Sunday, July 27, 2008

Water, water, everywhere

We got our water bill yesterday, and boy did it shock and amaze. Normally, we get a bill for around $50-70, based on if Luann (over)waters the "grass". Even with the extra person in the guest house, the bill stays in its range nicely.

This month, however, was way out of line. Instead of the usual amount, it said "$256" !?!?!?! There is no way that is correct. Mostly because we had a $600 bill four or five years ago that was a simple miss reading. So I go out to check the meter (in the rain no less), and sure enough, not only was it correct, but it had already gone 14 Ccfs (cubic feet) past the last reading. Holy guacamole, Batman! I could see it going quite fast around and around, so I immediately started checking the outside water access points to see what the problems was. All was just fine. So I shut off the water to the guest house, and sure enough, the meter stopped advancing.

I run to get the keys to the guest house, and see that there is no standing water anywhere, so good thing there. Then I turn the ware back on and hear the noise: the toilet is running. Not only is it running, but it is running quite fast. With three easy turns of the screwdriver, the water is at the correct level in the tank, and no more fast flowing water. Three seconds of work cost me $200 bucks. Darn it.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Roly Poly 3 month old


Mr. S is now 3 months old. I've traditionally taken naked pictures of my kids at 3 months, which is why he is without clothing. He is quite a happy little guy, always eager to smile at anyone who will say "hi". He is holding his head up very well, and loves to be in a sitting position. He also likes to stand up on his legs and bounce. He's learned to get his fists to his mouth, and sucks on his thumb every now and then, but not often enough to call him a thumb sucker yet. Chad is fighting hard to keep him from taking up that habit. He is officially weaned from his swing, since mommy couldn't use it in Mesa. He was worn out enough from all the craziness there that I don't think he even noticed. He likes to read books and has started putting toys in his mouth, although he really prefers just to be talked to. Kaylee asked the other day if we get to keep him forever. I asked her if she wanted to give him back, and she said "no because he is so cute." So I guess he's a keeper.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Buckin' Bronco

We had a lot of fun in Mesa last week! We did lots of stuff, and I know I ran the kids, and my mom, ragged. I'll probably post a few times about what we did, but it'll just have to happen when I have time.


We spent most of the week with my mom and dad, but we got to spend Saturday with Chad's family. The kids probably spent three hours in a small pool in the backyard with Grampa. It was the perfect size for them, especially Kiwi who has some fear of water. Here she is floating on her back, something I haven't been able to get her to do through 3 weeks of swim lessons.










G-man put $0.50 in Grampa's ear and got a ride. Do you think he has a future in bull riding ahead of him?









Grampa took a minute to hold the baby, but I think he enjoys the bigger ones more. They keep running and tire him out so he can sleep better at night

Monday, July 14, 2008

Family Away

The family is away for a few days, so I have lots of time to party!

Oh, wait, I also have too much homework to do. By the time they get back, I'll have written a short paper, written 4-5 slides, written a part of the 20-30 page paper, read 4 different articles, two chapters in a very boring and unintelligible finance book, two more chapters in a more interesting but dense strategy, taken a two-day trip to see the family and extended family, and met with my team. Just thinking about everything I have to do makes me tired.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Tummy "Torture" Time

Here is Mr. S enjoying, for a few moments, what I like to call Torture time. For some reason, my kids have never been too fond of spending time on their tummies when small. Maybe its because they can't hold their heads up very well, and getting their huge noggin up a few inches requires monumental effort. Then, when they finally lift it up, they end up smacking their nose on the ground when their neck finally gives out.








He's getting better, and putting him in the Boppy helps. Plus, if he can get a hand or arm near his mouth, it keeps him happy for a few extra minutes.









As you can see from this last picture, it doesn't last for long.

Duet Anyone?


No, you are not seeing double, there are TWO pianos in our living room. Our old piano wouldn't hold a tune, and since I'm going to be trading piano lessons with a friend this Fall, I thought it might be a good idea to get a new one. I got a good deal on Craigslist (for those of you who haven't found Craigslist, you're missing out). The new one is almost exactly like the old one, except its in tune. I've been having fun playing the piano again, since I couldn't stand to play the old one. We suffered through it for FHE and that's about it. If anyone is interested in a free piano that is torture to play, give me a call! Otherwise, to the dump it goes so we can use our front door and coat closet again.

Monday, July 7, 2008

July Fourth

Fireworks From Afar. That was the plan, anyways. But the monsoons made other plans. We were getting the kids ready for going up on the roof to see if we could spot any of the fireworks displays, and as it got dark, the rain started. It lasted long enough that we were not interested getting wet. We tried to watch a little of the PBS fireworks show, but that was not at all interesting for the kids.

The highlight was the lightsticks that we picked up from Target, a pack of 15 for a buck. The kids played with them for awhile, and had so much fun waving them around. Then they took them to bed, where it was darker, and they stayed up for a time just playing with the lightsticks. As we were going to bed, it was clear they had played until they literally fell over exhausted, clutching the lightsticks.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Seven Years And Counting

Chad and I celebrated our seventh anniversary this weekend. Our gift to each other was a new car! Then, we spent the day with our kids swimming and just relaxing together. It was nice to spend our anniversary with our family enjoying some time to be together. In some ways I think I should feel cheated to have to spend my anniversary with my kids, but I don't. It was a wonderfully happy day that we don't get to have too often. Chad is busy with school, and we are just plain busy with our kids. Having a baby is a bit time consuming!
It seems that the past seven years have flown by. On one hand I can't believe its been seven years, and on the other hand I can't believe its only been seven years. It also makes me feel kind of old and kind of scared. In another seven years Gregory will be 12! Needless to say, I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but Chad. We compliment each other in so many ways. He is a wonderful father and husband, who is so supportive of me and my job as a stay at home mom. When he's not around, things start to fall apart (as can be seen by the state of my home as of late). I definitely couldn't do it without him. I am looking forward to May when he graduates and my husband returns from that dark abyss called graduate school.