Natural Disaster Week!

On Tuesday we had an earthquake and then Saturday - Sunday a hurricane!

The earthquake was actually in Virginia, but we felt it up here!  Really weird to feel that.  I was at the Doctors office at the time, waiting to be seen for my monthly appointment.

Saturday afternoon and evening the rain started and then at night the wind picked up and we lost our power at midnight, due to hurricane Irene.  We still do not have power, as of Monday afternoon.  We have no idea when we will get it back either.  Thank God our generator is still running.

We had a tree down on our power lines and phone lines and our utility pole is leaning.  Many roads around our home are still closed due to down trees.  My work was closed today,so Hank and I are hanging out at home.

Brant cut part of the tree, to open up the road.

Bottom of the utility pole.

Hank brought me a "present"



Potty Time!

We really started to work seriously on potty training a week ago.  I knew I was going to be home all day Saturday and had bought some underwear for Hank that week.  Soon after we got up on Saturday and I changed his poopy diaper, I put the underwear on and kept after him all morning about using his pot.  He had several accidents were he wet his pants.  He would get mad when I "bugged" him and would say, "my pee is empty", or "my poop is empty."  A few times he would throw the underwear across the room and say he did not want to wear them because they were dumb!  Finally around 11:30 or noon he did a little poop on his pot!  He was very excited because I had told him I would take him to ride the trains if he pooped that day.  We quick got dressed and went to Strasburg and rode the little choo choos and the Thomas ride on train.  We made plans to go back another day when Daddy could ride the "Big" choo choo with us ( he was away fishing).

He likes to be read to, but actually does better when left alone!

Riding Thomas...a reward for using the pot!

Fast forward one week and Hank is doing very well.   Around the house he is wearing underwear and if we go somewhere he wears a pull-up.  At night he is wearing a diaper.  He likes to look at books and have someone read to him when he is sitting on the pot.  He also always wants to know if we are proud of him.  This past Saturday we took him back to ride the Big choo choo.  While we were out he went to the bathroom with Daddy and did not have any accidents. 

What's it going to be?

We are expecting our second baby in early December.  Last Friday we had our sonogram and it looks like we are having another boy!  I am pretty sure Hank is happy about that.  He told us he wanted a

 " 'broder'.  No girls."  When I told him I was a girl, he stated, "me don't like baby girls."   

To make things fun for Hank I had a few people over to "reveal" what the baby's sex is, that evening.

I had Hank open a gift and inside was a balloon that said "Baby Boy."  Not sure if he really understood that night, that the baby was a boy.  He was just so excited about there being a party.  The next morning when he got up he wanted to know where everyone was and "where is the 'broder' party?"

Pink or Blue...what will it be?

Everyone wore pink or blue....it was divided 50/50.

Hank was busy trying to hit the balloon.

Hank and his cousins.  Poor Sydney is going to be outnumbered.

Chuckie

Hank and I went to a traveling zoo yesterday.  He rode a pony for the first time.  His name was Chuckie!  He also had some fun in a bouncy house and looking at the animals.  His favorite were the alligators.  He thinks there are alligators in all water, and asks us whenever we are around water, "are there alligators in that water?"  I think it is because Brant watches all these shows, like swamp loggers and swamp people, that have alligators on them.  It does not keep him from the water though!  He still loves to be in and around the water.

"How you doin?" - he says that to everyone!  He drops the "g" too.

"Look at those alligators.  Will they bite me?"

Summer Time!

To celebrate the first day of Summer Hank and I had ice cream on the front porch tonight.

Over the weekend we went to Ocean City for Father's Day.  Hank was loving the ocean this year.  He would have stayed there all day long if we let him!  

"Me's going down there."

Pop George, Hank, Gramps ("Mamps") and Daddy.

George!

This past weekend we went to Solomon's Island.  Brant does a lot of his fishing there and his friend has his boat  there too.  On this trip the kids and the wives went along.  We enjoyed the pool, fishing, and boating.  We went out Saturday evening and the kids all were able to reel in their first fish!  Hank thought that was great.  He kept checking on his "esh", and even named him...George!

The next day the guys did some crabing and then came and got us for a boat ride and to do a few crab pots, so the kids could see the crabs as they were caught.

This was also the first time Hank stayed in a motel.  We had lots of fun!

Hank's first fish.

Hank and George!

Oh no...our ladies man!

They liked checking on the crabs, and knew to keep their hands out!

"Me's going to eat them all up!"









Butterfly Release.

Hank and I sent away for some caterpillars a couple of months ago.  We watched them as they grew and then changed into Butterflies.  We fed them sugar water and watermelon every night and then we released them about two weeks ago.  At first Hank did not want to set them free, but he enjoyed the release.  Later he wanted to know where they were and if they were coming back.

Hank and I had colds over the past two weeks.  You can hear our hoarse voices in the video below.  We both got on an antibiotic (Hank's first time on one).  I ended up having to go back and get on a second antibiotic because my cold / infection was moving into my chest.  Hank is much better and I have slowly been getting better too.

Watching the caterpillars.

We have butterflies.

Time to let them fly away!

Here is a video: