The Wall is Down...

And now is on the curb-side for the city to pick it up! Took the neighbors and myself 3 hours to transfer it over.....

Pool Party with the Wilsons: Take 2!

What better way than to cool down in the pool, after a hot Sunday afternoon.

It was great to take our minds off the damage and just hang out with the family

and float, relax, and just be.

Canon Ball!
C-man got the back float down!
He has progressed in his swimming SO much this summer.
Thanks to much exposure to the swimming pool at G&G Roberts.
He started swimming lessons this week and is Rockin' them!
He's also showing his teacher his hand stands & somersaults under the water.
For a boy who didn't like water in his face just a couple years ago, he has turned into a true fish!
Just me & my Grandpa, floating around.

Aunt Patty is So lucky to play in the little pool with the girls.

They loved playing with her.....

Clean up Crew

Sunday Morning

Paul, his parents, Uncle Phil, Chris & I went to work on the tree/branches/leaves.

Started at 11am and finished around 4pm.

Our goal was to get as many branches and leaves cut up.

Find the A/C.

Cover the roof with tarp for any future storms.

Then see about tree service.

By the end of the afternoon, this is what it now looks like out the window.
The backyard is starting to appear again.

Eureka! We have found the A/C...it still works but sure got bruised up.

The wall of branches and tree debris now resides between the neighbors' and our house.

Time to cover up with a tarp....Rain, Rain, go away!

Many Thanks to our Tree Service Motley Crew!

We are blessed to have our family to help us out the next day.

We are also blessed to have neighbors and friends stop by

the next day to see how we were.

Thanks also to our babysitting service: Aunt Patty, Aunt Angie, Alyssa, Katie and Brett.

You guys helped us out in a big way.

Many hands makes the work light!

Noises in the Night

KA-BOOOM!

What was that?!?

• check the kids
• hear the tornado sirens
• turn on tv
• see that it's high winds warning
• big time thunder & down pour rain & lightning
• husband goes downstairs to shut down computer
• husband comes back and says that wasn't thunder that woke us up..........it was the neighbor's tree!
• check out damage
• not too bad, go back to bed
• hear the tornado sirens
• take kids to basement
• in the clear
• All 6 in the bed for the rest of the night
• hear the tornado sirens again!
• only 40-50 mph winds this time, can't do anymore damage than what we have
• uncomfortable sleep with 6 in the bed

This is what we see out our kitchen window now, kinda looks like a rain-forest.
Gutter, siding, soffit damages.....can't see the roof yet

Would anyone like to grill out at our house today?

Sorry, the neighbor's Sycamore tree crushed it!

C-man has Wii-points floating in his head!

pick up sticks = 20 min. of Wii

If he helps out with this, he's got Wii covered for a year!

This is what our backyard look likes now.

The top of the neighbor's Sycamore tree crashed into

our Locus tree. We are very fortunate that the heavy trunk

of the tree landed in our yard and grill. It was some heavy branches that

landed on our house.

No broken windows! I'm truly amazed by that.

We are all okay, "Glory to God!" says C-man re: this.

Just a big, big mess to clean up

and phone calls to our insurance.......

Hmmmm........if it was just a little bit more damage to the house, I could

have had myself a new kitchen!!!

Owell! and I hope there won't be a next time.

New invitation to those with chainsaws, come on over and cut some wood!

Pool Party with the Wilsons

Miss-O chumming with Katie.
Just love her in her goggles and intertube...

"throw me!" C-man asks Brett and delivered.....

Uncle Phil was invited into the little pool by miss-O,

this is a big step for her!

Girls, here's evidence that you two could fit in this plastic

tub at once.....someday, you'll be wondering how that

was possible......

Fried Soup anyone?

Time to Stretch