Tropical Storm Lee

Today is a gorgeous day...blue skies and cooler temperatures! This past weekend we got quite a bit of rain from Tropical Storm Lee. Gwen doesn't like the thunder and rain and has a lot of anxiety when the storming starts. I was at the vet last week and they recommended trying a Thundershirt. It is a shirt that wraps snugly around your dog and the pressure is supposed to have a calming effect.

I didn't think I had anything to lose, so I went ahead and got one and tried it out over the weekend. I didn't expect much, but was really pleased with the results. Instead of shaking and panting in my lap or hiding under the bed, Gwen was calm through the storm. After I put it on her the first day, she stood still for a few minutes and then went and laid down and fell asleep. It made the stormy weekend easier on her as well as on me, amazing product!

Gwennie girl in her Thurndershirt.

 "So relaxed I think I will take a nap!"

The boys were out of school for the long labor day weekend, so what is there to do after a storm but play in the water. We have a little ditch in the back of our yard and Evan got the idea that it would be a good place to use his skim board and go for some rides. I know he must have been exhaused because he ran and played outside like this for several hours:

Outside Fun

The weather has been gorgeous here. The boys have been playing a lot of basketball in our driveway and shooting Todd's gun on the weekend. Evan has always loved playing in the water and as you can see from the photo, that has not changed!

Gorgeous Days

Since the weather has been so nice, the boys have been spending a lot of time outside in the afternoons. I even threw the softball with them one day and boy was my arm sore the next day. Here are a couple of photos from our time outside.

Chad riding his ripstick.

"Look, mom, I can ride and smile at the same time!"

Evan not wanting his photo taken (but smiling nevertheless)!

Chad after I wore him out (ha) throwing the softball.

Gorgeous Weather

A cool front came through yesterday morning and by the afternoon, the weather was perfect. I couldn't restrain myself and had to go outside and enjoy it while the boys practiced football. Fall, we are ready for you!

Getting ready to throw the football.

Evan 

Chad

Rainy Weekend

Part of the process of getting our back yard into shape included pulling out a lot of old drainage and watering system pipes. These pipes, in addition to the leaky water heater and other assorted "stuff," has made our driveway yard look like a junk yard. 

Todd's plan for Saturday was to start cutting up the pipes so that they would fit into our garbage cans. The day started out overcast as Todd got the boys to help him gather all of the pipes for cutting. Getting their cooperation was like pulling teeth and I think Todd ended up moving most of the pipes himself. He made quite a bit of progress and filled two trash cans before the weather turned rainy in the afternoon.

Junk pile of pipes.

Progress!

Tuesday is Todd and my 17th wedding anniversary, so we decided to go to our favorite restaurant in New Orleans for lunch on Sunday. It was still raining and we didn't realize that many of the streets were flooded as we made our way to the restaurant. Todd tells me that New Orleans is like a bowl and that the water has to be pumped out and doesn't just drain away. The boys were interested in seeing all of the flooded streets and we even saw some cars that had water up to the windows. We had to make a couple of detours, but finally got to the restaurant and had a great lunch.

In the afternoon we hung out with our pets and each other and had a nice, lazy day.

Evan giving Muddie some attention.

This kid loves his lizard!

Super Weekend

The weather was gorgeous this past weekend so what was not to love? Todd's company had their annual party at the Civic Center. He took the boys and they had a blast playing the games, jumping on the bouncers and eating. Evan especially loved the golf putting game and came home with multiple coffee mugs, which was the prize at that booth:

Recently, we have been playing some board games at night. Last week we played Scrabble a couple of times. It is one of my favorites, but Chad wasn't too thrilled with it. His favorite game is chess, which he has been teaching to Evan. Evan is very vocal and tends to give away his strategy while playing, so Todd is trying to teach him how to have a poker face. Good luck with that one!

Chad is planning out his next move!

On Sunday we went to the movies and saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Evan and Chad have both read the books and we all enjoyed the movie.

Winter Sucks!

Borrowed this from my friend at Wounded Bird:

It was just starting to warm up and now it is cold and rainy again. I can't wait for Spring!

Tomorrow is the big Saints game and we are pumped up! Geaux Saints!

Staying Warm

We are still trying to stay warm in spite of the freezing temperatures. The boys love it when it is cold because that is when Todd is apt to light a fire. They love putting the logs on, seeing the flames shoot up and feeling the nice, warm heat.

Evan enjoying the fire.

Freezing Weather!

It is freezing here in South Louisiana. Even though we have the heat on, my fingers and toes still feel cold.


I came across this photo and thought it was appropriate for such chilly weather:

If Jesus Had a Cat

Evan's Flag Football Game

On Saturday morning I took Evan to his flag foot ball game. Todd usually takes him, but had other things to do, so I jumped at the chance to see my boy in action on the field. He had a blast. For me, however, it was a comedy of errors. 


First of all, the weather had turned cooler. It was very sunny outside, so I wore jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt and made the assumption that I would be warm enough. Mistake #1...it was freezing out on the football field. Other parents were huddled in winter coats and under blankets and I was there freezing my tush off.


Misunderstanding number two: Todd said that Evan's games are 30 minutes. "No problem," I thought. We got there at 9:30 for some warm up practice, the game was supposed to start at 10:00...we would be out of there by 10:30 or so, right? No, I was wrong again. The game didn't start until 10:15 and the 30 minutes is start and stop game time, not 30 minutes continuous time.


Well, here I am taking photos of Evan, freezing and realizing that I am going to be here a lot longer than I thought. I eventually noticed that all of the other parents had brought lawn chairs to sit in. Did Todd tell me that I would need a chair? No, he helps coach the team, so he never uses a chair. I did have a mini-ice chest with two drinks in it, so I ended up using that to sit on as the ground was wet.


Eventually, it is 11:15 and the game is over. I am still freezing, my legs are killing me from sitting on the little ice chest and now we finally get to go home, right? No, not exactly. Then I find out that Evan's team has TWO games to play that morning. Fortunately, the second game is right after the first with no break in between. The games are finally over at, get this, 1:00 p.m. Talk about change of plans.


Anyway, Evan had a great time and I had lots of fun watching him and taking pictures. It all worked out in the end!

Evan getting instructions from his coach.

Geared up and ready to play!

"I think we can take them!"

Evan is ready to play ball!

Fun Friday

Both boys were at home on Friday. We did some homeschooling in the morning. Chad worked on his lessons from school while Evan did some worksheets, practiced his handwriting and memorized his number eight times tables.


I promised to take the boys out for lunch which is something they love to do. After some negotiating, they decided on IHOP. Evan really loves the pancakes there.


In the afternoon the weather was very pleasant so we spent some time outside. I am loving the cooler weather!

Chad sitting in front of Evan's huge pancakes.

Evan ducking from the camera.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Rain, Rain Go Away

I think that it has rained at our house every day this week. The weather prediction is for more rain this weekend. Yuk! The boys, especially Evan, goes really stir crazy when he has to stay inside.


During a respite from the rain, the boys went outside and were really excited to see ducks right over our backyard fence. Evan was insistent that a take a picture of the ducks, but did not cooperate when I tried to take one of him as well.

Back yard ducks.

Evan "ducking" from my camera.