Disneyland

Ryan taking a little break from the action

Last Friday, we took to kids down to Disneyland where we met up with the Landheim Family, and Mom and Dad. Andrew was in absolute heaven. It took a few rides for him to grasp the concept of waiting in line, but he got it after a while. At the end of every ride he immediately said "again, again!" His favorite was Buzz Lightyear. Not only did he get to shoot, but he loved making our car spin. He also had a lot of fun in the Brother Bear playground. Max said he went down the slide about 30 times. Of course Grandpa kept the kids supplied with candy and soda-which is pretty much all Andrew ate. He insisted on walking all day, and only rode in the stroller a couple of times when we forced him to. Ryan was great, and the Disneyland "Family Centers" made life with an infant a lot easier. Overall, we had a fabulous day, and are already planning another trip while both kids are still free.

Another Ike Update

Well, we finally heard from Keith's sister- a cell tower was out in her area (as is the power) so she wasn't able to call or receive calls until yesterday afternoon. She and her son are fine, and their house only has a little roof damage, some leaking, and some fence damage.

Keith's brother Jay lives in Groves, which is near Beaumont and Port Arthur. They evacuated, but still aren't being allowed back into their community due to flood waters. One of their relatives stayed in Groves to ride out the storm, and she was able to go look at their house, but just from the outside. Their front porch and car port are completely gone, and they have a hole in their roof, but until they can get inside, they're not sure yet about how bad the damage is inside.

Keith's parents were still without power when we spoke with them last night. Someone in their ward had a generator, and families were taking 6 hour shifts so they could plug in their refrigerators, freezers, A/C, etc. A member of their ward is on a breathing machine, and although he evacuated to Austin to stay with relatives, he came back before the power was back on in their subdivision, and now the generator has to stay with him.

FEMA came to their area, but had no food or water for the residents....or for themselves! They were asking people in the area to feed them, and I believe house them also, so the residents just told them to leave, that they would take care of themselves.

Again, we are grateful though that no one in Keith's family was injured, and that most of their property was okay.

Hurricane Ike

Just in case you want to know how my in-laws are....

(I also have a new post on my blog about a random night out Keith and I had)

All of Keith's immediate family lives in Houston, and we were concerned about how they would be affected by the storm.

Keith parents live in Richmond, which is southwest of Houston, and about an hour inland. They fared pretty well, they had quite a bit of rain, and some wind, but not roofs ripping off or windows blown in. They are currently without power, but they anticipate it will be back on in the next day or so.

Sean is Keith's oldest brother, and he live in a mobile home in a town called Needville. He went to Keith's parents house for the worst part of the hurricane, but was able to return home today to a perfectly fine house, with power and everything. We're really glad his home was okay.

Amy, Keith's sister, lives in east Houston, just off the I-10. She, surprisingly, was not in a evacuation area. The eye of the hurricane went right over her house, and it's on the edges of the eye, or the "eye wall" that the winds are the worst. Neither Keith nor his parents have heard from her yet, and we hope that she and her son are doing alright. Hopefully, a cell tower is down and that's why she hasn't been able to call anyone yet.

Jay is Keith's older brother, and his family lives in Beaumont, which is 100 miles east of Houston. They were hit really hard by Hurricane Rita in 05-their roof fell in on their kitchen and the house flooded in some areas. This time around, they evacuated to Longview, which is about 100 miles east of Dallas. They are fine there, but won't be able to see if their home is alright for a day or two.

So overall, everything is good, and we are so grateful that Keith's family has been kept safe.

Cade for President

Vote for Cade in a photo contest


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