Here is our source of heat

Chad reading to the kids in the dark, I know, the flash makes it look as though it was light...but we only had two lanterns lit and a cool hat light for reading.

Me reading to the kids-Chad surprised me with this picture!
Not my loveliest moment!

We baked a couple of things in our stove, when it was cool enough to put a pan in. Chad put a rock in the back and we balanced the pan on a cookie sheet. That was all well and good until the rock got too hot and started popping. That was a little of an adventure trying to get the rock that was bursting out of the house without it bursting more and breaking something important.... the kids thought it was great fun, probably because they didn't realize how dangerous it really was....
Oh, the memories!

Ice Storm pics

It really was a beautiful site. Everything looked so clean and new, except, of course for the broken tree limbs......




The kids had a great time playing on the ice and what little snow fell after the ice.

A few from early in the year

Jesse at a restaurant


The kids playing spies

Saul's run-in with a stick (courtesy of Elias) no stitches needed!

Jesse just couldn't make it......he sleeps in the most interesting positions and places

And then there was light....

For those who are not privy to my family blog site....here is a blog about our adventure with the great ice storm of 2009.

On Monday, Jan 26, we experienced the beginning of one of the worst ice storms in this area in history. By Tuesday, we had lost power. We felt mildly prepared as we had candles, wind-up flashlights and lanterns with extra oil. We had filled up the bathtubs to flush the toilets and use to wash dishes and such. We have a generator but found that it didn't work. Seems it had been filled with the wrong gas and a part had been burned up. By Monday, 2 Feb, we had the part and were able to run the fridge. We lost a portion of our food even with packing it in the ice that was plentiful outside. We cooked on our gas grill and had food to eat and and warm house to live in.

We played a lot of card games and board games. We read a lot of books and went to bed early. The kids have been really good about not complaining about our situation. They play well together and help each other out. They had a great time with the wind-up flashlights. I loved them because I didn't need to worry about batteries running down.

I am thankful for the opportunity to experience this trial. It was a real wake-up call. I have a list made of things I want to keep on hand that will make us more comfortable next time. I will be ready for the next time. I know following the prophets counsel to be prepared will keep you from feeling the fear of not being able to take care of your family. I know a lot of people who felt that, we did not.

Last night, Chad started up the generator, so we could have light for dinner. Eating by lantern isn't the most enjoyable, but it can be done......we did it for 6 days! After dinner, he went to flip the breakers off, and turn on the well pump so we would have water, and noticed it was awfully light in the laundry room. Surely the moon isn't that bright already! Our outside light was on. He ran upstairs saying, "I think we have power!" We switched off the generator and flipped the main breaker, and........then there was light!

I was so excited. I was expecting at least another couple of weeks without. They had said anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for some. I'm just glad it isn't us. We are continuing to pray for those who don't have power yet. It isn't fun.

I will post some pictures from our adventure in the next post.

say what?

After church today, Chad and I were asking him what his lesson was about. Today was his first Sunday in Sunbeams class. So, he goes into a story about a baby that was put into a basket and put in the water.

Chad: "What is the name of the baby?"

J: "I don't know"

Mom: "Well, did it start with the M sound?"

J: "Yet, (closes his eyes just a little) it was....M....O....and...S.....E.....another....S, yet, dat id it!"

We just laughed. He probably has a photographic memory. He can't spell the name if asked, but if asked what the name looks like, that is what he will say. He spells his name in the same manner. The question has to be put in the right form-"what letters are in your name" and not "how do you spell your name".

Funny, the things one learns as ones children get older!