Productive Fun?

The yard was finally dry enough to be mowed. It was beyond time as we had to wait out an incredible amount of rain. The shrubs were trimmed and the roof has been somewhat repaired, or at least patched to the point that we pray it no longer leaks! It is supposed to rain again tonight so we'll have to see what the morning reveals.

Testing gravity! Yikes.

Daddy's little helper loves the lawn mower and he says that word really clearly.

Ty's lawn mower needs a lot of adjustments throughout the job....

and uses a lot of gas too! He is just so stinking cute imitating his daddy.

Kate spent the morning looking for more bag worms, which she calls caterpillars. She found families of them and reunited them in a yogurt container with leaves she enjoyed watching them eat. She lets those things crawl all over her hands and arms while she determines their gender and role in their newly assigned family. It was quite a process she talked her way through! This girl can talk and talk and talk and talk.....you get the idea.

We played some too......

And needed baths....

Because Ty was upset about his dirty feet!

And I love clean baby scents!

Besides, he looks so handsome cleaned up for church. He strongly objects to his new sandles. He acted as though he couldn't walk when I first put them on his feet but that act wore off when he took off at church during our picnic dinner! He had the orneriest grin on his face as he ran as fast as he could away from me!

Out and About

It was beautiful today so we took off for the zoo. My membership expires tomorrow so I wanted to take advantage of one last trip before we take a break from visiting. It is a lot of work with extra babies in tow, not that Colby minded the sling one bit!

He just chewed on his toes which just happens to be one of his favorite pass times.

Lauren says we look like the Duggars, only we wear pants. We do get a lot of looks parading around with multiple little ones.

We saw sea lions, a polar bear, giraffes, rhinos, and a million people.....dear heaven we could barely park! It was wild.

Ty is excited as the bear "takes a bath"!

The sea lions were swimming right in front of the kids. Ty was captivated. I have mentioned that Kate chooses her own clothes??? We have different ideas about wardrobe!

On the way home we noted the Ohio river......and where the park used to be! The flooding is surreal.

The amphitheater is mostly under water and it typically sits a few feet above the water's edge.

These are large, full-size trees under water on the other side of the walk way that lines the river's edge.

If you look closely, you can see the light posts that also line the river walk area.

After our little site seeing excursion, we stopped for lunch at a locally owned Mexican restaurant in downtown New Albany. It was the best Mexican food I've found since moving away from San Antonio, Texas a LONG time ago! Locals must try La Rosita!

Little Big shot loves drinking out of a straw. He dropped his water cup and it spilled all over the floor. A little yellow caution sign was placed next to our table while the water was cleaned up and dried. I noted that I should probably have one of those signs available at all times.

 Back on the homestead, Kate and her friends captured a caterpillar named Gracie. I suggested Stinky but Grady and I lost to the dirt covered divas in that vote!

Last night's rainbow....God's promise.

Oh, Go Fly A Kite!

So we did!

Let's just say this wasn't my day and my frustration level was mounting. So, I put the kid's Easter gifts from my parents together and took them out into the wind to fly kites. Kate and Makenna have never done it and Kate was immediately impressed. She loved it!

As grateful as I am to have made it home safely from Ohio, and I am grateful, the $900 and counting repair bill is not welcomed. And just as I got that call, I walked into my laundry room and found this.....

The ceiling has water marks. Further investigation shows water in the attic started in the roof. Good times. Poor Greg was up for the last 24 hours and is only getting a few hours sleep today before waking up to this mess and heading off to early meetings at work.

Another storm's a brewing....

I love stormy nights. Although I don't particularly want damage to my house, I do appreciate lightening and watching trees bend and sway in wind. I admire the way raindrops land in puddles and how water beads up on flowers. Greg and I sleep with the blinds in our bedroom open (since we have no neighbors behind us!) when lightening storms take place at night. There is nothing like falling asleep to the sound of rain and seeing God's light show. However, this is getting a little crazy! We have water everywhere! The Ohio river is so far out of its banks that expressway ramps are closed! This was our view tonight and storms are brewing....every day for the next five days!

Isn't it awesome to look back over a situation and see God's hand on some aspect of your life? I took the kids to Ohio this weekend to see my Grandma and enjoy Easter egg activities with nephews and our niece. It was a good weekend despite Erin's health and Ty's unwillingness to sleep without his own bed. On the way home (in the rain!) I noted that the van was a little "off". It just seemed to be running a little rough. It wasn't a challenge or nerve racking for me so by the time I was in the garage, unloading a very packed van, I forgot to mention it to Greg. This morning; however, I asked Greg to drive it to his dental appointment to see what he thought about it. He backed it out of the driveway and then pulled it right back in. My van is a mess! By all calculations, I should not have been able to drive it home yesterday and yet, by God's grace, we are all home and safe while the van is now at the repair shop seeking repairs and maintenance! God is good and I appreciate the reminder.

Happy Easter!

Kristin's tulips...have I mentioned my love for them?

A few of my cousins visiting Grandma. We are quite a crew!

Ty needed a larger canvas.

It took a very long soak in the tub to remove all that color from his hands!

Brennen and that awesome six year old grin!

Mason showing off his favorite egg.

Makenna enjoyed the decorating process, especially once the paints were brought out.

Kate's #5 egg. She was at the table long after everyone else was finished.

The results are in......it was fun!

cousins are friends too

Kate and Grandpa on his new tractor

Kate and Lizzie were ready for their wagon ride behind the tractor. Lizzie called her "Cousin Kate" and she was pretty interested in "Baby Ty" too. We loved seeing Little Miss Personality.

Jessica, Brad, Lizzie and teeny tiny baby bump....the latest little Baughman is due September 29!

Ty wasn't that interested in hunting eggs but liked the chocolate inside! I suspect he'll be disappointed in the real eggs he gets after this weekend!

Makenna says she's ready to drive!

Have you heard the good news? Christ is risen.

Pneumonia

Erin was sent home from school on Monday because she was not feeling well. By Tuesday we decided she should see the doctor because her body temp was only 95 to 96 degrees. She was freezing, fatigued and achy all over. After a very thorough evaluation, blood work and a strep test, it was determined she was either at the end of a bacterial infection she successfully fought on her own or one was brewing. The body pain is connected to the gym teacher who appears to have missed his calling as a drill sergeant and allergies created the sore throat. "Rest for the remainder of the day and get back to school tomorrow" were our instructions. The storm hit Tuesday night, knocking out power for some of the schools in the district and the debris on the roads made travel unsafe for buses so school was canceled. Erin used the day to sleep. We had her get up and try to make it through the school today only to have her first period teacher send her home. She was miserable and I knew it was time to call the doctor again. Today's assessment revealed the bacterial infection is in fact, walking pneumonia. She is dehydrated and needs antibiotics. We pray she rebounds quickly so she can join our trip to Ohio this weekend. At this point, she just wants to sleep.

Taken Sunday at the park by the boyfriend whom I harassed Tuesday when they suggested the mono test!

One wild night!

This is how we found our trampoline today after 80 mile an hour straight line winds last night.

This is how far away from our house we found it....Our house sits behind the tree line. Apparently the wind lifted it over the trees and tossed it into more trees!

And after we went "redneck" and hitched the trampoline to the truck to drag it back into our yard, it looked like this! We did try to take it apart in the field, but it was so damaged we realized how futile those attempts were.

Hurricane Ike removed this same piece of vinyl in 2008.... at least we are consistent!

Anyone find shingles laying around? I seem to be missing a few!

Oh and a few more......

I pulled the kids into my bathroom with pillows for additional shelter at 12:15am when the storm really hit. It was pretty intense for a few minutes. I am praising God this was the extent of damage and we are all safe today.

Of course, not to be outdone by mother nature, Ty created his own storm of sorts today as well........

Last year's painted eggs.....

This year's "balls"

because the basket makes a great "hat"!

This is why he is so stinking cute!