The Beeping

At 3:00am this morning Michael and I were abruptly awakened by the sound of the batteries dying in one of our smoke detectors.  The beeping started promptly at 3:00am and repeated itself every 45 seconds until it was destroyed.  At first we were both slow to rise being that we weren't quite sure what the noise was or if we'd actually heard it but 45 seconds later and 45 seconds after that it was apparent that it wasn't going to stop. So after about 5 minutes of wandering around the house in the dark listening for the annoyingly high pitched beep of the dying smoke detector we finally located the culprit in the laundry room.

Michael quickly went into the garage to get a chair to stand on and soon had it down from the ceiling.  Here we hoped that we'd be able to just pull the battery cover off, take out the batteries and head back to bed. Simple enough right? WRONG!!!!  Apparently this particular model is a one time use only and when the batteries go dead you're supposed to deactivate it and buy a new one.  OK, so that should be simple right?  No!  At 3am nothing is simple!  First it took us about 15 minutes to figure out that there was no way to take the batteries out.  Then we finally read the back of the unit that said "to deactivate slide here".  Sounds easy, except that the slide here part had a square with some lines through it and nothing to slide.  So with it being 3am, us being used to today's touch technology and just some old fashioned stupidity we then spent another 10 minutes trying to slide our fingers from the square across the back of the unit towards the center.  When that failed to work we tried using a butter knife and screw driver to pry the batteries out or at least loose in hopes that the beeping would stop.  FAIL!  Finally I read the instructions printed on the back of the unit that said to use a small screwdriver or screwdriver like tool to break the square and slide the exposed piece towards the center. So with the square broken we slid the switch and.......the damned thing kept beeping at us!  That's right....switch slid over to the deactivate position and the evil damned thing continued to beep every 45 seconds!  After trying the switch a few more times I'd finally had enough. 

Michael was insistent upon wrapping it in a towel and locking it in the microwave so that we could go back to bed but I'd had enough of this possessed demon smoke detector from hell and wanted the beeping to stop once and for all.  So I grabbed the smoke detector and towel from Michael, walked out into the garage with it, placed it on the floor and smashed the hell out of it with a hammer.  And guess what.....the f@#king thing still beeped!  The damned thing was smashed, the circuit board broken into three pieces and the little bastard still sounded off every 45 seconds like a distress signal being called out to it's fellow smoke detectors.  So I grabbed some wire cutters and cut the wires.  45 seconds later.....BEEP!!!!  I felt like I was starting to loose my mind.  There is no way in hell this thing should still be beeping at me. I killed it! I cut off the wires!  Why is it still beeping?!  So determined to finish the damned thing off we pried the batteries off of the circuit board all together.  Then it happened......BEEP!!!!!

At this point I don't know if I was more scared of the thing or more determined that it die a slow horrible death but I was truly on the verge of loosing control.  As I walked back into the house determined that perhaps this time I should drop the damned thing into a bucket of water I heard the sound again, except that this time it wasn't coming from the garage.  This time that oh so annoying, make you cringe, make you want to kill something sound was coming from above my head.  When I looked up I realized that this new beep was now coming from the carbon monoxide detector.  Apparently it had heard it's friends cry for help and was now responding with it's own distress signal.  Just like the other one it let out a single, high pitched beep every 45 seconds signaling that it's batteries too were weak.  Luckily for it, there was a battery compartment on this one and it was spared the agonizing end of being smashed with a hammer and torn to pieces.  So with it's batteries out and it's buddy smashed to hell out on the garage floor and the house once again silent we headed back to bed. 

4:15am we were both lying in bed, now wide awake and awaiting what we thought was going to be the inevitable sound of another smoke detector in distress.  Finally by 4:45 I believe we were both back to sleep only to be awakened yet again by the annoying sounds of our alarm clocks at 6am.  Now with the broken remnants of the first detector still lying on the floor in the garage I dare any other ones in the house to cry out in distress.  Next time I'm just saving myself the time and going straight for the hammer!

It already feels like a lifetime....

On March 26, 2006, after having been together for nearly three years; giving birth to your daughter in 2004; evacuating from Hurricane Katrina, picking up the broken pieces of our lives and relocating our family to Texas in 2005, Michael and I were married before our friends and family during a small ceremony in Franklinton, LA.

During that ceremony I'd requested for the Justice of the Peace to read something I'd written in the place of the traditional ceremonial readings.  In a way you can say that this writing was the beginning vows to our marriage:

Ceremonial Reading

March 26, 2006

By: Michelle Zimmerman

Some view Perfect Love as a god, divine, everlasting, and as unattainable by human beings as the stars.  In this form love is considered the oldest of the gods, and he is also the source of the greatest benefits to us.

On Earth, human nature was originally one and as one we spend our lives in pursuit of the whole.  The whole is accomplished when man is united with the actual other half of himself.  Upon uniting, the pair becomes lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy. These are the people whom come to pass their entire lives together.

I believe that by accomplishing Perfect Love with our true love we shall be happy.  Therefore, we must praise the god Love, who is our greatest benefactor, for leading us through our life's journey while giving us high hopes for the future.  For it is he whom promises us that if we are pious he will lead us and make us happy and blessed.

When conquering Perfect Love we must be capable of loving our other half not only with a matrimonial love but with a mass love mixed of a natural love, as the love of brethren parents and children; a sympathetical love, as the love of friends; a customary love, as the love of acquaintances; a loyal love, as the love of a subject; an obedient love, as the love to virtue; an uniting love, as the love of soul and body; and a pious love, as the love to heaven.

With this mass love comes not only Perfect Love but also the essence of a good marriage. In this good marriage the two shall show a great respect for each other's personality and combine it with a deep intimacy that is physical, mental and spiritual.  By doing so the couple will embark on the most fructifying of all human experience.

Now 5 years after making that commitment not only to ourselves but also to our children and to finally becoming a family we still stand together strong, if not stronger, and just as much in love today.

Since that memorable day we have faced many hardships, have celebrated personal victories and we have added to our family.  Through it all we have continued to press forward in life.  As individuals as well as a couple we have been tried and tested and in the end we continue to lean upon, support and rely upon one another in order to make it through the day.

No, we are not that intimate, romantic, lovey-dovey couple but we are happy with what we are and this is being us.  Of course we dream of days where we might be able to go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant or take a honeymoon to a far away land or even vacation in a foreign country, but the truth is that at the end of the day none of those things are what would truly make us happy.  Honestly we'd probably regret the money we'd spent doing something so lavish.  For us it's the simple things in life that keep us happy.  It's those moments when the kids are finally in bed and the house is silent.  It's the weekend trips that we can take to go camping.  It's taking the family to the drive-in theatre in Ennis, TX.  It's watching our kids get to experience life and enjoying those experiences. It's getting together with friends and having a BBQ or boiling seafood on the weekends. Those are the things that make us who we are.

We are nerdy in the sense that we like Star Wars, enjoy using our telescope and taking pictures of the moon, play video games, and will spend countless hours researching things we're interested in.  We share interests in motorcycles, cars, fishing, travel and music.  He loves anything that will keep him outdoors, enjoys looking up new recipes and cooking new foods, and will not pass up the opportunity at a good deal.  I on the other hand enjoy reading, arts and crafts, playing music, eating the foods that he cooks and tend to be a little more frugal when it comes to spending money (unless it's for groceries or the kids he'll say).  While I spend my days taking care of the house and kids, running errands and playing chauffeur to practices and classes he spends his days hard at work and at school trying to provide a better future for our family.  Through all of the similarities and differences between the two of us our most powerful and common bond is our love for each other as well as our children. 

So with our 5th year wedding anniversary approaching this Saturday and the fact that I know I probably won't have the time to post anything else this week I'd like to wish my wonderful husband and the father of our childen a Happy Anniversary.  I love you and really appreciate everything you do for us.  I know that we will continue to grow as a couple and in 20 years when the last of our children is finally out of the house and finished with college maybe we will finally get that quiet vacation that we both long for.

(camping 2004)

(Gaylord Texan 2005)

(Wedding Day 2006)

(Gaylord Texan 2008)

(Halloween 2009)

(Alyssa's Kindergarten Graduation 2010)





Birthday Party + Ice Skating = One Fun Day!

I already told you about our visit from an old friend of mine and her daughter and how well the kids really hit it off with one another this past Tuesday.  Well as it turned out her daughter was going to be celebrating her 6th birthday this past weekend and we were invited to join in on the festivities.  The birthday party itself was going to be held at a McDonald's location in Plano and was to be followed by ice skating at the Dr. Pepper Stars Center. 

Of course at the first mention of a party the kids were excited. But then when you add in the words McDonald's and the idea of ice skating to the mix the emotions and excitement that emanated from my kids was indescribable.  What kid doesn't like the idea of going to a party and better yet what kid doesn't like the idea of a Happy Meal?  Just those two things together is the ideal day for most children. 

So, on Saturday morning we got up and the kids were a little more than eager to get their chores done for the day.  Around 11am we headed out to the McDonald's in Plano to celebrate with the birthday girl and her friends. The kids of course enjoyed playing in the play place and having Happy Meals; the birthday girl received some really cool gifts and of course they all enjoyed eating the birthday girl's beautiful Barbie cake.

(The birthday girl with a few of her guests)

(Alyssa with the Birthday Girl)

(Enjoying their Happy Meals)

(Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday)

(Make a Wish)

(Alyssa enjoying some cake)

(Cayden enjoying his icing)

(The birthday girl is opening her gift from us!)

(Some of the kids at the party)

Following the party all of the guests were invited to accompany the birthday girl and her mother to the Dr. Pepper Stars Center for some ice skating.  Now based on the pictures above it is very clear that my children were not dressed to do any ice skating.  They were dressed in summer clothes with flip flops because honestly I didn't have any intentions on going.  My kids have a hard enough time just walking some times and I couldn't imagine trying to put them into ice skates and turning them loose on the ice.  My vision of that was a total mess where they just ended up crying and wanting to leave.

Well lucky for them the birthday girl was pretty persuasive and after her mother made a phone call to confirm that we could buy socks at the arena and that she had extra coats in her car we were off to do some ice skating.  Well at least they were.  With my two bad knees there was no way anyone was going to get me on ice skates on the ice.  Hell it's trying to stand and walk on ice that has my knees bad in the first place.  The last thing I needed was to end up on my butt or worse yet one of my knees on it.

So just a few minutes later we were at the arena and I was lacing up ice skates on both Alyssa and Cayden.  To my surprise both of them were quick to get their skates on and walk around in them.  Now I have to admit that I was amazed.  Truly I had expected them to stumble around, get nervous and ultimately back out of the whole ice skating thing. However, they both in turn stepped out onto the ice with assistance and showed no fear in taking off and trying.  Of course for each of them it was difficult being that they've never even roller skated before, but they took to the ice (with assistance) as if it was nothing out of the norm and they loved it.  So for the next hour I watched in both amazement and excitement for them as they took turns going out onto the ice and running around on the regular ground surface on their ice skates.  By the end of the hour Alyssa was going around the wall of the ice rink by herself and Cayden was walking around like he was wearing tennis shoes.  What an amazing experience it was for both of them and I have to admit that I do think this will have to happen again more often.

(Alyssa's 1st Attempt on the ice)

(Now it's Cayden's turn!)

(The birthday girl is helping Alyssa)

(She's starting to get the hang of it)

(He's taking a break)

(Look at him walk in those skates!)

(Alyssa's going really fast now!)

(They're coming in for a quick break)

(The birthday girl really is like a pro on her skates)

(She's a ham for the camera too!)

(Quick photo of them for their 1st time)

(Alyssa's heading back out onto the ice)

(The birthday girl doing an arabesque and gliding on the ice)

(Alyssa's coming in on her own)

(Now she's starting her journey around the rink by herself)

(The Group that went skating)

Spring Break!? More Like Spring Busy

Spring Break was a very busy week for us this year.  We began the vacation week with a garage sale where we literally sold everything for $1.  We put out children's toys, VCR, VHS movies, clothes, electronics and much much more.  In the end though I have to say that our best sale of the day was when Michael sold our cat along with his food bowls, food, liter box, kitty liter, cat hut and a travel kennel for $1 to some woman.  We liked the idea of having Kitty but in all honesty we have discovered that we are definitely not cat people.

(It was nice knowing you Kitty)

Following the garage sale, Spring Break was the perfect time for an old high school friend and I to finally get together and do some catching up as well as introduce our wonderful daughters to each other.  The day we spent together was awesome and I recapped it in an early post...Old Friends Creating New Friends.  I still can't believe how well the kids really hit it off and look forward to much more time spent together.

Our next adventure of the week was dentist appointments for both Alyssa and Cayden.  For most people with small children I know that going to the dentist can be quite stressful for both the parents and the children.  For us, well it's like a day at the park.  The kids really enjoy going to the dentist. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that their Aunt works for a dental office back home or perhaps it's just because they have such great oral hygiene that they know there's nothing to fear.  Either way the appointments went great.  Both kids sat and allowed the dental assistant to take x-rays of their teeth, they were patient and waited their turns, and both opened up big and wide so the dentist could see all of their teeth.  In the end the reports came back that Alyssa has 6 loose teeth in the front of her mouth (2 on top and 4 on the bottom) and her 6 year old molars have finally started to crown.  The dentist said that she has excellent oral hygiene (something she says she doesn't get to say often) and in the last six months has grown several inches and gained a few pounds.  This putter her now at 44" tall and 45lbs.  As for Cayden, he too was a big boy.  The dentist said that everything with him too is great.  As for his growth he is now 37" tall and 30lbs.

(Here's Cayden waiting for his turn in the dental chair)

Now of course the week just wouldn't be complete if it weren't filled with lots of baseball.  Since Alyssa was placed on a team earlier this month it seems like we are living and breathing baseball.  So why should this week be any different.  Since it was Spring Break week the coaches decided that it would be in our teams best interests to get in a few extra practices plus a scrimmage game (Hammerheads vs Mavericks).  Each night practice ran for about 2 hours and the kids have really been showing some improvement.  Here are some pics from last weeks practices:

Now of course with it being Spring Break and the kids being out of school all week I also had to find things for them to do in order to keep them busy.  Our first stop was the public library to pick up some books for the week and our second stop of the week was Michael's.  Here I was able to pick up a few craft items from their $1 bins and the kids had some fun projects to work on to stay busy.

Also during spring break we bought our motorcycle (New Motorcycle); the kids and I attended a birthday party (blog to come) where they went ice skating for the first time; we cleaned out the garage and hung some new lighting; we looked at the Super Moon and took photographs (Super Moon Pics); and I was able to outfit Alyssa's practice shirt with her initials and number on the back. 

With such a busy week behind us we are now transforming back into our daily routines and gearing up for many more busy weeks ahead.   Coming up this week Michael and I will be celebrating our 5th year wedding anniversary, Alyssa is scheduled to play two exhibition games for baseball and Dalton is scheduled for an out of town O-Meet.  As for Cayden, well he's pretty much just along for the ride with everyone else this week but we may have a little surprise for him this weekend.  Thomas the Train is coming to town and we may take him out to see it!