The Problem with Plumbing

So the super short version, which I will tell more on later, is that we are not attached to the Louisville Sewer System. We apparently (everyone's best guess) have a septic tank, which no one knew was there and they therefore covered up years ago.

The lovely thing has filled up now and would have backed up, except that they had also built a grease-trap off the kitchen sink. The grease and food is supposed to go down the kitchen sink and settle at the bottom of this little 3 foot well, then the water flows out a pipe into the septic tank.

Well, the tank being full, the water, and "stuff" is all coming back up that pipe and filling the 3 foot well up (right under my back door stairs) and overflowing down my driveway. It's a stinky problem..ahem...

So, the answer, unfortunately, is to spend $12,000-$14,000 and get attached to Louisville Sewers. They want to run a big pipe inside the house around the base of the basement wall and then out the foundation and up through the front of the house, and across the front yard, where it will attach to the sewer system.

They owe us of course for 7 years of sewer bills we have been paying and didn't really owe them, so it might come out a little closer to $8000.

WE'LL SEE....

Stinks for us!

MJ

PS- Sam dared me to title this, "Shi**er's Full", I declined....

Happy Birthday Gannie!

On Santa's Nice List

Want to see a Video of Santa Claus telling Thomas, Grace, Tyler and Ian they are on his Nice list? (And you can get your little one on there too!):

Go To each website to see their video:

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/67938-qtcontrary/
Thomas

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/68027-qtcontrary/
Grace

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/68108-qtcontrary/
Tyler

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/68119-qtcontrary/
Ian

Woo-Hoo Sam is Thirty-Two!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam is 32 Today!

Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam will be 32 Years old tomorrow!

Gracie is yelling, "Caarrrd Daddy! Heeres the OOoorrrnge Daddy!" and handing him his birthday card and an orange marker she's been drawing on it with. It has a "ROWbot ont" she says.

Thomas identified (with some help that he needed to look for a card with a big D on the front) a card that said, "To Dad, Happy Birthday" which he proudly read to me. Then he pointed out, "It has a Doggy on it, and Daddy likes Doggies, right mama?" He wrote his name on both cards and gave both cards (without Grace- who was in the potty monitoring Daddy's floating balloon) to Daddy. I heard Sam say, "Are we supposed to wait do you think before we look at these?"

He managed to look really surprised (from a 2 yr old perspective) when Grace handed him the card again, 3 more times later.


Thomas and Sam are arguing right now over who will play which character on Legos Star Wars right now. (Currently they are having to play a level as random soldiers and C3P0 & R2D2.) He said, "Thomas, come back here, quit going so far up-screen! You've got to come beat up some bad guys down here." "Here Daddy, I want to change." "You're stealin' all my money, all right that's enough of this." "You broke me Daddy" "Yeah I know."


Thomas is physically walking around the room with his controller (right now backwards) trying to get them all.

Now there's some cartoon on. It's Dark Vader. THIS IS SERIOUS...-They're LEGO Animated toys you understand....

"There it is. That's the first level." Sam says. "I want to fight Dark Vader." Thomas declares. -Sadly that is many levels from now....

Anyway, back to the birthday, we're having a very casual party on Saturday evening at 6:30 for just whoever shows up. I think we're ordering pizza and just hanging out. I email a few people, but told them they weren't allowed to bring presents unless it was something everyone could eat at the party! :-)

The kids have bought Sam a Power Rangers Mylar Balloon that says, "Happy Birthday" which they presented him with when they ran in with a "Surprise!"

Hee hee, Sam just said, "I can't finish building the castle if you cut me up!" Not sure about the age appropriateness of this game, but he really knows how to play! I tried to play with him awhile back and he was having to tell me how.

He would say, "Jump up here Mommy. Now step on this grey button so the door will open. No, this way. No, you have to come up here! Ok good, now we can run through! Now break up all the treasurers so we can get lots of money! But don't jump off the roof or you loose all our money!" Again...there's a lesson in there somewhere...and I'm not sure whose side it's on...but well....there is that whole hand eye coordination thing and all.

Truthfully, I've loved watching Sam and Thomas bonding through these games. They also love "Spider-Man Friend or Foe."

Grace has drawn orange or red marker all across her tummy, which she just got out of the shower....she was counting her 3 markers saying, "6, 7.."

She just found her favorite toy, a gross, hairy rubber tarantula she named, "Eww". She ran over with a huge grin and yelled, "My Eww!" She's been carrying it around and showing it to people. Her favorite response is for you to look scared, or better yet, repulsed, and squish your face up and say, "Eeww!" :-)

By the way, just an update for those of you following this blog:

Sam is Officially WALKING!!!!!!!!

He switched to a cane for about a week and a half, but Tuesday at Physical Therapy they told him he could ditch that too! In fact, they felt that leaning into the cane was probably reinforcing bad habits with the limping, so to please NOT use the cane!

So, at this point, it's up to him to re-learn to walk normally. Which, considering he has probably limped in some fashion for several years now, might be awhile. They've been helping him with that as well, such as teaching him exercises, and even walking behind him physically moving the opposite hip and shoulder in the direction they are supposed to go.

Sam says it's very hard work in there and to get better, you have to REALLY WANT to get better. I found the hard work part to be true in some of my therapy when I sprained my ankle, but during the first month or so, I mostly sat around while they tried to get the swelling down!

Anyway, looks like the worst is behind us on Sam's hip surgery! Thank God for that, and Thank You for all your prayers!!!

Hope your Christmas Planning is going well!

When we did Thomas and Grace's Advent Calendars (they have 1 candy one and 1 that is ornaments that go on a tiny tree) I realized it is 1 week and 6 days till Christmas Eve! So much to do!

Merry Christmas!

MJ

Trimming Gannie's Tree

Macy's Mini Thanksgiving Parade

Saturday we went to Macy's in Oxmoor Mall for their 1st Annual

Children's Thanksgiving Parade.

Here Thomas and Grace are writing their letters to Santa. They took it very seriously. Thomas and Grace carried their letters over and put them in the big mailbox, and then Thomas folded his hands and said a prayer for, "Good Toys and not Bad ones."

I asked him who is the only person we are allowed to pray to, and he told me, "God." so he suddenly turned and prayed again, "God, please let Santa bring good toys and not bad ones, Amen."

Then we went to the check in area to pick up a little prize bag (which contained fridge magnets and floppy dog ears for each of them) and a bright balloon each.

Then Santa Claus came and shook hands with all the kids. He told Thomas to give him 5, which Thomas seemed to think proved he was cool.

Then the Male High School Drum section lined up in front of all the kids and parents and we all marched half way around the building for our parade.

We ended in the FAO Schwartz Toy department, where they were having face painting. Thomas got a spider, of course.

They also have a big display set up selling this large stuffed animal of the elephant from Horton Hears a Who, which talks and comes with a little book and Elephant Ears for the kids.

The result, was we went home with a large Elephant half the size of Grace and elephant ears on each of them. (To go with their new dog ears!) Oh, well, guess it's a Thanksgiving Present....

His Stockings Were Hung by their Webs with Care

I thought you would enjoy the following email that went out to my family, although you must promise not to tell Thomas!

First Email This Morning to the Convers and Himbaughs:

date: Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 12:09 PM

subject: Christmas Socks

"For those who need a 'stocking stuffer' for Thomas, he very much wants 'Spider-man Boots', which in this case means Black or Red socks. I even got him fancy black Spider-man slippers, (with Spider-man's head on it) but no, he wants to wear black socks with that costume and red socks with the red costume. As you can imagine, even with Dexter's help, a person only has so many pairs of red socks....

So, now he says Santa Claus is bringing black and red socks!
So....pass it on.

ps- we can't really get too many, unless that's more than 20, in which case, call off the dogs....."

My response to the reassurance that the Socks are In The Bag.....

date: Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 2:18 PM

subject Re: Christmas Socks

" :-) He will be very happy with socks.

He sadly sorts through his entire drawer full of plain white socks and I say, "Whatcha' doin' Thomas" and he says, "I can't find my Red Spider Man Boots. I have to have my Spider Man boots...." and he'll go find some tiny size 6-12 month socks that used to fit and try to pull them on.

He has several pair you understand that do fit, but well, he wears them a lot..... Then there's the black socks, those are needed for Black Spider-man, "that the bad chocolate goo creeps all over him." and he has to have black socks.

I've tried to get him to put on navy blue or something and he'll say, "no Mom, those are blue," or "no, that's grey. I have to have on Black Boots to be the bad Spider-man." and he sorts on through the socks....."

But for what it's worth, as he pointed out, with those boots on, he looks pretty strong: "Do I look pretty strong in my Spider-man Suit Mom? Do I look like I could beat up Bad Guys?" "Oh Yes, Thomas, you do! You look very strong!"

Conver Karaoke Night

You have a Picture Mail from doowopenterprises03@pm.sprint.com

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The New Doo Wop

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Using My Birthday Gift Certificate!

You have a Picture Mail from doowopenterprises03@pm.sprint.com

Message: Options View Picture Print at Retail Reply to Sender Reply to All Forward Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture MailSM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Please be aware your friends can forward your picture, video, and album share invitations to others or post the unique Web link to your share invitation on any number of sources (e.g. blogs), through which others could also gain access to your online photos. If you have private or sensitive photos you are sharing, please share them only with those you trust.

© 2008 Sprint. All rights reserved.