Hurricane Ike

Ah where to start.....this past week has been quite exciting and very tiring for us. Hurricane Ike was set to make landfall on Galveston Island last Saturday which sent us scurrying for hurricane supplies and food. This was not the first hurricane to come our way and with the past couple we had walked away with no damage, even surprisingly little rain, so we weren't too concerned. We decided not to board up the windows on the house or buy a generator. So Friday night we put Grant to bed and parked ourselves in front of the local news channel to watch the hurricane come through. Everything was pretty uneventful early in the evening so we went to bed with little worries. About 2:00am we were awakened by the howling wind and things hitting the roof over and over again. We still had power at that point so we turned on the local news to see that the hurricane was starting to spin directly over the house. Looking out the window, we discovered that the shingles were beginning to be blown off the house and they were scattered all over the back and front yard. At that point all we could do is wait and listen. The power went out around 3:00am and the hurricane continued around us. Matt and I did not sleep much after that but Grant, being the great sleeper that he is, slept the whole night through and woke up refreshed at 7:30.

When the sun came up it was still raining but Matt went out to assess the damage to the house. The roof was completely torn up and the remaining shingles were flapping in the wind.

We had tons of shingles all over the yard and the front yard tree was uprooted but nothing major...or so we thought. As we were looking around the house for other damage we noticed that the ceiling of the guest bedroom was leaking and dripping down onto the carpet in numerous places...we decided that this was from the shingles getting torn off the roof and the rain water coming in. Nothing we could do about it now, so we pulled back the carpet where it was soaking wet to let it air dry a little. By this point we were both frustrated with everything and hot and sweaty with no power so we decided to pack it up and go to my parents house in New Braunfels.

Matt decided to come back home after a few days in New Braunfels to start the insurance process on the roof and other house damages. Well when he got home he found something we never expected......

That is, was, the ceiling in the guest bedroom where the ceiling was leaking. It completely collasped all over the place and the attic insulation was everywhere!! What a mess!

So that is what hurricane Ike left us with.....all the way in Tomball, Texas about 75 miles from the coast! A very scary storm but we are blessed that we only sustained minor damage. On a happier note we did have a wonderful time on our week long "vacation" in New Braunfels. (Post on that to follow!)

It's Fall...in the Crump house!

I love fall!

Fall is exciting.

It's apples and cider.

It's an airborne spider.

It's pumpkins in bins.

It's burrs on dog's chins.

It's wind blowing leaves.

It's chilly red knees.

It's nuts on the ground.

It's a crisp dry sound.

It's green leaves turning

And the smell of them burning.

It's clouds in the sky.

It's fall.

That's why...I love fall.

Yes, it is that time again, when the weather turns cooler and Aggie football consumes our Saturdays! Last week Grant and I went into Tomball to officially start the fall season out right. We went to our favorite craft store and bought the new "Circle E" Spice Cake Candle. The perfect smell of fall!

As we were leaving the store that morning the air was noticeably drier and cooler. Also off in the distance was the smell of BBQ cooking on a smoker. I thought to myself "Ah, this is more like it...I'm so glad fall is right around the corner."

So when we got home the only natural thing to do was to light up our new candle and break out the fall decorations. Grant was very excited to look in all the new Tupperware containers that were coming out of the closet and I very quickly realized that this was going to be interesting decorating with a rambunctious 15 month old!

He loved the "Grant-sized-pumpkins" and carried them around, one in each hand, all morning. After all the decorations were displayed and the house was smelling of spice cake I reflected back on last year at this time. Grant was almost 5 months old and just happily watched me put up the decorations from his papasan swing.

I'm so blessed to get to spend this time at home with Grant while he grows up and so lucky to have a little helper by my side my carry the Grant-sized-pumpkins.

Sharin' my snacks...

Grant has always loved getting his little Gerber crackers in his "snack trap" cup and snacking on the all day long. Now he has discovered that he is not the only one in the family who likes his crackers....he has had a blast sharing them with Abbe, our yorkie!

He thinks it is SO funny when she eats a cracker right out of his hand...he just belly laughs! :) We have also caught him teasing Abbe and letting Abbe lick the cracker in his hand then pulling it back and eating it himself! (I heard one time that a dogs mouth is cleaner than ours??)

Ah, fun times in the Crump household!