One Hell of a Trip

We were in Michigan this past weekend (more blogs to follow about the weekend) and had quite the time trying to get home. We were staying at my parents house who live out in the country on a road that is quite prone to drifting snow. We left Sunday afternoon at around 3:30 to drive back home. Less than a mile from my parents house we got stuck in a snow drift that was covering the entire road. It was amazing how much snow was blowing - my cousin had driven through 30 minutes before and you couldn't even tell. Within 15 minutes the snow was drifting up against our van. We tried pushing the van and putting our mat under the tires to try to get some traction, but it was no use, we were really stuck.



I called my roadside assistance and was told that the earliest a tow truck could get to us was 2 hours. It was very cold outside - in the single digits - and with the wind and blowing snow it was like a blizzard outside the van. A truck showed up behind us - they were trying to get out as well. They had a shovel, so they tried shoveling the van for awhile, but it was a lost cause. They truck behind us didn't think they could go backwards without getting stuck and our van surrounded by enormous amounts of snow was blocking their way forward, so they were stuck as well.


Stuck count = our van + one truck






My mom started making calls around to the neighbors to see if someone could get their earlier than 2 hours. She got a hold of the guy who has a 4-wheel drive truck with a plow attached who they pay to plow their road. He showed up after 45 minutes of being stuck. I don't know why he didn't have his plow down, but he just tried to drive up to us and he got stuck.

Stuck count = our van + one truck + snow plow truck


Now there's three of us stuck on this road! The snow plow truck calls a buddy of his to come and pull him out. He appears to have a regular truck. He starts backing down the road and gets stuck! Stuck count = our van + one truck + snow plow truck + buddy truck


This is a picture taken w/ my cell phone looking out our front window. You can see the stuck snow plow truck and in the distance you can see his buddy, now stuck.










The buddy truck had gotten pull of into the side of the road and was really buried. We saw him get out and start shoveling around his truck and thought there was no way he was going to get out of there. But after 20 minutes he was free! He was able to drive close enough to the snow plow truck to get the tow line attached. He floored his truck to try to pull the snow plow truck out and his truck flopped around like a fish on the end of a line - the snow plow truck didn't budge at all. They tried it one more time, but it was no use. At this point we've been stuck for 2 hours and the tow truck arrives. At this point is is dark outside and 4 degrees. "Finally!", we think, "we're getting out of here". We can see the tow truck turning onto the road from the main road about 200 yards ahead, but then he stops. We're thinking that he stopped to talk to someone or something. A few minutes later the guy in the snow plow truck tells us that the tow truck is stuck - his buddy called him and told him






Stuck count = our van + one truck + snow plow truck + tow truck


The tow truck called us to make sure our van was still running and we still had heat and we were all OK because a cop had arrived and was planning on walking down to make sure we were OK. We were starting to get worried because our gas gauge was almost to the low fuel point. We had now been stuck for 2 1/2 hours. We were told that a tractor was coming to pull the tow truck out.


Thankfully we had our portable DVD player and lots of snacks for the kids, but we had left at Carter's naptime thinking that he would nap in the van on the way home, so he was getting REALLY cranky the poor guy. We let each of the kids get out of their carseat for a few minutes and sit in the passenger seat for a bit, so that helped too, but it was rough going and Teah understood enough that I think she was starting to get a little scared that we were stuck.


Well, now the tractor shows up. This thing has tires that are taller than I am with a big snow plow attached to the front. He pulled out the tow truck and then pulled out the snow plow truck. To get to them he had to plow a bunch of snow right in front of our van. Even if he could've reached us to pull us, there was nothing on the front of the van to attach to, only the back, so the plan was to plow out to the left of us (we were stuck on the right side of the road) to be able to attach to the back. As the tractor was plowing, HE GOT STUCK!


Stuck Count = our van + one truck + giant tractor


At this point I started preparing to abandon ship - packing a bag with some essentials in case we were told that they just couldn't get our van out that night. We had been stuck a full 3 hours. A big old F-150 shows up that comes barreling down the road to help pull out the tractor. They attach a tow line to the tractor and it was a very crazy sight to see this truck gun it to try to pull this huge tractor out of the snow at night in a blizzard of blowing snow. I can't believe what he put this truck through, but they got the tractor out. The F-150 then starts driving right into the ditch - Robert and I thought, "Is this guy crazy?!". He plows through all of the snow and drives in the corn field to our right to get behind us - this is one hell of a truck! The plan was to pull us backward a bit so that the tractor can plow out our way forward.


Now the snow outside of our van comes up to my waist - that's how deep it was drifting around us. Robert and 3 other guys started trying to figure out where to attach the tow line and it took them awhile, but they found a piece of the frame in the back. So, we made sure the kids were strapped in, put our seatbelts on, and prepared for the F-150 to pull us backwards. It took a few jolts, but we were pulled back a few feet and the tractor started plowing the way in front of us. There were a few moments where we thought the tractor would get stuck again, but he finally cleared the way. Three guys got in the back to push and we tried to drive out, but the snow pulled us to the right and we were stuck again. So, the F-150 pulled us backward again and more plowing in front of us ensued.


4 hours after getting stuck with 3 guys pushing we drove out and we able to make it to the main road! Carter fell asleep when the F-150 was tugging on us, but woke up when we stopped at McDonald's before getting on the highway to get Robert a new pair of pants, socks, and shoes. His pants had gotten wet of course, but then frozen solid.

So, we finally were headed home and got back just before midnight. What a trip!

Knock Knock...

Who's There?

Lettuce

Lettuce Who?

Lettuce is going to eat you!

This is the knock-knock joke that Teah told us today. Something she says that she learned in preschool. She might be missing a key point of knock-knock jokes, but she thinks this one is hilarious. I told her the 2 I could remember - banana/orange and boo who - she thought those were hilarious too. Guess it's time to get a joke book from the library.

Winter Fun

The kids and I went out to play in the snow today and had a blast! It was 31 degrees, which is honestly great weather for playing outside - not so warm that the snow is melting, but not so cold to play for awhile. The kids were both all bundled with their snowpants, boots, hats, heavy duty mittens, etc.

When we first walked outside Carter didn't want to walk in the snow and mostly just stood by and watched Teah and I. If he fell down, he would just sit there with his feet and hands on the ground not knowing what to do - I guess because of the snow. We were out for about an hour and by the end the kid was rolling around in the snow! After trying to make him do a few things, I realized that I just had to let him explore and get comfortable on his own. He started by just rubbing his hands around in the snow when standing on the sidewalk, but gradually got to the point where he walked right through the deep snow and then laid down :)

Teah and I went sledding down our little slope of our front yard (not really even a hill) and had a great time. I pulled both kids along on the sled through the neighborhood like a wagon. Teah made snow angels and I showed her how I could write her name in the snow by walking a path with my feet. Although I miss the mild winters of Atlanta, I am really loving being able to play in the snow with the kids. I can't wait for it to be packy enough to build a snowman!!

Our First Snow

Monday was our first snowfall of the season. Carter was only 6 months old last year, so this is really his first experience with playing in the snow. It was a sunny day with blue skies, the best for playing in the snow. While I shoveled the walk, the kids played. I helped them sled down the "hill" (more like slope) of our front yard, they tried out eating snow, and then we went for a walk to explore. Carter enjoyed sledding, but he really didn't know what to think about the snow. If he fell over, he would just sit there with his mittens in the snow like he didn't know what do to, and I would have to help him up. He was also leary about walking in the snow rather than on the sidewalk. Teah on the other hand as decided that winter is her favorite season. She had a lot of fun making snow angels and she loved walking through the snow, lying in the snow, eating the snow... Here are some pictures:

Supporting the Alma Mater

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year at our house. Both of our parents came to celebrate with us and we cooked up a good meal. The menu included turkey (of course), mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato souffle, homemade light and fluffy rolls, orange scented green beans, baked beans (Robert's grandmother's recipe), stuffing, pumpkin pie, apple crisp, and holiday mimosas! Carter was napping during meal time, but that was probably for the best. Neither of the kids would each much of the Thanksgiving meal - too far out of their comfort zone I guess. Teah chowed down the pumpkin pie, though, but Carter was more interested in the cool whip. Here are a few pictures:

Teddy Bears

Here is a photo session that I had with Teah, Carter, and their teddy bears. It's too difficult to try to take pictures of the two of them together by myself, so we did it seperately. Carter is 18 months now and Teah will be 4 in December. Pretty cute if I do say so myself :)

Like Father Like Daughter

A few nights ago Robert and I were watching some TV after the kids went to bed and we heard a crash from upstairs. Of course I went running up there and I found Teah lying on her floor - still asleep! She sleeps in a regular twin bed with frame, boxsprings, and mattress, so the fall off the bed wasn't short. Nonetheless, there she was sound asleep on the floor. I picked her up and put her back in bed and she didn't wake up at all. What makes this even funnier is that I have heard the story of Robert falling out of bed and not waking up from his mother! Like father, like daughter...

Hilliard Movie Night

We've started a tradition of Hilliard movie night once a week now that Teah's old enough to watch a few things. We get the movies free from the library, so that's a plus too. Last night we watched Finding Nemo, which Teah had never seen before. We turned the lights low and popped some popcorn. Teah enjoyed the movie and Carter even played very nicely when he wasn't watching. It was great family fun!

Teah's Creative Side

Teah is growing up so much and is really a little kid now. She loves to color, paint, and build things. She's even trying to stay in the lines when she colors now (see her picture below). I brought out the waffle blocks the other day and Teah decided all on her own to make letters out of them to spell her name. The only one that I helped her with at all was the letter A.

Boys will be boys...

Carter is really into physical play. Maybe it's a boy thing, maybe it's a second child thing, or maybe it's just a Carter thing, I can't really say. Today he would not play with any toys, just wander around the house looking for trouble. He enjoyed finding my broom and tried to lift it from the ground up into the air. It was a full-size broom, so it was rather hilarious, but also quite dangerous, since he could get it up quite a ways and then he would just let it fall. Then, I decided to move our bookshelf to the other side of the room. It's a small bookshelf, only coming up to my hips (and I'm not tall :) and it has felt on the bottom so as not to scratch our floors. Well, I guess I gave Carter the idea that it could MOVE. I put it up against the wall and 10 minutes later he was over there pushing it away from the wall. He moved it a few feet away and spent 5 minutes walking in the new tunnel (space between wall and bookshelf) that he had made!

Election Day

I voted today, which was very convenient because our polling place is also where Teah's preschool is. At preschool, they had an election theme today and got to "vote" for what snack they wanted. Cupcake was a candidate, so it was an easy choice. I told Teah that it was election day on our way to preschool and Teah said, "Barack Obama". She must've remembered the name from a discussion we had a few weeks ago when we told her that Barack Obama was running for president. It's hilarious when she says his name - she seems to think that it's really fun to say. Check out the video:

Teah Lately

So, I'm starting to realize that Teah turns 4 in less than two months! She's such a big girl. We were taking a walk today and I told her that I could hear the road up ahead. She said, "No Mommy, that's not the road. Those are the cars. The road doesn't make any noise." I had to admit that she was right. :) Then we were crossing a little walking bridge over what is sometimes a stream, but just a ditch with a little water in it right now. She asked why there was a bridge and I told her that sometimes there's a stream down there. She said, "That's right Mommy, there's the rainy season and the dry season. Right now it's the dry season, so there's no water in the stream." I think that one came courtesy of Diego. She really loves to tell me how the world is!

Halloween

Well, we had a pretty great Halloween I would say. Yesterday, Teah had her Halloween party at preschool. We all dressed up and they had a little "parade" around the building where the parents lined up so the kids could "trick or treat" from us. Teah and I were pirates and Carter was a crocodile. After preschool Carter took a nap and then we were off to a Halloween party thrown by a friend that I met through a playgroup. It was kid oriented and we had a good time. Today, I decided to take the kids out in their costumes in the morning and get all of the pictures that I wanted. I didn't want to have to worry about pictures while we were actually trick or treating. Sometimes I miss the fun trying to take pictures... Robert was on-call tonight so the kids and I were on our own. Trick or treating hours are really early here - 3 to 6pm. At 3 o'clock I had hung up some decorations and downloaded some Halloween songs and had them playing. Carter woke up from his nap and we had a few early trick or treaters - we don't get many anyway - maybe 30 kids total. Well, then Teah got quite lethargic and told me that she wanted to go upstairs and take a nap. She told me that her throat hurt earlier, so I figured that she might be getting sick. I took her temperature and it was 102, so I laid her down and she fell asleep at 3:30pm. It was a REALLY beautiful day - the temperature was almost 70 degrees - so I had the windows open and Carter and I decided to walk to our next door neighbors during Teah's nap (we live in townhomes, so it wasn't far :) and trick or treat a little. He caught on to the idea pretty quickly and seemed to really enjoy carrying around his pumpkin basket and going up to the houses. He took a little break to eat a sucker on the front porch - it was really relaxing and fun to spend some time with just Carter. At 5pm I woke Teah up - her fever had gone down from the Tylenol, so we went out trick or treating around the block. I really didn't want her to miss out on that. The kids had a great time - Teah said Trick or Treat and Thank You. About 3/4 of the way, Carter pooped out, but I convinced him to sit in the stroller with another sucker. Teah started pointing out "scary" things that she wanted to avoid - like a guy who was dressed in a pretty scary devil costume and some window decorations. One of the last houses we stopped at there was a sign that said "The wicked witch lives here". Perhaps this should've been a hint for me to skip this one. There were 2 little kids lined up in front of Teah and the woman came to the door dressed as a witch (green face, hat) and cackling. When Teah saw her she freaked out, dropped her basket, and ran away screaming and crying! It took me a few minutes to get her to calm down. Hopefully she will not be having any bad dreams about witches. The kids had a little candy when we got home and it was fun to relive the joys of Halloween as a child through them :) Check out the slideshow of pictures:

Flashback Friday

2007 - Carter in a bowlfull of candy!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Morning Surprise

Yesterday morning Carter woke me up as usual. I went to get him from his room and noticed that Teah's door was open. We don't shut it all the way at night, so sometimes it creeps open. I went to shut it and it didn't look like she was in her bed. I figured she was just hiding under her covers a bit, but went in to check. Sure enough, she was nowhere to be found. Normally the minute Teah's feet pitter patter across the floor it wakes me up, but I guess I was sleeping very well that night. I went downstairs and found her asleep on the couch with a blanket over her. It was 8am and I thought that she must've woken up an hour before and came downstairs. Well, when I told Robert about it when he got home from work he told me she was there asleep on the couch when he left at 6am! I guess it's time to start shutting the gate when we go to bed...

Pumpkins!

We went to Aaron & Pam's pumpking carving party tonight and had a great time. Martha gave me a great pumpkin idea (check out the pick). The kids weren't very interested in helping, but they had a great time playing. We were able to get them both to fall asleep at Aaron's and picked them up to leave around midnight. Teah didn't wake up at all - she went from house to car, car ride, then car to her bed without waking. Carter on the other hand was awake the entire drive home, but went back to bed with a bottle. So, all went well and a great evening was had by all!

Carter's obsession with dogs

Carter is pretty obsessed with dogs. He always points when we see them on walks and gets upset if they start walking in a different direction than we are. Our next door neighbor has a dog and every tme we leave the house we have to walk in that direction to see if Buddy is out on his line. Last week in Michigan he followed Skeeter (Robert's parents 15 year old Beagle) around the house. For the first few days he didn't even try to touch her - just followed her around. Even after that he was very gentle. He loved just following her around and bending over to look at her face! If she laid down he would sit down next to her (see picture!). We went over to visit the Wade's for dinner yesterday and they have a much larger black lab with a very big bark. I was carrying Carter inside and Ella barked a few times. Poor Carter just started screaming and crying. For the first hour we had to keep Ella separated and he would cry if he just saw her. Then he must've forgotten about the barking because he wanted to watch her and try to pet her again.

I wasn't expecting that!

I was getting ready in the bathroom this morning and Carter was hanging around climbing up on the stool next to the toilet. The lid was closed and he was behaving himself. I stopped watching him for a minute to put my hair up and he opened the lid and started to climb on in! One foot was all the way in the toilet before I pulled him up!

Carter Update

Carter is 16 1/2 months old now. Last week while we were in Michigan he perfected his run. He had been walking really fast, but last week he decided to work on picking up his knees and running. He picks up his knees a bit too much which makes him wobbly - it's hilarious to watch! Other things he has learned recently: perfected his eating with a spoon, sometimes can poke things with a fork and eat them, animal sounds: cow, dog, duck, snake, and monkey. When he wants something he will reach his hand for it and then open and close his palm - it's funny how he just made that "sign" up all on his own. He will also vigorously shake his head no if he doesn't want something. He has been saying the "mama" sound for awhile now, but only recently has he started to use it to actually get my attention. He's growing up so fast!