Raise the Roof and DANCE

Raise the Roof because we got one. A new roof that is, we had been without one for about a month which made for some sleepless nights during all of those storms that rolled through. Since the roof has been on we have only had rain one time for about five minutes - go figure.
And DANCE - Wenn had her dance recital June 4th and she was great.

This is her class minus one girl. They all loved this costume and they got to dance with maracas and glow in the dark. What more could a 5 year old girl ask for?

Wenn knew every move and was right on cue.

And behind stage they acted like crazed monkeys! She had so much fun. The girl has got some moves!!!

The House

I haven't posted pictures of the house in a while, mainly due to the insanity which is known as the month of May, oh and the whole potential flooding thing and just life in general. These were taken a couple of weeks ago as they were building the carport and changing the roofline. They have made pretty good progress since then and I will take some more photos tomorrow. No we are still not in but they are about to move back inside to work so hopefully it won't be too much longer. I am hoping to be back in by the 4th of July. Really, really, really hoping. It will all be worth it, it will all be worth it, it will all be worth it....

We Survived

School is out and Wenn survived 4 year olds. Her friend that is a boy broke up with her the last day but she didn't seem too upset. And....

we survived the "Flood of 2011". Thankfully the water did not get as high as they projected and all of the levees have held.

Old Man River

Old Man River is on the rise. Most of these pictures are from Saturday night when the girls and I rode and then walked to see the water before they closed the levee. I have always measured how high the water was by counting parking spaces on the waterfront. Saturday night there were 2 spaces, last night there were none. The water is high, really high and the river is not supposed to crest here until Monday. The levee is closed for vehicle travel but you can still walk to the top and look and at all times of the day there are people going to look. Everyone is watching, waiting, praying. The news has named it the "Great Flood of 2011" and I am hoping, at least in this part of the Delta, they have named it wrong. It is odd to me that during any other time of the year we live on Lake Ferguson, we forget about our proximity to the river but now that is all anyone can think about. For now we will keep watching, waiting and praying - praying that the levees hold, praying that this place we live will be spared, praying that God will continue to be with those who are responsible for keeping us safe. God is good, so just keep praying!

Easter in the woods

We had to be out of the house we are staying in Easter weekend so when the Snipes invited us to spend some time at the cabin, we quickly said yes. The cabin is great. Really that is an understatement, it is wonderful. We wear a lot of orange & blue (well, not all of us), we play outside, we ride 4 wheelers, we do crafts, we cook, we do a lot and it is all fun. For a place in the middle of nowhere, there is a ton to do. Andy went running Saturday morning so the girls and Peggy declared him the winner of the Meadow Brake 10K complete with a chocolate bunny trophy. Meg spent most of Saturday in big girl panties which was a big step. But the highlight of the weekend was chasing cows. Yes, I said chasing cows. Some of the neighbors decided that they were tired of feeding their livestock so they just let them loose. We herded cows with the jeep then Andy and Wenn tried to run them off on the 4 wheeler. I love that my city girls get a little dose of the country life every once in a while and I love it even more that it is with Charles Ed and Peggy. Sunday we went to the Carrollton Methodist Church for their Easter service. It was a fabulous weekend and we loved every single minute of it. Thanks Snipes!!!

What's been happening

Progress looks like 4 concrete trucks lined up at our house at 7:00 in the morning. We are making progress but it is a little slow and these April storms aren't helping much.
It will all be worth it in the end, it will all be worth it in the end, it will all be worth it in the end. Can you tell that's my mantra?

Praying Hard

I have been praying hard lately. Thursday I learned of three different people - friends, friends' husbands or a friend of a friend - who just discovered some major health issues and are need of prayers. Today I learned that the man who was the RUF director when I was Auburn, a wonderful man who was such a great teacher, has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is not going to be on this earth much longer. My sweet roomate my freshman year at Auburn, Emily, had an ectopic pregnancy and the doctors had to remove one fallopian tube and an ovary. I've been praying hard, all day long, every time these people pop into my head which is often. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer so I am asking you to pray too. I am sadden to think that any of these people would not be sharing their love and compassion in this world, that their ray of light would be gone. God is good, He is beyond measure, so pray that he takes care of these people. Thank you in advance for your prayers. They are greatly needed and appreciated.

Life as we know it

Life as we know right now it messy but FUN! We have moved out of our house until the renovations are complete. The girls have adjusted well and don't even mind sharing a room at our "Spring Cottage". That's what I am calling the house we are living in and I am so thankful that ReRe agreed to let us stay for a couple of months. I can not thank you enough!!! The contractors are making good progress and things should really speed up now that they are about to start on the additions this week. The girls are steady growing up too fast. Wenn is doing great in 4 year olds and her progress report said she is doing well. Meg got moved up to the 2 year old class and has started potty training. They bring so much joy to our lives and the four of us have so much fun together. Today we had a picnic at the indian mounds. We toured the museum and then climbed to the top of the tallest mound. Needless to say we all took good naps this afternoon.

Phase 3

Phase 3 has begun!!!! Please excuse the fact that these pictures are posted in reverse order but as you can see, we've been a putting in some sweat equity lately. Andy and I did some of the demolition ourselves to save a little money. And yes, I really did help and I am really good at ripping out sheetrock. We have lived in our house for 7 years and it is so exciting to finally be able to do the last phase of renovations and we were so happy to finally get our building permit after 3 trips to city hall. The short version of what we are doing is that we are going from a 3 bedroom/2 bath to a 4 bedroom/3 bath, kitchen remodel and adding a carport. The girls are moving upstairs and they can not wait. More photos to come.

Catching up

The past couple of months have been full of exciting events. Wenn had her first play and was fabulous! We had not one but two days of ground covering, make snowmen, go sledding on the levee snow which was so much fun. Meg turned TWO! We celebrated with a dance party with Caroline, Warner and Alexander. It was a great party and even her teachers came as you can see in the picture with Meg, Caroline and Miss Michelle. Besides visits from the stomach virus, upper respiratory infections, double ear infections and the flu last week, life has been good!

A new year

Happy 2011! I know I am running a month behind but what a month it has been. Meg was sick the first week or so, nothing out of the ordinary. Then on the 10th my grandmother made a trip to the emergency room and it has been a roller coaster ride since. My sweet grandmother had been sick with a cold. As you know, when you are sick with a cold, you don't really feel like eating. My 80 year old grandmother, who only weighs about 80 pounds, had become severly dehydrated and when my mom found her, she thought she had had a stroke. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital and I met them at the ER. If you had asked me that day if I thought that my grandmother would make it to her 81st birthday on February 7th, I would have told you no. But today she moved into Wellington Place and we are so excited! It has been a long road - in DRMC, out of DRMC, back to DRMC, on to St. Dominics - but we are so glad to have her in town. I just pray she enjoys meeting new friends and the transition is an easy one. God is good!
I do have to mention one bright spot of 2011 so far, my beloved Auburn Tigers won the National Championship! Yes, that is right, they are the greatest college football team in the world!!! (I can say world because no other country plays football) WAR DAMN EAGLE!
So here's to 2011, may it be happy, stress free and productive and may it be filled with love because everyone could use a little more of that!
Happy New Year!