What a massive storm!

This is the tornado that ripped through

our town and by our house last week.

Potty Training 101

Andrew is ALMOST officially potty trained. He wears UnderRoos all day long! He has been dry the past three mornings in a row and has also been dry in the afternoons when waking up from his nap. He likes to read a book while "concentrating" - if you know what I mean. The monkey hat is nothing special....he just likes to wear it every now and then (part of last year's Halloween costume).

Firehouse Subs

We love to eat at Firehouse Subs. Can't get enough of it. They have a birthday club now where they mail you a certificate for a free sub of your choice on or around your special day. You can find out if there is a shop in your city as well as signing up for the birthday club by clicking here. Just wanted to share the love.

Sunday nap & bath

Sunday afternoons are full of napping. I had the pleasure of taking a two hour delicious nap today. When I awoke, I found my boys fast asleep on the couch. Bathtime came a few hours later. Luke and Andrew love the bubbles and water.

Pictures of Damage

Visit this site to see more detailed pictures of the damage done to the northside of Columbus. These places of businesses are only a mile away from our house!

Tornado

Little did I know that yesterday's rain would lead to a tornado that passed directly by our house. The damage done to our neighborhood is horrible. I was home alone with the boys, huddled together on the floor of the master bath shower, in the dark as we had no power....only candles and flashlights. It was scary. Fortunately, there have been no reported deaths in the community. It seems everyone is out in their yards picking up limbs, throwing away debris, replacing roofs, cranes picking up trees on houses, BellSouth repairing power lines, cops directing traffic, helicopters surveying the damage, and kids everywhere since schools are closed. We are so thankful no one was hurt. Here are a few pictures of the damage done to a nearby church, school, and houses.

It's raining

I like rainy days, except that it means my boys can't go outside to play on their bikes or in the grass. Boys need to be outside. Oh well....I'll just pull the car out of the garage and let them ride around in there. The good thing is that I can see the garage from my stove so I can still get supper ready while they play. The sound of rain is relaxing. I want so badly to go lay down right now (both boys just went down for their nap which usually lasts two hours) but I have too much to do. I usually wake up from a nap feeling worse than I did before I laid down so sometimes it's not worth it. I'll tell myself that I'll just go to bed earlier tonight than usual but I know that that won't happen either.

Tired of....

....the presidential commercials for an election that's 21 months away.

Flipping Out

Luke has learned how to turn a flip.

How funny!

Find Andrew

A few of the students at Andrew's school got the opportunity to tour a school bus. Since we're a private school, many of the kids have never been inside of a bus before so this was very exciting for them. Can you spot Andrew? (He's the blonde on the far right near the edge of the picture.)

Clouds

It was so warm outside today! Beautiful. We didn't even need jackets. I enjoy wearing short sleeve shirts. Andrew and I laid in the grass in the backyard and looked up at the clouds.

Andrew: "Where they going, Mom?"
Me: "They're just moving on, I guess"
Andrew: "I know....they going to the moon! See!" (pointing to the moon)

So cute!

Proof

Just wanted to show you the picture of proof.

Deadlines

So many deadlines to meet....so much to get done:

1. Finish the yearbook by Thursday so it can be mailed and received in Illinois by Monday
2. Pre-register child #2 for Fall MMO this week
3. Sort through clothes and tag them for the city-wide spring consignment sale by next week
4. Design school and MOPS newsletters by tomorrow night
5. Continue unpacking boxes
6. Buy a wedding shower gift by Saturday
7. Paint bedroom and living room
8. Pass out Mission Project to child #1 class in next two weeks
9. Complete art lesson plans for the next month
10. Camp reunion coming up and need to find a babysitter

So much more but no one really cares about this list....it's just another place for me to look and "check-off" for that time when I lose my first list.

To God be the Glory

To God be the glory......may his praise be forever on my lips, in my heart, and on my mind. A dear sweet friend called me this week with tragic news. How heartbreaking to hear her sorrow....oh, but how encouraging to hear that she is praising God through it all. I weep with her. I scream with her. I wonder with her. Along with her, I don't know WHY. But I DO know that God never makes a mistake...and He never will.

Just typing....

I'm not feeling well today....have a headache and have been sneezing alot. Don't know if it's related to the pregnancy, a change in cold to warm weather, withdrawal from watching 24, or a new house with new germs. Who knows.....

Everyone keeps telling me to be prepared to spend more money on this little girl than I've spent combined on my two boys. I've not spent a penny so far but it's only been six days since we found out. Fortunately, I have lots of friends with little girls who have offered to hand down plenty of cute pink clothes. It's almost like having a first child all over again....not really, but kind of.

Here's a picture of Luke strolling along with his cousin, Ella (Valerie and Tyler's second daughter).

Baby McGinnis is a boy or girl?

A GIRL!

100% positive as the ultrasound pictures were VERY clear.

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

There are boxes everywhere! We have officially made the move from one house to the next. We still don't have our cable hooked up yet so we have a sweet friend taping 24 for us tonight. Since we don't have our cable yet, we are also without Internet access....which is probably a good thing since it's a distraction for me. I need to be spending what little time I have unpacking boxes and organizing rooms.

My friend, Crissy, is a wonderful writer and extremely transparent in her words. She shoots straight from the heart. I wish everyone knew this friend of mine. She's an amazing godly woman. Click on her name above to access her blog.

Ridin' in my car

It was pleasant yesterday....warmer than usual. We ventured outside for some play time. Luke decided it was his turn to take his older brother for a spin.

I Hate the Moving Process

I hate the moving process. Packing up so many boxes, not knowing where to put certain items, finding items you thought you lost, dusting in areas never gone before, deciding what to sell, keep, toss or give-away, wondering how you accumulated so much stuff (junk, actually), finding the time to get it all done, etc. AHHHHHHH! I hope we don't do this again for a really long time.

Reading Time

We went to Andrew's class today to have a pizza party. Afterwards, most of the kids gravitated toward Mitch because he had a book in his hand. I like this picture because Ansley, the only girl in the class of 12 boys, wanted to sit in Mitch's lap. I think she loves books more than my own kids.