Hurricane Sandy

6:05 pm
The storm is heading our way with gusty winds already increasing.  It has been raining since we woke up this morning.  Tom is leaving work as I write this, and we'll buckle down for the night. We have flashlights, batteries, wood for the fireplace, and disguises (because having fun during a hurricane is a must) ready to go.  We aren't concerned about water since our neighborhood sits up so high, but we are surrounded by lots and lots of trees, so just hoping the storm doesn't bring any down on our house.  If you are in the storm's path, we pray it passes swiftly...

Tuesday 10:42am:  We woke up to a steady drizzle outside, but no damage.  I didn't even hear any wind last night, and a bucket I had left on the deck was still sitting in its same place this morning.  We did lose part of a tree, but it fell in the woods, so no harm done.  The weather is cooperative enough that we should be able to make the boys' 2:00 haircut appointments.

At the End of the Rainbow

Guess what Patrick found hiding in our bathroom the other day? 

Autumn 2012

We've welcomed fall wholeheartedly, made easier by the 80 degree day that initiated our raking.  Tommy wasn't so interested in the leaves, but Patrick would have raked the entire yard if I didn't call it a day.

I took this photo about 10 seconds before Tommy turned and whacked Patrick upside the head with his rake. 



The boys at their perch watching the garbage truck haul off approximately 8 tons of poop/diapers, 60 lbs of used papertowels, and 40 lbs of tissues. Truly sorry for our contribution to global warming. 

Family

This past weekend family gathered around the arrival of a beloved aunt and uncle who live several states away. We hung out with cousins and their children, and played catch-up. 

Uncle Mike (by far the youngest, most idolized uncle to thanks to a myriad of tractor, lawn gear, and other super-cool equipment), brought out his go-cart for a spin, but P was not a big fan of the siren.

Guess which crazy boy did love the car, sirens and all?

P was chosen as the games recipient of the Sportsmanship medal last weekend.  Every kid gets one at some point, and it was P's turn finally.  The kid might be the smallest and slowest on his team, but he has a smile on his face the entire time. Go, P!

Frightfully Fun

A new tradition is emerging in our household based on my obsession with themed parties: the neighborhood Halloween tots party.  Last year I channeled Martha Stewart a bit too much and exhausted myself in the process.  This year, I bought everything down to the cupcakes.  My new motto is simplify. 

Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin

 

With a house full of boys and all things trucks and blue, it is good to have some pink and sparkle right next door -Jennifer and Lilly.

There was no way Tommy would tolerate wearing his real costume, so p.j.'s sufficed.

Don't even think for a second that he can't fit the whole thing in. 

Are you in love with this little Spider Man, AKA Andrew, yet? 

I discovered last year that when dealing with toddlers, all they care about are the cupcakes.  Really.  So I made sure I had a zillion cupcakes and they were all happy campers.

Ella with baby sister Ava

Ainsley (who wanted to be sure her shoes were in the photo!) and Simon

A North Carolina Reunion

I have a dear friend, E, who saved my neck when I was pregnant and nearing my due date with Patrick.  She took a plane from North Carolina and flew to Mississippi to help take care of both me and Baby P following a c-section the hours and days following the birth. 

My Tommy and E's daughter, C.C., are the same age.  Two months ago, E, got a lot busier with the arrival of these two:

Aren't they perfect?
Two hands + Three Kids Under 2 (and a dog) = More Hands Needed.   I hopped on a plane to NC and spent four days getting to know my now oh-so-big Goddaughter and her new brother and sister.


While I would have loved to see C.C. and Tommy playing together, adding more kids to the mix would have been disastrous, so the boys stayed home with Dad.  Plus, it was fun to be in a house where the girls outnumbered the guys.

I am already planning girl's summer trips when C.C. (and now new sister too) is old enough: shopping, horsebackriding, tea parties.  No trucks allowed.

E SWEARS she didn't photoshop this picture, but I can tell you all, I am nowhere close to being this skinny in real life.  It's a true friend who somehow magically take ten pounds off.

Monday

So much is going on - where to start?

First, I just returned from a solo trip to visit a friend.  It was an important mission that required Patrick and Tommy stay behind with their dad.  Was I missed when I returned 4 days later?  Well, P ran to me and gave me a hug as big as I could have hoped for when he spotted me in the airport.  Tommy ran to my luggage.  Hmm.  
Where did I go?  Post on that to come soon.

I returned home to two sick kids, but a spectacularly clean kitchen and germy bedding/clothes laundered.  My favorite Chinese take-out was fetched to celebrate my return.  Tom (with the assistance of the grandmothers and a sitter so he could also get work done) couldn't have done a better job in my absence.  It is almost as if he is encouraging me to go away again...

Patrick returned to his school today and brought home a nice thick, white envelope.  Turns out his vision screening at the preschool last week didn't go so well.  So, he will have to be fully tested to see if there is a problem with his eyes.  Since Tom and I have the eyesight equivalent of a newborn baby, his chances aren't good.  Please pray for a positive outcome!

While I was gone, our back-ordered furniture came in.  It is being delivered THIS Thursday.  I think I will be more excited after I get all of our dressers emptied, moved out of the room, and the floors and baseboards cleaned before Thursday.  I just ordered a rug for the room which should arrive next week.  We are so close to having a grown-up bedroom.  If anyone is interested in an old, ugly, Navy Exchange, bachelor's bedroom set, it is all yours.  My budget has run dry short of drapes and a new comforter set, but I am still happy as a clam. 

A Split Second

Today, after dropping P off at school (yes, his fantastic new school!), I sat at the light at the quiet intersection by P's school.  Most of the time there is no one coming from the opposite direction (which is an even less traveled road), but on this morning a single station wagon also waited on the opposite side of the street.  I knew I had to wait for this car to pass through the intersection because I was turning left and needed to yield. 

Light turns green.
The station wagon across the intersection pauses for a few seconds before I see it begin to move forward.
One second later,  a gray, speeding pick-up truck blows through his red light and misses slamming into her car by about a foot.
He never even braked.

Had she hit her gas the second the light had turned green and not paused, she would have been one foot further into the intersection and taken the full impact of the speeding truck on the driver's side. 

Had the very nice lady in the nice station wagon not been there at all this morning, I know that Tommy and I would have been smack in the middle of the intersection when the truck barrelled through.

Thank you, God.