Before and After the Hurricane . . .

Here are some pictures of our backyard the day before Hurricane Ike hit . . .

And, here are some pictures of our backyard afterwards . . .

Here is a video of Stephen the morning after the worst of the storm had passed . . . he was worried about our neighbor's pool as it was overflowing and slowly inching it's way towards our house. So, he decided to go out and shovel some rocks around in order to help the water drain better . . . love the jacket babe!!!

Wow! What a week this has been! We had all just gotten into our new "school routine" and then Hurricane Ike hits! The girls keep asking me when are they going back to school - they have really missed it alot. I ended up coming to Huntsville yesterday and I have been doing laundry ever since. I just couldn't take it anymore . . . when my mom called and said she had power yesterday....I didn't even hesitate. I threw our 5 laundry baskets full of dirty clothes in the back of the van and off we went. I drove all over town trying to find a place open to stop and get us something to eat on the way. Taco Bell and Whataburger were the only two places I could find in our area and the line to get into the drive thru was UNBELIEVABLE! I guess everyone was sick of eating peanut butter and jelly like we were. We eventually found a Taco Cabana that was open and we had scarfed all our food down in no time because it tasted sooooooo good! Speaking of food during the hurricane, check out our totally sparkling clean refrigerator.... thanks to Ike we had to throw everything out, but it got the best cleaning it has ever had!

When we got to Huntsville yesterday, my dad asked us if we would like to try an "MRE - Meal Ready to Eat" for dinner. He then showed us his box of MRE's he had received at one of the POD locations......let's just say there ain't no way I'm eatin' any of that stuff. I would have to be pretty desperate! He said he tried a few of them and that they were actually pretty good - frito pie, pork rib sandwich, and an egg omelet that my mom says looked as if it were alive. That's just nasty! My dad says you open these pouches and then stick them down in this water pouch that has hydrogen in it and it begins to boil and heats itself in seconds and is ready to eat. My dad claims these are also the same meals that the army eats when they're on front line duty - you know things must be bad when the government starts handing these things out!

I am ready to get back into a normal routine again very soon.....for those of you who know me well know that I suffer from anxiety/panic disorder which I gratefully keep regulated with meds. Varying from our daily routine has really done a number on me so this whole past week has just about put me over the edge. I don't know what I would have done if I had lived in Galveston - I'd probably already be locked up in a looney bin somewhere. Not sure at what point I started to lose it . . . maybe it was when our fence flew apart and our neighbors decided to have a 'free for all' everyday in our backyard with their wild dogs and their kids who unhesitantly chose to play on our playset whenever they wanted.........or, maybe it was when Lauren fell in the neighbor's pool due to the damage in the backyard and had to be rescued......or, maybe it was when the police made three separate arrests on our normally safe and quiet street due to looters looking to break into homes that were vacated due to the storm. Who knows? I also found out today that I have to go to work on Monday even though our school is closed due to no power. Since I am a "team leader" I have to go to a nearby elementary school and possibly work in the cafeteria, direct traffic, stand in the hallway....... twiddle my thumbs basically. Not sure why I'm being required to do this since I still don't have power at my own house and have no where for my three kids to go - plus no one else that I teach with has to go. My friend Sarah is going to let us borrow her generator this weekend and I am ever so grateful. We were about to break down and go buy one tonight, but she called and said she had one we could use! We could have bought one before all of this happened, but would have never thought we would be without power this long. Thank God for good friends who can help out in a time of need! Thanks Sarah for help keeping me sane - you rock girl! If you're wondering how the girls and Logan did through all of this......well, they did fine for the most part. Logan slept through it all and nothing ever has phased him one bit - he had his Pooh to snuggle with so he was good to go. I'm just glad we are all okay and that this whole ordeal will soon be behind us.

Take a Hike IKE!!!

Well, this past week sure has been an interesting one. We survived Hurricane Ike and are very grateful that all our friends and family are okay. The fence in our backyard was the only damage we had plus losing everything in our fridge and freezer - we had a "cleaning it out party" and now it looks brand new. We are still without power and have been without it since around midnight last Friday night. The first two days were miserably hot, but now that the cooler weather has set in, it's not so bad. We just keep running out of ice! One good thing that has come of all this is how the neighborhood has really come together and are helping each other out with food, gas, water, ice, whatever. This has been a great way to really get to know your neighbors . . . mainly because there is nothing else to do. My friend Sarah brought over her laptop tonight for me to get online, check messages, and feel connected to the world again. I was beginning to have internet withdrawals. I also wanted to post a message on the blog to let everyone know that we survived the storm and that we are okay. I have many pictures from this past week as well as a video of Stephen out in the storm pushing water away from the house (very interesting footage I might add). Hopefully, our power will be restored soon and I can post more info. on what has been going on around here and some of the things that we have seen and experienced. Hope everyone is doing well . . . God bless!

Well, we had the day off today because of Hurricane Ike which is on the way. As you can see, I was kind of bored and playing around on the computer. I came across this new website called "Yearbook Yourself" and had some fun seeing what I would have looked like back in the day . . .scary!

No one can make me laugh like my sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight we all enjoyed the evening out together with Stephen's parents (aka - Nanny and Grandad). We went and had some yummy grilled shrimp at Landry's then stayed around to feed the ducks, turtles, and a huge catfish that was lingering in the water. We wanted to ride the Woodlands Water Taxi, but it was already too full of passengers. Instead, we decided to ride over to the new water fountain display and let the girls run around. Next time we'll go when it's a little bit darker so we can see the water as it lights up at night. We were all discussing how excited we are about our upcoming trip to Disney in November. We were supposed to have gone last November with Stephen's parents, but when I found out I was pregnant with Logan, my doctor wouldn't allow me to go since it was so close to my due date. Sooooo, we're going this year and my dream is for us to be able to go every year (wishful thinking I know). We took the girls right before they turned 3 back in 2006 and went with my parents. We all had an absolute blast! For those of you out there considering a Disney trip with little ones . . . children under 3 get in free so definitely take advantage of that! Last time we went, we felt like we didn't have enough time to do everything we wanted to do so we said whenever we go back we're going to stay a whole week - so that's what we're doing. We're also staying right next to Magic Kingdom at the Contemporary Resort for easy access to the main parks and a quick trip back to the room for Logan's nap (and Grandad's nap - heehee) if needed! We will be there on Thanksgiving Day this year and I've made reservations for us to have dinner at The Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom which is a "Thanksgiving themed" restaurant. I was also able to get us tickets to see Cirque de Soleil, which I have always wanted to see - we're going to see it the last night we are there at Downtown Disney. If you can't tell, I am an absolute Disney finatic and always have been! I remember growing up and we had this little red plastic cup (we called it "The Florida Cup"). Whenever my brother and I had some change or got money for our birthday or something . . . we would put it in this cup. We kept telling my parents that we were going to raise enough money to go to Disneyworld. I'm not sure how much money we ended up saving, but we did get to go when I was around 9 years old. I think my mom said that the money we saved went towards the gas to get there (which by the way we drove in a car that was so fittingly named "Screamin' Meme"). Oh yes, it was interesting, let me tell ya! It was that first trip to Disney, and I was forever hooked. Stephen is now a Disney finatic too . . . surprisingly. When we went back in 2006, he had never been before and wasn't real sure what to expect. His family grew up camping and never did the whole "Disneyworld" thing. However, he had an absolute blast and was hooked instantly . . . he can't wait to go back. We have both decided that one day when the kids are grown, we're going to retire and work at Disneyworld together. We met alot of older couples last time we were there that had done exactly that - how cool would that be???? Can ya tell I'm excited??? Here's a picture of us standing in front of Cinderella's castle when we went back in 2006 . . . Tinkerbell was nice enough to join us for the picture.

The cast is off!!!

Leah went in to have her cast taken off today and was suppose to have a smaller waterproof cast put on. However, the doctor felt like her arm was 80-90% healed, so she just has to wear a removeable brace for the next two weeks. She was excited to get her pink cast off, but during bath time she was sitting there with her arm on the side of the tub. She told me she was afraid to move it and wanted to take a bath with the brace on . . . even though the doctor told her she can bathe without it and needs to be moving it around. Go figure!

Although, she was excited to tell me about how they used this special tool to take her cast off, which by the way she was very relieved that they didn't use a knife - since that is what Lauren told her they would probably use. She was also excited that she gets to keep her cast (but now I'm wondering where in the world am I going to keep this thing . . . and what will it smell like in a few years???) YIKES!!!!

When Stephen came to pick her up from school this morning for her appt., we were in the middle of an hour long fire drill. Something mechanical sparked the alarm and it annoyingly continued to go off for an hour. At one point, the alarm stopped, we went back into the building and got halfway to our room, and then it started going off again and we had to turn around and go back out into he heat. Stephen said he drove up and saw the firetrucks and the firemen up on the roof of the school and he was thinking, okay . . . this can't be good. Thankfully, he was able to find Leah's class, get her checked out, and to her appt. on time.

Logan also went to the doctor this morning with Stephen and had his 9 month well check-up and now weighs 23 lbs. 6 oz. He also got his first dose of his flu shot, which Stephen said he did not like very much (and I don't blame him one bit!)

Splish Splash . . . I was takin' a bath!

I just had to post this video of Logan at bath time tonight! I guess you could say he LOVES the water. The girls were always afraid of the water at this age and didn't care too much for bath time so it's been a whole new experience with him. Sometimes we will let him get in the water with Lauren (not Leah right now because of her cast) and bathe while sitting in her lap - he loves that too! He will be 9 months on Saturday. Stephen is taking him to the doctor tomorrow for his 9 month check-up as well as Leah for her appt. with the orthopedic surgeon . . . she is supposed to get her waterproof cast tomorrow if her x-ray looks good. I told him he should take all three kiddos to both appointments so he could experience "the joys of waiting in a closet sized room for an hour or so while 2 kids are fighting and one is crying". It's great for your bloodpressure - HAHA!!!!!!