Families are what make life rich. Love is what binds us together. Joy is being surrounded by both. ~Unknown
Monday, January 31, 2011
Earlier This Month
Here are some pictures from earlier in the month. We had a day where it was a bit warmer outside and we were just all at our wits' end. It was getting chilly as the sun was going down but the boys were so excited to be outside. We did have a good time, even if I was freezing!
The climber's first haircut
On Saturday we took Finn to get his first haircut. I guess I made a few mistakes going into this. The first is that we did it on a Saturday afternoon when SuperCuts gets really busy. The second is that I neglected to tell them that it was his first haircut when I made the appointment. The third mistake is that when the first person said he was available and could take either Finn or Reid, I had Finn go first so that Reid could take pictures before he was called back. The person that took Finn was a man who had no patience for kids. He got mad at him and complained that he was in the last hour of his shift and couldn't do it. Ugggghhhh! I will definitely NEVER take my children back there again. I quit going myself after this same man dropped hot wax on my eyelid. So, they've now lost all of our business except Reid. Anyway, Reid took all video and no pictures. But here's a picture from last night. Finn thinks his ride-on toy is perfect for climbing. What are we going to do with this kid??
The guy did a horrible job giving him a haircut. We've had to trim it up all weekend. At least now it's above his ears. The only downside is that it looks like he has a bob. Oh well, it'll grow out in a few weeks anyway. And I still think he looks sooooo cute. I love our silly little guy!
The guy did a horrible job giving him a haircut. We've had to trim it up all weekend. At least now it's above his ears. The only downside is that it looks like he has a bob. Oh well, it'll grow out in a few weeks anyway. And I still think he looks sooooo cute. I love our silly little guy!
Beautiful Days
On Friday we had an absolutely beautiful day here. It was in the mid-60s in the afternoon and I knew I had to get the boys outside. So, we went to the park. We had a really good time. I wish we could go to the park more often. As long as we have pretty days, it actually just might happen as Finn has pretty much transitioned to one nap a day. It's amazing how much more I can get done! Here are the boys having a good time on the swings. I feel like all the pictures I have from park trips are of the swings, but it really is the only time that they are both contained enough that I can feel comfortable to pull out a camera. Once we hit the slides, I need to be attentive and alert, so no camera.
Finn really enjoyed his time on the swings and the suspension bridge. He loved to bounce on it! And of course he loved the slides, too. I have a feeling this summer is going to be pretty fun with these two boys!
Finn really enjoyed his time on the swings and the suspension bridge. He loved to bounce on it! And of course he loved the slides, too. I have a feeling this summer is going to be pretty fun with these two boys!
Monday, January 17, 2011
"It seems the Jones' Family has a problem with mold"--Kai
Kai summed it up great the other morning, while sitting next to a box of tissues and wiping his nose. Admittedly, I'm not sure if he's sneezing and has a runny nose from the mold or if it's a cold, but the timing is interesting. So, how'd we get mold? It's a long story. Here it goes.
About a month ago (maybe less?) Reid noticed that there was creaking, shifting, and general warping of the hardwood floor in front of our dishwasher. I was hoping it was something that we had just missed and had always been there. I should have known better. A week or two later Reid noticed that it was getting worse. So, right after New Year's we began the flooring quest. We called in two contractors who both immediately confirmed water damage that most likely was originating with the dishwasher. Why would our dishwasher be leaking? Well, in August we got a recall notice from Maytag indicating that the heating element in our dishwasher had caused some house fires. We had the option of a credit for a new dishwasher, or a new heating element. We chose the heating element. Maytag sent out an appliance company to replace the element (this was in September). They pulled out our dishwasher, replaced the element, and then put the dishwasher back. Fast forward three months and it's leaking. Coincidence?? You decide. Anyway, I called the appliance company and, after being given the run around about needing a work order from Maytag, finally got them to agree to come out. They found that the dishwasher was indeed leaking at the water valve (where the water flows into the dishwasher). The technician claimed that he wouldn't have unhooked our dishwasher to do the replacement but that moving it may have caused it to loosen, or it could have come loose from the dishwasher vibrations. Really, dishwashers vibrate?? (Note my sarcasm.) Well, he fixed the leak and went on his way.
We finally picked a contractor and they came out to start drying our floor. On Thursday the 6th, they left us an industrial fan and a rescue mat. We ran it for 24 hours straight (almost) and they came to check again. It wasn't any dryer. So, they left it for the entire weekend--lots of loud noisy machines running all weekend long in the middle of our kitchen. On Monday, it wasn't that much drier. At that point, I told him to take the rescue mat away because there was no way I was going to turn it on again. It wasn't working and it was obnoxious. So, two more days of the fan and two more days of it not working. Finally on Wednesday the 12th they ripped up the floor. And that's when they found the mold. There was mold extending nearly halfway into our kitchen and then on the other side of the wall on our carpet in the living room.
These pictures were taken after they cleaned up and sanded the sub-floor as much as they could. Once they found the mold, I once again tried calling the appliance repair shop only to be told this time that it wasn't their fault but that I could have done this myself. Uggghh! After cleaning things up, the contractors set up a "neg air" machine to suck up as much of the mold spores as they could out of our air. I think the machine is working pretty well, because before the machine I was definitely sick from the mold. I had a headache and dizziness, like I normally get when there is a landmine of mold around. Unfortunately, Finn was in the house when all of this was going on and so he has been exposed. We don't know yet if he is growing the mold, but we should find out after his next throat culture at the pulmonologist. I certainly hope that he's survived without growing the fungus. He doesn't need that on top of everything else.
Anyway, here's what our kitchen looks like now. The floor is still not dry and so we're waiting. It's been almost 11 days of loud, industrial equipment running in the middle of our kitchen. (the neg air machine is under that white plastic on the right there) It's been nearly 5 days with a dishwasher sitting in the middle of our kitchen instead of working where we need it. It's been stressful. And we won't even talk about how much I strongly dislike the appliance repair company. I still have a complaint to file with the BBB, in addition to calling Maytag one more time to make sure my complaint is filed, as well as negotiating life with our insurance adjustor. Seriously, this has made for a rough first two weeks of the New Year. Here's to hoping things get better soon. In the meantime, we've been eating downstairs, playing downstairs, and pretty much just hanging out downstairs. Oh, and I've been doing dishes by hand. That, my friends, is probably my least favorite thing ever! :)
About a month ago (maybe less?) Reid noticed that there was creaking, shifting, and general warping of the hardwood floor in front of our dishwasher. I was hoping it was something that we had just missed and had always been there. I should have known better. A week or two later Reid noticed that it was getting worse. So, right after New Year's we began the flooring quest. We called in two contractors who both immediately confirmed water damage that most likely was originating with the dishwasher. Why would our dishwasher be leaking? Well, in August we got a recall notice from Maytag indicating that the heating element in our dishwasher had caused some house fires. We had the option of a credit for a new dishwasher, or a new heating element. We chose the heating element. Maytag sent out an appliance company to replace the element (this was in September). They pulled out our dishwasher, replaced the element, and then put the dishwasher back. Fast forward three months and it's leaking. Coincidence?? You decide. Anyway, I called the appliance company and, after being given the run around about needing a work order from Maytag, finally got them to agree to come out. They found that the dishwasher was indeed leaking at the water valve (where the water flows into the dishwasher). The technician claimed that he wouldn't have unhooked our dishwasher to do the replacement but that moving it may have caused it to loosen, or it could have come loose from the dishwasher vibrations. Really, dishwashers vibrate?? (Note my sarcasm.) Well, he fixed the leak and went on his way.
We finally picked a contractor and they came out to start drying our floor. On Thursday the 6th, they left us an industrial fan and a rescue mat. We ran it for 24 hours straight (almost) and they came to check again. It wasn't any dryer. So, they left it for the entire weekend--lots of loud noisy machines running all weekend long in the middle of our kitchen. On Monday, it wasn't that much drier. At that point, I told him to take the rescue mat away because there was no way I was going to turn it on again. It wasn't working and it was obnoxious. So, two more days of the fan and two more days of it not working. Finally on Wednesday the 12th they ripped up the floor. And that's when they found the mold. There was mold extending nearly halfway into our kitchen and then on the other side of the wall on our carpet in the living room.
These pictures were taken after they cleaned up and sanded the sub-floor as much as they could. Once they found the mold, I once again tried calling the appliance repair shop only to be told this time that it wasn't their fault but that I could have done this myself. Uggghh! After cleaning things up, the contractors set up a "neg air" machine to suck up as much of the mold spores as they could out of our air. I think the machine is working pretty well, because before the machine I was definitely sick from the mold. I had a headache and dizziness, like I normally get when there is a landmine of mold around. Unfortunately, Finn was in the house when all of this was going on and so he has been exposed. We don't know yet if he is growing the mold, but we should find out after his next throat culture at the pulmonologist. I certainly hope that he's survived without growing the fungus. He doesn't need that on top of everything else.
Anyway, here's what our kitchen looks like now. The floor is still not dry and so we're waiting. It's been almost 11 days of loud, industrial equipment running in the middle of our kitchen. (the neg air machine is under that white plastic on the right there) It's been nearly 5 days with a dishwasher sitting in the middle of our kitchen instead of working where we need it. It's been stressful. And we won't even talk about how much I strongly dislike the appliance repair company. I still have a complaint to file with the BBB, in addition to calling Maytag one more time to make sure my complaint is filed, as well as negotiating life with our insurance adjustor. Seriously, this has made for a rough first two weeks of the New Year. Here's to hoping things get better soon. In the meantime, we've been eating downstairs, playing downstairs, and pretty much just hanging out downstairs. Oh, and I've been doing dishes by hand. That, my friends, is probably my least favorite thing ever! :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Sunbeam!
Today was Kai's first day in the Sunbeam class at our church. (It's pretty much like Sunday School for the little kids. Up until this point, he had been in the nursery.) I was so proud of him. He went without any problems, walked right in and was ready to go. He just wanted all of his friends to be there. He was great. Here he is all ready to be a Sunbeam.
On the way home we were trying to find out what he had learned in his class. After some conversation, there was a pause and then we heard:
Kai: "Jesus' house is just right there."
Me: "Oh, is the church Jesus' house?"
Kai: "Yes. We went to his house, but he wasn't there."
Me: "Jesus wasn't at his house??"
Kai: "No. But we were pretending he was."
I love this 3 year old perspective on church.
On the way home we were trying to find out what he had learned in his class. After some conversation, there was a pause and then we heard:
Kai: "Jesus' house is just right there."
Me: "Oh, is the church Jesus' house?"
Kai: "Yes. We went to his house, but he wasn't there."
Me: "Jesus wasn't at his house??"
Kai: "No. But we were pretending he was."
I love this 3 year old perspective on church.
Snow!
We finally got some snow around here, and Kai was so excited to go out and play. I was a little less than excited as it was only in the single digits and then when you added in windchill the temperature was below zero. Brrrrr!! But I bundled us up well and we trudged out. Once again, I have found myself asking why it is that we are now in our 4th winter here and I have yet to buy thermals or snow pants. Seriously, what's wrong with me?! Anyway, Kai was quite warm except for his face and the little spaces on his wrist where his gloves kept falling down. He had a great time playing and exploring. We were out for about 45 minutes. Of course, when we came in I wanted hot chocolate and Kai wouldn't have anything to do with it. He only wanted apple juice. Something nice and cold to cool him off he said. Yep, he's 3!
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