The PLUMBING Nightmare!

So I have be asked day in and day out... "How is that new house of yours?" I wish that I could tell you all that it was wonderful...I am all moved in...Every box is unpacked...Everything is so clean and new...It is everything I could ever want in a house...etc...etc. But I can't say that!! The week after we moved in, we noticed that the toilet in the master bathroom made a sort of gurgling noise. I can't explain it, but I new that it wasn't a good noise. We would also flush toilet paper in it and it would clog. (Steve was constantly blaming it on me!!) Anyway, I called the plumber to see if they could come and take a look at my toilet. It was kind of embarassing! In my mind I was thinking..."I bet Gabriel stuck something in the toilet!" I prayed that when the man pulled the toilet he wouldn't find some sort of toy or something. Although looking back, I think that it would have been way better than what we are going through now.



I have to say...Wilshire has been very kind (I guess they have to be...they know that it is their fault!) But they have been really great to work with. Anyway, the plumber pulled the toilet and cleaned out a bit of workers debris. He thought that it would solve the problem. He replaced the toilet and told me to call if I had any more problems. Low and behold...the next day I had them out here again...It was still gurgling! When he came back the second time he brought with him a camera to put down the toilet to see what was the matter. He didn't tell me much but he did say that he would be back the next day with another manager. Needless to say, this did not feel like a good situation.



Apparently when they poured the slab, it rained for another week straight. Somehow that made my pipes bow. I don't really know how to explain it...but it was really bad! Just our luck right?? So they proceeded to tell us that they were going to have to cut into the concrete slab to take care of the pipes. To reconnect them so that they weren't holding water. So they were going to cut a whole in my master closet to see what the extent of the problem was. I thought great...just great!! It couldn't have happened at a better time. We were going to be going to Utah for a few weeks. They could get this all done and we wouldn't see a thing! Fabulous.



So we left for Utah and checked in now and again to find out what was going on. I guess not a whole lot. Here is a few pictures of what Steve, Kyle and Kassi came home too.





Apparently they didn't cover anything when they started the chipping and digging. So all of our beautiful new furniture, bedding, clothes, and everything else that was on the floor in that room was left to collect cement dust.





So this is what I came home to. Not a whole lot was completed during the 18 days that I was in Utah. It was a bit frustrating. Well, it was good to be home and to be involved on what was happening in my own home. The foundation people completely drug their feet. They had the hardest time working for long periods of time! They would tell me that they were done with the job and that the plumbers could come and do their thing. Well, the plumbers would show up the next day and of course could not do their work because the foundation guys didn't chip enough or dig enough. This went back and forth for a couple of days. Until finally, they both got together at the same time and discussed exactly what needed to happen. When the foundation guys were completed...this is what they had done. They had dug a hole in my closet about 10 ft by 8 ft and about 4 ft deep. They then tunneled about 6 feet into my entryway.



The plumbers then came back and proceeded to tell me that this was not enough. They were going to have to cut into the foundation in the garage in order to get the pipes to lay down enough to replace them. AAAAHHH!! So this is what my garage looks like. There is a 5 ft by 5 ft whole that is about 4 ft deep and they have tunneled about 8 feet into my entryway. In fact, I think that if I were to crawl into the hole in my garage, I would end up in my bedroom closet. Pretty cool, huh???





So after the hole was dug in the garage, they were then finally able to fix the plumbing. Yeah!!! We are on a role :) They have now secured the plumbing so that nothing can happen when they poor the cement. Heaven forbid we have this problem again!



After several days of nothing being done...complaints were made. I am not sure that it helped, but we shall see. The foundation people finally showed up to fix the cables that had to be cut. We now are just waiting on an engineer to come and test the sturdiness of the foundation. I only pray that everything will be okay!

So this is where we are right now...6 1/2 weeks later.



You better believe that I am going to demand some heavy compensation. This hasn't been very fun. I would love to enjoy the beautiful new house that we live in! At least we found this problem early and we will be able to get it fixed and move on.

Gabriel's Duel with Asphalt

Gabriel loves to play outside with the kids. He spends a lot of time on the skateboard. He loves to chase around the ball. He just loves the great outdoors. While I was inside making dinner (yes, I do make dinner!!), Gabriel and Kyle were playing with a big purple ball. Kyle would kick it and Gabriel would cruise after it. Apparently, he ran so fast that he tripped and slid face first on the asphalt. Here are the results!

Halle & Dentist

We all went to the dentist after about a year of not going. You know...we've moved twice! So they are valid excuses! That and I really don't like going to the dentist. So I asked around and found a dentist to go to. We all got our teeth cleaned and of course Kyle and Steve both have really great teeth. So no cavities to report there. Kassadi had one cavity, I had 2 (hey...I was prego and had a baby and you know that it makes your teeth bad!) and Halle, well, she had 4!! All of her nice big back teeth had cavities. You gotta love it. It had to happen to the one child that does not like going to the dentist or to the doctor.

So we went and had a discussion with the dentist on what sort of anesthetics to use and decided that we would just go with the novacaine. The laughing gas was and extra $75. Yes, I am a cheapskate! Halle started crying before we even started. The dentist did a great job at calming her down. She did great when he gave her the shots on one side of her mouth. She did ok while he was drilling. He ended up having to give her some more of the novacaine because she started flinching and crying. She then couldn't stop crying and started shaking! It really was very sad because there was nothing I could do. The dentist worked desperately fast to finish. She was numb for hours afterwards! She even had a nice big fat lip. It was actually quite funny. All I ask is that you wish me luck...I have to take her tomorrow to get her other two filled. YIPPEE!!

Gardner Village

I have always wanted to go to Gardner Village during the fall season. They always do the most amazing things to the village. It was called Witches Flying (I think!) Anyway, it was so very cute. We went with my mom. Halle loved seeing all of the different witches. We ate lunch at Archibald's. It was really good. Gotta love great eats ;)










There was this really cute old farm house type building. It had hay and a lot of pumpkins around it. Great picture opportunity. You all know how I love to take pics. Anyway, try as I might...I wanted to get a really cute picture of Gabe and Halle together on the hay...well, Gabe just could not hold still enough for the camera. He was so excited about the pumpkins and the hay. This is the best I got. Oh well...they are pretty cute kids!