Cabin Trip 2010

The Rachal Hikers

Hikes and Dirt

We spent the last two weekends in July at the cabin in Wilsonia.  Beautiful weather - especially this last weekend.  Cool enough to walk without sweating.  This was Eve's first trip to the cabin, and she seemed to love being in the great outdoors.  The first weekend we took the kids on a hike down to Big Stump via South Boundary trail.  Harry and Olivia hoofed it and Evie rode in the carrier on Dad.  Would've been fine if we hadn't chosen to do the loop.  Kids got pretty tired at the end, although Olivia is quite a trooper and didn't complain much.  Harry, on the other hand, had to be piggy-backed most of the way up.  He drags his feet, shuffles along, and whines a lot.  Not quite the hiker yet.  Lily was spending the weekend with a friend, but she joined us this last weekend and we took a hike from the cabin through the campground and to the picnic area for lunch.  Came back up through headquarters and got ice cream - always fun.  Lots of people there - everyone trying to get in one more weekend before school starts.

 

Bathroom Blues

We've had bathroom issues at the cabin - a new shower was supposed to go in almost two years ago now.  The guy we had hired was less than efficient.  Took way too long and put in a shower way too big.  When we arrived, he was still working in the bathroom and there were large holes in the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom - never a good sign.  The old shower and the scrap metal and sheet rock was thrown out on the back deck, which I knew Gramma would not like.  To top it off, the new shower was so large, there was hardly any room between it and the toilet.  One side was exposed fiberglass, so I knew this was not the right shower - it was meant for a "pocket," which we don't have in that little bathroom.  After sharing the information with my uncle and grandparents, the work was stopped and we now have Mitch (the guy who built the back deck) working on the bathroom.  Hopefully it will be finished by Labor Day.  A new corner shower has been custom ordered for the space.

Mom & Eve practicing the wave

 Critters

A masked visitor

 On our first weekend up, we saw deer in the meadow behind the cabin.  Not unusual, but always lovely to see.  The second weekend, we had a visitor of the masked variety - a raccoon.  He came up on the back porch to eat the birdseed Olivia had put out for the birds and chipmunks.  He was scooping it up in his little hands and didn't seem the least bit worried we were watching him through the back door.  We shooed him away only to have him come right back up to the door and peer in as if to say, "Hey - anybody home?"  Very brave indeed.  Kind of cute too, but I know what pests raccoons can be.  Realized the original handyman hadn't bothered to put the boards back in place where he had crawled under the cabin, so the raccoon was hiding out there.

Magical

 We are so blessed to have the cabin and that beautiful spot in the mountains.  The kids are so excited to go up - just like I was as a kid.  Olivia loves to put out birdseed and wait for "chickmunks."  She and Harry spent a lot of time exploring out back and collecting pine cones with Dad.  They also love sleeping up in the loft - a special little room for kids.  Harry had one small tumble down the stairs, but he was okay.  Besides, he has so many bruises skinned up knees from our walks, we can't tell which are old and which are new.  He plays hard, just like all little boys in the mountains.  We had fun playing the "matching" game on the back deck or watching Olivia color yet another picture. It's funny, but the kids seem to get along better up there too.  There was less fighting and bickering, and more playing and laughing.  I think it truly is a magical place.

Big Brother

Harry bringing up the rear

Recap of 2009: Quite possibly the worst year EVER

It's now 2010 and I realize it's been a year since I've blogged. Never mind that 2009 has been an atrocious year save for the birth of our beautiful little Eve.  Here's a a quick recap:


And baby makes 4:
Found out we were pregnant in February 2009 - a big shock, Joe lost his job in May, then in August, we were told we had 60 days to move because our landlady was going into foreclosure.  The budget crisis temporarily took away our Healthy Families insurance for the kids, so for awhile, we had no insurance for them and ran up quite a bill at the medical clinic.  I began teaching as many hours as possible to keep up with bills and fill in for Joe's lack of income.  Being hugely pregnant made it a challenge, but I got through it okay - in fact, I kept begging to go full-time, but knew my boss wouldn't have it while I was pregnant.  Complete discrimination, of course, but par for the course there.  My income doesn't come close to Joe's anyway.

Moving:
Then we moved - another horrible experience.  We found an older 4-bedroom home close to my mom's - not the greatest place in terms of upkeep - the landlady is sentimental but broke - but it was available and we were desperate.  We moved less than one month before Eve was born.  A difficult experience moving at 9 months pregnant.  But we did it.  Lost our entire deposit to the management company at the old house who decided to use our money to recarpet that crappy house so the desperate owner could sell it.  Not fair, pretty sure it's not legal either, and completely despicable behavior from people we go to church with.  Add it to the pile of crap we were handed.


All Hallow's "Eve":
After Eve arrived on Halloween morning, I just sort of withdrew into that special mom-baby place where I could cuddle and sleep and nurse and feel like everything else in the world was just unimportant for awhile.  It was wonderful.  Stayed in our comfy chair for days on end, or so it seemed, while friends brought us food and family came to visit.  Eve is beautiful (I mean, really beautiful) and sweet and easy.  Thank you, Lord.  We couldn't have survived cranky.  Our nerves are shot and our stress level the highest it could be.  Our hopes of buying our own home were dashed with Joe's layoff, and renting a house in which we found more troubles than we bargained (toilet and shower overflowed in the first two weeks of living here) has been depressing to say the least.  The holidays were lean but the kids never noticed.  We put up the tree and decorated around our mess of moving boxes.  It was lovely.


Back to work (well, one of us anyway):
Went back to work in late January to find that I still could not get on full-time.  Had an angry meeting with my boss (and his boss) to argue my point and was told there was nothing available right now.  Lies.  They had already hired someone while I was on maternity leave and now couldn't justify hiring me.  I went back to work and Joe stayed home with the kids - settling into his house husband role very well.  The kids love having him home and he manages to keep them occupied and get dinner ready everyday.  I spend most of my time taking care of Eve and resting between classes.  We are almost out of savings now and the unemployment has also been affected by the economic downturn.  So many people on unemployment, Joe's checks keep getting screwed up.  Sometimes they come, sometimes they don't, sometimes he has to fill out more paperwork, sometimes he has to go down to the EDD office.  My grandparents helped us out, which was a blessing, but it is all going into savings for the "just in case" times.  Just in case Joe doesn't get a job, just in case we can't pay the rent, just in case one of the kids ends up in the hospital with a 104 fever or a broken bone or worse.  Joe has applied for everything under the sun - no one is hiring, and those who are, aren't willing to pay him.  He has too much school, too much experience, and the only job he's been offered is less money than his unemployment.  Combine that with the  cost of childcare and wow...we'll never make it.  Eventually I will get a full time job at school because I won't give up until I do.  I will drive my boss crazy if I have to.


April showers bring a New Job!
Joe finds a job - ohmigosh, praise the Lord - after almost a year of unemployment!  An industrial company that makes window screens and security doors just happens to be based in Visalia and also happens to need a graphic designer in-house.  They have always outsourced their design work.  Now they are looking to expand to the public and need a face.  Enter Joe: the new face of marketing and design.  He is a one man art department now and he loves it.  Much more relaxed than advertising.  Pay is good - a little more than he was making at Lockwood, and the hours are nice 8-4:30.  I gotta go back to working part-time nights now - and after all that pleading - oh, well.  Joe and I switch roles again - I am home with kids and teaching at night, he works days and will teach at COS in the fall.  His new job offers flexibility - wonderful.  We were able to take a day off to go to Lily's 8th grade promotion, and another day to take the kids on a long weekend to the cabin. Life is feeling better.

Still...

We want to buy a house, we want the kids to have their own place to grow up - not someone else's place.  I realize they don't care, but we do.  Eve is now crawling, Olivia will start kindergarten soon, and Lily enters high school.  It's going too fast... can't slow it down.... and always feel like there is never enough time to enjoy it all.

Harry and the Cat

Home today with my little man and a bad case of strep throat. I'd been feeling good and then this hit me on Monday morning. Harry decided to sleep a little later today, which was nice, and I rested. I'm watching him play in the backyard now with the newest addition to the family - a black and white "tuxedo" kitty who has taken up residence here. He's a sweet cat - might have once been someone's pet because he's very friendly. He lets Harry and Olivia pick him up, chase him around, and even allows Harry to "pet" him - which means Harry smacking him on the back. Now the cat is lying in the grass and Harry is sitting next to him - almost on top of him - and petting his tail. It's kinda sweet. Maybe this cat will help Harry learn to be more gentle - if that's possible. I'm learning quickly that boys don't really understand that word - especially when they're two and a half. the cat doesn't run - just hangs with Harry, which is more than I can say for Priss. She's not crazy about the kids, but then again, she's a mama kitty who rules the roost. She's also not too keen on this new cat, but he doesn't seem to care. Her hissing hasn't deterred him. He's younger than she is and not fixed - something we'll have to do very soon if he's going to stay.

The sun is shining today after a few much needed days of rain. I like the rain and I'm always sorry to see it go. But it's nice that Harry can play outside this morning. I am waiting for my antibiotics to kick in and make me feel better - or at least make me feel like doing something. I'm sitting here typing because I can't bring myself to get up and do the dishes. I'm too tired. But I have to teach tonight, so I need to at least get myself psyched up for that. Luckily it's just one class. We are supposed to go to the coast this weekend too - spend some time in Cambria with the kids. The weather doesn't look very nice though - clouds on Saturday and rain on Sunday. Not exactly beach weather.

Harry has just come in and he's filthy. Looks like he sat in some mud. His new haircut makes him look like a little boy now rather than a baby. He looked up at me and said "Hi!" when he walked in. He can be so darn cute. Then he turns back into the wild animals and starts chasing Priss with one of the dryer balls. She's desperately looking for a place to hide. Time to step in.