5.26.2015

Weather

We've had a crazy Spring here thanks to El Nino. Usually by Memorial Day weekend we already complaining about the heat and we've settled in to a pool routine.

This month has been filled with rain and while it is a blessing to finally have the lakes getting filled back up and to have help with the drought, it has also been tough to deal with the nonstop rain.

Saturday night we had a storm come through that included a small tornado just about a mile from us that did some decent damage to several houses and businesses. Everyone we know from that hood was safe but spent Sunday cleaning up. Monday started off nice and we finally got around to tackling the jungle that had grown up in the yards due to the rain. Around 1, Rick came in and turned on the news because he said it looked bad and he could hear the storm that was Northeast of us. We all sat and watched the weather and the tornado warnings that were popping up south but the maps showed all of it moving west of us.
The boys and I had plans to see their buddy Miles perform in a local play and were set to get ready despite the rain until the news showed a small storm making its way directly through Austin and in to Pflugerville. The news told us to be prepared to take shelter. We never saw a tornado but the rain was intense and while we were excited about backyard flooding, we had non idea what the rest of the hood was experiencing until the storm calmed and we decided to drive around.

The photos show the park and obviously the creek overflowing. There was a car that got caught and they were doing a rescue just as we came out. There is also the field where the boys used to practice baseball, our own flood in the backyard, and after it was all over the most interesting night sky that eventually turned this intense shade of yellow/orange.

The chances of rain are slim this week. Let's hope we get to play baseball and enjoy a little sun.

5.25.2015

Patience

Zach often gets overlooked as the middle child but his patience and sweetness for his sisters often overwhelms me.
We are all in a bit of a cleaning frenzy today. After cleaning the chalk wall, Zach sat for 20 minutes and complied without complaint while Lu dictated exactly what she wanted him to draw.

5.19.2015

where did you go spring?

School is being attended by two boys – one who is obsessed about perfect attendance and another who isn’t sure the point of it and would prefer to sit at home staring at his phone. Both are excelling but I think they are ready for the break.

My parents came for a week-long visit. I think it was a bit like Nellie Bly going undercover for 10 days in the asylum.  I am not sure they have fully recovered and there may be some lasting scars. It was nice to have them here although work was stupid busy so I didn’t get to spend the time I had wanted. Grandpa Pete did get to see two of JT’s games though and that meant the world to JT as ever since he started playing at 3 he has been asking when his grandparents were going to come and watch him play.
Chickens…well, they are still here and they are devious, mischievous, still in diapers (although I think Lu is really close), masters of the kindle and finding some of the weirdest stuff on YouTube (nothing bad just odd videos of adults opening kid toys), and big fans of Teen Titans Go and My Little Pony.
Rick is surviving. He is doing well with work and still enjoying it. He finally got a truck and for at least a week kept asking me why we waited so long. He isn't pleased that I've come up with a long list of things we can now do that in the past I was told we couldn't do because he didn't have a truck.

And me…I am feeling better. When I was pregnant with JT I was diagnosed with hypothyroid. For the most part it hasn't been a huge issue but the past year I've felt miserable. At first I thought it was depression or may be just being tired from work and life. My last visit to my endocrinologist left me frustrated as she wasn't interested in considering alternatives since I wasn't feeling 100%. Back in February I had this crazy moment where I was feeling miserable, my tongue swelled up, I couldn't get out of bed and I was just at a loss for what was going on. I did what everyone does at that moment and I googled my symptoms and well after a few weeks I went in search of a new doctor. So a few months later, lots of blood-work, one stressful week that included a biopsy (with benign results), and new medication I am back to feeling so much better than I have. I've also been swamped with work. Some of it boring stuff and some exciting.

Summer is looming. We are kicking it off with a quick trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas. After that we lots of ideas but nothing set yet.

Remember when you were a kid and you got a new pair of shoes and the most exciting part was wearing them out of the store? Well, the chickens have decided to wear swimsuits out of the store. Lu has also renamed it New Navy because the clothes are new not old.