Valentine's Day, Crazy Saturday, Nature Drive

We didn't do a lot for Valentine's Day. Luke woke up very excited and asked for a themed breakfast. I did heart shaped toast with eggs and he was happy. Kara gave away frosted heart cookies to her friends, which she said was well-received. Luke's class exchanged cards and lots of candy. We had small gifts for the kids and that was it. 

We are back to lots of activities. Saturday was especially crazy. It started with Jack and Kara doing a solo and ensemble competition for band. They will get their scores this week. Thomas took them and said Jack received really good feedback and the judge told him he should look at adding other saxophones to his repertoire. Kara had practiced a lot, but didn't play as well for the judge as she did at home.

Luke had a baseball game at 12. He played well and his team won. Thomas was the third base coach and I went for most of the game, but left early to go to our third event--Jack's basketball game. The other team didn't have enough players, so Jack and some others played for them. I think he felt more confident playing against his teammates, and he played great; he has gotten so much better! He scored 3 baskets and had tons of rebounds and assists. It was really fun to watch. 

Blurry basketball picture. He was having fun!

After Jack's game, I took Luke to baseball practice for his Cobra team. Cobra is extra baseball, it is a step up from regular little league, but not as advanced as an all-star team. He loved the practice and impressed the coaches with hard he hustled. Any ball that went anywhere near him, he chased like crazy, often beating kids who were closer. He ran really hard and was enthusiastic in the drills. 

While we did that, Thomas took Kara to Universal. It was a concert night and Barenaked Ladies performed. Thomas has wanted to see them as long as I've known him. Originally, we all planned on going, but with how crazy the day was, we decided that just wasn't practical. Luke was not interested in going and it would have been hard to get him to his practice and then get to the game. So we decided Thomas would take whichever big kids were interested. It ended up just being Kara. The park was as crowded as they've ever seen it. They had dinner and rode a couple of rides (MIB and Gringotts) then got their spot right in front of the stage. They had to get there two hours early, but Thomas said it was worth it. He absolutely loved the concert. I was a little jealous, but I don't think I would have been happy standing in place for such a long period of time.

Waiting for concert to start

They said the band was very entertaining.

Sunday, Luke had his first two Cobra games (they play two games every other Sunday). They won one and lost one. Thomas took him while I brought Anna skating. 

Working on her crossovers.

Today (Monday) we did the Lake Apopka Wildlife drive. We saw 56 alligators! It was fun counting them. But, the drive was a little frustrating. We were behind a car that kept stopping and getting out and taking pictures. I finally walked up to them and said they weren't supposed to stop in non-designated areas. Then, like 2 minutes later, there was a pullout and they pulled over (if I'd realized how close we were, I would not have said anything). I wish I had just let it go. Although, it was annoying. We had parked and gotten out and walked in the designated areas (like you are supposed to) before continuing the drive, and I get annoyed when people don't follow the rules. I found it really selfish to make all the cars behind them wait. But, I am making excuses and still, I wish I could let more things go. I think I embarrassed the kids. 

A picture of the 50th alligator

After the drive, we went to library and lunch. It was a nice way to spend our day off.

Mardi Gras and Another Teenager

Last Sunday, the kids and I got to be on one of Universal's Mardi Gras floats. It was super, super fun. They sent out an e-mail in January to pass holders allowing us to sign up for up to two nights. I picked one, but they only let me sign up 5 of us. Thomas said he didn't want to ride the float and would stay on the ground and take pictures. I am very sad that I only signed up for one night, because it was amazing. We checked in and they told us what float we were assigned to (Jester). It was the third float in the parade and one of the smaller ones. We waited in the area where they do the animal show and got our smocks, then they walked us backstage to our float. We received our directions (no overhand throwing). And, off we went. I was shocked by how many people were lined up to see the parade! In many areas, the rows of people were 5 or more deep. There were thousands of beads on the float, we didn't even throw 25% of what was allotted, but we did our best! It was especially fun to see Thomas and to throw him beads. He said the parade was really cool, the floats all lit up and there were dancers and stilt walkers. We are definitely going to go back to be spectators.

The rest of the week was uneventful. Anna went to skating and the boys did their sports. Luke had his first baseball game Friday night. He was 3/3 with base hits. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because I did something to my back on Friday morning and by night, it was super painful. I don't even know what I did. I was exercising, but not doing anything different than I always do when it started hurting. I stopped exercising, but it just got worse as the day went on. It was a lot better yesterday, but I woke up all stiff again this morning, so we shall see. Getting older is hard!

Kara's birthday weekend extravaganza began on Friday when we let her stay home from school. Her day started with a visit to the orthodontist. She is hopefully just a few months away from being out of the braces. Then, we dropped Jack off at school (his treatment is also going well). We went to Starbucks and then Walmart to pick up a few things. When we got home, Thomas took her out for the day. They went to the mall, had lunch at Five Guys, and went to a baseball card shop and a comic book shop. I had also taken the day off from work, but I had plans to have lunch with my friend, Sunshine.  Everyone had fun on their respective outings. Kara got some baseball cards, Thomas got some comics, all were happy.

Kara picked up Luke from school, which was fun for them and nice for me because my back was really starting to hurt. Thomas and the girls went to Luke's baseball game, which they said was fun. They texted me updates. I went in the hottub and Kara joined me when she got home--her last night of being a child (obviously, she will always be our child, but she is now a teenager!). 

Saturday was her actual birthday. We looked at pictures from each of her previous birthdays, which brought back many sweet memories. She wanted to spend most of the day baking. She made lemon poppyseed muffins for breakfast and a banana cake for her birthday cake (I assisted and did dishes). She also made sugar cookie dough for Valentine's cookies she is going to hand out to her friends on Monday. We went to Chicken Salad Chick for lunch. Well, the girls did. Thomas took Jack to his basketball game. His team won and Thomas said Jack played well. He had 8 rebounds, 1 basket and 2 assists. 

In addition to baking, Kara watched The Fantastic Four and went swimming with Luke. We had Publix subs and 'Lil Smokies for dinner. I am not sure how many years now Kara has asked for 'Lil Smokies, but it is a lot. This was the second year in a row with Publix subs. We had her birthday cake, which I liked, but she was disappointed with. It was very dense and tasted more like a frosted banana bread then a birthday cake. She opened the rest of her presents (she got an apron from Jack, a book to track books she's read from Anna, a Chicken Salad Chick gift card from Luke, Croc Sandals and Mini Brands from me and Thomas. The Wills sent her a Harry Potter sweatshirt, which she loves). She said she was happy with how things turned out. We ended the night in the hot tub. 

Sunday, she went to Universal with her friend Sophia. They had lunch at Whole Foods and then went to both parks. Then, they went back to Sophia's for dinner. 

I think it was a pretty good birthday weekend, at least I hope it was. We let her choose everything. We offered a party or to take friends to Universal or Aquatica, but this was what she wanted. And, with our house still torn up, it was fortuitous that she didn't want to invite anyone else over.

$$$$$$ (house, taxes, tires)

The roofer, who installed a new roof shortly before we moved in, came out on Wednesday and said that when they put the roof on, they told Open Door there were issues with seams that needed to be fixed. However, Open Door wasn't interested, they told the roofers to just put on the roof. So, they did. He said there were lots of issues and that Open Door is terrible. (Open Door is a company that buys houses directly from people who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling and then Open Door resells.) The roofer also said the shutters on the house were attached improperly and were trapping water. And, when we had the mitigation done because of the squirrel infiltration, in some areas where they sealed things, they didn't give the water any place to go. He couldn't pinpoint the exact place where the water entered, because there were so many possibilities. We had a night where the rain and the wind were just right and that is what caused the flood.

The roof itself (shingles) is good. But, it is buttressed by wood rot and bad seams.

Trying to get people to come out and work is still an issue. We had someone lined up to give us a quote on Thursday--he never showed. I think we have someone to come and fix it next week, but we'll see. I am annoyed at so many people, but mostly the house inspector and the leak finder. We paid extra to have the roof inspected and he didn't see any of these issues? It sure seems like he missed a lot. This house has been a money pit! As for the leak finder, we paid $375 for him to come out and find the leak with his special infrared equipment, so we wouldn't have to cut unnecessary walls or waste a plumber's time. He insisted it was behind the shower. So, we wasted time (3 days) and money (another $500) on plumbers to figure out what was going on because the leak finder was so insistent. Ultimately, it wasn't even a leak! But at the end of the day, we can't blame any one specific person, so we will just fix it and move on.

While insurance covers almost everything with a plumbing leak, they don't cover as much when the water comes from the outside due to "wear and tear" issues. So, I was super stressed that they weren't going to cover anything! And, I think the mitigation alone is going to cost several thousand. Then, there is the new floors, new vanity in the bathroom, the drywall they removed, etc. Fortunately, we got the word on Friday that they will cover a lot. We have a $2000 deductible and will have to pay for the roof repairs and the personal property that was ruined, but the floors, walls and mitigation are covered. Thank goodness! 

Some of the mitigation

Since this is a post to complain about money, which I know is kind of taboo, but I'm not really sure why, so I am going to write about it anyway--I did our taxes this week and we owe $4800!!!! I am not sure how that happened, as our income didn't change very much, but there you have it. I am not going to officially file until late March or early April in the hopes that something magical happens, but I am kind of resigned. We adjusted for this year, so hopefully we won't have this problem again. I don't think we have ever owed taxes, at least not more than a few hundred.

And, we picked up a nail in one of the tires. It was too close to the sidewall to repair. Even though it wasn't close to time, we ended up getting 4 new tires. Tires have also become super expensive. Because of all the construction around here, we also added the insurance (which we've never done and never needed). So, that came out to $1200.

There you have it, approximately $10K out the door in less than a week on unexpected expenses (counting the taxes, even though I am waiting to pay those). I am trying to find positives, and there are plenty. First, we get to do some remodeling! We were going to do the tile floors anyway, so that is nice. And, we can replace the wood in the front rooms with wood that matches what we remodeled with when we did the kitchen. I also feel very fortunate that this is not going to break us. We have emergency savings for precisely this reason. We will put it out and then build it back up. I also know these are problems that can be fixed. It is expensive and inconvenient, but it is not earth-shattering. We are healthy and happy and the rest is just noise. So, I will vent in my blog and we will move on.

But wait! Since this is a post to complain, there are two other things I want to get off my chest. First, one of the reasons we spent so long on plumbing is because there actually is a plumbing issue. The first plumber didn't look at our meter, but when we got the second (and third) opinion, those plumbers did. And, the meter is climbing even when no one is using water. They suspect one of the toilets is bad, but we don't know. The third plumber did a pressurized check and determined there is no leak, but the meter is still moving. So, we have that issue to combat once we deal with the other stuff. The final complaint--there is something wrong with our smoke detectors. Before the flood even happened, we woke up one night to the fire alarms going off. Not just the "check the batteries chirp"--legit fire alarm, but in a weird pattern. Two quick (extremely loud) beeps, slight pause, repeat. There is nothing like being woken up from a sound sleep to your fire alarm. We searched the house and there was no fire (thankfully). Thomas reset the breaker and then we cleaned them all out. But it happened again two weeks later (flood week). And, one of them started chirping one night too. We changed that battery, but it chirped again the next night. We replaced all the alarms when we moved in, but maybe one or more has gone bad? Another issue to deal with. The kids think the house is haunted. I am starting to wonder if they are right!