Headaches

Buying a used car is always an...... adventure.

So, we bought a 2002 Honda Civic last week to replace our Tercel. It has some imperfections cosmetically, which Chris would like to fix. But for an 8 year old car, I think it looks pretty good. Both he and I test drove it before buying (hopefully obviously), and agreed that it drove really well. All in all, happy with our decision.

When we were driving home, me in the van and he in the car, we discovered that the speedometer was off. It was reading about 8 MPH faster than we were going. Really???? Is this a bad sign??? Neither of us noticed when we were test driving the thing. But then, I'm not sure that we would have noticed if Chris hadn't called me when we were driving home to ask me how fast I was going.

Later, Chris drove it over to a friend's house for poker night. Imagine his surprise, when he fired it up to come home, and all he saw was a dark dashboard. The engine was running fine, and everything was working, but none of the dash lights were lit. Again, not something we would have noticed at the dealer unless we were test driving in the dark. Grrrrrrrr......

So, being the amazing husband that he is, Chris researched our debacles online. The dealer we bought the car from is off Sundays (of course), but Chris also left a message for him. Chris found out that many, if not all of, our woes could be potentially solved by replacing the dash cluster. Sounds like Chinese to me, but luckily not to Chris.

So, we bought the part, and Chris replaced the dash cluster. He's awesome like that. The good news: the speedo and all the lights work again. Woohoo!!! The bad news: now that all the dash lights work again, the check engine light is on as well as the ABS light. *SIGH*

Chris called the dealer again. He swears that when he "checked for codes" (again, Chinese to me) there were none. Chris thinks he didn't check for codes, since the check engine light wasn't on at the dealer. But it wouldn't have been on, would it, since all the dash lights were burned out???? Anyhow, the dealer isn't being an asshole at least. When we get the check from the Allstate people, and go to pay the balance on the car, he told Chris that he'd try to work a deal to compensate for some of this stuff that "no one" knew about.

And to top it off, when Chris checked the codes that tripped the check engine light, they showed that something might be wrong with the intake system. For the love of God. We might as well have sucked it up and paid the extra 1000- 1500 dollars for one of the other cars we were looking at that was a tad newer. Looks like we might be paying that out anyway in parts.

So, Chris is taking the car to be looked at this afternoon, to see if it really does need some more work. Silver lining: If parts do need to be replaced, at least we will know the parts are good. Then the car will be damn-near perfect, and will probably run for us for years. We both just wish that we either knew about it ahead of time, or that we actually got what the car was advertised as.

Like I said, you never know what you're going to get when you buy a used car. We took a chance, and this is our "baby" now.

More of a problem child than an angel if you ask me. Still, when it's all said and done, it will be a good car.

The Silver Car

Well, we replaced our Tercel today. The insurance company couldn't really do for us what we wanted/ needed..... When can they ever? It all came down to the fact that I wasn't physically injured in the accident. Of course. But the two agents that Chris were working with were at least as fair as they could be, and we did get a settlement.

So, we replaced our beloved "pink car" with a new-to-us "silver car". It's a 2002 Honda Civic coupe. We had hoped to get something that had 4 doors, but oh well. It's bigger than the Tercel was, and so that's a step in the right direction. It also has air conditioning.... another a step in the right direction. (The Tercel didn't..... Quite a setback for the summers around here.)

We got a great deal on the car, so we ended up not paying too much out of pocket. I wish it wouldn't have been any out of pocket, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Chris and I both feel good about the purchase and the car itself. It's not perfect, but I wasn't looking for perfection. I was looking for reliability and something that is somewhat gas-efficient.

Hopefully the Civic will treat me as well as the Tercel did.

Long time, no post...

Well hello again.

It's been awhile since I posted. See, it's that new schedule again. I'm at the tail end of my stretch of working 6 days out of 8. Ugh.

In that time, Chris has been working with the people at Allstate to get our car situation figured out. The initial appraiser offered us $3000.00 flat on site for our poor, battered, beaten car. Sorry, Buddy, she's worth waaaaay more than that. So Chris is in the middle of negotiations with the guy who handles payouts for totaled cars. But seeing how he loves negotiations (and not to mention the challenge of finding a suitable replacement car for a reasonable price), he has been reveling in the challenge.

I've decided, during this crazy week, why youngest children in a family with three or more kids are often spoiled little Monsters. By the time you get to your third baby's toddlerhood, you're tired. I think most parents out there have an idea of how they want to discipline their children- some before the said children are even born. We'd talked about it anyway. And we were good about enforcing rules, following guidelines, blah, blah, blah.

With the second baby, you're a little more lax. You've figured out what works, what doesn't, what you care about, and what you don't when it comes to discipline. Your methods have been trialed- you know what things to be a stickler about and what things to let slide. All in all making for a fairly rounded child, I think.

And the third.... well...... You're just tired. Finn is growing into his personality and his independence. He has discovered his "I am NOT happy about that" voice, and it is not a pleasant sound. There were many times when I found myself thinking to myself "oh for God's sake, just give him the ______________ (insert dangerous/heavy/taboo/expensive item here) so he'll stop screaming at me!!!" Then I had to stop, take a step back, and remind myself that giving-in behavior is what causes little Monsters.

I stayed strong and didn't give in. But the kid is smart. Distraction just does not work very well with him. As a result, we had a lot of temper tantrums this week, and I'm sure we'll have our fair share of many more. *sigh*

It has been a challenging week in many ways. I'm not sorry to say that I'm happy to see it go.

Here's to brighter days in my coming days off!

Terrible Tuesday

*sigh*

This has not been the best day.

First I had to go to the doctor. And their scale was off by... well... alot. In the wrong direction. Ugh. Not a good way to start the visit.

Then talking with the doctor about some recent lab results. Short story is that I have a vitamin D deficiency. But I had to have more blood drawn because there are other things that often go with a vitamin D deficiency.

Then, on the way home from the doctor's office, I was rear-ended. Now, I was in my beloved "pink car", my Toyota Tercel that I bought brand new back in '97.

My Tercel that gets 40+ MPG. My Tercel that is our commuter car. My Tercel that we love. My Tercel that is paid for.

I was stopped in traffic that was backed up at a red light. And was hit-hard- by a '91 full sized Ford Bronco. There wasn't a scratch on the stupid Bronco when it was all said and done, but my trunk is pushed up into my back windshield.



Thank goodness I didn't have the baby with me. I was going to take him with me to my appointment, but decided not to at the last minute.

Now we "get" to deal with insurance companies (but we all had insurance, thank heavens), body shops, and potentially more doctors' appointments. Luckily no one was hurt. But Chris and I are pretty sure the damage done to my little car is going to exceed its worth. Not good news for us.

I'm glad the day is almost over.

But I did get the cinnamon rolls for Aiden's class snack tomorrow made. Almost. They just need to bake.

Watermelon and popsicles

Wow. you'd think this blustery day in early March was actually a lazy summer day. Not because of the weather, mind you. But because of the treats.

Grocery shopping today, I found what I'm sure are hothouse mini-watermelons. My kids LOVE watermelon, and ask for it all year round. It was reasonably priced, so I brought one home. You'd have thought it was someone's birthday.... Paige bugged me incessantly when I got home to "please, please, please cut up my watermelon snack". I'm sure she ate half of the thing herself.....

Finn is teething again. And sooooooo grumpy. (At least we think he's teething. We need something to explain his current grumpiness.) So, I gave him a popsicle thinking the cold would make his mouth feel better. I don't think I've seen the kid so happy in a week!!! Mmmmmm.... popsicles!

Bunny pictures

Well, we had the bunny pictures taken a few days ago. I went to the photographer's today, and saw the images. They were so super cute! I just wish Aiden had been able to go as well. So, here are two of the best shots. One of Paige, and one of Finn.

Paige would pet the bunnies, but wouldn't actually hold them. Finn wanted to hold them, but we were afraid he'd try to eat them!

The pictures were taken by Nancy Remling @ Signature Photography in Meridian, ID. If you like what you see, you can find her on Facebook.

In other news, I think we are all finally recovered from out "little" stomach bug. Finn is still super clingy after it all, but I'm hoping that things get back to normal soon. I'm at the start of my 8 day stretch off (woohoo)- but all I have to look forward to (other than spending time with my family) is errands. Oh yeah, and laundry. there's always the laundry......

Although, I think I'm going to make cinnamon rolls tomorrow.

All better

Well, that nasty stomach bug we had has passed. I got off the lightest, with just some raging nausea and a migraine. Saturday wasn't so fun here; Chris and the kids all vomiting. Ugh. Laundry, laundry all day long.

On a more fun note.....

Paige and Finn had their pictures taken today at a local photographer's. With live bunnies!!! I can't wait to see the proofs (do they call digital images "proofs"???). If I am allowed by the photographer, I'll post the ones I get here. Yes, I have to ask. We're friends on Facebook, so she'll know if I scan and re-post them........

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Stomach bugs

I despise vomit. I'm a nurse, and there's a lot I can handle. But vomit is not one of those things.

When I came home from work yesterday morning, Finn was awake. So I went up to get him, as usual. I was greeted in the hall outside his room by a strange funk. Though it was a little different, I just thought, 'poopy diaper'. Well, I was right, but oh so wrong at the same time.

I was greeted with a strangely vomit-free child in a crib that... well.... let's just say that it needed to be striped down and sanitized. And yes, he was poopy. All down one of his legs to his foot inside his footy pjs. Ew.

So, into the bath with Finn. Not the way I wanted to end my day, and not the way Chris wanted to start his. Finn's day was okay, but he started throwing up again when I got up for the afternoon. Guess he was saving it for me. Thanks, buddy.

Amazingly, though, the evening wasn't awful. And after a brief stint awake at midnight-ish, we actually slept really well. Even though I checked on him 3 times, Finn still managed to throw up in his bed again at some point. Thankfully, he managed to not get any on him. Again. Magical kid.

He's keeping things down this morning. I thought we were in the clear.

Until Paige threw up, about 10 minutes ago.

1st birthday and the zoo

Well, Mr. Finn's first birthday party was a success! We had great friends, great food, and a lot of fun. Finn was a little overwhelmed, but didn't suffer "birthday meltdown" like a lot of kids do. (Like Aiden did on his first birthday...) We got some great gifts; the vacuum and workbench being among Finn's favorites. Yes, they make noise. A lot of noise. One of our very best friends and her girls were able to make it down for a visit and a sleepover, too.

Overall, it was a great birthday.

Autumn and the girls wanted to hit the zoo while they were in town, so we did that the next morning. Christine and Kayleigh joined us on our adventure. For early March, the day was perfect. It rained the night before, but the weather for us was sunny and almost warm.

The kids had a great time "discovering" all the animals. Especially the lions and giraffes that were new to our zoo last summer. Finn went along for the ride, enjoying being out in the sun.

I think the best part of the trip was when the crane did her mating dance for us. Her keepers were getting ready to give her her breakfast. They said that, since she doesn't have a mate with her, the crane will do her mating dance for her keepers- especially at eating time. It was pretty cool to see.

So, below are a ton of pics over the two days. Enjoy!

The German tradition of choosing between an apple, coin, and book. Finn chose the apple just like our other kids. Looks like he's going to be a nature boy, too....

Paige, Brenna, Aiden, Kayleigh, and Carlee

Bittersweet

My baby is going to be 1 tomorrow. Well, in about 4 1/2 hours from now. I just cannot believe how fast the time goes by. It really does seem like just yesterday that they placed that heavy, warm, newborn bundle into my arms for me to kiss for the very first time. My very last baby. I knew the time would go fast..... I just was hoping it wouldn't go as fast as it did.

As much as I love seeing my kids grow, and learn, and discover, there's always that part of me that wants them to slow down a bit. Or freeze in time for a few more weeks. I guess that's why I take a million pictures.

My baby is now officially a toddler.

At one year:

We turned around Finn's carseat. Woohoo!!! Now he rides like a big boy.

Finn is cruising like a champ, and will take a few hesitant steps if he's holding a hand.

He's crawling like "normal" all the time now; not just a carpet-only activity.

He babbles and screeches with the best of them. Occasionally throwing in an almost understandable word.

He sleeps through the night most nights. But still refuses more than one nap a day.

I don't think I've given him jarred baby food at all in the last two weeks.

Finn tried peanut butter one day last week, and wasn't too impressed by it.

He still loves music, and dances or claps along. Patty-Cake is his favorite.

He has this incredible almost curly hair. I'm going to let it grow, just to see what it does.

He finally cut one front tooth, and has been trying to cut the other for the last week.

Finn has the entire family wrapped around his cute little chubby fingers. And none of us would have it any other way.

It's such a wondrous thing to watch your babies grow into little people. Though I am sad when each baby stage passes with Finn, I try to remind myself that watching him grow into his own person is just as sweet.

Happy birthday, Bubba.