Sandy Fun

If only this sandy fun involved seagulls and suntans!  We were getting a little picture heavy this week so I thought I'd share our adventures during Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Nor'easter Sandy.

I'm not sure how things were in your neck of the woods, but here in southeastern VA, Sandy was the storm that just wouldn't quit.  Sunday was our 3rd day of cloudy skies even though it was supposed to be the first true day of the storm.  Avery and Ned braved church while Sam and I stayed home to get well.  Pink cupcakes always treat me well during inclement weather, so I whipped some up, praying that they wouldn't bring the same weather as last year.

After nap time, it was a pumpkin carving, cupcake decorating extravaganza.  This was Avery's first experience with pumpkins but certainly not cupcakes.

Avery managed one lick for every sprinkle she added.  Her after dinner cupcake kind of looked like a dog decorated it with its tongue.

Avery picked a pumpkin from Five Little Pumpkins for us to replicate.  Sam woke up from his nap and got his hand in things too.

Monday was a no school day.  We stayed home and kind of wondered why though, as it seemed like the forecast kept pushing the worst of the storm later and later in the day.  I promised Avery we'd watch the new Miracle on 34th Street, not expecting we'd have 15 problems with our Apple TV.  We got through most of it and she was in love.  We started lunch with the lights on and finished like this.

I was expecting the lights to go out but not before the wind started blowing.  I was pretty fed up with our co-op at that point.  We've had more power blinks and outages in our 6 months here than in our 4 years in our other houses.  I got the kids down for naps and snuggled on the couch and the lights reappeared.  Ned still had our electrician come for a generator lesson.  With gas hot water and range, we can run everything but the washer, dryer, oven, and heat.  That last one is pretty critical though.  Sam was so fussy all day so our pediatrician said to try the antibiotic for his ears.  Cutting 4 teeth at once isn't helping either.

Despite the wind picking up, Cinderella still had a ball to attend at Bible Zone.

And a ball she did have.  Ned took her thinking he had a meeting, but it was canceled, so he got to see her in action.  She came home so pleased with all the treats she accumulated and was still yelling "Happy Halloween!"  We braced ourselves for the lights to go out each time the wind shook the house, but it never actually got bad.

We were home again, home again today and were very pleased to wake up with power.  Sam was feeling much better and the three of us had a great day together.  Avery was happy to play trick-or-treat all day and Sam was happy to get into whatever he could.  It was still rainy and freezing so we appreciated getting our gas logs lit and running.  Yaya came for lunch and I ran to Walmart, my second trip out since I came home from work Friday.  Other than that, we did a little playing, a little cleaning, and a little caging.

Once everyone was in bed, I thought it might be time to dye Sam's shirt for tomorrow night.  I slightly altered the directions because they sounded like zero fun, so we'll see if it has any color once it comes out of the washing machine.

It's back to school tomorrow, just in time for the Halloween craziness.  We are so thankful our area was spared the worst of the storm.  Our favorite beach on the Outer Banks of NC did not fare so well, as often happens, but we know it will come back better than ever.  And since we didn't even need our storm essentials, feel free to stop by this week for some Campbell's Chunky soups.  Judging by the amount in the pantry, Ned must have thought we could eat it and repair the roof with it also.

Week in Review ~ 10/27

The weeks just keep slipping by without me doing a whole lot of blogging.  In addition to our regular craziness this week, sickness hit 3 out of 4 of us, which only slowed me down even more.

Avery started running a fever each evening during the weekend, and her cough and runny nose returned.  We kept her home from church Sunday, and I'm not really sure what we did.

It worked out better for Ned to stay home with Avery Monday, and he took her to the doctor.  Her right ear was slightly infected so she received an antibiotic for that.  We had some a prescription for cough medicine from when Sam was born, and we were told to continue using that.  Ned went ahead and did her flu shot while they were there, and it basically turned Avery into a train wreck.  She cried all night.  She was crying so hard at bedtime and I asked what was wrong.  Through sobs she got out that she wanted to go to the zoo.  In true woman fashion, I think she had gotten so upset that she had forgotten what she was upset about.

Ned kept Avery home again Tuesday.  They went to work a little while in the morning, and Avery was still coughing so much that Ned wanted to keep her home Wednesday.  Sam was fussy at dinner as he had been Monday night.  The tooth that appeared then disappeared during the croup popped through again, and it looks like his canines are going to bust through.  I started feeling like I had a cold coming and was not excited about that.

Ned took Avery to work Wednesday until he got off at noon.  Our second graders went to a local farm with different booths set up for soil, farm equipment, etc.  We were outside all day, and it did not help my disappearing voice or cough.  Jennifer texted as I was leaving school that Sam had a fever.  He seemed fine when I got there so we both thought it was teeth, but his temperature was over 103 when we got home.  I immediately made him an appointment for Thursday and took the day off so that Ned could work a full day.  Avery and I went to a pancake supper at church, then I let her go to dance since she was doing better.  I worked on my sub plans for Thursday and Friday morning while Avery was at dance, and my cough got really bad while I was there.  Ned had a couple come look at his truck that night, and they decided to buy it.  Ned's friend had found him a truck at a different dealership earlier in the week and had brought Tuesday for Ned to test out.  Ned had Avery so much that he had very little time to drive it, but it is the one he's getting.

Thursday was spent up and down the roads.  I got up and took Avery to Jennifer's so that she wouldn't catch anything else at the pediatrician's.  I dropped my plans at school then went back home.  Sam and I left for his appointment about 20 minutes later, and went right back in the direction I had just come from.  The doctor couldn't find anything other than a glassy right ear.  She noted that he was cutting a lot of teeth, and she gave us a written prescription in case we needed it over the weekend.  Sam and I went back home and both took a nap.  I had very little voice and was struggling, but I got up to meet my mom with Sam so that I could keep my hair appointment.  She took Sam and picked up Avery, and after my appointment we had dinner with my parents.  Ned was hunting so I got both kids to bed and surprisingly made it through Grey's.

Sam was up a little after 5 a.m. Friday.  Ned got up with him around 6 and I slept a little longer.  I got up feeling terrible but Avery and I had a big day.  Jennifer's group was going to Turtle Creek Farm.  Ned had planned to keep Sam home anyway, but once my mom's trip to the beach was messed up, she offered to keep Sam in the afternoon.  Avery had a great time feeding many animals, milking the cow, taking a hay ride, climbing pea vines, running through the maze, and choosing a pumpkin.  Neither of us should have been outside I'm sure with the cool air and mist falling.

I took Avery to Jennifer's then went to school for a half day.  It seemed like a whole day though since I had basically no voice and had to teach with lots of hand gestures.  Sam had slept well for my mom but was still running fever and not finishing his bottles.  We had subs for dinner, and I ended up putting both kids to bed because Ned had a fire call.  He went to the grocery store to get ready for Tropical Storm Sandy, and I was so asleep on the couch that I never heard him come in or put the groceries away.

I slept terribly Friday night, almost like I had taken a decongestant.  Sam woke at 5 a.m. so I gave him Tylenol and his pacifier.  The pacifier only worked in 15 minute increments, which did not provide the sleep I needed.  Ned went hunting so I drug myself out of bed to get Sam.  Sam was hard to please which is so unlike him.  Avery got up and we managed as best we could until Sam took an early nap.  Avery watched TV and played while I rested on the couch.  I was feeling awful once Sam got up, so when Ned got home and went to bed for about 2 hours.  I got up in time to put Avery down for her nap.  Sam woke up early, but I got him back to sleep.  He is still running fever and just not his happy self, so I'm hoping to call the on-call doctor about starting the prescription before the storm gets bad tomorrow.  We continued to stay in during the afternoon and ate dinner at home.  We needed to stay in and get well, but with rain until Monday or Tuesday we might regret that decision.

We are preparing for Sandy and hoping that she will bring germ-free air.  October seems to always be a tough month for sickness for us.  Sandy has caused our family portraits that were scheduled for tomorrow to be changed, but we're looking forward to more pajama days, as long as they involve power and satellite.  A day or two off school wouldn't be so bad either.

Weeks in Review ~ 10/13 & 10/20

We're back!  We haven't actually been anywhere, but I've been too tired, too busy, or too Internet-less to blog.  We did have phone and Internet restored Wednesday, but that night I finished school work so that I could have a rare weeknight off Thursday night.  Even though it's been two weeks, we haven't been up to too much, so I'll just hit on the highlights.

The week of the 7th was pretty calm from what I can remember, other than one meeting for me and a meeting for Ned.  Ned was busy that week getting ready for the oyster roast he had planned benefiting Duck's Unlimited and the fire department.  He was pretty stressed about it since he had very limited help.  That Friday night we went out to eat, and then I helped him staple raffle ticket books together.  He worked all day that Saturday getting everything ready.  Mimi kept the kids for me while I grocery shopped, and my parents kept the kids while I went to the oyster roast.  I manned the silent auction table, which I think I'll pass on next time since things got kind of heated a few times.

This past Sunday, the Bible Zone kids sang in church.  There was a very small crowd, but Avery couldn't have been more pleased with herself singing and doing the motions to the songs.  Ned and Sam joined us for preaching, and once Avery sang, I stayed with them in the nursery since there was only one worker.  That afternoon we went to dinner at my parents' and stopped on the way to get more pumpkins.  We got Avery's first pumpkin at the Gurganus's so of course it's now a tradition.  The Gurganuses are our pediatrician's parents, and she was there with 2 of her boys, so I did more visiting than taking pictures.

For dinner I made the colossal caramel apple trifle from Pinterest.  It was good but turned out a little too colossal for my bowl and ended up missing the last few layers.  Sam cried all the way home, which was unlike him, so we were happy to get everyone in bed.

Avery and I saw a beautiful rainbow on the way to Bible Zone Monday night.  You can faintly see the second one to the right, and by the time we drove across town you could see 2 perfectly.  My Facebook feed was full of rainbows that afternoon.

Monday rainbows were definitely appreciated.  Ned had had a bump on his lip for about a month, and while the dentist had told him it was harmless (something like a bump that formed after a cut), he had referred him to an oral surgeon.  Ned's appointment was Wednesday.  Over the weekend it started hurting, and when he brushed his teeth after the oyster roast, it bled forever.  Ned was pretty concerned, especially since after that it seemed almost infected.  Luckily, Ned had a regularly scheduled dentist appointment Tuesday, and the dentist still said it did not appear to be a problem.  That eased Ned's mind and in turn mine, but he was still uncomfortable from it.  The surgeon quickly took it off Wednesday and doesn't believe anything will come of sending it off for testing.  We are glad to have that behind us, especially since one worrier in the family {me} is plenty.

The rest of the week moved along quickly.  We celebrated Friday's arrival with dinner at the Mexican restaurant, or the chip restaurant as Avery refers to it.

Sam was a good sport, even though squash are no match for chips and quesadillas.

After dinner, Avery and I went to Walmart and got groceries.  Sam was in bed when we got home, and I put Avery to bed.

Ned went hunting Saturday morning, and the kids rewarded me by sleeping in late.  Sam got up a little after 7 and Avery woke up at 8:30.  I had checked on her several times because that's unheard of, so I figured she was sick.  Her cough did not sound good when she woke up, but she perked right up.  Ned got home early, and we enjoyed the latest Pioneer Woman before having lunch at The Palm Tree.  Sam hung out in the stroller, and it seemed like something I can easily do on my own during hunting season, so that could be trouble.  Everyone took good naps, including Ned, and I fixed a cheese ball and peanut butter fudge.  Mimi kept the kids while we went to a get-together for our Sunday School class.  We are getting ready to start a new class on finances, and we like to have a little party before each one.  We had a fun time and were after 10 p.m. getting home.  We had so much fun that we've offered to host at Christmas.  Ned is ready to start the party planning now, and I pray that it still sounds like a good idea in December.  The kids and Mimi had done well, even though Avery was running a fever and Sam was a little fussy from his 5th tooth.  It was Mimi's first time getting them both to bed and getting Sam to bed.

Ned chose some infant-friendly toys while I got ready to go.

Avery still has a cough and a little nighttime fever, and I think the cold germs have been passed to me.  We've got a busy week ahead so we all need to be on the mend soon.