Looney Tunes

What a busy few weeks!  Blogging falls to the bottom of the "To Do" list when there's so many other things going on. 

Last week, I took Fletcher on a "date night" along with Mrs. Teresa and Tucker to see Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.  The live orchestra played the scores for several of the old Looney Tunes cartoons (and even threw in Scooby Doo and Flintstones cartoons too).  It was fun seeing all of those old 7 minute cartoons on the big screen as the orchestra played.  I'm not sure Fletcher completely understood the significance of the live orchestra.  But he has seen Looney Tunes cartoons before so he thought it was neat. 

The conductor has been doing this "Bugs Bunny On Broadway" with different orchestras all over the world.  He goes to a new city, the orchestra learns the music and then they perform it and he moves on to the next place.  In between cartoons, the conductor did a great job of explaining a little of the history behind the Warner Brothers studio orchestra.  Back in the day, each studio had its own orchestra that played all the scores for all the shows including cartoons and other TV shows.  So there were some very talented musicians in Hollywood.   One of the instruments (can't remember the name) in the orchestra the night we went was one of the actual instruments used in the 1940s orchestra.

I don't know if Fletcher will grow up and enjoy going to the symphony.  But this was a fun way to introduce the concept to him.

Here's a small clip similar to what we saw. 

George Thorogood

Just to clarify...he insists on going to the bathroom all by himself these days with no help whatsoever from mom or dad.  So sometimes things get a little twisted when he comes out.  I think he was trying to adjust his underwear at the beginning.  I don't think he was grabbing his crotch like Michael Jackson. 

Betcha Can't Watch Just Once

If you've ever had a pet and "talked" for your pet, you will love this video.  We make Sadie "talk" all the time.  We just aren't clever enough to put it on youtube. 


Seriously, I bet you watch more than once.  The kids love this one.  Took them awhile to realize the dog really wasn't talking.  This guy has talking cat videos too.  I'm not a cat lover so they aren't quite as funny to me, but you may enjoy them. 

Damages

Sidenote:  Blogger (the platform I use to write this blog) has been having some technical issues the last few days.  That's why the post below kept disappearing and reappearing.  I think it is fixed now. 

First things first:  Happy 13th Anniversary to my awesome husband. I love you so much and every single day I'm so glad you picked me. 

I think the traditional anniversary gift for year 13 is supposed to be lace.  But for us, it is going to be wood, shingles, and maybe patio furniture. 

 Took out part of the gutters and some shingles and roof decking, but didn't get the trusses. 

 Deck railing is messed up, but the floor of the deck is fine. 

 No brick damage.  No broken windows.  No interior damage. 

 Broke several of the patio chairs.  Didn't break the tempered glass patio table (or so we thought).  When Kevin and his buddy picked it up to move it, the legs collapsed.  So good-bye patio table too. 

 We forgot to take a picture of the tree lying in the yard.  In the above picture,  our master bedroom is the window in the far back top part of the picture.  Completely opposite of where the deck is.  Also where Luke was sleeping since the noise of the storm had scared him and he came and got in bed with us.  The tree fell at almost an exact 45 degree angle across our backyard. 

 This is looking directly out of our master bedroom window.  The tree that fell is straight out of this window.  In the photo, it is behind the smaller tree near the rock well.  Had the wind been blowing in a different direction, the tree would have fallen directly into our master bedroom.  I am so thankful that "even the wind and the waves obey Him" (Mark 4:41).  The tree was a pine tree about 2 feet in diameter. 

 Firewood anyone?

FEMA tarp covering the corner of the roof.

I'm still not 100% sure what happened.  We think the tree was hit by lightning, but there are no burn marks on the tree like we've seen on other trees that have been hit.  Could have been the strong wind and the tree was just weak at that point.  Whatever it was, I am thankful God protected us from something that could have been much worse.  I'm thankful we have insurance.  I'm thankful we have money to pay our deductible.  I'm thankful we have good recommendations on reputable contractors who can fix everything that is broken.  I'm so thankful none of us were hurt.

Tree!

We are absolutely fine.

However, Tuesday night a big storm came through our area.  Lightning hit a tree in our backyard.  The tree fell and took out the railing of our back deck and the outside corner of our house and some of our patio furniture.  It knocked off the gutter, a few shingles, and some of the roof decking.  It did not mess up any of the interior of the house or any of the trusses. 

Kevin and his friend from work got the chainsaws out and cut up most of the tree. 

Our internet and house phone are also out until later this week.

I'll post pictures later this week.  I am just so thankful it fell the way it did.  At a slightly different angle it would have fallen into the house or into our master bedroom. 
I am just so thankful we are all ok.  Everything else is replaceable.

An Interview

With Luke, age 3 1/2 regarding his favorite stuffed dog Rocky. 

What is Rocky's whole name?
Rocky Ternal

How old is Rocky?
3

Is Rocky a boy or a girl?
Girl

What kind of dog is Rocky?
Beagle

What is Rocky's favorite thing to do?
I don't know

Where is Rocky's favorite place to sleep?
My bed

Why do you love Rocky?
Because I do

What does Rocky smell like?
Umm......Rocky

What does Rocky do while you are at school?
Sleep

Does Rocky do any funny things?
Tells jokes

Where does Rocky like to go on vacation?
To Grandma's house

Who are Rocky's friends?
Buddy Bear, Fancy (a stuffed goat), Tigger, and Elmo

What do you like most about Rocky?
His eyes

What does Rocky think of Sadie?
They both want to eat bones

What do you say to Rocky?
I want to watch TV

What is Rocky's favorite song?
Good morning

Mother's Day 2011

Kevin's parents came up to visit and see Moriah's baby dedication.  I need to tell Moriah's story soon. 

On Saturday, Kevin took the boys to a perfume store to pick out a gift.  I had given Kevin a list of 4 possible fragrances and he let them sniff each one and decide.  (They chose Dolce & Gabbana "The One"). 

Well, I put some on before we left for church and when I got in the van Luke said with a sour face, "What is that SMELL???"

Then at the restaurant for lunch I asked Fletcher if he could still smell my perfume.  He sniffed my arm and said, "It smells a little off." 

Well alrighty then.  So if you happen to get close to me and wonder.....just know I am wearing my Mother's Day present from my wonderful little boys!!!

But Wait....There's More

The song is "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars.  During one of Tucker's hospital stays, I texted Teresa and told her when all this was over and Tucker was completely healed that we would slather SPF 100 sunscreen on him and go somewhere and dig our toes in the sand and celebrate how God had healed him.  This trip did just that.  

Explore!

 Crabbing with chicken necks. 

 They didn't catch anything.  I'm kinda glad since we found out after the fact that apparently one is supposed to have a SC fishing license to go crabbing. 

 Lighthouse at Hunting Island.

 That's Grant and Kevin at the top.  My camera has a pretty good zoom. 

 Time for a bike ride.  I scored the bike trailer at a consignment shop here in town for $60!  They sell for around $200.  This one looked brand new and worked perfectly.  Luke even took a few naps in it on our afternoon rides.  Must be nice!

 Live sea urchin. 

 Starfish

 More bike trails.  Lots of marshland too. 

 Baby alligator.

 We (I) didn't want to get too close since I am sure Mama alligator was close by.

 Collecting shells and sharks' teeth. 

 Not a real alligator.

 Alligator wrestling.

Play!

Told you this whole picture thing was going to take me awhile. 

We went to Fripp Island, SC for our Spring Break trip.  The island is only about 5 miles long and 3 miles wide.  Much less commercial than some of the other beaches we've been to.  Deer roam freely on the island and will eat right out of your hand.  Most people use bikes and golf carts to get around the island.  Our rental house had two golf carts and several beach cruiser bikes.  (We had also bought our own). 

There were several playgrounds on the island that the kids loved.