The Flood

the water in the playroom
the water coming in the guestroom

gutted basement- view from stairs!
gutted guest room

Literally!!! Sorry for the blogging hiatus, but I have been consumed with a small issue at our house!! On Tuesday night, January 5, our entire finished basement flooded. It was one of the most overwhelming things we've ever experienced, b/c there was nothing we could do to stop the water from coming in and nothing we could do to fix it right away. Our entire basement ended up being lost, all the carpet, padding, baseboards and most of the sheet rock. It has definitely been a process. Originally our insurance said no, none of it would be covered and we were so confused as to what the Lord was doing. We did not have extra cash sitting around for a major home remodel!! 4 days later, our adjuster called back, said he had reviewed our claim, and it would be covered. The Lord has blessed abundantly and we will be receiving enough to do a couple of new things down there as well. It has also been amazing for us to watch our friends serve us- doing our laundry, bringing meals, taking our kids, helping jay with demo and cleanup. it has been equally humbling and encouraging and this process has made us realize how much we have to be thankful for.

Christmas 2008

A typical afternoon

our resident zookeeper- he almost always has a stuffed animal in tow, usually 2 giraffes and a puppy!


He is really into coloring lately- pay no attention to the sharpened pencil in my 16 month olds hand!! If he sees A & J doing it, he is going to try it!!

So, if you were to just pop in unannounced one afternoon, especially during the time I am preparing dinner, this is what you are likely to find... Abby dressed in a princess costume either coloring or reading. Jacob carrying around either a small broom or a horse on a stick using it as a guitar and singing imagination mover songs (although this morning it was a fast paced version of go tell it on the mountain!) and Nathan coloring on a sheet of paper taped to the floor! I think it's the everyday things that I'm most likely to forget. I love this because it is such a reflection of who they are!!

I've been tagged again and again

My friend heather tagged me a while back on her blog. I didn't respond to her tag so she has begun tagging me again and again and leaving random comments on my blog in an effort to coerce me into participating! Since I'm such a good sport, here it goes. My "tag" instructions were to go to my picture folders, go to the 4th folder and get the 4th picture. This is A and J in the whirlpool tub- otherwise known as bubble heads!
alright stalker, I mean Heather, there you go!!!!

More fall fun!

Today is football day at "school" for Jacob. A special thanks to Mamma and Pappa for getting him this jersey and mailing it to us! He LOVES it! the next Peyton Manning?
Go big orange!!!
practicing with a real football
little man is not willing to be left out of anything fun!!
one of Jacob's best buddies came over to play and they had a great time dressing up!

two silly spidermen- for those who know them, they know this picture is much more them!

A day at Oak Mountain

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Oak Mountain! It was a beautiful day - perfect for enjoying the cooler weather and changing leaves. We packed a picnic and took their bikes and let them eat, ride, and explore. Later we drove to the top and then hiked down to Pevine Falls. Although it was more of a trickle, the kids loved it. They had a great time collecting leaves, finding sticks, climbing in the trees, and just playing outside.

2 monkeys in a tree!

down in the canyon near Pevine Falls (or trickle!) The leaves were gorgeous!

family in the tree

Jacob collecting a few fallen leaves

resting on the bridge

headed back up!

Halloween

We had a lot of fun for Halloween. Jay came home early so he and A could carve their pumpkin. We trick or treated with some friends from the neighborhood and then had everyone over for dessert afterward. Ms. Jennifer made dirt pudding with gummy worms and scorpions and it was a big hit (I made pretty sugar cookies w/ orange sprinkles!!). It was our first time to trick or treat our neighborhood and it was a great way to get to meet more neighbors!

Cleaning out the pumpkin- you can see Jacob making his escape- he was not so excited about this!

the finished product! These two love to do "artsy" things together, so this was super fun for them.

Nathan, the sad zebra. He cried most of the night, so I thought I'd put it on here. He hated the hat on his costume!

finally caught one of him half-smiling!

Jay and the kids- Jacob is a confused super hero!!

I love this picture b/c it is reality!! We had just handed them all glow-sticks and they were not the least bit interested in having their pictures made! (Notice Nathan still pulling on the zebra hat- at least he's not crying!) We're headed off to trick or treat!