We're Home

The kids and I got home yesterday. Bonnie was so excited to see her toys. You can check Lesley's blog for some pictures of some of what we did while we were in N. Texas.

Kellen turned 4 while we were gone. I'll write more about that later, when I get the chance. Happy Birthday Kellen!

To Clarify

In the comments of my last post, Angela asked about Josh's situation. The city and county of Liberty are totally without power and will be so for 4-6 weeks. It's not just a matter of power lines down; the infrastructure and transmission lines coming from other places were damaged. So we are all up here living in Weatherford. There will be no school until power is restored.

Josh is working on finishing his grad. class, connecting with old friends (we lived here for 2 years before we moved to College Station), and of course there's plenty to do with 3 kids 3 and under.

Josh took a trip home yesterday to empty our refrigerator and survey the damage. Our beautiful oak trees didn't do well, but the house was untouched.

They are saying that power may not be back for 4-6 weeks. But we are comfortable in my mom's house and taking advantage of the time together.

I think Bonnie has a future in the Cirque du Soliel. She can really contort herself.
After a long evening of tummy troubles, relief.

The reports we are getting from friends in Liberty about our house are that it weathered the storm well. The roof is intact and so are the windows. The fence sustained damage, and there are fallen tree limbs to be picked up, but what a relief.

Josh will probably head home on Monday to help others who didn't fare as well as we did with clean up. We are hearing that some of his players' houses were really torn up or destroyed. The kids and I will stay at my mom's house until the power is restored at home, which we are hearing is at least a week away. You can see pictures of our town here.

Thank you all for your prayers and concern. Our prayers are with everyone who suffered damage or worse.

Also, can you imagine being one of those women who were having a baby in the middle of a hurricane?

Just So You Know

We took our picture albums and computer tower and evacuated. Josh's school was cancelled for Thurs. and Fri. (and football too!) so there was no doubt that we'd leave town. Even if the hurricane misses Liberty (and I don't think it will) we're so excited to have 4 days of the 5 of us. Kids, this is your dad. Josh, these are your children.

The house that was on the lot before ours was built (that old house actually burned down) filed flood insurance claims with FEMA in 1994 and 2000. I'll try not to be surprised if something bad happens to our house.

Take care, everyone!

A Question

OK, after this post I promise to not mention the lovebugs again. Maybe.

They are so bad down here. I keep the kids in the house pretty much from 10AM on. An essential part of my daily schedule (and I don't have much of a daily schedule) is vacuuming up dead lovebugs with the Dustbuster. I don't even know how they're getting in the house, but at least the ones I see are mostly dead. The last time I remember them being this bad was in College Station is 2004.

The question is, are they bad in B/CS this year, for those of you who live there? Or is it just because we moved further southeast and this is how they are every year down here?

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately. There's a lot going on, but also not much.

Take a look at our 4-week-old. I now know why the third child has fewer pictures (at least this one does). I have to hold her all the time to protect her from her siblings' affection. Noelle, it doesn't mean I love you any less. We took a little trip up to see my mom and grandmother in Weatherford and made it out to the family ranch in Garner. This was the first time the kids had been out there, since no one lives there right now.
Oh, and the lovebugs. Aren't they fun?

After getting to know our new pediatrician quite well, Noelle's MRSA infection is not showing up in any more areas. Our whole family is being treated as probable carriers. And for those of you who asked, who knows where she got it, but my educated guess would be from the hospital. She was 3 days old when we noticed the first lesions.