Surviving the storm

The storms of 2011 have not been fun. We got out of school early yesterday so everyone could prepare for the 3 rounds of storms that were headed our way. We were told that the third and final round would be the worst; no joke.

The first round hit while we were at school. Power outage, wind gusts, my students freaking out. My classroom is a portable, so we ran inside and spent the rest of the school day with another second grade class. But we survived the first round with only 2 trees injured at school. (One was struck by lightning, split in half. The other was blown over along with the concrete at its base)

The second round of storms hit around 3pm. The kids and I were at Melissa's house with our bag o' supplies. No power outages, no phone service lost, no real storm. (in Ringgold at least) Melissa and I laughed at what was supposed to be a big storm, and the kids and I went home.

Joe managed to make it home before the third round of storms got too bad. Most of the rain and wind seemed to be north of us, no real damage and no power outages... yet. I had prepared the bathroom downstairs with pillows, blankets, and books to read just in case.

Around 8:30pm we thought the storm was coming to a close. Joe had Abby were outside on the porch watching the lightning in the distance. When recounting the experience, Joe said, "I felt the hairs on my arms standing up. I turned around, and there it was." 'It' was the beginning of the Ringgold Tornado. Joe grabbed Abby, ran into the house, the power cut off and yelled, "Go now!" So we all ran to the prepared bathroom and stayed there for the following 2 hours.



The kids after 2 hours of confinement. We tried to get them to sleep. It never happened.



Andy being a trooper.



Abby doing, I don't know what.

Our phones went out somewhat. We could receive calls and messages, but could not send any out. I managed to get a call out to my friend Chrystal Morrison who managed to post on her Facebook page that we were fine. Today we still had phone and Internet problems, and Aunt Jenny was able to post for me that we survived.

Thankfully, the only damage we received was 2 pieces of siding were shaken loose from the back of the house. So, now it only looks like the tornado hit the inside of my house; which is how my house looks on a daily basis.

Who needs the Royal Wedding?

When we have Princess Abby!
On Easter, Abby was so impressed with how she looked that she told me, "Look at me, Mommy! I'm a princess!" How that is different from any other day, I have no idea.



We did not go all out this year with new outfits, but that didn't seem to matter with the kids. Isaac was excited to "Go see Will and Jesus" at church.



I told Isaac to put his hands on his hips and smile. This is what I got. sigh.



Andy was happy to take time out of eating his pancake to take a proper picture.



A little Marilyn Monroe-ish, but still cute.



Isaac getting his groove on.

It was a happy Easter. Isaac came home on a giant sugar high, which was fun for everyone. (not) Someone gave Isaac a cupcake during Sunday school; not a good idea.
Anyhoo, it was good that we got pics before the sugar rush!

Diamondbacks vs. the Giants

This was supposed to be Isaac's 4th game, but his 3rd got canceled due to storms. Last weekend, Isaac's team played the Giants. The surprise guests were... Grammy and Papa Delk! It was a good game, it was our team's turn to be the ones to play in the dirt. We kept our great attitudes and stayed in position on the field. (for the most part) I'm very proud of all they seem to be learning!



Isaac at the bat. Please notice the tucked in shirt. (Aunt Boo)



Isaac at first base. Shirt still tucked.



Waiting for his time at bat. His pants are so pristine, they are glowing.



Abby enjoying the game, and enjoying being out of the stroller!



Andy was not wanting his pic made. I had to finagle this one.

Isaac was excited about this game because he really wanted to play with his friend Will. Well, along with Will comes his sister, Caroline. The twins like playing with Caroline when we visit Maria's house, but this was a first at the game...



That's right. Caroline was feeding Andy; and he was loving it. He liked it so much, he was allowing Caroline to share in his snack, as long as she kept feeding him. I'll keep this pic for future embarrassment.



Abby wanted to sit where she didn't have to share her snack. So, she sat with Papa Delk.



After having a lovely snack with Caroline, Andy decided to visit with Papa Delk too.

It was a nice day for a game, and afterward we all went to ave pizza to celebrate our win. :) Thank you Grammy and Papa Delk for coming to watch!

Baby Ansley comes for a visit

I realize I am late in announcing this but.... Travis and Kayla had their baby! Well, let's be honest, Kayla had the baby and Travis gets to show her off.
One afternoon, the Wongs decided to take Ansley for a walk, and let her Delk neighbors get to meet her!



Here she is! She didn't know she was having her picture taken, or I'm sure she would have posed better. I got to babysit her last week while Kayla went to the store. We watched America's Next Top Model while discussing the decline in America's tv shows.



Abby was more impressed with Travis. No surprise there!



Andy was happy to see Travis too! He also peeked in to see baby Ansley, but I didn't get a pic fast enough.

Ansley is, of course, the best baby ever, so I'm sure she will be part of this blog again!

Growing some goodness

I know Joe has his own blog, but I wanted to post some pics of his progress as well. Don't ask me what each plant is, I'm just doing it mostly to show off his cute helpers. Check out Joe's blog at www.joehasagarden.blogspot.com to find out how things are really going.



Abby loves being helpful in the garden. She gets upset when Joe comes home and does not take her outside first thing.



Cheesing for me. You might wonder why the pic is so fuzzy... that is because I am inside taking the pic through the screen in the window. Lazy, I know.



Don't know what it is, but it's pretty!



We had some bees come by the garden, so the flowers are a success!!



I believe all of these sprouts have since been planted, most in the new 6x6 bed. Joe has the lumber ready to build the very last (I hope) bed. It will be a 4x16 and will go beside the 4x4 that he made last year. For all the time and $ that has gone into this venture, we had better see some results!!

Joseph has a little garden...

it is new and green. (like the book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.)




Anyhoo- Joe has a garden and he is very proud of it. Actually, we are all proud of it because he has been working on it for years. This year looks like it is going to be profitable. (well, more so than last year- we got 2 zucchinis, a few cucumbers and a tomato or two) This year, we will have a plethora of healthy, home grown vegetables.



This is the 4x4 vegetable bed that he made last year. In it this year, we have 3 tomato plants, broccoli, and some flowers. The flowers are for pollination purposes. Behind the bed is the compost pile. Joe is very proud of it since a family of worms has decided to take up residence. Worms are a sign of healthy soil, or compost as the case may be.



These are the two 6x6 beds that Joe made just this year. They will have flowers for pollination, also zucchini, okra, pumpkins, corn, lots of tomatoes, basil, and more, but Joe told them to me too fast. The okra is mostly for Kayla, our neighbor. The zucchini is for me, and the pumpkins are for Isaac. They will become his Jack-o-Lanterns this fall.



These have just been transplanted into cups. They were originally in egg cartons. Joe has been meticulous in following these seedling. By next week they should be ready to be planted in their new beds.



There are Isaac's strawberries. He chose the seeds himself, and he has tended them. I never knew he liked strawberries until now. I know he likes them in yogurt. Maybe we'll make our own strawberry yogurt later. (by adding the fruit to vanilla yogurt, I'm not that talented)



This little lady is Daddy's biggest helper. They work in the garden every day when Daddy gets home. Mostly, Joe gives her a shovel and tells her to find worms, or gives her a watering can to water the plants. It doesn't matter the task, she just loves being with Daddy. She also loves chasing Isaac with the worms she finds.

I mentioned earlier that Joe is planting broccoli. I know that shocked you. You probably thought, "Broccoli? Who in that house eats broccoli?" The answer is Abby. She loves it. The broccoli plant is hers and hers alone. Last week, it sprouted a little 'tree' out of the dirt. Joe called her over and said, "Look, Abby. Here's a broccoli for you." After hearing this, Abby came over, snapped the broccoli off the plant and ate it, dirt and all. "Mmmmm, good broccoli Daddy!"
Gross.

My guess is we are going to have too many vegetables to eat ourselves, so I am planning on introducing my students to fresh veggies before the year is over. There is a very good chance we will be sharing with our families too... but only if they come visit!! First come, first served!! :)

Jocelyn neglected to mention that I am keeping a garden notebook on a blog as well. Complete with more pictures. If you are incredibly bored and have nothing better to do than watch stuff grow (literally) then check out www.joehasagarden.blogspot.com It will also be a little more accurate since Jocelyn thinks our daughter eats dirt with her broccoli. She doesn't, she just likes digging for worms.

Diamondbacks vs. the Angels

Isaac's second game went better than the first. The kids knew what to expect, and so did the parents. The deal is that both teams get to bat and have fielding time twice, then the game is over. After the first round, both sides were done. The rest of the game was keeping kids from falling asleep on the outfield.



Isaac waiting for his turn to bat.



Daddy and Isaac waiting for a ball to be hit their way. All the players had a parent on the field with them- we learned from last time!




Belted! Deep right field!! Welcome to the show!!
(a prize for whoever can post who this was said for. Hint: last year, Fox Sports South. I'm guessing either Beth, Craig, or Papa Joe is going to get it)




After the game snack provided my Mrs. Maria, mother of Will.



The twins were in attendance of course. Fun was had by all!!



Well, fun was had by some, but snacks were had by all!!

Bad news... Isaac informed Joe and I that he didn't want to play baseball anymore. This did not come as a shock to us, since he has not wanted to go to any games lately. (not even the Atlanta or Rome Braves could tempt him) I think he does not like playing and being a fan at the same time.

So, Joe and I had a sit down talk with him about what is going to happen. We told Isaac that he couldn't quit. (calm down Grammies!) We told him that he would still go to play (practice) with Will at church, and he would dress and go to the games; but he did not have to play if he didn't want to. He seemed ok with that. (so did Joe since he didn't want his money wasted)

I have a feeling that once he sees the other kids playing, he will want to as well. If not, he can cheer with the twins and me in the stands. I think his biggest problem with the games is that he doesn't get a lot of ball time. They take turns in the different positions, and it's hard for a 4 year old's attention span.

We'll let you know how it goes!

Isaac's game- Joe's camera

Found the cord! Apparently we have numerous cords, but Joe has no idea where they are. Well, I found one and I'm hiding it for future use!!



Isaac waiting for his turn at bat.



Isaac with his teammates.



Swing batter, batter!!



Mrs. Amanda and Mason. Dakota was in a few, but he was inching out of the shot. This was the best one, even with Abby being a pain.



Andy having a great time.



Abby is just happy to be with Mrs. Amanda.

I think the twins liked that Amanda saved them from the stroller best of all! :)

Isaac's first game

Otherwise titled "Diamondbacks vs. the A's"

We signed Isaac up with the East Brainerd league because we wanted him to be with kids he knew- and the kids he knows are from church. There are 12 kids on his team; 2 from his Sunday school class.

We found out that East Brainerd names the younger teams after major league teams. We are the Diamondbacks and Isaac is #10. (after Chipper Jones- not a Diamondback)

The day was bright, the air was clean, and the kids were insane. To quote another parent, it was like "herding cats". Loosely organized chaos. The kids had a great time and that is all that matters. There is no way one can keep score, and no one gets out, so I'm not complaining. Everyone leaves happy!

Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took were on Joe's camera since it takes better pics. Joe has no idea where the cord to download the pics is. I will post the "good" pics as soon as we find the cord.

So, here the pictures from my inferior camera...



Parents are allowed on the field, which is good since the kids needed direction. Joe was the coach for this game since the head coach was out of town.



He's going for a grounder!! Actually, all the kids went for every ground ball. Everyone wanted to touch the ball. Not that they knew what to do with it...



Isaac posing for me. He has a good time, I think. It was difficult for Joe to be a coach and a parent. I'm looking forward to the next game where Joe can just be there for Ike.

I know what you're asking yourselves... "What about the twins?" Have no fear, they were there too! I had the trapped.



I came prepared with lots of snacks, toys and bubbles. They were fine, and stayed relatively dirt free. Amazing, I know.



Andy had a good time. All smiles here!



Abby was.... I'm actually not sure what Abby was. Weird, I guess.

A VIP showed up for the game too... Mrs. Amanda!! The kids' previous day care teacher was able to come to the game! She also brought her kids Dakota and Mason. My kids went crazy! She played with the twins and cheered for Isaac. Andy had fun sitting and making faces. Abby, who is in LOVE with Mason, just wanted to have his attention. (Mason is in 2nd grade at my school. He was not too thrilled with Abby wanting to hold his hand.) :)

After the game, the Delks and the Arellanos (Amanda and kids) all went out for pizza. Perfect day!

Anyone interested in watching the Diamondbacks let me know and I'll tell you the times of the games! Second game this weekend!

p.s. more pics later- including pics of the VIP and Isaac hitting the ball