These Shoes Are Made for Walkin'.....

Anna Claire got some new tennis shoes today, so we decided to take a walk tonight to try them out. In true Anna Claire style, she can't just walk out the door empty-handed. Of course not! She was wearing her backpack, some beads, and pushing her doll stroller. And keeping true to form, she filled her stroller with some odd items...a small doll, a Baby Enstein block (the yellow one...her favorite color today), and a plastic olive oil jar that goes with her grocery cart. In the next picture, you will see a scene that is all too common on most streets in Baton Rouge as a result of Hurricane Gustav. This is our street and every house has a pile of tree limbs in front of the it ready for pick up. And last but not least...a couple of videos.....the first is of Anna Claire on our walk. She decided that pushing her stroller and then letting go of it was rather funny. You can also see how well she minds her mama! *wink*
This next video will make Kerstin's family so proud! heehee! While on our walk tonight, Kerstin chose to "wow" us with her flip flop throwing 'skills'. Just watch and be amazed.

The Silly Girl That is Our Daughter......

Anna Claire is one silly girl! She is always finding ways to make us laugh. Today we were able to move some things over to our new house, and Anna Claire was delighted to ride in her little car on the new back porch.
Kerstin even turned on the water hose so that AC could "cool off". Who knew that a little water could be so entertaining?
And tonight...I caught AC getting another drink out of the fridge. When I asked her if she was supposed to be doing that, she quickly put it back in the fridge and then put her hands in the air as if to say, "Mom, I don't know how that drink jumped in my hands!" Such a silly girl.

"I want some m...i...l...k!"

Anna Claire has a great Southern accent forming, and you can really hear it when she asks for a drink. In her opinion, every drink is milk, but she makes "milk" a three syllable word! It's hilarious. Anyway, today she brought me an unopened can of Coke Zero, and said, "I want some milk, please." And I said, "No Anna Claire. Please go put it back in the kitchen." She turned around and walked back to the kitchen. The next thing I heard was the sound of a coke can opening. I said, "Anna Claire! Come here now!" She came into the living room with a huge grin on her face and holding an OPEN can of Coke Zero. Seriously?

Drawing and Cooking 101

Anna Claire's school doesn't reopen until Wednesday thanks to Gustav, so she went to work with us today! Kerstin went with some others from our church to help hand out supplies to hurricane victims. Anyway, Anna Claire wanted to go outside with her daddy this morning to "help" him, but we told her to stay inside. This was our compromise. She could sit by the door and draw while keeping an eye on Daddy.
When she heard me taking the above picture, she quickly sat up, put her hands in her lap, and said "Cheese!"
Switching gears.....it didn't take Kerstin long to fall in love with Cane's, a local favorite. They serve a "secret dipping sauce" that we all enjoy. Well, I found a recipe online for the recipe. Tonight, we tried it and the verdict is still out. Something is missing, and we can't figure out what it is. Hmmm.....

Finally.....Pictures.....

First things first....here's the outside of our new house:
And our large live oak and pool....

Let the Gustav festivities begin! We stayed at our friends' house and our associate pastor and his family also stayed there, so it was a full house, but the best way to go through a storm. We celebrated Heidi's birthday at midnight the first night we were there, but we didn't have the right candles or cake, so we had to wing it with a "6" candle and 100 calorie cupcakes! Nice. Brad and Dale even gave us a light show while we sang Happy Birthday!


Labor Day (aka "storm day") breakfast:
Watching the storm roll in...
We lost power Monday morning, so we busted out the generator. The men even read the directions! Please note that it took 3 men to read the direction....moving right along...
Anna Claire thought this hurricane stuff was pretty fun! She got to spend lots of time with her friends. Here she is with "B" (Brennan) watching a movie. Well, I think he watched the movie, and she just played!
This is what "nervous energy" looks like while we went through the storm.....
And somehow, Kerstin managed to take a nap amid all the festivities!
After the storm passed, Heidi busted out some arts and crafts projects for the girls
The day after the storm, we ended up going up to the church and we took an evening walk to get some fresh air after being inside for so long.
And there's no explanation for this next picture....Just Anna Claire being her silly self. Note the water on the bottom of her dress...she is drawn to puddles!
Brennan and Anna Claire were estatic when Brad put together a new toy for them in the nursery!
We have several branches and shingles all over our yard...

Today, in the office, Dale (our associate pastor) decided to try one of the "heater meals" (read: fancy M.R.E.) that they are passing out to people who still don't have electricity. You can tell he was real excited about this one!
And amid all the activities of the week, Anna Claire discovered that she can climb out of her crib! Oh dear. Her first attempt was successful while her second attempt ended with her hitting her cheek on her bed. She has a little bruise, and when I tried to take a picture...this is what she gives me!

Things Are Lookin' Up!

Well, we have power and cable now! I will now be able to post pictures from the last several days. We are busily organizing who needs help, who doesn't have power, etc. Tarps, nails, water,and many other supplies are pouring in. God is good. Elizabeth, pictures will be up shortly! :)

Quick Update

This wil be brief...more details to follow.
We are all fine. Both of our houses (we have closed on our new house but haven't moved in yet) are fine. Our current house has a little roof damage. We stayed with some friends through the storm, and it was good to be surrounded by friends during the storm. We are now at the church because we have power there! Yippee! So many have tried to call or e-mail, and we appreciate your concern and prayers. I have pictures and more updates coming soon. God bless.