weird weather

This spring has been pretty wild here. We have had more rain, and two weeks straight of thunderstorms. There was a little break and now we're getting more. About a week ago we had a really interesting day when a thunderstorm came rolling in. It looked like a good one so I got online to see what was going on (our tv doesn't pick up any channels yet, haven't figured it out). Lo and behold, there's a tornado warning, and a report of one being sighted 5 miles sw of our city. Great. I thought we left this stuff back in Kentucky!! So I took the kids (waking Calvin from his nap) down to the basement with a bag of pretzels and the phone, freaking out the whole way. I have nightmares repeatedly about tornadoes, so I probably didn't handle the whole thing very well. Thanks to my mom and to John's fam for staying on the phone with me to tell me what was going on and keeping me from wigging out completely. Thankfully, the kids remained relatively calm and thought it was fun to eat pretzels on a blanket downstairs. We had hail and wind and lots of rain, but no tornado (here anyway, there were a couple down south). But it was good I was down there since our back window turned into a waterfall as the rain built up in the window well started pouring into the basement. Fortunately it's just cement and the drain was back there so it wasn't too hard to sweep the water into the drain and stop it up (or at least control it) with towels and buckets. But it made for an interesting afternoon. I have also decided that Colorado is woefully unprepared for any kind of weather emergency. The closest tv broadcasting channels are all an hour and a half away and the radios (even local stations) were just playing music like nothing was wrong. It was really frustrating to try and figure out what was going on outside.

Here's a couple pics of the hailstorm that came through two weeks ago. It shredded most peoples' gardens so I guess it's good we haven't really done much with the yard yet. Sad though. John's coworker started an organic farm this year and lost all his crop. Pretty tough when your livelihood depends on forces completely out of your control. The hail was at least nickel-sized. All in all, I would say this spring has been Kentucky-worthy. Definitely not boring.

Just for fun, here's a video of me trying to get Calvin talking. It sort of worked. You get an idea of how he's doing, but he's never been one to perform on demand. He's actually quite the conversationalist. He's pretty physically adept as well. I wish I had a video of him yesterday riding a scooter down the driveway and the sidewalk. He's not even two yet! (Okay, he's only got a couple months left, but still!) His latest thing is jumping off couches and chairs, and he lands on his feet! This one's definitely going to keep me busy.

yesterday

Yesterday I got a lot done. It is somewhat rare of an occasion, so I thought I'd brag a little. Yesterday I took the car in for an oil change, walked over to the Kmart while that was being done and bought a new phone, walked back and got the car, stopped at the grocery store, then headed up to the tire store to get a tire fixed (it had a screw embedded in it!) but the tire place was busy with a 45 min wait. I was doing all this towing three kids along (one cranky and due for a nap) so we opted to come back later. We went home and had lunch, put Calvin and me to bed while the girls watched Dora (anyone who says not to use the tv to babysit kids has never had more than one kid), then packed everyone in the car again and headed to the tire store for a fixing. Waited inside for about 15 min and they got it done! Didn't even have to break out the capri suns to keep the kids happy (though we did go through the cookies I brought). Plus it was free so that was cool. Then we came home and made strawberry freezer jam, muffins, a yummy salad and cut fresh pineapple for dinner with a homemade pad thai (it's less impressive than it sounds, since the peanut sauce was already made I just had to cook pasta, and the freezer jam was no cook so it took about 5 minutes. Still, it sounds impressive when you rattle it off). And after dinner I actually got the house picked up, after much harrassing of children to help, and dishes mostly all done before John got home from helping someone move. This does not happen all that often, although more lately since I don't have a dishwasher, though it seems like there's something wrong with that picture... ssshh, don't tell John. :)
I do have to gripe about the grocery store I went to. I have resolved to never go back there again. Picture me with three kids (the youngest hungry and tired) in one of those stupid car-carts that are impossible to steer but you get anyway hoping it will keep the kids quiet for a little longer, pushing down the narrow aisles of a grocery store in the middle of Colorado liberal central. The store is right off CSU campus so there are few, if any, kids in the whole store, and lots of people toting their reusable grocery bags and driving cars plastered with Obama stickers. Can you imagine the looks I got??? I swear, if I hear the phrase, "Wow, you've got your hands full!" one more time... and those were the friendly ones. Then there were the looks of polite incredulety, open amazement, and frank scowls--until they realized I was looking right at them, then they'd paste on a smile. From now on, I'll go to the one down south if I need to go to that store--it's bigger, closer to the family neighborhoods, so there are actually other kids in the store. I still get some looks, but more of them are friendly and a couple are actually understanding. Or maybe I should just start grocery shopping at night when I can leave the kids home. I'm still staying away from that store though.

Emily and friends

So this post is mostly about Emily, but I have this picture to put in first: three little bookworms. I walked in the room and there were all three of them lined up on the couch looking at books. Looks like I'm doing my job (at least the aspect of instilling a love of books in my kids) pretty well, doesn't it?


Over the weekend Emily got a new haircut. She has been chewing on her hair which drove me crazy and I kept threatening to cut it, and nothing got better so I finally chopped it off. She actually likes it, and so do I. She looks a lot older to me, and there's no soggy tangles to comb through, so I'm happy!

Also, Emily is quite the budding artist, I think, so I'm posting some of her artwork. Here is the card she drew for her grandma's birthday (her dad wrote the message out for her, then she copied it onto her card), the artwork is all her own. She's gotten pretty good at those flowers! And notice the chocolate layer cake down at the bottom. I show her how to draw things once, and then she takes them and gets creative.

This is one of the pictures Emily has been bringing home from church every week. This is of Moroni giving the gold plates to Joseph Smith. A while ago she drew one of the First Vision which I am sorry to say got lost before we could get a picture of it. It was a full page production similar to the painting I'm sure was shown in class, with red fire all around them. I am kicking myself for not snapping a picture of it.

This one is of Moroni writing on the plates. Notice the "stylus" in one hand and the plates in the other, fashionably depicted in green and pink. :) Maybe those were just the colors she had. She is usually pretty picky about doing things in the correct colors. She loves color by number stuff because then she knows exactly what color is supposed to be used. If she's going to be an artist, I've got to figure out how to get her to loosen up a bit! But that's just part of her personality, things are pretty much black and white in her world. Makes for a pretty obedient kid, actually, for which I'm grateful. If she knows the right way, then that's the way she'll go, to the best of her ability.

This last one is from a coloring book. She LOVES to color and will spend a good chunk of the day coloring in her new my little pony book that she proudly bought with her own money. Cash seriously burns a whole in her little pocket! My mom says I was like that too, so maybe she'll grow out of it like I did (John would say, NOT!). Anyway, notice how well she stays in the lines, the color choices, and the shading on the bow! I was amazed. Not that I'm bragging or anything...

So there's my update on Emily. I am trying to tell myself I'm not showing off, but as an unofficial artist myself it is fun to see her abilities growing. So scratch it off as maternal pride, and a record for the family. Then maybe I'll feel less guilty. :)

kitchen progression

Okay, here's the kitchen. I don't suppose you really need commentary with each picture, so I'll just put in the points of interest as I see them.

Okay, before I show the current photo, I have to insert pics of our newest addition and one heck of a deal. We found this stove on craigslist and got it for $100!! It was a mess when we got it and we had to take it apart to clean it (which got a little interesting) but it sure cleaned up good and we are delighted with it. Dual elements, a warming zone, and a nifty touch control panel make up for the battered handles that a little paint can fix. We feel pretty smug. :)

Here's trying to put the oven door back together after using a razor blade to clean the glass and scrubbing everything else.

Here it is set up in the kitchen! Minus the control dials, they were still drying. You can see the scratched off paint on the oven drawer and the door handle, but a little silver paint will fix that, when we get to it. We got this thing set up and were amazed at how different the kitchen looked. Thank goodness that 70s monstrosity is gone! Well, it's in the garage.. we're still trying to get rid of it. Anyone want it? :)

Here's the kitchen as it is right now. We got rid of our broken dishwasher and are lookingn for a new one, so that's what the big brown spot is by the sink. One drawer is done, the others are half done, and the cabinet doors aren't even started. Still, I like how it is turning out.

And a functional laundry! No closet doors, and it's right off the kitchen which I am not sure about, but it's working out so far. There are shelves painted white set up in it now, but I don't have a picture.

So there it is. I think that's about where we are at on the house. It has been a lot of work and I will put on record that I have done the kitchen painting almost single-handedly. Not that John hasn't had plenty of his own to do, but it was my idea and I did it! (Am doing it, I guess) Though John has said he would help with spraying the paint on the doors. We made a project list last night and even unfinished it's pretty long, so we still have lots to do, but it's coming along!!

house update, specifically

I suppose I'll start with the main entry. This is the view coming in the front door, that's the railing on the stairs just to the right. Straight back is the dining area and the back door.

phase 1, painted
phase 2, table and lighting installed

Next the family room, which is still a work in progress but coming along...
phase 1, mid-painting

phase 2, painted, except 2nd coat and some trim

Then the living room, which is just to the left of the front door. This is our most finished area right now.
phase 1, painted and toys to keep kids busy while I painted!

phase 2, furniture moved in

phase 3, finished! sort of.

Next, bedrooms:

Calvin's room, someday I'm going to paint a blue border around it

The girls room, can you tell they were excited to have their beds back? This will be accented with a dark and light pink (I think) at some point.

Here's the master. I won't show you a picture of it now because it's a disaster. Stuff is everywhere.

So there you go, I think I will do the kitchen on a different post since there are so many pictures.

general update, specifics later

First and foremost, we've been in our new house now for about three weeks. We have a phone and internet (hence the post) and are feeling a little more settled each day. Though my penchant for painting has been drastically reduced since we've moved in, so the day when things actually are done may get further and further away. Still, we are enjoying having our own place and having Calvin sleeping through the night and in a different room than us, and the kids are loving having all their toys back and daddy is loving the inherent mess (NOT). I will post more detailed pics about the house and its progress later, but here's a decent picture of our new abode. Visitors welcome!!

John celebrated moving in by buying an "efficient" lawn mower... ie, no gas, no electricity, just good old human effort. Good thing he's perfectly happy to mow the lawn himself. :) He was actually really excited to get it, so excited he didn't even change out of his work clothes before trying it out. And getting the kids excited about mowing too... it's pretty cool, Calvin can about push it himself. A fact that will be exploited repeatedly in the future, I'm sure.

John was so excited this year to be able to take his son to the church fathers and sons campout this year. John's dad and brothers went too and they had a good time. Gary found a dead cow on their hike so he was happy, and documented the fact thoroughly on our camera (thanks, Gary). I'll refrain from posting them here.

Anyway, John got to indoctrinate Calvin on the joys of hiking, sleeping in the tent, and eating mounds of toasted marshmallows, so it was a good weekend. I think they even slept a little...

We celebrated Memorial day with a fun breakfast up in the mountains with John's family and some of their friends. They let us tag along, and it was a fun day. Pancakes and eggs cooked outdoors are always better for some reason, and they got in some volleyball and frisbee and bocci ball as well. One man who came was an "old soldier" as he called himself, and it was neat to have him there while we recited the pledge of allegiance and sang God Bless America. The kids had fun at the playground, and then John dragged us up the mountain on a hike. :) It was actually very pretty, though dragging tired kids up a hill (it was a mile, for heaven's sake) got more tiring than the actual walking for me. Emily was complaining about sore feet before we even got to the trail. But we distracted them sort of successfully by finding different colored flowers and periwinkle butterflies. A thunderstorm cut the fun short, and we hustled down the mountain and got to the car just as it started pouring. Needless to say, the kids were pretty tired on the drive home.

So, things are coming together. More slowly now that we're living here, ironically, but we are happy to feel like life is moving along again and we are were we are supposed to be. There is still a ton of work to be done, but we have a great many things to be thankful for. And we are.