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So my plan of not sweating the small stuff in 2013...... its trial by fire already.
Sunday, Jeff & I kinda, sorta looked at some new-to-us (used) SUVs. With the kids getting bigger & Hayden needing a new carseat NOW (the seats in Jeff's car are rated to 40lbs & he is 39lbs!) & we are struggling to find him one. If you haven't tried it, fitting 3 5 point harnessed carseats across a single row is difficult. And Hayden is built like a big dude, broad, thick, so not just any carseat works for him. Neck straps are too narrow & dig in. Buckles don't sit right on his belly. The list goes on. So I'm failing to find a new affordable seat for him, that fits, works well for us & that he is comfortable in.
So you're looking at new cars because of carseats, Katie?
Sort of yes.
But also, someday we still would like to add to our family, so its an investment on future dreams too. And with 3 kids, an Equinox doesn't leave a lot of room for "stuff" & anticipating a future of dance lessons, T-ball games, etc. upsizing doesn't seem crazy. We could spend $1500 on some great new Foonf carseats that would fit in our vehicle just perfect. Or we could put that to a new vehicle that will continue to grow with us.
Both of our vehicles are paid off, so the thought of taking on any new monthly expenses is not ideal for us, so we're doing a lot of online research of prices, and trying to find something that we can trade in ours for & pay minimal in cash to keep no revolving payments, without compromising on what we want for vehicle, gas mileage, quality, etc.
So what does this have to do with not sweating the small stuff?
Tuesday. Work was slow, so I was staff reduced & home on call. The kids went to school as scheduled since I was on-call & Jeff & I were going to slip over after he got off work with the kids still at daycare & test drive a thing or two.
Until, while parked in the shop at school.... the Equinox lights started flashing.... horn started honking.... and engine started smoking!! 6 hours before we had every intention of trading it in if we stumbled across something perfect!
Apparently some freak thing happened, and the fuses & wires coming from the battery (or something like that) sparked & all melted down together & shorted out! Estimated repair cost (keeping in mind our vehicle at trade in is worth probably $7000)..... $3200!! Oh lordy!
Good news.... we have a warranty. Bad news.... this is excluded.
Good news.... insurance says this is a "freak" thing, not normal wear & tear. So they will pay after we meet $500 deductable. Still $500, but much better than the alternative!!
Bad news... since this was a bigger issue than just a PART... they can't just go out & buy this PART to fix ours. Meaning, they will spend a few days checking with people to see if they can find this "whole system" salvaged off another vehicle, if not, it has to be built. Meaning we are without a vehicle for at least a month. Wait? A MONTH!!
Good news... insurance helps with a rental.
Bad news... it still costs $13 a day, which over 30 days adds up to... well a lot!!
So here I sit... home with 3 kids & no vehicle, hoping nobody gets sick or nothing happens. And trying to decide what exactly is going to be our plan of action for the next 30 days??!!
Do we get a rental? Do we try to find someone who has a vehicle we can borrow for a week here & there? Do we get up early every day that I'm home to drive Jeff to work & pick him up? What are the costs of that in terms of extra gas & mileage to our van?
At least we had good insurance. At least no one got hurt. At least it didn't happen when Jeff was driving somewhere with 3 kids in the car, can you imagine??!!
Welcome first challenge of the year.....
A typical case of the Mondays...
Isn't this how you spent your Monday??
Playing dress up!
Train track guy - Princess - Working guy
3 super heros! They go "pow" to bad guys {AKA push them down}
Love them! I had to be the monster & chase them into their Castle (tipi).
After dress up, we had a spa day. Hair cuts, manis & pedis & a soak in the tub. The boys are so excited to go show their teacher their blue fingernail polish tomorrow!
Some things never change :)
I wish....
That I didn't work as many Sundays as I do.
Its handy in that Jeff is home. No daycare cost. Its usually slower days at work, which is nice.
But this weekend I was off AND we were home & went to OUR Church. We get there so infrequently. I forget the weeks inbetween how amazing all the people are. It just feels like home! And they really have been so great to us with hospital visits, phone calls & warm meals when our kids were born, just came home & were sick with RSV.
One of the ladies got my e-mail this week so she could send me a picture she had taken at the Church Trunk-or-Treat this year. Its the same lady who had taken our picture in the park last summer at the service in the park, a picture that is one of my faves from last summer!
Its handy in that Jeff is home. No daycare cost. Its usually slower days at work, which is nice.
But this weekend I was off AND we were home & went to OUR Church. We get there so infrequently. I forget the weeks inbetween how amazing all the people are. It just feels like home! And they really have been so great to us with hospital visits, phone calls & warm meals when our kids were born, just came home & were sick with RSV.
One of the ladies got my e-mail this week so she could send me a picture she had taken at the Church Trunk-or-Treat this year. Its the same lady who had taken our picture in the park last summer at the service in the park, a picture that is one of my faves from last summer!
Say Cheese!!
Outside of pictures of opening presents.... some Holiday Photos!
Lack of Livi cooperation. Her "pouting" stance.
"Livi... would you please cooperate!" - Love, Hayden & Logan
Goofy!
Got um :)
And just because we were bored one evening, to the best of our $5 Walmart scale's reading & a pencil mark on the wall.....
Hayden: 39lbs!!! 39in tall. 95% for weight!!, 75% for height.
Olivia: 31lbs, 38.5in tall. 50% for weight, 75% for height.
Logan: 30lbs, 37in tall. 25% for both weight & height.
We finally got our holiday decorations packed up while the kids were napping. When they discovered the tree was gone.... Hayden was worried someone stole it. Olivia was excited because "Its going to be Easter time now!" And Logan was in tears, because he thought he had to give all of his new toys back.
Now this 0 degree weather can move on. We can have one more snow so we can go sledding... then I'm ready for spring! (Walmart has cute SPRING kids clothes out.... trying not to shop!)
Just random
Besides some boogers (both in our noses & smeared on Hayden's bedroom wall), I think we are healthy! Yay!
Yes... Hayden's wall. He is officially that kid. That kid who picks his boogers & leaves them random places for us to find. Bathroom counter. Kitchen table. And ALL over the wall by his bed. I may have to sand & repaint! At least he doesn't eat them?
People all around us are sick. A few of my poor co-workers kids are having winters like we did last year. Constant nebulizers. Hospitalizations. :(
I feel so bad for them, but inside I'm just so excited, like shout it to the mountain tops excited, that we are rocking this winter (from a respiratory standpoint anyways) after last year. We aren't even giving Livi any steroids. Ok, so we have the prescription & we did start it this fall... but keeping up with it is very hard & we failed. I didn't want to 1/2 ass do it & if she got sick wonder if steroids would have kept her healthy. So we just didn't do it, decided to rather give her a chance to prove herself. And she has been fine! Maybe she will grow out of this after all?
We have been doing some extra Vitamin D this winter... and maybe its just a coincidence, but maybe that Vitamin D is doing that much for them? And they are a little older & stronger too. Whatever it is, I'm glad. Not that we haven't had our share of crud. I'm just glad their lungs are tolerating their crud.
And after last weeks video.... look what came home from school yesterday!!
Yes... Hayden's wall. He is officially that kid. That kid who picks his boogers & leaves them random places for us to find. Bathroom counter. Kitchen table. And ALL over the wall by his bed. I may have to sand & repaint! At least he doesn't eat them?
People all around us are sick. A few of my poor co-workers kids are having winters like we did last year. Constant nebulizers. Hospitalizations. :(
I feel so bad for them, but inside I'm just so excited, like shout it to the mountain tops excited, that we are rocking this winter (from a respiratory standpoint anyways) after last year. We aren't even giving Livi any steroids. Ok, so we have the prescription & we did start it this fall... but keeping up with it is very hard & we failed. I didn't want to 1/2 ass do it & if she got sick wonder if steroids would have kept her healthy. So we just didn't do it, decided to rather give her a chance to prove herself. And she has been fine! Maybe she will grow out of this after all?
We have been doing some extra Vitamin D this winter... and maybe its just a coincidence, but maybe that Vitamin D is doing that much for them? And they are a little older & stronger too. Whatever it is, I'm glad. Not that we haven't had our share of crud. I'm just glad their lungs are tolerating their crud.
And after last weeks video.... look what came home from school yesterday!!
Actually not his best H, he really has that letter down, but look at that effort!
And this is awesome!
Livi is not much for participation. She tells me "I didn't write my letters at school today because I didn't want to." BUT... she is talking there now! Like in a group setting even! Poor shy thing will break out of that shell someday. They have learned so much at school in just 12 short weeks!! And just 2 days a week... its incredible really!
A shocking video!!!
Don't pay attention to me & Hayden!
His fever is back today, just a little (otherwise we had been fever free since Monday) & he has a TON of drainage, so he has "puked" a few times today. But otherwise besides lingering coughs & boogers, we are in "relatively good" health. We are being bums in PJs & enjoying our last day of all of us home for Jeff's Christmas Break.
And while sitting around we discovered one of the kids knows how to spell their name!! Not write it, but can tell us all the letters in order! It just takes a little reminder to remember the last letter!
LO.... G.... A..... "N for Nebraska"!!!!
I'm so shocked & proud..... I cried. Honest.
Hayden writes the letter H on EVERYTHING! He's got that one down. Livi can write an O. Logan doesn't write letters as much so I was shocked at todays discovery!!
His fever is back today, just a little (otherwise we had been fever free since Monday) & he has a TON of drainage, so he has "puked" a few times today. But otherwise besides lingering coughs & boogers, we are in "relatively good" health. We are being bums in PJs & enjoying our last day of all of us home for Jeff's Christmas Break.
And while sitting around we discovered one of the kids knows how to spell their name!! Not write it, but can tell us all the letters in order! It just takes a little reminder to remember the last letter!
LO.... G.... A..... "N for Nebraska"!!!!
I'm so shocked & proud..... I cried. Honest.
Hayden writes the letter H on EVERYTHING! He's got that one down. Livi can write an O. Logan doesn't write letters as much so I was shocked at todays discovery!!
2012 in review
Year in review is a blog post I look forward to all year. An instant glimpse at how amazing 12 months really are! I looked back over my review of 2011, and smiled. This is the thought I entered 2012 with:
"I welcome 2012 with open arms. The good & the bad. Because I'm realizing, the tough times only make us stronger. And make us cherish the good ones even longer."
I was right.
2012 was a life changing year for me. I watched my children conquer sickness. I watched them learn & grow. I watched many friends journey down rough paths, and tearfully watched my friend bury her baby. And I continue to stand in awe of her grace. I learned even deeper in my soul the the value of love & life. I learned to{try not to} sweat the small things. And I grew in ways I never knew were possible. 2012 is a year that will definitely not soon be forgotten.
January:
We gave our first at home hair cuts. We battled RSV. We accidentally potty trained Olivia.
February:
We played in the snow. We said our prayers. We found out Hayden is allergic to Amoxicillin. We danced & sang! We tried to recover from RSV.
March:
I finally went back to work post RSV & we finally got healthy! We hit up the Children's museum. Our talking & learning just took off! We decided to re-do our bathroom. And took some "silly baths" in the meantime. We started counting. We worked on getting our 2 year molars. And enjoyed the beautiful spring weather!
April:
We enjoyed the unusually warm spring weather. We hunted Easter Eggs. We took a big leap of faith & put our house on the market. We started potty training the boys, accidentally! {wow, we really started THAT long ago!} We marched with March of Dimes to support healthy babies!
May:
We laughed!! We kept working on potty training. We turned 2 & 1/2! Then there was Mother's Day. Livi mastered potty poop. We visited the zoo. Our year of sickness continued. We partied in Minnesota. We sold our house... {for the first time.}
June:
We revisited the zoo & went to the circus! We had a staycation, during which we camped in a caboose. We celebrated 6 years of marriage. Our plans for an awesome vacation, turned into a house roofing project & a Hayden tonsillectomy.
July:
We beat the heat. Our house sale fell through. We watched our 1st fireworks. We got sick...again, but managed to still get out & enjoy the community days parade. Livi told her first knock-knock joke. We goofed around. We declared Hayden potty trained!
August:
This month is in a nutshell what 2012 will always be for me. Life altering. We went to the fair. We sold our house... AGAIN! We MOVED!! And I learned that Heaven gained a perfect angel when my friend Anne tragically lost her daughter Isabelle. A moment in my life that will change me & the way I view the world forever. I think of you often Anne & Isabelle. I counted my lucky stars, slept on the floor in my kids' bedroom for weeks, and I began to view my hard days as a parent very differently.
September:
We played at our new neighborhood park. The kids had lots of football weekends with dad. We got settled into our new house, got big kid beds & I finished my first new house project! And took the first of many trips to the pumpkin patch.
October:
We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. Jeff got a new job! We spent more time at the pumpkin patch. Took 3 year pictures. The kids started preschool & I turned 30!! We survived the dentist! We went Trick-or-Treating.
November:
We had a PaRtY! We checked how much we grew. MY BABIES TURNED THREE!!! I did more painting. We gave thanks.
December:
"Accident happen, & that's ok" became the kids favorite saying. And accidents did happen! We continued to learn so much at school. We saw Santa. We played in the snow. We had our first ever Christmas Program! And were extremely blessed this year at Christmas.
I put together this blog, in laughter & in tears. It is truly so fun to look back on all the amazing memories of the last 12 months & sit in wonder & awe of how amazing life is. I am blessed. And I am excited for all of the love, laughter & memories that 2013 will bring.
"I welcome 2012 with open arms. The good & the bad. Because I'm realizing, the tough times only make us stronger. And make us cherish the good ones even longer."
I was right.
2012 was a life changing year for me. I watched my children conquer sickness. I watched them learn & grow. I watched many friends journey down rough paths, and tearfully watched my friend bury her baby. And I continue to stand in awe of her grace. I learned even deeper in my soul the the value of love & life. I learned to{try not to} sweat the small things. And I grew in ways I never knew were possible. 2012 is a year that will definitely not soon be forgotten.
January:
We gave our first at home hair cuts. We battled RSV. We accidentally potty trained Olivia.
February:
We played in the snow. We said our prayers. We found out Hayden is allergic to Amoxicillin. We danced & sang! We tried to recover from RSV.
March:
I finally went back to work post RSV & we finally got healthy! We hit up the Children's museum. Our talking & learning just took off! We decided to re-do our bathroom. And took some "silly baths" in the meantime. We started counting. We worked on getting our 2 year molars. And enjoyed the beautiful spring weather!
April:
We enjoyed the unusually warm spring weather. We hunted Easter Eggs. We took a big leap of faith & put our house on the market. We started potty training the boys, accidentally! {wow, we really started THAT long ago!} We marched with March of Dimes to support healthy babies!
May:
We laughed!! We kept working on potty training. We turned 2 & 1/2! Then there was Mother's Day. Livi mastered potty poop. We visited the zoo. Our year of sickness continued. We partied in Minnesota. We sold our house... {for the first time.}
June:
We revisited the zoo & went to the circus! We had a staycation, during which we camped in a caboose. We celebrated 6 years of marriage. Our plans for an awesome vacation, turned into a house roofing project & a Hayden tonsillectomy.
July:
We beat the heat. Our house sale fell through. We watched our 1st fireworks. We got sick...again, but managed to still get out & enjoy the community days parade. Livi told her first knock-knock joke. We goofed around. We declared Hayden potty trained!
August:
This month is in a nutshell what 2012 will always be for me. Life altering. We went to the fair. We sold our house... AGAIN! We MOVED!! And I learned that Heaven gained a perfect angel when my friend Anne tragically lost her daughter Isabelle. A moment in my life that will change me & the way I view the world forever. I think of you often Anne & Isabelle. I counted my lucky stars, slept on the floor in my kids' bedroom for weeks, and I began to view my hard days as a parent very differently.
September:
We played at our new neighborhood park. The kids had lots of football weekends with dad. We got settled into our new house, got big kid beds & I finished my first new house project! And took the first of many trips to the pumpkin patch.
October:
We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. Jeff got a new job! We spent more time at the pumpkin patch. Took 3 year pictures. The kids started preschool & I turned 30!! We survived the dentist! We went Trick-or-Treating.
November:
We had a PaRtY! We checked how much we grew. MY BABIES TURNED THREE!!! I did more painting. We gave thanks.
December:
"Accident happen, & that's ok" became the kids favorite saying. And accidents did happen! We continued to learn so much at school. We saw Santa. We played in the snow. We had our first ever Christmas Program! And were extremely blessed this year at Christmas.
I put together this blog, in laughter & in tears. It is truly so fun to look back on all the amazing memories of the last 12 months & sit in wonder & awe of how amazing life is. I am blessed. And I am excited for all of the love, laughter & memories that 2013 will bring.
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