We interrupt the backlog to bring you...

A tree.

After a very lazy Monday morning, Kinley, Case, and I had just come home from the grocery store in the middle of a storm.  We were on the edge of it most of the way home and were hoping to get groceries unloaded and get inside before it hit here.  However, when we got out of the car in the garage there were two huge claps of thunder and Kinley begged to go in, since her latest fear has been lightning strikes causing fires.  I told her to go in, and after the third loud clap of thunder, I followed quickly behind her!  She did tell me on the way in, "Mama, do you know one of my favorite things about our new house?  It's close to the fire place (the fire department)!"

We came in and sat down in the living room.  The satellite was out, so I had my iPhone trying to check the radar and she was playing on the iPad in Zeke's recliner, three feet from the back windows.  We took a picture of our backyard to send to Zeke at work, to tell him not to worry about yard work tonight.  So this is the before:

Not long after we sat down, the sound of the storm changed and I told Kinley to look out and see if it was hailing.  About the time we both looked out we heard a huge crack and crash and the leaves hit the window.  We stood up and she says I grabbed her hand and ran, although I really don't remember that part!  We ended up at the front door--I didn't know if it was a limb and the rest of the tree was coming down, or if it was a tornado, or what had really happened, and I wanted to be as far away from the tree as possible.  We looked back and didn't see anything moving, and looked out front and just saw the storm, so I called Zeke to tell him the top of the tree came down and we went to our bathroom and closet where there were no windows.  We were both shaking uncontrollably!  I finally calmed Kinley down, and we prayed and I thanked God for His protection, while she implored Him to make it stop raining :).  I convinced Kinley to stay with Case for a minute so I could go check things out, and saw that it was the whole hickory tree that had fallen--not just a branch!  I called Zeke again and then went back to calm Kinley down for a second time.

Our backyard is now a mess!  The leaves are right against the back windows and back door.  The trim is coming down from around the dining room eaves, and our patio chairs are driven into the ground.  The window in the dining room is broken, and we can't really tell what the roof damage is yet.  The insurance adjuster is coming tomorrow afternoon to take a look and see if we need to make a claim.

We were blessed to be checked on by numerous family and friends tonight, and once we had all calmed down and had no visitors, we went to Logan's to eat.  I had my phone out, and just happened to hit the Bible app.  Today's verse popped up:

You are my refuge and shield.  Psalm 119:114a

We took a moment to reflect...He was truly our shield today.  Kinley was only about three feet away from where the tree landed.  Case and I were barely eighteen inches farther from the windows.  Had the tree been any taller, or fallen any further to the left, our babies or our house could have been badly hurt.  When I read the verse, I imagined those Photoshopped pictures of transparent angels catching the tree as it fell :)  There were two things that Kinley wanted when the tree fell and she was afraid--her Daddy, and praying.  Her refuge--what she clung to when she was afraid--was crying out to her Jesus to calm the storm, even as I was praying aloud for Him to calm my child.  She told me at bedtime tonight that, "God knew that tree was gonna fall, so he made it shaped just that rectangle triangle shape so it would fit in that hole and not hurt us or our house."  So, although there is cleaning up to be done and repairs to make, when the tree fell today a little girl's faith got stronger.  I'll take it.

Random Case-isms

A snapshot of Case right now:

9 months 18 days old.

We went to the doctor last Tuesday and he weighed 22 lb, 2 oz, and was 29 3/4" long--90th percentile.

He is walking!  He takes a few steps and then usually plops down, because he's a ninja on his knees.  That kid can crawl, I tell ya.  

He learned to pivot and turn on his feet this weekend.

He does NOT like to sleep.  He can be convinced to sleep as long as you would like to sit and hold him while he does so.  He usually goes to bed about 9:30, and wakes up around 11:30, 1:30, 5:00, and 7:30.  He naps in one-hour increments.

He likes baby food a bit, but would prefer a bite of whatever you're having.  He still eats oatmeal with applesauce for breakfast, and will tolerate fruits in the evening, but likes to decorate the walls and ceilings with any other pureed veggie that you try to sneak by him.  He'd rather have chicken and green beans and mashed potatoes, and who could blame him?!

He has mastered the wave, clapping, and the pincer grip.

He doesn't really like words, preferring instead random syllables (but he has pronounced almost every beginning sound in the alphabet).  A few times he's said "Mama" but I'm not sure it was on purpose.  His favorite words are "ooo--ooo" (usually heard when a car drives by).

He loves cars, cords, music, Elmo, balls, the *real* remote control, and his Mommy.

When he eats in his highchair, he slumps down so that he can prop his toes up.

He's got the cutest baby grin on the planet and he looks a lot like his big sister :)

I have loved being at home and watching him grow this summer, and I'm not sure how I'm going to go back to school without him :)

Fort McTerry

It sounds good, right?  Fort McClellan, Fort McDowell, Fort McKean, Fort McClary, Fort McCoy, Fort McTerry.  See, it fits in that list quite nicely.  

I digress.

My man, who is super creative and fun with his kiddos, built them a fort on July 2.  To celebrate the Fourth of July.  And summer.  Because who doesn't love crawling inside a cool fort when it's hot outside (and it's been very, very hot) and watching TV on the iPad?

Not these kiddos.

Because, seriously, who wouldn't love this super cool fort?

Raise the roof.  Ha.  I crack me up.  Because in all seriousness, he was about to break it down.  The fort, that is.  One blanket at a time :)

I told you I need sleep.

The Blog Backlog

My, my, time flies when you're having fun!  And not sleeping due to (attempting) sleep training and teething.  So...on the list of things to go, the blog was apparently the first one that went.  But this weekend, my man took a look back at my first blog, Unspoken, and I believe his exact words were, "Kudos."  (Yes, he's a man of few words.  Ha.)

Kudos for what, you might ask?  A few words thrown into the world wide web six years ago?  Pat yourself on the back, you might say.  But those few words were a time capsule.  And all of a sudden, my 7-going-on-17 year old girl was that big blue eyed, chubby cheeked little 2 year old again, and I was in tears.  I resolved to solve the "Blog Backlog" once and for all, and get the thoughts of the past few weeks out, before they're gone like so many in between my 2 year old Kinley stories and my 7 year old Kinley stories.  I don't want to forget all of the little things that I realized I had forgotten.

So...consider yourself warned.  Lots of short little posts and pictures coming.  I'll get caught up.  As soon as I go rock that crying baby :)