This Was a First for Us

So, the first week of July brought some extreme weather.  Before the heatwave started, we had a tornado warning!  This is not something we ever see in our area, so it was a first for us.  The news was advising us to head to the basement and our phones were warning us to take cover.  Of course, this happened on the ONE DAY all three kids were napping.  They were so tired, and the house was so nice and quiet, but we saw that office buildings and medical centers were evacuating people to the basements or first floor, so we had to take things seriously, too.  So, that meant waking up three very sleepy kids and carrying them to the basement.  Luckily, they did not freak out and they were very patient.  We didn't have to stay down there too long, but the weather continued to be intense.  It was hard to get any great video since I didn't want my phone to get wet, but I don't think I have ever seen it rain so hard here.

 

It was quite strange to be huddled in the basement.  I know we have friends in other parts of the country for whom this is somewhat common, but we were not prepared for that.  At least we had iPads and the kids kept busy that way.  Thankfully, no tornado touched down near us, and everyone was safe.

We spent most of the day indoors, of course, so the kids requested that they be able to paint.  These are their masterpieces from the day.

We have been trying to come up with different ways to beat the incredible heat lately (temps in the mid 90s with a lot of humidity).  My mom suggested a 'girls night' of sorts so she, Mairead, and I met up with Katie and Lily for dinner.  We went to Joe's Crab Shack and had a fun time.  Every so often, 'disco' lights flash and the waitstaff gets up and dances.  Of course, Mairead and Lily were all over that!  I was pretty impressed with Mairead.  She followed the waitresses' instructions carefully and really learned the steps to the dance.  She has even repeated them for us in the past few days and has been SO proud of herself!

 They have an awesome kids' dessert- make your own ice cream sandwich.  They give the kids a plate with a quartered ice cream sandwich and a few toppings.  Both Mairead and Lily loved the idea and enjoyed their delicious creations!

 

This has been a not so great part of summer so far.  They are doing major work on the gas lines on our street, and they start at 7am every day.  Every. Day.  They are out there all day and it is SO loud and SO dusty, and it's hard to even get out of the driveway sometimes.  Obviously, it's worse for the poor guys working in the heat, but we will be very happy when the work is done!