Tornado

Yesterday we were preparing for a fun afternoon at Mama Mary and Granddaddy's with an Easter egg hunt and dinner. I knew we had a busy weekend ahead of us so I wanted the house clean and everything ready for a day of ballgames on Saturday and Easter on Sunday. We spent the morning cleaning. Cy and Piper were taking naps and I had just mopped the downstairs. I told the three older kids to sit on the couch and watch TV so they didn't wake Cy and Piper or mess up my floors! When they turned the TV on, I saw reports of storms, but I didn't see Murfreesboro and really just didn't think much about it. I told them I was going to shower before we got any storms and would fix lunch when I was done and the floors were dry. As I was getting ready I could tell it was getting a little yucky around here but still didn't think much about it. While I was in the shower we had lost satellite for the TV and I didn't have the weather radio on. Cy woke up so we went downstairs and got all the lunch fixings out and I asked Landon to go upstairs and get the weather radio. I then buckled Cy in his highchair. When I turned around, I heard this very loud noise. Out my back window I saw debris flying through the air and quickly realized it was a tornado. I yelled for Landon to come back downstairs and everyone in the pantry quickly. I about jerked Cy's legs off trying to get him out of his highchair. I ran upstairs to get Adaleigh and Piper out of their beds. My heart was racing and my body was shaking. It was a terrifying noise and sight. I was very fortunate that it did not come towards my house. I so desperately wanted to talk to Zack but knew he would not have his cell phone on him at work. I could not get any cell service and had no power. I finally received a text from Meghan asking if we were okay. I replied but still could not get through on the phone. I finally got through to Jen. Trip called her while we were talking so he was able to let Zack know we were okay.

It was so interesting to see the different reactions of my children. Landon took on a protective roll as the man in the house. He acted very calm, but he later told me his legs were shaking very bad and he couldn't stop them. He would not eat anything until later that day. Mia just screamed, "We are going to all die!", over and over again. Every now and then she would throw in "and will we be able to have an Easter Egg hunt?". Logan just sat calmly not saying a word. Cy and Piper were screaming crying because I jerked them out of the highchair and bed and threw them in the pantry.

When we knew everything was clear, we headed to mom and dads house. The kids and I stayed the night there because we did not have power till 2am. Many people around us are still without power today. I knew I had seen the tornado but I did not realize the extent of damage until I watched the news.

Late last night I came home to get some essentials and then went to a friends home that had been destroyed. I have never seen anything like it before.

After returning home this morning, I have been sitting in my house listening to the helicopters flying overhead and the chainsaws working in the distance. My heart goes out to all the families who have lost their homes. I can not imagine having my home torn to shreds.

Thank you to all who called or emailed to make sure we were okay. I hope and pray as a community we can come together to help all those families in need at this time. I have never seen anything like this first hand.

Piper has a new hair do

Piper's hair has been driving me absolutely crazy. She will not keep anything in it. I try to put a bow or clip in it all the time and she just rips it out. She has pulled out so much hair. It is always in her face which I hate. I decided to have it cut off to even out the length and let all the hair she has broken off catch up to the rest. I love it! Landon said he didn't like it because Piper's hair is what made Piper. He said it was always crazy just like she is!!

Spring Break

We had a great Spring Break. On Monday Landon and Mia went swimming at Patterson Park with Aunt Karen, Isaac, and Nevin and then went to the farm to play. They had a blast!!

We took advantage of the great weather on Tuesday and headed for the Nashville Zoo. It was lots of fun. Everyone was great and enjoyed the day. There is one area where you go inside and look at reptiles and spiders. It is dark in there and no strollers allowed. We had taken Cy and Piper out and were holding their hands. At this one particular point, Zack and I each had one of Cy's hands. Before I knew it this little boy walks up and claws Cy in the face. It all happened so fast that I couldn't do anything and didn't say anything. I thought some very ugly comments. I know Cy didn't do anything to this kid because we had both of his hands. The kid went out of his way to get him. Once we got outside we could see the scratches down his face. Poor Cy always gets picked on. All I have to say is these kids better watch out because one of these days he is going to fight back and he is no small kid. Besides this one experience it was great. We ended the day by playing on the jungle gym and the small kids played in their play area.

Wednesday it was a rainy, yucky day. We spent the day at home being lazy.

Thursday we caught up on some house work and errands and then went to one of our favorite parks to play. Landon had money in his pocket for dinner so we went out for dinner. It was a nice treat. We actually found somewhere that three of the kids could eat for free, which was even better.

Friday we (the kids and I) headed to Chattanooga for a weekend of fun. Mia gets so car sick that any drive is not fun. We made it and only had to stop once on the way. I gave her a Dramamine but one did not do the trick. I gave her two on the way home. We hung out at J and K's house until it was time to go pick up the kids from school. Long enough for my kids to destroy her house. After we picked up cousins from school, we headed to the aquarium. It was lots of fun. My kids loved it. K2 had a piano recital that night and M went to watch that. I stayed home with the other kids. When they got home from the recital we had cake and ice cream for T's birthday!! Saturday the M family was helping with a 5K race on the mountain. K left early, J took K2 and M with her, T stayed home with Grandma J, and I headed up with the others. Driving up the mountain is not my thing and when you add thick fog I just couldn't do it. Unfortunately for my crew we had to turn around and go back to the house. I could not see a thing and had no idea where I was going. K2 and M were able to run the 1 mile fun run and loved it. I would have loved to see them, but I just couldn't bring myself to drive up the mountain with fog. The big boys came home and made a worm farm, worm swamp, and worm catapult. We headed back to Murfreesboro that afternoon. Thank you for letting us come and crash your weekend. We had a great time and a much needed getaway.

It was so nice having all the kids home for a week and doing what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it. It does make homeschooling seem appealing. Landon has been off this past week as well. I love having his help and hate to send him back to school tomorrow.

Piper and Cy turn 2!!!

Piper and Cy turned 2 on March 23. They wanted to make sure I knew they were true 2 year olds. It was a day with poop smeared all over the room and major meltdowns. We did not have a party but had several visitors stop by. Aunt Karen, Isaac, and Nevin came by that morning to pick Landon and Mia up to go swimming. Then later that day Mama Mary, Grandma, and Jackie came by with birthday presents. Grandma and Jackie joined in for some birthday cake and ice cream.

Piper not so sure about the candles on her cupcake.

Can you tell how happy we are???

Piper trying to decide if she should eat it or not...Cy watching every move Piper makes to see what he should do...Finally we see smiles and dirty happy faces!!! They both enjoyed every bite of their cupcakes.

Perfect Angel

Adaleigh is a perfect angel. She is the best baby. If only I could keep them as babies!! She is eating and growing like a weed. She had her one month check up last week and weighed 10lbs 6oz. Since we have moved her into her room she has been sleeping great. She only gets up one or two times a night. She eats and goes right back to sleep. The other kids love on her and want to hold her all the time. Mia and Logan are especially good with her. They seem to have the magic touch to make her stop crying. It is great to have such good helpers.

This was the beginning

It was after this day that we decided to move Cy and Piper into toddler beds in the big room. They had started climbing out of their cribs and would destroy Adaleigh's room. It was normal for them to empty every drawer, pull everything out of her closet, and open up all the bags of diapers and throw them all over the room. After repeatedly trying to put them back in their beds, I would give up and just leave them in the room so I could have a little break. I knew I would just have to clean up the mess when I let them out. Well this day they added lotion to the mix. There was lotion everywhere. It was all over the newly cleaned carpets, on the clothes and diapers dumped on the floor, on the curtains and walls, and Piper managed to cover herself from head to toe in the lotion. Somehow Cy escaped with very little on him. So this time not only did I have to clean up the room, but I had to wash all the clothes, scrub the carpets and bath the kids. The only positive thing was it was Burt's Bees lotion so the room smelled really good.

I figured if they were going to climb out of their beds anyway why not put them in a bed they can get back into. They have actually done pretty well with the transition. They did great at first but are having way too much fun now. Now they have four dressers they can empty. Clothes for five will be easier to clean up...what was I thinking. They have both stopped napping. At night it takes them a little while to go to sleep but once Cy is asleep he is out for the night. Piper is having more trouble. She is up 4-5 times a night and very early in the morning. I don't know if it is her bed or what. I will be rereading my sleep book with hopes of finding answers. I think if she can start getting naps again and getting a good night sleep that her behavior may improve a little. Or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

Piper was very proud of what she had done!!

Spring Sports

Our first games for Spring Sports were today. Mia is playing soccer and Landon is playing baseball. I was worried how I was going to manage two different sports without Zack since he works a weekend shift job, but was very pleased when I got their schedules that they only have one Saturday game that overlaps. I love watching my kids play sports. I don't mind being at the ball fields all day. It can get very overwhelming and tiresome with the little ones, but for the most part I love it. This morning Mia said, "Mom I was having a great day today, and when you told me I had a soccer game my heart was filled with joy." That comment made it all worth it!!