Sunday at the park and some stories

It is hard to get a real smile out of Patrick. They are usually silly or forced looking, but I like this one a lot, even if he isn't looking at the camera. Nicholas has been a real prankster lately. He loves to get a mouthful of water while swimming and then spit it in your face. He thinks it's hilarious no matter how much we scold him. He has also been chasing the cats with water guns. Every time I try and change his diaper, change his clothes, wipe his mouth, etc., he runs away screaming and laughing. It is cute the first time, but all day long of this game gets old. He is very sweet other times bringing his dishes to the sink and always saying please and thank you. I was having a power struggle with Patrick last night over doing a breathing treatment and Nicholas said "Dow-jow, time-out! One...two..three!". This made us both laugh.

Last weekend, Mel and Jack came for a visit and Patrick asked me how to spell "carnivore". I told him and then later he came and asked for string, solo cups and tape. I was on the phone at the time, so I wasn't paying much attention. After I got off of the phone I went to see what he was up to and he had a sign strung across his doorway that said "Carnivore Room". He had made 4 very elaborate games from tinker toys, solo cups and various balls. I started laughing and said "Carnivore ?". He said "No, mom, I said carnival! Does that say carnivore?". He was embarrassed and fixed his sign, but I was amused at him welcoming his grandparents to stay in the "Carnivore Room". I videotaped the games he made. They were really quite ingenious. The one out of tinker toys was even 5 feet tall.

Hurricane

This was way after the storm when the water had receeded, but at one point there was a guy in a conoe paddling down our street.

We were so blessed to only go only 4 days without electricity in comparison to many people who still do not have power or who have lost their homes. Our water supply wasn't affected and our stove and water heater is gas powered, so we were fortunate to still be able to have hot water and cook in our kitchen (even if by flashlight). Before the storm, we did stock up on ice, bottled water, propane and charcoal for both grills. Chuck desperately tried to find a generator, but they were sold out all of the way to Dallas, Austin and San Antonio two days before the storm hit. The night of the storm we stayed up until 2:30am watching the progression. We finally went to sleep until Nicholas woke me up at 5am. The winds were really loud and flying debris kept hitting the house. We went downstairs to check the news again and the eye was really close to our area. The news people kept saying that if it sounded like there was a freight train overhead, then take cover, but it was so loud, I don't know if we would have been able to tell if there was a tornado or not. About 6:25am the power went out while Nicholas and I were downstairs watching the news. All of the flashlights were upstairs in our bathroom and if I had yelled out to Chuck, I don't think he would have heard me. I was contemplating how to get upstairs in the pitch black when I remembered my cell phone was in my purse close by. We used that as a light and got upstairs and woke up Chuck who then turned on some lantern flashlights. We went back to sleep and the rain continued for 8 more hours (raining a total of 14 hours straight). Chuck called Jack and he and Mel met us in Corsicana late Saturday night with 4 generators they had barely found in WF. We went to Walmart and bought an a/c window unit and gas cans that Chuck strapped to the top of the car and got home about 2:30am Sunday morning. Our neighbors on both sides purchased a generator and we were able to run our refrigerators, a small TV (although we didn't have cable), a lamp and fans. It was a great relief. But then came the anxiety of trying to find gas every day to fill the generators. All of the gas stations couldn't run without electricity and a lot of them had run out of gas before the storm. A generator our size usually runs 5 gallons of gas every 12 hours. Well, we made it through and Chuck even went back to work on Monday because all of downtown never lost power and the hotel was full of evacuees. Then came the anxiety of getting him to and from work with very few gas stations opening up and our neighbors still looking for gas to run our generators. It was crazy! On Tuesday, we heard on the radio that we should not expect to get power back for 4 weeks. Four weeks! Then Tuesday night all of a sudden the lights came on. We found out that only 15% of 400,000 Entergy customers got their power restored and we were part of them. Amazing! Our cell phones had not been working the entire time during all of this except for every once and awhile we could text, but it was very erratic. They came back on Wednesday and our cable/phone/internet connection was restored Wednesday night. Once again, I will say how very blessed we feel to have not had any damage to our house like you will see across the street from our house in the pictures below. We saw tons of tress lying on houses and cars in our neighborhood alone.

They brought in a huge crane to lift the tree off of their truck and house. The truck barely had a scratch. If I ever buy a truck, I think I will buy a Ford!

Fall is for FOOTBALL!!!!

Football has arrived. Today, I woke up tired, despondent and wishing for more sleep. Nicholas woke up every hour on the hour (it's amazing how kids do that) all night long with the tickle cough I had a week ago (except that I did not cry out for my mommy and look for my binky). Patrick is sick, as well, but was in good spirits ready to play with Nicholas and help me out today when I asked. My cell buzzed around noon and I had a message from Russ reminding me that the Cowboys were on at 3pm. Hastily, I forwarded the message to Chuck at work and then grabbed the remote out of Patrick's hands to make sure that we would be able to see the game. We are holding out until the absolute last minute possible to get the NFL Network as it will add $7.95/mo to our bill. It only takes a phone call to get it connected so at this point we can wait to see if it will be broadcast here before we add it on. I remember when we were in Boston and I would go to Sports Bars by myself to watch the Cowboys play. My grandmother (who is 90) keeps a schedule of the Cowboys and the Mavericks in her Bible. That is how important they are to our family. Anyways, I perked up immediately. All of a sudden the sun was brighter, my flower beds were more beautiful and life was just a little bit better than yesterday. The Cowboys delivered...they won 28-10. I love my football. I enjoyed seeing the Bears beat the Colts tonight and I secretly giggled that Tom Brady is out all season. Ha Ha you Patriot cheaters!

An old favorite poem from the past

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near
your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose
or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing
(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

E.E. Cummings