Hurricane Isaac

I've been within one mile of a tornado, snowed in my childhood home without power on several occasions, driven on my fair share of icy roads, experienced blizzard conditions, and survived a typhoon while being stationed in Guam.  Now another weathery condition has been added to the bucket list....staying put for Hurricane Isaac.

It was surreal to see the rising water, knowing this was a Cat 1 hurricane, while Katrina was classified as a Cat 4.  Our base housing sits 16 feet above sea level and Isaac surged 7 to 12 feet in other Mississippi locations.  Katrina surged to over 30 feet, submerging the entire first floor of the old base housing.  The thought of living through another Katrina is scary.  

Below are pictures taken prior to the storm and just after.    

A dock down by the base marina.

Water rising above the walk way.

These docks are usually full of boats.  I have no idea where the boats were stored during the storm.

Just a couple of weeks ago we were sitting under these shelter areas, dangling our feet, looking for fish.

One of the General's docks.

The wind was relentless.

A newly created pond behind our backyard.

The kids found lots of treasure, a.k.a "debris", after the storm.  Avery, now more than ever, wants a metal detector for his birthday. 

First Day of School 2012

Today was Avery and Amelia's first day of school.  I am happy to say Amelia was accepted to the only authentic Montessori school in the Biloxi area.  Her new school is called "The Children's House Montessori School."  It is an adorable cottage-house school that serves 41 students ages 3-kinder.  I think she is going to have a wonderful kindergarten experience at this quaint little school.  As for Avery, we are embarking on new territory; our first attempt at homeschooling.  I've read so many wonderful books about homeschooling and devoted countless hours to researching the extensive curriculum available to homeschoolers, that making the choice to homeschool was relatively easy.  However, actually following through and implementing a curricular routine is another story.  Additionally, the thought of staying sane throughout the experience is at the forefront of my concerns.   With that being said, I am excited to give homeschooling a go, accepting that we will have good days and bad days.

Amelia's Riding a Bike

This past weekend Amelia anxiously asked if Shane would help her ride Avery's bike, and sure enough that's just what she did.  For the past year Amelia has shown little interest in learning to ride a bike or practicing on her own.  She has always been content to ride in the back of our chariot with Audrey during family bike rides, with her big brother happily riding his own bike beside her.   However, taking backseat rides in the chariot has recently been met with resistance, and Amelia has expressed a desire to ride independently.  Shane and I were excited about this peeked interest, however she really wanted to ride independantly with training wheels, something we wanted to avoid.  So, we told Amelia she could earn her own bike if she learned to ride the Strider (balance bike).  After our move to Keesler she voluntarily grabbed the Strider for numerous spins around our house and a couple of journey's down our drive way, and willingly earned her own 20inch, pink, girly, girl bike.  We are so proud of her! 

On a side note, whatever Amelia wants Audrey wants.......to ride her own bike.

Twins!

My sister had her twins this past Wednesday!

Welcome to the world 

Micah Ryan 

& 

Victoria Ruth

Wrapping Up Summer

Regardless of the stress associated with moving, we had a great summer!  

Let the school year begin!

Friends, Parades, Candy, and the Zoo

One of my favorite things about visiting home is getting to see old friends.  Shane and I dream about the day we can return to Nebraska, return to our family, and get to hang out with those friends who readily cheer on the Huskers!

Childhood wouldn't be complete without a summer parade where candy is flung from a float to children spectators.  While visiting friends Avery, Amelia, and Audrey were able to participate in two of these "mad-dash for the candy" parades.

The Children's Zoo in Lincoln Nebraska holds lots of summer childhood memories for my self.  This is a fun activity any time of the year, but when the zoo is especially made for children ages 10 and under it's a treat not only for the little ones, but for the adults watching the little ones have fun.  Thank you Mick's for readily joining us during the work week for this excursion.

Home Sweet Home

I thought I'd share a few pictures of our base housing at Keesler AFB.  Base housing usually gets a bad wrap for various reasons, and in most cases it is deserved.  However, the housing at Keesler is nice.  It was built in 2009 and the community has all the amenities a counterpart civilian neighborhood might have...pool, community center, park, trails, gated entry, and security patrol.  Now don't get the wrong idea, I would choose my neighborhood in San Antonio over this neighborhood any day, but as far as base housing goes it ranks on the upper end of what the Air Force has to offer.  An additional perk is being in close proximity with other families who have children of a similar age to my kiddos.  This last thought has added more "fun" to our transition from San Antonio to Keesler and will allow Avery, Amelia, and Audrey to make fast, memorable friends during our short stay at Keesler.