The Flood of 2008

On Sunday we went to Ottumwa, Ia to witness all the flooding. I wanted my kids to see this devastation. I took a few pictures that I thought you might enjoy. The one of the trailer is on Rabbit Run. You can see directly behind the trailer is either a garage or house that the water is up to the roof. As you can see in the other picture that the water is right below the steel on the bottom part of the bridge. I love that picture! The colors are so beautiful. I wanted to also get a picture of all of us with the flood behind us so I can scrap it for the boys. The kids really wanted to sand bag. I don't really know if they even know what "sandbagging" is. My heart really goes out to all the victims of the flooding. I can not even imagine what they are going thru or even how they are feeling. Please pray for all of them.

Friday the 13th

I don't like Friday the 13th's. My mom has always been superstitous and she has made me that way. I think she is a little more than I am though:)

Last night was a pretty wicked night. I hate storms b/c of the threat of tornados! I left work a little early to go to Bloomfield to get mine and Braxton's hair cut. Jared called me on the way there to tell me to beware of the big storm that was going to be coming thru. I figured he was just telling me this b/c he likes to get me scared. I wasn't that scared until I started home and several people called me to tell me to stay in Bloomfield and get into a basement. I actually listened and flew back to Cutter's Lane. We hung out in the basement for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I was scared b/c I knew the sirens were going off in Lancaster and it was headed towards us. Then when I was about to head out again another storm was coming. So I waited some more:) We did finally make it home safe and sound. I looked at my phone when I got home and between people calling me and me calling Jared to check on them I had over 70 phone calls! I can't wait to see the bill to see how many incoming and outgoing calls that were actually made. We have been so lucky to not have had much damage around here, I just hope our luck doesn't run out.

Braxton was suppose to have a baseball tournament in Memphis this weekend. But with all the rain it got cancelled. So we will be home with not a lot to do. I can't wait:)

I hope everyone has a good FRIDAY THE 13TH. I hope noone has any bad luck!

Tired

Man am I tired! I don't know if it is the weather or that everything is finally catching up with me. Maybe it is a combo of both. But I don't forecast much sleep in the next few weeks. Braxton has a game tonight at Memphis. He is going to be playing his buddies. They stomped us last time so hopefully we can return the stomping this time. Bronson played last night here in Lancaster. The little field that they normally play on was too wet so we moved the game to the GREAT big field. I think that field really threw those little guys for a loop. Andrea told our kids to sit down in the dugout in their batting order and they sat down backwards. When we couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with them we realized that the dugout was backwards to what they are used to in the other dugout. No wonder they were confused. Then when the kids went up to bat a lot of the kids on the other Lancaster team were going to the wrong side of home plate to bat. Again, this was because it was backwards to what they are used to. The game was not as good as they have been in the past and I think it had a lot to do with the field. Hopefully we won't have to play there anymore. I hate confusing those little boogers:)

I have lost my camera! Once I find it I will post the pictures of Bronson playing ball. I think it might be in one of the kids baseball bags. I looked in Bronson's where I thought I put it but didn't find it. Maybe it is in there and I overlooked it. Who knows! and as Bronson would say Who Cares! I think I should have his attitude sometims.

The Frederick's left for North Dakota last night after the game. Bronson wanted to go with them. I told him he couldn't even stay at their house all night and it is just right down the road let only stay away from me for 7 whole days and be 14 hours away from me. He said that wasn't too far away he could stay awake the whole way there. RIGHT! I am sure they would have been really tired of him by the end of 7 days. Maybe someday when he gets older and braver we might think about it, until then................

Twister

Well I am not sure if it was a twister that hit last night or if it was just straight line winds......

Whatever it was it scared me, Bronson and Braylon to death. I was frantically calling Jared and Braxton to tell them to get their butts home b/c it was getting ready to storm. But of course they were too busy feeding the chickens and didn't answer. I would look out one door and then look out another. As I was headed to look out the side door I saw barrells and all kinds of stuff flying by the kitchen windows as I turned around to get the boys to the basement our glass in our screen door EXPLODED. It was so loud. I hurried and got the boys put in the basement. Not long after Jared, Braxton and Vance came in the house. All 3 of them seemed pretty shook up. The damage we had was our door, our "glass" patio table (2nd one demolished from a tornado/wind storm), grill, water slide and some slight damage on the house. We had a lot of things in our yard that didn't belong to us. There were several damages around us at our neighbors. I think it is crazy at Vance and Andrea's,1/4 of a mile down the road, that it didn't do hardly anything. Nobody was hurt thank goodness.

On a lighter note,

We ballgamed all weekend long. Jared got to ride a pony too:) Check out Andrea's blog in the next few days and she will post all the fun he had:) We really wish Vance would have had the camera when Jared got thrown off. How come you never have one when you need one? Maybe next time, unless there is not a next time for Jared and the pony:)

I have Curves and grocery shopping tonight. Doesn't that sound like fun? Curves yes, grocery shopping NO!

Where have I been??

I can't believe I haven't blogged in forever! Someone (dianna) has been on my case for not blogging so this one is for you:)

Things have been a little busy this week. Jared and I went to Ottumwa on Tuesday night to get stuff to landscape our yard. That was interesting. After much DISCUSSION we decided on what we wanted. So Wednesday night we started the process. I was really surprised that we didn't argue as much as I thought we would. We only got 1/3 of it done. We had gotten 18 bags of river rock to do it all and we used 16 bags on 1/3 of it. So much for that thought. So now we have more river rock coming next week. Then last night Jared did some more. He called me and asked how I wanted that side down. I told him and then I was thinking "great, he probably won't do it right" but to my surprise he did a better job than I could have probably done. AND I even told him that. I know, what is wrong with me:)

Yesterday I went to Trenton, Mo to my great uncles funeral. I was so glad that the rain held off. There is nothing worse than going to a funeral and it raining!

Tonight both boys have games. I am hoping the fields dry out enough. Tomorrow is our Lancaster Little League Days. So both boys have games again. I am sure I will be spending most of my day there. The temp is suppose to be 89 degrees:) WOO HOO!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I know if the rain holds off, everyone will!

Ball!!

I know you guys are probably tired of me blogging about ball, but that is my life right now:) Braxton had a game on Friday night and they won 10-4. Braxton had a really good game. He pitched the whole game (which was 4 innings) and struck out 8 and only walked a couple. I was really proud of him. He had some good plays to first and hit a couple of times. He did strike out once though. But you can't always do great:)

Saturday we were up with the chickens so Jared could see about pulling my stupid brother out on a dirt road. Who knows why he was on a dirt road at 5 in the morning. My guess is probably the same as your guess. His business though, not mine. Anyhow it was off to the All Star tryouts in Memphis. Braxton made it! WOO HOO! So now it sounds like July is going to be VERY busy! Bet you can't guess with what?!?! I also helped my cousin clean some of her HUGE house that they are moving into today!

Braxton had Laine Brown, Keaton Nelson and Aaron Buford over on Sat night for a weiner roast and to camp out in the tent. They had lots of fun and even slept in the tent ALL night long:) I couldn't believe it. The boys stayed for most of the day yesterday too. We put up Bronson's waterslide so they would have lots to do. They played smear the queer, slid in the mud, played monster badmitten, played on the waterslide and numerous other things that I probably don't know about:)

All in all in it was a great weekend. Bronson has a game tonight, Braxton a game tomorrow night and then both of them have games on Friday night and Sat. Another busy week, which I love!

IA-MO Camp

Bronson had his final night of VBS on Friday night. They went to the IA-MO Camp to eat and "serve" the camp. The pictures are of the kids eating hotdogs, chips, cookies and watermelon before they served. Then there are pictures of Colby, Gavin and Bronson dusting the pews off and then they so kindly posed for a picture.