The Squirrel

Here is the now infamous Niagara Falls black squirrel.

(This is your notice Santa. Ohh, and also Matthew is going to start making out a gigantic list of all the stuff his awful mom NEVER gets him!)

Niagara Falls

We took a quick trip to Niagara Falls today. We drove along Lake Ontario the long way (with almost no other cars) to get there and took the quick way (with cars and tolls) to get back. We took some pictures, ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, and endured an entire day of Matthew acting like one of the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. His new favorite word: "Maybe." He says it after everything. Example: "My name is Matthew. Maybe." or "I didn't eat the chocolate. Maybe." (with chocolate coating his face). He also chastised dad for "not winning" against the other cars on the road. I also endure such criticism when I am driving. We live in fear for that day a mere 10 years from now when the flying monkey takes the wheel...

Also, in addition to a hamster, another dog, and a LIVE fish it turns out that there is yet one more animal we NEED to have in our house: A Niagara Falls state park black squirrel. This is not to be confused with "fat squirrel", which is actually a flavor of beer made in Wisconsin.

I'm sure we'll go there again, and hopefully next time it'll be with updated passports so we can view it from Canada.

Happy Halloween!

We started trick-or-treating at 6pm. We are finished about an hour later. They are frozen. I am frozen. They kept asking, "Are we done yet?" Welcome to trick-or-treating in the north where frostbite is a legitimate concern!

Amanda at first wanted to be a "witch with no fashion sense". Instead, we convinced her to wear a 7-8 year old boy's ninja costume because that would certainly imply a lack of fashion sense. Julia wanted to be Darth Vader (yes, seriously). Allison wanted to be "Franken-doctor". She has some Frankenstein make-up on (but not much). Matthew was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and savior of the world. Did you know that Optimus Prime likes candy? He will run through leaf piles to get to a door and screams very loudly (after ringing the doorbell about 154 times at a particular house), "Trick-or Treat!!!" and/or "Happy Halloween! Do you have any candy?"

Our favorite house? The one handing out Chinese vegetarian health food (I wish I was joking - the closest thing I can approximate it to is "bean granola"....ummmmmm!) So far, only one group has come to our house and we've handed out a grand total of 8 pieces. I have about 15 bags of candy. It's a good thing I got a lot of Reeses and Snickers...

5-year old bus driving tips

Matthew has a super-cool bus driver named Joe. But, I guess Matthew must think Joe needs driving advice. As he was de-bussing, Matthew pointed at the nice little old lady walking down our street and told Joe, "Hey, don't hit that old lady."

Joe just laughed and said he'd be careful.

Matthew's SECOND first day of Kindergarten!

How many kids get to start kindergarten twice for reasons other than expulsion or not being potty trained? Well, Matthew was lucky enough to have this opportunity yesterday. He has a BOY teacher too! His name is Mr. Dreschler, or as the kids refer to him, "MR. D!" This is extra special because we also had a Mr. D at Timber Ridge (although he was the gym teacher). Matthew's room is big with lots of windows and just looks like fine all around. The girls were with us in the room when the rest of the class came in, and after a few odd looks at them I explained that they were trying to sneak into kindergarten with their brother but were just too old (they thought that as funny).

We took a few pictures. I HAD to take a picture of the sign about taking off boots - this school has been around for quite awhile and I just thought it was funny to see it and to see it worded the way it was (which is probably circa the 1940s!)

Amanda starts middle school tomorrow (don't expect pictures), and Julia and Allison should start on Thursday (I will try to get pictures).

Our new home

Here are some pictures of the house we now live in...

* The first pictures are of the outside of the house from Highland Ave. The whole way here, Matthew kept asking when we were going to ge to "the blue house".

* The kitchen is large with plenty of storage, and there is even a bump-out for plants and natural light. There's a fireplace and sitting area - just a nice little spot to relax.

* The basement actually has 3 rooms - and you can get a good look at the really neat stairs from the first basement room shot. Incidentally, we also apparently have a hot tub and sauna (who knew!?!) I don't think we'll use them much, but how cool is that to say you have your own indoor spa? There's another storage room and full bathroom in the basement too - plus a full garage. Yes, seriously.
* The family room and dining room are sort of one big room, but it's easily used for both purposes separately. Bucky has his bed in there and can be on any floor in seconds (if he wasn't afraid of going up or down the stairs, that is - he really is a clod and is literally afraid of stairs!) But, it's cute.
* Amanda's room has 2 closets. Actually, so does "the big room". It is long and large. Todd and I actually have 3 closets in our room. And, some bees in the bathroom...

* The big room is also either the room of Julia or Allison (or both) - they've slept in there a few times, but mostly just make a mess in it.

* "The bunk room" is either going to be Julia's room, or Allison's room, or both their room. Allison has to sleep with someone, not alone. Lately, they've all been piling together in Amanda's room (who for some reason doesn't seem to mind - or she just doesn't notice them with all the other clutter laying around - see her picture).
* Matthew's room has the dragon, and actually has a nook to the right and a sitting area to the left.

So, we will have room for people to visit if they are brave enough to come this far north. We will be visiting Niagara Falls sometime soon for the first time, hopefully when it's not below freezing.

We made it!

Here is a picture of the kids in the back a few hours before we arrived. Don't they look happy? Especially Bucky (who played the part of a footrest for most of the trip).

Okay, we actually made it a few days ago. But, I'm buried in boxes so I didn't quite get to this as fast as I should have.

Once we have things more completely unpacked, I'll take some pictures of our new home. It's pretty nice and a lot bigger than I'd expected for some reason. Once we get the kids registered for school and into a schedule, I'm sure I'll feel less like I'm totally nuts.

On the road again...

It's like the song, only I really can wait.

So, we left Georgia yesterday. Sigh....

We picked up Todd from the airport in Atlanta. For those who've never had the pleasure of picking someone up from Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, it's sort of like driving through some kind of deranged driving course full of elderly and student drivers (who may be legally blind) with a mix of shuttle bus drivers who can only believe that their performance is part of some outreach program for Nascar racing.

Not even out of the neighborhood, Julia was was already giving me advice: "Mom, don't hit any deer this time." We only saw one, and Todd was driving by then...

We got through Tennessee unscathed (Tennessee luckily decimated Georgia, or we'd probably have been pulled over for spite! Sorry to all our Georgia friends, but that score was NOT pretty!) We got into Kentucky, at which point Matthew was continually asking when we were getting to New York City. He thinks we're moving to NYC.

So, we're back on the road again in a few hours. Hopefully, it's fairly uneventful!

Fun with Oreos

Lesson Number 438: Never leave a 5 year old boy to his own devices when there is a nearly full container of Oreos that he will only eat the filling out of within his sphere of influence. Does anyone want an Oreo shells???

I have a witness to this one - Tandy Blaylock. I guess I could use the spare chocolate wafer shells to make some kind of crust????

It's finally over!

Yes, we closed. I'm in shock that it's finally over - nearly 6 months to the day that we started. There are almost no "regular" houses selling now - it's nearly all quick sales, short sales, and foreclosures. So, we should feel lucky. I try to convince myself that we are lucky. Actually, I do feel better. But, it wasn't all so easy. We moved out, cleaned the house, and it was perfect (the total opposite of what we moved into 2 1/2 years ago). But, sadly, we had not learned enough lessons with selling homes and were due another one. See, we had all that flooding in the county, and we were so lucky not to have any flooding, right? Apparently, the flooding fairy decided to seek her revenge in another way. Our washer water connection (which was not completely off) dripped enough to obliterate part of the powder room ceiling below it. This is the scenario of events leading to the discovery: (1) I walked in the house the day we were letting the new buyers move in (our closing was held up, and this is not a joke, because of flood re-certification) (2)I looked in the bathroom and noticed water on the floor. (3) I looked up. (4) Some time later, when I regained consciousness after what was either a fugue state or some kind of mental breakdown, I realized that water on the ceiling must come from above the ceiling and thought, "Ohhh *$&%!!! The water line busted on something!" and ran upstairs half-expecting to find the whole 2nd floor flooded (yes, I freaked out big time). (5) To my relief, shock, and then confusion there is no obvious water leak. Huh???? As I look closer, I see a little drip-drip-drip coming out of the faucets. (6) ARGHHHHH!!! (7) I tightened down the faucets, plugged up the spigots, and ran in the basement to check for water. (8) There was none so I was fairly confident that it was only the drip and not a pipe. (9) I called Todd and began babbling incoherently and basically freaking out. (10) The new buyers showed up ...and, I have to tell them their new house that was perfect has a water leak when we've never had a water leak ever. Well, except for when the water heater exploded right after we moved in but that doesn't really count. They were really understanding about it, but we will be paying to fix it...sigh.

SO, for those moving ever, always make sure your water really is off and don't trust your movers to give a rip about anything they do in or to your house. There are some good movers (like are super-awesome movers Chuck and Charlie from our last move), but there are also bad ones. Be warned

Does anyone know tax law about claiming a loss on the investment (upgrades) put into a house???? If you do, give us a call. Please. Pretty please. We did have rent for one day, so maybe we can work that to our advantage!?!? Yes, I'm truly nuts now.

Rain, Rain Go AWAY already!

Okay, I was sort of joking when I said that we'd be getting rain every day until we move. That's unfortunately not an exaggeration. We've had rain every day for the past straight week. Did you know they can close school for rain? I thought that only happened in California. There are areas of metro Atlanta that had 8-10 inches of rain SINCE MIDNIGHT! Our total is less than that, but I think the last I heard we'd had almost 4 inches. And, as of this afternoon, we are getting hit with storm after storm. There are lulls, and then it's as if a big bucket is just DUMPED over us for about an hour straight.

I am adding a video of my fun afternoon drive (I had to get home when they closed Middle schools 3 hours early and didn't tell us until after they were on their way home) and a few neighborhood pictures near the pool. The beginning of the video has a river of runoff that was flowing into the street (over grass, not over a sidewalk - it was like that everywhere!) The waterfall from a few days ago is also currently roaring away...

Luckily, there are no hurricanes on the way :) And, even better news, our moving guy said it'll only take one day to pack and one day to move instead of two days to pack. And, for now, it is supposed to be sunny both of those days.

New school pics

Here are the latest school pictures. Matthew could have smiled a little more, but at least he kept his clothes on and isn't sticking his tongue out!

Waterfalls

So, we have had some rain today. We've had a drought for so long that any rain is usually cause for celebration. Unfortunately, when we DO get rain we often get a month's worth in a span of hours. Literally, it's like buckets of rain are being dumped from the sky. When this happens, we get "the waterfall". Actually, we get several, but this one is the coolest...

Pictures

We have lots of pictures to add today. We have weird boys, parades, soccer games, and some very "random" shots ("random" is the new "cool"...or something like that). And, as promised, we have the disgusting toe.

Things you don't expect a kids to say when they break a bone...

"I broke my toe! It's awesome. Well, it doesn't feel awesome, but it's so cool. But, it doesn't look cool, it's disgusting."

Yes, it was Julia. She's claiming the status of 4th person in the family to break something (Todd broke an arm and finger, Amanda her arm, Matthew his head, and now she has joined the elite group by most likely breaking her toe). I hold the record for appendectomies, while Matthew has the record for surgeries. Allison has the record for most times falling down. Bucky holds the record for greatest number of failed attempts at catching squirrels. Do you see a trend? Yes, we're pretty boring (or just easily entertained).


Pictures of the disgusting toe will most certainly follow...

New bug to fear in Georgia

So, palmetto bugs and cicadas and bald-faced hornets just weren't enough. Now, we have "Cicada Killers". Julia (our resident bug torturer/collector) found one with friend Taylor. Described as having a, "fat butt, and it's disgusting" the cicada killer apparently (as the name indicates) kills cicadas. It could also be called, "The bug that freaks everyone out." Euuuwwww......

(Incidentally, this is a picture from the internet - as if I would go near one of these let alone HOLD 5 of them!)

The Story of Jorden

(I found this while cleaning out a drawer...)

Jorden

Jorden was a bumblebee that died. So, I put him in a grave. When we first found him, he couldn't fly. Then, another bumblebee atackt him. Then the next day he was died. But, he was a great bee to have.

by Allison

A New Way to Loose Teeth...by Allison Linskey

Lesson #437: When you are such a wimp that you cannot actually pull out your own loose tooth with your fingers, look no further than the bathroom drawer for a handy pair of fingernail clippers. They grip that tooth like a vise and will rip that baby right out! Also, FYI, tweezers are TOTALLY ineffective for pulling teeth.

Yes, Allison had decided that she needed some additional help in pulling out her loose bottom tooth that has been at a 90 degree angle sticking out of her mouth for the past two weeks. Quite a look, let me tell you. So, she is in the bathroom looking for tweezers. She asks if she can use them to try to pull out her tooth. Awww, what the heck - why not? They were clean, so I said she could. Well, she tries and tries but can't quite grip that tooth. So, I jokingly say, "Try the fingernail clippers." I should know better than to joke - they always take me seriously (they all need a sarcasm sign). SO, she goes for the clippers, grabs the tooth, and launches it into the sink (where I stopped it from going down the drain). She was SO proud of her accomplishment, and we now have yet another way to remove teeth. This method now joins our previous successful methods of using your loose tooth to open an orange juice container, falling flat on your face on concrete, and getting elbowed in the mouth by your sister.

It's official: Hell has frozen over

Yes, we are under contract!!!

Keep your fingers crossed that the appraisal and inspection go well. We're not worried, but who they heck knows what will happen in this market.

And, I really hope strange people can now quit driving by taking pictures of my house!!! Seriously, someone did that Wednesday. It's happened before, but it's still creepy. And, I can't wait for people to stop coming into my house too. 12 more days and we're past due diligence ...

Quote of the day

While playing Wii Lego Indiana Jones, the following quote was overheard:

"Dad, you need to be a girl!"

Apparently, you can change your game avatar to various people from the first three Indiana Jones movies. The "girl" will attack things by (and I'm not making this up) screaming at them. If she screams at them, they fall apart. We're not quite sure why Matthew believed Dad needed to be the girl other than he maybe felt it was unfair for both of them to be "Minmiana Jones" (this is how he pronounces it). He also applauded dad's efforts by constantly telling him to "drop out" because he was screwing up. This is actually better than what he usually does if you, as his partner, screw up. Normally, he just kills you.