Here's a shot of me running up the first big hill of the race. I'm the one on the right in the dark colored shirt. Can you pick me out?
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Papa Power
I don't know if this is true of other's families, but it sure is the truth in our family. Greg seems to have some power over the kids that I do not possess. He often can get them to do things that I cannot. He takes them in a room and talks to them and then they do it. I always say, "What did you tell them?". He says, "I just talked to them about it." Other times he makes up a silly game or whatever. Everything with papa is exciting and fun, and everything with mom is boring and tedious.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Motherhood and Ben
Well it has been a while since I have posted. I have felt buried lately, with little to no time to myself. Greg has been busy and gone a lot which means I am also busier, and my "job" lasts a little longer each day. There really are very few breaks when you are a mom, and I must say that has been truer than ever before with four children. I expect it rings even truer with each additional child. Man, am I tired.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Monday, July 25, 2005
eBay Blues Update
Just wanted to post an update on a previous post about our troubles with an eBay puchase. We had filed a claim through eBay/PayPal (the two companies have merged and so have their complaint processes). They, like us, were unable to contact the seller and ruled in our favor. Unfortunately, the limits of the eBay Buyer Protection Program are $175, so that was all they refunded us. [Something to keep in mind next time you're shopping for big ticket items on eBay.] Fortunately, we had used our Visa check card to make the purchase and Visa has a zero-liability policy for internet shopping. So our next step was to file a complaint through our bank. They promptly refunded the rest of our money while they continue the investigation. I expect that will be the last we hear of it. The seller, meantime, after robbing about 10 or 12 of us unsuspecting eBay shoppers, was kicked out of eBay. We won't know if eBay or Visa will take any further action against them. It was kind of a pain to go through all that. We did end up buying an armoire off eBay (are we foolish for trying again?). This time it was delivered on time and in good shape - plus it was $150 cheaper than the one we had so much trouble with. So, all's well that end's well I guess.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Dog Days and Long Nights
This has been the hottest, driest summer we've known here in Iowa. I remember summers like this in Kansas, but those miserable summers hadn't really made it this far north since we've lived here. All the grass has died and everything is brown (most people don't irrigate around here - usually no need). The only bright spot in all this is that I haven't had to mow in over a month.
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Anna update
I feel like I often report on the progress of Ben, but don't often say how the other kids are doing, so I thought I would talk about my sweet Anna. She is really growing up. She finally seems to be blossoming. She understands things around her more, and is finally getting some confidence (although slight) in the shadow of her older brother. She can be shy and she definitely likes to have some alone time each day, where she can be in her own little world. She can make anything into a toy, and will improvise when needed. She is very, very sweet. She is so much more aware of people's feelings than Adam has ever been and she will often help Lizzy when she is in need of attention, love, or whatever. She also has an amazing ability to get along with people. She seems to play well even with the hardest, craziest kids, and get along just fine. She is a quiet leader in that way. She always has something in her hand, either her green blankie or a toy of some sort, ready to pretend whatever needs pretending. She is very girly (she didn't get that from me!). She loves pink and purple. She loves princesses and princess dresses. Even though she is girly, she is very low maintanence. She likes her space. She is probably the easiest of our children to parent currently because she is so agreeable and easy to get along with. We sure love her. She brings a lot of sunshine into our home.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A flood of company
We've had a flood of company visiting with us the last couple of weeks. Starting on July 4th eve, we had a friend of ours stay with us a couple of nights. Then arrived Tammy's Auntie Ann, Aunt Sue, and three cousins - Mark, Pete, and Quin. We enjoyed their visit very much!
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
Well, this shot didn't turn out so well, but I promised Ann and Sue that they would make it to the Internet and this is the only shot I got of them. They were kind enough to get the kids some toys while they were here (including Adam's long-coveted indoor basketball hoop). Here the sister's are working together to assemble it.
This is a picture along the Mississippi. While we were in Nauvoo, the girls got some bonnets to wear. This is Anna (her favorite thing to do in Nauvoo is go to the river at the end of Parley Street). In the background are some lily pads that were just starting to bloom. There was also a couple of storks and a pelican flying around but I didn't catch either of them in the picture.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Old Fashioned Fourth of July
Well we had a wonderful 4th of July. Our little town of Bettendorf has a parade every year. We got an awesome spot to watch from. The weather was great. It was drizzly all morning and not the oppressive heat that we have had the last little while. The kids loved all the candy that was thrown out to them. We saw several people we knew in the parade (that made me realize we have lived here quite a while now, 7 years now). To top it all off, Greg and Lizzy made the 6 0'clock local news because they were having such a good time. I guess we looked like the All-American family. It was so enjoyable. Then we came home and had lunch and while the kids had quiet time Greg and I were able to read for a little bit (Adam helped entertain Ben, while the girls slept). Then Greg took the kids to a little carnival, where rides were only 50 cents and where the kids got a free jump rope. Ben and I stayed home so Ben could have a nap (I got to read some more!). Then we went to our friends house for hamburgers and hot dogs and root beer floats. We even managed to play a little Settlers of Catan while the kids played. Lastly we went to the city's fireworks display in the park. The finale was awesome. There were so many fireworks that went off at the same time. It seemed like someone had blown up an arsenal of them or something. It was such a great day. One of the most relaxing and fun days we have had in a long time. It was wonderful to just have fun for one day. We love our town and are so grateful for all of the family friendly events they have each year on the fourth of July, and other days of the year. Bettendorf, Iowa rocks man!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
ebay blues
We (Tammy especially) have taken to shopping ebay a lot lately. After moving into the new house, we found that we were needing (or wanting) a few new things to put in the house. So we've been doing some bargain shopping and have bought quite a few nice things for cheap on ebay (and some other auction sites).
Unfortunately, the one thing that we really wanted (and was really rather expensive) has turned out to be a disaster. It's an armoire we were buying to put in the living room to hide the TV. Shipping included it was coming in around $400 (still much cheaper than we could buy a decent one locally). We paid the money (PayPal) and expected the shipment to arrive in a couple of weeks. Well, a couple of weeks went by and we never heard anything from the seller. Finally, 14 days after we had sent our $400, we got an email from the seller saying that the item was "out of stock" and asking if we wanted a refund or if we wanted to wait "indefinitely". We, of course, responded that we wanted the refund and they confirmed they would issue it "ASAP".
That was the last we ever heard from the seller. No refund. No emails. No response to our series of emails. It's been a month now since we sent the money. Apparently "ASAP" hasn't arrived yet. Before we bought, we had checked on the seller's profile. 50 or 60 sales with nothing but positive remarks, so we thought we were safe. Finally, yesterday, we filed a claim with PayPal hoping we can get our money back. We also went in to leave negative feedback on the seller's profile and found that at least 3 other buyers are going through the very same thing we are right now with the same seller.
So, we're hoping PayPal will bail us out and help us get our money back ... stay tuned ...
Unfortunately, the one thing that we really wanted (and was really rather expensive) has turned out to be a disaster. It's an armoire we were buying to put in the living room to hide the TV. Shipping included it was coming in around $400 (still much cheaper than we could buy a decent one locally). We paid the money (PayPal) and expected the shipment to arrive in a couple of weeks. Well, a couple of weeks went by and we never heard anything from the seller. Finally, 14 days after we had sent our $400, we got an email from the seller saying that the item was "out of stock" and asking if we wanted a refund or if we wanted to wait "indefinitely". We, of course, responded that we wanted the refund and they confirmed they would issue it "ASAP".
That was the last we ever heard from the seller. No refund. No emails. No response to our series of emails. It's been a month now since we sent the money. Apparently "ASAP" hasn't arrived yet. Before we bought, we had checked on the seller's profile. 50 or 60 sales with nothing but positive remarks, so we thought we were safe. Finally, yesterday, we filed a claim with PayPal hoping we can get our money back. We also went in to leave negative feedback on the seller's profile and found that at least 3 other buyers are going through the very same thing we are right now with the same seller.
So, we're hoping PayPal will bail us out and help us get our money back ... stay tuned ...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Odds and Ends
Well, first I just wanted to let everyone know that Ben got his stitches out yesterday, where I had to explain to yet another doctor just what had happened. (Parents, try to avoid this situation at all costs!). Also, about 4 or 5 days ago Ben got his first tooth; it's in the front on the bottom. His other front bottom tooth is right there and should come through any day now. This is the earliest any of our kids have gotten teeth, and it has been pretty uneventful. Some fussiness, but compared to Adam who would run a 103 degree temp for 2 or 3 days with every tooth, this is nothing. Thank heavens. Ben has also started getting around on his belly even more, and his movements are now resembling the army crawl more. Unlike my brother's baby, Ben still puts everything in his mouth. Who knows what that kid has swallowed!
I had a little accident on Saturday. I was helping Lizzy down the stairs and just slipped. I twisted my knee up pretty bad, so life has required a few adjustments the last couple of days. It is starting to feel a little better, so hopefully it won't take too much longer to get back to normal. I am going to see someone about it today. Thanks to Greg for all he has done to take up the slack for me. Wouldn't you know it would be klutzy me to fall on the stairs, and NOT one of the kids.
It has been awful weather here lately. Totally hot, in the upper nineties, totally humid, and no rain. It has made the days seem longer because even the kids won't stay outside for long. Send some rain our way if you have any.
I had a little accident on Saturday. I was helping Lizzy down the stairs and just slipped. I twisted my knee up pretty bad, so life has required a few adjustments the last couple of days. It is starting to feel a little better, so hopefully it won't take too much longer to get back to normal. I am going to see someone about it today. Thanks to Greg for all he has done to take up the slack for me. Wouldn't you know it would be klutzy me to fall on the stairs, and NOT one of the kids.
It has been awful weather here lately. Totally hot, in the upper nineties, totally humid, and no rain. It has made the days seem longer because even the kids won't stay outside for long. Send some rain our way if you have any.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Ben Update
Well, I took Ben to the doctor for his 9 month checkup on Monday, so I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know how he is doing. Ben is happy and healthy. He was in the 10th percentile for both his height and his weight, weighing in at about 17 lb. 8 oz., or there abouts. Of course he is in the 90th percentile for his head. We like to think that means he'll be smart, right? He hates baby food and gags whenever I try to feed it to him. He really hates getting fed at all. He likes to be the one to feed himself, so he eats a lot of finger food. I have also given him a lot more of the food we eat, since he won't eat baby food (I can't say that I blame him). I am still nursing him and he has still been getting up about once a night (although the last two nights he has slept through the night). He is not crawling. He stills rolls a lot and he scoots on his belly to get where he wants to go. It is not like the army crawl, it is more like he is swimming, sort of reaching big with his arms and pushing with his feet. He wants to pull up, but since he hasn't mastered kneeling it is difficult. He is just a pleasant child. So sweet and smiley. He also has this funny hair, that will not lay down flat on the top in the back. It just sticks straight up. I am hoping that if it gets a little bit longer it will lay down. He is pretty quiet, but happy most of the time. He really likes watching what is going on around him (and there is a lot to watch around here). We are so thankful that he is healthy and that he is a part of our family.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Slicing up Baby Ben
Okay, so the title of this entry is a little morbid, but unfortunately it's true. Yesterday afternoon we were trying to get everything together to go to a party that some friends were hosting. It was going to be great - volleyball and badmitton, swimming for the kids, horseshoes for the old men (yeah - I had another birthday the other day) - a fun time for all! As we were racing around getting the potatoe salad finished up and and trying find everybody's shoes, we had left little Ben on the kitchen floor. A sudden loud screech from the kitchen stopped us all in our tracks. Little Ben was in trouble! Everyone ran to the kitchen to see what the commotion was about and the first thing that caught our attention was blood everywhere. Then I saw poor little Ben with blood litterally dripping from his hand, holding a lid from an aluminum can.
I grabbed him and carefully got the lid away from him, then rushed him to the sink to wash up. It quickly became apparent that the cut was bigger than just a little scratch, so we started to do what we could to get the bleeding to stop. After about 15 minutes of constant blood flow, we decided to call the doctor. "Keep a lot of pressure on it for a while and it should stop. If it doesn't stop - go to the emergency room." Well, pressure we had been applying, but we kept it up. Finally after about a half hour the blood finally stopped. So we got a bandage and tried to apply it only to see the finger start flowing with blood again. For the next two hours we repeated this routine. The blood would stop for a little while only to start up again a few minutes later.
Finally, we gave up and headed to the hospital. Ben ended up with two stitches right across the pad of his middle finger (probably not the most comfortable place for stitches!). We have to keep it bandaged up for a week or so, then the stitches can come out. Keeping it bandaged has proved to be quite a challenge - it usually only lasts a couple of hours at most before he's managed to pull it off. We've tried tying several fingers together and wrapping the bandage with tape, but somehow he always manages to get it off. Looking on the bright side - at least he's developing his small-motor skills!
So, needlesstosay, we missed our fun party (Adam was particularly distraught about that), and got to spend Ben's nine month birthday in the hospital. We did enjoy flamed broiled burgers on the way home (Burger King style), but it just wasn't quite the same.
Looking back, we realize it could have been much worse. We're lucky he escaped with just a sliced finger. Lesson learned: Don't leave your baby alone in a room with sharp metal objects on the floor (and don't leave your trash on the floor)! You'd think after four kids we would have learned that one already!
I grabbed him and carefully got the lid away from him, then rushed him to the sink to wash up. It quickly became apparent that the cut was bigger than just a little scratch, so we started to do what we could to get the bleeding to stop. After about 15 minutes of constant blood flow, we decided to call the doctor. "Keep a lot of pressure on it for a while and it should stop. If it doesn't stop - go to the emergency room." Well, pressure we had been applying, but we kept it up. Finally after about a half hour the blood finally stopped. So we got a bandage and tried to apply it only to see the finger start flowing with blood again. For the next two hours we repeated this routine. The blood would stop for a little while only to start up again a few minutes later.
Finally, we gave up and headed to the hospital. Ben ended up with two stitches right across the pad of his middle finger (probably not the most comfortable place for stitches!). We have to keep it bandaged up for a week or so, then the stitches can come out. Keeping it bandaged has proved to be quite a challenge - it usually only lasts a couple of hours at most before he's managed to pull it off. We've tried tying several fingers together and wrapping the bandage with tape, but somehow he always manages to get it off. Looking on the bright side - at least he's developing his small-motor skills!
So, needlesstosay, we missed our fun party (Adam was particularly distraught about that), and got to spend Ben's nine month birthday in the hospital. We did enjoy flamed broiled burgers on the way home (Burger King style), but it just wasn't quite the same.
Looking back, we realize it could have been much worse. We're lucky he escaped with just a sliced finger. Lesson learned: Don't leave your baby alone in a room with sharp metal objects on the floor (and don't leave your trash on the floor)! You'd think after four kids we would have learned that one already!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Blink Review
Well, months after my brother, Shane read it, I have finally read "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. I know you are all dying to know what I thought so here it is. (Todd did you ever finish it? I know you had started it at one point?) First, overall impression, pretty favorable. I really enjoyed the detailed descriptions of some of the awesome studies that people have done about the mind and decision making. I was totally amazed at the capacity some of these psychologists and scientists have to get so detailed and spend years catalogueing what they have found. He was also fantastic at making things interesting and understandable to those of us who are unfamiliar with scientific lingo and the sometimes dryness of reading about a particular study. For a nonfiction book it was so enjoyable to read because he had all of these great stories and studies weaved together to help it move along without pages and pages where you were too bored or unsure of what was being said.
That being said, I had a few problems with the book. On the surface level there was a bit of harsh language in it. Not tons, but enough to shock me (I know, I know that's not hard). I really don't like those words, so that was a big turn off to me. The other thing was, because he did use so many stories and examples from studies, I felt there wasn't a lot of his own material in there. In fact sometimes I felt he was vague and even amibiguous, at times. First he talks about how often our first impressions are right, then he talks about how our first impressions are wrong, because of prejudices, etc. that we are not even aware of. I think what he was trying to get across is how we can fine tune our first impressions so that they are right more than they are wrong, but I didn't feel like he was very clear on how to do that; certainly he was far from specific on that point. I think he brought some great ideas to the table, but I felt like they needed some developing, especially if he is truly hoping to change the way people think.
So, would I recommend this book? Well, probably. I did recommend it to my husband (you will have to look for his review). If you are tolerant of a bit of language, it is a very interesting read. Some of the stories, which are real, are so fascinating. I think I will check out his book "The Tipping Point" and see what I think of that.
That being said, I had a few problems with the book. On the surface level there was a bit of harsh language in it. Not tons, but enough to shock me (I know, I know that's not hard). I really don't like those words, so that was a big turn off to me. The other thing was, because he did use so many stories and examples from studies, I felt there wasn't a lot of his own material in there. In fact sometimes I felt he was vague and even amibiguous, at times. First he talks about how often our first impressions are right, then he talks about how our first impressions are wrong, because of prejudices, etc. that we are not even aware of. I think what he was trying to get across is how we can fine tune our first impressions so that they are right more than they are wrong, but I didn't feel like he was very clear on how to do that; certainly he was far from specific on that point. I think he brought some great ideas to the table, but I felt like they needed some developing, especially if he is truly hoping to change the way people think.
So, would I recommend this book? Well, probably. I did recommend it to my husband (you will have to look for his review). If you are tolerant of a bit of language, it is a very interesting read. Some of the stories, which are real, are so fascinating. I think I will check out his book "The Tipping Point" and see what I think of that.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Three generations
Well, I have been meaning to post this for some time now. For the the past couple of months (no kidding) the girls have been calling us all different things. What I mean by that is, Lizzy and Anna are always pretending things, usually dealing with mothers and babies. For a while, Anna was the mom and Lizzy was her baby, but then one day a couple months ago, that all changed. Lizzy is now the mama (and very often will only answer to such) and Anna is the baby, and acts well her part. They really do go around calling each other mama and baby. Mama will command the baby to do such things as cry, goo and gah, and poop in her diaper (thank heavens Anna just pretends on this one). Well this alone is enough to drive a real mother crazy sometimes, but now this little role play includes the whole family, ALL THE TIME!! I am now known as Grandama. Greg is Grandpa. Ben is Uncle Ben (Greg's wonderful contribution), and poor Adam is boy, pronounced BOY!! (Such as in the sentence, "Stop that BOY!!"). It is often confused who is the mom. One child says, "Mom said,.....". Which mom? Grandma or mom? It is also quite amusing sometimes. "Lizzy come here and let me change your diaper." "I'm not Lizzy, I'm Mommy." "Ok mommy, come here and let grandma change your diaper."
Another funny thing happened the other day because of this, but semi unrelated. Lizzy was talking about grandpa, and I said "you mean Papa?" "No, grandpa." "A real grandpa, or the pretend grandpa?" "Real grandpa." "You mean hairy grandpa?" "Yes", she says, "what does he look like?" I reply with "oh, he has glasses and a beard." Then, with the sincerity of a two year old figuring out the world, she asks, "Does he have fingers and toes?" "Yes, Liz, he has fingers and toes!" I said, not trying to supress my laugh.
She is just a crack up and always keeps this three generation household on its toes.
Another funny thing happened the other day because of this, but semi unrelated. Lizzy was talking about grandpa, and I said "you mean Papa?" "No, grandpa." "A real grandpa, or the pretend grandpa?" "Real grandpa." "You mean hairy grandpa?" "Yes", she says, "what does he look like?" I reply with "oh, he has glasses and a beard." Then, with the sincerity of a two year old figuring out the world, she asks, "Does he have fingers and toes?" "Yes, Liz, he has fingers and toes!" I said, not trying to supress my laugh.
She is just a crack up and always keeps this three generation household on its toes.
Vocal Point
Well our family went to Nauvoo yesterday. Yes we do go down there a lot. It's awesome!! It is especially fun in the summer time because there is so much to do. Yesterday, we went to the temple and then later in the evening, we went to see a BYU performing group called Vocal Point. It was totally free and open to the public. No tickets were even required. It is no big deal to bring the kids, so of course we did. This group is an all male acapella group. The were fantastic!! It was so much fun. They did a wide range of songs and just really put on a great show.
What did the kids think? Well...Adam turns to me and asks, "Mom are these guys famous?" At another point he says, "I think that guy held that note longer than any other note in the whole world!". He loved it. Anna liked the fast, silly songs, but whenever things would slow down a bit, she would wiggle around, start to cry and say, "I want to go home." Lizzy also enjoyed the faster pace of things. Once they were slowing things down a bit, and the stage was really quiet and the lights were all off and she says, very loudly (not quite a yell), "I can't see them!!" Well half the auditorium heard her and gave a hearty laugh. Ben was sleepy and tolerated it all very well. Anytime he would get close to going to sleep, the clapping would wake him up.
Greg and I loved being able to do something fun and different to break the monotony of life. This is not something we get out to do very often, but it is something we both enjoy a great deal. So if you are looking for a good time this summer, come visit us and we'll take you to Nauvoo. The BYU ballroom dance team is coming in a couple of weeks. Then in July is the brand new pagaent. Then BYU folkdancing team is coming in August. The greatest part, it's all free!!
What did the kids think? Well...Adam turns to me and asks, "Mom are these guys famous?" At another point he says, "I think that guy held that note longer than any other note in the whole world!". He loved it. Anna liked the fast, silly songs, but whenever things would slow down a bit, she would wiggle around, start to cry and say, "I want to go home." Lizzy also enjoyed the faster pace of things. Once they were slowing things down a bit, and the stage was really quiet and the lights were all off and she says, very loudly (not quite a yell), "I can't see them!!" Well half the auditorium heard her and gave a hearty laugh. Ben was sleepy and tolerated it all very well. Anytime he would get close to going to sleep, the clapping would wake him up.
Greg and I loved being able to do something fun and different to break the monotony of life. This is not something we get out to do very often, but it is something we both enjoy a great deal. So if you are looking for a good time this summer, come visit us and we'll take you to Nauvoo. The BYU ballroom dance team is coming in a couple of weeks. Then in July is the brand new pagaent. Then BYU folkdancing team is coming in August. The greatest part, it's all free!!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Pictures
You may have noticed we haven't posted any pictures for a while. Somehow during the move we packed away the cable that connects the camera to the computer. We thought it was gone forever - but then it resurfaced yesterday. So, following are some recent pictures. We haven't taken many pictures of the new house yet because there's still a good amount of boxes and clutter everywhere. We're getting there though!!!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Ramblings
Well we have been in our new house a few days now. The funny thing about a "new to you house" is that you notice a lot of things you didn't notice before, when you were looking at it, considering buying it. There have been some things we love, and some things that drive us crazy.
One thing that is going to take some adjusting is that there is very little storage space in the bathrooms. Our old house had tons. All (four) of the bathrooms here have minimal space to put things. No medicine cabinets, just flat mirrors. Just two drawers and space under the pipes in the cabinets. AND there is no where to put any other cupboards etc. They did this weird thing that extended the countertop over the top of the toilet, so we can't buy any of those cupboards that stand on the ground and are above the toilet. We might be able to get a small cupboard that mounts on the wall, but we'll see.
There are other things that we are loving. We love our kitchen and eat in area. The layout just seems more family friendly. In our old house I would sometimes feel stuck in the kitchen. Here everything is so much more open. I can see and hear and even talk to other people at the table and even in the great room just beyond the eat-in area. It's great!! It makes being in the kitchen a little more pleasant, although it is still not my favorite place to be (it's not just this kitchen, it's kitchens in general, and what goes on in kitchens, cooking, washing dishes,etc). We also love that there is so much space. I think it really does cut down on arguments, fights, etc. I'll take that!
The kids love the new laundry chute. Adam in particular. He is constantly asking me if I have anything for him to throw down the laundry chute. He also has taken to changing into pajamas way ahead of the game just so he can send things down the chute sooner. He will even come down to the kitchen which is right by the laundry room with a pair of socks or something and ask me if he can throw them down. He will then run back upstairs and throw them in. This morning he and Anna were even playing the laundry chute game. They were pretending to go down the laundry chute. They would start in our room where the laundry chute is and then run down both sets of stairs to the basement screaming, "AHHH!!! I'm going down the laundry chute!!" Adam, mister precision, counted how many times they did this. 10. He was going for 30 but Anna became disenchanted with this little exercise, and it just wasn't as fun by himself. (I bet there has never been a paragraph written that has the words laundry chute in it so many times).
All in all we are very happy. Of course we notice the quirks and oddities that this particular house has, but we can't complain. This is a very nice home with a lot of space, in a great neighborhood and awesome schools. We once again feel blessed, and realize that we really have been helped along in life. A lot. I know that bad things happen to good people, but so do good things.
One thing that is going to take some adjusting is that there is very little storage space in the bathrooms. Our old house had tons. All (four) of the bathrooms here have minimal space to put things. No medicine cabinets, just flat mirrors. Just two drawers and space under the pipes in the cabinets. AND there is no where to put any other cupboards etc. They did this weird thing that extended the countertop over the top of the toilet, so we can't buy any of those cupboards that stand on the ground and are above the toilet. We might be able to get a small cupboard that mounts on the wall, but we'll see.
There are other things that we are loving. We love our kitchen and eat in area. The layout just seems more family friendly. In our old house I would sometimes feel stuck in the kitchen. Here everything is so much more open. I can see and hear and even talk to other people at the table and even in the great room just beyond the eat-in area. It's great!! It makes being in the kitchen a little more pleasant, although it is still not my favorite place to be (it's not just this kitchen, it's kitchens in general, and what goes on in kitchens, cooking, washing dishes,etc). We also love that there is so much space. I think it really does cut down on arguments, fights, etc. I'll take that!
The kids love the new laundry chute. Adam in particular. He is constantly asking me if I have anything for him to throw down the laundry chute. He also has taken to changing into pajamas way ahead of the game just so he can send things down the chute sooner. He will even come down to the kitchen which is right by the laundry room with a pair of socks or something and ask me if he can throw them down. He will then run back upstairs and throw them in. This morning he and Anna were even playing the laundry chute game. They were pretending to go down the laundry chute. They would start in our room where the laundry chute is and then run down both sets of stairs to the basement screaming, "AHHH!!! I'm going down the laundry chute!!" Adam, mister precision, counted how many times they did this. 10. He was going for 30 but Anna became disenchanted with this little exercise, and it just wasn't as fun by himself. (I bet there has never been a paragraph written that has the words laundry chute in it so many times).
All in all we are very happy. Of course we notice the quirks and oddities that this particular house has, but we can't complain. This is a very nice home with a lot of space, in a great neighborhood and awesome schools. We once again feel blessed, and realize that we really have been helped along in life. A lot. I know that bad things happen to good people, but so do good things.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Living in a stranger's home
Well, we survived the day and are now proud owners of a bigger house. Things didn't start off so smooth though ...
We decided to leave home a little early in hopes that Ben would take a little nap before we had to drop him at the babysitters. So we drove around for a while and ended up on the freeway outside of town. We were trying to time things just right to arrive at the babysitters, drop the kids, and get to the lawyer's office right on time for closing.
I exited the freeway on the highway leading to town, settled into my seat, and set the cruise control for the obligatory 7 MPH above the speed limit (that's the true speed limit right?). Just then, I noticed some man in a green jacket standing in the middle of the road waving at me. I thought of waving back, but then realized he was standing in the middle of my lane, so I decided to slow down. As we approached I saw that his green jacket had a big black word "SHERRIFF". "Strange", I thought, "why would the Sherriff be standing on the highway in the middle of nowhere?" That's when I noticed the collection of other green jackets standing in the bushes to the side of the road - one holding what could only have been a radar gun. I realized I had driven right into a speed trap. "Great - we're going to be late to closing" I thought.
Well, the good news is that he made quick work of issuing the citation. The bad news is that I learned the speed limit really wasn't 55 MPH there, but 45 MPH. He says I was 19 MPH over the speed limit. I'm sure there is no sign between the freeway exit and where we were stopped and it was only a few hundred more feet to a sign that said "55 MPH" but apparently that didn't matter. Realizing I didn't really have time to argue my case (and also realizing that I was speeding even if it were 55) we accepted the ticket and went on. [Just so you don't get the wrong impression - I'm not too bad of a driver ... this is only my second ticket ever]. By the way, our neighbor across the street happened to be stopped in the same speed trap just two cars ahead of us ... it's a small world.
Well, we made it to the closing barely on time only to find out that the buyers of our house had gotten a flat tire on their way in. So they ended up about 15 minutes late and our lawyer was 25 minutes late. We were beginning to recognize bad omens all about us.
Fortunately, from there things began to look up. The people that bought our house seem really nice. We were happy for our neighbors (and for our house) that good people will be moving here. Everything with that closing went very smoothly. Then we headed downtown for the closing on our new house. When we arrived there was a whole herd of people crowded into a small conference room. "Great," we thought, "what are we walking into here?" It turned out to be a kind of sad situation. The people we were buying the house from were in their mid to late 40's. Unfortunately, I don't think they've learned to manage there money well. They owed about $30,000 more on the house than we ended up paying for it. Some of the other people in the room included his elderly parents who were cosigners on some of the loans they had against the house. He, as we've mentioned before, is wheel-chair bound (result of a swimming accident). We wonder if some of their financial troubles are related to his handicap. They were friendly enough, we just felt really sorry for them.
In the end, though, we signed all the papers and they gave us the keys so we are officially more heavily in debt (in a good way). Tonight we are staying in the Orozco's new house (our old house) and tomorrow is the big move. If we get things hooked up tomorrow evening and if we still have strength in our sore muscles, we'll post an update on how the move went.
By the way, our phone number is staying the same, just the address is changing.
We decided to leave home a little early in hopes that Ben would take a little nap before we had to drop him at the babysitters. So we drove around for a while and ended up on the freeway outside of town. We were trying to time things just right to arrive at the babysitters, drop the kids, and get to the lawyer's office right on time for closing.
I exited the freeway on the highway leading to town, settled into my seat, and set the cruise control for the obligatory 7 MPH above the speed limit (that's the true speed limit right?). Just then, I noticed some man in a green jacket standing in the middle of the road waving at me. I thought of waving back, but then realized he was standing in the middle of my lane, so I decided to slow down. As we approached I saw that his green jacket had a big black word "SHERRIFF". "Strange", I thought, "why would the Sherriff be standing on the highway in the middle of nowhere?" That's when I noticed the collection of other green jackets standing in the bushes to the side of the road - one holding what could only have been a radar gun. I realized I had driven right into a speed trap. "Great - we're going to be late to closing" I thought.
Well, the good news is that he made quick work of issuing the citation. The bad news is that I learned the speed limit really wasn't 55 MPH there, but 45 MPH. He says I was 19 MPH over the speed limit. I'm sure there is no sign between the freeway exit and where we were stopped and it was only a few hundred more feet to a sign that said "55 MPH" but apparently that didn't matter. Realizing I didn't really have time to argue my case (and also realizing that I was speeding even if it were 55) we accepted the ticket and went on. [Just so you don't get the wrong impression - I'm not too bad of a driver ... this is only my second ticket ever]. By the way, our neighbor across the street happened to be stopped in the same speed trap just two cars ahead of us ... it's a small world.
Well, we made it to the closing barely on time only to find out that the buyers of our house had gotten a flat tire on their way in. So they ended up about 15 minutes late and our lawyer was 25 minutes late. We were beginning to recognize bad omens all about us.
Fortunately, from there things began to look up. The people that bought our house seem really nice. We were happy for our neighbors (and for our house) that good people will be moving here. Everything with that closing went very smoothly. Then we headed downtown for the closing on our new house. When we arrived there was a whole herd of people crowded into a small conference room. "Great," we thought, "what are we walking into here?" It turned out to be a kind of sad situation. The people we were buying the house from were in their mid to late 40's. Unfortunately, I don't think they've learned to manage there money well. They owed about $30,000 more on the house than we ended up paying for it. Some of the other people in the room included his elderly parents who were cosigners on some of the loans they had against the house. He, as we've mentioned before, is wheel-chair bound (result of a swimming accident). We wonder if some of their financial troubles are related to his handicap. They were friendly enough, we just felt really sorry for them.
In the end, though, we signed all the papers and they gave us the keys so we are officially more heavily in debt (in a good way). Tonight we are staying in the Orozco's new house (our old house) and tomorrow is the big move. If we get things hooked up tomorrow evening and if we still have strength in our sore muscles, we'll post an update on how the move went.
By the way, our phone number is staying the same, just the address is changing.
Today is the day!!
Well, you may have noticed that we haven't posted in a while. We have been so wrapped up in the move, that even if I did have a free minute, I didn't have the energy to blog. Well, today is the day that we close on our houses. I can't believe that it is finally here!! I'm feeling a bit nervous this morning. I think you always wonder if everything will actually go off without a hitch! We haven't heard anything otherwise, so I am assumming that everything is in order and hopefully we will be the owners of a new home by five o'clock today. I guess today is a relatively easy day, just sign some papers. Tomorrow will be the kicker, it's the day we move. The kids all seem excited and so are we. We will love having more space. We will let you know how things go.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Benjamin's Pictures
We finally made it out to get some professional pictures of Ben. You can preview them here (he's very cute):
Customer Name: Tammy Finch
https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTP19201008045JCP
Customer Name: Tammy Finch
https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTP19201008045JCP
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Lizzy Language
Lizzy is talking quite well for a two year old, but she still has trouble with some of the sounds. As a result there are a few changes in the meaning of things. One of the sounds she has the hardest time with is when a "t" is at the end of a word. For example: she woke up the other day and said "my diaper leaked on my sheeps." Translation: My diaper leaked on my sheets.
Example 2: While pretending that she and her dolls were going swimming, she says,"We're getting on our swimming soups."
Translation: We're getting on our swimming suits.
She doesn't seem to have any problem at all with the "t" if it falls in the middle of a word, though. (however she still gets a little mixed up, like trying to get my pillow suitcase this morning).
Example 3: "I will eat right here by the feater."
Translation: I will eat right here by the heater.
These are just some examples of Lizzy language.
Example 2: While pretending that she and her dolls were going swimming, she says,"We're getting on our swimming soups."
Translation: We're getting on our swimming suits.
She doesn't seem to have any problem at all with the "t" if it falls in the middle of a word, though. (however she still gets a little mixed up, like trying to get my pillow suitcase this morning).
Example 3: "I will eat right here by the feater."
Translation: I will eat right here by the heater.
These are just some examples of Lizzy language.
Almost a disaster.
Anna and I were just in my room for quiet time. It is usually the time when I check email and do whatever else I need to on the computer. She likes to be in whatever room I am in, but will usually play quietly. We both smelled something like a burning smell. Immediately we got up and started sniffing around the house. We checked everywhere and the smell was definitely strongest in my room. I checked the computer and the outlets but didn't see anything. Then I checked our floor lamp (sometimes bugs get zapped in there and smell things up pretty good). Nothing. Finally I see the problem. The bedside lamp shade had been bumped so it was touching the bare bulb. There was a hole burning through it. The burn mark was about the size of a quarter, with a small hole burnt all the way through the middle of that mark. To say I was relieved is understating things. I was so thankful nothing had happened. When we couldn't find where the smell was coming from I was imagining our house burning down. After I removed the lampshade and unplugged the lamp Anna and I immediately knelt down and said a prayer of thanks. I am so glad there was not a disaster to deal with.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Pucker Up Adam
Kids one, two, and three in the backyard April 30. Not sure what Adam was thinking about (maybe a kindergarten girlfriend!).
Turtleducks and May Day Otter Pops
A few new funny stories from the ever-so-enteraining Finch children:
A couple of days ago, we were enjoying nice spring weather and went out for a walk around the block. At some point, we noticed a couple of ducks wandering through a neighbor's yard. While we had been watching and talking about the ducks with the kids for a little while, apparently Lizzy hadn't been paying much attention. Suddenly, she pipes up "Turtles! Mama! Look! There's two turtles!" She was pointing to the ducks. Apparently we have some wildlife training to do with our two-year-old.
Story number two... In school last week Adam had made a May Day basket and was wanting to deliver it to someone on May Day (today). Well, we hadn't really gotten anything ready to put in the basket and by the time we got home from church and had dinner and he realized that May Day was almost over, it was kind of too late to gather flowers or bake cookies or anything. So after we thought about it for a little bit, we figured it would be best if we waited and did something tomorrow and delivered the basket a day late. Well, Adam wasn't too keen on that idea - and after a few minutes it becamme apparent that if he couldn't deliver the May Day basket on May Day that it would damage him forever. So, like a good mom, Tammy put on her thinking cap. To make a long story short our neighbors got a May Day basket full of Otter Pops. The bad part is, they weren't home at the time. Otter Pops can be refrozen, right?
A couple of days ago, we were enjoying nice spring weather and went out for a walk around the block. At some point, we noticed a couple of ducks wandering through a neighbor's yard. While we had been watching and talking about the ducks with the kids for a little while, apparently Lizzy hadn't been paying much attention. Suddenly, she pipes up "Turtles! Mama! Look! There's two turtles!" She was pointing to the ducks. Apparently we have some wildlife training to do with our two-year-old.
Story number two... In school last week Adam had made a May Day basket and was wanting to deliver it to someone on May Day (today). Well, we hadn't really gotten anything ready to put in the basket and by the time we got home from church and had dinner and he realized that May Day was almost over, it was kind of too late to gather flowers or bake cookies or anything. So after we thought about it for a little bit, we figured it would be best if we waited and did something tomorrow and delivered the basket a day late. Well, Adam wasn't too keen on that idea - and after a few minutes it becamme apparent that if he couldn't deliver the May Day basket on May Day that it would damage him forever. So, like a good mom, Tammy put on her thinking cap. To make a long story short our neighbors got a May Day basket full of Otter Pops. The bad part is, they weren't home at the time. Otter Pops can be refrozen, right?
The Case of the Missing Book
Several months ago we loaned a few books to an elderly lady we know. It had been quite a while and we were starting to think we should go ask her if we could have the books back (because we kind of wanted to keep them). Last week, Tammy got a phone call from a different friend of hers. "I was shopping at the Goodwill store the other day and bought several books," she said. "I started to read one and noticed that it said 'Finch' in the front cover. Did you donate some books recently to Goodwill?" After she read it, our nice friend returned the book to us that she had bought (fortunately, it had only cost her 37 cents at Goodwill). Tammy will be planning a shopping trip to Goodwill to attempt to recover the rest of our loaned books.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Sunday, April 24, 2005
The Chainsaw Man
Okay - one more, then we'll quit for the day. Earlier today we posted our first audio blog (keep reading - you'll see it). After we listened to it with the kids, Adam decided to keep reading the rest of our blog. A few minutes later, he came out all excited. "Mom - there's FIVE comments on one of our blogs!!". Tammy responded, "That's great - but I think on Shane's blog there is one entry that has TEN comments." "Wow!" said Adam "He must really be a really nice man!". After a few minutes, he said, "By the way, who is the chainsaw man?". "WHAT??" "You said the chainsaw man had TEN comments on his blog." "No! Shane's blog - as in UNCLE Shane!" "Oh. Ooops."
We all got a kick out of that one. Sometimes we think that kid needs to have his hearing checked.
We all got a kick out of that one. Sometimes we think that kid needs to have his hearing checked.
Inspector Gadget
Okay - so we're going blog crazy today - I think this is entry number four for the day. Last week I had a chance to visit our new home with the home inspector guy. It was an awesome experience - if any of you homeowners haven't had a chance to go through a home with an inspector, I highly recommend it. Future homeowners - when you buy your house, be sure to go with the inspector to look at it - it's very enlightening. I learned a tremendous amount about caring for the home - things I'd never even thought of.
All-in-all the house was in great shape. He said that homes built in our area in the late 80's are some of the best built homes around. That's because we were just emerging from the recession of the 80's and only a few new homes were being built. Because of that, they were done with more care. For example, he said that most homes built in the 90's (during the housing boom) are already starting to show some cracks in the foundation. That's because they were building houses so fast that they didn't allow the foundation to properly set up before they started building on it. He said our foundation looks to be in great shape.
I crawled up in the attic with him to look at the insulation - which was very thick. The attic is also well-ventilated (I think it was 100 deg up there that day - he said normal would be close to 120 on a day as warm as we had) which means the roof will last longer (it's already 16 years old and he said we could get another 5-10 out of it). It also means that our utility bills will be lower.
He reviewed a number of saftey devices we could put in the home. Since the fireplace has a gas starter, he suggested something called a damper-stopper (or something like that) that holds the damper slightly open in case the kids decide to turn on the gas - it won't gas the whole house. Knowing our kids - that's probably not a bad idea.
Anyway, enough rambling about the inspection. Suffice it to say that it was a great experience for me to learn more about home maintenance than I ever thought one would need to know!
All-in-all the house was in great shape. He said that homes built in our area in the late 80's are some of the best built homes around. That's because we were just emerging from the recession of the 80's and only a few new homes were being built. Because of that, they were done with more care. For example, he said that most homes built in the 90's (during the housing boom) are already starting to show some cracks in the foundation. That's because they were building houses so fast that they didn't allow the foundation to properly set up before they started building on it. He said our foundation looks to be in great shape.
I crawled up in the attic with him to look at the insulation - which was very thick. The attic is also well-ventilated (I think it was 100 deg up there that day - he said normal would be close to 120 on a day as warm as we had) which means the roof will last longer (it's already 16 years old and he said we could get another 5-10 out of it). It also means that our utility bills will be lower.
He reviewed a number of saftey devices we could put in the home. Since the fireplace has a gas starter, he suggested something called a damper-stopper (or something like that) that holds the damper slightly open in case the kids decide to turn on the gas - it won't gas the whole house. Knowing our kids - that's probably not a bad idea.
Anyway, enough rambling about the inspection. Suffice it to say that it was a great experience for me to learn more about home maintenance than I ever thought one would need to know!
Rollie Pollie Ollie
Well the long awaited day has finally come. About two weeks ago Ben finally rolled from his back to his front. Now there is no stopping him. I was starting to worry a bit when 6 months came and went and he was still just laying there on his back. But now I don't worry anymore. I am hopeful that someday he might actually crawl. Now when you lay him down on the floor he just rolls and rolls all over the place. Across the room, down the hall, until he gets wedged in a position that he can't get out of. (Yesterday it was between the clavinova and this big potted plant we have; he was even trying to pull the leaves off the plant). The kids think this new development is great fun. Lizzy is particularly fond of "helping" Ben roll over. Today we were eating lunch and Ben was on the floor. He started in the living room where we could see him, but then started down the hall. We couldn't keep the kids at the table because they all had to check on his progress. "Now he is by the kitchen," or "He's almost to the bathroom". I must admit that I am quite pleased myself. I don't feel like he needs to be held all the time now. He enjoys rolling around and is happy, which frees me up to do a few things (like make a million phone calls). It couldn't have come at a better time!
Odds and ends
Well, we have a house all picked out and we have said that we are willing to pay money for it, and the owners of that house said sure, we'll take your money. You would think that would make things in our life slow down a little bit, but now the "fun" is just beginning. The last week or two have been spent looking for just the right mortgage, just the right homeowner's insurance, just the right appraiser, etc. We haven't even begun to pack up our current home!! It has felt like both Greg and I have been on the phone or email almost constantly with various companies. (The kids are tired of me closing them out of our room because I need to make or take "an important phone call"). We think that all our effort and homework has paid off though, and we feel, as we so often have in our marriage, the blessings of paying our tithing. We feel like we got a great mortgage at a great rate, one of the very best rates in the country right now (we would know since we talked to practically everybody!!). We are going to be paying much less for our homeowners insurance than anticipated thanks to BYU's arrangement with Liberty Mutual insurance. Perhaps the most amazing miracle of all is what has happened with our tax assessment. The home we are buying was assessed at far above the value of the surrounding homes. Like 50 or 60 thousand more. It seemed unusually high. It is a nicer home, but not that much nicer!! Greg sent an email to the assessor asking about it and the appeal process. The very next day the assessor answered back saying the current owners had already appealed and the assessment had indeed gone down effective in just two or three more days. We couldn't believe it!! So between the great deals on mortgage and insurance, and the decrease in taxes, our monthly payments will be less than we had planned on. We have just felt that the Lord has really been with us through this whole process. We are so thankful things are going well. There is still a lot to do, but we are anxiously awaiting the day when we can move into our new home.
Down by the bay...
We decided to try out audio blogging. We all took a turn talking. Just click the button below!
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A new home!
We found our new house and bought it today! Just when we were starting to think we were running out of options - the perfect house pops up. This house has been on the market for quite a long time and was one that we had not checked out because it was priced too high for us to afford. Well, the sellers must have been getting desperate because they kept lowering their asking price until it came almost within our range. So yesterday we headed out to see it and fell instantly in love with it. We went back today to check it out again and still felt really good, so we decided to make an offer. We were able to negotiate with the sellers until we got the home into our price range (barely). We actually ended up paying $50,000 less than they were originally asking a year and a half ago, so we feel like we are getting a great deal.
Here's a link to the listing: Click Here! There are several pictures, but the pictures don't really do it justice. It's got a nice size fenced yard (.37 acres) and is right across the street from one of the nicer parks in the area.
One of the things that may have kept the house from selling in the past is that it is built to be handicap accessible. So, instead of steps leading into and out of the house, there are ramps. There's a master bedroom and bath on the main floor and another master bedroom and bath upstairs. They actually used to have an elevator in the house, but took it out when they moved and turned the elevator shaft into three huge closets (upstairs, main, and basement). The basement is very nicely finished and the kids so far have loved playing down there.
Well, that's about all I can say about it. If you want to know more, you'll have to come and visit! We'll be closing on May 24th (our house and the new one) and moving in on the 25th.
Here's a link to the listing: Click Here! There are several pictures, but the pictures don't really do it justice. It's got a nice size fenced yard (.37 acres) and is right across the street from one of the nicer parks in the area.
One of the things that may have kept the house from selling in the past is that it is built to be handicap accessible. So, instead of steps leading into and out of the house, there are ramps. There's a master bedroom and bath on the main floor and another master bedroom and bath upstairs. They actually used to have an elevator in the house, but took it out when they moved and turned the elevator shaft into three huge closets (upstairs, main, and basement). The basement is very nicely finished and the kids so far have loved playing down there.
Well, that's about all I can say about it. If you want to know more, you'll have to come and visit! We'll be closing on May 24th (our house and the new one) and moving in on the 25th.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
I wanted to post this picture from the other day. The day Lizzy was having her very two year old day, one of the other things she did was to give Ben a colored pencil, which he somehow managed to get on his face (luckily he didn't poke his eye out!!). I wonder how hard he had to press to get it to color on his face... Thanks Lizzy!!
Nauvoo
We decided we needed a break from the stress of house shopping so we headed to Nauvoo this morning. It was a perfect day to be there - mid 70's, low humidity, light breeze. While Tammy was in the temple, the kids and I played outside and enjoyed the spring weather. I actually remembered to bring the camera this time (well, Tammy remembered) so we took some pictures.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Our two year old
Today Lizzy had a very two year old day. She spilled 3 or 4 cups of stuff, emptied all the movies out of the closet, screamed at the park for all the world to hear (we are talking tantrum like screams here), but still made us smile. I told Greg when he came home that she was having a very two year old day. Then later, just before bed, I gave her a drink, which of course she spilled (on purpose, I don't know), it was grape soda by the way, and while I was cleaning that mess up Greg came in and asked what happened, and I told him again that Lizzy was having a very two year old day. Lizzy piped up and said, "Yep! I 'm just sweet little Lizzy". To which Greg and I just cracked up over. She really is sweet, just some days are more trying (and messy) than others.
Rejected
Well, Saturday morning we put in an offer on a house that we loved!! We felt like it was a very fair price; it was 97% of the listing price, which is what most houses sell for. We did ask for the fridge and an old ping pong table that was down in the basement and of course, we asked for a home inspection. They countered our offer at only $900 off of the asking price and wanted to move the closing date out a month (leaving us with no place to go for a month). They also balked that we wanted a home inspection, saying that we just wanted to nitpick over everything (any smart buyer gets a home inspection). We countered their counter offer with the same price we started with, but dropped the fridge and ping pong table and agreed to move out the closing date the extra month, in effect raising the price for us a good $3,000 or more. They rejected our offer, saying they needed more money. Our agent was not too thrilled with this man, who seemed to have a bad attitude, and according to her, became smug when they rejected our offer. Needless to say we were not thrilled either. So we lost the house that we really wanted. I guess we could go back and make another offer, but we haven't felt like that is what we should do. We are disappointed, but really feel like things will work out for the best. It is a little scary knowing we have a deadline to be out of our house (May 24 th is when we close) and not having a place to go. We would love to avoid moving into an apartment for a month or more. Why move any more times than you have to? Anyway, we didn't expect this to happen, and nobody likes to be rejected!
Ben update
In the midst of all the house stuff going on, I haven't blogged about Ben's visit to the doctor last week. He weighed in at 16 something, which is about the 25-30 percentile. He was 3oth percentile for his height, and you guessed it, his head was a whopping 80th percentile. Poor kid doesn't have a chance with both Finch and Ebbert genes. He still is not rolling over from back to front, but is starting to sit a little bit by himself. He still loves to be held, but that's not so bad. He is sleeping decent at night. He will usually sleep from about 9:30 until 4 am, when I will feed him and he will go back to sleep until about 7 am. He has started eating baby cereal, which he likes. The hardest part is keeping him straight up enough in his seat for him to eat. He is very pleasant and cheerful and easy to be around. Lizzy calls him Benny boy and is constantly smothering, smooshing, or pushing on him. Ben takes it all very well. We are sure glad to have him as part of our family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)