hole in the floor

 For Kelli.  :)  Another "picture is worth a thousand words"  Benson had to saw through the flooring to get to the leaky pipe under it.  It probably would look better without the tape, but the basic problem of a hole cut out of the flooring would still be there.  When we did this, we thought we could buy a couple extra pieces of flooring material and just replace the pieces we cut.  Unfortunately, every flooring company in the world makes their flooring fit together in different ways.  :(  Since we have to replace it anyway, we're also going to try to level out the floor.  Right now it drops by about an inch from where the stove is to the wall by the kitchen table.  If you look closely, I've blackened where the bubble is on the level.  Not even close to between the lines.  I suppose this explains why I always have balls, toys and spills sitting right up against that wall. 

(By the way we're saving the good pieces of flooring to use in our pantry or maybe a bedroom)

So, here we go! 

What are we thinking??

Well, I guess the pictures probably are worth a thousand words, but I'll give a little narration anyway.  First, below we have the "hole in the floor" where we had to cut through the flooring to get to a leaky pipe below it.  We tried in vain to match the type of flooring that was put down.  Everybody makes their flooring fit together in different ways.  :(

Our children have been a little hard on our drawers.  Ok, "little" might be an understatement.  After repairing and rebuilding the drawers a dozen times, we finally gave up and left the fronts off.

The previous owners made optimal use of counter space.  Including mounting extra counter over the stove to put the microwave on.  Functional, but not very pretty.  Plus a lot of wasted space there. 

SO!  What we were thinking was that we really wanted to fix some of these issues.  I hope we're not in over our heads, but we've committed to doing a kitchen makeover.  We ordered the cabinets, but we are going to do all the work ourselves.  Wish us luck!!!

Happy Independence Day

:

 

 Just before things got started.

Watching the fireworks.  Notice Twisters hands over his ears... LOL!  

 

He kept telling me the lights were loud.  :)  My favorite moment was when he uncovered his ears and tried to cover mine.  He is a sweet boy.   As loud as they were, he was ready for more after the finale...

I think Goose enjoyed the show too.  Sweetie loved watching them with her cousins.  Tank always tells us its too loud.  She liked the fireworks we could see in the distance that were tiny and silent.  Sorry honey, not exciting enough for us. 

Cinderelly did very well for her first fireworks.  She was sitting with my Mom who tried to keep her ears covered.  She didn't cry until it was nearly over.  By the way... loving the pants.  I won't divulge your identity here, but you know who you are.  :)  You can thank Twister for the picture. 

The finale was the best I've ever seen.  And that is saying alot.  They always put on a spectacular show, but the finale just kept going and going!  It was so loud you could feel it in your chest.  I love that!  

GOD BLESS THE USA !!!!! 

Please remember only two defining forces have ever 

offered to die for you... JESUS CHRIST

and the AMERICAN SOLIDER. One died for your soul, the other for

your freedom... My heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to ALL those

who have fought for my FREEDOM!

Happy BirthAnniversaBlessBaptiFathers Day to you!

To say we had a busy weekend here *might* be an understatement.   We chose Friday to celebrate Goose's birthday since we knew we had a lot of fun to come.  I took him and a friend to see "How to Train Your Dragon".  What a great movie!  It was a lot of fun.  He got a few gifts that I think he liked.  So, we started the weekend on a good note. 

That night, Heidi, Opa and Gma arrived to attend Sweetie's baptism and Cinderelly's blessing.  We thorougly enjoyed having them come to help us celebrate.     

Sweetie was baptised at the same time as her cousin.  She loves having her cousins live so close.  They are her best friends. 

To add to the celebration, Opa and Gma were celebrating 51 years of wedded bliss.  I asked a friend of mine to make us a cake in honor of all of our celebrating.  The detail on this cake is astounding!  There are balloons around the bottom for the birthday...  waves for the baptism . . . wedding rings for the anniversary...  a tiny baby in a cradle for the blessing and ties on the top for Father's Day. 

http://trishacakes.blogspot.com/

Oh yea, did I mention it was Father's day too?  I am so grateful to have a husband who was worthy and willing to bless his daughter, baptise another daughter and confirm her.  We had the best weekend!  We were so glad to share it with family and friends. 

Memories for a lifetime.

Oh dear...

First of all, no we are not done with school yet.  Next monday is our last day.  With that said, Goose had his first school instruction on human development today.  That's a nice way of saying they watched a puberty video.  :)  When he came home we had a conversation about it.  The first thing he said was that they talked about urine and sperm and he didn't know what urine was.  Negative points for me for always calling it pee.  Ugh.  I asked him if they explained what it was in the video.  He said no, but he had asked in class.  I clarified... "Urine is another word for pee, and sperm is what a male contributes to make a baby.  Girls have eggs, boys have sperm.. . when they meet, a baby can grow."  He paused...then said half under his breath:

"I still don't know how the egg and sperm get together."

This is where the "oh dear" comes in.  I knew I had to hold back my giggle and answer him seriously, but I would have preferred to dodge the bullet or change the subject.  LOL!  About a week ago he told me that he knew what sex was...  (imagine this all in a hushed tone like he was in on a secret.)  I asked him to explain it to me (so I could see what he had heard).  He said,  "its mating."  I held in my giggle, smiled and said that, yes, yes it was.  Anyway, with that as background, I told him that sex (or mating) was how they got together.  He had a slightly horrified look on his face for half a second, then looked deep in thought.  I was afraid that he might ask more clarification, but instead he then asked me why his hands might grow before the rest of him.  :) 

He had a few other questions that we talked about, and we had a great conversation.   I've been stressed about this video and "the talk" for months.  And that was it! I'm sure this won't be the last "the talk", but I'm glad he felt comfortable enough to talk to me and ask as much as he wanted to know.  As a kid, I was always too embarrassed to ask *any* questions.  I wish I has been confident enough to just ask, it sure seems silly now!  

Anyway, that was a highlight of my day.  :)   In other news, we have a nickname for our sweet girl!  The voting was unanimous in favor of Cinderelly.  So, at least in blog world, that will be her nickname.  :)  Thanks for voting. 

Nicknames

Our newest little princess needs a blogging alias.  She's earned 2 nicknames so far...  Bluey (because of her striking blue eyes) and Cinder-elly (because she's a princess)...  SO.... vote for your favorite... I can't decide!

Isn't it beautiful?!

This was part of my Mother's day gift from Benson this year.  Isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?!  He mulched the flower garden I've been working on in front.  He also got me a beautiful hydrangea plant to add to the garden.  He said he was looking for a perennial plant that had smooshable flowers.  I love that man.  He knows me all too well. 

We had an awesome Mother's Day celebration with my AWESOME mom as well.  The men all cooked and we had a glorious feast of grilled salmon, burgers, salad, potatoes, fruit and more.  It was delicious and tasted even more sweet because I didn't lift a finger for it!  :)  I felt very loved.  I must say, though, that the  best gift for Mother's day I already had...

 

I feel very blessed to have the kids I have.  I would not feel complete without them.  They are my life. 

I do not feel bad that my life revolves around my kids.  I wouldn't have it any other way. 

They make my life meaningful. 

And as if I wasn't lucky enough, I get to share my children, my life and my eternity with the most wonderful man I have ever met. 

 

Benson, I LOVE YOU! 

It may be difficult to juggle the schedules of 5 kids, but it is so worth it.  Anyone who doesn't think motherhood is worth the sacrifices doesn't know what they are missing. 

:) 

'til next time. . .