handsful

So, what do you think of our new place?  We’re still unpacking boxes (i.e. tweaking things here and there), but we’re thrilled with our new look.  Randy has worked HARD, making lots of changes to an existing WordPress design to make it look just like we wanted.  He always amazes me at how skilled he is in the “computer arts”…and, if he’s not sure of how to do something, he figures it out (or asks his college roomate Alan). 

One new thing you’ll notice is the button at the top called “Community Forum“.  We’re trying our hand at having a place where you can start topics (i.e. ask a question, make a suggestion, share an idea, etc) which others can then see and reply to.  By doing this, a conversation happens among those choosing to join in.  We think it’ll be great . . . as long as LOTS of people are there.  When you click the “Community Forum” button, a new browser window will open for that site, so you can shrink or close it to get back to Handsful.  Check out the post in the Admin section at the bottom, from Randy.  It’ll give more of an idea of what we’re trying to do with the forum.

Now, back to regularly scheduled blogging…

Since we last posted, Lainey had her 2 week post-op check for her cleft palate surgery and all is well!  She’s healing perfectly, no problems there.  She was able to kiss those no-nos goodbye…woo hoo!  She’s still not able to have a sippy cup (dang) yet, and has to wait until her next post-op check at the 5 week mark to see if she gets her swimming privileges back.  Not sure of the delay on that last one, but I guess I’ll trust the surgeon knows what he’s doing.  Here’s our happy “I can bend my arms now” girl getting caught doing something she loves…climbing anything and everything she can find. 

Oops, she sees me…

We had a rather eventful day last Thursday.  We were driving home from Lainey’s appointment, when the big kids called us on Randy’s cell phone.  They’re hysterical, telling Randy it’s raining in the house.  Huh?  We assume they’re exagerating (most kids do) and there must be a leak in the pool bathroom again.  He tells them to get a pot and put it under the leak, when Payton says they’ve run out of pots!  Oh dear…so we race home, walk in the door, and hear it raining in our office.  Water is literally POURING from the roof, around the chandelier, and filling up the glass fixtures which are overflowing and also pouring water on the floor. 

The picture doesn’t do it justice

Remember when we mentioned we were having our roof re-done?  Well, the leak started when a tarp they had laid down flew up during a big rainstorm (yes, it has indeed rained EVERYDAY since they’ve been working on the roof) and water rushed in under it.  After putting more pots, etc. under the office leaks, we walked around and found others…about 7 rooms total had either break-through leaks or water obviously pooling on top of the ceiling and bleeding through.  A water/humidity removal company arrived that night and set up 17 (yes, that many) industrial sized fans in the areas with the most damage, as well as 4 HUGE dehumidifiers to try and dry us out and get the moisture out.  Have you ever tried to sleep with the sound of helicopter blades whirring beside your ear?  Of course you haven’t, and I hadn’t either until that first night with those fans.  I mean they are LOUD.  I had to wear ear plugs!  As of today, they’re still here but we were promised yesterday that they’ll be here today to take them out, our air/walls are showing acceptable amounts of humidity now.  Whew.  Next, we’ll have carpet cleaners come and take out the water stains, and then the painters will come and repaint those areas that need it.  I took a picture of Lainey with the fan in her room, and a shot of Marley beside one of the dehumidifier “beasts”. 

Not exactly a gentle breeze!

Our floor is a tangle of about a gillion cords…loving that. 

So, that’s been our excitement of late!  But, we’re seeing the light…the roof should (ha) be done today, the fans will be packed up and out’a here, and we can get back to normal.  Well, our normal. 

We did have a nice Father’s Day with Randy on Sunday…he spent a lot of it messing around with this new website, but he loves that kind of stuff.  He got a bunch of “Pop” goodies…Pop-Tarts, popsicles, Corn pops…get it?  And, I made him a collage picture of the kids at Shutterfly.  Here he is with his crew of 5. 

Glad to be back!  Now, I can finally catch up on all of the blogs I read!