The Great Speer Flood

Okay, now for the REALLY fun part of last Saturday. Jacob had gone to class (all without going to bed Friday night, prepping for a presentation) and I was up with the boys. I was on the computer and Mason hollered up from my bathroom that the stoolet (toilet and stool combo that Mason coined when he was little) was clogged. I didn't think much about it, figuring I'd take care of it when I went downstairs.

Time went on and I realized Max needed to be changed. He and I went downstairs and I changed him. I really needed to get in the shower to get ready for our day full of events, but Maxy said, "Sit me, Mommy" so I snuggled up with my baby and watched a few cartoons for about an extra 20 minutes.

Realizing we were going to be late if I didn't hurry, I grabbed the yucky pull up to take to the garage. As I stepped in to the hallway, water splashed over my feet. I looked down and the entire hallway was soaked. Trying to figure out where all that water was coming from, I opened the laundry room door to be met with about 2 inches of water on the floor. Water was flowing into the garage. I went back into the house into our bedroom, the carpet was wet, and then I finally discovered the cause. Most of you are probably already way ahead of me--Mason had clogged the stoolet--he flushed (the one and only time I wish he wouldn't have!) and the handle stuck down, as the stoolet in the master bath is want to do. Water was pouring out of the stoolet at a rapid rate.

All in all, about 45 minutes had passed from the time Mason had alerted me to the stoolet problem and I stopped the water. I called Jacob, who drove all the way back up here from SMU, I got ready and took the boys to their plays and Jacob stayed and dealt with the flood. When we got back from the play, I saw the water restoration crew (a local Sachse outfit I lovingly refer to as Joe Bob) ripping my carpet out and sucking water out of my house with the biggest shop vac I've ever seen. I walk into the house where there are 10 industrial fans and two huge dehumidifiers to go along with the monster shop vac. Basically, all the carpet was ripped up, the baseboards taken off and holes punched into the walls. The fans and dehumidifiers have been running nonstop since Saturday. I think I have the roar of the fans etched into my brain--you thought my house was loud before! The boys have nothing on these machines = ) Here are some pics of my beautiful home...

The hallway...

The half bath...

The contents of Jacob's closet, in the tub = )

The master bath...

Our room...

While we needed new flooring and I've been wanting it for a while, I really didn't want to get it this way! As long as the insurance all works out, this will be fine. As I told a friend at work, Jacob and I have been homeowners for 11 years and this is the first major home catastrophe we've had. Not too bad, and we'll live through this too! On a side note, major kudos to my husband. He handled all of this wonderfully. He'd had absolutely no sleep, had to go back to SMU to give the presentation, and had a flooded house. Never once did he get frustrated or upset and handled it all in stride. I'm so incredibly blessed to have married such a calm, even-keeled man--especially since my tempermant isn't exactly like that = ) Love you, honey!

Pics of the new floors to come--hopefully soon!