Gotchas

gotcha [goch-uh] also known as got you

1. n. A misfeature of a system, especially a programming language or environment, that tends to breed bug or mistakes because it both enticingly easy to invoke and completely unexpected and/or unreasonable in its outcome.
2. n. an unexpected occurrence resulting in unexpected action due to unexpected circumstance unknown to all parties involved. also known as our house!

So far, our gotchas have been fairly minimal:

• 2 brick walls that needed to come down and the wall be reframed
• mold behind the sink/dishwasher/cabinets

{see}

 {original and torn out wall...}

Until now...

The girls and I went to music today and came home to this:

Not terrible. {Old} termite eaten floor joists that had been repaired quite incorrectly!

1. 4 pieces of incorrectly sized boards were attached to the original joists
2. due to incorrect sizing, the joists were not resting on the girders (a much thicker piece of wood that runs perpendicular to the joists and provide additional support)
3. the joists were shredded!

Ok. Sounds worse than it is. Not too costly to repair.

{addie staying on the dark wood but picking up who knows what!}

Take pictures and head out with all 3 girls for lunch and nap at my mom's house.

Get a call...

The very important girder running from one side of the kitchen to the other was also {old} termite eaten causing the structure to be seriously compromised. 

I'm instructed {encouraged} to return to take pictures. 

Feed the little girls. Addie and I eat. Head back home.

To this...

{that's a hole that now spans the entirety of the width of our kitchen}

and this is what i see...

and wood that should dent when hit with a hammer...shreds

But repairing floor joists are easy compared to repairing a girder running the length of kitchen...that is supposed to be supporting all the floor joists that run perpendicular to it.

{sigh} All in a Monday's work!

and random thoughts...

• I hit a squirrel today. I've never hit a squirrel (or anything walking in/down/around the road for that matter). I watched it in my rear view mirror: flip and flop and jump 3 feet in the air. When I drove by later it was gone. I'm hoping I just stunned it, and it's staying warm and dry in some tree somewhere. I'm not counting on it.

• Baby Prilosec is in fact an answer to prayer.

• Addie still needs craves desperately {thankfully} requires a nap.

• Our inside/outside cat Fuzz has figured out how to sneak through the original (ha) hole in our kitchen floor where they removed the chimney. She snakes through the boards down into the crawlspace and then finds her way in and out {somehow}. What this means is that she is not the only creature who could do this. Maybe I should be concerned about the above said squirrel or his family members...

• I'd love to still be in the mountains with my aunt. 

• Every day, many hours and most minutes are more fun, more rewarding and more precious with our girls! I am so thankful for them!

Happy Monday! 

 

(and more interesting pictures to come...of our girls of course!)

Going...Going...

Gone!

The chimney that is. Oh, and a couple of walls too!

You might remember these pictures.

and this one in particular...

but this is what happened next!

Mr. Guy asked Mr. Sammy to put his foot through the hole. Well, I was expecting a foot through the hole not a foot through the wall!

And so before we knew it, all of this turned into this...

And I finally got to see the floor, or lack there of, revealed...

and see the bottom of that blasted chimney that's been pulling the center of our house down!

The ceiling has pretty much looked like this for a week or so...

...and our heater is working overtime (and AC since its been 80 degrees here!), but that's nothing unusual!

Addie, Paul, and I had almost packed up the kitchen...

but weren't expecting the cabinets to come out until the next day.

Instead, we had 3 contractors and 2 plumbers in the house...

and out went the cabinets...

...no more sink, no more stove, no more dishwasher and no more oven (although we'd been without that since the gas leaks!)

But in order to allow us to get to the little girls room, our house turned into a scene straight out of ET.

What has all of this taught me?

1. God is teaching me more about flexibility and patience than I ever cared to know...
2. God Himself is thankfully willing to wait me out until I learn said patience and flexibility. Apparently I'm a slow learner..
3. I guess I've been functioning in organized chaos for a while now, but I'm pretty sure now it's just plain 'ole chaos!
4. It isn't that our house is too small, it's that we have too much stuff. The give-away pile is growing, and the Christmas lists are shrinking!
5. Not having a kitchen sink (or dishwasher) doesn't make things easy, but it does mean that I don't have a kitchen sink to keep empty, clean and shine! ...now I just have to keep the bathroom sink cleaned out! 
6. You can eat decent meals made solely on the grill and in the microwave.
7. None of this really matters in the whole grand scheme of things. It's just a phase of life. It will come and go. What really matters is our family and our three precious girls! 

...but I'll have pictures of what we discovered behind the dishwasher and sink cabinets soon. :/

Ecclesiasties 3: 1, 6-7, 11, 14a

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...

...a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak...

...He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end...

...I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

We May Not Be Able...

...to sit up on our own.

But that isn't going to stop us from sitting up!

Oh...

...and Mommy found me rolled onto my tummy in our bed today.

I guess I can't fool her anymore!

Let's Go On A Safari

We'd planned to go to the mountains to celebrate our 1 year post surgery...and life in general in October.

But our plans changed, and we had to change weekends.

And I chickened out. Too much to spend. Too fresh. Too much.

So, naturally, we decided to stay a little closer to home and...

...go on a Safari!

Because what better a place to spend with a two year old lover of all things animals than a safari where you can touch and feed animals!!!

Here's a little bit about our safari.

You might remember this picture...

...where my camera decided to break.

But I did manage to capture a few fun images of our adventure prior to that last one!

Instead of having to worry about your own car becoming all slobbery and gross...

why not ride in a Zebra car!

Addie felt much more secure in her Daddy's arms...and might have enjoyed driving at 5mph a little bit too!

Audrey Kate and my mom. Anne Perry was in her car seat to the right.

And this is what we saw...

...lots and lots of deer and a moose too!

...white/albino deer. i'm sure there's a more technical name but oh well. according to Addie, this big dear was gorgeous. and she liked the big deer but she didn't?

...shaggy cows (shaggy stinky cows according to Addie) and steers.

and shaggy pigs. but wait, these weren't shaggy. only in addie's memory :)

...and llamas (but these weren't wearing any red pajamas).

...and rhinos (otherwise knowns around here as a rhinocerNos!)

But seriously. What's a safari without a giraffe peering down into your zebra car sticking out it's 18 inch tongue to grab the giant food pellet you're offering?

...one that included zebra's with a super cool mohawk.

...and eye lashes the length of Addie's hair!

Fun times. Sweet memories. Precious family!

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ...and it was good.

Genesis 1:24, 25b

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you

Romans 1:8a

6 Months

You know I'm behind when I'm over two weeks late doing the little girl's monthly post! But better late than never!

Yes, the little girls turned 6 months on November 4th. It truly is hard for me to believe it. I sorta feel like I've sat in the rocking chair either rocking or nursing for the last 6 months and just watched it fly by. Obviously that's not the case, as this blog can testify; but that doesn't lessen the fact that it's so hard to imagine that they are 6 months old, and Addie is 6 months older!

Joy. Exhaustion. 

Blessings. Challenges. 

Awe. Confusion. 

Happiness. Humor. 

Contentment. Busyness. 

Tears. Laughter.

Many times when I look at Anne Perry and Audrey Kate, I am reminded of where they were and what they went through. I think of them as daily reminders of God's grace and goodness. They are such a joy to watch as they explore and discover the world around them.


Anne Perry...

is still our little observer. She watches and takes things in.

She loves our jumpy exersaucer and loves to move when she's upright. She's not so much a fan of the floor. She's yet to roll from her back to her front, but she can sit on my hip and hold on like a little monkey. And that's her preferred location. Either on my hip or in a carrier snuggled up against me.

She loves to say dadadada and breaks your heart when she does that while crying! Her little disposition has gotten significantly more positive with much less crying now that we've started these new reflux meds. Oh what a blessing! I love seeing her little personality emerge, with sweet grins and jumpy legs. She's found a few favorite toys and plays with them intently.

Although probably a little more serious than her sister, this little girl's passion for whatever she might want (or not want) will serve her well in life! There's no doubt that she's got {demanding} determination and gusto for life!

Anne Perry's measurements:

weight:  17lbs 9.5oz/75th%ile (from 15 lbs 6 oz/90th%ile at 4 months)

length: 26.8 inches/75th-90th%ile (from 25.125 inches/75th%ile at 4 months)

head circumference:  44.2cm/90th%ile (from 42.4 cm/75th%ile at 4 months)

Audrey Kate...

is our little social butterfly. She loves to interact with people. She's just as much of an observer as Anne Perry but would much prefer to make eye contact and break into her little toothless grin.

She loves rolling around on the floor, and it doesn't take long for us to find her across the room from where she's started. She will be crawling before we know it! She, on the other hand, isn't so much a fan of the jumpy exersaucer. She's still pretty floppy on my hip but can tripod sit for a few seconds before toppling over.

She loves to say mamamama and also breaks your heart when she does that while crying! When she's sleepy, Audrey Kate can fall asleep in about any position in any location. It's precious to feel her little body relax and realize her little head is bobbing off to dreamland.

Although probably a little more laid back than her sister, Audrey Kate has a cry that lets you know exactly how she feels! It's not heard too often, but when it is, it makes you want to scoop her up and cuddle her immediately! And quite the cuddler she is!

While both girls adore their big sister, Audrey Kate thinks Addie is simply wonderful...even after quite a few incidents involving tears on her part and time out on big sisters part. Her pretty blue eyes are much bigger when she's looking up  than they appear otherwise (no, i did not enhance or saturate their color here! and yes...i know she got featured yesterday on the blog by herself and she has one more picture here than her sister...i will make up for it ;) I love how sweet and gentle this little girl is!

Audrey Kate's measurements:

weight:  16lbs 8.5oz/50th-75th%ile (from 14 lbs 9 oz/75th%ile at 4 month)

length:  27.2 inches/90th%ile (from 24.875 inches/75th%ile at 4 months)

head circumference:  42.5cm/50th%ile (from 41.4 cm/50-75th%ile at 4 months)

Neither girl seems interested in sitting up. I found Addie holding Audrey Kate's hands to make her sit up the other day. The minute I said, let's not do that, she dropped her. Thump. And Audrey Kate went right on playing. So in almost every room we have two baby spots: the floor, a bumbo, a little swing, a bouncy seat, or the jumpy jump.

Both girls almost always go to sleep on their own with their lovie and paci. We might have to replace the paci a few times, but there are hardly any tears and they most often drift off to sleep quickly. Anne Perry is still demanding (and I mean demanding) that night time feeding. Audrey Kate most often goes through the night without even waking up for a paci. 

Solid foods are another story. Anne Perry pretty much sucks down anything we put on a spoon. She's got the little open mouth baby bird thing down. She loves her rice cereal mixed with anything: sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, pears, bananas and even prunes! Audrey Kate on the other hand, has been a champion nurser since her first try in the recovery room! She could take or leave this solid food thing. She makes the worst faces when she takes that first bite! She doesn't much like anything, but she really dislikes peas! We found organic baby food on serious sale a few weeks ago. So we're pulling from that right now. With the kitchen about to be dismantled, I'm waiting to make any baby food this go round. It kinda makes me sad because I enjoyed that so much with Addie; but since we only currently have about 3 weeks worth of on sale baby food, I have a feeling I'll have a chance still to make some.

As I mentioned above, Dr. B changed the girls reflux meds (after she saw AP spit up at their 6 month visit). Amazing, amazing stuff. Anne Perry hasn't been hoarse or congested and Audrey Kate is spitting up significantly less and less often! Oh so thankful!

And I leave you with the ever intelligent random musings of two 6 month olds! (because I want to post these pictures :)

AK: {observing}
AP: look what i can do.
AK: hmmmm, yes, i see 
 
AP: oh look at daddy. why is he jumping around and making silly faces like that?
AK: i'm just getting comfortable here. want to come down here with me?

AK: mmmmm, yummy shoulder sis.

AP: oh look at our big sister! wow!
AK: well i'm going to look at that big round black thing in front of mommy's face.

I am so thankful for the two precious little girls God has given us. They are so different and yet so alike, and I love every ounce of each of them! We love you little girls!