Oh poop

Literally.

So the basement had flooding on Sunday - this is sewage water we are talking about. Then the toilets would not flush and any attempt to take a shower or use a decent amount of water resulted in bubbling up of the water downstairs. So we already had the carpet cleaner here to help dry out the basement. Yesterday the plumbers came as well to help diagnose the water issue. We were kind of hoping it was a city problem, not ours, so that we would not have to foot the bill. Or we were hoping it was a small easy fix. Neither is the case, unless you are Donald Trump or Bill Gates and $16,000+ is pocket change.

Yesterday they dug a big hole. Today they pumped some sewage water out of a "vault" (basically a concrete hole in our yard that sort of resembles an abandoned well) so they could get a camera in & get a good look at things. There are two issues, and one is an easy fix but both have to be dealt with. The easy fix is that the backflow valve was broken: basically if the city sewer pipes were overwhelmed, things would flow back towards our house instead of being stopped by the backfkow flap. The bigger problem is this: the pipe between our house & the backflow valve that is supposed to be angling down & away from our house so sewage flows towards the street & the city pipes, is instead angled towards our house so the poop water is sitting & getting stuck. This is most likely a result of settling over time in this wonderful peat bog known as Greenwood. (Anyone who has visited our house has probably noticed a slight tilt, especially if a child drops a ball, that is due to settling.) Well, pipes settle as well as houses unfortunately.

Matt & I had been talking about a large purchase, possibly this Christmas season. But trust me when I say that new poop pipes were not what we were discussing.

Stay tuned. I am sure there will be updates.

oh, also: just as we were realizing the extent of the problem and the possible cost, the power went out. A circuit had flipped the other day due to all the equipment running both in and outside to dry out & dig up. Today it was more than a circuit, it was the entire house. Nearby street lights were not working so it was obviously not just our problem. So I was not looking forward to a day in a house where I am afraid to flush the toilet plus I have no electricity for things like lights, cooking food, etc. But part of me was thinking of the possible upside: maybe I would need to eat the peppermint ice cream before it all melted & maybe we would need to go out to a restaurant for dinner tonight. The good (and bad) news is that the lights are now back on.

Rain Rain go away

We have been having a doozy of a rain. I wore my rain boots to church. Totally tacky but there are big puddles everywhere & I do not like the feel of wet socks and pants. We got home to find out that our basement has flooding due to the rain. This happened once 3 years ago. I remember being very pregnant with Addie and wading through it in my rainboots and trying to dry the floor with towels. It was a wet mess! Drying out the floor and walls was expensive and required a professional. We sucked up the water with a wet vac, then they pulled back the carpets, ran professional dehumidifiers for a few weeks,  measured the humidity down there, put little holes into the walls to make sure the walls were not retaining water and rotting, etc. And now it looks like we get to do it all over again.  Keep in mind also that we have renters who live down there. So it is not like it is just a storage space that is rarely used, it is their bedroom, living room, etc we are talking about. I do not recommend owning a basement in the Greenwood neighborhood :(

Professional ball players we are not

Addie and I have been wrapping some Christmas presents and as we finish up rolls of paper, there are cool cardboard cores to play with. One of the games we have been enjoying is T-ball. At first I laid on the ground and held the one tube down while Addie swung. Although she does not have a strong swing, it did not take me long to realize that I wanted to be not quite so close to the action. So we wedged it in a bucket of blocks and voila! we had a T-ball stand. The ball is soft & squisky & usually does not travel more than 1-2 feet so I have no worries about things getting broken.

I tried playing "swords" with her as well, but she was not very into it. That is just fine with me :)

Better late than never

So I have been feeling like I have been falling behind on my blogging. But then I was looking through my pictures trying to remember what I intended to blog about & never did. I think our visit to my parents house over Halloween never got the picture representation it should have. So here goes:

and a little comparison to Addie eating her one year birthday cupcake at their house.
 (I planned for the bib & chair to be the same. But the yellow sippy was coincidence believe it or not)

Now back to the present (or at least the more recent).

 And here is my sister Cheryl 4 days before having baby Lauren.
I think I look bigger than that 2 months before having my babies.

No visit is complete without riding on the bus with Papa Wally.

Did I warn you that there are always tons of pictures after visiting Vancouver?
There are more to share if you are still looking :)

 They are all smiling and looking the same direction
(so the camera must have been in the wrong place because obviously
 there was something interesting elsewhere).

 Getting driving lessons from Papa
(ok, I am getting lazy - in my defense the picture was oriented correctly when I selected it...)

 Waiting for their green light

But what's this, a pantless Asa going the wrong way?!

Looking back through the pictures I am truly shocked to find not a single picture of one of my girls with the chickens or collecting eggs. I thought those pictures were mandatory. Mom, if you are reading this please do not feel the need to make up for that omission by taking twice as many next time!

Cousin Aubree was sick so the girls did not get play time with her. And her baby sister had not made her appearance yet (ha! so much for due dates!). So we are really looking forward to seeing them at Christmas (which is only a few weeks away really).

ok, I am caught up on my pictures.
This Sat. Addie is having a birthday party. We are having her very first friends party & it is going to be at Little Gym. It should be tons of fun for both girls & I hope to have some good pictures to share.

Want a good look at the braces?

Now you see them.

Now you don't! Black & white hide them much better. 

Also, don't worry; Addie did not actually face-plant although it sure looks like it.

A few bloopers

Ok, maybe they are not truly bloopers - but they are on the sillier side.

We could call him "privacy puppy".

Love Peace & Joy

Here is a little preview of what is to come :)
I am seriously so happy with my recent order from Shutterfly (and I am not getting paid or getting a coupon code to say this!).  They let me stack coupon codes so I got 50 free cards, 30% off calendar, 30% off photo cards, 10% off entire order and free shipping.  Merry Christmas to me!

We Heart You Holiday Card

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View the entire collection of cards.