Day Four

Stayed home all morning but left after lunch with the intention of running errands with the kids.

First stop was to the local library.

Luke & Andrew found a couch where they could sit beside each other to chat about the pictures they found in their books.

Abigail made herself at home - she took off her flip flops and propped her feet up while she read!

See how comfy he is? He took off his tennis shoes, crossed his legs, and flipped the pages. Notice that Luke is walking around the library barefoot....crazy kids. They won't keep their shoes on!

As we were leaving the library, Mitch sent me a text asking, "Where are you?". I knew he was just about to get numbed up for his root canal so I sent him a funny text back saying, "We are leaving the library and heading home where you wish you probably were, huh? It's your turn now!". He text'd back, "There's a bad storm coming." The tone of his text turned my ease into unrest and I told the kids that we wouldn't be stopping at Target, Publix, and JC Penny after all.

When we arrived home, the storm didn't seem so bad so I jumped on YouTube and gathered the children around me to watch a few Mr. Bean videos. Suddenly, I opened a curtain and saw the black sky and panicked. Why did I not pay attention? Then, the sirens blared and the power went out. My heart started pumping fast as I started toward the TV and radio to get a weather update, all the while gathering flashlights and instructing the kids to "follow me!". We huddled in the laundry room where I tried to call Mitch but failed. I sent him a text: "I want you home now! ASAP!". My next thought went to my dear friend, Coralie, who just experienced these same emotions a few days ago - so I sent her a text asking her to pray for us.

I remained calm but held my children and prayed out loud. This sent Andrew and Abigail into tears while Luke kind of joked through it all. Finally, Mitch arrived home and let us know that the worst had passed and the storm was out of range. I breathed a sigh of relief, cooked dinner, and then tried to take in all the emotions I had just experienced in the previous hour of my life. What horror the people of Alabama and Missouri have been going through these past few weeks and days!