Taking Cover

Aaron called me early Tuesday afternoon, asked me where I was, then we had the following conversation.

A: I want you to do me a favor.

H:  Okay.

A:  Get in the car and drive to your grandparents right now and don't argue.  Plan to spend the night if you have to.

H:  Really?

A:  Yes, I want you to be where you can go into the basement. You and Molly are just too important to me.

H:  What are you going to do?  I want you to come!

A:  I'll stay at the bank where I can go into the vault.

Then, I started scrambling.  I threw everything into bags and a laundry basket.  I just dumped a ton of Molly's clothes, diapers, and toys in a bag, grabbed my camera and a baggy of goldfish crackers and started driving. Grandma wasn't answering her phone, but Mom told me to go anyway and break in if I had to.  Thankfully there was no need to break a window as they got home a few minutes before we got there.

So, we were watching Gary England and his crew cover the Longdale/Canton Lake tornado which went right by my folks' house - they saw it, and it destroyed homes and a church a mile from their home.  They are fine - thankfully, but it was super weird to be watching it on tv.  I was praying outloud for them and my friends in Fairview.

Then, we got nervous for ourselves.   Grandma and Grandpa live in El Reno.  The sirens started wailing, and we took off for the basement.  The huge long track tornado (on the ground for over 70 miles) came right by El Reno, less than two miles from where we were hunkered in the basement listening to Mike Morgan and David Payne yelling on the radio.  We actually couldn't keep Grandpa or Jim in the basement. If it weren't for Molly I would have been up there with them.  Molly was a trooper, and we waited awhile for the "all clear" from Aaron to drive home.

My heart aches for the families all over the state who are suffering loss, but especially for the family who lost their 15 month old son and 3 year old son.  The terror, the tragedy...my mommy heart can't imagine what they are going through.  A good friend of mine was in Piedmont in a cellar with her family, and when she came up, everything was gone.  Her family is fine, but the entire neighborhood is obliterated.

My parents' house is right by Longdale.

 Grandma, Aunt Wanda, and Judy (her friend) in the basement.
Jim and Carolyn Ferris (Grandpa and Grandma's friends) were also down there with us.

Eggs & Such

Molly doesn't show much interest in food.  Bringing me dead leaves, trying to feed Fletcher rocks, rubbing mud on my legs, and emptying out the desk drawers are more her speed.  But, she is more likely to eat if she can get the food out of the bowl herself and feed it to herself especially if it is on a fork.  This time it was eggs.

You might notice in this top photo that there are two forks.  That is because I had to fill one while she ate off the other and then switch.

I had a birthday this past week, and it is best if you don't ask about it.  

I did make myself a lemon cake, though.

It was scrumptious, and I should know since I ate most of it myself. 

 We celebrated my birthday (a few days after the fact) yesterday at my grandparents.  I requested my dad's lasagna, bread, & salad.  Mom made Grandma's famous brownies.  Grandpa was in charge of ice cream, and Grandma made her sweet tea.  Yummy and fun.  The neatest thing, though, is that Molly really knows my grandparents (especially my grandma), and Grandpa got her to eat an M & M even though all the women were telling him not to.  He thought it was hilarious.  She found the stash of Snickers bars, too, which no one in the house even knew about (except Grandma).  That's Molly.  She is curious and gets into everything.

Molly and Aunt Brooke

Photos and Words

 She LOVES to read.  Seriously.  All the time.  Mostly it is Mommy reading to her.
She's sitting in her chair that Aaron and I gave her for her birthday.

 Can I just say how thrilled I am that she loves books?!?  I hope it leads to a lifetime love of reading!!

 She received a Cabbage Patch, Merrily Georgina, as a late birthday gift from a
gal that works in Aaron's bank.  She loves her.

13 months old...I can't believe it.

She's working on her 7th (and maybe 8th) tooth.

 She opened the Cabbage Patch last Monday night.  It was the first time she had shown any interest in a baby doll.  The next day, she latched onto this one that Aaron and I gave her for her birthday, and she loves her, too.  

 This baby doll has even been out to eat with us.

 Notice her new sandals?  We love them.  Now she can wear them outside in the sprinkler or rain or other watery situations!

 Mother's Day 2011

 I just could NOT be more blessed!

 Playing with her cousins, Turner and Kline, on Mother's Day.

 (See her babies?)

She's thinking about getting into Great Grandma Belle's bell collection.  Don't worry, I stopped her.

The lemon cake I made to take to Grandma's for Mother's Day lunch.