Those Cars Never Seem to Stop Coming

My freshman year of high school I was in show choir and one of our competition numbers was to the 70's song "Car Wash."  I think it was my favorite number; hence the lyrical reference with the title there.  Anyway....shout out to my talented brother-in-law Mark Alexander who has just taken over his grandfather, Algy's, (see they didn't make my nephew's name up,) garage.   This post is mostly for the benefit of my one Massachusetts reader.  I have no idea who you are, but someone in that state reads my blog whenever I have a new post.  Mark is amazing with cars, and best of all he is totally honest and hardworking.  No slacker there.  I have spent an exhaustive amount of time trying to convince him and my sister to move to Arkansas just so I can have his mechanical services at our beck and call, but alas no go.  Maybe I'm a little bit biased but I do love Arkansas.  I cannot fathom how anyone lives anywhere else, (except Hawaii.)  But you, my Billericia Massachusetts reader, go to Mark and get your car fixed cause someone should benefit from his awesomeness.



This is Liesl, she wants you to go to her dad's auto shop.

http://www.alexanderautomotiveservice.com/

Pooh Bear



His limit for pictures that day was 4.

I think all of my kids are cute, but nobody has worked this outfit like Spikey!

Safety First

I know what your all asking yourselves, "Good heavens!  If she lost 30 lbs before this, What did she look like before?"

I can't even begin to list what I hate about this picture.  If I had known it was gonna be picture time I would have at least put on something other then sleepy pants.   Anyway, this is just another step in the refinance plan.  Making the house look finished is so time consuming.  The previous owner installed this window but didn't exactly finish it.  (What Jeff and I are really bugged by is why he put in a window that opens in a space 20 feet up.  Who's gonna open that?)  We have just lived with it sitting there looking like it was just cut and installed the day before, for over three years.  Well nothing like a deadline, and the borrowing of a 30 ft ladder to get things crossed off a to do list.  The main problem was that the angle of the staircase made it impossible to get on the ladder without the addition of the second ladder.  All I could think of was an OSHA ladder safety video I had to watch at BYU.  It wasn't so instructive as much as it was a gag reel of idiots falling off of ladders. 

Pictures through Firefox

This is an excellent example of the "W" sitting that Mae does which is terrible for the hip bones and should not be allowed.

He asked Santa for Lego Batman 2 and got it.  Must be nice to be him.

With Jeff's help I was finally able to upload new pictures through his firefox browser.  Not quite sure what is wrong with Internet Explorer.  Anywho...we got or first ever offer on our house.  We couldn't swing it, but it was rewarding to know that someone not known to use thinks our house isn't a crap hole.  Jeff is a bit sad, and so am I, but it feels right to keep on our course of finding renters.  Jeff even pointed out that by this year we should start paying more of the principal with the monthly payments so we can either drop the price even more next year, or actually walk away without paying anything at closing.  So it is really all just a lesson in patience.

Cold

Our new computer set up has prevented me from blogging.  Both computers are now in somewhat uncomfortable locations to spend a significant amount of time.  So, hence the lack of posts.  When the temperatures rise and it is comfortable to be in the playroom again there will be more posts. 

Until then:  Mae started Sunbeams and looks adorable in her big metal chair.
                               Spikey started Nursery and did well.
                               Max has lost two teeth and is back in school (Hooray!)
                               Jeff and I are almost done with the basement of this house.  It kills me that all our hopes and planning for this house will be in the hands of one appraiser who can basically rate the house any way he wants.  It all comes down to whether or not the basement can be considered a part of the house if it isn't carpeted. 

                               I have started training for The Bentonville Half Marathon in April.  Ran my longest run of 7.5 miles on New Years day.  It wasn't to bad but I am not looking forward to 13 miles. 

                                We took the other house off the market and are now trying to find renters.  Yeah I don't really want to talk about it.  This must be a lesson in patience and humility from The Lord. 

So adios until the temperature in NWA gets above 50 degrees.

Blogger isn't letting me download any new photos right now so I thought I would post my first photo ever.  I look like I ate all the other babies in the hospital.

                               

Happy Santa Cow

Max has been an absolute doll this season going on about Santa.  He wrote his letters, visited a few "Santas" and will be helping me make treats in a few min.  To add to the adorableness, Max lost his first tooth this week and talked about how he; "heard the tooth fairy, but did not see her."  Mae isn't quite there yet, but she gets that the guy in red is Santa and that he will likely be giving her a toy.  She wasn't too thrilled with Santa Cow this year.  Spike just sits where we put him and scowls.  This is perhaps why I am so desperate to get Max to Disneyland soon.  I want him to still believe that the characters he meets are real.  Maybe it won't happen, maybe it will.  But at least he still has Santa tonight.

x-mas

Went to the ward x-mas party this past week.  I would say from an activities committees point of view it was a success in that they didn't run out of food.  Cause really isn't that the only way you can measure the success of an activity, since by their own nature they can only be tedious?  Santa was good, the food was good, and well I can't speak for the program cause I was done by the time they finally got around to that.  What I take issue with is the lack of respect for the church building that people have.  I am ALWAYS shocked at the way people let their children act in church buildings.  I am fine with children running around and yelling in the cultural hall, but that is it.  I am sorry, but it is the only place in these holy buildings that is designated for that kind of behavior.  There should be no running in the halls or classrooms any day of the week.  There should not be any running in the chapel EVER!  There are some families in my ward that should be down right ashamed of themselves for not watching their children and teaching them that that kind of behavior is acceptable.  Kids will be kids....nope, sorry that doesn't fly in the House of The Lord.