Under the Stairs

This last week has seemed to last an eternity. I am going to try my best and get you all up to speed on all of the happenings. It all started under the stairs...that is where we spent over 2 hours of our time in the middle of the night this past Wednesday! As crazy storms ripped their way through the southeast, TJ and I watched it unfold, right up to when it got to our county! We had put the kids to bed like any normal night, knowing that REALLY bad storms were on their way. Then, we watched as two storms, one right after the other, made their way to the small towns and cities surrounding my parent's house. By the grace of God, my parent's house and property was spared, but just a few short miles down the road is complete destruction. My mother's school was hit pretty bad and was closed the rest of the week. There was also damage to the hospital Dad works at; they had windows blown out early that morning before the really bad stuff even hit! So, as we were watching the weather and praying for Mom and Dad we noticed another big cell of storms forming south of Atlanta and looking like they might head this way. Well, sure enough, at around 11 pm, right after a friend texted me on facebook to go get our kids, the sirens went off. We'd already cleared out the little closet under our stairs, set up the pack and play for Mady and a little sleeping bag for Trip, hoping they'd just go right back to sleep. Well, that plan did not work out, so the four of us huddled tight in the closet for about two hours. Trip had taken some codeine that night because earlier that day he'd been diagnosed with a double ear infection. So, he was pretty out of it at first. About half an hour after we brought them down, he looked up at me and said, "how did I get down here?" Mady on the other hand woke right up and wanted nothing to do with being under the stairs. She wanted out! My friend's husband works for the airport and has a special weather program on his computer, so she was keeping me updated on Facebook as to where the storms were and when we were safe to come out of hiding. I was also texting my brother and parents to keep each other updated on our safety. And, I was also keeping other friends that were stuck in places with nothing but their cell phones updated, so they would know when we could all go back to sleep. While I was on the computer, I turned to the kids favorite thing to watch: clips of the Swedish Chef from the muppets. This kept them pretty occupied for most of our time under the stairs. Finally, at about 1 am were able to put them back in their beds and go on to sleep. Just like my parents, our part of town was spared, but just down the road there is so much destruction and damage! Tornadoes are really such scary storms! I just praise God that all my loved ones were protected. All we lost was a few hours of sleep; so many people have lost so much more! I will say that the best comment of the night came from Mady. Both the kids were concerned about some important toys that had been left upstairs and whether or not they might get blown away. So, I asked them, "what is more important people or toys?" And, Mady, completely seriously, says "toys!" Oh the mind of a two year old...of course toys are more important! :-)

The night of crazy weather definitely made the rest of the week a bit of a struggle as we all tried to catch back up on our sleep and return to or normal routine. I debated keeping the kids home with me on Thursday, but they were scheduled to have Transportation Day at school and I knew they wouldn't want to miss that. It's a day where they get to take their bikes or scooters to school and ride around outside in this city made of card board box buildings. There is a car wash, a gas station, a place to get your drivers license, a lemonade stand, a donut store, a library, vet, etc... It's a really fun idea and the kids love it! So, I let them sleep in as late as I could, dressed them, handed them a pop tart and took them to school with their scooters! They both had a great time, but we all took big naps that afternoon.

Friday was another doozy of a day. While we did not get up early to watch the entire royal wedding, we were up in time to see them come out on the balcony and kiss. Both kids were fascinated with the prince and princess, but especially Mady. She sat on the couch in her pink pajamas, waving to the princess as if she could see her! I remember watching Princess Diana and Charles get married, so it was so fun to share in it with my kids this time around! I know it's a piece of history they will remember. Next was our last CBS class (bible study) of the school year, and therefore, last one EVER for Trip! It was such a bittersweet morning for me. Trip and I have been going to CBS together since he was 9 months old! It has been such a joy to watch him learn God's word and apply it to his little world. He loves all the teachers there and they shower him with unconditional love and support every Friday! I am so sad he will be in kindergarten and unable to join us again next year. I just pray that God will open up the door for another kind of learning environment that fills him with the promises of God like CBS has!

Our weekend was busy as usual with baseball games and fun with friends. TJ and I went on a much needed date, so the kids had fun with a new babysitter! Then, on Sunday, Trip's little league group got to walk around the field before the Braves' game. So, we all went to the game and melted in the hot, Southern sun! We got to sit with some friends and enjoy some time with their family, so that was an added bonus. Unfortunately, it was "Bark in the Park" day so because the stadium was swarming with hot, nasty dogs, the kids could not run the bases at the top of the stadium. They didn't seem to mind because they were loving all the dogs. I, on the other hand, think that whoever came up with the idea of bringing your dogs to the ball park is an IDIOT! I mean really, do you think a dog wants to be at a major league ball park? Sorry if I offend any of our dog-loving family. I do not want to have to be on the lookout for pee and poop when I go to a game; I just want to sit back and watch my team play ball!!

So, I think that about wraps it all up! Sorry for the lengthy blog post, but I wanted to be sure and get it all in. I am hoping for a more mellow week this week! Of course, now that the storms are over the kids keep asking us to clear out the closet under the stairs so they can play under there. Funny how appealing it is when it's not storming out in the middle of the night. I would rather not spend any more time under there, no matter what the circumstances!