Catching up- on the last month!

It is time I actually blogged again.

First I want to tell Nathan- Congratulations!!!! He graduated from Elementary School. We are proud of him and he did really well in school this year. He will be in band next year playing the trumpet and we are sure he will be busy with baseball too. He has some great friends to hang out with and will enjoy the next year.

Good luck in Middle School Nathan!

Texas Size Storm

We had a huge storm last night. It was quick to move in an was really bad. My kids had gymnastics and as we left the sky to the West was black and the clouds were rolling in. As we drove off the emergency sirens sounded. We didn't anywhere to go at that moment so we headed away from the storm to my sisters but realized she wasn't home. At the point we couldn't hear any sirens and it was still clear towards our home so we kept driving. We almost got home and the storm caught up to us. The wind began pushing the van very forcefully and the rain came down so intensely it was hard to see to drive. We were almost home so we hurried home and all got drenched running into the house. But we were safe.

When we got home we found our fence was down in two sections. Here are photos from this morning.

This part is actually three sections the neighbor has already taken out the posts and leaned the sections up against the fence.
All of my family was gone last night and had to weather the storm. Daniel was returning from work and called me to tell me the sirens were going off where he was and that we should probably get home quickly. Hollie was at a VBS with her kids and they had power go out and huddle in the gym until it was safe to leave. Her husband, Mark, beat the storm by his plane landing minutes before the storm. He had to drive home in it. My mom was on the way to the airport and felt her surburban being shoved over half a lane by the winds. She got to the airport only to find out my dad got sent to Austin. He got here just in time for the storm to hit. He did get home late last night after a delay in Austin. Mom finally got home to find all her power out (still out this morning) and in her front yard the tree broke a huge limb off and blocked the front door. They will be renting a chain saw and removing it this weekend. Mark and Hollie had their power go out during the night for awhile and found a leak in their roof.

My kids were shook up a bit last night being in a car and trying to get home. We heard alarms in the next city go off but we were fine. The fence will be easy to repair and we were all safe. I am glad to hear my family all make it home safely. It is still raining today but the big storm is gone. I sure don't remember storms like we have now when I was a teen growing up here. They seem to be getting bigger and bigger!

Chiggers = Misery!

If you don't live down here in Texas you might not have experienced Chiggers. They are microscopic bugs that bite! You don't feel them the day it happens. But 24 hours later life becomes torture. Yesterday we went on a great nature walk the cub scouts. We had a fabulous time. I am always thinking about chiggers when I am out in fields or wooded areas. I stepped into the long grass or off the path I would have chigger bites. I worked very hard to stay out of the grass and support my scouts from a distance... all my efforts were worthless. I counted 20 chigger bites tonight and think that count might not be all. An ant bite and a mosquito bite are nothing like these. You will never experience itching like a chigger bite!!!!

Poor Abigail was attacked too. She had around 10 bites this morning but now the entire area is all swollen and red so we don't know how many she really has but we are coating her with cream to soothe the pain! I know you all feel so sorry for us.

Misery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NJHS Induction

Last night Braden has the great honor of being inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. They had a very nice ceremony. He has to get service hours, keep his grades up, and continue to be a leader to his peers. He enjoyed the ceremony and ice cream after. In the group that made NJHS he has a great circle of friends. He is really going to enjoy being a part of this. We are extremely proud of him and he constant hard work!

Concerts, Contests, and 1st Grade Reader's Tea

This week has been busy with all kinds of performances. Braden has a band concert, band competition (straight 1's), Tanner had a Choir performance, Elizabeth had a Choir Contest, and Abigail had a Reader's Tea. That wasn't all we had with field trips, baseball games, and Father's Son Campout. It was a busy week. It is wonderful to see all their hard work and see the performances at the end of the year. Luckily school is back and no more threat of closing the doors. There are too many fun things to miss out on at the end of the year. We are getting ready for summer around here.

Here is Braden after his band concert... He looks so nice in his tux. Abigail had a soccer game at the same time and we juggled the schedule and make it for both of them.


Tanner dancing and singing to "Transylvania Mania" and posing with friends after the concert. (Amazing only 11 more days until he is 15.)(Tanner is the second on the left.)

Abigail at her 1st Graden Reader's Tea, reading her book she wrote and published. "All About Abigail" Excellent story and fabulous illustrations. She said she had 1 sister and 4 brothers. Has green eyes and has a dog Toby. Toby got an entire page about him and how he flips when he is excited. That puppy is loved and loved around here! She did a great job reading for the parents.

256 is the Magic Number

Corbin has a favorite number and we are not sure why he loves it so much. Whenever he is describing anything BIG he says there are 256 of them. The other night he went to camp with his dad and he told his dad he has 256 friends at camp. I was told we are in a traffic jam and there are 256 cars on the road. 256 toys to pick up... that is too hard! I laugh at all the times life is compared to 256. That is an important number!
The picture isn't related but it is a cute picture of him. He is so darn cute!... trouble too but we love him anyway.

Swine Break

So all the stress and reaction to swine flu has hit our town. We know that one school in our district has had a "confirmed case" of swine flu (another city). Rumors have been said that the day care has closed because of another case of swine flu in our city and the siblings of that child go to the elementary my children go to. We don't know anyone with the flu and would like to keep it that way (any flu is bad news when it hits our house... everyone has to share and it never goes away!!!!) All our sports have been canceled but since it has rained for weeks now (it feels like it at least) I think the rain would have canceled all our games anyway. Life and quiet and much slower than usual for us in May.

Then surprise my children got a great benefit to this flu last Friday as they were leaving school. A note was passed out saying the entire district is closed for an entire week (they don't even have to make it up.) My brother in law named our extra week of vacation "Swine Break". I suppose we are suppose to avoid the mall and going out (we only went today but won't go again... the older boys really needed new clothes and grandma and I had a great time going out to lunch with them.) and the kids get an entire week of fun, playing with friends, and hanging out with cousins. Tanner still has seminary so he gets to sleep a little later but still has to be there are 7:00. He said 7 makes a big difference. Everyone participated today and was alert. LOL

We hope this week helps stop this flu around here and we would really like to see it gone. We can only take advantage of some time together and a few quiet days... it won't last. Now two weeks of school and sports events will all be fit into the last two weeks of the month. We will be BUSY when it is back to school.