It's ALL true . . . sad, but true

So, it's been awhile, but don't worry we've been keeping tabs on all things Shay to keep you entertained. As a matter of a fact, so much has happened that I will first present it to you in outline form- so if you fancy, you could skip ahead should you so desire. There is a lot to report, so much so that I will probably have writer's cramp to go along with my broken finger (thanks to the new "fire door"- we clearly needed a door such as this BTW- you'll see!)

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want to . . .
     OUTLINE
I. Kitchen Remodel
II. Move to apartment
     a. van vs. pole
     b. vomit escapades . . . and poop and pee
     c. CT scan
     d. security deposit refund?
III. Homecoming
     a. kitchen remodel from HELL, ie. oven doesn't fit, etc.
     b. backyard makeover (or under)
     c. trailer
     d. fire department
     e. broken finger

     The kitchen remodel began as a dream ever since we moved in. The "old" kitchen with it's original (but bigger) cabinets was full of mold and falling apart around us, literally. Shelves were propped up with 2x4s and lined with linoleum to give us more of a barrier against the oldy moldy plywood.  Some cabinets weren't even used as they were crumbling from the inside out. So this was our excuse to take out a home equity line to remodel what clearly was a "health hazard". Interviewed a couple different contractors and off we went.
     Prior to the demolition of the old kitchen, it was decided that the Shay's would need to relocate based on the fact that the children (mostly Caden and Austy) could not tolerate anything that might aggravate their airways (* yes, they are special and they know it). After hemming and hawing and Casey calculating and recalculating (done with a great deal of complaining in regards to the extra expense), we decided to rent an apartment instead of an extended stay hotel (mas dinero). We signed a month to month lease for a 1 month period of time at Laguna Serrano in LN. We had stayed there prior to purchasing this house and actually found out about the triplets during our 1st round in the apartments there. Good times. The difference this time? Aside from the THREE obvious things (ie. Austy, Mitchy, and Caden being full fledged children and not just fetuses would be one),  but also the size and location of the apartment. We were forced to rent a 3 bedroom based on the number of people residing in the apartment (more money!) and there was only one available (upstairs unit- God love the people below us- it wasn't our 1st choice I swear).
     Moving in was relatively painless (we cheated and rented a refrigerator so the company would have to carry the unit up and down the stairs). We also saved ourselves the hassle of moving tons of furniture and just brought mattresses, a few chairs, futon, the kids' table, clothes, and toys. Oh, and a microwave of course- cooking in-style. Casey forbade any crafting item that could be used to deface the property as the $500 security deposit rested heavily upon his heart. We kept those items in the garage just in case we needed to get crafty, but alas managed to survive without having to break through the tape on the box. I did however manage to break the front end off  of my van (1/2 way only :)) by running into/ side driving into a plastic (stupid, plastic) pole while arguing with Austin in the back seat about which Alvin and the Chipmunks song he wanted to listen to. All I wanted him to do was shut . .., um PLEASE, BE QUIET and GO TO SLEEP! But alas, no. Pole 1st, song 2nd, drive 3rd, sleep- dead last.
     Back to the security deposit . . . Our kids are pukers. Well, Austy is for sure and Mitchy and Riley can sympathy puke with the best of them, so yeah that statement is just about right. Our kids are pukers. First week in, Austin in the kitchen. All over. Riley hearing the excitement (Casey on duty, bemoaning the puke) comes running and sliding. Two pukey kids. Riley: "AGGHHHHHH. Mommy what do I do?  (gag, gag) What do I do?" Casey: "Why would you do that Riley? Why would you run through the vomit? Why weren't you looking . . . .?" Me: "Riley, honey. It's gonna be okay. Lets just take off your jammies and get you into the shower right here, quick. See problem solved." Casey: "There goes the security deposit . . ." Oh, for heaven's sake. Everybody barfs, everybody poops, etc. Life goes on. All in all we checked out with a few "accidents" to speak of and a couple ( + a few )broken blinds, not too shabby for triplets and 5 year old :)
     By far the worst part about the apartment though was the stairs. We did our best to make sure that the doors were locked at all times and that the kids held onto the rail and/or us going up and down each and every time. One raining morning though, Mitchy slipped and fell approx. 4 stairs. By the grace of God and her (very overworked) guardian angel, Michaela ended up sliding backward on her head, shoulder, and back, vs her head and face, etc. She was pretty shaken up and promptly threw up. I kept a close eye on her throughout the day and even though she was a little off (quiet for once) she fared pretty well. We even managed a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific with Erin and her mom "Reynold's". The next morning though, Mitchy was throwing up again and off we went to the ER.
     A couple hours and a cat scan (CT) of the brain later, Michaela was cleared of any fractures or brain bleeds. Dx: Concussion. The best part (aside from the fact that there were no bleeds, etc) was the CT scan itself. We (Mitchy and I) enjoyed a ride on the gurney to radiology. "It's okay Michaela. It's like Disneyland." Michaela-"Where are the rollerposters?"  In CT neither my mom nor myself could convince Michaela to lie still, but Christian could. Oh, you betcha. "Michaela, princess, could you please just put your pretty little head right here and I'll be really fast. Oh. and when your are done princess you can have ice cream and what ever you want, but we really need you to lay still for the camera. Can you do that princess?" "Ok." And for that Christian got upgraded (by Mitchy) from radiology tech to doctor."Doctor fixed my head with the camera. He fixed my noggin. It's all better." Oh, my darling girl how I love you. Forget age 16, we're locking you up at 10 sister.
     One month passes. Finally time to move home into our new kitchen. Yea, right? Nope. It's not done. Even with an extra week built into the schedule, still not done. Problem- the oven doesn't fit, the cabinets are too small, etc. I wish I knew why, except for the obvious- they measured wrong and despite Casey having presented the guys with the appliance measurements PRIOR to them building the cabinets- the oven remains un-installed in the middle of the kitchen. Good times. More microwave meals, cereal, and McDonald's - the kids are suffering :)- yeah right! Add yet another week onto the schedule, more bickering with the contractor and the cabinet maker an attempt to slide the cabinetry over and shave down the granite- fail. Next, shave the cabinets down (8 of them, which= 16 precise cuts) in an attempt to make the oven fit. It's a go, barely.
     I am so not amused. I can however say that I am among the majority of people who "LOVE" contractors after working with them in my home and being told what I want. Really? How bout I tell you what I want and because we are paying for it, as a contractor/cabinet maker, you do it regardless of what google says about the size of plates! (Apparently all cabinets (except our old bigger ones) are 11 inches on the inside which is "standard" unless you specify otherwise and  I quote "the standard dinner dish according to GOOGLE is 9 inches.") Wow. Good to know. Please don't come to the ER and tell me you think you are having a heart attack and gee . . .those symptoms aren't on my Google list of signs and symptoms of a heart attack- please have a seat in the waiting room . . . ) Come on!!! (I know, I know. I don't work in the ER, I work with kids only for a reason!)  Maybe, you should ask the customer before you assume things. Alas, my dead aunt's dishes don't fit and even though they were ugly and it would be cheaper to buy new dishes vs reinstall cabinets, I am a little bitter. Oh, and because of the island placement, we can only load the oven from the side. They were worried about moving it further down as it would "float" a bit out into the dining room and it wouldn't look right. Yeah, so how is loading the oven from the side any righter? (If you do, please keep it to yourself!) Needless to say the kitchen is done. I have a few more things to put away, but all the extra people milling about are gone! Finally.
     While the kitchen was undergoing its beautification process, my Uncle George was hard at work painting the interior and dismantling the backyard. There was a large brick and concrete patio off to the side that posed a hazard to the kids and really needed to go. It is now gone and a large (LARGE) patch of dirt/mud exists in its place. Add in a falling apart sandbox, trampoline, swing set, plastic climbing toy, merry-go-round, and playhouse- you have my yard in a nutshell (oh- and lots of chalk drawings, pieces of chalk, socks, discarded clothes  . . .) MESS. It is of course a work in progress :) Add in the trailer that is in the driveway (utilized and abandoned in the move to and from the apartment) and you have WT. Yep, I know God doesn't make trash. But we are WT to the nth degree (we do for the record have all our teeth, though many of mine aren't exactly "real").
     And now for the icing on the cake . . . the fire department. They didn't just come for a social call. Nope. We called 911 within 48 hours of moving back home because something was burning. It smelled so bad that we were convinced there was a fire in the attic. During the course of the remodel they had done a lot of rewiring to get everything up to code, so it must be that right? We didn't find anything amiss in the kitchen, the oven had yet to be installed, smoke was noted to be coming from the attic vents . . . Everyone out. 911. 4 fire trucks and 2 ambulances (just in case?) arrived within minutes. 1st round of guys go into the house, 2nd group around the back. The first group reappears after apparently doing a quick sweep of the house and put on their oxygen tanks. Firemen are now on the roof with chain saws, half the neighborhood is outside observing the melee, my children and I are on "Grandma Carol next door" neighbor's front yard, and my husband- why my husband would be across the street checking out the neighbor's kitchen remodel. Yep. Anyways, back to the roof where they are about to cut a hole when a fireman walks out of the garage with Caden's nebulizer with a plastic playdough knife stuck (now melted) in the vent. The whole unit is hot, melted, and no longer functional. "MICHAELA!" (She had that knife in her hand the whole morning asking for playdough!) "I am sorry, Mommy. I can't mean for that teeny tiny fire to happen!" So, according to the firemen, aside from the nebulizer, the dryer vent was clogged and both would have potentially started a fire had we not been home to "catch it". I was so embarrassed (*remember how I described my current housing situation- WT + hoarding buried alive). The firemen, especially the younger ones with kids were most gracious, while the older ones just shook their heads. Oh, man. We promptly went out to the bakery and purchased cookies to take to four different fire stations  . . .
  Which ultimately brings me to the conclusion of this lengthy update. The fire door that was installed in the garage to get the kitchen up to code bit me. My right index finger is now a beautiful shade of Barney purple and is currently the most favorite digit of the children's to mistakenly grab. Go figure. Life is good. My next vacation day is Saturday- 12 hour shift, baby!

* New post of kids bestest sayings coming soon . . . they are growing like weeds and are quite hilarious! Ie. Riley has "decided that he is going to marry Leela and when he gives her a ring and then she starts to get fat, he will say 'Leela, what has happened?'. . . and she will say she has a baby!"
Mommy- "Wow Riley. I think it is time to say our prayers now . . ."

The Wrecking Crew

Fire, Fire, Fire

And, despite all the drama- BEAUTIFUL :)