The 5 1/2 month shower

Sounds like you would be water logged, doesn't it?
Well, it actually refers to how long it took my husband (and various other helpers) to rip out our master shower and redo it.
If you know my husband and I, you know that Eddie doesn't do much around the house as in fixing things. He says his Dad never taught him that stuff. Well, I grew up with my Dad....so I had a few lessons here and there on how to do things for myself! If I don't know how to do something....I follow directions or look it up and get to work. Eddie is not too good at following directions...sorry babe...but it is true. (Just ask your mom about you putting that triangle trampoline thing together on Xmas Eve 2 years ago) (well...you tried to put it together and then we switched and you said that you either had to be a moron or a genius to put it together.....5 minutes later I think I was a genius...even though that is not the one you called me)

Anyways, Eddie decided to tackle this project back in August 2009 when he was on vacation for a week. He ripped everything out and started over basically. He put in a new shower pan, new backer boards and poured the quickrete in and went from there. We had several helpers along the way, but the biggest help was our brother in law Jerry. He has done tile work before and brought over his wet saw and experience and got to work. Eddie is a very laid back worker and just does things here and there. I can tell Jerry likes to get things done....which is how I am.....let's go, let's get it done...come on!
When I start something new, I am so motivated and determined to get it done and get it done right that I just go to town. Eddie seems a bit more overwhelmed and I commend him for trying such a huge project around here. I am just soooooo happy that it is finished...well, pretty much. Our poker buddy Bud, who does tile for a living, brought over his son Adam and he grouted the thing in about 2 seconds flat.  Eddie attempted to grout it. I showed him some videos on grouting and he went up there and spent quite some time.
I went up thinking that he had to have done at least a whole wall, but he did about 4 rows and it looked quite a bit uneven, so he decided to wait for Jerry to come help with it. Thankfully, Bud brought Adam over and got it all done in a blink of an eye. The funny part is that Eddie thought the grout was not suppose to get on the tiles and Eddie was amazed when Adam smeared it all over the tile.  I asked Eddie how in the heck did he do his grout?? He said he did it real careful not to get grout on the tile. OMG....that explains why it took several hours to do just 4 rows. I had NO idea Eddie was trying to grout like that. I asked him if he watched the videos I had up and he said yes, but if he did then he would have seen them slather the grout on and wipe it off. Iwas dumbfounded. OH well......it was almost done at this point and I was more focused on that.
Bud is coming back to do a couple of little things, but the door is on and Eddie has showered in it twice now..I still have not been in it, but only because I shower while Lukas is in his crib playing...so I shower in the one by his room so I can hear him! Maybe this weekend I will get to try out the new walls!!
Now, I just have to tear out the old caulk on the other tub and redo that this weekend! I don't need any help with that....Thank You very much!

Good effort honey....now don't try this at home again!
xoxo

Check it out.....................Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Hello Mr.Peeker

Tonight I was helping Nicholas get through his shower and as I was rubbing the shampoo through his hair he started shaking his body at me and singing silly songs.
I told him to stop before he falls and he tells me that he loves his "Peeker."
(That is his word for Penis)
I said that I could tell because he is always holding on to it.
He laughed and said he loves to hold it. I asked him if he remembers the proper name for it and he said no. I told him that he use to know it and I reminded him that the proper name for his "Peeker" is Penis.
He told me that he likes Peeker better. As a matter of fact, he calls him Mr. Peeker and he wears a hat to school under his jeans.
WHAT? I was giggling pretty uncontrollable at this point.
I asked him what kind of hat and he told me it was a worker hat.
I then reminded him that Mr. Peeker was something we don't talk about or touch around other people. Mr. Peeker has a place in the bathroom and the bedroom. He told me that he never talks about Mr. Peeker at school.
WHEW!
Now I can sleep tonight......if I can stop laughing!

Life....Interrupted

So, on January3rd we went to church and it was all about how people have these plans in life and ....somehow they get interrupted.
They don't go as planned and how you can either see it as a path God may be steering you down for a reason....or you can sit back and complain that you are ONCE again....a victim. I wanted to stand up and say......OHHHH Yeah....I have been interrupted sooo many times that I don't even know what my original plans were. I would have a good story for the church. You know the one....where my water brakes at 23 weeks.....in the Orlando airport. The funny thing is that I had been telling my friend that I would go and check out her church. Something always came up. Legitimate reasons too. I promised her that I would be back from FL in a week and would be at her church that next Sunday.
When I told her what happened and how I wouldn't  be home for at least 11 weeks or more....she said "Boy, you really do try anything to get out of seeing my church."
We laughed. The funny thing is that we now go to the church that I had put off for so long.The other funny thing is.......I ended up at the BEST possible hospital to take care of me. If I had not gone to FL (as I almost did not) who knows what would have happened!


Anyways, January 4th...the day after part 1 of Life...Interrupted, My grandpa became seriously ill and was taken to the hospital.
All of my plans were put on hold. I went up there the first 3 days in a row and spent a Saturday night by his side...awake for 24 hours. Life was interrupted alright! Our schedules were crazy, my mom was in a whirlwind. Everyone was praying like crazy. The good part that came out of this interruption was the night I spent by my Grandpa's side. He was incoherent and needed someone to sit by his side all night so he would not get out of bed. Grandpa's seem to be a bit different than Grandma's....and I can't think of any other moment in my life where my Grandpa reached for my hand and held it as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep that night. Over and over again, he tried to get up and reached for my hand and then laid back and closed his eyes as he drifted back to sleep. It was comforting and the most intimate moment I had ever shared with that man.
I am grateful to say that he came home this past Friday. He is getting rehab 3 times a week at home...but he is home.

Life may have interrupted us all during these past weeks, but to me.....I was given a moment that I will never forget.

Just a little fun

Tomorrow is going to be a loooooong day, so I thought I would post some entertainment for you all.
See below!

Breakin Boys

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

15 Month check up

Today was a busy day for Lukas. First he was evaluated by MISD to see if he needed any physical therapy. Luckily, he is pivoting and doing several other movements that show he is getting himself ready to walk. If he is not walking within 2 months, then he will get help from them.
We are off to see his pediatrician for his 15 month checkup. He had already told us that if he is not walking by this visit....then he will have to see a neurologist. He said it is what he has to do, but he is not worried about Lukas. He thinks he will be walking in his own sweet time. I think he is right, but it doesn't hurt to get some help or see if anything is hindering him. I am positive he is just great......late, but great!

I think Nicholas did great at his karate class. He went from about 4 kids to a class with about 12 and all of them are older. He just watched and did as the others did. This class is definatley more work, but he did good. I just wish the sensei would have told him he did good. He said he did ok, but if he doesn't do good in this class, that he yells a little. He wanted Nicholas to know that this class is harder and requires work and that he won't be playing games and he will be told if he is screwing around! I think he did very good for just being thrown in there. He is going again tonight to both classes. No school tomorrow.....so he can get some rest!

Grandpa Larry has been going through rehab and is getting better every day. I was sending an email to a friend to update his status and that show The Doctors came on and they were gonna address whether or not a shower head can make you sick. Well, it can and this is how we believe Grandpa got Legionnaires. So, clean your shower head really good and boil it or replace it every 6 months or so.
Here is one way to clean it without a hrash chemical which can be bad for you too!
Here is one more! and this is an article about some research on the showerheads

Most people with average health should probably not be concerned, but if someone has a weak immune system...then get cleaning!!

Bring on the clowns

OK, so some of you noticed my updated picture up there.
My Aunt & I were laughing about some of the funny things that these boys do around here and she suggested I dress em up as clowns....so I did.
I thought the header could use a little sprucing up. Not bad, huh? Pimp-daddy-Eddie-Clowno along with Nicholas-the-funny-guy accompanied by Lukas-the-nose-is-swallowing-my-face and don't forget Kobe-the-party-animal!

As always, we have our angels in the upper right hand corner that we carry with us in our hearts!

Grandpa Larry is doing a bit better. Kidney level is slightly improving and he is pretty coherent. He has quite a road to travel to get back to normal. He may not need any more dialysis though. We shall see......

Good news for Nicholas......his karate sensei would like him to move up a level. He started in November and will be trying out the next level this coming Tuesday. We are so proud of him! He loves it.

Update 2

Well, Grandpa Larry is hanging in.
He had dialysis on Sunday and Monday. He is going to skip it today and then get a blood transfusion and dialysis tomorrow.
His blood level numbers are not getting better and we wont know for a couple of days abouot the kidney numbers.
They stopped giving him a sleeping pill and he seems to be a little more coherent. He wants to get out of bed and that's why someone stays with him all the time. My Aunt Sharon was called Hitler by him and my Uncle Denny was called a big bully for not letting him up!
I stayed this past Saturday and was up 24 hours. I didn't get any sleep until 10 am on Sunday. My Aunt Sharon has done this like 4 times and I think she needs to get some sleep before she gets sick! My mom & my other Aunt also did it, but I like the idea of splitting the shift like my Uncles did last night and they plan to do tonight with my other Aunt & Uncle (There are 7 kids all together !)

He tried to get up when I was there on Saturday and I told him that they don't want him to get up yet and he asked "Who?"
"The Doctors" I said
He replied "That's bullshit"

So...there are some definite times where he is himself...lol
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. We all appreciate them.

That's my Grandpa Larry & Grandma Angie back in 1974. That is also my brother and me!

 These 2 pics are from 3 years ago when my Grandpa turned 80!!