A Grand 'Ol Summer

OK. I have a lot of updating to do. Our family made the adventurous trip halfway across country in two cars. We were worried about how the kids would do on such a long road trip. Peyton and Anni were great; they were little angels the entire trip. After two days of driving, everyone was glad to make it to Missouri. We didn't have furniture for a few days. So we stayed at my parents' house.

It took us a couple of weeks to get settled in, unpacked, and have a change in our daily routine. We are still trying to figure out the last one. The weather has been all over the place with rain and wind. There has also been major switching between hot and cold temperatures. So we have spent a lot of time indoors.

When the weather permits, the kids and I spend a lot of time at the small park in the apartment complex. It's a good place to get rid of cabin fever and get rid of some energy.

Surviving a Tornado

I grew up in the Midwest and I have been around my fair share of tornadoes. Never have I felt threatened by one until this year. Maybe because I have little ones of my own or I am more aware of how dangerous they can be. When a tornado hits, there is no place for me to go because we live in an apartment with no basement. A combination of the above can be a bit nerve racking this time of year.

A Bath Without Water

The weather outside seemed to get worse by the hour. I had the TV on for updates on the weather, just in case a tornado was coming. Peyton and I watched the storm roll in. Their was light and dark clouds in sky, rain, thunder and lightening. Oh and not to mention the not so bright golfers across the street trying to finish their game. According to the news, we were only in a watch. So I packed a bag for the kids and I. The first mention of a warning, we were out the door.

My Mom called and asked out the weather was. I told her just a storm, no big deal. The second I hung up with her, the sirens started blaring! My heart pounded and the adrenaline panic took over. Grabbed Peyton and Annisten and put them in the bath tub a long with our pillows and blankets. Anni thought it was great fun to get up out of bed and hear all of the commotion. Peyton was crying because he was scared. I called Corey told him the sirens were going off and to not head home. He told me that it was storming so hard he could not see to even drive. He pulled over under a bridge to wait out the storm. He then went strait to the office to wait it out.

The thunder shook our house while the winds threatened to tear it apart. I said a pray for everyone safety and to help Peyton not be so scared. Then everything went quiet and all I could hear was the siren blasting its haunting noise. the deadly silence in the middle of the storm is what I fear the most because that is when a tornado usually hits! The kids and I froze in the silence, just waiting for our fate. I silently prayed for our safety.

I think I breathed once the sirens stopped. I left the kids in the tub to check the news. Everything was clear and the storm passed along with the tornado. I called Corey and told him to head on home. It took some convincing to get Peyton out of the bath tub. Both the kids slept with us that night.

Later that night the storm hit again. Corey and I were still up watching the news at 3:00 in the morning. The second storm front was not that bad and passed quickly much to our relief.

The next morning we learned a two tornadoes hit within two miles of us. There were several tornadoes all over the Kansas City Area. The news showed the damages all morning. We have had a few storms come and go since then, but nothing to cause alarm like this one.

Nights With Restless Sleep

We have the most uncomfortable mattress ever in our apartment. We feel like we are sleeping on a board with a blanket on top. We wake up several times a night trying to get comfortable. The bed creeks and makes all of these nosies every time you move. Every time someone turns over it wakes the other person up because the bed makes so much noise. By morning we are all stiff and our backs hurt from such an uncomfortable bed. I have tried several things to make it better, but nothing seems to work. Then last night we finally got a decent nights sleep. Why? I bought an Aerobed and we slept on it for the first time last night. I looking forward to more nights of comfortable sleeping.