Normalcy... for now

Both kids signing "mama"

Things have gotten back to normal for everyone but Josh now. I headed back to work on Wednesday when the mayor said that non-essential businesses could be back open and the kids started back to daycare that same day. I loved having some extra family time over the long weekend, but was honestly starting to go pretty stir crazy by Tuesday. We had finished sandbagging on Friday afternoon and been home as a family since then. Family time is great, but when you add the stress of watching the flood and trying to explain things to Avery, not to mention both of us being off of work and no routine whatsoever... things were getting a bit tense around here. I tried to stay busy with projects, but after four days I started to run out of things to do. I baked cookies, started my garden from seeds in little planters that will be in the house until spring (which I swear has to come eventually...), and did lots of painting/gluing/coloring projects with Avery. By the time we were in the middle of Tuesday's winter storm I could hardly wait until the streets were cleared so I could get out of the house and have a few minutes of alone time. As soon as the storm let up I headed out to buy some fabric to create something. No, I don't really know how to sew but I needed something to focus on and occupy my hands for a bit. I bought enough fabric to make a baby blanket for Avery's doll and a dress for her. The blanket turned out cute and Ave loves playing with it. The dress, on the other hand, might have been a bit ambitious as I'm not convinced I even know how to follow a pattern. Here's a picture of the blanket and I'll post pics of the dress once it's finished.



Avery's new blanket



Proof that I made a batch of cookies that are actually edible :)

The kids are happy to be back at daycare and back to their daily routines. Avery is in the middle of a challenging phase right now so by Wednesday our patience with her was wearing thin and we appreciated the break from the constant struggles between us and her. I don't think I've ever been around a preschooler as difficult as her and I've been fearing her teenage years lately... yikes! Josh asked her to clean her room the other day and asked a bit later if she'd done it yet. She looked at him and said "No daddy, I certainly did not clean my room yet." We appreciate her honesty and her ability to talk like a 6 year-old, but she doesn't listen very well and we're working on that. In spite of all of the challenges, she is constantly making us laugh and definitely keeps life in our house interesting.

Tate has finally learned how to drink out of a straw! We've been working on it for two months with a cup we got from his speech therapist that allows us to squeeze a little liquid into his mouth and help teach him the purpose of the straw. He can do it on his own now!! We're excited not only because we've been working towards that step for so long but because it's one step closer to being done with the bottle. He's also gotten a lot better at army crawling and can get pretty much wherever he wants to around the house now; he especially loves chasing after our dog Jersey and crawling to knock over block towers we build for him.



Tate and daddy playing yesterday

Josh will head back to school on Monday and is anxious to get back to teaching and having his normal routine back. I realized the other day when he started telling me things about The Bold and the Beautiful and Guiding Light that he has too much time on his hands... :)

A prediction was released yesterday for a second crest of the Red River and the NWS is saying that there is something like a 75% chance of the crest reaching the 40 foot mark again. We're hoping that the prediction is wrong and that at the very least our lives will be less interrupted by this second crest.

We're off to buy the kiddos some Easter outfits now. Enjoy your weekend!