Each of my girls has a bunny and blankie they are VERY attached to. Jonathan has an elephant, a dog, and a blankie. His are called Bankie, Bunkie (the elephant), and Karl (the dog). They all have a hard time going to bed without their special items. In fact, the threat of losing a bunny or blankie for the night has curbed many an undesirable activity....
Tonight Bethany couldn't find her blankie anywhere. We took Big Bird's advice and walked backward through her memory, and still no luck. Tim spent over 20 minutes looking and no sign of it anywhere.
I wasn't feeling well, so I was laying down on the couch and Tim said he would put the kids to bed on his own. Miriam was saying her prayers, and without any help or prompting from Daddy, she asked for Bethany's blanket to be found. As soon as she said amen, her face lit up and she said "I know where it is!" She walked down the stairs and straight to the black purse hanging from the vacuum. She walked up to it, reached in, and pulled out Bethany's blankie. She KNEW it was an immediate answer to her prayer! What is that saying about the faith of a child?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Leaves 2011
One of our favorite things about this time of year is looking at all the beautiful leaves. And, we love to go to the mountains to find them... Our favorite place is definitely Silver Lake. It is up at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a mere 26 miles from our driveway to the parking lot.
The lake itself is fairly small, but it is surrounded by wetlands and beautiful scenery. In order to preserve the wetlands, they have created a boardwalk that goes over the wetlands and all the way around the lake. It is a PERFECT place to take the family on a little jaunt in the mountains while still being able to use the double stroller, etc.
Another nice thing is that even though there are few enough people around to really feel like you are out in nature, there are always enough people to get the whole family in a picture or two...
We took a nice picnic dinner and sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. Then I took the food back to the car and met back up with the family as they started around the lake. As SOON as we let Jonathan out of the stroller he took off running- he was like a man on a mission. He was ENTHRALLED!!! Every time he spotted water between the plants he would stop and point, informing me water was there. I would agree with him, and he'd take off running again. Since we were going through the marshes, you can just imagine how many times this scenario repeated itself....
When we came to a spot where the water is more than just a reflection through the grass, the kids all had to stop. They were laying on their tummies, faces as close to the water as possible without dumping themselves in, looking for fishes in the water. They never found any, but they sure enjoyed the search!
Once we got to the section where the boardwalk ends and the path around the backside of the lake begins, the kids had to stop at EVERY large rock. They made stages out of some, houses out of others... They loved it!
Fortunately for me this also meant lots of photo-ops with mostly cooperative kiddos
Alix was trying to get everyone to "make your sour face" for the picture, but she was the only one I got...
I love my little family ! :)
Look hard! In case you don't see her on your own, there is a Moose standing there. She was a short way off the path, so I stood quite a ways away, took this with zoom, and then walked quietly past. She was probably only about 30 feet away from us at one point. (the picture was taken from about 100- I didn't want to tempt her...)
Jonathan's favorite spot! We all had so much fun tonight, and really loved being out in nature. Heavenly Father obviously loves us an awful lot to surround us with such beauty!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Oktoberfest- Sept 5, 2011
With a name like Dieckmann, you HAVE to know Tim has German roots! His Father was actually born in Germany and immigrated with his family in 1955 at the age of seven. His parents, whom we called Oma (grandma) and Opa (grandpa) we German to the core. When the Oktoberfest celebration here in Utah started 39 years ago, they went. And they continued to go together each and every year. In the beginning, Opa refused to dance. After a few years, he was finally convinced to try it out, and never stopped. After that, Oma and Opa won the dance competitions almost every year. Their specialty was the orange dance... dancing to a slow polka while holding an orange pressed between their foreheads.
This year we decided to go up for Labor Day, and it just so happened that is when everyone else wanted to go too. We all ended up there together. This photo shows about half of Oma and Opa's family. Even though the entire family wasn't able to go together, I think they would be pretty proud of this group, and happy to know that tradition continues......
This is by far the kids favorite! We have a little stuffed animal at home that plays the music for this dance, and I finally had to hide it because it was driving me nuts! We all did the dance together and had a great time!
This is kind of a side note, but I want to remember, so you get to read it :)
Sunday night after we got the kids to bed, Tim and I were trying to figure out what we were all going to wear. Tim has two pairs of lederhosen that Oma and Opa bought him when he was a child. I found a pair at a Kid to Kid second hand shop, German tags still intact, for $7.99-- SUPER bargain! So, we have 4 kids, three outfits... What to do?
The problem got worse when Alix tried on the largest pair of lederhosen. They we HUGE on her! We realized we would have to use the lederhosen for Alix and Jonathan, but that left us with nothing for Miriam and Bethany. I asked Tim what a German girl would wear, and he said it would be something similar to the dress I brought back from my mission in Portugal. Lightbulb! I pulled the dress out of my cedar chest, and it fit perfectly! Monday morning I got up and after breakfast I started sewing. I had red and black fabric just like the dress we already have, and my machine does have embroidery capability. So...
The dress and apron Bethany (left) are wearing are the ones I brought home from Portugal, and the dress and apron Miriam are wearing are ones I made Monday morning. Not a bad result if I say so myself :)
I took the little girls to visit the clown that was doing balloon animals. He saw their dresses and asked if I had made them. I told him I had done the one, and he loved it! He said he wants a new clown suit that will be brightly colored lederhosen made with patched together fabric, and asked if I would be interested in making it for him. I gave him my number and he is going to call when Oktoberfest is over next month. I had initially decided getting balloon animals wouldn't be worth it, but I paid two bucks and ended up with a job! :)
This year we decided to go up for Labor Day, and it just so happened that is when everyone else wanted to go too. We all ended up there together. This photo shows about half of Oma and Opa's family. Even though the entire family wasn't able to go together, I think they would be pretty proud of this group, and happy to know that tradition continues......
The back row are all children and grandchildren,
the front row are the great grandchildren
Back Row- L to R-- Rich (Tim's brother), Joshua, Amy , Edgar (Tim's Dad), Uncle Paul, Tanta Nellie (Edgar's sister), Tim, Tammy (Tim's sister)
Front Row- L to R-- Kyra, Orion, Jonathan, Bethany, Miriam, Kay Ann, Alishaundra
This was SO cute! Jonathan resting his head on Tim's, What you CAN'T see is that he kept sucking on the peak of Tim's hat. I wish I had been able to capture it...
Apparently he was having an oral day.... By the way-- the lederhosen Jonathan are wearing are the ones Oma and Opa bought for Tim when he was that age!.
Alix went wandering with Kay Ann, Kyra, and Kyra's grandparents Paul and Elenor... But the rest of us had a great time dancing to the live band in the big tent. Aunt Tammy danced with Miriam while Time danced with Jonathan and Bethany. Yes, they were the ONLY ones dancing at this point, but they were having FUN! You can tell, because I couldn't get a single picture of them facing me, or staying still enough to even get them all completely in focus...
THE CHICKEN DANCE
This is by far the kids favorite! We have a little stuffed animal at home that plays the music for this dance, and I finally had to hide it because it was driving me nuts! We all did the dance together and had a great time!
This is kind of a side note, but I want to remember, so you get to read it :)
Sunday night after we got the kids to bed, Tim and I were trying to figure out what we were all going to wear. Tim has two pairs of lederhosen that Oma and Opa bought him when he was a child. I found a pair at a Kid to Kid second hand shop, German tags still intact, for $7.99-- SUPER bargain! So, we have 4 kids, three outfits... What to do?
The problem got worse when Alix tried on the largest pair of lederhosen. They we HUGE on her! We realized we would have to use the lederhosen for Alix and Jonathan, but that left us with nothing for Miriam and Bethany. I asked Tim what a German girl would wear, and he said it would be something similar to the dress I brought back from my mission in Portugal. Lightbulb! I pulled the dress out of my cedar chest, and it fit perfectly! Monday morning I got up and after breakfast I started sewing. I had red and black fabric just like the dress we already have, and my machine does have embroidery capability. So...
The dress and apron Bethany (left) are wearing are the ones I brought home from Portugal, and the dress and apron Miriam are wearing are ones I made Monday morning. Not a bad result if I say so myself :)
I took the little girls to visit the clown that was doing balloon animals. He saw their dresses and asked if I had made them. I told him I had done the one, and he loved it! He said he wants a new clown suit that will be brightly colored lederhosen made with patched together fabric, and asked if I would be interested in making it for him. I gave him my number and he is going to call when Oktoberfest is over next month. I had initially decided getting balloon animals wouldn't be worth it, but I paid two bucks and ended up with a job! :)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Yummy stuff and a give away
My friend Jana has a great recipe blog. Very tasty, esy to make, no fancy ingredient kind of recipes... I love that I don't have to make a trip to the store to try a new recipe out :) She is having a giveaway today, so you should go check her out.... Jana's Blog
Friday, July 8, 2011
Free Day at This Is The Place Heritage Park
When Brigham Young and the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, they stopped at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Brigham looked out from the bed of the wagon where he lay sick, and said "This is the right place, drive on."
My great great grandfather John Pack was in that group. He was one of seven men sent into the valley ahead of the large party to scout the best location for the initial settlement. Because of that, his name is on the gigantic monument there. The kids love going to see the monument and walking around the village they have created there. They have quite a few original buildings that have been moved there, and then some, like John Pack's house that have been built as a replica of the original. Unfortunately, the village portion is somewhat expensive for an entire family to visit, so we don't go very often. In fact, we usually only go once a year for our family reunion. Members of our family get in free that day...
Friday June 10th was free day at This Is The Place Heritage Park, sponsored by the Huntsman Foundation. Fortunately I found out about it in advance this time...so THIS year, we get TWO days to enjoy the pioneer village.
When we were on our way into the village, I found a little boy cowered next to the gate sobbing his little heart out. I stopped and talked to him and realized he was lost. The guy that was working the gate went to get help while I managed to calm him down and get a 4 yr old description of his mom. All we knew was her hair was darker and longer than mine, and she was wearing a purple shirt. (When mom claimed him after a few minutes, she was blond and NOT wearing purple....)
Anyway, after the little boy was safely reunited with his family, we started walking through the village and I explained why we'd stayed at the gate so long. We discussed the rules (AGAIN) with the girls--- it is YOUR job to know where mommy and daddy are at ALL times, and if you get lost, find someone that works there or a mom with kids your age to help you. Not flawless, I know, but it is a start....
I should have taken a picture of the lady they were all watching. She was standing on the lawn playing the fiddle. She was really good, and the kids were mesmerized for quite awhile....
We usually start at the bottom of the village where John Pack's house is and work our way up to the top, but then we never have time to just play at the ship or the Indian village. So this time, that is where we started. The kids LOVED the ship replica! Tim stayed at the bottom to take a picture while the kids and I all went up.
We stopped on the top deck for a photo, then headed down the stairs to the deck of the ship. I should mention that the stairs leading to the deck are only accessible from the top and they are super narrow. It was super crowded sue to free day, so we had to wait for quite awhile for people coming up the stairs so we could go down. It was finally our turn and the kids went down the stairs and then into the ship. It was SO SMALL that I decided to stay out on deck with Jonathan. There was no way the kids could get past me, and it was only kids in the ship, so I just let them play for a little while.
After a few minutes I stuck my head in through one of the windows and called to Alix and tole her it was time to move on. She and Bethany started coming up the stairs toward the deck, and I told her to go back and find Miriam too. She said Miriam wasn't with them....
INSTANT PANIC!!!
I passed Jonathan down to Tim and went looking for Miriam. She wasn't inside the ship. I knew she couldn't have gotten passed me though....right? I went up to the top deck where we'd taken the picture and started looking around. I couldn't find her. Panic is growing here. I headed down the bigger stairs to get off the boat completely to see if she got off somehow and was at the little stream in the huge crowd panning for gold. Just as I got to the landing where the stairs start to make their final descent, I heard a loud whistle and a man yelling for them to stop the little train that takes people from one part of the village to another. They had a lost child that needed transporting to the front office. I saw her being carried to the train by a girl in a pioneer dress. I yelled she was mine.
The girl turned around and started coming back toward me while Miriam reached out her arms and was SCREAMING "Mama, Mama." I was SO relieved, and I know she felt it even more so...
I got her back and just rocked her for quite awhile. At this point I should mention this happened exactly one week after her surgery, and we'd forgotten to bring any kind of medicine for her. All that crying and screaming was really hard on her little throat. I deserve a mother of the year award....
On the lawn by the ship they has a tent set up where two ladies were selling Indian Fry Bread and Navajo Tacos. Now for my Eastern friends- I don't know if you've ever had a Navajo Taco- but they are SOOOO good! You start with the Indian fry bread and then top it with chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato,etc. Yummy! We had brought lunch though, so I couldn't justify the expense, but we decided a few of the fry bread smothers with butter and lots of honey would be a perfect dessert :) Alix LOVED following Jonathan around holding on to the tail of his monkey leash, and Jonathan was THRILLED to participate. He had a GREAT time leading her around. I love that it kept them both happy, occupied, and CLOSE while I waited in line.
After we ate lunch (the PB&J sandwiches weren't all that great, but the fry bread was DIVINE) we crossed the road to the Indian Village. They had two sections. The first we visited were the tee-pees. There was a lady and her daughter inside to answer questions, and they were doing a beading demonstration. They were actually Navajo, and were showing authentic beading techniques. The younger kids weren't all that interested in the beading, but they were fascinated by this chair. It is actually sticks that are tied together in such a way that they form a mat. The mat is then secured to a tripod to form the back of the chair. It was actually pretty comfortable. The first fold up camp chair :)
The other section of the Indian Village consisted of adobe huts. I went and waited in the line for the train while Tim and the kids explored those. They came back just as the train was about to arrive. We boarded the train and went to the next stop which was almost to the front gate. On the way we passed the hospital which was also the Utah Quilt Guild Museum. We decided a visit there would bed our last stop.
We walked through the hospital and the kids were fascinated. It was actually a pretty modern hospital for it's time, but the kids were amazed at how different it was. Miriam was especially alert since she'd just been at the hospital the week before and had lots to compare it to. We then went upstairs where they had quilts displayed. Some were original to pioneer times, and others are more modern. All were hand made, and GORGEOUS!!!
This was one of my favorites, and is obviously one of the more modern quilts... They also had a large display on lace making. Tatting, bobbin lace, needle work lace, etc. Unfortunately, my attention span was not matched by the kids, so I only got to look around for a minute...
By the time we left the kids were all very tired and Miriam was hurting. That was really why we didn't stay longer. We knew we didn't was to overdo it too much since she was still recovering. We had a scary few minutes when we couldn't find Miriam, but overall it was a fun day!
My great great grandfather John Pack was in that group. He was one of seven men sent into the valley ahead of the large party to scout the best location for the initial settlement. Because of that, his name is on the gigantic monument there. The kids love going to see the monument and walking around the village they have created there. They have quite a few original buildings that have been moved there, and then some, like John Pack's house that have been built as a replica of the original. Unfortunately, the village portion is somewhat expensive for an entire family to visit, so we don't go very often. In fact, we usually only go once a year for our family reunion. Members of our family get in free that day...
Friday June 10th was free day at This Is The Place Heritage Park, sponsored by the Huntsman Foundation. Fortunately I found out about it in advance this time...so THIS year, we get TWO days to enjoy the pioneer village.
When we were on our way into the village, I found a little boy cowered next to the gate sobbing his little heart out. I stopped and talked to him and realized he was lost. The guy that was working the gate went to get help while I managed to calm him down and get a 4 yr old description of his mom. All we knew was her hair was darker and longer than mine, and she was wearing a purple shirt. (When mom claimed him after a few minutes, she was blond and NOT wearing purple....)
Anyway, after the little boy was safely reunited with his family, we started walking through the village and I explained why we'd stayed at the gate so long. We discussed the rules (AGAIN) with the girls--- it is YOUR job to know where mommy and daddy are at ALL times, and if you get lost, find someone that works there or a mom with kids your age to help you. Not flawless, I know, but it is a start....
I should have taken a picture of the lady they were all watching. She was standing on the lawn playing the fiddle. She was really good, and the kids were mesmerized for quite awhile....
We usually start at the bottom of the village where John Pack's house is and work our way up to the top, but then we never have time to just play at the ship or the Indian village. So this time, that is where we started. The kids LOVED the ship replica! Tim stayed at the bottom to take a picture while the kids and I all went up.
After a few minutes I stuck my head in through one of the windows and called to Alix and tole her it was time to move on. She and Bethany started coming up the stairs toward the deck, and I told her to go back and find Miriam too. She said Miriam wasn't with them....
INSTANT PANIC!!!
I passed Jonathan down to Tim and went looking for Miriam. She wasn't inside the ship. I knew she couldn't have gotten passed me though....right? I went up to the top deck where we'd taken the picture and started looking around. I couldn't find her. Panic is growing here. I headed down the bigger stairs to get off the boat completely to see if she got off somehow and was at the little stream in the huge crowd panning for gold. Just as I got to the landing where the stairs start to make their final descent, I heard a loud whistle and a man yelling for them to stop the little train that takes people from one part of the village to another. They had a lost child that needed transporting to the front office. I saw her being carried to the train by a girl in a pioneer dress. I yelled she was mine.
The girl turned around and started coming back toward me while Miriam reached out her arms and was SCREAMING "Mama, Mama." I was SO relieved, and I know she felt it even more so...
I got her back and just rocked her for quite awhile. At this point I should mention this happened exactly one week after her surgery, and we'd forgotten to bring any kind of medicine for her. All that crying and screaming was really hard on her little throat. I deserve a mother of the year award....
On the lawn by the ship they has a tent set up where two ladies were selling Indian Fry Bread and Navajo Tacos. Now for my Eastern friends- I don't know if you've ever had a Navajo Taco- but they are SOOOO good! You start with the Indian fry bread and then top it with chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato,etc. Yummy! We had brought lunch though, so I couldn't justify the expense, but we decided a few of the fry bread smothers with butter and lots of honey would be a perfect dessert :) Alix LOVED following Jonathan around holding on to the tail of his monkey leash, and Jonathan was THRILLED to participate. He had a GREAT time leading her around. I love that it kept them both happy, occupied, and CLOSE while I waited in line.
After we ate lunch (the PB&J sandwiches weren't all that great, but the fry bread was DIVINE) we crossed the road to the Indian Village. They had two sections. The first we visited were the tee-pees. There was a lady and her daughter inside to answer questions, and they were doing a beading demonstration. They were actually Navajo, and were showing authentic beading techniques. The younger kids weren't all that interested in the beading, but they were fascinated by this chair. It is actually sticks that are tied together in such a way that they form a mat. The mat is then secured to a tripod to form the back of the chair. It was actually pretty comfortable. The first fold up camp chair :)
The other section of the Indian Village consisted of adobe huts. I went and waited in the line for the train while Tim and the kids explored those. They came back just as the train was about to arrive. We boarded the train and went to the next stop which was almost to the front gate. On the way we passed the hospital which was also the Utah Quilt Guild Museum. We decided a visit there would bed our last stop.
We walked through the hospital and the kids were fascinated. It was actually a pretty modern hospital for it's time, but the kids were amazed at how different it was. Miriam was especially alert since she'd just been at the hospital the week before and had lots to compare it to. We then went upstairs where they had quilts displayed. Some were original to pioneer times, and others are more modern. All were hand made, and GORGEOUS!!!
By the time we left the kids were all very tired and Miriam was hurting. That was really why we didn't stay longer. We knew we didn't was to overdo it too much since she was still recovering. We had a scary few minutes when we couldn't find Miriam, but overall it was a fun day!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
B is for birds and more importantly, Bubbles!!!
We have been doing "Alphabet Summer". I started coming up with ideas of things we could focus on for a day. I thought it would help the girls have fun learning and give us some direction this summer. I came up with a great list, and then one of my friends posted that she was doing something similar with her kids. She included links to several other blogs that had idea lists, and I ended up keeping most of my list, but I did end up changing a few. I think the most important change I made was deciding not to go in order...
We have done several activities in the last couple of weeks, including one yesterday. Our letter of focus was B.
We started with a coloring activity and traced the kids hands. We made these cute handprint dove crafts. Then we made bird feeders out of pine cones and bird seed. While we were hanging them in the trees out back, the girls decided they wanted to go swimming in the backyard. Tim filled up the little pool, and I decided it was as close to a bath as we were going to get until our water heater was fixed.... so I poured a TON of Johnson's Baby Wash in the pool as it filled. Because he was using the spray nozzle on the hose- we ended up with some serious bubbles! The best part was the girls played together nicely in it for almost 4 hours, and they thought that I had PLANNED it, rather than throwing it together on the fly at their suggestion :) I don't think I'll tell them.....
While we made the bird feeders Jonathan helped Daddy water the garden :)
Alix LOVES to climb the tree in the backyard. In fact she put her bird feeder right where she would run into it everytime she climbs. She doesn't want to stop climbing, so we ended up moving it....
We have done several activities in the last couple of weeks, including one yesterday. Our letter of focus was B.
We started with a coloring activity and traced the kids hands. We made these cute handprint dove crafts. Then we made bird feeders out of pine cones and bird seed. While we were hanging them in the trees out back, the girls decided they wanted to go swimming in the backyard. Tim filled up the little pool, and I decided it was as close to a bath as we were going to get until our water heater was fixed.... so I poured a TON of Johnson's Baby Wash in the pool as it filled. Because he was using the spray nozzle on the hose- we ended up with some serious bubbles! The best part was the girls played together nicely in it for almost 4 hours, and they thought that I had PLANNED it, rather than throwing it together on the fly at their suggestion :) I don't think I'll tell them.....
While we made the bird feeders Jonathan helped Daddy water the garden :)
Alix LOVES to climb the tree in the backyard. In fact she put her bird feeder right where she would run into it everytime she climbs. She doesn't want to stop climbing, so we ended up moving it....
Adventures in Water Heaters...
Tuesday I spent the day cleaning like a mad woman getting ready for a book club meeting at my house. This included trying to get all of my laundry done as well as a load of dishes in the dishwasher and a bunch of by hand dishes left from our festivities on Monday. Needless to say, this all took lots of hot water...
Alix and I had just finished cleaning the downstairs bathroom when I heard a very loud beeping. I could tell it was some kind of alarm, but couldn't tell at first where it was coming from. I walked over to the alarm box- not that one. I stood under the smoke alarm to see if it was the battery change alert. Nope. I finally figured out the beeping was coming from the basement, but I couldn't think of what alarm we had down there...
I went down and it was the carbon monoxide detector. It was beeping and flashing away.... and I could smell gas. Tim and the younger three kids were all sleeping soundly upstairs, but I decided I'd better wake Tim up. He came and turned off the gas and checked the water heater (since the furnace is already off) while I found the number for the gas company. They said we could leave the kids sleeping since they were separated by three floors and they would send someone out within the hour. We opened all the windows and doors and put a fan in the basement to air it out.
When the Gas Guy came about 45 min later, he walked downstairs with his detector and said the levels were still too high, but were at a safe enough level that we could go down there with him. He looked at the water heater and immediately spotted the problem. The venting on the top of the water heater should go up- always up. Ours goes up about a foot, drops back down about six inches, then goes back up. He said there is no way the venting can work that way, and he immediately tagged us for unsafe conditions. I wondered why it was suddenly a problem since we've lived in the house for over a year now...
Apparently when it is cold outside it is still possible to get enough of a draft to vent even with the dip, but when it is hot it can't do it. It probably WAS a problem last year, but our carbon monoxide detector was sitting on a shelf still in the pack age last summer....
Now for the crazy numbers-- with carbon monoxide the upper limit of what is considered safe for human occupation is 200 ppm-- he turned the water heater back on for a few minutes, and then measured our levels at 4000 ppm!!!! So we are now having to get a new water heater (the old one has a slow leak from age, so we needed a new one anyway but were taking our time...) and we have to change our venting NOW! In fact, we haven't had hot water since Tuesday. You are all fortunate you can't smell us through the computer....
Alix and I had just finished cleaning the downstairs bathroom when I heard a very loud beeping. I could tell it was some kind of alarm, but couldn't tell at first where it was coming from. I walked over to the alarm box- not that one. I stood under the smoke alarm to see if it was the battery change alert. Nope. I finally figured out the beeping was coming from the basement, but I couldn't think of what alarm we had down there...
I went down and it was the carbon monoxide detector. It was beeping and flashing away.... and I could smell gas. Tim and the younger three kids were all sleeping soundly upstairs, but I decided I'd better wake Tim up. He came and turned off the gas and checked the water heater (since the furnace is already off) while I found the number for the gas company. They said we could leave the kids sleeping since they were separated by three floors and they would send someone out within the hour. We opened all the windows and doors and put a fan in the basement to air it out.
When the Gas Guy came about 45 min later, he walked downstairs with his detector and said the levels were still too high, but were at a safe enough level that we could go down there with him. He looked at the water heater and immediately spotted the problem. The venting on the top of the water heater should go up- always up. Ours goes up about a foot, drops back down about six inches, then goes back up. He said there is no way the venting can work that way, and he immediately tagged us for unsafe conditions. I wondered why it was suddenly a problem since we've lived in the house for over a year now...
Apparently when it is cold outside it is still possible to get enough of a draft to vent even with the dip, but when it is hot it can't do it. It probably WAS a problem last year, but our carbon monoxide detector was sitting on a shelf still in the pack age last summer....
Now for the crazy numbers-- with carbon monoxide the upper limit of what is considered safe for human occupation is 200 ppm-- he turned the water heater back on for a few minutes, and then measured our levels at 4000 ppm!!!! So we are now having to get a new water heater (the old one has a slow leak from age, so we needed a new one anyway but were taking our time...) and we have to change our venting NOW! In fact, we haven't had hot water since Tuesday. You are all fortunate you can't smell us through the computer....
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