We're "All Okay, Jump Master"

So I think the storm may be over now, although it might be to soon to tell yet. My friend Burg says they come in 3's so to expect the plague next!

This morning I cut the carpet padding and laid it. Then I laid the carpet back down. The carpet isn't that bad. I was able to do a pretty good job. There are only a couple of small bumps (I never knew what people meant by a carpet stretcher, until I saw what it is supposed to do.) But wow what a job. It took me 3 days to get that floor dry. And I did this job all by myself!! (Except when my brother-in-law helped use the shop vac to suck up the water.)
So now that school is in, and my house isn't falling apart anymore, I have my family room back and Emery has her room back, maybe I can get the house clean and I can get back to normal.

By the way "All Okay, Jump Master" is something Josh always says to the kids to make sure they are all buckled in their seat belts.

@#%$&*

ROTTEN BAD LUCK!!!

So 2 days after we get all our stuff back from our fire, we get a FLOOD!! Not bad, just like the fire, bad enough to cause me some serious grief. Our sprinkler shut off valve(yes the beloved sprinkler system that I worked on all spring) wasn't shut off all the way and water leaked into Emery's room. Soaking the carpet! I don't think I could have anything more go wrong at this point. So this morning, my brother-in-law (yes the same one that keeps helping me) brought me a shop vac and a couple of fans. But what I didn't know is that you have to rip up the carpet and throw away the pad (it is stuck to the cement and so would never dry)! So that is what I have been doing all evening. And let me tell you, that is a dirty stinky job!

Canoeing in Yellowstone

Our canoeing trip was fabulous! We canoed into the back country of Yellowstone at the Shoshone Lake. Wow what a beautiful country we have. It was hard, beautiful, full of mosquitoes, and lots of fun.

We had to pull our canoes up river for a while (2 hours to be exact) where the river got to swift and to shallow to row upstream.

The toilets were so funny, they were out in the open in little cans so the bears couldn't get into it.......but check out the view you got.... wow I could sit there all day (if it wasn't for the mosquitoes)

My dad and I were an amazing rowing team! (at least I like to believe I actually helped)

We didn't see any bears, but got very close to this bald eagle.
Oh and darn we had to wake up to mornings like this..........

Brother-in-law Scott, brother Bill & wife Nikki, sister Melanie & husband Steve

Dad, ME, and uncle Clark

No this is not a Sasquatch siting.....we had to dress like this to keep the mosquitoes from eating us alive.

I know way to many pictures.......

We had the most fun messing around with Steve's camera and glow sticks. So this was for you Josh! It would have been perfect if you had been there.

The morning we left the river back out was like glass.

I would definitely doing it again.....next year....??

Small house fire!

I went on a canoe trip about 3 weeks ago (very fun by the way) I get home and I find my house stinking like smoke, black soot all over the house and at each of the vents this....
Apparently the furnace had a weird electrical short and burst into flames. It burned the entire motor and the filter to ash. Luckily, it had nothing else to burn, nothing was close to the furnace, and it put itself out. But there was a lot of smoke damage. So I have been in a hotel for a week and expect to be here for another week! (UGH) We have a restoration crew cleaning the house, clothes, linens, carpets and furniture. Some of which may have to be replaced. (DARN) And according to my insurance company, the repairs and cleaning have totaled (so far) over $18,000! I'm just glad I have insurance! And a wonderful father-in-law!!!!!!

So trying not to go crazy with 4 kids in a hotel, we swim about 3 times a day and go to the park a lot! We also went to the zoo, the dinosaur museum, and went and saw Wal-e.

Swimming 3 times a day tires them out at least!