The Gray Family: We Miss Daddy

I know, it could be worse and he could be gone for 6 months but this really really sucks. I don't like waking up in the middle of the night without him there nor do I like waking up in the morning and knowing that he's not going to be there or even be in the bathroom shaving. He won't be walking in the door at 4:30 in the afternoon or calling me up to see if I can throw some brats on the grill for him around 11:30. It's only been 4 days and it feels like it's been forever. I know it probably feels like an eternity to him so I shouldn't be complaining.

Friday morning we dropped him off at the ship and they left after we were gone. I don't have a clue what we did after that besides go home unpack and have McDonald's for dinner. Saturday we just unpacked, did laundry and played Monopoly. This was until the clog in the pipe out front of the house that was obviously here before we were decided to make it to the top. We heard something coming from the bathroom and the toilet was running. We decided to check it out. I was trying to get it to stop running when Madison said that there was water coming from somewhere. Oh boy was there ever. I tried to stop it quick and after I got a few towels down, I called the front desk for them to send maintenance over ASAP. They got here within 10-15 minutes and had the water shut off. That was not before the kids and I had scooped up about a half tub full of water not including the water the kids and I had scooped up before I decided to put the plug in figuring that the water was just coming back out another drain. In a way it was comical and I was going to have Madison take a picture of us with our pajama pants all rolled up and sweating as we scooped up water with my giant plastic cake holder, my USAA mug and 3 Chuck E. Cheese's cups (those get you free drinks whenever you return by the way) but I decided that I wasn't in the mood. My back hurts, my shoulder is killing me again for some reason but they got everything fixed.

They left and came back to clean up the nasty algae that had come out of the AC unit in the hall that went on the carpet (they asked if I had a vacuum and I said "Yep, but I don't want that in it") and after that they sent housekeeping over the next morning to put down some spray that kept it from stinking and to clean it a little more. They left a large "wind mover" fan to dry that patches of carpet that had gotten wet and we had to run that loud thing all day. The electricity better not have skyrocketed because you know I'll raise Hell if they make me pay for that after it wasn't my fault to begin with. So that was our Saturday evening followed by our Sunday. Oh wait, we did go to the grocery store after they left on Sunday and I even offered to leave one of the kids with the person who brought our groceries to the car. Yes, they were that bad in there...and no, he didn't take one, I still have all 3 of them.

We got home and put the stuff away, resumed our game of Monopoly that had been changed to Orangeopoly after they decided to try a new game. I was losing at Monopoly by the way, yes, I'm telling the truth. We played Life and I lost the first round to Alexander, yes, my 6 year old beat me at the GAME OF LIFE!! Great, what is that saying? Ok, so we busted out Orangeopoly which is the equivalent to Monopoly that Nana got Glenn quite awhile back except for this one has an actual rule that on the spring break space (which is free parking) you actually get the money in the middle! How ingenious was that?!?! Man do the kids know how to monopolize the market and get you down to the coins in your couch or what? Alexander and I teamed up and Madison and Christopher are on a team, this is an ongoing game here and it's still on our coffee table. They now have 4 diplomas which are like hotels and you have to pay an arm and a leg to stay there for 1 turn! On the other hand, Alexander and I own pretty much everything else besides Crouse Avenue, which is known as a railroad in the other game. We're losing but Madison and Christopher think we're winning because we have more 50's 20's and 10's than them. I'm not telling them, I'm waiting for them to cash in their chips and forfeit the game.

Other than that there's been a lot of packing paper, cardboard boxes and laundry going on. I want to have the house in awesome shape by the time Glenn gets home but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out where to hang the pictures. Maybe I should wait until I get the rest of the stuff put away for that step.

The boys' room is pretty much done except for the books that I need to get from their shelf so I can put more of their books there. I don't think that "Business Strategies" is on the top of their summer reading list although I may be wrong which I am most of the time, just ask Glenn. Madison's room is done except for the boxes I have to move back out of her room because of the flood causing me to have to put them in there. I know, run on sentence, so what.

I will be posting pictures of the house and the area soon but I don't want to post pictures with boxes and crap everywhere when I can wait a day or two and post nicer ones. :)

I'm not sure who was able to see the past few pictures I have posted and who wasn't so here they are again to those who saw them already. Have a great day everyone because mine is coming to an end.

Madison and Christopher in the middle of their swimming lessons.

Alexander actually did everything during this swimming lesson without being told to or asked. I just told him to do what he felt comfortable doing and not to do what he didn't feel like doing! :)

He liked this part.

This is the payoff for doing everything at his swimming lesson. I think he might try a lot harder during those lessons since he knows what's at stake, not every single time though, that could get pricey.