A little Catching Up

So much has happened over the past month, I don't know where to begin. I guess I could start with the tornados that hit our area a few Wednesday's ago. What had started out as a lucky "sleep-in because of the rain" day turned into something out of a movie by the time the storm hit at noon. Our house and neighborhood was fine...thankfully...but there are many people in our area who lost their homes and some even their lives. Dan was out of town when the storm hit, so we spent that first night, without power, home alone and took off the next day to Atlanta. We were lucky enough to have a spare container of gas in the garage or we would have been stranded here. The power was out all over and the few gas stations that had gas had lines that would take all day. The boys eyes were glued to the windows as we slowly made out way out of town. Tree's were down everywhere and none of the traffic lights were working. It was absolutely insane. As I drove I remember looking at the sky. The clouds were so light and fluffy...they seemed to be almost flippant about the massive destruction they cause only the day before. I drove past a little shopping complex past Chattanooga that had been almost flattened by a tornado and I felt so humbled at the power that is had.

I am so thankful that our home was spared, and that my kids were safe. I'm thankful to good friends who let us crash their home when we had no where to go (the power was out almost a week!) and I am thankful for a community that is so caring and for people who called to check in on us and make sure we were okay.

When Dan did get back from his trip, he met us in Atlanta and drove home with us. His work wasn't able to open for another week and a half after the storm, so we were able to enjoy some time together. The first thing we did was buy food. We lost everything in our fridge when the power went out. The rest of the time we spent together, and Dan took some time to help with the storm clean-up around town.

Through all this craziness, I was able to finish my classes and can now say that I am a college graduate! I never thought the day would come to be honest. It always seemed like something that was so far away, so now that it is done, I don't really know what to do with myself. :) It does feel great to have accomplished something I've been dreaming about.

School is about out for the boys. I think we are all ready for the break. Ellie is still potty-training...she isn't "trained" yet, but we are trying! She has been my toughest potty-trainer yet.

I guess that is about all for now. I hope to be able to get back to more regular posts now that all the craziness is over. Have a great week everyone! Here are my pictures to catch me up...

I didn't get any pictures of the storm damage really because I was too busy trying to take care of my kids, but I did snap this one quickly when Dan got home. This is a spot I've used for photo shoots. I have taken pictures by this big tree and the rusty shed. The winds pulled it up by the roots. Sad.

Wed. night we had no power at home, so we lit our tea candles and roasted marshmallows. It turned out to be a lot fun!

A day off with Daddy...what better way to spend it?

Here's Daddy teaching the boys about where their bread comes from.

I really wanted a good family picture...while I was setting everything up, I got this one and I really like it!

My family shot. It's not perfect...but it was a good try anyway!

Everyone says Linc and I look alike.

Dan took these for me on the same day as the family shots. The days that I wear full make-up are few and far between so I had to take advantage of it for a profile picture. :)

Dan bought me some Karaoke games and the kids like them as much as I do! I grew up singing...it's fun to see them love it too.

"Hide-and-seek." Logan won.

Owen and Ellie LOVE their bubble baths!

I stopped in a yard sale of a friend of mine this weekend and got Ellie a few little horses. I laughed out loud when I walked in the room and saw her trying to sit on them herself!

Tonight for family movie night Lincoln picked the show Tarzan...the boys loved it and the rest of the night was spent swinging from imaginary vines!

Linc is notorious for sticking his head randomly into pictures.

Okay, I am caught up!