The Basement of Doom

As much as I love our house I HATE the basement. And I have since day one. It reminds me of a scene straight out of Saw (if you've never seen the movie, I don't suggest it). It's yucky, creepy, gross~ I just hate it. The basement also happens to be home to my washer and dryer. So this totally sucks. I get totally creeped out every time I go down there ~ it never gets easier. Not only is my basement home to my washer/dryer, it is also home to the 'Animal Kingdom Gateway'. My family laughs at me and teases me because I enter the basement in a very cautious manner. I do a full eye sweep of every wall, floor surface, door, rafter, everything before I step into it. I have already encountered a bat, 2 birds (at the same time), a spider the size of my big toe, another bat (today), and another spider the size of my big toe (also today). This is a picture of today's bat. After the first bat encounter I now REFUSE to go the basement after dark. I really don't think this is normal. Dave (says) he did a thorough inspection of every spec of the basement and cannot find where they're coming in at. BIG BIG thanks to my brother-in-law, Brian. He came over today and removed my bat!! Words cannot describe my gratitude!




And here's a cute picture of Sierra with her hermit crab from Myrtle Beach, Angel. Just because I cannot make a post with only a nasty bat pictured.

Some Slip-n-Slide Fun

What exactly is it about the slip-n-slide that is always so much fun? As a child I loved some slip-n-slide action. As an adult, I have no desire to throw myself down on a piece of plastic that is going to send me sliding while spraying water in my face. Knowing my luck these days I'd probably throw my hip out and loose a contact. But the kids LOVE it! Brandon and Sierra played on this thing ALL day.

Sienna was a little more hesitant with it. She wouldn't just throw herself down on it. She would get down on her knees and then kind of scoot to the end. Levi didn't even get to try or see the slip-n-slide. I don't feel bad about this one bit. I did not feel like going to the emergency room that afternoon. No matter what my 'ER Frequent Visitor Card' says, I don't enjoy visits to the ER.
Slip-n-Slide + Levi = Emergency Room

Finally!

Summer is finally here!! Yeah! I swear, I thought it would never come this year. I'm not going to mention all the rain we've been getting because I'm trying not to complain and just be thankful for the warmer weather.

Today, we packed our cooler, picked up Maddie and Bub, and went to the rec for some swimming. Let me say, that water was FREEZING but that didn't stop the kids. I couldn't get in past my knees. They swam around that pool like little fish.

Sierra was very excited to discover that she is tall enough for the slide this year. Since she wasn't tall enough last year she had to pass a swimming test to go on the slide. She was very grateful to not have to repeat the test.



We had fun and I'm sure the fun will continue. I'm dying to get some good pictures of the kids in the water but it's a little hard when I'm the only adult. Levi can't be trusted for 2 seconds. I think I walked about 5 miles today just following Levi from one side of the pool to the other. Levi is my 'exercise plan'.

Myrtle Beach 2008

It is sooo nice to have Sierra home!! She had so much fun on vacation in Myrtle Beach, even though she was the only girl. Luckily, Brandon was able to go on vacation too, so at least she had her homie with her. Notice how tan she is in this picture. Let me add that the two boys on the far right live in North Carolina. All the kids decided to buy boogie boards with some of their 'vacation money' and they had a blast riding the waves on these things.





This is a picture of the pool where they spent any time they weren't on the beach. Here they got to do lots of cannon balls and dives. And probably run off anyone else trying to use the pool! They even got to swim here a couple of times after dark. There's always something cool about swimming after dark.







Here's a few shots of everyone at the pier just outside of their condo.









Sierra and Brandon both had a wonderful time. They chatterboxed my ear off the entire way home from WV. I'm so thankful that they were able to make the trip with Dad and Hilde. I only wish Maddie and Sienna would have been able to go (Maddie had sport commitments and Sienna just wouldn't go without Mommy). I just wanna say thank you to Dad and Hilde for giving them such a great time and memories that will last them a lifetime!!

Welcome Home

She's coming home!! Tomorrow's the day! I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. This is a picture of 'Bonnie & Clyde' getting their thug on. We bought Sierra a prepaid cell phone for her trip and it was the best thing I could have done. It helped so much that she was able to call WHENEVER she wanted. And she called alot. I sent her picture messages of the kids playing outside and she would send me picture messages of her by the pool. But I am very ready to have my Sierra Rose home. It's just not the same without her. Thankfully, my van has been fixed~ the window and the air conditioner. YEAH!! It will be a much easier drive this time.

Oh the Drama!

Summer is finally here! If you were in Ohio this past weekend then you already know that. It was HOT! As we all know, that is all I've been asking for. However, it was pretty bad timing for me. I took Sierra and Brandon down to my dad's on Friday. They were leaving at 6 am on Saturday for Myrtle Beach. As I was out and about on Thursday I discovered that the AC in my van wasn't working. That put a slight damper on a 7 hour drive in 95 degree heat, but I could deal with it. On Friday I arrived at the school to pick up the kids and leave immediately for WV. Upon arrival at the school I discovered that now my window would not go back up (of course I had it all the way down, my AC wasn't working and it was 95 degrees). This discovery had me a bit concerned but it wasn't going to stop me from getting those kids down there.

I got the kids to Dad and I made it back home, but it was one rough trip! We were soooo HOT! It was miserable. My arm (yes, just one arm) got sunburned and then night came. Suddenly, I was freezing! Of course I had no jacket with me. I was a mess. When we finally arrived at Dad's (12:30 am), I was exhausted and extremely thankful for a place to lay my head while bundled up under some blankets. Saturday morning came early and with the discovery that my hair would not be brushed before starting my hot journey home. All of that massive wind from the day before had left my hair in knots~ EXTREME knots. I only brought my big comb, which is usually more than sufficient, but not this time. I feared I would either break my comb or literally loose it in my rat's nest. So, I just pulled it back and went on my way. By the time I made it home my hair was beyond a disaster. Words cannot describe. I am still amazed that my hair brush was able to handle the mess.

We had some storms come through here last night. Lots of lightning and thunder to scare the crap out of Sienna and Lola and keep them glued to me ALL night. Imagine my horror when I awoke this morning to find that my phone had been struck by lightning. The bottom of my phone base was singed, my desk was singed, the phone jack was singed and my curtain was singed!! The phone had burnt/melted away from the phone and the entire line was black (not it's normal color of cloudy clear). I was horrified! It the curtains would have caught fire at 3am~ I can't even think about it. Thank God it was what it was. Things could have been dramatically different.

Overall, things are good here. Sierra and Brandon are safely in Myrtle Beach having a blast. My van window is fixed and the AC will be tomorrow, hopefully. I have a phone working in the house, for the most part (couple issues there to work out but it's coming). Sienna and Levi's health is doing much better than last week. I do think Levi might have pink eye again, but I still have some drops for that so I'm sure he'll be fine. My house is still safely standing. I know better days are upon us!!

Better Days, Please

It has been a really rough couple of weeks at my house. My kids are sick and just won't get better. It started when Levi got pink eye a couple of weeks ago. Anyone who has ever had to do administer eye drops to a 21 month old boy can tell you, this is NOT a pleasant experience, for anyone around. The girls would actually ask me to wait until they could get upstairs before I got the drops. The pink eye recheck was upped by a couple of days when all the kids woke up with fevers about a week later. The doctor appointment revealed that all three of them had ear infections in both ears. About 3 or 4 days later Sienna turned around and walked right into the door jam in the kitchen. She ending up vomiting which led us to the ER to discover that she had a mild concussion.

Three days later we were back at the doctor's office for a recheck on the concussion and to investigate a new fever that started that morning. Her head was doing fine but her ear infections were worse than before which meant that the antibiotic was being ineffective. We started a new antibiotic, Omnicef, which led to an allergic reaction resulting in a pink polka dot rash all over her body. Oh~ I forgot to mention that her and Levi had this nasty cough. It was very shallow and dry and lasted ALL night, NON STOP. I felt so bad for Sienna. She had it much worse than Levi.

Luckily, the day that the rash showed up we already had doctor appointments scheduled for the recheck on the ear infections. (How sad is that?) This doctor appointment revealed that Sierra was good to go and back to normal. Levi and Sienna not so much. They both still had the ear infections and now had Croup (sp?), as well. If you don't know what Croup is, it is a cough that restricts and enflames the air passage. This results in a sound similar to a seal barking, according to the doctor. I never would have guessed that's what a seal sounds like, but hey, whatever. So, they were given a steroid to open the air passage and new antibiotics.

We are finally starting to show signs of improvement, but it is a very slow road. The rash is almost gone but still slightly lingering. The cough no longer sounds like a 'seal barking'. That's good. That means that the air passages are open and normal. Now, the cough goes deep in the chest and I can hear things breaking up. So, I suppose that's good too. But it's still hard to listen to your children cough all night.

As we all know, it's terrible and heart breaking when your children are sick. It's so hard to force this medicine on them telling them it will make them better, only to find out that's it not making them better at all. In some situations, it makes them worse. But, slowly, we are improving. And that gives me hope.

June is finally here and this is the last week of school! I am so ready for summer and HOT weather. I'm talking high 90's! Sierra is getting ready to go to Myrtle Beach with Dad. She leaves on Friday and will be gone for an entire week. I'm going to miss her terribly but I am so excited for her. She is so excited. We all have things to look forward to and sometimes that has to be enough to get me through the day!

A Long Weekend

Whew! What a long weekend! Levi fell asleep during dinner Monday evening. This was the first time he ever did that. He was so cute and, obviously, tired. Please notice our new highchair. His other one was so raggedy and nasty. That was the same chair Sierra used as a baby. Brian (Shell's husband) found us this one at a garage sale for $4! Thanks Brian!!

Dave was home this weekend and he did ALOT of work on our yard. The kids spent alot of time outside this weekend. And Levi~ he's a maniac! He LOVES to play outside! If he didn't get to go out with the other kids he would scream and point at the door and scream some more. Poor little guy. The problem is that he just won't listen. He does what he wants. And what he wants is everything. He is all over the place. Sierra attempted to take him out with her and she agreed that she would stay with him the entire time and keep him safe. This was really nice of Sierra and I let her try. It didn't last long and she was exhausted. Levi ran her all over the yard. Finally, I had to go retrieve Levi when I heard them both yelling at each other in the driveway. Apparently Levi wanted to go to the front of the house and Sierra would not let him. So, he just sat down in the middle of the driveway and refused to move. It was kind of funny but not from Sierra's perspective, I'm sure.


This is a sandbox that was left here for the kids by the previous tenants. We cleaned it out but we haven't gotten the sand for it yet. It hasn't stopped the kids from playing on it. They love this boat. It instantly transports Sienna to the Caribbean. (Notice that both my girls have knots on their heads? Sienna's left her with a mild concussion and Sierra's left her with a half black eye. Everyone's doing much better today though.)



Sierra even got to spend the night with Aunt Shell this weekend! Does the weekend get any better than that? They even had a fire and made smores! Good times!!

Daddy Does a Field Trip

Sienna's preschool had a field trip planned for this past Friday but Levi had an appointment with the specialist in Toledo already scheduled. Dave was supposed to be out of town working so Sienna wasn't going to get to go on the field trip with her class. This wasn't just any ordinary field trip~ she got to ride a school bus and bring a packed lunch to eat at the park (it was a nature park that had a very nice playground area). Apparently, the packed lunch was a very big deal. So, needless to say, she was devastated to not be able to go with the other kids, especially her BFF, Jasmine. I tried to explain to her that Mommy would take her and Levi to the zoo after the doctor (I cleared this with Sierra first). She didn't care about the zoo, she only wanted to pack her lunch and go with Jasmine. I told her we would pack lunches for the zoo~ it didn't help.

Daddy came home a couple days earlier than expected and he gave Sienna the choice between the zoo or going on the field trip~ WITH DADDY. She chose the field trip. I told her that Mommy was really looking forward to going to the zoo with her (because I was really excited to go to the zoo, for real). She responded with, "Well, me was really looking forward to going to the park with Jasmine." I said OK. I couldn't compete with Jasmine, even with the zoo. And she was sooo excited to be able to go on her field trip and pack her lunch. She made her own bologna sandwich and made sure that I didn't forget her drink (ONCE I forgot Sierra's).

She had so much fun, it was worth not going to the zoo. I am so proud (and surprised) of Dave for taking her. Not alot of dads will do field trips. As for Levi and I, we did not go to the zoo. We got lunch through McDonald's drive thru where a crack head tried to approach my van. I didn't put my window down for him instead I put Lola in the window and she tried to eat him through the glass. He didn't stay around. Then we ate our lunch in the park where Levi go to eat on top of the picnic table and feed Lola a hamburger and french fries. Everyone had a great day, except the crackhead.

A Day at the Zoo

Sierra went on a class field trip this week to the Toledo Zoo. And I didn't get to go. This was her first time ever going to the zoo without me. She went to the Cleveland zoo in the first grade but I got to go on that field trip. Not this time. It was kind of sad (for me). But she had such a nice time! Her group consisted of all her little homies and the chaperon was a mother I like very much. The very nice mother even bought them all cotton candy from the gift shop.


We recently got a second digital camera by chance and at a really good price. I've had it put away (out of the girls' sight) saving it for Sierra's trip to Myrtle Beach. Since the kids were allowed to bring cameras to the zoo, I let Sierra take the extra camera. She took some really great pictures. Is this not the cutest picture of the monkey? He's kissing the duck! Too cute.





And here's some funky aquatic creature. Crab I'm thinking. It looks gross to me. But I still thought it was a pretty awesome picture.








And here's the back side of a snow leopard. I feel like I could just reach out and touch it's tail.








Sierra had alot of fun at the zoo. This is just another reminder to me that she is getting older. I am so proud of her. She is really a pretty amazing kid.

A Kiss for Grami

This is Sienna giving Grami a kiss on Mother's Day. Notice the little heart sprinkles on her lips from her dessert? She was loving those sprinkles~ they instantly made her a star! She went to Jasmine's (her BFF) birthday party tonight. It wasn't anything big, just cake and ice cream with the family plus a friend (Sienna) for the birthday girl. Sienna was so excited. This was her first time going to a friend's house plus she got to take a gift! We bought Jasmine a Bratz doll with clothes and then we bought 2 little lip glosses and a nail polish. The problem I discovered was what to do with the small items when wrapping. I had one of those big curling ribbon bows so we ended up wrapping each item individually (Sienna's idea) and then I tied a curling ribbon to it and tied it to the bow. It ended up really cute. I was kind of (totally) impressed with myself. I wish I took a picture. Let me try to explain better~ we had the package with the big curly ribbon bow. So the front of the gift was tons of curly ribbon hanging and in the midst of the ribbon was three little gifts hanging. Does that make sense? Probably not. I wish I had a photo, you should've seen it, I'll toot my own horn-- Toot. Toot.

I've got to mention the gift my family gave me on Mother's Day~ the Shark Mop! Have you ever heard of this thing? It is sooooo awesome!! It is a steam mop that cleans your floors without any chemicals. You put the water in, plug it in and 30 seconds later you're blasting the dirt and grime off your floors with steam. I'm loving this thing so much that I actually pulled it out and gave Mom and Shell a little demonstration after dinner on Mother's Day. I even insisted (forced) them to give it a 'whirl' around the kitchen. So, if you've seen this and thought maybe, get it. LOVE IT!

For My Mamaw

This post is for my Mamaw. She loves to tell me the stories of all the temper tantrums I used to throw as a small child. Apparently, I would just roll from one wall to another, screaming and kicking the crap out of each wall I came in contact with.

Levi has now entered the temper tantrum stage. His tantrums certainly remind me of Mamaw's stories of me. He's only done this a couple of times so far. Hopefully it won't continue. So far I'm using the same technique to deal with them that I did for the girls. I just ignore them and walk away (except for the day that I got the camera out). This approach worked wonderfully for the girls. Sierra threw one temper tantrum as a small child. I know~ only 1! Sienna I think tried it twice and figured out it wasn't worth it. Hopefully, Levi will realize he gets nothing but a headache from a temper tantrum and will stop too.

Here's a cute little picture of Levi sitting in the bottom of my stove. Why is he in there? I have no idea. Maybe he was trying to help with dinner. He likes to open the drawer and take out the cookie sheets but this time he decided to climb in. He also has a couple of cars in there with him.