Day One: Wed Sept 10th...Evacuation

Words like "cone of uncertainty", "storm surge" and websites like weatherunderground.com have become new and frequently used in our home. The kids came home with a note in their bags Wed. afternoon saying....No school Friday in order to prepare. The kids were excited and buzzing. Later that evening we took the kids for a walk and our neighbor told us they had just announced no school the rest of the week. We knew by then it didn't look good. Lee and Colette (Chris' sister) called and said they were leaving for Bryan where Lee's parents live in just a few hours to avoid what many of you saw on tv during hurricane Rita.....a long long drive out of town. I was quickly throwing clothese in a bag, throwing lawn furniture into the garage, medicines? books? a few clothes....shoes and anything that would help my kids sleep (blankies I mean, not drugs!!)

Here we are leaving by donkey!! Actually we left by 9:30 and arrived by midnight!! The kids were confused but together. Chris stayed behind.

Audra's trip...

Audra and cousin Lucy at White Sands in New Mexico
Audra took her own little adventure at the end of the summer. She flew with her two cousins (Katherine & Lucy) and her MIMI to New Mexico where she stayed with her grandparents for a few days. She loved it! She loves to travel and got to visit White Sands, hike, picnic and just play in a little cooler weather!!

THose of us keeping the home fires burning!

If you wanted to see who was left behind.....it's me and THIS ONE!:):) Rascal #3!! He bids his siblings goodbye in the morning. We all walk to school together. And I walk home with this little munchkin. He is typically half dressed but ready to play. Here he is holding my toothbrush having already used it to brush his own teeth and likely the floor....no clothes on with only minutes to go before we had to leave. Yes....this is my youngest. Strong, vibrant, a brilliant smile, smart, stubborn and very fast..... What will he be like as an "older sibling?" hhhhhmmmm

And...the years go on! First day of....

SCHOOL!! This morning my oldest two walked bravely down the street (with me behind) and walked into their new school. Audra started 2nd grade and Gunnar began Kindergarten today. They were so brave!!!

14 years and counting...

August 13th Chris and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. I know for some of you that is going to make you check your own age! Yikes!
IN 14 years we've managed to:
Live in 8 different "homes"
2 states
Hold down 13 different jobs (some at the same time:)
Travel over 80 different trips
Have or going to have 4 children
complete 3 degrees
and somehow still my heart skips a beat when I hear Chris' car door when he comes home (and NOT just cause it means help with the kids!!!)

**PS...always tied in with our anniversary is Poppy's birthday. HAPPY birthday to Chris' dad who has been so generous this year coming and helping us so many times to get our house ready and then moving us in MAY!! WE CELEBRATE YOU!!

Swim Fun!

**PS..thanks to Auntie jann for taking Anders on the water slide when his pregnant mama had to sit on the sidelines!
Isn't she cute?
These were some of the better swim pictures from our time in Minnesota. This year we've seen such a dramatic difference in swimming with our kids. Audra and Gunnar are so independent and it's been a lot more fun to swim!!! Now Anders....well....he thinks he should be in the Olympics!

Curious George

Some of you may NOT have heard any good Anders stories lately? Sometimes parents feel the need to just share how good their children are, while some of us need to share how CURIOUS (aka..naughty?) they are. Anders has truly had a "good streak". He loved MN and played relentlessly outside. I realize with his personality he MUST have some outside time every single day. Yesterday was the exception. We spent most of our time inside....I need to continue to unpack (you think? It's only been two months!) In the morning his curious hands were helping me in the small garage attached to our house. I was going through boxes and he decide to take the broken coffee pot inside and pour handsoap in it, most of it got on the bathroom floor, ugh...
Clean up job #1. Later while I was still working in that garage I went in shortly to get something and came back out to find with his huge smile "I cleaning mom!" He had dumped an entire bottle of floor cleaner onto the cement slab (thankfully not carpet!!!!!) UGH I shouted! I banished him upstairs to play with his brother (or what I thought would be him playing with Gunnar) so I could do 10 minutes more by myself in that garage. Not many minutes later I asked Audra to "check on Anders" and she came screaming down the stairs...aaaaaaaahhhhh HE' is playing with water!!! I run (pregnant run) upstairs to find the boys bathroom ENTIRELY flooded!!! Yes.....sinks full, counter overflowing, cabinets full and an inch of water on the floor. While the water was running he found a paintbrush and used it to paint the doors with toothpaste.

**The really funny part is this precious blond haired boy who makes my life a LOT of work asks me every night to sing Amazing Grace (three verses) to him while he falls asleep. So NO matter what he's done during the day I have to sing that I am the wretch who has been saved!!