So we got some rain. Since we seem to thrive on extremes around here, we got a flash flood. Prior to the flash flood though, we started getting rain every now and then - which brought on a whole new climate around here, including mud and flies. Stuff I haven't dealt with since having kids.
The flies were about to drive me up the wall. The mud too. It's dried up since then. (Flies are still hanging around.)
(Wearing Scott's socks.)
I suppose this is our best new family photo (minus me, of course).
Sometimes the kids' toys annoy me tremendously, but I thought this was kinda funny. Found the missing bear in my towel drawer. Also found a bunch of toys in the fridge one day. The crazy thing about that was, I was kinda in a hurry, so I left them. Then the next day they were still there. (Which made me think that Scott probably opened the fridge a few times, and left them there too.)
(This was one of my first pictures of Jesse standing up. It made him look so big, but now he's pulling up on everything.)
(I forget why they got out their table to eat supper, but they did...)
So I officially bought in to the Texas Myth. Wanted to get some real boots for a while. Finally went to the boot store on random Saturday, and I was looking at a pair of boots, and someone came up behind me and said "Those look good." Turned around to see Charity Attebury. (Also grew up in Fairbury....lives in Bastrop now.) She said she felt like she's lived in Texas for a while now, and it's time to get some boots. (This all made me feel like I must be normal.) Didn't end up seeing her boots. (Also, I cropped the picture because posing for photos is lame.)
Lexi curled up to sleep on the floor one day.
Definitely still the best sleeper in the family.
Jesse fell asleep in his swing. (This makes it seem like the kids sleep all the time. Oh dear, false advertising.)
So anyway, about the rain. On my birthday, during the night, there was a flash flood. I've read about these in Louis L'amour books, but it was really something to experience. Wasn't even raining in the evening. Innocently went to sleep, by the time we woke up.....this is a true story....in parts of Austin, they got sixteen inches, over 60 vehicles, heavy equipment, etc. were swept downstream. They did 32 helicopter evacuations, and five people died. On my way home from work, the creek not far from our house was just cresting...usually the bridge is about 20 feet above the water, but as I was crossing, the water was about four feet below the bridge, and the nearby pasture was flooded. (A picture is worth a thousand words here, and I have a bunch of pictures on my phone.) Anyway, the next day....it was all back to normal like nothing had ever happened. So weird.
Anyway, they are calling it the Halloween Flood, which I resent, since Halloween is my birthday. Realized that the fire happened on Labor Day weekend a few years ago, which people frequently call the Labor Day Fire, so I guess the moral of the story is to beware of holidays around here.
The classic bath photos.
The evil rug project that terrorized me for a year or so. Finally done. Not thrilled with the final result. Does not lay flat. Looks ridiculous. (Scott thinks I need to make it bigger and hopefully it will lay flat. No way...I am so done messing with this thang.)
Went to the pumpkin patch on a glorious October day.
(If I knew how to do those bubble clouds to add to the picture to show what everyone is thinking, I could have some great fun with this picture. The first one being over Summer's head saying "What is the point of this?" And then maybe Collin saying "Uhhh, she is so messing up our picture." And me thinking "Is Jesse's head in the right spot? Hope I don't drop him." Not sure what Reid is thinking.)
Amy and Jesse.
Rabbits
(Mostly took a picture of this to inspire Scott for a future project someday. And I was really amused with the "Carrot Bank-Multiply with us".)
When we landed in Austin, pulled up right next to this plane. I was kinda thrilled. Reminds me of this story. One time when Mom was here, Summer was in the middle of a particular obsession with airplanes, and I'm pretty sure that we went to Austin together a couple times, and each time we passed the airport we drove slow hoping to see a plane coming or going....never did. The very next morning after Mom left on my way to work, I saw a plane landing right as I was passing the airport. Not only was it perfect timing for watching it land, but it was a Southwest plane that was painted like Shamu. Only time I'd ever seen something like that, and I told everyone about it (not that anyone cared), but now I've finally seen another Southwest plane painted up interestingly. (I've heard there's a "Penguin One" out there somewhere too.)
I have so many stories to tell, but if I try to tell them, I will never get this posted, so I shall post all the pictures and maybe catch up some other day.
Scott finished the fence, the neighbor's cows come over some days. It's always fun to me to look out and see them.
This big red bull is one of my favorites.
Got a curling iron, thought it would be fun to curl Summer's hair. She went along with it for about ten minutes. Since then they've been using the curling iron as a sword, and occasionally a shark.
Summer brought in some roses one day. (I imagine Scott cut them for her.) He got a rosebush last Valentine's Day. Smart cookie. That thing has truly been blooming all summer long. (Can't say the same about most of my plants and the blasted garden that was planted twice but never produced anything.)
All three kids napping together. (I'm sure I'll look back at this someday and think....oh, they were so innocent, and somehow I'll forget the two rolls of toilet paper that Lexi put in the toilet and caused it to overflow
I think this is part of the very first cabinet produced by Scott's cabinet shop. Thought we should get a picture of it.
Oh dear, this almost inspires me to get a new camera. Bright flash causes him to do that bug-eyed thing. Summer did the same thing in all the pictures I have of her for a while. (I don't remember it with Lexi.)
Ah, and I shall stop for a moment to admire his curls. Still haven't cut the hair on top of his head. Was holding him tonight thinking (since the curls only come out when it's humid, or when the hair was shorter/thinner), that maybe I'd put a few foam curlers in for the night so he'd have curls for church tomorrow.
(Blurry, but such a sweet little happy smile.)
Summer = most spoiled kid ever. I think Scott really missed her on her adventure to Illinois. Inspired him to finish the playhouse.
