This little girl may have more than just a "little" attitude.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
5 on Friday
1. Genevieve was baptized on Sunday! A big thanks to her Grandparents and Godparents for making the day so special; especially her Godfather's who gave up part of their Father's Day to be with us!
2. Ellie enjoys being able to swim in the hotel pool. Aunt Megan, Uncle Mike and Cousin Liam even joined us on Friday night for some pool time. Liam did a great job for his first time in the big pool.
3. We broke down and turned in our camera to the clean-up crew on Monday. When all of the electronic items upstairs needed to be replaced and since we could not get the smell out we figured it was time to say good-bye. 2 hours later Nick bought a replacement camera. We love our pictures!
4. Pretty much all of the toys in our house are deemed non-cleanable. The plastic absorbs the smoke a lot, and the cleaning products used are not really considered kid safe. I am going to try and clean some of the downstairs wood toys with baking soda and water to see if that will take care of the smell. Wish me luck. If not, looks like Ellie is going to the toy store. While this may sound like fun, when we told Ellie she could pick out a toy on Saturday at Target she said she did not want a new toy- she wanted 'her toys'. Almost broke my heart. We will see how she does on Monday when her replacement Baby Doll arrives.
5. Ellie has pink eye and got to stay at the hotel with Daddy on Tuesday. I think it was a long day in the hotel room.
2. Ellie enjoys being able to swim in the hotel pool. Aunt Megan, Uncle Mike and Cousin Liam even joined us on Friday night for some pool time. Liam did a great job for his first time in the big pool.
3. We broke down and turned in our camera to the clean-up crew on Monday. When all of the electronic items upstairs needed to be replaced and since we could not get the smell out we figured it was time to say good-bye. 2 hours later Nick bought a replacement camera. We love our pictures!
4. Pretty much all of the toys in our house are deemed non-cleanable. The plastic absorbs the smoke a lot, and the cleaning products used are not really considered kid safe. I am going to try and clean some of the downstairs wood toys with baking soda and water to see if that will take care of the smell. Wish me luck. If not, looks like Ellie is going to the toy store. While this may sound like fun, when we told Ellie she could pick out a toy on Saturday at Target she said she did not want a new toy- she wanted 'her toys'. Almost broke my heart. We will see how she does on Monday when her replacement Baby Doll arrives.
5. Ellie has pink eye and got to stay at the hotel with Daddy on Tuesday. I think it was a long day in the hotel room.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
House Fire
It is amazing how much can change in a day. We are just thankful that no one was home and everyone is safe. The house is pretty damaged in the garage, attic and roof, but still standing. We will be living elsewhere for 3-4 months while they repair/rebuild. While the inside does not have much fire damage, we are quickly learning that smoke damage is just as bad. And we have a lot of smoke damage. Pretty much anything plastic in the upstairs is 'non-cleanable'. Think about how much stuff you have that has plastic on it--- toys, kitchen items, bathroom supplies, etc. I love to shop, but not that much. They do not have a cause for the fire, so we will never know what really happened. They are thinking electrical. We are quickly learning a lot about fire, fire damage, repair and insurance. We are really lucky to have Farm Bureau insurance; the adjuster has held our hand through this whole process and our insurance agent had us set up with amazing coverage so we are not stressed out about that. While it is not an easy, it could be far worse and we are counting our blessings.
Here are a few articles from the day:
Saturday, June 16, 2012
What Really Matters
I may get sad thinking about this
then I remember that this is what matters most
it stresses me out thinking about all the time, effort and money that will go into repairing this
but then this little girl smiles at me and I know I can get through anything
we worked so hard to be able to have a nice place for our children to live and now it looks like this
but having friends that sing and dance to "Ring Around the Rosie" with our daughter is what she will remember when she grows up
society places a lot of emphasis on material possessions
when family and friends are what truly matters
Thanks to everyone for the offers to help, the thoughts and prayers, and being there for us during this rough time. We lost material possessions, those can be replaced. The people in our lives cannot.
Friday, June 15, 2012
5 on Friday
1. Friday over the lunch hour we got the call that the house was on fire. It has been a crazy, busy week since then. We are all safe and that is what really matters.
2. Friday thru Wednesday we stayed with my sister and brother-in-law in Ankeny. They are an amazing support system for all of us, and made the transition much easier than it could have been. Thanks Megan and Mike!
3. Right now we are in a hotel. We have a two room suite with breakfast and dinner provided. Hotel living is not ideal, but you do what you gotta do. Ellie likes the free popcorn each night and being able to swim. We are hoping to be in a condo by this time next week.
4. Insurance matters. Not just having it, or how much of it you have, but the company you work with. Ours has been amazing and has made this awful situation bearable.
5. I am torn, I want the next 3-4 months to fly by because I want back in my house with my things. And yet I want to enjoy every second of Genevieve and Eleanor being as young as they are. It makes me sad to think that Neve will be around 6 months old when we get back in the house.
2. Friday thru Wednesday we stayed with my sister and brother-in-law in Ankeny. They are an amazing support system for all of us, and made the transition much easier than it could have been. Thanks Megan and Mike!
3. Right now we are in a hotel. We have a two room suite with breakfast and dinner provided. Hotel living is not ideal, but you do what you gotta do. Ellie likes the free popcorn each night and being able to swim. We are hoping to be in a condo by this time next week.
4. Insurance matters. Not just having it, or how much of it you have, but the company you work with. Ours has been amazing and has made this awful situation bearable.
5. I am torn, I want the next 3-4 months to fly by because I want back in my house with my things. And yet I want to enjoy every second of Genevieve and Eleanor being as young as they are. It makes me sad to think that Neve will be around 6 months old when we get back in the house.
Friday, June 8, 2012
5 on Friday
1. Saturday the girls and I had the pleasure of watching our nieces/cousins, Sammy and Ally, play in a basketball tournament in town. Since we were unable to make it to the lake weekend, this was the first time Genevieve meet the IC crew (minus Aunt Jessie since she couldn't make it). We had a great time, and Sammy and Ally did an amazing job playing in the 8th grade and younger league (they are going into 5th and 3rd grades!) Ellie was shy at first, then opened up and was all over the place.
2. While we were at the basketball games cousin Ruby was sitting on Grandpa's lap. Ellie was not OK with that and quickly said, "MY Grandpa." I explained to her that Grandpa was Grandpa to Ellie, Genevieve, Liam, Sammy, Ally, Izzy, Ruby, Alex and Natalie. I think she sort of understands, but still likes having Grandpa to herself.
3. On Monday night Ellie and I went to the Waukee library to get a library card and sign up for the summer reading program. As part of the reading program Ellie needs to read 10 minutes or one picture book in order to check off that square... since we read every night before bed this should not be a problem.
4. Genevieve is in the process of dropping one of her feedings (going longer between feedings). The transition has caused her get up at 5AM to eat a couple times this week. I know I should not complain because she is such a good sleeper, but I am not a fan. If the transition was not self directed (by her) we would not be doing it. On a positive note, this morning she slept until her normal time of 7AM! Maybe she has figured out her schedule!
5. Yesterday morning Ellie wanted me to wash her hands off after breakfast. I did. Little did I know that in the process I "washed off" her owie. That was not OK, as she started screaming/crying over it--- telling me to "put it back". I tried to explain that an owie going away was a good thing, and she had plenty of owies on her legs to look at. That did not go over well, and at that point I could not help but laugh at the situation. I suggested she go tell Daddy what happened, which she did. On her way back from visiting Daddy she stopped in the doorway of Genevieve's room (where I was nursing), gave me the dirtiest look, and then walked to her room without saying a word. When I was doing her hair a few minutes later I was told not to talk to her. I guess this is yet another preview of how fun the teenage years are going to be. Oh, and after she calmed down she realized the owie was still there.
2. While we were at the basketball games cousin Ruby was sitting on Grandpa's lap. Ellie was not OK with that and quickly said, "MY Grandpa." I explained to her that Grandpa was Grandpa to Ellie, Genevieve, Liam, Sammy, Ally, Izzy, Ruby, Alex and Natalie. I think she sort of understands, but still likes having Grandpa to herself.
3. On Monday night Ellie and I went to the Waukee library to get a library card and sign up for the summer reading program. As part of the reading program Ellie needs to read 10 minutes or one picture book in order to check off that square... since we read every night before bed this should not be a problem.
4. Genevieve is in the process of dropping one of her feedings (going longer between feedings). The transition has caused her get up at 5AM to eat a couple times this week. I know I should not complain because she is such a good sleeper, but I am not a fan. If the transition was not self directed (by her) we would not be doing it. On a positive note, this morning she slept until her normal time of 7AM! Maybe she has figured out her schedule!
5. Yesterday morning Ellie wanted me to wash her hands off after breakfast. I did. Little did I know that in the process I "washed off" her owie. That was not OK, as she started screaming/crying over it--- telling me to "put it back". I tried to explain that an owie going away was a good thing, and she had plenty of owies on her legs to look at. That did not go over well, and at that point I could not help but laugh at the situation. I suggested she go tell Daddy what happened, which she did. On her way back from visiting Daddy she stopped in the doorway of Genevieve's room (where I was nursing), gave me the dirtiest look, and then walked to her room without saying a word. When I was doing her hair a few minutes later I was told not to talk to her. I guess this is yet another preview of how fun the teenage years are going to be. Oh, and after she calmed down she realized the owie was still there.
Friday, June 1, 2012
5 on Friday
1. I made rhubarb pie on Sunday with rhubarb Genevieve and I picked up at my parent's house last Monday. I love rhubarb pie! It had a little bit too much nutmeg and I got the butter flavored shortening instead of the regular stuff (Nick likes the regular stuff), so it wasn't perfect. But it was still yummy.
2. On Monday we put Ellie's swim suit on so she could run through the sprinkles... she was not a fan.
3. Ellie has moved from sippy cups to 'big girl cups'. I ended up ordering Tupperware ones similar to the ones I had as a child. I am not sure who was more excited to get them, Ellie or me.
4. We had Ellie's year parent/teacher conference on Wednesday. Pretty positive all around. The teacher said she needs to work on her shapes (they obviously did not do the shape app on the iPad that Ellie can do with no problem), cutting (we just bought scissors so this is easy to work on) and using her words. I think Ellie is shy when she gets around (new) people, because the girl will not stop talking when she is with us. She is also in a new room and not as familiar with the kids or teachers yet. Since Genevieve had not been at the center very long we opted not to do a conference for her--- and she is only 9 weeks old.
5. We had a great time with Mike, Megan and Liam on Sunday! All three kids were sleeping at the same time (for about 2 hours!). The adults did not know what to do. And then we decided to play the Wii and darts. Not to brag, but I won in Wii bowling. And I beat Mike in Wii baseball. OK, I should brag about it because I had an awesome game of bowling, and will most likely never win again. I lost in darts.
2. On Monday we put Ellie's swim suit on so she could run through the sprinkles... she was not a fan.
3. Ellie has moved from sippy cups to 'big girl cups'. I ended up ordering Tupperware ones similar to the ones I had as a child. I am not sure who was more excited to get them, Ellie or me.
4. We had Ellie's year parent/teacher conference on Wednesday. Pretty positive all around. The teacher said she needs to work on her shapes (they obviously did not do the shape app on the iPad that Ellie can do with no problem), cutting (we just bought scissors so this is easy to work on) and using her words. I think Ellie is shy when she gets around (new) people, because the girl will not stop talking when she is with us. She is also in a new room and not as familiar with the kids or teachers yet. Since Genevieve had not been at the center very long we opted not to do a conference for her--- and she is only 9 weeks old.
5. We had a great time with Mike, Megan and Liam on Sunday! All three kids were sleeping at the same time (for about 2 hours!). The adults did not know what to do. And then we decided to play the Wii and darts. Not to brag, but I won in Wii bowling. And I beat Mike in Wii baseball. OK, I should brag about it because I had an awesome game of bowling, and will most likely never win again. I lost in darts.
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