October

Well as the story goes began the month without a refrigerator and an ultimatum to Kelton to find a house and close a deal on said house within 2 weeks so we could manage to close before Thanksgiving. I was very sad that Halloween was not going to be the first holiday celebrated in our new home. So with a disheartened wife and messing me up by changing towns altogether it really did fall squarely on him to find a place. I was really ready to call this year a bust and find a short lease just to move forward but Kel saw houses every chance he got and found one he loved. It was more than we had agreed on and I never thought he'd get it but he must have been praying very hard because EVERYTHING went right and he was able to make a deal. This was truly all his hard work and effort because by this point I was spent and just holding everything else together. The kids and I both caught colds and I was running around to doctors appointments like a crazy person. I believe that in a 4 week time I went to 14 different appointments and still had a few more to go. Rowan's ears filled with fluid when we got sick and we had to see her ENT a few times. The fluid was impairing her hearing so we had to keep her from catching another cold before we got it to drain or she would have to get tubes. If we couldn't get it to drain she would have needed them as well. I was figuring out costumes and dealing with all things kids. Including taking Rowan on her first date, well it was suppose to be her schools Halloween party but she was defiantly on a date. She met up with Dante and they spent the whole evening together dancing and doing crafts, even eating. We actually got separated for a little while and when we meet back up his mom told me that he said "Where's Rowan, we need to find her or I am going to stop breathing." A good time was had by all until Dante and another boy started to fight over who was dancing with Rowan and I decided it was time to leave. Just when things started to go smoothly we got hit with yet another storm. This time it was Alfred that messed up the whole state and left us without power again!! This time we weren't expecting it but it was so bad that even the kids schools were closed. Uncle Joel to the rescue again as he got power back the next day but we went 8 days without. We actually got power back the day of Rowan's birthday. First however Halloween was ruined because the town cancelled trick or treating. With no lights and down wires it was the right call but the kids were disappointed but cute!

Trying to find some normalcy in the chaos we spent sometime crafting!

Finished products!

Rowan and Dante on their date! Not surprised she was hanging out with a vampire!!

Victor was a ghost.

Zoey was a pumpkin.

A very cute pumpkin!

Rowan was Wonder Woman. Kelton thought it was amusing that I had to alter the costume with red stars on her cuffs and a Golden Lasso.

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Victor wanted me to take this pick!

All dressed up and no place to go!!

Well when life gives you snow for Halloween you might as well make the most of it!!

September

Our baby boy turned 11 years old!! I remember the drive home from the hospital over the newly opened Frog Bridge, sitting in the back seat clutching onto the car seat for dear life (The entire 6 min ride) with this little baby. Now I have a preteen, HEAVEN HELP ME! Thank goodness he is a good kid and to bad he has to get dumb for a few years. I can't imagine that in just 8 years he will be on his mission. It doesn't seem like it as it is happening but time really does go by fast. Victor had decided that there are two things he would like to be when he grows up....A Master Lego Builder or to work for Apple and possible be the next Steve Jobs.

Wish I could say that with Victors birthday that everything got better but alas I can't....

We got power back the day after his birthday party, after 9 days without it.I took the kids to the fair and we had a pretty good time. But of course the fun was just starting...We then woke to the fridge cooking our food and lame Sears not being able to sent someone out to look at it for a week, which turned into 3 more weeks with out a refrigerator in a house of 6 people, 3 dogs and a cat. Needless to say add the 9 days we had spent without it and the food lost between the two episodes and you have a nightmare of planning and organizing and coordinating.
Then a week before we were to close on the house we got the call that our bank had resent out the appraiser to check for storm damage to discover that the finished basement had flooded and was now ruined and full of mold. They would no longer be willing to lend us money to buy the house unless this was all fixed and of course the selling agent who couldn't really speak for the bank was so helpful with what they were going to do about this that after much thought and prayer and argument and debate it was decided that we were going to walk away and start all over....You can guess that if I wasn't crying before boy was I now.
When the tears ended and the numb set in we started to look all over again (For the 3rd blooming time!). Kel humored me and placed a bid on a house our first time out but we didn't get it. So we headed into October homeless and hopeless....2 B continued......But first some more pics....

Rowan checking out the animals at the fair.

baaaa

Sure was less stress full to take them to the fair before Rowan could ride the scary rides!

Not ready for him to be behind the wheel yet!

Even less ready for her!!

It always amazes me how still she can sit when she wants too!

You can imagine how hard it was for him to get in the pink dragon!!

Their haul!!

Zoey and Norm looking for trouble no doubt!

The snugglers didn't make it through movie night!!

Caught a frog. Let Rowan keep him for a little while before we let him go.

The house we were suppose to buy :(

Best sight in the world!!

House we got outbid on :(

August

Well what a month August was!! With our lease ending and no word on our offer for the house stress totally set in. We spent time packing, moving stuff to storage and worrying. We also started to look at houses all over again. At the very last minute we finally got the call that the bank had a counter offer for the house that we could accept or start all over, but it was still a good deal so we said yes and moved in with my mom for what was to be a quick 6 weeks at most. It was bitter sweet to leave the town were we had our kids and called home for the past 11 yrs, but we had to do what was best for us and them. Unfortunately just when we didn't think things could go any where but up this hill we had been climbing lead to a drop in the road we hadn't seen coming...
The first part of the trip down was the loss of my Uncle Butch. I will always be so grateful that I got to spend the day with him in March and be so sad that I didn't get to go say goodbye. I wasn't able to drop everything with the crazy puppy, the move in with my mom, trying to get ready to move into our new house and preparing for a storm as we were getting ready to send the kids back to school to go to Maine.
Then when we went for the home inspection there were a few things that had gotten ruined because of the house being neglected and left. The move in and get to the end of the year without anything major planned spending was out the window but we were still holding our head up.
Then the storm hit. No literally Irene blew into town and turned everything upside down. I know what I didn't miss about living in the boonies that when you lose power you have no water either. The kids school started on time so we had to get a hotel room to take care of them. If life wasn't crazy enough I now had to commute between schools, and two places of living neither of which being our home. We finally got the power back on Memorial day after 9 days. The day after Victor's Birthday. Yup poor kid had to celebrate his day with no power. Thankfully we did have some relief from a generator loaned to us from our Uncle Joel.

Story to continues in September..... But here are some pics...
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Rowan and Ethan get ready for storm Irene at the Science Center

Rowan hanging out at one of her favorite places the Science Center

Already for the first day of school

To cool to have to pose for first day of school pics

Wanted proof that I was still taller than Victor (barely) at the beginning of the school year

Birthday with no power!

11 years old

July

July had us feeling good for a change, which of course didn't last! But we got out and enjoyed the weather. We saw friends and family, had fun and adventure!
We also celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary!!!!
We were playing the waiting game to hear about the house we had placed a bid on. We only had a few weeks to party in before the kids summer school programs started. Each one had a 3 week program unfortunately they weren't the same 3 weeks. So I still had to commute daily for 5 weeks this summer. We were happily packing and preparing for our move.