WHAT'S THAT SMELL!?!?!

For the past 2 weeks in our house we have had a HORRIBLE smell coming from our finished basement. We researched things online, poured bleach down every drain, we even had a Roto Rooter plumber come out and they couldn't find anything (fortunately they didn't charge us to come out). Out side of our house our water main had a sink hole of sorts so we had the water company come out and check it out, they repaired it and we were praying that would solve our problems- but that night, the SMELL WAS BACK!?! AUGH!!! We just didn't know what to do. We called our local sewer treatment facility to see if it was a potential backup, they came down and couldn't find the source either.
This has been the topic of our conversations daily for the last 2 weeks, after we had done everything we knew what to do we honestly didn't know what the next step would be and it was causing a great deal of stress.
WELL TODAY I FOUND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL!!!!! We had gone to yard sales this morning and Lauren had cleaned up with a HUGE new Polly Pocket and Barbie stash for super cheap. I was downstairs helping her clean things up, get rid of old things and organize the new. Well, in our toy bin right by the sewage line in our basement that we had the plumber look at, the sewage company look at, etc. was a baggie and it was MOVING! I looked closely, smelled "THE SMELL" strongly and SCREAMED for Tim to come quickly. The kids had dyed Easter eggs at Easter time and apparantly one of the baggies of eggs had ended up in the toy bin and the egg had cracked and THAT was the source of the smell........... UNBELIEVABLE!!! We were entirely grossed out AND relieved at the same time. I am so thankful that is all it was and even more thankful that we didn't pay for another plumber to come out and were spared the expense. If I would have found the egg AFTER I had paid big bucks for a plumber I wouldn't have the smile on my face that I do now : )

Is it really THAT time already!?!

The summer is winding down.... what a WONDERFUL summer it has been. This summer we spent 18 glorious days in Disney, made new friends,lost several teeth (Lauren's first included), spent endless days at the pool, Lauren learned to swim in the deep end (YEAH!), enjoyed a wonderful vacation on Lake Michigan, days at Kings Island and at the water park,and the zoo,Vacation Bible School,campfires with Smore's,sleepovers; lots of GREAT family times.
I hate this time of year. I love spending the summers with my family SO much, and seeing that come to an end is always so hard for me.
I can't believe I'll have a third grader and a Kindergartener this year. Here is a picture of Luke on his first day of Kindergarten that seems like only yesterday:


I am so sad that I won't be able to put Lauren onto the Kindergarten bus this year - it literally breaks my heart. Her first day is only my second day of school and right in the middle of when I see students so there is no way I'll be able to break away. She's so awesome though - doesn't seem to phase her. Here is my baby girl on her first day of preschool last year:


I am really enjoying this stage of parenting- helping them learn to swim in the deep end, having them fight over who gets to cuddle with mom first, but watching them grow is also just so difficult, I blink and they are another inch taller, their loosing teeth, their entering KINDERGARTEN and THIRD GRADE! Wow!
I am so blessed being their mom, I will soak in every single hug, every moment, I just love them so very much!