Okay...so I've been really, really bad about posting. I will try to do better. I promise.
This is the kids' third week of school. That doesn't seem possible. I've already gotten a call from Daniel's teacher about getting homework done. It's frustrating when he "forgets" his assignment notebook or doesn't fill it out completely. I really think they should have one starting in second grade but whatever. At least he's got his teacher wrapped around his finger. Hannah's doing really well in first grade. She LOVES her teacher and seems to be loving the challenge that comes with more the tougher academics of first grade. Jacob loves being high man on the totem pole. In fact, tomorrow he has hall duty in the morning. One of his fourth grade friends told Jacob that having hall duty was "tight." I just thought that was seriously funny. Translation for Dad...cool or awesome. Gotta keep up with the current slang. :)
Hannah's been really enjoying soccer. Her coach is fantastic and the kids really love him. She's getting really good at dribbling the ball and keeping it away from defenders. First game is in two weeks on the swanky new fields in Overland Park. Their team name is the Shamrocks because they wear green jerseys. Hannah was mad that they weren't the Green Lightning. I don't know where she got that from but she was convinced that was their team name.
Most of the moms on Hannah's team play on a recreational soccer team of their own. I was asked to join said team. Like an insane lunatic, I said yes. Our first game is next Monday. This should be seriously funny. I haven't played since high school. I can't keep from laughing as I type this!!!
Hannah's team also has a winter basketball team. *sigh* Seriously??? Of course, she wants to play. And she wants to play soccer again next Spring. And softball next summer. Oh, and there's no way she's quitting gymnastics (she told me that). How funny is it that of the three, she's my athletic one?
Jacob's looking into the violin mentoring program this year. Basically, the high school kids come to teach the elementary kids for 1/2 hour a week (private lessons) for FREE. Since they get community service hours out of it, they can't charge (they do in the summer since they don't get the credit). He's excited about the private lessons. I'm trying to figure out how to put another 1/2 hour into my week.
Daniel is...well...Daniel. He's just enjoying living life and drawing. He's been filling up notebook after notebook of drawings. He's been creating various characters in anticipation of a comic book series he's going to write when he's older. I hope he does.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Making Herself At Home
Little Bella has decided that she loves the stairs. Unfortunately, she likes to go up and down them on the outside of the rail. She also thinks it's a good place for a nap.
Bella's adjusting really well to our crazy zoo. She endured a full day of not just my kids but their friends as well. I really think she enjoyed playing with them all. She's never felt the need to hide and needed to be in the center of everything. I think we got a good one.
Here's little Bella Swan on the stairs. She's going to give me a heart attack!
Bella's adjusting really well to our crazy zoo. She endured a full day of not just my kids but their friends as well. I really think she enjoyed playing with them all. She's never felt the need to hide and needed to be in the center of everything. I think we got a good one.
Here's little Bella Swan on the stairs. She's going to give me a heart attack!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Not a Replacement
Meet Bella.
We adopted her this evening. I had no intention of getting a kitty today but she just wanted to go home with us so much. So, here we are. She's 13 weeks old (and very big already. I think she's going to be a big girl.) and she's a little love bug. As we speak, she's sitting in my lap purring. In fact, I don't think she's stopped purring since we first picked her up. Oh, and yes, her name is after Bella from Twilight. Jacob's idea and I loved it. I would have preferred Rosalie, but Bella's good. It'll be nice to have a cat with a normal name. I certainly wasn't thinking about that when I named Guillermo. He was unique, though.
So, Bella hates Oriana and has already landed two paws full of claws in her nose. She could care less about Peaches.
I need to get some new batteries for my camera so I can take better pictures since the phone takes really crappy ones. But here she is. Our new girl. I still miss Guillermo.
We adopted her this evening. I had no intention of getting a kitty today but she just wanted to go home with us so much. So, here we are. She's 13 weeks old (and very big already. I think she's going to be a big girl.) and she's a little love bug. As we speak, she's sitting in my lap purring. In fact, I don't think she's stopped purring since we first picked her up. Oh, and yes, her name is after Bella from Twilight. Jacob's idea and I loved it. I would have preferred Rosalie, but Bella's good. It'll be nice to have a cat with a normal name. I certainly wasn't thinking about that when I named Guillermo. He was unique, though.
So, Bella hates Oriana and has already landed two paws full of claws in her nose. She could care less about Peaches.
I need to get some new batteries for my camera so I can take better pictures since the phone takes really crappy ones. But here she is. Our new girl. I still miss Guillermo.
Okay...
So life without Guillermo kind of sucks. I always knew that I'd miss him but I didn't realize I'd miss him this much. :( I swear I've seen him at least five times today.
The kids and I went to Petsmart today to see if they had a little marker stone for his spot. Of course we went in to see the kitties up for adoption while we were there. Daniel fell in love with this cat that was about 18 months old and looked like Guillermo but with white paws. The love ended when the cat hissed at him. Hannah was all over this little 10 week old black and white cutie that was just the sweetest little thing. He so badly wanted to come home with us but I just couldn't do it. Sue told me 3 days...Dad told me a week. I've decided that I just might be ready when I can look at the sign for the cat supplies in the pet store without crying. Yeah, I ran out of Petsmart crying like a blubbering idiot. And that's okay. I just need my friends to stop texting me to say that they found me the perfect kitten up at Wayside Waifs...okay, so it's two kittens. LOL! Oh well. Stephen means well. I just hope I don't show up to find a kitten sitting in my chair at TKD tomorrow!
The kids and I went to Petsmart today to see if they had a little marker stone for his spot. Of course we went in to see the kitties up for adoption while we were there. Daniel fell in love with this cat that was about 18 months old and looked like Guillermo but with white paws. The love ended when the cat hissed at him. Hannah was all over this little 10 week old black and white cutie that was just the sweetest little thing. He so badly wanted to come home with us but I just couldn't do it. Sue told me 3 days...Dad told me a week. I've decided that I just might be ready when I can look at the sign for the cat supplies in the pet store without crying. Yeah, I ran out of Petsmart crying like a blubbering idiot. And that's okay. I just need my friends to stop texting me to say that they found me the perfect kitten up at Wayside Waifs...okay, so it's two kittens. LOL! Oh well. Stephen means well. I just hope I don't show up to find a kitten sitting in my chair at TKD tomorrow!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
RIP Guillermo Cat
This was quite a rough day. I certainly didn't expect to be burying Guillermo this afternoon, but we did. I was just happy that I found what was left of him before the kids did. Luckily, they didn't see any of it. Mike was really good about going to get him from our neighbor's backyard and digging the hole and doing it all without me or the kids seeing it.
Jacob was very upset. He had just told me last night that Guillermo was his best friend. He said that he was feeling guilty because he'd been very hard on Guillermo for watching the hamsters. I told him that he shouldn't feel guilty at all.
Hannah was sad because she felt like she should be. She understands that Guillermo's not coming back but she's just not all that sad about it. Which is just fine. I wouldn't expect her to be overcome with sadness. I can just tell that she sees me sad and thinks that's how she should feel. She's too precious.
Daniel just wanted to see what was left. We didn't show him, of course. That's not to say that he doesn't miss Guillermo but he's all into the gross and disgusting right now.
I just wish we could have buried him under the black-eyed Susans in the backyard. It was his favorite spot to sit on warm summer days. There was just too much clay to dig a proper hole there so Mike placed him under the rose bushes on the side of the house. The kids all went around and picked different flowers to place on his little grave. It was so sweet. Even their little friends, Kellan and Mikayla, joined in and placed flowers down.
A little later, I'd gone out to check on the site and I noticed a fluffy little cat toy had been placed on the grave. Jacob later told me that he thought Guillermo might like one of his favorite toys. A little later, I noticed that two other little toys showed up (a catnip squirrel and a neopets toy). We're going to look for a little stone to place there. Not anything creepy that says his name but just a little something.
It's shocking how quiet the house is without him. It hurts to go into the bathroom and not have him yelling at me to turn the water on. Or to go into the kitchen and not have him begging for more food because the dog's eaten it all. Just sitting on the couch and not having him jump up in my lap is wrong.
I do have to say that I'm really glad I let him eat what was left of Daniel's chocolate ice cream last night. Normally I'd have brushed him off of the table but I just kind of figured whatever last night.
I miss my grouchy little guy. He was my first baby.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Holiday Weekend
It's been a strange weekend. Daniel had Bear Scout camp Friday into Saturday so he and Mike were gone. They arrived back home in time for dinner on Saturday and then we went to see Ice Age. After the movie was fireworks and then home for bed. This morning, we packed Mike and Jacob up for Webelos camp. They'll be gone for a few days.
The house always feels off when people are gone. Daniel and Hannah were clearly lost all day without Jacob. They didn't know what to do with themselves. Luckily, some new neighbors helped with the boredom.
A new family moved in a few days ago and they also have three kids. The oldest is Daniel's age and the middle one is Hannah's age. Their mom was not used to the sheer amount of kids that live on our street so she was a little taken aback.
It was just so nice to be outside and talking to adults. I find that when Mike's gone I get next to no adult conversation and most conversations start with "Mooooooooooooooom!" Ugh. Hopefully there will be people out tomorrow too, or I may just lose my mind. At least I know that Mike and Jacob are having a good time at camp.
The house always feels off when people are gone. Daniel and Hannah were clearly lost all day without Jacob. They didn't know what to do with themselves. Luckily, some new neighbors helped with the boredom.
A new family moved in a few days ago and they also have three kids. The oldest is Daniel's age and the middle one is Hannah's age. Their mom was not used to the sheer amount of kids that live on our street so she was a little taken aback.
It was just so nice to be outside and talking to adults. I find that when Mike's gone I get next to no adult conversation and most conversations start with "Mooooooooooooooom!" Ugh. Hopefully there will be people out tomorrow too, or I may just lose my mind. At least I know that Mike and Jacob are having a good time at camp.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Pitchmen
FYI...there's a Pitchmen marathon on Discovery Channel today. I can't believe how sad I am about Billy Mays.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Told You I'm Obsessed...
I cannot get this song out of my head. Yes, it's Blue October. No, it's not the real video since it hasn't been released yet as a single. The kids singing on it are so cute. Hard to believe it's Blue October since it's such a happy cheery song.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Hmmm..
What an interesting week. Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays all in one week. Crazy. While I'm really tired of all the Michael Jackson coverage, I'm all over the music. A good portion of my childhood revolved around Thriller. I showed Jacob the Thriller video on YouTube this afternoon. He'd never seen it before. He loved it. We also went through Billy Jean and Smooth Criminal. The videos are so long, though, that he lost interest after those three. Oh well.
The kids have been outside all day, everyday, all summer long. They come in every now and then to eat or get a drink or to tattle but otherwise they're gone. I love it. Of course, all the SPF 50 sunscreen hasn't kept Hannah from looking like the Coppertone girl. LOL! Her little butt is so white and the rest of her so isn't. I like to think they're having a good summer.
Really, that's about it from here. Not a whole lot going on and that's the way I like it. Just thinking about the upcoming school year stresses me out.
The kids have been outside all day, everyday, all summer long. They come in every now and then to eat or get a drink or to tattle but otherwise they're gone. I love it. Of course, all the SPF 50 sunscreen hasn't kept Hannah from looking like the Coppertone girl. LOL! Her little butt is so white and the rest of her so isn't. I like to think they're having a good summer.
Really, that's about it from here. Not a whole lot going on and that's the way I like it. Just thinking about the upcoming school year stresses me out.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Where Is This Summer Going?
I blinked and June's almost over. How did that happen? We've already had a great summer, though. We got our vacation and the kids got to go to their very first concert.
Last weekend, we headed to Red, White and Boom. It's an annual outdoor concert that the radio station I listen to puts on. Mostly up and coming artists with one hit or so and then they have a headliner that's been popular for a while. Needless to say, since Mike's stuck in the 70's, he was not at all happy about going. He was a convert by the time the concert was over. Especially after Blue October played (they played just before the headliner, David Cook...although I think they could have easily headlined.)
They've become my summer obsession. Two years ago, it was Maroon 5, last year it was Twilight (although I think it was after the summer) and now it's Blue October. Their music is deep on so many levels. I wish I was able to get Calling You on video but I was too into the song to record it. I did, however, get Hate Me on video. Awesome, awesome and amazing. For those not familiar, this song is an apology from the lead singer to his parents for all of the crap he put them through while he was growing up. The lead singer deals with bipolar disorder and drug/alcohol addiction. The answering machine message at the beginning is an actual message to the lead singer from his mother. Also, it's pretty explicit so watch out when listening around young ones (Mike would cringe every time they would drop the F-word). Please pardon my singing along. Also, at the very beginning, that is NOT me screaming like a banshee! :) However, I do give out a few "whoooooos." Lyrics are below.
Last weekend, we headed to Red, White and Boom. It's an annual outdoor concert that the radio station I listen to puts on. Mostly up and coming artists with one hit or so and then they have a headliner that's been popular for a while. Needless to say, since Mike's stuck in the 70's, he was not at all happy about going. He was a convert by the time the concert was over. Especially after Blue October played (they played just before the headliner, David Cook...although I think they could have easily headlined.)
They've become my summer obsession. Two years ago, it was Maroon 5, last year it was Twilight (although I think it was after the summer) and now it's Blue October. Their music is deep on so many levels. I wish I was able to get Calling You on video but I was too into the song to record it. I did, however, get Hate Me on video. Awesome, awesome and amazing. For those not familiar, this song is an apology from the lead singer to his parents for all of the crap he put them through while he was growing up. The lead singer deals with bipolar disorder and drug/alcohol addiction. The answering machine message at the beginning is an actual message to the lead singer from his mother. Also, it's pretty explicit so watch out when listening around young ones (Mike would cringe every time they would drop the F-word). Please pardon my singing along. Also, at the very beginning, that is NOT me screaming like a banshee! :) However, I do give out a few "whoooooos." Lyrics are below.
Hate Me by Blue October
I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home
There's a burning in my pride
A nervous bleeding in my brain
An ounce of peace is all I want for you will you never call again
And will you never say that you loved me just to put it in my face
And will you never try to reach me it is I that wanted this
Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the tings I didn't do for you
Hate me in ways
Yea ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you
I'm sober now for three whole months that's one accomplishment that you helped me with
The one thing that alwasy tore us apart is the one thing I won't touch again.
In my sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night
While I was busy waging wars on myself you were trying to stop the fight
You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate
You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take
So I'll drive so f****** far away that I never cross your mind
And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind
Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you
Hate me in ways
Yea ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you
With a sad heart I say bye to you and wave
Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made
And like a baby boy I never was a man
Until I saw your blue eyes cry and I held your face in my hand
And then I fell down yelling make it go away
Just make her smile come back and shine just like it used to be
And then she whispered how can you do this to me
Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you
Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ask For a Little Storm...(and a big vacation photo post)
Well, I finally got my awesome storm last night....on what's considered the last day of severe weather season. The lightning started a good hour before the rain and continued well after the rain slowed. The rain came down in sheets. We lost power for just a second so that wasn't so bad. We also didn't get any hail, which was good. We did, however, get some really nasty wind. Enough wind that it blew my hanging flower baskets down. And those suckers can take some wind. I thought about pulling them down but didn't want to be touching a bunch of metal in a huge lightning storm. Luckily, they don't seem injured, so that's good. I saw Jacob in his room just watching the lightning from his bed. It was cute. I joined him for a while and we 'oohhed' and 'ahhhhed' at it all. He asked me to wake him up if the storm got cooler. LOL!
While we were on vacation, they came and inspected our fence around the pool. He left us a note asking if we could get the fence just a smidge closer to the house and that otherwise, we're good. Sweet. Now I can get on with my life.
We got back from our Oklahoma trip on Sunday evening. We were barely in the garage when the kids' friends were asking if they could play. They were certainly missed while we were gone.
The trip to Tulsa was surprisingly easy. Especially since there are no interstates between here and there. We had to take 169 Hwy all of the way. Fortunately, not only was it four lane for a good chunk, it was also 65mph. Nice. We also only hit about 5 towns before Tulsa so we didn't have to slow down much. There's not much in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma...lots of hay, wheat and little oil pumps. That was the funniest thing. We also passed signs for Independence, KS and I realized we're not that far. I'm so going before the summer's over.
In addition to the water park, aquarium, Build-A-Bear and other stuff we did, we caught up with Mike's great-aunt and two cousins, who live in Tulsa. That was really neat. Of course I took a few hundred pictures (literally)...
Daniel at the Air and Space Museum. They had a hands-on portion that they loved.
Jacob was the only one tall enough to do this. He was like an astronaut.
Hannah in a plane
Waiting for the movie at the planetarium
Okay...so on our honeymoon, we got to pet stingrays. I asked Mike to take a picture of me petting one. When the film came back, it was just my hand and the stingray. For ten years, I've been on Mike about that. Here, Mike tries to fix that wrong. Here's me petting a stingray. Of course, I wasn't paying attention to the stingrays and one of them put my hand in their mouth. It felt strange and squishy (not painful in the slightest) but it scared me enough to scream and pull my hand out abruptly and splash the heck out of Daniel, who was standing right next to me.
The kids and Mike pet the stingrays.
This was cool. They had a tunnel where the bull sharks would swim above your head.
The kids outside of the aquarium.
The Oklahoma Aquarium
At the zoo, they had a rainforest exhibit and there were tons of these little blue poison dart frogs.
There were also monkeys running around. So close we could have touched them.
The kids goof around at the lion drinking fountain.
These tigers were too cute. They had such a good time with this ball.
At the zoo.
We ate dinner at the most bizarre steakhouse. Before the steaks came hummus, pita and tabbouleh. Oh, and cabbage rolls!
Did I mention that dinner also came with a basket of ribs and smoked bologna?
Daniel in the lazy river at the water park
Jacob loved the wave pool. I have to admit that I did too.
My little Hannah was fearless. This slide emptied into a 9ft deep pool. The girl had no problem swimming to the side.
I couldn't believe Jacob went down this 7 story tall slide. Three times. That's him going down.
And at the bottom.
Here's Mike going down.
These slides were 5 stories tall. The kids loved it. Hannah comes down.
And Jacob
And Daniel. The yellow one was faster than the green one. The pink one was for the tubes...Hannah was mad because we wouldn't rent one and she really wanted to go down the pink slide.
Mike's cousin, Kenny, Mike's great-aunt Lorraine and his cousin, Robert with us in the background just after breakfast Sunday morning.
One of my favorite things from the trip. We confused the Garmin so much that it stopped telling what road we should turn on. Instead we got, "Left on road."
The kids wait for the Build-A-Bear to open. They were so excited.
Jacob stuffs his bear.
Hannah dressing hers
The kids with their finished products. Of all the things we did in Tulsa, this is the one thing they can't stop talking about.
Daniel is a happy boy.
This is the coolest sign. You'll have to click on the picture to make it bigger so you can read it. This is the border coming from Oklahoma back into Kansas. It says, "Leaving Cherokee Nation."
While we were on vacation, they came and inspected our fence around the pool. He left us a note asking if we could get the fence just a smidge closer to the house and that otherwise, we're good. Sweet. Now I can get on with my life.
We got back from our Oklahoma trip on Sunday evening. We were barely in the garage when the kids' friends were asking if they could play. They were certainly missed while we were gone.
The trip to Tulsa was surprisingly easy. Especially since there are no interstates between here and there. We had to take 169 Hwy all of the way. Fortunately, not only was it four lane for a good chunk, it was also 65mph. Nice. We also only hit about 5 towns before Tulsa so we didn't have to slow down much. There's not much in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma...lots of hay, wheat and little oil pumps. That was the funniest thing. We also passed signs for Independence, KS and I realized we're not that far. I'm so going before the summer's over.
In addition to the water park, aquarium, Build-A-Bear and other stuff we did, we caught up with Mike's great-aunt and two cousins, who live in Tulsa. That was really neat. Of course I took a few hundred pictures (literally)...
Daniel at the Air and Space Museum. They had a hands-on portion that they loved.
Jacob was the only one tall enough to do this. He was like an astronaut.
Hannah in a plane
Waiting for the movie at the planetarium
Okay...so on our honeymoon, we got to pet stingrays. I asked Mike to take a picture of me petting one. When the film came back, it was just my hand and the stingray. For ten years, I've been on Mike about that. Here, Mike tries to fix that wrong. Here's me petting a stingray. Of course, I wasn't paying attention to the stingrays and one of them put my hand in their mouth. It felt strange and squishy (not painful in the slightest) but it scared me enough to scream and pull my hand out abruptly and splash the heck out of Daniel, who was standing right next to me.
The kids and Mike pet the stingrays.
This was cool. They had a tunnel where the bull sharks would swim above your head.
The kids outside of the aquarium.
The Oklahoma Aquarium
At the zoo, they had a rainforest exhibit and there were tons of these little blue poison dart frogs.
There were also monkeys running around. So close we could have touched them.
The kids goof around at the lion drinking fountain.
These tigers were too cute. They had such a good time with this ball.
At the zoo.
We ate dinner at the most bizarre steakhouse. Before the steaks came hummus, pita and tabbouleh. Oh, and cabbage rolls!
Did I mention that dinner also came with a basket of ribs and smoked bologna?
Daniel in the lazy river at the water park
Jacob loved the wave pool. I have to admit that I did too.
My little Hannah was fearless. This slide emptied into a 9ft deep pool. The girl had no problem swimming to the side.
I couldn't believe Jacob went down this 7 story tall slide. Three times. That's him going down.
And at the bottom.
Here's Mike going down.
These slides were 5 stories tall. The kids loved it. Hannah comes down.
And Jacob
And Daniel. The yellow one was faster than the green one. The pink one was for the tubes...Hannah was mad because we wouldn't rent one and she really wanted to go down the pink slide.
Mike's cousin, Kenny, Mike's great-aunt Lorraine and his cousin, Robert with us in the background just after breakfast Sunday morning.
One of my favorite things from the trip. We confused the Garmin so much that it stopped telling what road we should turn on. Instead we got, "Left on road."
The kids wait for the Build-A-Bear to open. They were so excited.
Jacob stuffs his bear.
Hannah dressing hers
The kids with their finished products. Of all the things we did in Tulsa, this is the one thing they can't stop talking about.
Daniel is a happy boy.
This is the coolest sign. You'll have to click on the picture to make it bigger so you can read it. This is the border coming from Oklahoma back into Kansas. It says, "Leaving Cherokee Nation."
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Adventures in Permitting
I dropped Daniel off at summer school this morning and the rest of us headed to City Hall to get our pool permit. We park and head inside. I had no idea where to go so I went into the City Clerk's office and she told me that I was in the wrong building. We had to go two buildings over. Okay. So, we head two buildings over and they tell me that I need to go back over to City Hall. I told them that I had just come from there. The guy asked me if the City Clerk people had directed me to them and I said yes. He told me that she probably heard "pool pass" and sent me there as I was in the Parks and Rec building. He told me to go past the City Clerk's office and go down a hall and I'd find a row of booths with ladies sitting there. That's where I need to go. So, we head back to City Hall.
We go in and I'm still lost. A lady stops me and asks if she can help. When I tell her what I need, she starts to send me back to Parks and Rec. I further explain what I need and she directs me to a very nice lady at a computer.
When I tell her what I need, she tells me that there's no need for a permit for the type of pool I have. Ummm...yes there is. It takes three of them to figure out what's going on and what I need. At that point, one of the guys that was at the house of Friday sees me and thanks me for coming in. The lady helping me tells me that he's the main inspector guy and the boss of everyone there. Huh.
Anyway, she gives me the permit...well, the permit number and tells me that they'll have to come out to inspect the fence. Ugh. Well, we're going out of town tomorrow...she says that's no problem as long as they can get to it, they can inspect it. Fine. They'll be out tomorrow morning.
I'm so tired of this.
We go in and I'm still lost. A lady stops me and asks if she can help. When I tell her what I need, she starts to send me back to Parks and Rec. I further explain what I need and she directs me to a very nice lady at a computer.
When I tell her what I need, she tells me that there's no need for a permit for the type of pool I have. Ummm...yes there is. It takes three of them to figure out what's going on and what I need. At that point, one of the guys that was at the house of Friday sees me and thanks me for coming in. The lady helping me tells me that he's the main inspector guy and the boss of everyone there. Huh.
Anyway, she gives me the permit...well, the permit number and tells me that they'll have to come out to inspect the fence. Ugh. Well, we're going out of town tomorrow...she says that's no problem as long as they can get to it, they can inspect it. Fine. They'll be out tomorrow morning.
I'm so tired of this.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Bring On The Storms!
I woke up this morning to a thunderstorm. I love daytime thunderstorms. When Jacob got up he told me that he'd been up for a while, just listening to it storm. He's being taught right! LOL! It stormed and stormed until about 1:30. Lots of thunder and lightning and a ton of rain. It's cleared up a bit...enough for the kids to go outside and play.
I got the temporary fence up, for the most part, around the pool yesterday. I thought it would take more fencing than it did so I have a whole roll that I need to take back. I had called one of the code guys with a question last Friday and he called me back this morning. I told him that we'd almost gotten the temporary fence done and he told me that that was great and that that he would stop bothering me now. Yay! I have neighbors that are really mad that someone called the city on us. One neighbor, Aimee, really hates it because the people behind her are calling on them about once a week because of their dog. Oh well, Jacob2 hasn't been in the pool since the weekend.
I was changing the filter on the pool and putting in chlorine last night when I saw Guillermo running across the backyard. He was almost at my feet when I saw he had something dangling from his mouth. I took about 5 steps back and then looked when I saw that he'd dropped it. Of course it was a baby bunny. All cute and fuzzy. He batted it a couple of times and then picked it up again and brought it closer to me again. The look on his face was like "look what I got mom!" I told him to put the poor bunny out of its misery and to put the body in a place where the kids wouldn't find it (and I actually told him that out loud!) and went back in. So far, I haven't found the bunny and hopefully I won't.
I got the temporary fence up, for the most part, around the pool yesterday. I thought it would take more fencing than it did so I have a whole roll that I need to take back. I had called one of the code guys with a question last Friday and he called me back this morning. I told him that we'd almost gotten the temporary fence done and he told me that that was great and that that he would stop bothering me now. Yay! I have neighbors that are really mad that someone called the city on us. One neighbor, Aimee, really hates it because the people behind her are calling on them about once a week because of their dog. Oh well, Jacob2 hasn't been in the pool since the weekend.
I was changing the filter on the pool and putting in chlorine last night when I saw Guillermo running across the backyard. He was almost at my feet when I saw he had something dangling from his mouth. I took about 5 steps back and then looked when I saw that he'd dropped it. Of course it was a baby bunny. All cute and fuzzy. He batted it a couple of times and then picked it up again and brought it closer to me again. The look on his face was like "look what I got mom!" I told him to put the poor bunny out of its misery and to put the body in a place where the kids wouldn't find it (and I actually told him that out loud!) and went back in. So far, I haven't found the bunny and hopefully I won't.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Dreary Monday (and my 900th post!)
I had a great time getting my toes done and having dinner with Roxanne yesterday. I'm totally hooked on pedicures.
It stormed and stormed last night. We got the thunder and lightning about 45 minutes before any rain which was kind of strange. It was super windy too. The TV stations have learned their lesson (I think) about breaking into programming for random tornado warnings because they just kept the box up. Gary Lezak on NBC would come on during commercials. ABC was running the NBA finals and you could tell that it was killing them not to break in. I think they learned their lesson after the whole Grey's thing. Every two minutes or so, they'd play the *BEEP BEEP BEEP* and a big ol' scroll across the top. Why couldn't they do that for Grey's? Oh well. Katie Hoerner on Fox (people around here make fun of her for her scare tactics...she actually told people last year to get in their basements with hard hats on) was adamant that she would be on as long as there was a tornado warning in the viewing area and that those of us in the KC metro would have to suck it up. Oh well. Now, it's kind of cold and cloudy. Hopefully it'll clear up soon.
Daniel started Summer School today. He was so not happy with me when I woke him up. It was everything I could do to get him in the van. I picked him up an hour and a half later and he had the biggest smile on his face and wouldn't stop talking about what a great time he had. He's already done the assigned homework for Wednesday and can't wait to go back. He actually told me that he wished it was every day! Let's hope it stays this fun for him!
It stormed and stormed last night. We got the thunder and lightning about 45 minutes before any rain which was kind of strange. It was super windy too. The TV stations have learned their lesson (I think) about breaking into programming for random tornado warnings because they just kept the box up. Gary Lezak on NBC would come on during commercials. ABC was running the NBA finals and you could tell that it was killing them not to break in. I think they learned their lesson after the whole Grey's thing. Every two minutes or so, they'd play the *BEEP BEEP BEEP* and a big ol' scroll across the top. Why couldn't they do that for Grey's? Oh well. Katie Hoerner on Fox (people around here make fun of her for her scare tactics...she actually told people last year to get in their basements with hard hats on) was adamant that she would be on as long as there was a tornado warning in the viewing area and that those of us in the KC metro would have to suck it up. Oh well. Now, it's kind of cold and cloudy. Hopefully it'll clear up soon.
Daniel started Summer School today. He was so not happy with me when I woke him up. It was everything I could do to get him in the van. I picked him up an hour and a half later and he had the biggest smile on his face and wouldn't stop talking about what a great time he had. He's already done the assigned homework for Wednesday and can't wait to go back. He actually told me that he wished it was every day! Let's hope it stays this fun for him!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Super Sunday
This weekend has been beautiful. Amazing temps and clear skies. Mike had the last of his testing yesterday and he did very well. Of course, he won't tell you that. He does have a nice bruise on his hand where he broke one of his boards. The kids' teacher, Lara, also tested, but for her recommended third degree. She had to break bricks. She got nervous and had to take a break but came back and broke them. There was a guy there that was testing for recommended fifth degree and he was amazing. He had to do this speed break thing where there were three or four people set up holding boards and he just went from one to another. Very cool. There's a chance that when Mike tests for decided black, Jacob will be going for recommended black. We think that'll be really cool.
After testing, we went out with Stephen and Roxanne for dinner. Their subdivision has a community pool so we went after dinner. The kids loved it. We then had game night and I got my butt kicked in Rummikub. We're going to have to pull out some Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary for next time.
Roxanne and I are going for a girls' evening tonight. We're going to go get pedicures and then have dinner. I love girls' night. Actually, I'm most looking forward to the pedi. It's been a while and my toes look like crap.
After testing, we went out with Stephen and Roxanne for dinner. Their subdivision has a community pool so we went after dinner. The kids loved it. We then had game night and I got my butt kicked in Rummikub. We're going to have to pull out some Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary for next time.
Roxanne and I are going for a girls' evening tonight. We're going to go get pedicures and then have dinner. I love girls' night. Actually, I'm most looking forward to the pedi. It's been a while and my toes look like crap.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Rant and A Little Bit of Haha
About three weeks ago, we got new neighbors. The people behind our neighbors moved out and this new family moved in. Seemed nice enough...three kids (7...Jacob2, 3 and 1)...Jacob2 is kind of bizarre and annoying (see previous post) but whatever. I didn't think a whole lot about them...until today.
Around 4:30, code enforcement pulls up to the house to investigate a complaint on our pool. Interesting. I asked who it was but they wouldn't tell me. I took them to the backyard to see the pool. I look up at the house with the new family and the dad is on his deck, just a little too interested in what's going on.
The code enforcement guys were very nice. They said that I needed a permit and told me how to get one (they're free). They also told me that because the pool is (get this) less than 4 feet high, we need a fence. If it were 4 feet high, it acts as its own fence. Ours is 4 inches shy. Crap. What's funny is that our pool in the past was in bigger violation than this one! So, we went over all of the ways that we can fence that bad boy in. Since the yard itself doesn't need to be fenced, we can drag a chain link fence (another reason you have to love no HOAs) from the deck to the side of the house. Sweet. Get the permit, enclose the pool ASAP and you're good to go. We all shake hands and I walk them to their truck.
When I come back to the backyard, Jacob2 has joined the pool bunch and his dad's standing in my backyard. Paul, the 16 year old next door who mows our yard and had been edging at the time, comes over to chat with me. I told him what the code guys said and he asked why they were there. Loud enough for new neighbor to hear, I say, because someone called in a complaint. (I could NOT have planned this more perfectly) Paul says, "Who would be dumb enough to do that?" Thank you Paul. After Paul left, I walked over to new neighbor and introduced myself, being as sickeningly sweet as I could be. I don't think they're too happy with the fact that the pool's still up.
Here's why I'm pretty sure it's them. They're the only new people around. Everyone else has been here for at least as long as we've been and no one's complained before. In fact, almost everyone swims in our pool at least once a season. I can't see why they'd call on us now.
Anyway, Stephen said that he'd be willing to help us put in a temporary fence in exchange for a bottle of wine and a lasagna. LOL! So, as soon we'll be having a fence/pool/lasagna party. Stephen suggested we use the bright orange fencing material that they use at construction sites. I still think a barbed wire coil is more fitting.
Around 4:30, code enforcement pulls up to the house to investigate a complaint on our pool. Interesting. I asked who it was but they wouldn't tell me. I took them to the backyard to see the pool. I look up at the house with the new family and the dad is on his deck, just a little too interested in what's going on.
The code enforcement guys were very nice. They said that I needed a permit and told me how to get one (they're free). They also told me that because the pool is (get this) less than 4 feet high, we need a fence. If it were 4 feet high, it acts as its own fence. Ours is 4 inches shy. Crap. What's funny is that our pool in the past was in bigger violation than this one! So, we went over all of the ways that we can fence that bad boy in. Since the yard itself doesn't need to be fenced, we can drag a chain link fence (another reason you have to love no HOAs) from the deck to the side of the house. Sweet. Get the permit, enclose the pool ASAP and you're good to go. We all shake hands and I walk them to their truck.
When I come back to the backyard, Jacob2 has joined the pool bunch and his dad's standing in my backyard. Paul, the 16 year old next door who mows our yard and had been edging at the time, comes over to chat with me. I told him what the code guys said and he asked why they were there. Loud enough for new neighbor to hear, I say, because someone called in a complaint. (I could NOT have planned this more perfectly) Paul says, "Who would be dumb enough to do that?" Thank you Paul. After Paul left, I walked over to new neighbor and introduced myself, being as sickeningly sweet as I could be. I don't think they're too happy with the fact that the pool's still up.
Here's why I'm pretty sure it's them. They're the only new people around. Everyone else has been here for at least as long as we've been and no one's complained before. In fact, almost everyone swims in our pool at least once a season. I can't see why they'd call on us now.
Anyway, Stephen said that he'd be willing to help us put in a temporary fence in exchange for a bottle of wine and a lasagna. LOL! So, as soon we'll be having a fence/pool/lasagna party. Stephen suggested we use the bright orange fencing material that they use at construction sites. I still think a barbed wire coil is more fitting.
Random Friday
It has been beautiful for the past two days. It seems like each day is better than the last. Today we have total sunshine and 80's. Nice. The kids have been living outside, which is awesome. Just another reason we don't have a lot of gaming stuff. They need to be outside playing and getting exercise.
My exercise plan in the evenings is going well. Last night, I managed 30 minutes on the elliptical. Yay me. Anyway, I saw this new piece of equipment that looked kind of like an elliptical and kind of like an arc trainer so I thought I'd give it a try. Yeah, that lasted 5 minutes (on the level 1). That thing was nuts. I don't even know how to describe it. It felt like running in really deep sand. If you don't make your stride as long, it's like a stair stepper. I don't think I'll be going back to this one. I'll keep the elliptical and arc trainer thanks. Anyway, I've also been doing Weight Watchers for the past three weeks along with the exercise. I've lost 7 pounds so far and am feeling good. 7 pounds feels like a lot but I haven't noticed any difference. That sucks. Oh well. I've only got about 33 more pounds to lose...hahahaha, only. I've done it before so I know I can do it again.
Mike starts testing for his recommended black belt tonight. We're very excited for him! I know he'll do well.
My exercise plan in the evenings is going well. Last night, I managed 30 minutes on the elliptical. Yay me. Anyway, I saw this new piece of equipment that looked kind of like an elliptical and kind of like an arc trainer so I thought I'd give it a try. Yeah, that lasted 5 minutes (on the level 1). That thing was nuts. I don't even know how to describe it. It felt like running in really deep sand. If you don't make your stride as long, it's like a stair stepper. I don't think I'll be going back to this one. I'll keep the elliptical and arc trainer thanks. Anyway, I've also been doing Weight Watchers for the past three weeks along with the exercise. I've lost 7 pounds so far and am feeling good. 7 pounds feels like a lot but I haven't noticed any difference. That sucks. Oh well. I've only got about 33 more pounds to lose...hahahaha, only. I've done it before so I know I can do it again.
Mike starts testing for his recommended black belt tonight. We're very excited for him! I know he'll do well.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Summer Time
The kids have been on break for a week now. It doesn't seem possible. Daniel starts summer school next week (Monday and Wednesdays) and he's not all that happy about it. Of course, he asks me every day when he's going to school so who knows what's going on in his little head.
We got a new pool this year. This one is 2 feet wider and 3 inches deeper than the one we had last year. We got it all set up yesterday but it takes forever for it to fill so they really didn't get to swim. Oh, and the fact that it started thunderstorming didn't help. The new kid (Jacob 2 is what the kids call him) behind us could be a problem this summer. My kids don't like him much because he just wanders over and takes their toys (literally back to his house). He's also very mean to Guillermo, which pisses me off. Anyway, we were still setting the pool up and had about 1 inch of water in it when Jacob 2 (he's 7) comes over. "I want to swim!" he tells us. I told him, "not right now. We're still getting it set up." He disappears for 2 minutes and returns in his swimsuit and a towel. Ummm...no. After 10 minutes of arguing with this kid, he finally went back to his house to play on his slip and slide. He felt the need to narrate everything he was doing...my guess is to make the kids jealous that he was doing something they weren't. Oh well.
Mikayla (a little girl that lives behind us) came knocking on our door this morning and I heard her tell Hannah, "I saw you've got your pool set up. It's HUGE!" I wish they could swim in it...it's only 60 degrees right now. It sucks because we've been in the upper 80's. Hopefully, it'll warm up like they say it will and they can freeze their butts off in the water this afternoon. They're settling for Mikaya's trampoline right now...that'll hold them over.
I've started getting to the gym in the evenings after Mike gets home from TKD. Monday, he was upset because testing is this Saturday and he still hadn't been told he could test for his recommended black belt. He's been working his butt off (at TKD 5 days a week) and was feeling really upset about it all. He'd been texting Stephen (one of the teachers, and good friend, who was going for his third degree this weekend) and Stephen told him that he just had to buckle down and be more than ready for August. I headed to the gym, where I ran into Stephen, who was finishing up his workout. We chatted for about 25 minutes (which was awesome because I didn't even notice that I'd killed 25 minutes on the elliptical) and Stephen told me that he'd been told not to test this week. I guess he was not mentally ready. He's not a happy camper but what are you going to do?
Anyway, I take the kids to TKD last night. Jacob decided to talk to Master Johnson about his own black belt testing. Jacob asked about testing in December and Master Johnson told him that sounded good but if he was ready in October, he should test then. There's another little boy who wants to test in October and his mom and I are considering sharing some private lessons to get them ready. Jacob's so excited.
The kids and I come home and eat dinner. Mike comes home after class and tells me about it. He says that they were getting their pads on for sparring when Master Johnson announces to everyone that they need to take it easy on Mike and another guy because they're testing this weekend. Needless to say, Mike's thrilled and nervous all at the same time. He's been working so hard and I know he'll do great.
We got a new pool this year. This one is 2 feet wider and 3 inches deeper than the one we had last year. We got it all set up yesterday but it takes forever for it to fill so they really didn't get to swim. Oh, and the fact that it started thunderstorming didn't help. The new kid (Jacob 2 is what the kids call him) behind us could be a problem this summer. My kids don't like him much because he just wanders over and takes their toys (literally back to his house). He's also very mean to Guillermo, which pisses me off. Anyway, we were still setting the pool up and had about 1 inch of water in it when Jacob 2 (he's 7) comes over. "I want to swim!" he tells us. I told him, "not right now. We're still getting it set up." He disappears for 2 minutes and returns in his swimsuit and a towel. Ummm...no. After 10 minutes of arguing with this kid, he finally went back to his house to play on his slip and slide. He felt the need to narrate everything he was doing...my guess is to make the kids jealous that he was doing something they weren't. Oh well.
Mikayla (a little girl that lives behind us) came knocking on our door this morning and I heard her tell Hannah, "I saw you've got your pool set up. It's HUGE!" I wish they could swim in it...it's only 60 degrees right now. It sucks because we've been in the upper 80's. Hopefully, it'll warm up like they say it will and they can freeze their butts off in the water this afternoon. They're settling for Mikaya's trampoline right now...that'll hold them over.
I've started getting to the gym in the evenings after Mike gets home from TKD. Monday, he was upset because testing is this Saturday and he still hadn't been told he could test for his recommended black belt. He's been working his butt off (at TKD 5 days a week) and was feeling really upset about it all. He'd been texting Stephen (one of the teachers, and good friend, who was going for his third degree this weekend) and Stephen told him that he just had to buckle down and be more than ready for August. I headed to the gym, where I ran into Stephen, who was finishing up his workout. We chatted for about 25 minutes (which was awesome because I didn't even notice that I'd killed 25 minutes on the elliptical) and Stephen told me that he'd been told not to test this week. I guess he was not mentally ready. He's not a happy camper but what are you going to do?
Anyway, I take the kids to TKD last night. Jacob decided to talk to Master Johnson about his own black belt testing. Jacob asked about testing in December and Master Johnson told him that sounded good but if he was ready in October, he should test then. There's another little boy who wants to test in October and his mom and I are considering sharing some private lessons to get them ready. Jacob's so excited.
The kids and I come home and eat dinner. Mike comes home after class and tells me about it. He says that they were getting their pads on for sparring when Master Johnson announces to everyone that they need to take it easy on Mike and another guy because they're testing this weekend. Needless to say, Mike's thrilled and nervous all at the same time. He's been working so hard and I know he'll do great.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Three Day Weekend!!!
What a great weekend it's been. The kids have been outside all day long, playing with the kids in the area. Mike and the kids had a very superhero weekend...watching the X-Men movies and whatnot in the evenings after dinner. I've been into the marathons...Band of Brothers and Star Wars. Hannah fell asleep in the middle of one of the movies last night and slept until almost 11 this morning. I think she may have been a little tired.
We fired up the grill for the first time of the season yesterday. Hot dogs and hamburgers. Yum. Right now, there's corn and chicken grilling and I'm killing time until the asparagus goes on. I love this time of year!
I also got into my gardens, big time, this weekend. The front yard looks awesome. Added a few more perennials and a lot of annuals. It took me forever to get through the mountain of weeds around my roses. I have to admit that it's the first time in almost two years that I've really been over on that side of the house. Mostly because that's where the bunny graveyard is. I finally cowboyed up and got all of the thistles and crap out of there and I could just hear the roses sigh with relief. Now, I just need to get into the backyard and clean that baby up.
Saturday night was Girls Night Out. My friend, Lynne, is moving to Alabama on Wednesday and she wanted one last hurrah. It was tons of fun. Unfortunately, I've only been to the Plaza one other time so I was very confused trying to find it. I can't believe I was only 15 minutes late. We had such a good time that we all decided to make it a monthly thing.
I guess that's about it from here for now...Return of the Jedi's on and I've got to check on the chicken.
We fired up the grill for the first time of the season yesterday. Hot dogs and hamburgers. Yum. Right now, there's corn and chicken grilling and I'm killing time until the asparagus goes on. I love this time of year!
I also got into my gardens, big time, this weekend. The front yard looks awesome. Added a few more perennials and a lot of annuals. It took me forever to get through the mountain of weeds around my roses. I have to admit that it's the first time in almost two years that I've really been over on that side of the house. Mostly because that's where the bunny graveyard is. I finally cowboyed up and got all of the thistles and crap out of there and I could just hear the roses sigh with relief. Now, I just need to get into the backyard and clean that baby up.
Saturday night was Girls Night Out. My friend, Lynne, is moving to Alabama on Wednesday and she wanted one last hurrah. It was tons of fun. Unfortunately, I've only been to the Plaza one other time so I was very confused trying to find it. I can't believe I was only 15 minutes late. We had such a good time that we all decided to make it a monthly thing.
I guess that's about it from here for now...Return of the Jedi's on and I've got to check on the chicken.
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