Families that Live with No Electricity...Make Memories

Power outages are huge family memory makers. I remember the ice storm in Oct. 1992 when I was in high school. We had so much fun as a family learning to deal with no electricity. We also have a tradition of playing the game Clue whenever the lights go out. We want the kids to remember these experiences as a time that we came together and roughed it!!
With the lights out, Cole decided we needed to make more memories during this storm. Cole has pulled up more than once but on Thursday night it kicked in full strength. He pulled up at the coffee table to reach our emergency light.

Chad has taken this all in. He has learned that when the lights flicker, it is not a good thing. This morning he came into the room and said: "Mommy, something blink. The lights. But I think it was me blinking. (He blinks twice to show me.)" Chad also has done his part in the clean up process. Here is a video.

After the Sun Pictures

Sporting her sunglasses and colorful coat, Kaylee told me "Mommy, I look pretty."



You will notice the ice that Chad is holding from the top of the trampoline. That is how thick it is after 4 days.

Here a Light, There No Light

We have kept our power so far! We went out last night to eat with friends and were amazed at the darkness. Even driving down the highway, it was totally dark in areas. People just down the street from us have no power. The paved roads are clear but the parking lots and rock roads are very covered with snow and ice.
Today is supposed to be really nice - close to 60. We hope to get out and move the limbs that are around the front door so that I can have piano lessons this week. The ice is pretty much off of the trees but the ground is still covered with snow and ice. For some reason we have cable and internet although we don't know why since our neighbors are without.
We continue to be thankful for what we have and the safety we have had throughout this storm.
I will post pictures later of the trees after the storm.

Back, At Least for Now

We lost our electricity again yesterday about 1:00 p.m. Thankfully we got it back today at 10:00 a.m. We are very thankful. The trees have lost much of the ice although the roads are still incredible slick. This morning I got stuck in our neighbors driveway and was unable to get out. Michael had to pull me out. Hopefully the sun will come out early in the morning so that it can melt away the rest of the ice.
We are happy that many of the trees have already bounced back, looking so much better. We still have a huge mess but it is looking much more doable.

Another picture

I realized that I didn't put this picture on the web. This tree is in our backyard. We were just so thankful that it didn't land on anything.

25 Random Things About Me

After several people tagged me on this note, I decided to finally sit down and write it. Wasn't hard to write because I am random!!

1. I long for the farm life. But, I realize God has us in Arkansas for a reason.
2. After being here for 13 1/2 years, it would be hard to leave.
3. I have three websites.
4. God has blessed us with amazing friends. The kind that call to say they will help with our down trees!
5. God has given me three amazing girl friends who hold me up when I can't stand on my own.
6. I want to truly love - life, my family, others, Jesus Christ.
7. I had an amazing "growing up" life.
8. The older I get, the more thankful I am for my Grandpa and Grandma Honey.
9. I have Grandma Honey's sweet tooth.
10. I LOVE peanut M&M's and snicker candy bars.
11. Bread is also the best. Really any kind.
12. I enjoy gardening and hope for a good garden this year.
13. I hate to grow green beans. Thankfully my parents do those.
14. My parents and brother are amazing. I am SO proud of them.
15. The hardest thing that I have ever indured was losing my sister.
16. People do and say the stupidest things when you have lost a loved one.
17. I co-led a grief group at church last semester. So rewarding but amazingly hard at the same time.
18. I am very thankful for our church and hate missing no matter what the reason.
19. I look forward to returning to teaching but know God has me at home right now.
20. I am so thankful that I get to stay home with our 3 kids.
21. I LOVE being a mom, even those days that I want to hide in the closet.
22. I am so thankful that my husband is my best friend.
23. My husband is amazing. He is my biggest fan and I really appreciate that.
24. I am reading through the Bible. Stuck in the minor prophets.
25. I want others to see Christ in me. Not there yet but hopefully more each day.

Video

Here is a video of the ice storm - narrated by Chad.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2136646959623644910

After the Storm Picts.

Chad and I just got back from a walk to the mailbox. Now that the sun
is out, the trees are really starting to break again. We came in #1 –
cold, #2 – for safety.

4:40 Ice Pictures

These pictures were taken around the house at 4:40. Still raining.

Ice Pictures

Here are the first of our ice pictures - taken at 8:10. Much more ice to come.

Ice, Ice Baby

We will see how accurate our weather forecaster are but we are in the .75" ice accumulation area. Needless to say that we aren't high on the priority list for restoring power. Please pray for safety and no large amount of ice!

Moving Right Along

Life continues to move at a fast pace around here.

With Cole crawling at a quick pace, nothing is safe. About 2 weeks ago Cole pulled up to his feet on Kaylee's stroller. Now he is frequently pulling up to his knees. He has taken 2 steps while cruising around the coffee table.

Kaylee's new phase is "1,2,3". She continues to ask "What you want, Mommy?" as she plays waitress. The other phases are "set, go" and "2 minutes".

Chad loves to play on his jumping frog, with goggles on, and a plastic sword. His second mode of transporation is his 4 wheeler with his tool set - and of course yellow goggles.

Bathtime

If you have been to our home, you know that we have pictures of the kids on the bathroom wall. I was excited when Cole finally sat up well so that we could add his picture. Here are the pictures - Chad 15 Months, Kaylee 6 Months, Cole 7 Months.

Welcome

Welcome to our new website. We are in the process of transferring everything from our old web address to the new address. Stay tuned!

Cole's 1st Tooth

We knew it was coming. We saw all of the signs. Thursday it finally showed up. Cole is now sporting a brand new bottom right tooth. Pretty soon, we will get a picture (when it is high enough to be seen!)

January Joys

Cole is crawling like he has been crawling for months. Last week he discovered that he can sit up after crawling a while. It is crazy to have a baby who crawls better than he sits up. Finally the sitting up has caught up. He is now working on standing up while holding on. Sometimes he gets really fancy and lets go with one hand.

Kaylee plays "waitress" several times a day. As soon as she gets a pencil and paper in her hand, she ask "What you want, Mommy?" That means that she is going to take your order. She will "write" it down and then tell you various things - "Okay.", "Sure", "No, that's yucky.", "I make it." or "Want fries?"

Chad's imagination is getting larger and more interesting. He was playing with the tent on Friday. With a pencil and a tape measure, he was marking off different measurements - just like his Uncle Heath. Too cute.

Buy Some for Cole

Tonight Kaylee and Mommy were having a conversation:

Mommy: Let's see if Cole has any teeth yet.
Kaylee: I have teeth.
Mommy: Yes, you do. Cole doesn't have any teeth yet.
Kaylee: I will buy him some.
Mommy: Where are you going to buy him some.
Kaylee: At John M______'s house

When I have a wife...

I have three other girls who as a group, we are keeping each other accountable for various things. One is eating. So, I am trying to really watch what I eat as I don't want to have to tell them that I just ate 5 cookies!

Today I have been really craving sweets so I decided to get a glass of raspberry ice to curve the desire. Chad asked me for some. Here was the conversation a few minutes ago:

Chad: Can I have some drink?
Mommy: No
Chad: Why?
Mommy: This is just a drink for Mommy.
Chad: Is it good?
Mommy: Yes.
Chad: When I have a wife, can I have some?
Mommy: Yes, if you want to.
Chad: When I have a wife, I will want to have some.

Dump Christmas Dinner

Aunt Jen gave us the idea of a Dump Dinner for Christmas Night. The point of a dump dinner is that you dump everything out of the table and eat with your fingers. Whatever you want to eat, you drag it infront of you. It was a little interesting eating Banana Pineapple Salad and baked beans but thankfully we had chips to help in the scooping process! The great thing about it is that there are no dishes!!

Back Home

We are back home and ready to get into the swing of things. Love being with family but it is nice to be home and on a schedule! Since I am no longer doing Women's Ministry at church we will have one more morning free. Hopefully this will allow for more time to just play and keep even with the house mess instead of letting it control us!

We had our first trial day with Cole really crawling. OH MY!! Boy has this changed our life. Thankfully Kaylee and Chad are really good about helping me. I hear "Cole, no. No, Cole" from Kaylee a lot. Kaylee also likes to send Chad to timeout. "Timeout Chad". If she is serious, it is very loud. If she is joking, she says it several times with giggles in between!

Thank You

Just incase you didn't receive your thank you...

Thank You Video

(click on video title)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all.

We have had a wonderful time with family and friends over the Christmas holidays. The weekend before Christmas was spent with Michael's family. We enjoyed the time with Uncle Marc. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was spent with Heidi's family. Aunt Jennifer knew exactly what to get Kaylee when she presented her with a Dora purse and chapstick. Who knew that chapstick would be a 2 year old's favorite gift! On the 26th we spent the evening with Heidi's extended family. Disguised as Christmas, we actually had a surprise 60th birthday party for Aunt Connie. With 11 great grandchildren 5 1/2 and under, it was a crazy house.

Chad has enjoyed the time with cousins and family. He even got to do a little sledding before the snow vanished away. He loves the new skidloader that he got for Christmas and Richard Scary children's book.

Here is a question that occurred between Grams and Chad this past week:
(Papa driving the van, takes off his hat)
Chad: (sitting in the back beside Grams) Why does Papa have a circle on his head?

Kaylee has thrived on all of the attention. Discovering that she is very cute and funny, Kaylee giggles after each sentence assuming what she said was funny.

Cole is all over the place. There are more than one reason why a 6 month old isn't supposed to be crawling. The biggest reasons - a 6 month old doesn't realize what is dangerous and what the word "no" means. So, if Cole approaches something he should not touch, when told "no" he just smiles and is so thankful that you just talked to him! Adding to this, Cole is starting to pull up. I thought we had a few more months!!! Everywhere we go people comment on Cole's big blue eyes and beautiful smile. We are constantly asked if he is "this" happy all of the time which we answer with a huge yes! Cole gets very tickled with little things that occur; especially with Kaylee and Chad's activities.