After the Flood

We are still in state of shock around here as we recover from the big flood. I use the term "we" loosely as we escaped the disaster with only a few tears and long days with no power. The rains began pouring on Saturday while we were in the midst of gathering with family to learn the gender of my brother's baby as well as our own (more on that later-we are having another boy, are thrilled, and will formally introduce him on the blog once we have his full name picked out!) By the time we arrived home from our busy, fun, soggy day-we were beat and ready for bed. We awoke the next morning to a power outage and more rain. We stayed close to home as many of the roads were already flooded. We prayed for families who were losing their homes right before our eyes, and we gathered around neighbors to keep up with the news. We had no cell phones in our house, were basically on an island as far as road closures, and really had no idea what was going on. We ventured out on foot every time there was a break in the rain. We do live along the Harpeth River (skipping rocks in it is one of our all-time favorite activities), but bear in mind that the river is really quite narrow, shallow, and is a good 7-8 minute walk from our house. They don't even sell flood insurance to homeowners in our neighborhood because we are considered a no-flood zone. Our wildest imaginations could not prepare us for what we would see that afternoon as we walked to the end of our street. The river had come all the way up and was flooding the homes that lie on the street perpendicular to ours. We watched and stood with our fellow neighbors as we saw many of people's possessions float downstream. People were rescued by neighbors from their second story windows where they had previously assumed they were safe. We stood, helpless, as people lost everything they owned. The waters never reached our home. The Lord protected us from a very dangerous situation, and we are so thankful. We continue to pray for those around us as we are amidst a disaster like I have never seen in person.

This is the path we walk along every night that takes us down to another path which runs along the river. Because of the trees and drop-off, you usually can't even view the river from this spot.
This is the street that runs perpendicular to us. This was taken around noon. It got much worse before it got better. I think this was the point where we went home and moved many of our belongings to the second floor.
The boys were dumbfounded. They thought nothing of all the water of course-they just thought that was fun. They did, however, sense the seriousness of the situation and were quite clingy/fussy the whole day.
The owner of the white BMW in the background had to move his car to higher ground as the waters rose literally before our eyes. An hour later we couldn't even make it this far down the street.
Heading out to see the river. I don't think they realized it would be at the bottom of our street!

Handsome Boys

We took these pictures before church yesterday because the boys were just looking so darn handsome.

Happy Third Birthday, Owen!

Owen, we just can't believe how fast you have grown into a little boy. We are so happy you are three and are excited to see what this year has in store for you. Since your last birthday, you have fallen in love with sand, construction, making your own garbage to scoop into your garbage truck, sitting in bed with us and reading books or watching movies, playing with your brother, stalling until you make me almost late to pick Micah up from school, wanting to sit in a "big boy" chair at dinner, and countless other things. You still sleep in a crib because you stay in there so well, and I am just not ready to tackle you and Micah in the same room just yet. You still have your allergies, but are such a trooper when we tell you that you can't eat something. Your favorite food, by far these days, is pasta. You even ask for it at breakfast sometimes! You remain such a good eater, (except when you have this new mysterious throat ache that makes everything spicy-we'll blame your seasonal allergies for that one!) and are probably one of the healthiest little boys out there. Fruits and veggies cover your plate and you love all the colors! You are excited to be a big boy, but still love for me to hold you. This is getting harder to do, and you aren't that excited when I have to put you down. Your naps are very random-some weeks you sleep everyday and some you don't at all. We always have room time, and you do a great job staying in your bed until I come to get you. When you move into Micah's room, I actually think you might miss having your own special alone time in your bed. You spend a good deal of time talking and pretending in there before you fall asleep. You are not shy at all at home and can really be quite feisty lately, but you often become shy and timid in unfamiliar places. Lately, you even sit so quietly in our laps at church because you don't want to go to the nursery. Owen, you are one of a kind; you are our's; we love you so much. May the Lord continue to bless you as you grow, may He grant you his peace and Spirit, may He give us many more precious years with you! We love you, sweet boy.

Dyeing Eggs

Easter

Our Easter Sunday started out a bit hectic, so I don't have any pictures of the boys fresh in their cute clothes. It was my turn to work in the nursery at church, so Matt took the boys to the park. We met up and went to the late service together. Needless to say, by the time we got home everyone was hungry, tired, and a bit disheveled. I did manage to catch some photos of the boys opening their Easter baskets after lunch. They were so excited about the new cups and silverware, which we desperately needed. Notice Micah's pink and purple set. What can I say, those are the boy's favorite colors!

Zoo Day

We finally had a Saturday where Matt was not working or sick, and we wanted to do something fun as a family (even though there were countless chores we needed to catch up on). Micah was very excited to go to the zoo, so that is where we went-along with half of Nashville. The weather was gorgeous, and the boys had a wonderful time. The elephants were by far the favorite of the day.

Our Newest Addition

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

And to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

And Your faithfulness every night,

On an instrument of ten strings,

On the lute,

And on the harp,

With harmonious sound.

For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;

I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

Psalm 92:1-4

We are so happy around here to announce that the Lord has blessed us with another child! Lord willing, our baby will make an entrance around the seventh of October.

Notice the great "thumbs up" we received at the end of our ultrasound. I think he/she is trying to tell me "just relax, everything is great in here." Hmmm.... a laid back baby is just what we need!

From Snow to Spring

Well, it has been quite a while since my last post. So much to say and so much to not say. I am finding it hard to blog these days. Alas, I will not let another two months go by without posting some pictures of my ever-changing, ridiculously handsome, enormous boys! Okay, they are actually on the small side for their age, but they just look enormous to me. I have finally gotten to the point where I can no longer pick Micah up. It was a sad realization today that I might never hold my first born again. At least he still fits rather nicely in my lap. And Owen has officially lost all "babiness," and is just a full out boy. He is getting so tall and lean. I can't believe my baby will be 3 in three weeks. Enjoy the pictures of our day at the park. There are sure to be many posts to follow as we make our way to Easter, outdoor adventures, and birthdays.

Snow Days

Friday morning it began snowing. It snowed and snowed and snowed-all day and into the night. That just doesn't happen very often down here in Tennessee. Of course the boys and I were out trying to run an errand before the big storm moved in, but didn't make it home in time. We traveled at a snail's pace from Franklin to our home (usually about a 30 min. drive) in about 1.5 hours. Then, once Matt finished up his patients, it took him 2 hours to get home. After lunch, when Matt was finally home, we ventured out into the freezing cold to play. We don't exactly have much snow gear here, so we just pieced together whatever we could find to stay warm! The boys were transfixed. I am not a winter person-give me the warm sun any day, but at least when it's so cold, snow makes it a little bit fun.

I think Micah is trying to catch some snowflakes here
Happy boy in the snow. He loved it!
Ellie had no idea what to do. She tiptoed around, ate her fair share of snow, and then decided to call it a day and head back inside.
Look how high up the snow came on the rock wall. We estimated about 5-6 inches at our house.

Going down the slide (so fun because they would keep sliding along the ground once they reached the bottom.
Owen tired out quickly. Here he is crying about cold hands. I couldn't resist snapping a picture. Our laid back Owen who never cried has turned into quite a fussy 2 1/2 year old!I took him in for some hot chocolate (chocolate Rice Dream) and a movie after this.

On the other hand, our fussy Micah has turned into quite the happy 4 1/2 year old. Funny how the tables change.


Today, the boys were able to build a snowman because the sun started melting some of the snow, making it easier to shape. I didn't go out today, just snapped this from the door. Two days of playing in snow is enough for me. Besides, I think it is a well known fact that Dads are much more fun in the snow anyway.
Hope you are staying warm!