*#@!!@#%*

So last night when we went to bed, I noticed a strange bubble like thing on our wall behind our bed. I said to Wayne, "Hey, what's that?" He said, "Looks like a bubble."(Our nighttime conversations are so full of high intellect!) So after poking it a bit I said, "What do you want to do?" To which he said, "I don't want to have to think about it right now." I said, "OK, I think we should ignore it then."

Not that it would have made a difference, but that was probably the wrong choice. After checking the area again this morning, I did not like the feeling and went to the basement to find a 5 ft. puddle on the floor directly beneath our bedroom. This is not the first time we have had a leak in this particular area. And if you've talked with me about our lovely house you probably know that I live in daily fear of more plumbing leaks. Thankfully my wonderful Dad was here and helped me turn off the water to the upstairs and the leak stopped. But we knew what we would have to do and when Wayne got home, he started ripping apart the completely saturated drywall that we had just freshly painted in my very peaceful feeling bedroom. What's worse than the fact that the leak is behind a wall, is the fact that it seems to be between the ceiling of our bedroom and the floor of the bathroom upstairs making it nearly impossible to reach it without at once ripping into our wall and the floor upstairs. So this looks like it will be our weekend.






















I must say that this is one of many stressful things that have recently popped up on our radar. None of them being all that terrible. The leak will get fixed and I will again have a peaceful bedroom. It's one of those things that happens that you say, "Could have done without that!"

So we continue to try and get ready for the new baby. We decided to move our bedroom downstairs, and the room we were occupying upstairs will then become the baby's new room. Not like I have any hopes that she will sleep there at first, maybe for naps if I'm lucky. But the bedroom downstairs needed some work. Wayne put up a new ceiling and installed a ceiling fan/light. He put lovely crown molding up, which makes me want to put it in the whole house, it looks so nice. And then had to rip out the closet walls, due to mold, and re-insulate them and put new drywall back up. God bless the handy husband!! So here is our finished bedroom, though I could use more decorations on the wall, for now it is fine and actually very peaceful feeling.

New Years seems a lifetime ago so I better post something else. So what do you do when it is sub-zero temps outside?? No really, I'm asking because almost all of us(except maybe the cats) have cabin fever. The kids want to make a snowman in the worst way but there has been a wind chill advisory all week so that idea is a no go. Here they were playing with some of Wayne's hats and looked so cute I had to take a picture.












Here our bored puppy is trying to entertain himself with Sneakers the cat, who has sought refuge in the sink. Note his disdainful expression. We still have not been forgiven for bringing Possum home. Possum has cabin fever worse than any of us I think and he wages a daily war on my slippers, while they are on my feet.














This was really hysterical! For Christmas, "Santa" gave Denver these LED "glasses". They don't have lenses, just the frames you see with lights on the sides. She LOVES them and wears them at night to read a book before going to sleep. Last night before we went to bed, we walked in to check on them, and there were her glasses still on with her sound asleep. She looked like a little alien! In truth, she got them from a PTA fundraiser as a prize and I had tucked them away as a stocking stuffer. She thinks they are great though.

2009 Resolutions

I keep trying to set aside time to put more thought into this but so far I haven't had that moment of clarity where peace just transcends my thoughts and I have that zen-like state where I say,"Oh now I know what I want to accomplish." When I asked Denver what her resolution was, she thought for about 8 seconds and said, "To make my bed every morning." And then skipped away, on to the next thing. Maybe my resolutions should be like that. If I can't think in 8 seconds what I really would like to do, maybe it's too complicated. I know that some of these thoughts have been hanging out in my brain for a while now. So here goes...

• Have a Will made-I'm ashamed we haven't done this yet. It was on the resolution list for 2007 and 2008.
  
• Play more with my kids-Ya' know the carefree kind, without thinking about the laundry or dinner or what else I could be doing instead of enjoying their childhood.
• Dance more(No not in the living room, on the ballroom floor!)(Post baby)
• Focus less on me and more on others.
  
• Maintain a spirit of Thankfulness.
  
• Start Volunteering at an old folks home- Ever since Grandpa died I feel an old person void. Not just in me but with the girls too. I liked that they were around him so often that they didn't have to stare in drop jaw fashion when he had denture issues. Not that I could realistically say I miss denture issues, just that there was a comfort level there with the girls and him. It was nice and felt like family should. I always thought that the worst thing for Grandpa would be loneliness. And I'm sure that there are people out there whose day could be brightened by a craft made by little hands and a smile from a little girl in her Sunday Best. I'm not sure when I can fit this in, especially with number 3 8 weeks away. So clearly the logistics need to be worked out still.

Well, maybe I should stop there. I don't want to go too crazy. Hopefully all these things are manageable. And hopefully by typing them out for all of you who read this blog(ya' know all 5 of you) will help me feel a sense of obligation to do as I said I would. Happy New Year.

2008 in Review

So a little look back into 2008 for our family and try to name our most memorable moments and perhaps something we may have learned from them.

• Losing Grandpa-Such a sad, sad time for us and I could write an essay about what I learned but I guess, to sum up, I learned that it is incredibly important to advocate for people who cannot do it for themselves. That, along with birth, death is also a very sacred moment. That kids have a capacity to learn everything, including how to grieve and how important it is to teach them healthy ways to do it. That I will likely always miss my Grandfather and look forward to heaven a little bit more now, knowing he's there. I learned mostly that there is never as much time as you think.
• Expecting Number 3!!-I looked at Wayne the other night and asked, "Are we crazy for going for number 3?" Granted this was after one of those days where I was interrupted 100 times while trying to complete 1 task that should have only taken a half an hour, and every single new toy from Christmas had to be opened and played with and then not put away. Wayne answered, "No, we're not crazy for trying for a third, we're optimistic. We'd be crazy if we went for number 4!" If I am learning anything from a third pregnancy it's that I don't really want to do it again.
• Our Maine Vacation-Such a fun time for all of us after a very difficult Spring. I learned that having family and friends we can vacation with is a wonderful thing.
• 2008 Summer Olympics-This is a little cheesy I know, but this was the first Olympics the girls could really understand and they were into them in a way that was unexpected to me. Also, seeing Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win consecutive Golds was a great volleyball moment. Plus, Michael Phelps was enthralling to watch compete. In a way, it was a great lesson in Pride of Country for our little ones.
• Nazareth Winning Section V Volleyball Tournament...again.-And what an incredible game it was. There are only a few volleyball moments that stick out in my head as WOW-moments but that game will always be one of them. Winning by only 2 points in a 5 game match was thrilling. A few lessons-Adrenaline does not hurt a fetus, belief and perseverance are very strong allies to have on your side, and that there are some high school students out there who are truly remarkable people, and I am lucky enough to be able to work with many of them.
• Denver starting Kindergarten and Willa starting Preschool-This has been such a fun part of this year because Denver has exploded with her reading and writing ability. A couple times now I have asked her to take Willa upstairs and read her a story and tuck her in for nap and surprisingly, she does, happily. I can sense her confidence growing weekly and with the way her school teaches writing, she really views herself as competent to write stories. Willa has also really thrived with the experience of going to her own school. If for no other reason than she has an important thing going on in her life, just like Denver.
  

So that's our list. I'm sure there were other great and memorable moments, I just can't think of them right now with my stayed-up-too-late-last-night brain. I'll be working on my resolutions for 2009 now and maybe post them. Hopefully, that will be enough accountability to help me achieve them.

Happy New Year!!

This New Years we spent at my Brother and Sister-in-laws. And surprisingly, our girls managed to stay awake for the big event! These pics make Willa look like the party animal but rest assured, moments before midnight she was curled up on just about anyone who would sit still. We even had a sleepover, which to two little girls was the best thing ever!! Possum even got to come to the party and had an exhaustive time playing with Ripley, my brothers very large German Shepherd.