The Joys of Homeownership

It rained this morning and the ceiling in our bathroom started leaking. We knew that there was a leak there before we bought the house, but David and my Dad got up there and put tar around the vents and swamp cooler. When the previous owners re roofed, they put the shingles over the boots, so it pools and comes down into the attic. We thought it would be OK for 1 more year, but apparently not. David is taking Friday off to tear the old shingles off and replace rotten boards. Then on Saturday we will re roof. We have decided to put a band aid on the Plumbing problem, since we can not afford the $6,000 repair. The plumber is going to come back and cut out the roots and pore a chemical down there that is suppose to kill the roots and prevent grow back for 1 year. Then next spring after taxes, we will get the permits and dig it up and replace the pipes ourselves. We will probably do the water pipes at the same time and get that over with as well. We have been told that the pipes are the originals and will need to be replaced too and it would be easier to do it while we are down there. We do have some good news too. Justin is being baptized Oct 10Th at noon. He will be baptized with his cousin, Shilee. He is very excited. We also got Justin and Ben into Soccer. We signed up a little late, so they have missed 2 games, but they still have 5 more this fall and another 5 in spring. There were no opening in Adam's age group, so he is 7Th on the waiting list. Everyone is doing good at school. The boys at home are doing great. I am enjoying the funny things that come out of a 2-year-olds' mouth and Eli is rolling. David says that despite the problems we are running into, he is happy. That is all that matters.

Flooded basement

Our pipes backed up again this morning. We were getting ready for church and David went down to get me some clothes from the dryer. The whole west side of the basement was under 1 1/2 inches of water. This is the fourth time it has happened. We have been hoping that snaking it would solve the problem, but it looks like we will be calling a plumber tomorrow. We think that the front tree roots have busted the old pipes. If we can find the problem, we might be able to dig down and fix it with family help. We are grateful for our home, it is just hard to fix all the problems that come with an older home. We have replaced the carpet, painted, fixed some electrical problems, patched the leaky roof, fixed the swamp cooler three times, new furnace, and now plumbing and our water heater is on its last leg. Life is never dull, that's for sure.

Justin's 8th Birthday

Yesterday was Justin's 8th Birthday. Justin chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday. He was told to chose between a big party at home with his friends and family, or a small party at Chuck E. Cheese with just his brothers. They had a blast. I can't believe he is already 8 years old, my sweet baby.

After School

Ben has been accepted into the after-school-program at his school. It is a monthly fee based program. They play games, do activities, go on field trips, as well as helping with homework. I am a little concerned about it being from the time he gets out of school until 5:30pm everyday, even on Early out Friday, but it is something that Ben needs. We hope it will help him stay up with his class and help him with concepts that he has not quite grasped yet. Adam has started his first full week. Last week was kindergarten testing. He is going 8:40am to 3:25pm. Justin already has friends in his class from our old ward, before we moved out of state. He has had no problems renewing those old friendships as well as making more. Scott is going through the "I am the Boss" and "I WANT" stage. He is turning into a Terror. Eli is rolling and turning in circles on the floor. I have to re-baby-proof the house. David has finished another semester of school with a cumulative 3.56 GPA. He will graduate at the end of this year.