the misseldines

Howdy, all! Guess what we've been up to? Oh, just putting in electrical boxes and lights and dismantling the old electrical panel and demolishing a cast iron bathtub and cutting up old flooring panels and cleaning up. Oh yeah, and getting bids from plumbers and dealing with the power company and a super rad electrician.

It's finally warm. Finally. FINALLY!!!!

I couldn't stand it any longer.

Sami had a birthday on Saturday. It was a busy day. We worked at the house until sundown, and then came home and frantically made her birthday dinner of Cafe Rio. What is this obsession we have? I mean, it is just the most delicious food in the world!

Guys, Sami is 9 years old now. 9. NINE!!!

YIKERS.

I checked Logan's grades today, and I am in total amazement. That boy is getting straight A's. It is crazy that he could go from F's to A's. I'm never putting him back in school.

Carter tells me he still loves me when he gets in trouble. Isn't that the sweetest? That boy... He likes to kiss my dimple too. The girls went to a birthday party this weekend and made bracelets for their friend. Carter saw, and insisted that he needed to make a bracelet for his friend Carly from church. So he made her a bracelet with "all the colors. So it can go with anything." Hahaha!

Will isn't walking yet. We haven't pushed him to walk. We haven't done much of anything, because quite frankly we just don't have time. We are barely keeping our heads above water with everything going on here. It's alot. So I've learned to let go of the expectations I have held myself to in the past. I'm lucky to have a semi-clean house and laundry done and the kids bathed and fed.

Our water test came back dirty. Our water is infected with coliform. For now we are hauling water from a friend's house in town. We can bathe in our water, and that is about it. Do you know what a pain it is to not have running water to brush your teeth? All dishes have to be rinsed in bleach. It's just alot.

Everything is alot.

Trevor still likes the job at the new office. I believe the six month probation period is up this week or next. That will be good, because he can take some time off now to work on the plumbing at the house.

I'm anxious for the plumbing to be done, because once that is done I understand what comes next and can take it to the next step.

I didn't say anything about Phoebe. She is a funny girl. She's quite the opposite of Samantha. Kinda like Alysa and me, those two. I'm proud of what Phoebe can do when she puts her mind to it. She's quite determined and proud when she beats Samantha at anything. It's a challenge to not compare, yet I realize the importance of not doing it. I've got to find something different for those girls to do that will give them a feeling of importance and pride in themselves.