but now there's one underneath the dishwasher too {there's a FRANK for that}

dehumidifiers.

fans.

heaters.

and more fans.

that's what our house has been like since monday.

because at 5:30am sean came downstairs to start paperwork to a small pond in our kitchen.

every time chase comes inside he turns off the fans in the kitchen and yells at me that they're too loud and to turn them off.

i'm so glad it's warm outside because aint nobody wants to be inside a house full of super charged fans.

i turn them off at meal times.

it's heaven:)

thank you dishwasher.

thank you for waiting until the basement was finished to do this:)

wait, thank you for NOT waiting another 6 1/2 weeks.

actually, what if the ceiling wasn't there to catch all of that water?

everything that was down there...books...pictures...treadmill...would have all been soaked.

so really we feel like we dodged the bullet on this one.

the insulation soaked up most of the water.

the damage to the ceiling in brennan's room looks like it's going to suck back up and never be noticed again.

and the kitchen floor.

which is now bowing up and needing to be replaced.

well, we aren't so sad to say goodbye to it anyway.

so if i don't think about the money at all,

it's actually not so bad.

because guess what,

as of tomorrow,

i won't have carpet under my kitchen table anymore.

just don't think about the money though...

after two days not one single appliance guy ever being able figure out why the dishwasher actually flooded our house, sean and i laid on the floor for half an hour with flashlights on wadded up towels with it running. waiting on pins and needles, praying for it to pee its pants so ta speak.

and well,

that darn dishwasher wouldn't perform.

it was dry as a bone. 

the 

entire 

time.

sean laid there for another hour and a half.

and still nothing.

not one drop ever.

never have we ever been so happy we spent $99 on RC willey's extended warranty.

bc now a brand spanking new dishwasher is coming to the gibson home next week.

after the floors go in.

and maybe life will return to normal for a few weeks before it won't again.

not gonna lie though.

trusting the metal box in my kitchen with the sprinkler inside of it 

won't ever be so easy for me ever again.

water alarms.

we have them all over our house.

but now there's one underneath the dishwasher too:)

lesson learned.

also, don't lay on the floor at 32 weeks pregnant for half an hour on wadded up towels.

not smart.

...

{a HUGE thank you to our good friend FRANK for always coming to our flooding emergencies before i have time to cry for too long. if you need FRANK, you can call him at Anchor Water Damage & Restoration 801.269.0343. no one will treat ya kinder. NOBODY! 

for once, the wet bandit wasn't max. who knew!? 

whatever or whomever your wet bandit is, i assure you, there's a FRANK for that.}

yeah BAY-BEEEE.

grandpa: "boats are not toys. we have to treat them with care. when you take care of your boat, it lasts a long time, and you get to enjoy it longer."

brennan: "do we get to have orange soda for lunch?"

...

papa teaches the kids about how boats are not toys.

brennan just keeps asking if he can have orange soda for lunch.

sean and i wake board.

he looks soooo good with a life jacket and a bald head.

i find out that i've still got it behind the wake.

yeah BAY-BEEEE.

and max and i get three hours alone on the dock while chase takes a nap.

and i went to bed knowing that i wasn't going to be able to walk in the morning.

except i could.

and i wasn't even that sore.

and it made me feel super awesome:)

life is like a pudding cup {brussel sprouts recipe}

 

{b/c the crunch is almost more important than the whipping cream. thank you holly!}

.....

this morning i cut everyone's hair and made pudding cups.

2pm church means we have LOTS of time for extra stuff.

like haircuts and pudding cups.

so all day brennan kept opening the fridge and staring at the pudding cups.

it was so cute.

he kept telling me how his favorite part of this entire day was pudding cups,

and how he just couldn't wait to eat his pudding cup after dinner.

so he ate all of his brussel sprouts and lasagna, 

and could hardly contain himself while i swirled his whipped cream and chopped nuts for his pudding cup.

for the next five minutes it was absolute silence.

THEN...

the following occured:

1. brennan drops chocolate pudding spoon onto the CARPET under kitchen table.

{DANG CARPET under my kitchen table. it was bound to happen.}

2. get hot rag to clean pudding off of carpet.

3. while cleaning up spoonful of pudding, 

brennan drops his ENTIRE chocolate filled pudding cup 

onto the CARPET under my kitchen table.

{DANG CARPET under my kitchen table.}

4. i declare i'm calling jaren tomorrow to have the hardwood installed.

{we are laughing, and then telling brennan to be serious now, give him serious eyes look.}

5. get the oxi clean spray in the laundry room and scrub out half of the chocolate pudding,

leave half of pudding stain soaking in oxy clean.

6. brennan finishes his pudding cup, i go rinse out rag.

7. go back to cleaning up pudding, see some pudding blobs,

decide to eat pudding blobs

{don't want to rub it in deeper, and why waste good pudding?}.

8. and then all of a sudden i'm tasting oxy clean.

b/c i forgot i had already sprayed them with oxy clean two minutes before.

and that's when it hit me.

things can always be worse.

and then you go back and think hey, that first worse wasn't bad at all compared to this worse now.

when the spoon fell we were so bugged about having to clean up a spoonful of pudding from the carpet.

whining about our carpet under the kitchen table.

and then when the pudding cup dropped, that spoonful of pudding didn't seem so bad anymore.

and then when i was eating pudding sprayed with oxy clean, 

cleaning up pudding off of the carpet didn't seem so bad anymore.

and so i looked up at my kids and sean and i said,
"life can always get worse, so no matter how bad you think things are, 

things are actually pretty great b/c just the way they are. 

because in five minutes you might be eating oxy clean and cleaning up TWO pudding cups 

instead of just one."

they all looked confused, but it made me a little bit happier that all i was worrying about tonight was cleaning up pudding cup off of my carpet and tasting oxy clean in my mouth.

WINNING!!!

and in the words of the great stephanie nielson, 

"heaven IS here."

it

really

REALLY

is.

even with carpet under my kitchen table, pudding cup on my carpet, and oxy clean in my mouth.

b/c that is the cutest little sack of potatoes line up to bed you've ever seen!

:):):)

"it feels like you're cutting my skin off. are you cutting my skin off? you're like an evil scientist mom...{quietly mumbles the following}...i knew this was a bad idea. this was a BAD idea. are we done yet? why did we have to do this?...ok, i like it. i look like Cade." 

-brennan 4.10 yrs old

 .........

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

{my dad's way}

1. cut brussel sprouts in half. 

{i also like to cut off their stem end a little too}

2. drizzle extra virgin olive oil in pan, 

and place brussel sprouts flat side down on pan.

3. chop red onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, and garlic-- 

sprinkle over top of brussel sprouts.

4. cut four raw bacon slices in half, 

and then chop into 1/2" squares, layer over top of veggies.

{my dad cuts most of the fat off, 

but i like the fat so i leave it on, plus it's less work for me.}

5. turn pan to medium heat, let sizzle for about 7 minutes 

to brown bottoms of brussel sprouts.

6. use spatula to saute veggies for about another 5-7 minutes.

{we like ours a little crunchy, 

just make sure the bacon gets cooked.}

7. serve hot {in my opinion it can be your entire meal, but tonight it was a side to our lasagna.}

ENJOY!!!

letters to Beth {vroom vroom}

don't put a car in your hair with wheels that are moved by a battery.

lesson learned.

ouch.

{wish he would just let me shave his hair off!}

....

Dear Beth,

oh my friend, i hope you are doing well.

max was puking all week and diarrhea the rest.

brennan just got a car wheel stuck in his hair.

it was traumatic.

we are all healthy now,

and i'm about to unload the dishwasher.

it is official, i don't like kirkland dishwasher liquid,

and i don't like the cascade powder either,

but i DO LIKE the cascade liquid,

which costco no longer sells.

hence the other tries of products.

what on earth do they sell in germany?

do you even have a dishwasher at your place?

my sister told me she doesn't have a dryer at her place in phuket,

and i wondered if these things are just not standard.

not that it is a necessity.

i wash all of my dishes before i put them in anyway,

but just a good place to put the clutter away for a day or two.

love,

emily