Disney World 24 years later

(I wrote this before the tornado post but it was in my drafts. Don't know how to put it in order.)
It was 24 years ago that we took our family to Disney World. We had a wonderful time staying with LeGrand's cousin, Kenny Hutchison. Kenny's wife, Suzie, washed all our homemade, matching clothes each night. Our 5 children ranged in age 9 years to 15 months old. I remember my mother wanted to keep baby Lance saying he would not remember it. But LeGrand would not let her saying he (LeGrand) would remember Lance not being there.
When we left I remember saying, don't ask to return for another 5 years. I hate that we never took our family back.
Thank goodness I have children who want to take me now. Hopefully, I can help with the grandchildren and give some relief to the parents.
To my surprise, I still love roller coasters!!!!I had to remind myself I was there to see the grandchildren's joy and excitement. I was glad Jacob was tall enough to ride some of the roller coasters and yes, I did bribe him to ride them a second time. He loved playing a racing game on my cell phone.
I do believe everyone had a super time. Rhada was with us as we had just come from the Halpin Girl Cousin Reunion. One day she and I went to the Animal Planet without the others. I was glad that I had been jogging at home on the treadmill because it came in handy after "Finding Nemo" then loosing our way to the bus. Glad Rhada can run fast. We barely made it.
Rhada and I also got to drive Jacob and Nico the 10 hour drive to Tuscaloosa. The boys were little troopers. We visited with Grandma in Dothan and Aunt Rachel and Baby Hannah in Montgomery.
It was a bad storm (or so we thought at the time) day so mom Robyn, who had flown home with Baby Ben, watched the Internet to be sure our path was clear.
What a wonderful trip!

Christmas in July

In horse drawn carriage in Memphis.

For Christmas LeGrand gave me a "baseball trip". He planned it all. We left 4th of July and spent the night in the Peabody in Memphis. The next day we were off to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play the Reds for 2 games. Thursday we traveled across Missouri to see KC play Detroit. We visited several places of interest along the trip including church sites, the Arch, Mizzou campus, Truman Library and especially my old friend, Sally Weatherby Davidson and her husband's dairy farm. We ended with a visit to Matt and his family. Poor Ben was sick. As Nico said, "that was a big spit". Then Poor Robyn did not get to go out to dinner with us and had sick kids for a week. Other than that, what a wonderful trip!!!

The St. Louis stadium was an easy walk from our hotel.

A view of the stadium from Gateway Arch.

KC stadium was just as pretty with many tailgaters.

Sally and I and our husbands had a great time walking the farm and reminiscing.

Matt, Robyn and boys in their new home.

Nico loves to color. 

Jacob wrote "prizes" for reading books. He wrote to 1000 by 10's and had a prize by each number.

Ben sure did not look sick!

Hannah Cate and Ginger

Hannah Cate came to visit June 23rd. Girls always like to get together. She and Ginger had a great time. They can always find things to talk about.

Jacob turns 6

Matt and his family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas the first of June. I first went to help them unpack. Or rather watch the boys while Robyn unpacked. I had two quick trips to visit in June. The second trip I took some chairs and brought Jacob home with us for his 6th birthday trip. We went to Atlanta to see the Braves play the Rangers on his birthday, June 17th. Uncle Garrett, Uncle Lance and Aunt Katie met us. We spent the night and went to the Georgia Aquarium the next day.
Jacob enjoyed playing Scrabble with Papa's iPad and racing on Grandma's phone. He also helped Grandma navigate through Memphis. Papa met his Dad in Memphis on Sunday to take him home. Grandma was sad not to have her big camera but her Droid did take some good pictures.

Beach

I have to remember the reason why I have a blog....to remember that I have a life. And a darn good one. Does that a and r look like a m? Well, I want to remember my visits with my grandbabies over the summer. I will start with our trip to the beach.
The fourth week in May we went to Destin and stayed at Bay Club II. Rachel and Natalie and their families were with us the entire week. Lance and Katie and Garrett came for the weekend. Rhada had to work. We brought back 17 tadpoles and raised them on our kitchen counter. Two lived to froghood and were released in Northwood Lake.

Tuscaloosa Tornado

I am posting this one week later (11 days now). It is hard to express the emotions of this event. To see first hand the destruction, to hear the remarkable stories of survival, to feel the touch of love as aid is given freely to the victims and those helping them, is a testimony to the wonderful community in which we live.
I had checked the radar throughout the day as the schools were closed the entire day. About 3 I checked and seeing nothing, I went outside to pull weeds. I was surprised when I heard the tornado alarm sound but thought Tuscaloosa County is a large area and did not think anything was near us. Then LeGrand called to ask if I was watching Channel 6. He said a tornado just hit Cullman. I turned on the TV and saw there were storms developing all around us. LeGrand said he would be home around 4 and I told him to be sure to check the radar before coming the 8 minute drive home.
Oldshue was the first reporter I heard say a tornado was developing south of town. He was on Interstate 59/20. Then I heard James Spann say, don't wait to go to your place of safety. Turn the volume up on the TV. "Those are transformers blowing not lightening. Pray for the people of Tuscaloosa." LeGrand and I got Ginger and went in the closet under the stairs. The cable TV went off, along with our phone and Internet and stayed off until early Friday morn.
When we thought it was clear, we began checking on our Young Single Adults from Church. Rachel called us saying the CVS, Full Moon, Hobby Lobby was gone and windows were blown out of the hospital.
The office where I spend many volunteer hours is next to the hospital. I wanted to check on the 450 pre 1900 books They were telling people not to get on the roads but we did manage to get there and see all was well there. I did not want to be a sightseer so we came home the back way. Looking back I wish I would have gone. I had no idea how much area had been destroyed or how many people were without their homes and so many injured.
That night we got a call from my good friend in Orem, UT, Judy Wheat Christensen. "We can not get in touch with my mom. She lived in Alberta City." I told her I did not think it hit there but in the back of my mind, I thought I really don't know how far it went up the road.
The next morning I sat in my neighbor's, Tom and Judy Hill, den and watched some of the news reports. They had satellite  TV and had an Internet signal. I was able to upload pictures to my facebook and send a few emails from their signal.
Judy Christensen called again saying her husband, Steve, had found an updated Google Earth picture of her mom's house and the house was destroyed. LeGrand was trying to help our friend, Steve Acker, who had lost his business on 15th Street. LeGrand told me Forrest Lake subdivision was gone. He left there and got as close as he could and had to walk down University Blvd, crossing the via duct, and with me on the phone that kept cutting out, found Marilyn and James in their blown away living room. What a relief, when I called and told Judy they were alive!
Lots has happened since then. Garrett and Rhada came down with the truck to help salvage what we could of Marilyn and James's house. Those kids stayed and worked HARD for 5 days! I know one day they were out 13 hours. LeGrand and I have been out helping where we could. I have helped haul tree limbs and cleaned out refrigerators. Marilyn and James came here on Saturday. I wish I could take in more. There are so many misplaced people. But so much generosity from everyone, near and far.

 James and Marilyn's home. They were there. He was flown up in the air and his chair came back over him. Marilyn fell the the floor and woke up with James pulling boards off her. Minor injuries.

 James's truck in the rubble.

 What is left of the storage building is in the tree.

 Marilyn and James try to salvage what they could the day after the storm.

 This is looking on the lot next door. People, including 3 children, survived. DCH is seen in the background.

 This was taken on Holt Peterson Road. Just sickening to see the destruction.

 Structure on 15th Street.

This house was on McFarland Blvd just before Hobby Lobby. Notice the X and 0. I was told X meant the house was searched and 0 meant no bodies found.

McFarland Blvd . Lot that had Full Moon BBQ and Milo's or Steak Out. Hobby Lobby in background.

Easter 2011

Easter weekend was full and fun. We missed Matt's family but certainly understood why they could not be with us. Having 4 married children, two with children of their own, fills a house fast. It was fun to have Lance and Katie, Natalie and Brent with Jackson and Sam and Rachel and Stephen with Hannah here Friday night. Loaded questions is a fun game. But I was distracted with something. I don't remember what it was now. But I did play and enjoyed the kids.
Saturday morn was the Easter Egg hunt at the church. That was fun. We had a surprise visit from an Easter Bunny.
I had a call late Saturday afternoon telling me I could get a load of horse manure. I could only get this with the truck. It was an adventure for Jackson and Aunt Rhada too. It was embarrassing when I got stuck in the stuff and had to be pulled out with a chain.
We had Easter baskets on Saturday afternoon, knowing the rush of Sunday morning. Someone was not watching Sam who climbed the stairs and got into the Easter eggs that were drying on a towel on the bathroom floor. Micky Mouse ears were a big hit and everyone had to try them on. They fit Jackson the best!
Hannah Cate had a huge wardrobe to choose a dress. I had saved many of the precious dresses that Aunt Courtney had made for Rachel and Natalie. Hannah needs a little more growing for those but she was adorable in her blue smocked dress.
Garrett and Rhada came on Saturday but Garrett was sick. They did not spend the night but we did take a group casual family picture.

 Who is that masked man?

 Sam is walking.

 Check this out!

 I get to snooze but mom will be sure I get the prize egg.

 What a surprise!

Jackson loved the Easter Bunny but Sam was not so convinced.

 Mom I had the blue bunny ears.

 Perfect fit!

 Hannah's first Easter basket.

 Katie helps in the garden. 

 Everyone pitched in for an early Easter dinner.

 Hannah enjoyed some alone time on the back deck Sunday morning.

Grandma Jan and Papa with three really cute grandkids!

 Aunt Rhada and Jackson on the farm.

 But Mama you can't eat eggs with the shells on.

 Lance babysits Hannah.

 All of us except Matt's family. 

 Just the ear, Jackson. The rest is for mom and dad.

The joy of fatherhood.

Thank you Jesus for making the atonement available for each of us. What a wonderful Easter memories. And I don't want to forget Good Friday. LeGrand wanted to do something special for Easter. He took me to a quiet and peaceful spot on Lake Tuscaloosa. We read a talk by Jeffrey Holland "None Were With Him".
http://lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/none-were-with-him?lang=eng&query=easter+atonement
He also wanted to do a 50 something year old Hutchison triathlon and invited me to do 2 of the events. I rode a bike for 10 miles and walked 4 miles. He swam alone over a mile.