Ice in April

Tonight we were playing in the living room after dinner and watching TV when I heard something rattling the windows. It sounded like someone pouring pennies out a bucket, and the noise intensity kept increasing. The boys and I jumped up and ran to the dining room windows to see pea-sized hail falling on our front lawn. The sharp little falling ice pellets shredded the leaves on the trees and bounced on the ground. Near our window, a column of ice flowed down powerfully from our roof’s valley and crushed the plants where it hit the ground. When it stopped a few minutes later, the ground was cover in white as if it had snowed. The boys had many questions that I couldn’t answer. Soon, the rain and warm evening temperature melted all the ice in April, but not before we snapped a photograph.

Mexican Railroad Dominoes

When Grandma Roe visits, Benji begins looking for her red bag. He knows where she keeps her gifts. This time she brought Mexican Railroad Dominoes with the intention of teaching them the game Mexican Train. Emanating from a central hub, each player creates one or more chains, or “trains”, with the object of playing all the dominoes in his or her hand. Each player is given a special little engine piece, which is part of the game. Unfortunately, our three-year olds’ fascination with the game pieces prevented her success in teaching them the actual game on this visit, but perhaps by her next visit they will be mature enough to ride the Mexican train.

Bunker Training

For the fourth time in eight days, the sound of the sirens sent us to the basement during a tornado warning. This one was a surprise, so we were not as prepared. Before, we had watched the severe thunderstorms approaching on television and packed bags to take downstairs if needed. This one just came out of the blue, and we only had time to grab the boys and head downstairs. Needing to occupy the twins’ attention, Daddy slipped around the corner to a secret place in the basement and emerged with a small bag of new Thomas trains. For the boys, all thoughts of tornados were instantly forgotten, and Great Grandmother Mac’s couch was suddenly transformed into a train station. They were almost sad to leave when the all-clear was given.

Mall Walk

Cabin fever was affecting everyone, especially the boys. Day after day of rain had prohibited their ability to go outside and play. Needing to blow off steam, Daddy and Grandma Roe took the boys to Town Square Mall Saturday to exercise. We started out holding their hands, but it felt like being pulled by a powerful motorboat without the benefit of water skies, so we let them loose. Pushing rope uphill might be easier than directing two loose three-year-olds through a crowded mall. There was too much to see and explore. Thankfully, the twins did yield to our pleas to stick together. The mall was neither crowded nor empty, which was a blessing. We could have easily lost them in a crowd and their excited screams to each new discovery were barely heard above the other shoppers’ noise. It was a fun and productive activity.

Happy Easter

What a blessed Easter this was. It wasn’t perfect. Rain prevented an outside egg hunt and Grandmother Edds wasn’t feeling very well, but we had our precious family around us to worship, visit and share the special season. Grandma and Granddaddy Roe traveled all the way from Florida to spend the holiday with us. We rose early Sunday morning, got everyone dressed and fed, and then the six of us headed to a very full church service. Afterwards we enjoyed a fine brunch at home and, for the boys, a finer afternoon nap. After Pa and Granny arrived later that afternoon, we got the boys up and gathered in the living room where baskets were waiting. Davey and Benji then began collecting the eggs hidden around the downstairs area. Sandy prepared a delicious Easter dinner for us and everyone had a wonderful time.

Bunker Sweet Bunker

It was like the theme of the 1993 movie “Groundhog’s Day”, where the protagonist finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. For us, it was a line of severe thunderstorms moving along a route from Dallas to the Great Lakes with our house right on that path. Every day for over a week, the weatherman would predict the same storm coming at us. Most of these severe thunderstorms included tornado activities. We had already made a midnight run to the basement on Tuesday night and welcomed the Grands to join us on our midnight Friday visit. Jim and Karen had enjoyed the full basement experience on a previous stay, but on this trip they were blessed with two bunker visits as sirens sent us downstairs again on Saturday afternoon. Sandy is seriously considering installing a refreshment station to create a homier little bunker.

A Good Friday in E’ville

Good Friday was a company holiday for Sandy this year. We wanted to do something fun with Grandma and Granddaddy Roe, but it was a rainy day outside so we decided to drive to Evansville and visit their Museum of Transportation. Inside they have a number of fine transportation exhibits, but our favorite is the model trains.  This 1950’s vignette of downtown Evansville features three moving HO gauge trains. The large model is actually constructed inside a real remodeled passenger train car. Outside is a full sized steam locomotive with a club car and a caboose all under roof, which was a blessing on this rainy old day. The boys enjoyed showing the grands all the features of the museum’s exhibits and running merrily around the empty train station.