January 30, 2007
Last night as Greg and I were heading to bed we heard a fire truck siren pretty close to our house. For most people this is a cause for an alarm. For us it is pretty common place. It seems that we have Police and Fire trucks coming to our neighborhood at least every other month. This time, however, they stopped in front of our neighbors house. Greg and I ran up to Forrest room to try and figure out what was going on. There was about four police cruisers and the big ladder truck. Several firefighters were circling our neighbors house shining flashlights on their chimney. Our neighbor soon joined them with his own flashlight. After about five minutes of looking they turned their flashlights on our chimney. By this time Greg and I were both standing in our bathtub peaking out through the blinds. When they turned their flashlights onto our house we had to quickly duck down. I told Greg to go out and find out what was going on, but he refused. After a couple more minutes everyone got back in their vehicles and drove away. Greg thinks that they had a report of a chimney fire and were just checking it out. I am not so sure that was the case. If it was the case why did they need four police cars surrounding our neighbors house with a fifth one blocking entrance down our rode. Plus it seemed that our neighbor was just as clueless as we were. We will probably never know what really happen. Such is life.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
How is She Doing?
January 28, 2007
I have been getting a lot of questions lately on how Eliza is doing with her Speech Therapy. The good news is she is adding more sounds to her repertoire. She is also using signs more frequently to get what she wants. The bad news is she really isn't talking more than she was before we started. Her Speech Therapist noticed that Eliza seemed to have an oral motor deficit. Also her toddler teach noticed that Eliza would copy everything you would do, but the oral motor. They decided that it was time to bring in an Occupational Therapist. We met with the OT today and she felt that Eliza could benefit from some occupational therapy. We will meet with her once a month and she will work with developing the nerves in Eliza's mouth. Hopefully by doing this it will help her be able to talk. As of right now Eliza has a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Toddler class, Music class and may be starting an Eating class in March. Hopefully with all this help she will start talking eventually.
I have been getting a lot of questions lately on how Eliza is doing with her Speech Therapy. The good news is she is adding more sounds to her repertoire. She is also using signs more frequently to get what she wants. The bad news is she really isn't talking more than she was before we started. Her Speech Therapist noticed that Eliza seemed to have an oral motor deficit. Also her toddler teach noticed that Eliza would copy everything you would do, but the oral motor. They decided that it was time to bring in an Occupational Therapist. We met with the OT today and she felt that Eliza could benefit from some occupational therapy. We will meet with her once a month and she will work with developing the nerves in Eliza's mouth. Hopefully by doing this it will help her be able to talk. As of right now Eliza has a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Toddler class, Music class and may be starting an Eating class in March. Hopefully with all this help she will start talking eventually.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
My Little Monkey
January 17, 2007
Eliza has started to climb out of her crib. Since I am not ready for her to be moved into a big girls bed and she can't open doors we are not worrying to much about it at this time. Today when I put her down for her nap she seemed really wired. Soon after I laid her down I could hear her climbing out of her crib. After about an hour I went and checked on her. I found all of her books neatly lined up on the floor. I looked all over the room thinking she had fallen to sleep somewhere only to find her back in her crib. Eliza had climbed out played for a little while and then when she got tired she climbed back in to take her nap. We might have to rethink this whole not doing anything approach. The next time I check on her I might find her climbing out her bedroom window.
Eliza has started to climb out of her crib. Since I am not ready for her to be moved into a big girls bed and she can't open doors we are not worrying to much about it at this time. Today when I put her down for her nap she seemed really wired. Soon after I laid her down I could hear her climbing out of her crib. After about an hour I went and checked on her. I found all of her books neatly lined up on the floor. I looked all over the room thinking she had fallen to sleep somewhere only to find her back in her crib. Eliza had climbed out played for a little while and then when she got tired she climbed back in to take her nap. We might have to rethink this whole not doing anything approach. The next time I check on her I might find her climbing out her bedroom window.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Family Fun Night
January 16, 2007
On Monday night we all headed to the library for FHE. When we got there they had huge posters set-up advertising Family Fun Night. Since we were there we decided to check it out. The kids had a blast. We first decorated crowns. This was Eliza's favorite part. She really enjoyed gluing little beads all over hers. While they were working on their crowns the librarian read some stories about medieval times. After the crafts were all done the kids then played some games. They had a giant checkers board set-up and a archery target. Forrest loved trying to hit the bulls eye and by the end he was getting really good at it. To finish out the night they had cookies and punch. If you are looking for something to do on a Monday night for FHE you should check out your local library. It was really fun and the best part is it is free.
On Monday night we all headed to the library for FHE. When we got there they had huge posters set-up advertising Family Fun Night. Since we were there we decided to check it out. The kids had a blast. We first decorated crowns. This was Eliza's favorite part. She really enjoyed gluing little beads all over hers. While they were working on their crowns the librarian read some stories about medieval times. After the crafts were all done the kids then played some games. They had a giant checkers board set-up and a archery target. Forrest loved trying to hit the bulls eye and by the end he was getting really good at it. To finish out the night they had cookies and punch. If you are looking for something to do on a Monday night for FHE you should check out your local library. It was really fun and the best part is it is free.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Perfect Winter Day
January 12, 2007
Today is one of those kinds of days that I love. We have a fresh blanket of snow and a beautiful blue sky to go with it. When we got up this morning we decided since it was such a great day we should get outside and play. After loading all the kids into the car we headed up to Greg's parents to play on their property. With this last series of storms they have a ton of snow.
Once we got up there the kids and I played around while Greg got his old Ski-Doo up and running. We then went on a little scavenger hunt to find the red sled that Forrest insisted on riding on.Once we discovered it, I took Eliza around for a short ride while Greg drove Forrest around on the snowmobile. 
After Forrest was able to get his fill of speed we threw both kids on the sled and towed them around with the 4-wheeler. Eliza only lasted a little while doing this before she wanted to head inside and play.
Forrest rode on the snowmobile again and then decided it was time to go sledding.
He started on a smaller hill, but his thrill seeking would not be satisfied so he headed over to this crazy hill.
He caught air every single time. Greg's dad offered to get me a sled, but I turned him down. I didn't want to end up in the ER today. Once we were thoroughly soaked and tired we headed home.
Everyone had a great time. Greg really enjoyed riding on his old machine and thinking of all the great rides he used to have. Forrest loved trying to kill himself and Eliza was content destroying Grandma's house. Forrest is already asking if we can do it again next week. We will see if my legs recover from all that climbing.
Today is one of those kinds of days that I love. We have a fresh blanket of snow and a beautiful blue sky to go with it. When we got up this morning we decided since it was such a great day we should get outside and play. After loading all the kids into the car we headed up to Greg's parents to play on their property. With this last series of storms they have a ton of snow.
Once we got up there the kids and I played around while Greg got his old Ski-Doo up and running. We then went on a little scavenger hunt to find the red sled that Forrest insisted on riding on.Once we discovered it, I took Eliza around for a short ride while Greg drove Forrest around on the snowmobile. 
After Forrest was able to get his fill of speed we threw both kids on the sled and towed them around with the 4-wheeler. Eliza only lasted a little while doing this before she wanted to head inside and play. 
Forrest rode on the snowmobile again and then decided it was time to go sledding.
He started on a smaller hill, but his thrill seeking would not be satisfied so he headed over to this crazy hill. 
He caught air every single time. Greg's dad offered to get me a sled, but I turned him down. I didn't want to end up in the ER today. Once we were thoroughly soaked and tired we headed home. 
Everyone had a great time. Greg really enjoyed riding on his old machine and thinking of all the great rides he used to have. Forrest loved trying to kill himself and Eliza was content destroying Grandma's house. Forrest is already asking if we can do it again next week. We will see if my legs recover from all that climbing.Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
More on Heat
January 8, 2007
I thought I would give you a little more info on our heating situation. Of course to tell the story I really need to start at the beginning. Greg has been worried about a noise our furnace has been making lately so we called a repair company to send someone out to look at it. Last Friday a repairman showed up and gave us the all clear. While he was here Greg talked to him about adding more vents to the house. You know how obsessive Dad is about having a hot shower, well that is how obsessed Greg is about having an evenly heated and cooled house. The repairman set us up with one of their sales people to come discuss exactly what we would need. The nice salesman showed up yesterday and was going through everything when all of the sudden our furnace motor seized up. It was pretty funny in a very sad kind of way. Once the sales guy left Greg called the company again to get someone out to fix. The girl in the office sounded really vague on whether or not they could fix. Since they wouldn't be able to come out until 5:00 pm Greg decided to take a crack at it. Greg pulled out the motor and headed over to a local supply store to see what they thought. While he was gone the repair company called us back and said they could send someone right now if that was okay. Of course Greg forgot his cell phone, but I had them come anyway. Greg was able to get home before the repairman showed up, unfortunately he had left the motor at the repair shop. Greg had to turn right around and headed back for the motor. The repairman showed up a couple of minutes later. Luckily we live really close to the repair shop, because Greg showed up about 10 minutes after the repair guy. The repair guy got right down to business. It took him about 2 hours to tear apart the motor and then put it back together. As he was getting ready to put the whole furnace back together he noticed a 3 inch crack in the heat exchanger. Once he saw the crack he had to tell us the bad news that we need a new furnace. Since we had just had someone out on Friday he turned the heater back on. He felt that it had probably been like that for awhile so we probably weren't in to much danger of dying. The repairman had the sales guy come back out to sale us a new heater. The good news is we were not charged for anything we had done yesterday, we are getting some new vents for free and they are going to use our furnace as a teaching tool. The bad news is they turned the furnace back on for us, but only after we signed a waiver saying we won't hold them responsible if we all die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Hopefully the new furnace will be installed by Thursday. Until then I am going to keep checking our CO detector to make sure it is working.
I thought I would give you a little more info on our heating situation. Of course to tell the story I really need to start at the beginning. Greg has been worried about a noise our furnace has been making lately so we called a repair company to send someone out to look at it. Last Friday a repairman showed up and gave us the all clear. While he was here Greg talked to him about adding more vents to the house. You know how obsessive Dad is about having a hot shower, well that is how obsessed Greg is about having an evenly heated and cooled house. The repairman set us up with one of their sales people to come discuss exactly what we would need. The nice salesman showed up yesterday and was going through everything when all of the sudden our furnace motor seized up. It was pretty funny in a very sad kind of way. Once the sales guy left Greg called the company again to get someone out to fix. The girl in the office sounded really vague on whether or not they could fix. Since they wouldn't be able to come out until 5:00 pm Greg decided to take a crack at it. Greg pulled out the motor and headed over to a local supply store to see what they thought. While he was gone the repair company called us back and said they could send someone right now if that was okay. Of course Greg forgot his cell phone, but I had them come anyway. Greg was able to get home before the repairman showed up, unfortunately he had left the motor at the repair shop. Greg had to turn right around and headed back for the motor. The repairman showed up a couple of minutes later. Luckily we live really close to the repair shop, because Greg showed up about 10 minutes after the repair guy. The repair guy got right down to business. It took him about 2 hours to tear apart the motor and then put it back together. As he was getting ready to put the whole furnace back together he noticed a 3 inch crack in the heat exchanger. Once he saw the crack he had to tell us the bad news that we need a new furnace. Since we had just had someone out on Friday he turned the heater back on. He felt that it had probably been like that for awhile so we probably weren't in to much danger of dying. The repairman had the sales guy come back out to sale us a new heater. The good news is we were not charged for anything we had done yesterday, we are getting some new vents for free and they are going to use our furnace as a teaching tool. The bad news is they turned the furnace back on for us, but only after we signed a waiver saying we won't hold them responsible if we all die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Hopefully the new furnace will be installed by Thursday. Until then I am going to keep checking our CO detector to make sure it is working.
Monday, January 7, 2008
I Miss My Heat.
January 7, 2007
Another storm has come and gone, and I hate to say it but I am done with winter. Today I had to shovel off the tramp. There was two inches of ice on the tramp and it was really sagging under the weight. The kids loved jumping on the tramp to help break up the ice, but I am now feeling it in my arms and shoulders from throwing all that ice off the tramp. To add to my misery our heater has just gone out. The funny thing is last Thursday we had a technician come out and check out our furnace to make sure everything was running okay. He told us that it was running great and we had nothing to worry about. Needless to say I think he was wrong. Hopefully everything will be fixed by tonight. I am not looking forward to having everyone sleep in one bed just so that we can keep warm.
Another storm has come and gone, and I hate to say it but I am done with winter. Today I had to shovel off the tramp. There was two inches of ice on the tramp and it was really sagging under the weight. The kids loved jumping on the tramp to help break up the ice, but I am now feeling it in my arms and shoulders from throwing all that ice off the tramp. To add to my misery our heater has just gone out. The funny thing is last Thursday we had a technician come out and check out our furnace to make sure everything was running okay. He told us that it was running great and we had nothing to worry about. Needless to say I think he was wrong. Hopefully everything will be fixed by tonight. I am not looking forward to having everyone sleep in one bed just so that we can keep warm.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Keeping Kids Warm in the Winter
January 6, 2007
While we were up snowmobiling we had several discussions on keeping the kids warm while they were sledding. When I came home I ran across this article. It has some great ideas. The best thing about it is with Fred around we would always have a good supply of duct tape.
While we were up snowmobiling we had several discussions on keeping the kids warm while they were sledding. When I came home I ran across this article. It has some great ideas. The best thing about it is with Fred around we would always have a good supply of duct tape.
Anyone there?
January 6, 2007
Last night after a delicious meal of Chinese food we all sat around reading our fortune cookies. Forrest's cookie said that good luck would come knocking. I playfully knocked on his head. Forrest responded by saying that there was nobody home today. I got a good laugh out of that because sometime I really wonder if there is anyone home up there.
Last night after a delicious meal of Chinese food we all sat around reading our fortune cookies. Forrest's cookie said that good luck would come knocking. I playfully knocked on his head. Forrest responded by saying that there was nobody home today. I got a good laugh out of that because sometime I really wonder if there is anyone home up there.
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