When it Rains, it Pours

Okay, seriously...this is becoming somewhat ridiculous!! We thought that we had the plumbing problems fixed but a week to the day, they came back. And I mean literally. We can flush our toilets but no one can take a shower and I cannot wash clothes. Too much water is being dumped into the pipes when we do that. Sooo we have been going over to mom & dad's to take care of those activities. It's not that we don't want to fix the plumbing, its that it is going to be a major fix. We now have someone else coming out to give us a second opinion. The first plumber did come back and said the magic word, "thousands" so we thought we had better see what someone else had to say. Even after we decide on someone, they have to shut the water off for at least a day. The boys can pee off the porch (which Macon still enjoys!) but us girls need some where to sit. Ugggh...this whole thing is giving me a better perspective on pioneer people. Heck, my parents didn't even have inside plumbing when they went to visit their grandparents. A little history tidbit you learn when your plumbing goes haywire. Mom said, "Well, when I was young, we didn't have indoor plumbing and you had to go in a chamber pot that had a handle on it. And it sat in the hallway and you threw the @#%&$ out the backdoor when you were done." This was at the house of the grandparents who didn't have heat either so they put hot water bottles in the beds to get them warm before going to sleep. AND I think my mother and father walked five miles to school, uphill both ways, barefoot in six feet of snow.

Blow Up Toilets

Okay, I guess when it rains, it pours. On Sunday morning, when I went to take a shower to get ready for church, the toilet in our bathroom started to stop up. David got the plunger and do what all men do....plunge away as hard as possible so that water is slopping over the side of the toilet onto the floor. No luck. So, he tries harder....still no luck. I stand by watching the mess he is creating and notice that it is now coming up in the bathtub drain. I go out to the kitchen and realize that it is now coming up and over the toilet in the 1/2 bath off the kitchen. Lovely.... it’s always exciting to run around throwing towels on poopy water emitting from your toilets, shower drains and bathtubs while your husband turns the water off in the yard wearing nothing but his skivvies. The plumber fixed it by snaking out two sewer lines but warned that the trees in our yard may someday find that lovely water appealing and suddenly begin to grow their roots through our pipes, necessitating their removal and draining our already-taxed pocketbook.
The plumber didn't come until Monday and of course we had no toilets or showers to use soooo the boys, David and I head over to Mom and Dad's to spend the night on Sunday. David took the boys to Chuck-E-Cheese (Macon already had a scheduled birthday party) while I went back home to try to contain the mess. When I come back, mom has a fan blowing on the hardwood floors, all the furniture is moved and the rugs are pulled up in her TV room. Knox had used the bathroom upstairs and that toilet begin to leak. Water dripped through the recessed lights onto the floor below. Seriously!! All of this in one day. Marissa called and, when she found out what was happening, told us we are not allowed at her house!
I meant it when I said it rained and poured!

School in Full Swing

School is going swimmingly....Hannah and Knox seem to be enjoying fifth grade. Hannah is in Challenge (we called it Gifted and Talented when I was growing up) which means she misses 1 hour and 40 minutes of regular classroom two times a week. It's a lot of work to make up and she is not thrilled about it. However, she loves Challenge! This year the fifth graders are doing independent research projects which include making their own websites. I have told her to enjoy it...she is going to be so much better off having to work hard. Actually, I think that is part of the problem. Hannah is used to things coming easy for her so when faced with a challenge, she gets somewhat surprised. Anyway, she has started practice for year-round swimming and her first meet is October 6th. I'll be interested to see what her times are now. She has several good friends on the team so I think she is also having fun. Man, is it expensive though!
Knox is doing well also. He is coming out of his shell more and more. Lots of boys in our neighborhood so the doorbell is always ringing! I have instituted a rule that no one rings it before 4pm ( thank you Terese for that little tidbit). That way we can get a snack, homework and downtime in before the craziness starts. Knox popped the wire on his braces last Friday, necessitating a trip to the orthodontist who said to expect to happen again. But, his teeth have already visibly moved so that is exciting. He still has the overbite, which we expected, but his front teeth are lining up more. I think it will be a dramatic change when it is all over.
Katy has not said a whole lot about fourth grade but I know she is tired when she comes home. Poor thing, has to work a little harder than her sister to make good grades, but make them she does! I am proud of her for overcoming her frustrations and establishing good study habits. She seems very popular among the girls but does not have one best friend. She sort of hangs out with everyone. There doesn't seem to be the pettiness among her peer group that I have seen with Hannah's in the past. Maybe Katy has picked better people to hang out with?? Anyway, she is certainly more comfortable with herself that I ever was. She is very stylish and loves dressing up in what I think are fashion-forward outfits. I keep telling her that one day she will be a famous clothing designer but she insists that she will be a vet. We are looking into getting her to volunteer at the animal shelter or a vet's office so she can be more hands-on with the animals. This morning, when she went outside to feed the dog, she found that the cat had left us a present (dead) on the deck. Katy decides to handle it herself by using two sticks to pick up the present and toss it into the woods. Just thinking about it makes me shiver....I guess she has more tolerance for the yuckiness that goes along with animals.
Macon is doing exactly what I thought he would in school. He gets in trouble almost daily for talking at inappropriate times. I guess it could be much worse....he could be hitting or being mean or something. Nope, he is just a social fellow who doesn't understand why he has to wait to tell his friend that one important tidbit of information. Our principal, who has drawings from Macon on her wall, says that she shakes his hand now so that when he becomes President, she can say that she was one of the first to shake his hand. He is a very bright boy who is way beyond the academics of Kindergarten but not yet ready for the first grade. He is reading very complex books and we are working on comprehension skills. His reasoning ability is unreal...and yet, he still is a immature little boy. He can't quite sit still when it is required of him but he will stay and play a game of Life or Monopoly when he wants to. I can't believe he is six years old already!!
I am busy with my volunteer work on the PTA. I have actually become quite good at organizing events and delegating tasks. Too bad they don't pay you to do that!!
David is still looking for a job. He has another interview on Friday with the same drug company. This one is for a position in Greenville or Hickory NC. I don't want to move so I am hoping for the Greenville job. If that doesn't work out, he may just hang out his hat and have a go at being a private practioner. Anything to stop working for the state!!