This morning Dylan was playing near the couch and when we went close to him the smell was stronger than ever. And then we noticed it. We saw that the electrical outlet was brown. When Sean put his hand near the outlet he felt extreme heat. He ran downstairs and tripped the breaker while we all had a bit of a heart attack and he pulled the outlet cover off of the wall as fast as he could without burning his fingers and we found this:
The plastic outlet was burned and the wires were charred and corroded. Had we left it for a few more hours, or minutes even, I'm not sure we would've had such a good outcome. We had unknowingly been smelling burning wires and plastic for DAYS.
We quickly got on the phone with my lovely uncle who knows everything when it comes to anything and he walked us through which wires to put where and how to fix our near disaster. We stopped by Grandpa's new place on the way to Home Depot and got some Grandpa cuddles before stocking up on a new not-fried electrical outlet and then the boys went to work.
Seriously, look at this outlet. It was burnt to a crisp!
Everything was back up and running within minutes and crisis was averted. The rest of the day was quite lovely. We hung around and played together and then the kids napped.
Eeeeeep! Snuggles and feetie airplane rides with my girl!
Her hair isn't sticking straight up today. I knew she looked older but I couldn't put my finger on it until her auntie brought it to my attention. Kate is turning into a little lady.
Sean and Avery went running while Dylan and Kate slept. The dogs take turns going for runs and outings. I always feel bad for the other two while one goes out on an adventure but they like having one-on-one time with us so there's that. Look at how nervous Avery looks. He's a very cautious boy and is a bit intimidated by the mailbox.
I haven't talked much about my health lately and that's because there hasn't been much to say. For the last two weeks I've felt normal. After an entire year of feeling beyond dreadful I've had two amazing weeks. Occasionally my legs still get weak and tired but for the most part I have been feeling great. Knock on wood. I don't think I sat down for more than an hour last weekend and I spur of the moment decided to redesign Dylan's room. I've been so full of energy that even after not sleeping for a dozen nights with a teething Kate I still feel like I can function normally. We went to a bounce town this week and I felt well enough to race up those giant bouncy slides over and over again while carrying two three-year-olds up the ladder. My secret? I've been skipping my thyroid medicine now and then. I know that's not at all advisable because I'm supposed to be extra hyperthyroid to keep my cancer levels down, but I think I'm still within a healthy range. On the days that I skip my medicine (1-2 days a week maybe) I feel so much better. But someone without a thyroid cannot live without thyroid medication so I have to try to keep a healthy balance: no cancer growth, no thyroid regrowth, feeling normal. I'm thankful for two weeks of actual living.
When everyone woke up from napping the four of us found ourselves on the road in the dark on a shopping trip. New sneakers for Daddy. This was a milestone because Sean hasn't purchased anything for himself--and I emphasize anything--for years. His shoes are so worn that there are holes in them and there are so many times that I can run out and buy him shoes that he's not in love with, so tonight he agreed that it was time for him to get some shoes. He is the most selfless man I've ever met and does everything for his family and nothing for himself.
Phillip Phillips' Home played on the radio and Dylan sang the "Ohhhhhhhh"s loudly in the back seat. The three of us sang together in the dark on a winding road as we pointed out Christmas lights. Sean and I were holding hands as we all belted out the music. My God, I am in love with my family. Know you're not alone, I'm gonna make this place your home. We went to the toy store afterwards and egged some more ideas of what Dylan wants for Christmas and we drove home as it began to snow.
So we made cookies, ate dinner, and then played in the snow.
Sam probably should've worn some snow pants
I bought Kate a new carrier this week. It's designed for older babies up to 36lbs so she'll grow with it. That also means that at 30lbs Dylan still fits in it so he's had fun taking rides around the house with me. We've had a lot of fun.
So on this Thanksgiving I will be sure to be extra thankful that nothing more serious happened to our family today. We are safe. We are extra healthy. And we have love in absolute abundance.