And then it stalls

We are having more financing issues, after we thought it was all settled. Others I've talked to recently have encountered very similar problems. We all have great credit scores, good jobs and incomes, low debt, and the banks are still putting up tons of roadblocks. Who, exactly, are they loaning money to?? Maybe it's because I end my sentences with a preposition.

Here are photos of the area where the mudporch used to be. We're not using the backdoor at all because of the wires hanging down, and so far we've adjusted well. I just have to teach Greyson the quirks of opening the front door locks now so he can get himself in after camp.

And so it begins

Demolition started Thursday and was completed Friday. If you want to see the before pictures, click here. The concrete person won't start until the week of July 6th, so in the meantime we have lots of open space and are getting used to not using our backdoor. We could actually use it, but there are low-hanging wires and this gives us the chance to get accustomed to the way our lives will be for the next 3 or 4 months. Now the kids have more space for bike riding, and they can snack on the wild black raspberries that were against the side of the garage. Dan was curious about what we would find behind the garage, but all we uncovered were some sand toys we hadn't seen in three years.

Facing where the garage stood.

Another gem

The routine here at Philtur Central is that everyone hits the bathroom and washes hands when coming inside after school/work/camp/trips/whatever. Today, when Reece came out after the process, he came up to me with a very satisfied expression on his face and said, "I feel like a new man" and then walked off. I don't know what I did for entertainment before that one came along.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Reece played his first baseball game (at the church picnic) and did surprisingly well - even ran the bases in the right order!

Only the second child would think of this

Reece, yesterday: "Mom, Greyson has been on the computer all day and won't let me play on it so can you be mad at him please?"

The next step is his own Blackberry

As of today, Greyson has his own email address. I immediately received four messages from him that said "Mom, email me back", "Mom, reply right now", "Come on answer", and "Dad says write to him too". He seems to be confusing this with instant messaging (and don't any of you dare mention that possibility to him!)

Update: Per Dan, who saw Greyson this morning before Dan left for work, as Greyson was clearing the sleep from his eyes, he said "I have to check my email". Thanks to everyone who responded to him, because when I got up he came right in and told me, with much excitement, who had sent him emails.

If you wake a Reece in the morning (with apologies to Laura Numeroff)

If you wake a Reece in the morning, he's going to take a while to open his eyes.
While he's opening his eyes, he's going to ask you to pick out his clothes.
When you ask him which shirt he wants, he will tell you that you have to make all the decisions.
While you're making the decisions, he will tell you he's too tired to get up.
When you tell him you will put his clothes on the chair in his room while he wakes up, he will use his whiny voice to tell you to throw them down the clothes chute.
When you say that they are clean clothes and don't belong down the chute, he will start crying.
When he starts crying, you will tell him that you have to get yourself dressed and he can get himself dressed when he is ready.
He will cry harder, and he may close his eyes and cry himself back to sleep. And then you have to start waking him all over again.