"Because..."

While this may be the hurricane we're watching and waiting for...(still waiting now that he's going even slower!)

This hurricane is very much here - all day every day! To be honest they're both driving me a bit crazy! Hurry up and wait and hurry up and catch him before he destroys something else! Today was toothpaste. Kyle did point out that Otto did pay an impressive amount of attention to detail in covering every inch of his legs. This one got him a shower and he still smells minty. Never ever ever a dull moment around here! Can't wait to spend days inside with all these littles and potentially not have power for who knows how long. OYE!

Wild West!

Remember how I said I had done a lot of prep early in the week? I've been sneaking in under the wire a lot this week. Monday I got water and gas and quite a few groceries but there were a few more things I wanted to pick up today so we stopped at the grocery store and I have this one tiny gas can to top off. (I filled the others the other day) So, incase you're wondering, this is what hurricane prep looks like after they announce a category 3 storm headed for the coast 45 miles away. (This is where the water used to live) Although no one really knows at all what is going to happen it's a better safe than sorry situation. Anyway, Otto has been a trooper with all of our running around and this afternoon Lincoln joined in.

We stopped at Lowes after we picked Lincoln up from school and in the midst of people buying gas cans, generators, small air conditioners, etc. Lincoln and Otto had much more pressing things to check out! The Halloween stuff is up!! After we grabbed some charcoal we spent a decent amount of time talking to "the tiger" and the witch and looking at all the big inflatables. Once I tore them away from all of that we made one last attempt to fill up that pesky gas can. Lines have been NUTS at all the stations around here so it was a long shot but I figured it was worth a try.

I thought I had it! Lines weren't too long at this Wawa (the only station with ethanol free gas for the generator) so I hopped in line behind this truck. Then I noticed - HE WAS FILLING THAT GIANT TANK!!! So not only was he going to take forever, he was likely going to wipe out ALL the ethanol free gas too. The guy must have noticed me sitting there with my mouth completely agape in awe of what he was doing and he came over and told me I might want to go to another pump because he was filling a 150 GALLON tank! WHAT!? At that point I officially gave up! I'm done gathering, hunting, prepping. We will live off of what we have! Haha! It's getting crazy out there!!!

Playing in the Rain!

One fun side of a big tropical system is the occasion downpours that come long before the storm does. They're usually fast moving warm heavy rains that - and this is the key - don't have lightning and thunder in them. Just a quick douse and done. So, today Otto and I took advantage and did some playing on the patio. All eyes are on Dorian because it's looking more and more like we're in the path. I've already did a lot of gathering earlier in the week but there are a few more things on my prep list to check off so I have a hunch the rest of the week will be focused on that as we watch and see what will happen! The waiting is the worst part!

Cast Off!

Lincoln has been playing so hard in the afternoons and evenings! And, for a kid who has never actually been fishing, he's pretty much got it down! He dropped his anchor, cast his line and eventually reached out and brought in a big fish. He talks through his whole scene, it's amazing to watch!

Also worth noting - happy anniversary to me and Kyle. 13 years in the books. We celebrated by feeding our kids mac & cheese then ordering PF Changs for ourselves after they went to bed. Haha! We're super romantic!

Sour Puss

I was cranky today and Kyle was great at life. He did a lot of cleaning and took the kids for a bike ride and made dinner. We had fish, which meant we had lemon, which meant Otto was only interested in eating the lemon...so Kyle did what parents do. He took a video. His reaction wasn't nearly as animated as Lincoln's was but it's the only one we caught on camera.

Down and Back!!

Today was a whirlwind and the kids were really great through it all! We drove to Naples - we had initially planned to stop and get lunch along the way but ended up pushing through and taking care of kid naps and content behavior. We went straight to Royal Scoop and had lunch and ice cream. Then, while I finished folding some laundry we'd left in the dryer the kids got to swim out some sillies. We weren't in Naples long before it was time to load up in one car and head to Port Charlotte. We stopped at the grocery store on the way and picked up dinner for all of us. We enjoyed visiting and the kids snuggled and giggled and did all the things they do and soon it was time to load back up and head the rest of the way home. Oh, and the whole reason for our day trip...when we split up at the end of our Naples vacation I borrowed the car to get home and it ended up being a huge life saver to fill the gap before my car was ready at the shop! So, we needed to take it back. By doing it in one day we still have tomorrow to try to get a few things done around the house!

Leadership Slumber Party

Kyle is at a leadership retreat that had an overnight last night and a late work dinner on Wednesday night...by this afternoon, this little boy, and this mama were missing him! We survived but I'm beat! There's been a lot of fighting, a lot of whining and a lot of sillies! We were originally planning to head to Naples tonight but shifted our plans a bit.