The Finish is in Sight

So here's the latest update on our remodel. We are almost finished, at least the builders are. We still have to lay tile, install wood floors, and add baseboards and any other finish work. We are also out of money so it's going to get very tough from here on out. We are definitely excited for the end though. We've been through lots of bad weather. So this post won't real funny or anything. I just need to pad my November posts a bit and the Christmas holidays will probably give me enough stories.

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So to recap. Here is my beautiful yard back in April, and it remained that way all the way through June. We had a pretty awesome birthday party for Savvy then. Of course that was the last good day my grass saw since the ponies had it for lunch.

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Phase 1: Destroy yard, build foundation. Yup, all the dirt and concrete that made up the patio had to be removed and place on top of my yard. Sigh...the price of progress. This all started in August so unfortunately, we missed out on the rest of summer in our backyard.

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Phase 2: Start building according to plans...right! This is where we got hung up for a few weeks. Initially, this was all the framework we hired for. But somehow the contractor convinced us the house was all wrong and we needed to build more. So we had to go back to the drawing board and back to the bank. Oh, and trust me on this - NEVER EVER use LendingTree.com. It's only a big headache.

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Phase 3: Destroy Mother-In-Law. So now it's October and we're finally getting to see some demolition. The roof came off and the rains came down. It also happened to be the worst rainstorm of the year. We did find out the roof and walls were supported with log beams so we're hoping to find a way to incorporate them back into the room. Plus those log beams weren't exactly stable either so the east and west walls had to be completely removed and rebuilt. Yay!

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Phase 4: Trusses! The magic word! Engineered by the finest minds in the 2x4 industry. My dad warned me not to raise the roof because of the cost, but when did I start listening to my parents? This was at the end of October and the rain was still coming. We needed to build and seal this off soon. And we couldn't do laundry either since it was all outdoors. (Don't worry, I just turned my undies inside out.)
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Phase 5: Boxed In! So by the first of November, we finally had all the walls and roof covered. You can see in the picture where the bathroom (left) and walk-in closet (right) will be in the master bedroom. We installed some french doors and built the laundry room up for inside access. By the end of the month now, we've got plumbing, electrical, insulation, and some siding done. We had some pauses in work because of inspections but we should be done within a couple weeks.

RatatouEEK!

So most of you have heard "The Rat Story" by now, but for those who haven't, let me fill you in on the "Worst Week of Sleep Ever (Title in Progress)"

We've heard things in our walls from time to time, but nothing has ever ventured out into our home and never left evidence. Well, I just happened to be cleaning out the side of Savannah's bed because a ton of her books had fallen down. Lo' and behold, there were a colony of little poops. Now, I had just made Savvy's bed about a week before and actually Swiffered out the crackers and various other snacks that had been down the side because of this very fear...that animals would enter our abode! Now we had to wonder what happened to the animal. Fast forward to about 12:30am, Brooke began hearing rat noises downstairs. We had an argument about the actual location and the actual existence of said rat, but as always Brooke won. The rat had disappeared because of the commotion and did not return until an hour later. Brooke decided to prove me wrong and went downstairs at the next sign of noise. Sure enough, the rat had left behind more poops and some carpet threads he was digging out. The hunt was on. I spent the rest of the early morning trying to find him and actually managed a glimpse of him. He was pretty big. Not cat big but maybe chihuahua big.

After a fruitless night of attempted captures, I went to Lowe's and bought a handful of rat traps and some poison. Again, the rat began his attempt to get upstairs in an effort to jump up on our bed, lay some more poop, and probably bit Brooke in the neck (at least that's how Brooke imagined it would happen.) Anyway, I searched high and low for him all night and still couldn't find him. I watched him run under the fridge then under the table and then disappear. That rat knew how to hide. And he obviously was not falling for the traps. We also figured that he couldn't get back upstairs and that was his ultimate goal. So I went back to Lowe's and got the ultimate trap...the Glue Trap. Since I knew he would be back at the door, this trap was ideal. I laid the 2 bases right at the base of the door. At 11:30pm, like clockwork, the rat showed up again. But this time, instead of digging and tearing noises, we heard shuffling and squeaking - the little pest was caught! Now the fun began.

I opened the door to get out but the rat used the opening as leverage to loosen himself. Brooke tossed me a bag to stuff in his face to keep him from getting away. I squeezed out the door and closed it. The rat was laying there, obviously exhausted, but still alert. He was now very nearly free with his tail and hind end the only thing holding him back. I quickly flipped the one half of the glue trap on top of him making a rat sandwich. I picked him up like a pair of tongs. He tried to bite me. I got angry. I planned to fling him outside quickly since I didn't know how long I could hold him in the trap. But he managed to get a slight grip on the floor, twisted himself out of the trap, and ran past the open door underneath our coat rack. That's about the time Brooke heard loud cursing downstairs. I laid down the traps and pulled out the coat rack. I saw his tail as he tried to climb up the wall out of view. I ran to the kitchen to grab the real tongs I had laid out for just such an occasion. I tried to grab him, but he sensed my weak attempt and ran back through the house, past the OPEN DOOR! and under the refrigerator. I laid down the traps again and started yanking out the fridge. I managed to run him over two times, yielding two satisfying squeaks. He ran out across the kitchen, albeit at a slower pace and tried hiding up in the dishwasher door. Now I had him! His tail was hanging tiredly down so I grabbed him with the tongs. I tried putting him in a plastic sack when he started doing this hurricane spin move. I managed to get it over his head but I held tight with the tongs. I went the the trash bin, flipped the lid, and aggressively slammed this giant inconvenience to the bottom, relieving me the burden of sleepless nights and paranoid wives. I came inside, cleaned up, and opened the door to go back to bed. Brooke asked if he got away (because of all the cursing.) I said back, "It's all over. Go back to bed." We never slept so well.

So, go figure, Ratatouille was released on DVD the next week. Grandma Joni decided it would be fun for the girls to watch on a babysitting night. After the whole movie was over, Grandma asked if they liked the movie and what they thought about the rat since the girls were very aware of the work it took to catch the filthy bugger in our house. Savannah replied, "That rat was a good rat because he didn't go poop once the whole movie. He held it in the whole time." Well said.

Halloweek

The night is finally over! We had such a long week building up to Halloween and it's still only Wednesday. I guess Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are for candy stuffing and Sunday is the Candy Sabbath. It's not like you, the reader, have forgotten this but Halloween is a night for candy. All the dressing up is fun and all but it's not the main purpose of the night. If it weren't for the candy, nobody would bother dressing up to knock on doors and say, "See my sweet costume?" I know this because I saw a young boy dressed as Professor "Mad-Eye" Moody (from Harry Potter) and his costume consisted of a halved styrofoam ball with an eye drawn on it attached to a string, a stick with another styrofoam ball attached to the end, and gray sweat pants. That's not what you call a "good" costume. That's an excuse to get candy. I guess there is at some point an attitude change where it's fun as an adult to dress up because the cool thing about being grown up is you can buy a ton of candy for a lot less cost and effort as a costume.

So our week started Sunday with Pumpkin carving, which is my favorite activity on Halloween. The three pumpkins shown actually grew in our garden in the back. The two big ones had already been picked weeks before to make room for the builders as they worked on that side of the house. Savannah was upset that we hadn't gotten her a pumpkin to carve so we dug out a flashlight and went searching for any little pumpkins that may have survived a trampling. Lucky enough, there was one such pumpkin close under the eaves. He was resting on top of a water pipe which explains the deformity. But I love deformed pumpkins for making interesting carvings. Savannah help by drawing her design on her little pumpkin for me to make a carving out of it.

On Monday, it rained all day. Brooke made pumpkin seeds.

Tuesday, we headed out to Schuh Farms' Pumpkin Patch like we do every year for pictures and pumpkin hunting. Paige didn't have a pumpkin of her own so we had her pick one out. We dressed the girls in their costumes and had them run around the field looking at pumpkins and generally playing around. Despite the cold and frost, the girls had a fun time like they do every year we go. Luckily we had a dry, sunny morning since the rain does not want to stop this month. We went home with a tall, skinny pumpkin, some farm-fresh apple cider, and two tired girls.

Then came the big day. The morning was pretty regular - make mess, clean up, make mess, clean up, eat breakfast, make mess, clean up, etc. Then NAPTIME! Daddy's favorite time of day! Soon after they woke up, we got dressed, put on makeup, grabbed our flashlights and bags and drove downtown. Every year Sedro-Woolley closes down the main street for a children's parade. Since this was the first year Halloween fell on one of my non-work days, I was excited to participate. Unfortunately for my expectations, it was more of a walking mob than a Shriner-Driving-Small-Cars type of parade. But, again, it's all about the candy. Each storefront handed out treats to all who came. As we walked up and down the street with the crowd, the girls were rewarded with candy, toys, a donut, and a toothbrush from the downtown dentist. Brooke and I are such good parents that the toothbrush was our girls' favorite prize. After freezing their little wings off, we decided to go back home, eat dinner, and wait for mommy to come home before heading back out again.

Trick or Treating with the girls is fun year after year. You never know how they'll react. Savannah loves scary monsters and cartoons, a combination which has manifested itself in a love for all things Scooby-Doo. Paige is a little scaredy cat and frightens easily. So as we are door knocking from house to house, a man in a scary masked opened the door and held out his candy. Savannah took one look at him and turned and ran to hide behind me. Imagine our suprise when sweet, little Paigers walked right up and said "Trick or Treat!" I guess we could have guessed that reaction since Paige's affinity for candy is pretty high as well. The girls got plenty of scares and excitement so we went back home. The best part of the night was watching the girls drool over their piles of candy like pirates and their gold. Savannah looked at every piece and picked out all the candy she didn't like. Then we wrapped up the night with a screening of Monster House and into bed. Now we just have to hide the candy.

A Spooktacular Halloween Costume Party

Costumes...this is what every child looks forward to come Halloween time. What should I be? Savannah scanned the racks looking for a Freddy costume (from Scooby-Doo) but ended up eyeing a sparkly Tinkerbell costume complete with shimmering silver wings. Little Paigers also eyed all the sparkly, shimmering costumes and chose a Ladybug that also included glittery wings and a ladybug wand. The girls couldn't wait for the day to come when they could wear their carefully chosen costumes. It came soon enough when they got invited to their first kids Halloween costume party.

The evening began when they entered through thick fog with spiders, bats, and pumpkins lining the entrance into the party. They were greeted by a huge life size talking banana (my friend's husband). They then stood in complete awe when they saw a whole room full of children their ages dressed in all sorts of fun costumes. Among them was Snow White, Captain Hook, Minnie Mouse, Dumbo, a cheerleader, and a pumpkin to name a few. The girls were directed to a decorating table where they got to decorate lunch sacks with bat and spider designs. Or I guess you could say they glued as many eyes and cotton balls they could to a black circle on their bags.... it was SUPPOSED to be a bat or spider, but with toddlers it looked more like a uniquely and well glued sack. Little did they know these sacks would be used for all the prizes and treats they won from games they got to later play. The fun had only just begun.

First up was Musical chairs. Savvy played one round and decided she wanted to sit out and watch the other children play. Little Ms. Paige actually won the game. Seeing her scamper as fast as she could for a chair once the music stopped was hysterical. Actually seeing little 2 year-olds wandering around aimlessly was hysterical. Savvy sat on the sidelines cheering her little sister along and nothing was more cute then seeing Paige winning the game. She sat so proudly in that chair with a huge grin on her face. She got to pick a prize from a big sack of Halloween prizes. She chose a Mummy flashlight which made Savvy jealous so the next game, Pin-the-Nose on the Jack-O-Lantern, Savvy was first in line to play. After being blindfolded and spun around in circles Savvy managed to pin the nose on the pumpkin right in the exact middle. She was so determined to win a game after seeing the cool prize Paige won. Needless to say Savvy kept the lead after about 15 other children tried to out win her. She picked a flashlight too, only hers had interchangeable heads on it that made Halloween pictures on the walls. The night also included cookie decorating (and eating which Paige liked the best), a fishing game where they threw a fish pole over a curtain to retrieve a "prize". Some of the prizes they came home with were a Halloween whoopie cushion, Halloween hair rubber bands,and a Halloween blowup hat. Oh and I must not forget the Frankenstein pinata that gave them so much candy that they really don't need to go trick-or-treating. And Savvy's favorite thing of the whole night was the hallway they sectioned off that had strobe lights and an animated ghost wandering around making spooky noises. Paige was a little more bashful in wanting to go see the ghost, but Savvy couldn't get enough scares in her to stop looking through the curtain.

Nothing is more rewarding than watching your kids have the best time of their life right in front of your eyes. Watching the girls get their first taste of Halloween fun was just priceless. It was definitely a spooky and spectacular Halloween party.

Remlinger Farm Harvest Extravaganza!

YES! It's that time of year again to bring out the pumpkins and pumpkin pies and pumpkin spice lattes and anything generally "pumpkin." Brooke even started using the phrase "I turn into a pumpkin at 8:00" again, referring to the fact that she does indeed gain 200 pounds and turns orange in the face. All kidding aside, we decided this would be a good year to take the kids back to Remlinger Farm in Carnation. We went Sunday the 14th and it was a wonderful day to go. The sun was out, the wind was calm, and the kids were in good spirits. If you've never been to Remlinger Farms, it's kind of like a small scale Knott's Berry Farm. And if you've never been THERE, then I'll explain a little bit. This is a working farm - I assume that because they raise animals, grow corn, and have a barn. Well, it's probably more likely they have all that to get money from parents who want their kids to touch dirty animals and get their clothes filthy dirty with various activities. Scattered throughout the many acres of land are carnival rides and play areas which has nothing to do with actual farming but is nonetheless fun to do to celebrate the fall harvest (much like in ye olden days.) This is a guaranteed fun time for all.

The first things the kids did was ride the ponies. Our two little girls are not afraid of ponies and will ride them at every opportunity. The whole time the girls would not stop smiling. Then it was off to the giant blow-up slide. The only problem was the line was too long and the girls wanted to slide LOTS more. This seemed to be the big downside to the whole festival. Too many people and not enough rides. Luckily, the next line we waited in for the canoe ride was short and fast. The girls loved watching the wooden ducks float by. Now we come to the girls' favorite attraction of the day - the Hay Jump. This was a giant pit filled with hay, which sticks to everything and invades spaces not meant for hay. The girls jumped and swam and buried themselves over and over and over again. It was worth the admission price just to see them play. Afterwards, we tried out the Hay Maze, Flying Pumpkins, Spinning Logs, Toddler Ferris Wheel, Sort-Of-Carousel Horse Ride, Bouncy House, Whirley-Thing, and the Train Ride. The last ride of the day was the miniature Roller Coaster that was actually pretty scary. Not so much in the "Fast and Furious" sense but more in the "Years of Whiplash Therapy" sense. Definitely a ride designed with shorter occupants in mind. And what day would be complete without a second turn in the Hay Jump. By then most of the other families were on their way home (I think there was a Seahawks game or something.) We were feeling pretty exhausted by then too so we went back home. Oh, we forgot to pick out some pumpkins.

Dear Mom & Dad - Send Money!

As many of you know, we are adding on to our house. We bought the house 4 years ago because of the price and also its versatility. The house is on 1&1/2 lots which leaves a lot of space for improvement. When we bought the house, it included a mother-in-law (MIL) suite but has remained unused to this day except storage. I think we actually had a mother-in-law stay in it one time so I suppose you could say we got our use out of it. But we only have 1 bathroom between the four of us and it gets pretty crowded around potty time. So we've decided to undertake a dreaded remodel slash addition. Our initial idea was to build a room and hallway where our patio stood to connect the MIL to the house and remodel the MIL into the new master bedroom. We foolishly borrowed $20,000 thinking that would be enough to complete the majority of the project. After having to spend just $1500 on an architect, we realized we were wrong. Very, very wrong.
So here we are now (see picture) with a partly completed wall and a destroyed backyard (and a destraught gardener.) The contractors got this far before realizing the roof was going to be a problem. If you've seen our house you know that the peaks don't all run north and south. You might have guessed that the MIL peak runs east to west. So, basically, to make the whole thing structurally sound, the builders have to turn the roof 90 degrees. Complicatedly, they have to rebuild the whole roof and parts of the garage roof with trusses that are specially engineered into triangle shapes that look like M.C. Escher drawings. Which means more money (donations welcome!) and more delays.
The girls have had some fun during this time. The first day the construction workers came out, they sat at the back window all day watching "the builders." And since we don't have a backyard to swing in anymore, we've gotten to go to almost every park in Skagit Valley at LEAST 10 times each. And Savvy always mentions how excited she is that daddy is going to make her a play room upstairs, pending we have enough of the aforementioned money. All in all, this will be a great learning experience for all of us, provided it doesn't break our spirits (and our bank account.)

Our Girls, An Introduction

So here are our little girls. Most people would refer to their kids as "little angels" but that's mostly heavy sarcasm and not at all true. Yes they do LOOK like little angels, but beneath that innocent exterior is a mischevious mind calculating the quickest way to make a person lose their sanity. Savannah is brilliant for a 4 year old and will play chase until you are laying in a hospital breathless from heart failure, but she is also a sneakly little monkey who will get into food cupboards and take one bite out of your food before putting it back AND who can color an entire dining room floor with unwashable crayons in the 10 minutes it takes you to use the bathroom. Paige is a little behind Savvy in the smarts department but she makes up for it in tremendous heart and sensitivity. She will hug and kiss you at the drop of a hat but her sensitivity also translates into a LOT of hurt feelings, especially when dealing with big sister. If you don't have two of everything (which is most of the time), you get a lot of one thing: cry-screaming. That's where you cry a lot while screaming at the top of your lungs. Then as sensible parents you try to calm her down with lots of yell-pleading, i.e. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO CRY. I WILL GET YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU PLEASE STOP CRYING!" Needless to say, this is REALLY effective because all us parents know how easy it is to reason with 2 year olds. But we love them just the same.

First Post, Last Day of My Unblogged Life

So this is officially my(our) first blog. This will be a spot where we can update family and friends on the goings-on on our household and post about stuff we see and hear. I tried blogging on MySpace but its not too user-friendly. MySpace is fun for finding friends and all but there are problems inherent in the system. Hopefully we can keep this space up to date and figure out how best to show off our kids:)