Half Way to 1

Landon had his 6 month pictures taken, and he did such a good job. He was so happy and smiling the whole time. He really hammed it up for the camera. He is sitting up so good, and rolling all over the place. He really made this an easy photo session for Aaron.

ICE STORM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

On Monday, January 26, 2008 the teachers and students were buzzing with excitement about the possibility of being out of school because of the predicted ICE STORM for our area. Although the news was clearly stating that this storm was going to be huge, we were not expecting or prepared for what was to come. When Paul and I went to bed Monday night we thought we would wake up to a little snow and ice, and if we were lucky get a couple of days off from school. However, when we woke up Tuesday morning we were shocked at what we both saw and heard. Everything was COVERED in ice, like over an inch thick of nothing but ice. All of the trees were bent completely over and many were already down. When you walked outside you could hear the crashing, crumpling sound of even more trees falling.

We could not believe what we were seeing. Shortly after we woke up and saw the destruction, we lost power (little did we know that we would be without power for a week and a half, and that over 600,000 homes in Kentucky lost power due to this horrific ICE STORM). Since we had never been through anything like this we had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that we had a precious, six month old baby to take care of, it was bitter cold, we had no power, and the roads were hazardous.

And to make matters worse more freezing rain was predicted for Tuesday night. Panic was about to set in. Thank goodness we had a fireplace in the basement, so Monday night we stayed in the basement warm and cozy. But, it was dark and our supplies were limited. Landon was running out of clean bottles, our hot water was about gone, we had to begin rationing our gas for the fireplace, and it wasn't looking like we were anywhere near getting our power turned back on. So we bundled Landon up, packed up his dirty bottles and walked to the neighbor's (the Davis') to visit.

They had a generator running, so we were able to have light, heat, and hot water. What a luxury and blessing!!! After visiting with the neighbors for quiet some time we decide to head back home and get ready to bed down for the night. Landon had been such a trooper. He never fussed, and he seemed to be unaffected by all of the craziness, but after spending 2 days and nights in the dark, we knew we had to do something different. So, Thursday morning I got in touch with my mom and she, Paul, Landon, and I decided to brave the treacherous roads and make our way to Franklin to stay with my sister. When we arrived in Franklin, it was like we had entered another world, it was warmer, and not a flake of snow or crystal of ice could be found anywhere. Franklin felt like the tropics compared to Muhlenberg County. Geri was so glad to have us. The first thing on the agenda was to bathe. Landon got the first bath, then Paul, then Mom, and then me. We felt so much better and more relaxed after getting our showers, but mom and I were both getting sick. We were running low grade fevers and had an array of cold symptoms. I hated that we were sick and that Landon was going to be stuck with us and our germs, but there was no other options. So, I prayed and prayed that the Lord would keep my baby boy healthy (and He did!!! Landon never got what we had! Amen!) That night my mom and Geri slept together, and Landon and I slept on an air mattress on the living room floor, (Paul left and went back home to keep a watch on the house) but we were all thrilled because we were warm, clean, had hot water, Landon's bottles were clean, and we had light. All the little things that we take for granted each day had become a luxury.

Friday morning, after Geri went to work, Mom, Landon and I went to the local laundry mat to get caught up on our laundry. Then we went grocery shopping and picked up some necessities for Landon like, diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food. We didn't know how long we would be staying in Franklin, but we knew we would be there at least through the weekend. By Friday, January 30th, Landon had just about had his fill of the ICE STORM. He was used to being rocked to sleep, and he was really starting to miss his rocking chair. He was also becoming restless without his toys to entertain him, so Mom gave me her credit card and sent me to Wal-Mart to get him some toys and a jumperoo. He was so excited to see the jumperoo, and this really seemed to satisfy him. (Thank you MOM!) The next day, my dad came to Franklin to get my mom and they began their search for a generator. After looking many, many places they finally found one, and they also stocked up on other survival necessities, like extension cords, gas cans, food, bottled water, etc. Mom and Dad got their generator up and going on Sunday, February 1st. Landon and I spent a couple more days with Geri, enjoying our time together. We made a couple more trips to the laundry mat and Wal-Mart, but we were beginning to get restless, and I was starting to get homesick. So, on Tuesday, February 3rd Paul came to get us, and we stayed at my mom and dad's for the next two nights. Then Paul and I finally got a generator, and on Thursday we got to go home. Although we were still living on limited supplies, it was good to be home, and by Saturday February 7th we got our power back on.

It truly is times like this that wakes us up, and makes us see that we should never take the little things for granted. Many times it is the little things that get us through our day to day lives. This was the most destructive natural disaster that me or anyone in my family has ever been through, and I hope that we don't have to go through anything like that again anytime soon.