Clean Up Crew

Our hurricane debris finally got picked up last week. Yipee! Aidan was fascinated by the bobcat (I don't really know what the machine is called, but Aidan told me it was not a 'baby bulldozer' like I was trying to get away with).

We were sweeping the driveway yesterday, when Aidan decided to carry it a step further and sweep the whole street.

Brennan was trying to figure out how he could do it, too.

He decided to walk around with his backpack instead.

What's Cookin'?

Marian loves her cooking classes!

They are doing a special "Spooky Class" over the next few weeks.

Last night they made cookie dragons and meringue bones.

Two-Wheelin'

With such nice temperatures during the week after the storm, and time on our hands (no work, no school, no damage to fix), we got Marian to learn to ride her bike!

Day 1, she wasn't too sure about it, but she was keeping her balance a lot better than she had a few months ago, when last we tried. Day 2, she was doing good and she went by herself a short ways a few times. Day 3, she took off on her own almost immediately, and got herself started without any help after that! Yay!

Hurricane a-blowin'

Getting ready for Ike. Dad helped us board up some of the windows.

Winds blowing Friday night, east to west.

The power went out around midnight, and we were awakened by gusts all through the night. I woke up at about 5:40am on Saturday to eerie silence.

After checking the battery-powered tv, I confirmed that the eye was right over us.

Marian had been wanting to experience the eye, so I was glad that she woke up for a bit so I could show her.

By 7am, the eye had passed and we were in the storm again. Now the winds come west to east.

Here's a little clip from 8:30am. The worst was passed, but we still had several more hours to go.

Our street had very little damage, mostly broken branches. We drove around our neighborhood on Monday, and saw lots of fences down, lots of uprooted trees, and trees leaning or sitting on houses, but not crashed through them.

The power lines are the only thing holding this tree up.

The only serious damage that we could see at the preschool was at the playground.

"Ram Tough" I first saw the truck with the tree still on it, and it is the tree that is cut up into logs behind the truck. There's another tree down in the background.

The roof over the pumps got blown down and is on the other side of the lot.

We lost the contents of the fridge on Monday. Lost the freezer on Tuesday. We were worried about ice by Monday. The 5-day cooler was doing well, but I bought the ice on Thursday, so we needed to replenish. Tried to get to a POD (FEMA point of distribution) on Monday, but decided we would waste our gas trying to inch along in the line. Thomas went to another POD early on Tuesday, and got in the walk-up line. It took 4 hours, but he got 2 small bags of ice, so we could keep our milk and cheese for a few more days. I ran to the grocery store (on a generator) and they happened to have a few pallets of ice while I was there, so we had 2 more small bags!

We were breathing easier by mid-week when many of the nearby grocery stores and restaurants had regained power or were running on generators. Plus, a cool front came in on Monday and kept the temperature nice for several days and nights (very unusual for one to last so long in Sept). By Friday, the cool front had run its course and it was starting to get hot again. It was a fairly yucky weekend with high temps and high humidity which is just really hard to sleep in. We all did the Happy Dance when the lights came back on Monday evening!

Cowgirl

Marian has decided she wants to be a cowgirl when she grows up. We started lessons in September and got one in before Ike hit.

Marian loved it! I was more apprehensive because I don't like to be so near horses. But they want the parents to learn right beside the kids, so if you go to another place to ride horses (like on vacation) you'll know if they are taking care of the horses and doing it all correctly or not. Unfortunately, I think I'm the only parent that has NO experience with horses, so they have to go fundamental with us. Marian can't wait to go back!
Marian walking Prince


Marian getting on Prince


Marian riding Prince next to her instructor

First Days of School

Marian started 3rd grade while we were in Scotland. She's excited to have 2 teachers this year (She switches with the room across the hall for reading).

Brennan and Aidan started at preschool on Sept 2nd. Brennan is in the 1-year old class, two days a week. He was fine when I left but I don't think he noticed that I left right away. Aidan said he saw Brennan crying during chapel, and deduced that the he didn't like the music. The teachers said he stopped crying when they went out to the playground. He loves to be outside! "Shuuz! Shuuz!" He knows to bring you his shoes and yours if he wants to go outside.



Aidan is in the 5's and LOVING it! We decided to wait on kindergarten and I think it was the right decision. He has come out of his shell at school, participating like never before. His teachers are amazed at the progress he's made, just since this summer, when some of them first met him during the summer session. It was a long decision-making process that we went back and forth on all summer. It's a relief to see him being so comfortable so soon in the school year!

I had already enrolled him for kindergarten in the spring. So in August I went back to the elementary school to tell them we were withdrawing, and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Aidan's eyes teared up and he said, "I don't want to try this!" I had to reassure him many times that we were going to tell them that he wasn't coming to kindergarten before I could get him to go near the front door.

10 nights and 10 days

We got relief last night when our lights came on at 7:05pm. No flickering--just on!!! We were just starting to gather everything we needed for night #11 (flashlights, pj's...). Joy of joys! I'm downloading pictures right now and I'll try to update soon. We suffered no damage, and only filled 3 garbage bags with leaves and small branches. We are so blessed! Still have friends and my parents without power, but now we can become another hub of coolness and washing machines!