The Great Flood of 2010

Wow. That is pretty much all I can say.

Well, not really. I can always find plenty of words.

Making this short 'cause I have some things to do.

It rained. Alot. All the creeks, lakes and rivers are out of their banks. Nasty business. We had to go out this afternoon, after the water had receded a bit. We were out of hummus, and that is our go to snack and lunch (the boys love it).

Here are few things we saw (sorry for the quality, B would not slow down come hell or, well, high water):

This bridge is across the road from our neighborhood. Normally there is about 2-3 inches of water in it.

Cars submerged at some apartments.

This is close to B's office.

Also close to B's office, this is a veterinary clinic.

Road to the club's second golf course, Foxland. You can see the nets at the driving range in the distance. The road is completely washed out.

Angry Town Creek, about 7 feet, maybe, above normal.

More angry creek. But at least it is back in its banks. 3 hours before it was covering the road we were driving on.

Same Town Creek. Lots of floating debris.



This is pretty cool. This is the boat dock at the end of the parking lot at Douglas Bend Road. All the water between me and the dock is covering the entire parking lot.

Old Gallatin Bakery with a view of Town Creek in the background.

This is Gracie lake in the neighborhood surrounding our club. It is normally a gentle waterfall, now it looks like a mini Niagara.

Spider-obsessesd

G loves Spiderman. I mean really really loves Spiderman. He wants to be Spiderman, not when he grows up, but now. We were at N's T-Ball game and G said "Look, I'm Spiderman" and started climbing the tall chain link fence behind home plate. Luckily Bryant and I were there to pull him down just before he climbed out of arms reach. He is a fast climber, really really fast. Still, I don't think he is Spiderman.

He wants anything he sees that has Spiderman on it. He is Marvel comics marketing dream. So much for all our Pottery Barn train sheets for his bed, he now has Target bought Spiderman sheets. They are cool, I will admit.

If we are in a store, he can spot Spiderman stuff a mile away. Last week, we were at Target and from over 100 yards away, G yelled out "Cool. Spiderman swim trunks". He then yelled "Spiderman swim trunks. I 'mead' them."

Later that evening, it was only 50 something degrees but G had on a new pair of swim trunks and a green turtleneck. His choice, of course, as he likes to get dressed "all by myself". So he did. Which is a nice variation from his usual play attire of Spiderman costume.

The kid.loves.spiderman.Loves.

Storm Closets and Herding Cats

Nasty weather here today. Lots of storms. We are in a "High Risk" area for tornadoes and it seems the storms are coming through in waves. Just as one passes by, we start watching the news to find out where the next line of thunderstorms are and how long we have in between. Thankfully they will all end later this evening, before bedtime, however the most severe will not hit us until this evening.

So as a precaution, I did my annual spring clean out of the "storm closet" as N calls it. It is the closet under the stairs. That is our safest interior space since we do not have a basement. Normally it holds all of our extra paper supplies, like toilet paper and paper towels. As well as our art supplies, crafts, puzzles and games. Not a huge closet, but the whole family can fit in there comfortably if necessary. So when I get it ready for storm season, I remove all the arts and crafts, puzzles, and games, and (I forgot to mention before), my containers of batteries and light bulbs. Then I add some pillows, blankets, flashlight, and portable radio to the shelves, as well as a container of bottled water that I usually don't add until we are actually under a tornado advisory. And voila...our "storm closet".

The boys get all excited about it. Of course, N is all business about it. He made sure there were helmets in there to protect their heads. He is not however, responsible for G wearing his helmet backwards.

Not sure if I have mentioned in the blog that N is obsessed with tornadoes. He checks out storm books from the library all the time. He has a thing about disaster movies, his favorites being Twister and Titanic (and he fast forwards through most of the story and just watches from the time the ship hits the iceberg until it sinks...oops, hope I didn't spoil the ending for anyone, bahahaha) but he will watch documentaries on tornadoes, hurricanes, Tsunamis, and volcanoes whenever we let him. Honestly, I think he is secretly hoping to see a tornado close up today, me...not so much. And he says when he grows up he wants to move to Oklahoma and be a storm chaser. And a doctor. And a roller coaster operator. And a policeman. I am hoping all but the Doctor aspirations are just a phase.

Back to the "storm closet". The boys get all jacked up about it and I let them hang out in there throughout the day if they want. I moved N's TV from his room in there (it has a built in DVD player) and let them watch his Tornado and Hurricane video in there. As you can see from the pics, they had a blast and as I went about doing the laundry or whatever house work I could manage, I would hear "Mommy, we need a snack in here" or "Mommy, we need something to drink so we don't drink our emergency water". I finally gave up on the cleaning and just sat in there with them. That is until I had to get them a new snack.

And yes, G changed shirts "all by myself", so it was not only on backwards but inside out as well. He loves to change clothes "all by myself", he goes through at least 4-5 shirts and 2-3 shorts a day, and rarely do they match. He is responsible for 3/4 of my laundry.

OK, the next round of storms is coming through, so I need to put a new DVD in and herd up the cats children.

T Ball and the Bad News Bears

Our first Saturday spent adjusting our schedule around T-Ball. I know it is the first of many many more to come and it was fun.

I was a little miffed at first though. All we were told last week was that the Opening Ceremonies (American Legion T Ball League) were at 11:00 and Jamboree was at 1:00. We got there right at 11:00. B was late getting the boys back from their cousins' house where N had his sleep over. N did not have a uniform yet and when they got there, his team was already suited up and out on the field. Turns out the coach called and left a message for us to be there early on someone else's answering machine, since he said he called and we do not have a record on any of our phones of him calling. So N almost missed his opening ceremony but thankfully, we got there in the nick of time and B pushed their way out on the field, then had one of the coaches go get the uniform shirt and hat for N.

They moved the time of the Jamboree up to 12:30 so not too long a wait at the park, just enough time to grab the boys some lunch and scarf it down. Jamboree is just where all the players get to play and show the other teams what they got, lol. Basically each team plays an inning against another team. All players get to play out in the field (N will play 2nd base and bat 3rd during real games, at least I think) and the inning does not have outs, it lasts until everyone gets to bat. N did well, hit the ball into right field. Well, ok he hit it between the first and second baseman and it rolled into the outfield but he hit it further than anyone else on his team. He was able to score a few hits later. This was very exciting for him, he loves to stomp on home plate.

G did really well sitting in the bleachers, that is until the game was over with. Then he escaped us and ran onto the field. He would not come off, running the bases and avoiding us ala Tanner in Bad News Bears. I think I will start calling him Bad News Grey, lol. He did eventually come off the field after we threatened to leave him. What a stinker and of course we looked like candidates for Parents of the Year, lol.

All in all, a very fun day and a great evening including a celebratory dinner at The Chop House.

Our First Sleepover

N went to his first sleepover/campout tonight at his cousin's house. He was thrilled. G was invited however he is a bit young so we just went and hung out for a bit, then I had to bribe him to leave peacefully.

Although I have repeatedly called and texted to see how he is doing, I cannot wait to hear all about it tomorrow from N. We have to pick him up a little early in the morning because he has his Opening Ceremonies (no, I do not have a clue what that is about) and Jamboree for Tee Ball tomorrow morning.

Very exciting weekend for on very excited 5 year old.

No Light Up Shoes in a Crowded Theater

It's Spring Break here! Wondering what to do to get out of the house.

We have a birthday party Wednesday and another one Friday evening. The boys' cousins will be staying here some this week, spending the night one night and hanging out during the day 3-4 days. N & G are very excited about it, they love their cousins. Honestly, I am excited about it too, I love their cousins as well and they are such good, fun kids. I think maybe we will try bowling tomorrow. It is B's birthday (not going to say how old) and although I dont think that is what he has in mind for celebrating, it will be fun. Also going to do some ice cream cake.

Maybe see a movie, How To Train Your Dragon is playing and the boys have seen the previews. Looks like fun, I just hope G can sit through it. The last movie we attempted, he only made it 10 minutes before we had to leave. That was Monsters vs Aliens, which proves how long we have avoided taking him to another movie.

Also, FYI, and this is from another trip with just N and I, dont put light up shoes on your kids if you plan on taking them to a movie. At one point during Where the Wild Things Are, about 20 kids were either leaning way forward or way back so they could see them instead of watching the movie. I am sure the other parents were appreciative.

So I guess we do have quite a bit planned. I'll write more later in the week about N's first sleepover this coming weekend. I am both nervous and excited about it and a bit sad too, that he is old enough to be invited to sleep overs.

Easter SUN day

For the first time in as long as I can remember, we had beautiful weather on Easter. Sunny and in the mid 80's instead of rainy in the low 50's. We most definitely took advantage of it.

The morning was not so great, long story that I don't feel like posting about it. Short version is: got the boys ready for church, then got myself ready. Came out of my bedroom to discover G had opened his roller stamp and rolled his clothes, his arms, and his brother with it. So B and I had to wash them, iron new clothes (so much for the cute Easter outfits they had on for 20 minutes) and redress them. Needless to say, we were really late to church and could not find a seat.

So on to the afternoon. Went to B's grandmother's house for a late lunch and afternoon of sun, fun and Easter eggs. The boys had a great time hunting for eggs, taking turns at bustin' a poor chick pinata, and playing with all their cousins. They did some fishing, well B did some fishing while the boys threw rocks in the water and scared off the fish. Rode around the big yard in a golf cart and on a little F150 ride on toy. Tried to skip rocks in the lake. Must apologize to B's cousin Duane as G managed to skip a rock off of his forehead and leave a pretty nasty mark. And the poor guy was just being kind enough to supervise my kids, along with his son, near the lake. (note to self: must work on G's aim before he starts T Ball).

The kids also hunted for Resurrection Eggs that my sweet niece Heather made and brought. If you have never heard of them, google it, they are a wonderful way to bring Christ into the whole "bunny and egg" part of Easter.

All in all, despite the rather dubious start, a simply fantastic day. And less you think I am a complete heathen, we did spend a good part of our weekend talking to the boys about the meaning of Easter and how both Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the two most important days in the life of a Christian. Thank you Lord, for sacrificing your son for me and my sons and thanks be to Jesus for giving your life so ours would be eternal.