I think I complained too much about my appliances because now the washer died. The repairman said it would cost more to fix it than to replace it. I guess it's a good thing my husband doesn't mind going to the laundry mat. He does complain that we wear too much clothes though. I think hes right because I usually do a load or two a day and we still have dirty laundry. That all changes in the summer. The kids live in their bathing suits during the summer and I can fit a weeks worth of bathing suits in one wash load. I can't wait.

The Rooster's a goner!

Well, he will be soon. He crowed all night. Oscar is afraid the neighbor will complain and if animal control comes out in the middle of the night they will here the rooster crowing. You can't here the rooster unless your in my yard next to the barn, but he thinks the guy will call just because he knows he's out there, so we're gonna do it. When we discussed getting chickens one of our reasons was that we believe that kids should know where their food comes from and not from the super market. I think they should see part of the process, not the actual killing, but the rest of the process they should know about. We had also planned on getting a rooster at some point so we could hatch eggs to replace the chickens that we eat so before we do the rooster we will be hatching some eggs. I think they should know the full life cycle of the chicken from egg to dinner. When my husband made the final decision that the rooster had to go I told him the options for doing the deed and he was a little freaked out. I explained all the steps and the whole process and now he thinks we should call his grandma to do it, the big wimp. He said I guess when we discussed the chickens and what would happen if they stop laying he was thinking in an emergency, like no groceries, no food, not while we still have a freezer full of chicken from the grocery stores. We're gonna do it ourselves though because apparently my husband needs to know where his food comes from too. I will have to have either his grandmother or mother here to help because he'll probably be to freaked out to help. He grew up in South America where people did this on the kitchen table and then ate dinner on the very same table, I don't know why he is so freaked out. I think next year we're gonna do a turkey for Thanksgiving.

Stupid Repairman

Thursday the repairman came to fix the dishwasher which he insisted wasn't broken. He was sure that when we repaired it we didn't put it back together correctly and that was the only problem. I tried to explain that we didn't try to repair anything, we only tried to clean the trap so that the nasty water can drain. He said there was nothing wrong with it and it wasn't clogged and it was running just fine. He said that if we eve tried to make repairs on the dishwasher again he would report us and our warrant would be voided. After he left I didn't bother to run the dishwasher because I had no dirty dishes so on Friday when I ran the dishwasher the dishes came out dirty. I thought maybe I forgot to run the disposal or maybe I forgot to put the sop in so I rewashed the dishes, The second time they came out dirtier than the first. After that I hand washed all the dishes and went to bed. Saturday I tried to use the dishwasher again and the dishes came out dirty again so I called the company and they will be sending someone out Thursday so until then I will be washing by hand. I know what the problem is and if I had the tool I would fix it myself. I guess I could just call them every week until they fix it or the warranty runs out.

Playtime With Daddy

Last week my kids took turns being sick. I thought by Saturday they were done, I was wrong. Tanner started running a fever at one of the birthday parties we attended Saturday afternoon. It wasn't a very high fever and he was fine after some Tylenol. Saturday night I gave all the kids Tylenol hoping that they'd all be fine Sunday morning for church. I wasn't successful though, I woke up sick Sunday morning and Tanner woke a few times at night with fever. If it had been any of the other kids we probably could have gone to church and left after sacrament, but Tanner's ears and nose get beet red and he wines the whole tome he has a fever. It was daddies job to entertain kids while Tanner and I rested. The problem is that he doesn't do quiet time, so Tanner and I didn't get much rest.

Overboard! Dad asked questions and they answered. At first he was only throwing them over for wrong answers but then they started answering some of the questions wrong on purpose so he threw them over for all answers.

Cocoon. Basically hide and seek but it was to muddy to go outside so my husband came up with an indoor version. Dad had a hard time hiding because the dog wanted to hide with him. Her huge wagging tail was a dead give away every time.

And of course they ended with the pillow fight. When all the excitement was done I did get to take a nap and when I woke up my husband and the missionaries were trying to figure out how to use the dvd player downstairs - Surprise! I guess it's a good thing I didn't go down in my PJ's. I hate surprises like when my husband forgets to tell me people are coming.

That Elder Sumani can really move some stuff!

The missionaries came over Saturday to help my husband move the barn. It was a lot of fun to watch. Us folks in the peanut gallery were quite impressed.

A good job from Sarah

At first the plan was to jack it up and shove real hard,

but after a few measurements the realized that only Elder Sumani was actually making progress so they had to formulate a new plan.

The new plan was for Elder Montgomery and Oscar were to stabilize the barn and make sure it didn't fall off the jacks while Elder Sumani went around and pushed one corner at a time.

Break time.

In the end they were able to move the barn about 2 1/2 feet back and about 2 feet to the right. Elder Montgomery and myself weren't very faithful that they could do it with just the three of them. I thought they were gonna need a crane and Elder Montgomery thought they would need more people or more time, but Elder Sumani proved us wrong.

Kari's Wedding

Friday afternoon my sister decided to to announce that she was getting married at 11pm Friday night - Surprise! I hate surprises. She had a small candlelight ceremony in front of the fire place at Randi's moms house. It was short and sweet, just the way she likes it, except the minister kept mentioning that marriage is nothing to take lightly and marriage is nothing to rush into. She even worked it into the sermon a few times. I think there is gonna be some debate over when there actually anniversary is because the minister didn't sign the marriage licence until after midnight and in Texas it's when the signature hits the paper not when the ceremony is performed.

My brother didn't attend so I gave her away(because unlike my husband I'm not afraid of my brother even if he does have a gun). Apparently my hips and her wedding dress didn't fit through the bedroom door at the same time. We were laughing so hard that they couldn't get a good picture of me walking her out.

I found this

Yesterday I found this in some boxes I was unpacking. It is the note that Mike wrote before he left.

The note was writen by my brother before he left with some friends. My mother was already asleep and he didn't want her to worry if she woke in the middle of the night and his room was empty. He was a strange teenager, how many teenage boys leave a note for their mother when they sneak out in the middle of the night.They planned to be back before any parents woke up, and if the car hadn't crashed they would have been. My mom woke to a ringing phone early in the morning, thinking there had been a mistake she went to my brothers room and found the note on the door. The song that is playing was one of his favorite songs. It was playing on the radio when they crashed.

The battle of the rooms

Brendan's room,

his closet,

and his little bit of clutter.

Tanner and Zander's room,

their closet,

and their clutter,

and now for Sarah's Room

her bed (there is so much stuff stashed under her bed hat she can't push the spare bed under)

her dressers (every one of those boxes and containers are packed with stuff)

her closet,

every nook, cranny, and corner of her room has stuff stashed in it,

even her windows and under the bottom of the curtains.

I know it is a lot of picture, but she has a lot of stuff, and my pictures aren't compatible with slide shows of any kind. Every morning I give the kids 10 - 15 minutes to clean their rooms before they go down for breakfast and this is what her room looks like after cleaning. We have the same battle everyday about her room and all of her stuff. She says it's her treasures and special things, but everything is special to her. We have a play room, so I don't know why she insists on keeping everything in her room. I know this is a battle I will never win because her dad saves everything as well, so we're blaming it on him.

The Crazy Neighbor

I have a neighbor who doesn't like us, I don't know why. When we're out side and he's outside he is very friendly, he comes over to talk to us and jokes around with the kids, but we recently found out that he has been calling the city to complain about us since we moved in. His first complaint was that our property drains into his backyard, we live on a hill and he is lower on the hill. He thinks we need to fix the drainage problem. Then he started complaining about the chickens. He complained that we had too many. Then that they were running wild in the neighborhood, a couple got out while my husband was building the barn, but they were never running the neighborhood just us chasing them around the side yard trying to herd them back into our yard. After getting them couped up he started complaining that our barn was too close to his house. It was only 47 1/2 feet from his house and city code says it has to be 50 feet. He had to have jumped the fence and measured, there is noway he could have eyeballed it and figured out that it was 2 1/2 feet short. When animal control and code compliance blew him off he called the city superintendent and then the city came out to measure. Turns out he was right, we measured wrong and they gave us thirty days to move the shed. After this visit animal control let us know that he was the neighbor that was calling and that he had been calling almost every day since we moved in. When that wasn't successful in getting us finned or kicked out of the city he called again, this time about the dog. His complaint was that her rabies tag was expired and we haven't registered her with the city of Fort Worth yet. Her tags aren't expired, they expire the 26th of April, and we didn't register her yet because we planned on doing it after she gets her booster shot so we only have to buy tags once. Again he had to have come into my back yard to read her tags, you can't read them from over the fence. There should be something I can do about him coming into my yard. The animal control officer who came out this time tried to play dumb and act like she didn't know who called, but our front windows were open and we watched her walk from his house to ours. When we explained to her that we knew it was him and we had overheard her talking to him and watched her walk from his house to ours she said that this was the first time that that particular neighbor had called to complain about us, she had no records of him calling animal control before and was insistent that animal control hadn't come out before. When explained that I was going to talk to someone about the harassment she decided to check with the dispatcher and realized that this neighbor had called several time before and animal control and code compliance had come out at least ten times. I don't understand why they try to play dumb, like were not gonna figure it out. His new complaint is that our rooster is too loud. He is in a barn with the door closed. We used to open the doors during the day so the chickens get some air and see some daylight, but we can't do that any more. now we have to wait for our court date. Basically he has to keep a log of every time he is disturbed by chicken noise and after several weeks we have to go to court so a judge can decide what is to be done. The problem with that is its his word against our. He doesn't have to record the chicken noise to show how loud they are, he just has to say they are too loud for his comfort and they are disrupting his day. I just can't believe that he can get away with this, we have no rights in the matter, we just have to wait and see. If the judge sides with us we pay nothing, but if the judge sides with him we pay fines for the chicken noise and all the court fees. Okay, I'm done whining now, just needed to vent a little.
PS this post was gonna be titled something else, but my kids read this blog so I have to be nice.

Tomatoes

My tomato plants have sprouted!! I just planted them the other day and they have already sprouted. I don't think I have ever had them sprout this fast. I really don't like tomatoes, I only grow them for the kids. Sarah and Zander are very excited. They love tomatoes and have even been praying for the tomatoes to grow faster than the other vegetables.

The Great Escape

When I am setting the table or serving dinner I have to put Levi in his highchair otherwise he will go around the table and eat a little of every ones food before I can get them all to the table. He also has to stay in his highchair while I clean up or he'll throw food every where. Sometime over spring break he figured out that the lever to release the tray was under the tray and he could use his foot to unlatch the tray. He can unlatch it and kick it to the floor in one quick motion. It is so cute and frustrating at the same time. I had to sit on the floor and pretend like I wasn't looking to get the pictures.

Here he goes...

Almost got it...

and the fake surprised look as it releases as if he doesn't know why the tray has come flying off.

Brendans Music

Brendan is taking band this year for his elective. I think he's pretty good, the noises he makes sound like songs. My first year in band I don't thing I ever got a note right and none of the songs I played ever sounded like a music. He loves his trombone and practices every day, sometimes twice a day. His teacher says he is doing very well.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE
(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour . Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
(5) Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men... A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'. That will bring on a 'whatever').
(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying Bite Me!
(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

Sprouts

So being that it was spring break I thought it was time to get some things planted before it gets too hot. I started planting on Tuesday and by Saturday I already had sprouts in almost all of my planter boxes. Its too early to tell what's growing , all plants look the same for about the first 2 or 3 weeks, but something is growing. I'm so excited!!! I also have blooms and buds on most of my fruit trees already, YAY!!

Spring Break Is Over...

And we survived. We didn't harm any ones children, but there were a few threats, we didn't loose anyone, and my house is still standing. My husband was home most of the week so I got a lot done, like the laundry, I haven't been caught up on the laundry for about five years and I haven't seen the laundry room floor since we moved in but I am proud to announce that the floor is still there and I found it, the mountain of boxes in my living room is now just a few boxes of pictures waiting to be hung, I learned how to make plantains for my husband, and I even had time to run speaker wires under the carpet so my husband could have surround sound for movie day. The kids had a lot of fun and the parents are exhausted, so exhausted in fact that we both slept through the alarm this morning, but the kids made it to school on time and now I am sitting in my clean house enjoying the peace and quiet of no kids (the extras will be here late today).

The other mommies are gonna kill me!

My yard is basically a giant sand box so I thought it would be a good idea to make sand castles. They were having fun, but it was hot and dry, so I let them have some water to wet down the sand. Everyone was enjoying the sand except Zander, he was enjoying the bucket of water.

(By the way the look on his face is because he just found a bug under the water.)

When it was time to come in I dumped the wash your feet bucket so that I could fill it with clean water. This was not the smartest idea of the day since I just made a fresh mud pit right in front of the door, but I've been up since five so we're blaming it on sleep deprivation.

The other mommies don't let their kids play in the mud like me, the cool mom, does. I keep telling them not to send their kids to my house in cute clothes cuz they're gonna get ruined, but they never listen. After all that hard work building castles and throwing mud we had ice cream. I was nice enough to bathe them before sending them home so maybe they won't completely flip out when they see the pictures.

In the end we only ended up with two sand castles, they decided the mud was a lot more fun.