Clowdus Life

renovations

2009-04-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Sydney

2009-03-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

"What shall I do today?”
She thought as she brushed her hair a thousand times.
“I will put on the pink dress with the tiny white dots.
I will dust the furniture and teach the cat to fetch..." And just then, a strange wind pried open her bedroom window and she suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to spin and howl, to jump on her freshly made bed with her eyes shut tight. In other words, she was on the brink of a new discovery...

Monique Duval

Disney

2009-02-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

The Disney trip has concluded and we had loads of fun.

It took me 45 minutes per child to scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, massage, clip and clean each kid. The glitter was glued to their scalps and the stink was integrated into their systems. The boys at least will remember this trip forever. Luke was pretty funny- he completely panicked a few times- once at Animal Kingdom during the bug movie when he thought the bugs were going to exterminate us and once in Epcot on Space. He had heard that a couple of people had died on the ride a few years ago and was sure we would face the same fate. We had only three "pilots" in our car and he was sure if we missed pressing any of the buttons in the fourth seat we would plunge back to earth. He was literally screaming when he was fastened in and the doors were shut. Ha ha. He loved the ride though! The most impressive ride was "Soaring." My memory of it is clutching my harness and trying not to freak out- but hearing Sydney laughing and laughing

2009-02-19T06:21:00.001-08:00

Luke was eating shrimp last night and said "I always wondered what was in shrimp... chicken."

The girls had a blast meeting characters and princesses. Mia yelled "Look at me Mickey Mouse, look at me!" Disney turned Mia into a monster but I think she is back to her sweet self now. On our last night there Jeff and I were laying in bed talking about how much fun we had and how we should go back every year. As soon as we were home, we quickly nixed that idea. So much work and not my idea of vacation to be navigating amusement parks. I would rather take them to a state park or national monument every year. One day we would love to rent an RV for the whole summer and tool around. No more trips planned until Hawaii in July. Spring break is coming so I should probably do something with them. But I think we will end up sleeping in everyday and touring Columbus in the afternoons.

Sydney was naming all her body parts and I pointed to her eyelashes and she said "eye tails!"

Traveling...

2009-02-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

We leave for Disney World tomorrow.
I know, I know it's just an amusement park, blah, blah, blah... But we are excited! One more day of school with math tests and John Glenn, turning in their Valentines box's and cards (they miss the party and Luke said he might cry). I do feel bad he's missing it - these things mean a lot to a first grader, but I think we'll make it up to him. I am still jet lagged and with the house drama, travel plans, and work/life it has been hard to keep up.
I'm hoping fervently for afternoon naps.

Hawaii

2009-02-09T10:42:00.001-08:00

I just returned from a quick but luscious trip to Kona and remembered that I never did post any photos from our Summer trip. I love it there so much! No celebrity sightings this go around but plenty of whales.

Christmas

2009-01-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!

2008-10-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

Summer playtime

2008-08-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

All 4

2008-07-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

hotel fun

2008-07-04T21:51:00.001-07:00

kids

2008-07-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

selections

2008-05-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

As I should have anticipated, picking out cabinets did not happen. I feel like my designer has hung me out to dry. I am not a designer.

Every time a fire truck goes by, and as luck would have it, we live two blocks from our neighborhood station, Sydney panics and her eyes fill with tears and she buries herself in my arms.

I think we've narrowed the cabinets down to one of these looks:

Opinions?

Fire House Renovation

2008-05-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

It's time to go... I need to pick out cabinets for the entire house. Kitchen, mud room, basement kitchen, 3 bathrooms, family room cabinets. All tomorrow. Yikes. Ideas, suggestions?

baseball days

2008-05-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

Clippers Birthday Party

2008-05-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Max turns 9!

2008-05-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Derby!

2008-05-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

Sorry Eight Belles.

our house

2008-05-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Temporary Life

2008-04-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sydney turns 3!

2008-03-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

violin

2008-03-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Fire sadness

2008-02-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

We lost this:

We lost this:

Luke

2008-02-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2008

2008-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

FIRE

Fire alarm rouses family, enables six to escape

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Upper Arlington fire officials credit a residential fire alarm system with saving a local family from an extra-company fire that ravaged their home last Saturday morning.

Jeff and Jen Clowdus and their four children, ages 15 months to 8 years, were awakened by the sound of their fire alarm early Saturday morning, UAFD officials said in a news release. Smoke had filled their home at 2500 Coventry Road. They evacuated and ran to a neighbor's house at 5:21 a.m. and called 9-1-1.

Upper Arlington fire units arrived at 5:25 and found a fire in the basement. Flames had broken through windows on the southwest corner of the house, the news release said, and smoke was floor to ceiling when firefighters with hose lines entered the building.

An extra medic unit and engine company were called to the scene because of weather conditions and the size of the fire. Lane Avenue was shut down for a short time as hose lines were laid from a hydrant across the street.

There were no injuries to the residents or firefighters, UAFD officials said, but the family's two pet cats died in the fire.

The fire was declared under control at 6:14 a.m. The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the family with post-fire concerns. The family is staying with relatives.

Approximately 40 fire personnel from Upper Arlington, Columbus, and Grandview Heights responded to the incident.