Dad and Big B spent last weekend on a father-son camping excursion! Brendan absolutely loved having dad all to himself. Here are some highlights:
This post is for my sister who requested some pictures of our fall displays. Although it appears to be cool and crisp, Houston temperatures still average in the 80s (maybe 70s on a cool day). Don't let the orange and brown fool you... about this time of year I get excited to pull out the sweaters and scarves, but alas I remember that it's still shorts and sandals weather. It did feel a bit strange to arrange pumpkins on my front porch in flip flops and a light t-shirt. At least hurricane season is coming to a close!
The boys had a reading contest and tried to read a Magic Tree House book as fast as possible. They both finished their books in about 45 minutes!
The girls were quite thrilled to decorate Halloween cupcakes:
Here's the shot just before leaving for church on Sunday morning after the shoe & sock assembly line:
For those preparing for a hurricane or other natural disaster, I highly recommend almond milk! My entire family preferred it much more than the boxed or powdered milk I have stored. And since it's non-dairy, it doesn't even need to be refrigerated! I will definitely stock up on this for Houston's next big disaster; apparently they occur almost annually here.
Time seemed to stop for the past two weeks as we bunkered down for Hurricane Ike on Friday September 12 and then lived without power for 15 days.
The night of the storm was intense and we stayed awake through the wee hours waiting to hear a tree fall on the roof or a window shatter. Fortunately, none of that occurred. We did have some slight water damage, but nothing severe. The storm raged directly over us for many hours as the little ones slept peacefully in our closet (no windows there). About 4:00am every smoke alarm in the house began screeching... they are all connected on a circuit wired to make every alarm respond when one battery dies. Since we lost power, one alarm battery died of course, leaving us to figure out WHICH alarm in the pitch black house had the dead battery. We found it and all was well after Michael replaced it. Then eerily, all wind and rain and noise outside stopped. We noted that the eye of Ike was passing directly over us at that moment. I was tempted to go outside to check things out, but didn't. Then the wind picked up again and the storm raged again in full fury, stronger than before.
Ike left damage everywhere... shingles covering the road, trees fallen through homes, flooded roadways, and of course no power. We were fully stocked with food and water and as many supplies as we could imagine.
For the next week, Michael stayed busy helping ward and community members clear trees from their homes and bring water/food to those without. The kids and I enjoyed many days of outdoor play and a miraculous cold front blew in for a full five days. Nights were in the 50s, days in the 70s - it was a real vacation at home! I actually enjoyed not being able to use the computer, phone, TV, or anything at all. After a week I was itching to vacuum and especially to get some clean laundry in the drawers. Several friends received power after that first week and graciously allowed us the use of their washer and dryer.
The second week things were a bit more difficult as the heat and humidity returned and Michael was back at work. We were grateful for kind neighbors who let us plug our fridge into their generator and allowed us to run a few fans at night. The days were sticky and oppressively hot in the house, so I tried provide daily outings suitable for a largely pregnant mother and her three small children. One day I even allowed a visit to the food court at the mall for lunch - not something I will repeat! After going without fast food for so long, I was surprised and a bit disturbed by the experience.
On the evening of Friday September 26th, after 2 full weeks sans electricity, Michael and I sat in the pitch black, humid living room listening to the presidential candidate debate on a fuzzy battery powered radio, and I began to feel some tinges of despair as I doubted whether the power would ever return and if I'd ever walk on freshly vacuumed carpets again. Oh blessed morning - Saturday September 27th... I was standing in the kitchen when bright golden beams of light suddenly and dramatically radiated down from each recessed kitchen bulb and the dings of the security system hummed to life. We were back!!! After several (ok 15) minutes of joyful singing, dancing, and appliance hugging, I whipped out the vacuum to fulfill my recurring dream of the past two weeks - clean floors.
Although the experience was not nearly as trying as it could have been, I learned much about our dependency on power and I can truly say I appreciated living without for a while. Next time I just hope it happens while I'm not expecting.
Here are some pictures of the damage:
More roadway flooding
Huge pine tree through a brick fence near our home
Trees down everywhere, more flooding
Dramatic shot of a tree through a home nearby; notice the uprooted tree base!
An exciting day! School cancelled, employers let workers go home... we spent the day awaiting the huge hurricane coming directly toward us. 
We will most likely be without power for a while, but will post again when things are up and running. Thank you for your phone calls and concern. All is well! We love you.
Big B had his first day of first grade today. He was thrilled and a little scared but he did so well! As I drove to the school to drop him off, I asked if he would like me to walk him in and take him to his classroom. He calmly assured me that he could manage on his own and added, "If I need help, I'll just ask an adult, mom." After school he was tuckered out, but proud that he made a new friend and tried several times to be kind to his classmates. These are pictures from the early morning as we were leaving. Could there be anything sweeter than this brave, compassionate little boy? I teared up several times today just thinking about him. It's hard to comprehend how much you love them until they grow up and go on their way...
