More Flooding

Colorado has been under a deluge of rain during the month of May.  I will admit that it has added a whole lot of stress to my life.  Not only do I daily check for leaks within my home, I watch as the river and lake rise and fall.

Two weekends ago, it was discovered that the levee between the river and the lake was breaching.  It was a miracle really that it was discovered at that moment.  If it had been even 15 minutes later, the destruction could have been devastating.  Our neighbor hurried to the breach with his landscaping equipment and was able to stop the breach and throughout the day, larger equipment was called in to shore up the wall.

What I actually loved about that day was the camaraderie of neighbors helping neighbors.  I tried to text our next door neighbors but realized that I didn't have their phone number.  As Chris was returning from putting our kayaks in the storage container, I suggested that maybe he would go over to Harberts and just move their canoe and beach stuff.  He immediately headed over.  In no time at all, Steve H was out helping Chris.  And Grams, Harberts next door neighbor, came out to help as well.  It was a great sight to see.

It continued to rain off and on all that day.  We watched the river steadily rise,  and we prayed...all day long.  We asked our families to pray.  We wanted safety, but a big concern was that we simply could not afford another clean up and repair similar to when the floods hit in 2013.  We watched as they parked the heavy equipment out of harm's way, but close enough to be used if needed.  Two of our neighbors watched the levels of the river and checked the levee all night long.  And then it started to snow.

We averted disaster that day, but the rain has not stopped throughout this month.  I still make routine checks of the basement.  The lake has risen and is at least eight inches above many of the docks.  We pray for sunshine.

Two weeks ago:

Today:

Cupcake Eating

Amy made some delicious-looking cupcakes last Thursday.  Misha asked if she could have one and promptly broke the cupcake in half and added the base of the cupcake to the top of the cupcake, sandwiching the frosting--much like an Oreo cookie.  I thought it was genius, though I wasn't quite a fan of all of the crumbs.  Misha credited the idea to Pinterest! 

Elementary School Picnic

The Elementary School hosts a last-day-of-school picnic at 11:30 on...the last day of school.  It was cold and dreary, and the least sunny picnic we have been to.  I had picked Amy and her friend, Sarah, up from the high school and then stopped at Subway to pick up lunch for every one.  Subway was having technical issues with their register and the service was sooooooo slow.  In fact, we left the building at 11:35 and already I was feeling badly for Kristen because we were so late. 

Not to worry.  I took Amy and Sarah with me to the school, parked (in the school bus loading zone no less), and headed off to find Kristen.  She was happily signing others' yearbooks and sharing her yearbook for signatures.  She came running toward us when she spotted the three of us.  I didn't get any Subway for myself because by the time I was at the front of the line, I wasn't really in the mood for it anymore! 

Amy and Sarah returned to the car because it was so chilly, and Kristen and I sat down next to Mr. King and she ate her lunch.  We didn't stay too long after Kristen ate her lunch.  Kristen has loved Mr. King.  He has been a great teacher for her and really tried to make this a great experience for Kristen this year.  I signed her out and we went in search of Amy and Sarah, literally, since the school bus dude had made them move.  I was imagining the worst, since Amy isn't supposed to drive on her own.  I wasn't very pleased when I saw her and Sarah running through the parking lot trying to find us.  I made her hand over the keys.

Rear Ended

I was leaving the elementary school parking lot on a Thursday afternoon and had pulled to a stop waiting to turn out of the neighborhood.  I had a car full of kids.  The crossing guard was letting the kids cross the street, so we were all stopped, except for the lady who drove behind me and suddenly crashed in to my car.  CRAP!

I signaled to her to pull around the corner and fortunately, she followed me.  As she climbed out of her car, she had her license, registration, and insurance documents in hand. "I'm sorry.  It was my fault."  (Hmmmmm, has this happened before?)  I started texting Chris (who was in London and going to bed soon) while also taking pictures of the girl's documents and our vehicles.

I called the police and just clarified that I didn't need to have them come.  They confirmed that I didn't need police assistance unless there was severe damage or bodily damage.  She had hit me with a resounding thud, but the trailer hitch took most of the impact.  Sadly, it broke Chris' BYU hitch attachment.

While I was taking care of business here, Chris called our insurance for me and got stuff rolling.  An ocean away and even there he can take care of us.

I finally got the kids delivered safely home and talked to their parents just to let them know what had happened and to watch for any signs of whiplash.  (I don't think we were hit hard enough fortunately, but we needed to cover all of the bases for our insurance.)

I made an appointment with an auto body shop for the following week.  I am always amazed at the cost even a small bump can cost.  To me, the damage was minimal, but you never know what might be hidden behind the bumper.  We'll get it looked at just to make sure.

Move-Up Day

Kristen has been worried about who her teacher will be next year.  All students at her school find out on the second to last day of the school year and get to spend some time in their new teacher's room with all the students in the class for next year.

Kristen was hoping for Mrs. Spong.  She knew who she didn't want and was dreading that maybe she would be stuck with Mrs. G (apparently she's a yeller).  She also did not want to be in a portable for the next year with the new male teacher replacing Mr. Johnson.

I knew that her face would tell the whole story the moment she climbed out of the carpool van.  I was a little relieved as I was greeted with this face.  It is a terribly poor-quality photo, but she wouldn't hold still and was bouncing around with excitement.

Misha's Sweatshirt

Misha took a FACS (Family and Consumer Science) class for her last year of middle school, but it was basically a home-ec class.  She learned to cook and sew.  I was impressed with the finished product with her sweatshirt.  She did an outstanding job and got an A!

Continuation

I attended Misha's Continuation ceremony celebrating a graduation from middle school and continuation on to high school.  I thought I was arriving at the school early when I headed toward the school, but realized that so many other people were much earlier than me.  I did find a parking spot behind the school that saved us from having to park in the neighborhoods surrounding the school.  And as luck would have it, Misha's math teacher, Mrs. Pritchard, opened a door at just the right moment allowing us to take a short cut in to the school.

Gotta love her shoes!

I dropped Misha off in the small gym and headed to the larger gym where the ceremony would take place.  It was packed already, but I was fortunate to find a fairly good spot up front.  And then I waited with the hundreds of other family members since we were all so early!

I sat down and started looking through the program and was just overcome with amazement and pride when I noted Misha's name under the Outstanding Science award.  She had received the award earlier in the day as the students had a dress rehearsal.  Telling me must have slipped her mind.  Regardless, I was just so happy for her and quickly texted a picture of the program to Chris who was flying home from Prague.

The ceremony was quite nice, though unfortunate that at the moment I stood to take a picture of Misha receiving her certificate, the row of students directly in front of me stood to get in line.  All of the people around me chuckled and some said, "They couldn't have timed that any better!"  I got a picture of Misha with some kid photo bombing with his big noggin.

 

Misha hung around to talk to friends and her teachers afterward.  I was impressed in talking to her science teacher who said so many great things about Misha:  Misha not only learned science but she also sought to truly understand it.  Misha worked well in groups and when she was in a group, she brought everyone up to her level.  She was just an outstanding student to have in class.

I am so proud of her.

I had to leave to pick up Chris from the airport in a while, but Misha went with her friends Becca and Lexie and their families for dinner and treats and had a blast.

And there's Hunter the photo bomber!

Finals

What do you do when your finals are over?  If you are Amy, you sleep.  And I let her sleep.  She was in the living room and never budged when her sisters got home from school and were making lots of noise.

This girl can sleep anywhere!

Apples to Apples

I was playing Apples to Apples one night for Family Home Evening with my girls.  It was Misha's turn to be the "judge".  Her word was "Sensual".  I watched her reaction as she looked at the definition cards Kristen, Amy, and I submitted.  My card was "rubber gloves".  Misha's reaction was so funny, and then Amy's as well as Misha read the cards.  I was laughing so hard, Amy thought I was about to cry.

It was my turn to be the judge on the next round.  My word was "Cool".  Misha submitted a blank card, so I had to ask what her word was.  Without missing a beat, both Amy and Misha responded in unison, "Not Mom."

Field Day

I hadn't planned to attend Kristen's field day since I think they are always so pathetic, but I changed my mind at the last minute and went to support her.  It was a rather chilly day (the afternoon group was rained out) but the kids had fun.  She wanted me to sign her out for the day, but she would be out of school for the summer soon enough....   I arrived just as they were finishing their last event. 

Rainbows

We had some amazing rainbows with all of this rain.

More of Amy Sleeping

I found Amy sleeping like this.  I had to tiptoe in and peek at her face just to make sure she was sleeping.  She didn't respond when I called her name, nor did she move.

Braces Part 2 - Misha

Misha was so not thrilled about having phase 2 of braces applied.  In fact, the people in the office were kind of surprised.  They said most kids who came in were pretty excited.  She's been there, done that.  It is not exciting.  It is painful for her.

She's not happy here before the application.

And she only smiled because I asked her to.  She's still beautiful.

I did luck out, however.  That evening I attended Amy's Tennis Banquet with her and our dentist was there with his daughter (and she is one of Amy's good friends).  He mentioned that he had just been to a conference where they suggested that the best medicine regimen for pain was 1-200 mg Advil and 1-500 mg Extra Strength Tylenol.  Together they hit different pain receptors and were more effective at taking away the pain.  And, the key was to take them regularly in order to stay ahead of the pain.

I had to explain that concept to Misha when I got home and how it worked for me when I had my c-sections.  If you can stay ahead of the pain and take your meds on schedule, it is so much easier to keep the pain at bay.

This was all after the tennis thing took forever.  I had to stop at the grocery store and get some Tylenol and since I was at the store, I picked up a few more items (especially soft foods that Misha could eat).  I realized at checkout that my wallet was sitting on my desk at home.  I ran home to retrieve that, headed back to the store, and finally around 10 pm, I was able to help Misha out and settle down myself.

Amy's Cleanup

Amy decided last Saturday night that she wanted to try making baguettes.  I was all for it IF she cleaned up her mess.  Well, the bread turned out great.  Maybe not so crusty like a baguette, but it was soft and yummy.  And...she did not clean up her mess.  I resisted the urge to clean up after her Sunday morning and had her clean up the mess when she got up. 

I thought her floury hand placement was pretty funny.  It was a lot easier to see before she sat down and after she did, she said, "I feel a little weird that you are taking pictures of my butt."

Just a Little Nap

One day Amy and I were shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It was after school, but before I had to drop her off at work.  As per her usual after school energy level, she was pretty tired from getting up early for seminary.  Those beds looked awfully comfy--too comfy to resist.  And yes, she did just borrow a blanket from their display.

Basement Finish - Week 1

So, the timing of the leaking humidifier line, though not fun, was a blessing in disguise.  Why you ask?  Because we were starting our basement finish, and it would have leaked at some point.  Having it start before all of the finish work was done was a blessing for us.

Our basement doesn't require much to finish it off. We were able to afford to have it framed, sheetrocked, and textured as well as having Chris' office completed during the house-building process.  All that we have left to finish is the trim, hang doors, tile work, bathroom work, and carpet.  I'm not sure that our budget will allow us to finish everything right now, but we should get everything but the plumbing, granite, and carpet in right now.

This tile below proved to be a bit of a challenge.  We used it in the rest of the house and hoped to finish off the bathrooms with it in basement.  Unfortunately, I found out that it had been discontinued.  Why????  So I had to go and find new stuff for the main bathroom and then the tile guy had to carefully lay out what we had of the tile below to create a decent pattern...and not break a single piece. I am on a mission to find more of the tile but have not had any luck as of yet.

Chris' Weather Station

Chris' dad gave him this cool weather station for his birthday last year.  Chris was finally able to install the outdoor sensor on a post so that it sends info to the screen in the house.

Kristen's Talent Show

I am always impressed with Kristen's courage when it comes to participating in her school's talent show. She always wants to sing.

Check out her video here!

Amy and Tennis

Tennis season is now over at school.  Amy put forth a lot of effort and really enjoyed herself.  In fact, she has already asked for a nicer tennis racket for her birthday in December!  She participated in the Junior Varsity tournament in April with her tennis partner Payton.  She was thrilled that she and Payton took first place.

Unnecessary Human Interaction

Misha tried to convince me a couple of weeks ago that answering a phone was unnecessary human interaction.  That would explain why none of my children will answer the phone, and actually having to call someone is nigh unto torture!

More House Leaks

I think this house is jinxed with all of the water issues that we have had.  I headed downstairs to exercise one morning after getting Amy sent off to seminary and before taking Misha to the bus stop.  I was stopped in my tracks when I walked downstairs and saw a puddle of water on the floor and water dripping out of the ceiling outlet.  And just my luck, Chris was gone for the weekend biking with his buddies in Moab.

I ran upstairs to get Misha, texted Chris, and grabbed towels.  Misha hurried down to help and we put towels down to soak up the water, found garbage cans to catch the drips, and stood back to assess the damage.  Then I began to look for where the water was coming from.  Frustrating because nothing appeared to be leaking, no sinks, toilets, washing machine, fridge, and yet water was definitely coming from somewhere. 

I had called Chris (waking him up), and he finally called me back.  With his help, I got the water to the house turned off, but together we couldn't figure out what might be causing the leak.  He called our builder, Dave, who suggested the line in the attic for the humidifier. I never would have thought of that.  I pulled out a drawer in the vanity.  There was already a hole in the sheet rock for the water line.  I felt the insulation.  Wet.

With the water turned off, the leaking stopped after awhile, but what a mess.  Dave (the builder) arrived around 7:30 am and confirmed that the humidifier line was the culprit.  We could narrow it down to that because of the water damage to the sheet rock and the wet concrete on the fireplace.  (And apparently I was far too upset to take an in-focus picture at all that morning.)

The HVAC guy, also Dave, arrived a little later in the morning to install a copper tubing line to replace the plex pipe.  What do you know? It had a hole in it.  I could do without all of the stress from these leaks.  Some days it is just more than I can handle.

The water also leaked under the hardwood by the door to the basement.  So, I had to listen to the hum of fans for the next couple of days as they dried things out.  Dave and Dave also pulled up the carpet and used a heavy duty fan to dry everything out so that there was no worry for mold in the future.  I wouldn't have to worry about mold if there were no leaks!

Pelicans

The pelicans returned to Pelican Shores about a week ago.  The fishermen aren't too keen on the birds because they like to eat the fish in the lake, but they are kind of fun to watch.  Some days there are just two or three that fly around in formation and other days I have seen as many as seven.

This is for Grandma Ball who missed seeing them by a couple of weeks.  I'll try to get a better shot next time.

Landscaping - Beach

Remember back when I posted about our neighbor Mike's Brilliant idea with camouflaging a huge storage container down at his beach?  We got to be brilliant too!  We didn't think we would have the depth on our lot, but turns out we did.  We had just planned to get a half-size container, but it was only a little more to get a full-size.  It is one of those things that would be nearly impossible to go back and change.

So our beach area looks a mess right now, but yesterday morning, the storage container was maneuvered in to place.  All it took was two skilled drivers and small machines and the container was in place in no time at all.  I was trying to video and take pictures at the same time, so my video is shaky, and I didn't get quite as many pictures.