Saturday, June 28, 2008

Pool Saga

I wanted to post some fun pictures of the kids swimming and since this is my 'journal/scrapbooking' I wanted to write down the story of our pool. After looking at my blog and comparing it to others I have noticed that I am always pretty long winded in writing and this one will be the same. That is what you get when I don't journal and haven't scrapbooked in forever...Anyway, here is our pool story.

When we were looking to buy our current house the pool was not an enticing feature-we loved the house but honestly were not that interested in the pool. The house was a foreclosure and had pretty much been abandoned for over a year. This included the pool. The pool had never had a cover on it (scary!) and the first time we saw it, it was 1/4 full of brown, gross, stinky water/leaf junk.

My mother HATED the pool! She did not want us to buy this house because of the pool. She thought it was such a liability. She worried about Carson (3 at the time) and having the pool in its current state. She thought we should fill it in with dirt and grow a garden.

With all the work the inside of the house needed the pool sat untouched for a few months. Cam started researching pool things on the Internet and read somewhere that if you left a pool empty of the winter it would freeze/crack/possibly lift out of the ground if the water table was high enough. This was motivation that we HAD to deal with the pool.

First we got all the "chunks" (Leaves/garbage etc...gross I know) out of the water and then started pumping out the disgusting water. Where did we pump this lovely water??? Into our side yard and down the gutter (I'm sure our neighbors were impressed with us :)Once it was empty we (99% Cam I should say) scrubbed it clean.

The cleaning process was interesting. Cam had to buy certain chemicals to clean it (hypoxy something...I will have to ask and add in later) and a special suit and mask to wear to clean it in. He looked like a space man.

Cam got tied up in another project and could not finish the pool for awhile. So we would not have any problems of it cracking or lifting out of the ground while it was completely emptied we filled it about 1/4 of the way full.

A few weeks later, Cam was ready to tackle the pool again. We pumped the semi clean water out again. Once it was clean and empty again, Cam decided that we should paint it. We bought the paint ($90 dollars a gallon x 10 gallons)! And Cam started painting it. He painted the deep end first and then covered that end with big blue tarps so leaves and dirt would not blow in and stick to the fresh paint. As he continued to paint and cover, less and less of the pool was being 'ventilated' I was always worried Cam was going to pass out in the pool due to lack of oxygen/paint fumes! Cam said I worry to much (true).

After the paint job and sealing the paint we were ready to start filling it in with some H2O. This is the interesting part. We started filling it with water and after it was about 1/2 full Cam read on the Internet about children sitting on pool drains and having severe medical issues from this (research on your own if you want to know more...:). Mind you our pool drain is on the deep end of the pool which would be under 9 feet of water if we ever got it filled, but Cam was concerned and wanted to place a grate over the drain to prevent any problems. So again, we started pumping out the water.

This time we had a constant stream running down our curb/gutter of milky white water (from the fresh paint). I started feeling really bad about wasting so much water and wondering what our neighbors thought of us.

The grate was placed and we started filling up the pool with water. How do you fill up a pool with water? The only way in our area is to use your own water from your hoses. I don't know how many gallons of water it holds (Cam would know) but it took about a week with two hoses running 24 hours a day to fill the pool. We had a high water bill that month...high enough that the water company called to ask us what was up (they thought there must have been some kind of error, too bad there wasn't :)

When the deep end was full of water, Carson and I 'slid' down the slope from the shallow end into the deep end. It was pretty fun.

After the pool was full, our backyard went into lock down mode. We were at the mercy of coverpools. Two weeks after the day it was supposed to be installed we had the pool covered. The cover is constantly locked and only Cam and I know where the key is.

We started heating and filtering the pool and discovered that the heater was kaput. We ordered a heater and Cam installed it. After a lot of work we were finally able to start enjoying the pool!

We have had many fun days swimming in the pool but it can be a lot of upkeep and cost. I like the pool water WARM but Cam likes to save money. So when Cam goes to work I turn the heater on full blast. When Cam comes home he turns the heater off. Cam thinks WARM water is actually water that is just a little bit warmer than freezing :)

Right now, I think our pool is pretty safe, it is completely fenced in with a locked fenced, and always covered with a locked cover when we are not using it. Of course CONSTANT SUPERVISION is a must. I never worry when it is us using the pool but worry when we have neighbors and friends over. I have had a few times when the neighbor kids have come over wearing their swim gear and ask to swim. I always tell them "Yes, if your mom will come swim with you." I just won't be responsible for other people's kids swimming.

Future pool plans include, replacing the brick/tile around the edge and putting in a new deck.

So here are some pics of us swimming this summer. Carson is becoming a fish and Hannah doesn't know what to think about it yet. Also, of course the day I decide to take pictures is the day when all of Carson's swimsuits needed to be washed and he is swimming in his red undies. Good thing he doesn't realize this could be possibly embarrassing...yet.


Carson jumping off the diving board. He didn't dare do this last year.


Carson and Hannah. Hannah did not want her brother holding her. Mom did not want Carson holding her so this is the best and only picture of the two of them.


Carson and his 'swim gear' This cracks me up.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Carson the Brave

As part of the "Summer O'Fun" at the Greener Household we bought Lagoon Season Passports. I bought them with the intent of being able to pick up and go with both kiddos. I honestly thought that Carson would still want to ride the rides for little kids and Hannah and I could stroll after him and watch him go on the rides.

The first time we went luckily we were with his older cousins because the first ride he wanted to go on was the white roller coaster, next he went on the wild mouse. We then split up with his cousins and Carson was forced to ride on the 'kiddie rides.'

The next time we went I arranged a sitter for Hannah and only Carson and I went. We had so much fun and Carson is an excellent Lagoon buddy. He is not afraid of any ride. We went on wicked and the colossus and all of the other rides I did not think Carson was ready for yet.

As we were preparing to go on wicked...I have to admit that I was a little scared myself and I thought "Why in the world am I letting my baby go on this ride? What if the booster seat wasn't installed right? If you have to have a booster set should you really be going on this ride :)? Maybe I can hold him in with my one arm...yeah right. Can we get off now?"

Again, my boy is growing up.

Carson LOVED wicked and we went on it many more times that day. I can't believe how brave he is. Wow. Carson the brave...

These are a few pictures of 'Wicked' they don't really do the ride justice...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Hannah's ancestry...? :)

There is always much debate and friendly arguing about which side of the family our cute children look like. Carson is obviously his father's child-that boy looks nothing like me. I always smile when I look at my blonde haired, blue eyed boy...I never would have imagined that my child would have those traits. Carson does have my personality though :)

When Hannah was a newborn, it was hard to say who she looked like. Her eyes took forever to change (first the normal blue/gray look, they then changed to definetely blue, then greenish, then hazel and at 5-6 months finally brown!) Her hair is the same, it looks brown with a little red tint to it but if you look at what is coming in on the back it is pure white! She also has an olive/darker complexion I think she looks more like me but others disagree.

Well a friend of mine finally figured it out! She told me that Hannah resembles the Kewpie doll! Well, I had never even seen or heard of a kewpie doll so I looked them up. It's true, Hannah is a long lost relative of the Kewpie doll.


Hannah's relatives...? :)


Pictures to Compare too...







What do you think? She definetely has the same mowhawk hair style, head shape, big brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and I have definetely seen her pull Kewpie doll expressions before. Kewpie dolls are cute but I happen to think my Hannah is by far the cutest model/make of the Kewpie/Greener family.

P.S I ordered Hannah a Kewpie doll for her 1st birthday. I think it is important for her to see some of her ancestors :)

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Hannah is 11 months!

All about Hannah at 11 months!

I can pull myself up and stand up. My mom finds me in my crib standing anytime I wake up.
I can dance.
I can drink out of a straw.
I love to drink out of my sippy cup.
I am figuring things out like, I try to put socks on my feet or hats on my head. I try to plug things into the outlet,
I can shake my head no.
I only have two bottom teeth. (Note from mom, I just learned in school that children should have there age (example 11 months) minus 6 and that is how many teeth they should have. So Hannah should be close to tooth number 5...where are they?
I have discovered opening drawers and cupboards.
My favorite foods include: bananas, ham, mashed potatoes, crackers.
I usually sleep through the night. Occasionally I wake up for a little snack.
I can hold my own. A girl has to stand up for herself. :) When my brother is pestering me, I either crawl away really fast or I climb on him and bounce aka "bum drops" With that said...
I really do love my brother. He entertains me, plays with me, and makes me smile and laugh a lot.
As always I LOVE being outside.
New words I have learned

Thank you
Hot
What's that? (Doesn't really sound like that but it is :)

(Note from mom, Hannah's language has really taken off this month. She will mimic almost everything she hears either with sound or with the pitch of her voice. We may hear it over and over again (like Thank you) or sometimes she will say it once and then that is it.)

And lastly, my mom's favorite...
I give kisses

I am learning new things everyday! Watch me grow!

Here are a few pictures from my 11 month birthday.






I did not want my pictures taken tonight. Some of my pictures turned out pretty good (like above) but most looked similar to the ones below.


Make this picture big to show off the bottom lip. It is so cute.

Newman Family Reunion

The second I came home from school on Friday, we left to go camping for the weekend at Downatta hot springs for the Newman Family Reunion.

We had a great time. The weather was perfect and the company was fun. As always there was a lot of yummy eating and lots of swimming.

This was Hannah's second time camping (the first time she was about 9 weeks old) and she did okay. Now that she is mobile she wanted to be on the ground crawling around! It was pretty dirty and so was she. The first night sleeping in the tent was not her idea of a good time. She woke up 4 times that night! The second night she only woke once.

Carson, played all day. Whether he was swimming, playing in the sand, or riding his bike he was on the go all day. He had so much fun and said on the way home he wished we could stay there for "ten days"

We really did have fun but I have not been home now for one week! I am grateful to have a weekend away but also so grateful to be home!


Hannah and Daddy. As you can see, the seeds from the nearby trees were all over the pool...the hazards of having an outdoor pool!


Carson under water!


Mason under water!


Hannah feel asleep on our second time in the pool. What a cute little baby.


The sign that it is time to get out of the water!

TItles

I have had many titles in my life, daughter, student, teacher, nurse, mother, wife, etc. This week I earned a new one...coach.

Last Thursday, the Dragons played their final game. It was mixed with relief and with sadness for me. First the relief...

What a commitment! Two days of games and practices is a huge time commitment!

Responsibility! We HAD to be at every game and every event (coaches training, closing ceremonies). I would like to say that we are responsible but sometimes the option of not having to go is nice...even though most likely we would have went anyway!

Fairness! This was probably the hardest thing for me. I wanted to make sure that everything was fair. At the age of 6 I did not think it was important for the 'best' players to play pitcher etc. All of the kids needed a fair rotation of positions and that was difficult to do! I was of the opinion that this was strictly to have some fun and teach some t-ball basics. Some parents/opposing teams thought this was the professional leagues and I hated that! I also did not want anyone to think we were favoring Carson so he probably played outfield the most. It was hard to find a fairness balance and we did the best we could.

So now the sadness.

Time goes by too fast. T-ball is over-the end of an era in the Greener household. Carson will play pitch next year. Ouch, he is growing up.

I really did like our little team. I know all the kids, and their families. I was happy when they succeeded. I wanted them to feel good about themselves and feel like they could do anything they wanted. I hope they had a good experience.

The fun is over. Next year, they keep score, call outs, and if you are not one of the best you sit on the bench. Seems a little intense for 7 year olds, but I guess that is a skill that each child has to learn. I want to 'protect' Carson just a little longer though...

I do not think we will ever be Carson's coaches again. We are not athletic or knowledgeable enough. That is why we did it this year so we could do 'our community service' and then let the professionals take over!

I will add 'Coach' to my list of titles, tuck it away and pull it back out when Hannah wants to play!



A dragon lives forever-Go Carson!

Plane Post from the Past

Two weeks ago, Cam took Carson and Hannah to see the B17 "aluminum overcast" It was at the Ogden airport for a limited time. I worked a night shift the night before then went to church. I was running on about 17 minutes of sleep and choose sleep over seeing the plane.

They were able to go inside the plane and Cam said Carson went through about 10 times. Cam said it was hard to go through the plane holding Hannah. My response was "welcome to my life!"

He is a good dad. I am glad he could take the kiddos and I could get some uninterrupted sleep!



Yes, I managed to survive...barely :)

My "intensive week" is officially over and I couldn't be happier. It was a lot of work and late nights. I think I avereaged 3-4 hours of sleep each night. I also never want to eat at the University of Utah Hospital cafeteria again. The next "intensive week" aka 10 days is coming on July 7-17th-including Saturday. Yuck.

Overall, though it really was okay. I learned a lot and the time did go by fast. My kids were happy and when I came home my hubby had the house spotless (including laundry!) Thanks!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Silly anxiety and worries...

I am basically writing this for some therapy for myself so feel free to skip this as it has no useful or fun information to read about. In general, I feel like I am able to handle a lot of things but because of upcoming event I am having a lot of silly anxiety and worries...

Besides my classes, twice a semester I am required to attend "intensive weeks" at school. Usually they are from 9-5 Mon-Wed. Because it is summer semester and the courses are condensed the "intensive weeks" are longer! The first one is next week Mon-Fri and the first day is 7:30 am to 9:00 p.m! AHHH! The other days are pretty much the same minus an hour on two of the days!

This is resulting in big anxiety and worry for me...My kiddos and I are staying at my sisters house in Heber and I will drive to U of U and back everyday. I am not worried about my kids. I know they will be loved to pieces (thank you Carrie!) but I am worried about my ability to leave them for so long! I hate leaving them and rarely do...I have separation anxiety! :)

I am learning so much, but I have to say that for the first time in my 16+ years of schooling I feel intimidated, nervous, and a feeling of being the 'new girl' on the job everyday! You know the feeling of wanting to be impressive, wanting to do a really good job, wanting to know all the answers etc? Does that make sense?

Anyway, there you have it. Each time these weeks have come up I always get these similar feelings and after each week flies by and turns out fine...I can't believe I worried so much! It always boils down to one thing though...I will miss my sweet babies and my cute hubby!