Cullen's New Room

So we moved Cullen into his new room. Formerly Allie's Pink Princess Room. We still have to finish the trim, buy a dresser and second mattress, hang pictures, etc. But you can get the general idea.

Cullen loves his new bed and has had no transition issues. It's so much fun decorating for a boy!

Robbed

I know I haven't been around much. Honestly, I don't have much to say. Well much good that is. But maybe this is exactly where I need to be. A place to vent. So here it goes.

As the title may suggest, we were robbed.

Shawn got a call at work on Friday from our neighbor that they thought our house was being robbed. Shawn called 911 and flew home. Once there, he was met by officers who had our house surrounded and guns drawn. Not quite the start of the relaxing weekend we'd hoped for.

In the end, they got away with most of the smaller electronics. Apparently the driver got spooked and called the other two out as they were attempting to unhook one of the tvs. They also made off with most of Alex's DVD collection. Thugs. And course they couldn't be neat about it. The downstairs was pretty trashed. Broken glass. Drawers and cupboards ransacked. Stuff thrown all over.

The one favor they did us was the forced entry through the garage. It was one of the doors we hadn't yet planned on replacing, but now cracked, will be replaced with a nice shiny new one to match the rest of the house!

As for their fate...it's looking pretty grim. Thanks to an observant and fast acting neighbor who was able to report the plate number, the guys were all apprehended shortly after arriving back to their apartment. And not only were they caught with most of our property, there was also evidence of other burglaries. And to top it off, the Sheriffs who helped arrest them were rather interested in pressing additional charges for all the marijuana they had growing.

After some questioning, it came to light that these (for the sake of keeping it clean) "individuals" had targeted our home as we had guessed. Apparently they were some of the boys that stayed at our house while we were on vacation back in November.

No, we won't be getting our things back any time soon, but we do have much to be thankful for.

1) No one was hurt, including our dog.
2) It's all stuff that's replaceable.
3) It wasn't random. And for some reason, this gives me great comfort. The threat existed. We knew that. It happened and now it's over. We can move on.

So thank you all for your concern and well wishes. We are fine. The house is fine. And most importantly we pulled it off without Alex finding out about any of it. For those that don't know, Alex has had a very difficult few months. Please keep her in prayer. But that will be another post.

Much love, Sue

Much to Report

So much to report, I'll start where I left off last week.

Emma's had her kidney biopsy on Tuesday and made it through just fine. Thanks for all of the prayers. They stayed the night in the hospital to watch for any complications and met with the nephrologists. The diagnosis does include a kidney disorder, but thankfully one they beleive is slow in its progression. For the time being, treatment will only include medication and monitoring.

Our house has also been hopping with people. We decided to take the plunge of siding our house this summer. So we've been innundated with contractors and decisions. Shawn finally signed the contract yesterday and they should begin in a few weeks. Now I get to decide on colors!!!

Thankully the siding job will also included all new windows. Especially since one of them was broken last week. I came home and let the dog out the back door and noticed a back window smashed. It took me a minute to process what happened, but it was soon obvious that someone had attemped to get in the house. So I called 911 and sent Alex to Grandma's. (She doesn't know anything about it since it would likely put her anxiety into high gear). In the end, a total of three entry points were attempted. It was a bit nerve wracking, but thankfully nothing was taken and no one was hurt. Well except the moron that smashed the window and sliced himself in the process.

Not much else going on. Kids are doing well. Jobs are well. Everyone is healthy. Alex is busy with school and will be in her first play in a few weeks. She also met her soccer coach last night and got her jersery. Cullen is as busy as always acting more like a 2yr old than a 13 month old.

My best to you all, and to all the mom's out there...have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Happenings

Yay....Shawn comes home tonight!!!! By our excitement, you'd think he'd been away for a year in Iraq or something, instead of being in South Carolina getting wined and dined for three days. But we missed him just the same.

We did have company though. We tended little Emma for a few days while her mom and dad were with her big brother, Tyler, in the hospital. Thankfully Tyler is on the mend. And Emma is such little doll girl! We had so much fun.

We are also gearing up for the big move. Closing is scheduled for next Friday and since we need everything out and cleaned by then.....looks like we are moving this weekend. Another yay! Oh, and did I mention that the bathroom is complete...sink and all!!! It's all coming together, finally.

Well, just thought I would pop in and say hey.

More to follow.

Highly Discouraged

I was telling my mother-in-law last weekend how unreliable people are these days. It is really frustrating and I just don't get it. I mean not only is the average person unreliabe in everyday life, but what really gets me fired up are the people that you pay. Whether it is the phone company, bank, government, or local home improvement store....you can't count on anyone. What is wrong with our society when no one stands behind their word. Where customer service is a concept of the yesteryears.

Maybe I am just too honest. If I say I am going to do something, I do it. If I can't, I'll tell you that too.

You ask what has me spitting nails now? Our bathroom project of course. After being promised that our sink would be in this Thursday, we called to verify. After numerous calls to the company, we confirmed that it was in...YEAY!!! But we'd have to wait for another call back to set-up installion (something they were doing for free since they droped the ball several times). Well, big surprise, no call came. We got the run around all day and Shawn finally told them that he would be there tonight to pick up the sink and he'd install it himself. To which he was told "that wouldn't be a good idea". You see, it seems the sink isn't in afterall and never was. It wasn't a mistake or an oversight, the guy just plain old lied. So now we are told that they can shoot for the 26th. This is completely unacceptabble to me. But what are my choices. I have none. I am at the mercy of the manufacturer and the retailer.

But what ever happend to a persons word? Or a company's intergrity? Are they both of no value any more? Apparently so.

All Clear

Yay!!!!!

2 days, 2 contractors and $1000 later, we are all clear of CO and have heat again! Being in my own home....Priceless!

CO Update

We've been "Red Tagged". As in, our furnace has been shut off and locked!

Which means move over Mom and Dad....we are moving in early (at least temporarily). So I am currently packing our things for the weekend and heading out the door. Hopefully we can have someone out to fix it first thing Monday morning.

Never a Dull Moment

First, let me admit that I am a terrible and irresponsible parent. When Alex came home, we dutifully purchased a carbon monoxide detector. Unfortunately we have old outlets and the stupid thing is too heavy and usually just falls out of the outlet. So, it has spent much of the last three years sitting in a drawer.

Well on a whim, I plugged it in today to got a reading. 219. Ok. Is that good? Is that bad? So of course I turn to my handy computer and, "Oh My 219 is not good". Seems anything over 70 is dangerous (OSHA standard is 50).

So I am sitting here waiting for RGE and the fire departmant.

My New bathroom is Cursed

Ok, so far everything that "could" go wrong with this bathroom...has! We had a horrible experience trying to order the vanity and sink from Lowes. Went in three times to place the order, even made an appointment the second and third time. Each time we were greeted by an associate who did not know how to place the order. Finally gave up.

So, we found another dealer who appeared customer service oriented and placed the order (2/24). So, the vanity was to come in two weeks ago and didn't. Came in last week, but with no sink. Were told hopefully next week. UGH!

So instead of installing the vanity and sink last weekend, we decided to tile the tub. Yet another nightmare with Lowes. Called all over to have them pull the tiles I need and when I got to the stores....you guessed it....they had no where near what I needed. So I spent the whole eveing driving here and there to complete the order. UGH again!

So now that the tile is finished, Shawn calls to see if the sink is in. Guess what. It's NOT. Guess why. BECAUSE THEY NEVER FLIPPIN' ORDERED IT!!!!!!!!!!!

This on top of numerous plumbing, subfloor, and dry wall problems. I give up.

Bathroom- Week 2

After a little blood, a few choice words, and a lot of sweat...we now have a bathtub, wall board and floor board. As you can see, Alex is very excited looking forward to taking a bath in the new bathroom. Unfortunately that is still several weeks away though.

No Turning Back

Yes, we are destroying the house before even moving in. What started as replacing a vanity ended up a whole lot more. One thing led to another and the bathroom in our new home is now officially gutted. If only the bank looking to give us mortgage could see it now!

This week I get to go pick out ceramic tile flooring though...Woo Hoo!!!!

SOLD!

Looks like we are one step closer to "Little One"! We came through the engineer inspection without any major issues so it appears we are all set. The realtor updated the sign today! (Had to get a quick pic now, since who knows how much of it will still be showing after the big storm hits.)

Home Inspection

I am dying! I have no idea why I am so worked up, but I'm a wreck. They have been at my house now for an hour doing the home inspection and I am a disaster. You know the commercial "indigestion, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea". Well, I feel like I may have all three at a moment's notice.

What if the buyers come back today and think, "what the heck were we thinking". What if they no longer see the beauty and old world charm of a 1940's home? What if instead, they see older drafty window, an old furnace, a not-so-new roof?

UGH! I can barely stand the suspense of whether this is all going to go through!!!!!!

Hate to Jinx it

I hate to jinx it, but we HAVE AN OFFER on the house!!!! Woo hoo. And it is a great offer!

Now we just wait on pins and needles to make sure it all goes through with the engineer inspection, attorneys and banks.

Fingers still crossed.

A Little Update

Ok, Teri...this is for you. (Though it isn't like you don't already know everything I am going to post!)

Lots of good news to share-

After 33 days in two different hospitals and one trans care center, my father-in-law was finally released to come home. Although he is still very sick, this is a huge relief (probably for no one moreso than my mother-in-law). At this point he is still having a great deal of trouble breathing, due to the pneumonia, but his injuries are slowly healing.

We had an Open House last Sunday, and although we haven't received any purchase offers on the house yet, we had many families come through. It is nice to have all the necessay projects completed and to be able to just sit back and relax now.

Another relief is that I am not enrolled in classes this semester! It has been so nice not having to juggle that too. And now that the holidays are over, I can actually breathe.

I also just received word that I got a promotion at work. It isn't much, but every bit helps!

And yes, I did return to the fitness class last night and it was great. I have now lost 5.4 pounds since New Year's. It is coming off rather slowly due to my absense of will power, but I will take what I can get.

Since we still haven't sold the house yet, there isn't much news on the adoption front. The latest though, appears that our start will be a bit more delayed than initially planned. Apparently a new fingerprinting law went into effect earlier this month. It requires fingerprinting and background checks to not only be done on the state level, but also at the federal level. They are anticipating this additional process to take approximately 10 weeks. We shall see.

Well, that is about it.

We have another showing!

Is it me or do opportunitues always arise at the most inopportune times?

It has been pretty hectic here in the Reardon household. Along with the choas of selling a house and preparing for the holidays, my father-in-law took a really bad fall last week. He is still pretty banged up after breaking seven ribs and his pelvis in two places. So....we have been visiting him in the hospital each day after work. Which means....I have completely neglected my house and it is now TRASHED! We also decided that Santa would visit the Reardon household on Saturday morning so we could spend Christmas and the hospital with Grandpa. So I hurry home this afternoon in efforts to finish wrapping and attempt to put my house back in some type of order. Oh, and did I mention that we are also having 15+ people over for breakfast?

And then we get a call. Not "thee" call, but "a" call nonetheless. Our realtor has a family intrested in seeing our house tomorrow...AHHHHHHH!!!!!

So, wish us luck. Maybe we will be the recipients a Christmas miracle!

"Hurry and Wait"

"Hurry and Wait" seems to the story of my life.

Ok, so I know you can hardly compare the two....I mean a house versus a baby. But selling this house is a similar ride to the adoption process. Rush to get everything in perfet order and then wait. Wait to be chosen. We had two appointments to show the house last week, which was encouraging. We were really excited hoping someone might be interested enough to make an offer. So excited that everytime the phone rang, I got a nervous stomach wondering if it was our realtor calling. But the call didn't come.

Open houses and appointements are like getting profiled. You wait for "the call". You get excited thinking "this could be it". And then nothing. Back to waiting. You know it will happen, but you just don't know when. And that is the part that drives me crazy.

Which brings me to a startling revelation: I really stink at waiting!

It's official!

Well, there is no turning back now I suppose. We officially put our house on the market on Monday. No bites yet, but we are hoping our Open House on Sunday will bring in some prospects! This is the first real step in the adoption process for us, since we want a larger house before baby 2 comes home. But unfortunately we can't offically start the homestudy update until we are "in" our new home. I PRAY we can sell this house fairly soon!!!!


So the process of "hurry and wait" begins already!