon realized that it was NOT.

Long story short (don't need to get into the messy details here), she hung up on me. What made it worse, is I was about say, with great sincerity "What would you like me to do to help you better?" I got to the "would" and she said she was too busy, and hung up on me.

I balled for an hour.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the following:
She spoke to me like a child (she is old enough to be my mother --maybe older), she refused to budge on her position, she basically accused me of not wanting to help her, DH has been gone for 3 days, I'm 2 weeks from delivering, I'm stressed to the max with Primary and planning my 10 yr. reunion, and I've been pretty exhausted this week without DH to help. So I called my secretary, balled to her and asked her what I should do. She was awesome and helped me see the teacher's side --which, in all fairness, the teacher really did have some valid points; she was just so rude about it all --and told me to just forget about it and apologize to the teacher tomorrow. Even though she doesn't deserve it. ~sigh~ Anyways, she was a great comfort. Of course, DH came home RIGHT as I'm balling to my secretary, which could not have been better (or worse) timing. He saw me all emotional, but he immediately listened and sent me to bed for 2 1/2 hours while he took care of the kids.

Man, I love my husband.

Anyways, I keep thinking I'll be okay, but everytime I think of the conversation, I tear up again. I'm determined NOT to stay home from Church, just because I'm all emotional, but what if I start crying in front of this teacher tomorrow in Primary? What if she apologizes first? What if I don't have the guts to apologize? I swear, I'm just an emotional wreck. I know nothing will be solved if I ignore it, so I know I'll do my best to right this whole mess, but I'm just so tired, you know? I'll be ready for some time away from my responsibilities --even if it is just to enter MORE by taking care of my baby. I think I need to be away from people for a while...and what better excuse than a baby born in the winter? "Oh, I'm sorry, he might get RSV. I don't want to talk to you or see you for 2 months..."

~sigh~

Here it is, in 10...

1. DH is in SF until tomorrow --been gone since Wed. Will know if he got the job within the next week or so...
2. Had labor signs Wed. night. Realized I needed to take it easy, or else I could deliver baby on my own without DH...luckily, relaxing worked!
3. OH! DH and I had our 8th anniversary on Tuesday. Fun! We went to the Homestead Resort Mon. night (thanks to cousin "C"!!) and had a great time. The massage at the Spa Tuesday morning was right on!
4. Reunion planning is HARD. But it's going good. People are starting to respond and seem to actually care about it now.
5. Hating Bush right now about the surge --yeah, it might work, but it means that my brother is DEFINITELY being deployed. Suck.
6. Youngest brother comes home from Costa Rica March 6th! yay!
7. Baby is still set to be induced Feb. 7th.
8. I can't believe how tired I am. All other pregnancies I got afternoon naps. Since #3 is 2 1/2 and, in our family naps end around 2 1/2 (not my choice!), I don't get one anymore. I'm so exhausted...
9. I'm still in love with my memory foam mattress
10. Wish I had a memory like my memory foam mattress...:)

Church, poop, and more poop...

Okay, so today I was actually looking forward to Church. I mean, to be honest, I usually do look forward to Church, but today I had fewer responsibilities. Basically, I didn't have to do Sharing Time in Primary (like I have for the last 2 weeks). I see that as fewer. :)

Anyways, it was going well --pretty smooth, in fact. Of course, that should have been my first clue...

My 2nd counselor came to me and said, "Your daughter (#2) is in the bathroom insisting that she has to take off all of her clothes to go poop...I figured you better come take care of it rather than me!" I ran off down the hall (which is hard to do 36 weeks pregnant) and sure enough, she was wanting to take off her clothes. Luckily, her dress had buttons in the back, so she didn't get very far (thus no need for my running). I convinced her to stay clothed; something I have failed to do at home. Yes, at home, everytime she needs to poop, she strips herself naked. Just poop, though, not pee. See, she thinks if she has clothes on, somehow the poop will land on her clothes.....the thinking of a 3 year old...Okay, so crisis averted at church. Make mental note to teach her to keep her clothes on no matter what to avert more public strippings...

So I go back to the Primary Room and sit down to look over lists/calendars/etc. while my 1st counselor does Sharing Time. By now it's the last hour, but we have about 25 minutes left before Church ends.

One of the nursery leaders brings in #3. And he STINKS. (Not the nursery leader...my son... :) ). Then I see it's seeping through some of his pants. "Great" I thought, "Diarrhea at church --oh, well, it's not like it hasn't happened before". So, I take his hand, the diaper bag, and my confidence down the hallway to the bathroom and when I get there, I realize it is on his sock. And now his shoe. On both legs. Okay, so this is BAD diarrhea...I get out the pad, wipes, etc. and get ready for the onslaught. However, because I had left the diaper bag in the van all night, the wipes were frozen. Yes, FROZEN. There was ICE on the WIPES. "Are you freakin' kidding me?!?!" --so I send a nice girl from our Primary to the nursery leader for wipes and she only had about 5 left. Another nursery leader brought me disinfectant wipes to clean up afterward, a plastic bag for his shoes, socks, and pants, and some paper towels. (It's great to have help like that --I love the thinking of mothers...she knew what I needed without me asking...). So then I dive in and clean the boy up. My 2nd counselor came in and I told her I would probably leave early --and she let me know that church was almost over anyway. It took me a good 20 minutes to clean up #3, clean up the changing table, wash myself up, and get his clothes and things together. When we walked out into the hallway, classes were letting out, so we just got DH and the girls and went home.

The whole time I'm wiping his bum (and he says "Owie, mommy! Bum owie..."), I was almost laughing at the situation. What surprised me the most was how perfectly fine I was with the situation. I wasn't angry, I wasn't perturbed, and I wasn't even really that annoyed. I was inconvenienced, sure, but so what? He was my son, he needed me, and I love him. Cleaning all that crap off of him was nothing.

That "revelation" and the feeling it left me made me realize that I really do enjoy being a mom. Even with all the poop that comes with it. :)

Once there was a Snowman...

Sort of. :)

Oh, where to start?

It's been a while since I've posted here (okay, a "while" in my terms) and so I'm not sure where to start. Here are some tidbits and highlights of the past little while:

• My midwife said I could be induced one week early! Yay! So, unless things change (which they very well could) I will be having a baby boy on February 7th. :)
• Pittsburgh and Dallas are out. We are now pursuing job possibilities in San Francisco and SLC. Of course, SLC means NO MOVING! And they could be a very good thing. But SF has its perks, too. My brother and his wife are there, DH's uncle and aunt are there, it's driving distance for all 3 sets of parental units, and the Wharton extension is 20 minutes away (rather than a 2 hour flight).
• Primary is finally on a roll! Just a few things to take care of --Sunbeam teachers being one --but everything is pretty settled, and so therefore, stress is down!
• HIGH STRESS because of the 10 year reunion. Yes, it is crunch time, and some people are very uncooperative. Luckily my friend ("D") is amazing when it comes to helping plan this thing!
• Piano lessons have begun again, and of course, nobody really practiced over the break. Recital is coming up, so they better get on it!
• Having DH home is WONDERFUL! He's been so helpful. I'm really going to hate seeing him go back to work/school. I know the kids have loved having him home everyday, too.
• My nesting instinct has kicked into high gear, and I think I over-did it yesterday. I had to stop what I was doing and take the rest of the day/evening off and just lie there. Of course, the nesting is still here, so I know I'll do some more today. I think I'll just do it more slowly and with frequent breaks.

That's about it. I'm sure I'm forgetting something....

Summer is so far away....

The kids built a snowman with DH yesterday, but I forgot to download the pictures....so, instead I went reminiscing --here are some of my favorite memories from summer. Aren't they just cute?

Conversations with #3...

#3: Wahhhhhhh!!!!

Me: What's the matter?

#3: Bonk!

Me: What happened?

#3: Big feet to fall down and bonk!

Me: You have big feet?

#3: HAHAHA!! Big feet!!

---------------------------------------------

#3: What's that?

Me: Tape

#3: Oh! Tape. What's that?

Me: Calculator

#3: OH! tacutalor. What's that?

Me: Buddy, I'm trying to clean this up....please, would you...

#3: WHAT'S THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me: It's the stapler.

#3: Oh! Tapler. What's that?

----------------------------------------------------------

#3: Owie!

Me: What's the matter?

#3: Owie and bonk!

Me: Want me to kiss it better?

#3: Yes....hahahahaha!!!

Me: There, is that better?

#3: Other owie --on leg. Kiss! Hahahahaha!

-----------------------------------------------------------

#3: MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY!

Me: What is it?

#3: MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY!

Me: Buddy, I'm right here! What do you need?

#3: (silence)

Me: What do you need?

#3: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Me: Do you need anything?

#3: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Me: ~sigh~ :)

Thinking about 2006

I've been thinking a lot about 2006. It was a crazy year for me, but not too bad. Before I throw myself all willy-nilly into 2007, I figured I would re-hash some of the highlights of my life in 2006:

• I started blogging!
• I found an amazing walking/running partner who convinced me I could actually run. Run a 5K. Run it well! And I did! I ran a 5K --I hadn't run further than 1/2 mile since I was 14 years old, and there I was, running 3 miles! Without stopping! For a great cause!
• I experienced my first miscarriage at 9 weeks pregnant. Nothing could have prepared me for it, but nothing could have been better for me to learn at that time.
• I was blessed to become pregnant again shortly after the miscarriage, and to keep the baby this time. I don't take it for granted anymore!
• My oldest daughter started Kindergarten. How can she be this old? Wasn't she just a sweet little baby yesterday? A cute toddler? A smart little preschooler? When did she grow up? Grow up enough for me to send her to school?
• My son learned to talk --and to talk pretty well!
• My husband left his company and created a world of uncertainty for a couple of months --but good months. We were able to spend more time together and explore our options for our future. By this time next week, we'll have an answer to that, too... :)
• I taught preschool for the first time!
• I taught preschool for the last time! :)
• I decided to plan my 10 year high school reunion. There is so much detail left to hash out, but it's coming together! I'm really looking forward to it being done --and getting people to come...
• We had to take #2 to the hospital for "glue" in her chin after falling on a corner of the fireplace.
• We had to take #3 to the hospital for "glue" after gashing his forehead on a door at a church building.
• #1 started learning to play the piano (and read and write!)
• I GOT A MINI-VAN!!!!

Great year. Crazy and all mixed up, but still great. I hope 2007 is just as good, which, I guess it should be, considering we'll be having our baby and moving sometime soon. Adventure --that can be really good!