T.W.B.T.F. (aka The Weekend Before The Flood)

We are still pumping out and cleaning out. The water level in our basement fluctuates - sometimes we go down below pumping level, but as soon as we turn off the pump, the water goes right back up! Daddy stayed home again today in hopes of being able to wet vac a bit but spent most of the day moving things out of the basement and into my dining room, his man room, and out on the deck (because it is not allowed to rain any more!!!!). Good thing he did stay home...route 95 was closed and it would have taken him hours to get to work and then the police ordered a mandatory evacuation of his plant because a dam was going to break. He may be home again tomorrow for all we know!

Oh, and the dumpster is arriving soon! We are going in with two other families and getting all the wet stuff out of our houses. We have a sofa - a sleeper sofa! - in the basement that is just ruined. It's the first thing in the dumpster!

So, looking back, here a few pictures of happier times! Papa and Mimi and Nana and Pap visited for the weekend and Papa took control of my camera. So not only do you get to see the kids having fun decorating eggs and playing with Papa and Mimi - you get to see a few pictures of me too! Lucky you!

Coloring eggs

Miss Wiggles got into lots of trouble while I was busy dying eggs!

Mimi and Tater colored and cut a lot!

Miss Wiggles helped herself to an apple and carried it all around...until it ended up under the rocker in the living room...'til Monday!

Meltdown Bruiser-style!

Trying to hide with the food he stole!

Apple girl!

Two By Two?

Anyone seen the news coverage of the record flooding on the east coast? Yup, that would be us! You know it's big time when the Weather Channel arrives in the neighborhood! Sam Champion of GMA was nearby as well...big time stuff!

We thought we were all clear and good until this morning when I was checking Facebook. Our across-the-street neighbor posted that she had water in her basement (funny how we talk more on Facebook than in person - and we are steps away from each other's door!). So, into my head popped the idea to check our basement...15 minutes before I had to be at work! I opened the door and, at first glance, things seemed okay. Then something caught my eye...something like an inch of water seeping through the floor. Just great!

I grabbed Daddy, he called off work, our great sitter pitched in, and I headed to work. By the time I had come home from work at 11:30, three inches covered the entire floor and Daddy had searched for a pump all over with no luck. We emptied everything we could or needed to - luckily most of our things are already in plastic from a lesson learned with burst hot water heater!

By 4:00, Daddy had located a pump at some obscure contractor supply place and we made an investment in hopes of a dry basement. As of right now the water level is holding it's own - no higher, no lower. Our best guess is that the water table is at the same level as our basement and is just seeping in. Daddy is on the phone as I write with the oil company to find out what to do about the furnace. And wouldn't you figure that I have a full day of curriculum writing tomorrow - so Daddy might not make it to work again!

Here are a few pictures of destruction and the rain...enjoy while my OCD goes into overload!

Dining room storage

More storage in the mudroom.

The playroom "pool"!

Standing in the water...cute boots, huh?

Floating toys

Backyard "pond"

Front yard "river"

See the neighbor's hose!

And the rain pours on...

...and the doctor chased him into the waiting room!

Today was supposed to be the day that things got back to normal (you know, after me working FULL TIME last week and letting everything go!)...but things don't always go according to plan! Remember...you are visiting the House of Sprout!

So, Bruiser and Miss Wiggles had well check-ups scheduled for this afternoon. I planned this very carefully! Tater has school on Monday afternoons and I figured I would only have to juggle two children. Good thought, right? Until Tater wakes up this morning, hacking away with a nice hot head! So, okay, time for a back up plan! I call the doctor's office and ask to change one of the well visits to a sick visit and ask to reschedule the cancelled well visit. And the nice nurse who answered the phone? She told me to go ahead and bring all three in and everyone could be checked. Thank. You. Very. Much.

We arrived in the pouring rain. Tater fell asleep in the car. Miss Wiggles removed her shoes and her boots. Fabulous!

We get to the examine room. Tater has a fever of 101.3, Bruiser keeps opening the door and running into the hallway, and Wiggles discovered how much fun it is to throw puzzle pieces on the floor!

Then, in walks the doctor...and his laptop. Oh, yes, the practice is updating to computers instead of charts and each appointment takes twice as long! So Tater went first. Lungs and ears checked out but a strep test was in order. It was horrible for all involved but thankfully came back negative. So, my sick little girl has yet another virus...again.

So, then I settled Tater into the chair with the portable DVD player. Miss Wiggles was next. She weighs 20.5 pounds and is average for height and head size. And we got a referral for a pediatric orthopedic specialist to figure out why her foot is turning in. Yea, another doctor's appointment...can't wait.

But let's go back to the head size and the new computer thing. The doctor was struggling with the program on the computer and I guess this had been a problem all day. So he chose my time to figure it out with one of the nurses. She came into the room and left the door slightly open. Bruiser found it (what a surprise!) and bolted out toward the waiting room. And the best part? The doctor chased him down! And another doctor stood in the hallway with his mouth hanging open, watching the show. It was hilarious! By the time the doctor left the room, he told me that next time he'd make sure the A/C was on...because it was hot!

Oh, and to top it all off? Miss Wiggles got three shots and Bruiser had a lead test done. Fabulous!

Oh, and then all three kids fell asleep in the car on the way home and I had to wake them, drag them in the house in the pouring rain, and drag them to their rooms so they could go back to sleep.

Perfectly normal!

Still Here!

We've had a crazy, busy week! I spent 4 out of the 5 days in all-day training to learn some new math things for my kindergarten classroom. It was nice to spend time with adults and to learn new things, but I am SO not used to working a full day! Then Mimi and Papa and Nana and Pap arrived late Thursday night for the weekend. We had fun showing them around, celebrating Papa's belated birthday, having an early visit from the Easter Bunny, exchanging some anniversary gifts, and eating a lot! It was busy, a bit stressful at times, and - of course! - crazy! There are pictures to share and stories to tell, but now I must create some lesson plans for tomorrow...I try to be prepared and I know my school kids have been missing me! Watch for new posts coming soon!

Weekend Recap (or the answer to the grandparents "When Are You Going to Post Again????")

We had a busy weekend! Although, by now, you probably know that is the norm at the House of Sprout!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early and found us having breakfast at Tater's preschool. This was their second annual "Pancakes and Playground" family breakfast. Bruiser inhaled about ten whole strawberries before we even sat down! Miss Wiggles filled up on pancakes and sausage. And Tater? She spent the time chatting with her Spanish teacher...in Spanish, of course! Then we all headed outside for a bit of playtime!

Miss Wiggles loved filling a bucket with sand! When she couldn't move it, she screamed, and all the little boys came running to help her! We are in SOOOO much trouble!!!!!

We followed up the breakfast with our last Tumble Tots class. The kids enjoyed an obstacle course of all the things they learned over the past eight weeks. Then they got trophies, certificates, and stickers!

Lunch followed at Pizzeria Uno. Bruiser and Tater got to make their own pizzas - just how they liked them. The best part? They ate every last bite!

Then, after a few stores along the way, we stopped by the zoo. It was, literally, a zoo! The lines were so long when we got there that Daddy and groaned at the thought of standing there for 30 minutes. But, just then, we heard the voice of an angel say "Does anyone have a zoo membership?" We immediately got tickets and breezed our way inside! Gotta love that membership!

Bruiser learned to climb since last year!

We enjoyed seeing the elephants out and about in their new habitat.

And these pictures? Tater made me take them just for Papa!

When we got home, Miss Wiggles broke in her new bare knees! She got her first scrapped knee, Band-aid and all!

And because the weather was so nice this weekend, we spent a lot of time outside - playing street hockey, digging in the mulch, and finding new playground haunts! We usually hit the big playground in the neighboring town, but I cringed at the thoughts of the crowds and cliques. So we ventured to a few areas schools to see what else was out there...and we found great places with much smaller crowds! The playground on Friday night was a bit too old for Miss Wiggles but the one we landed at on Sunday was perfect for all three!

Miss Wiggles didn't like the moving platform...and seconds later she ended up in a crying heap!

Love this picture!

Bruiser was thrilled with his cars and a patch of dirt!

Isn't she TOO cute?!?!?

An now, we all need a vacation from our weekend! But...not likely in this house! We are already head-first into our week and things are, of course, CRAZY! Enjoy your week!

(Oh, and grandparents? will this post hold you over for a bit??)