Powerless AGAIN

The aftermath of the ice storm was so beautiful, but wow, I'm glad it's over! Here's the story. On Sunday night, January 25, we got some snow, about an inch. Of course because we live in Kentucky, school was closed on Monday morning, January 26. The roads weren't bad yet, so I went visiting teaching, went to Costco and actually stocked up on some food. That night it started snowing a little more, and I knew that the next day, Tuesday, January 27, school would be canceled again. By Tuesday afternoon we were deep into the storm. I was cleaning the carpets (I had rented a carpet cleaner the night before) but my throat began hurting and was feeling worse and worse as the day went by. The boys ended up sledding with a friend, and poor Meg with her broken wrist was stuck at home with me and Molly. This ice storm lasted about 10 hours. We could hear the ice rain pellets on the windows. By 6 p.m. I was officially sick and was crying for my kids to call Rusty to come home. I think I scared them, because I was seriously in pain. My body ached, my throat killed, I had chills and I was throwing up. I took anything the pharmacist recommended to Rusty and went to bed. I woke up the next morning (Wednesday, January 28) about 8 a.m. laying in bed with a fever, and within a few hours over 600,000 homes and businesses were without power, including our home. It was only 14 degrees (am I being a little dramatic?:).

Okay, here is where the "Ensign" portion of the story comes into play. After being without power last September for 8 days, I decided I really wanted to save for a generator. The last few weeks I had been researching them online and asking a ton of questions. I had figured out the one I wanted and found if for between $800-$1,000. Lowe's had it in stock for $899 but if you applied for a Lowe's card you could get 10% off. We decided to buy it. We went out last Saturday night, January 24 (5 days before the power went off), to go and buy the generator, not knowing anything about the upcoming storm. I told Rusty that I wanted to run to Costco first. We were walking down the main aisle and there was ONE generator in a box, along with the floor model. A guy was looking at it, and we began hovering. It was a similar generator only more powerful and more awesome for only $600. I WANTED IT!!! The guy finally left and I sat on the box while Rusty went and got a flat bed thing to take it up front and buy it.

Now, back to Wednesday, January 28. Rusty couldn't make it into work--no one could. There were 2 inches of snow, with 3 inches of ice, with another 3 inches of snow on top, and it kept coming. It was crazy. Rusty put together the generator, shoveled the driveway so he could go get gas for the generator, borrowed a space heater from a friend in the neighborhood who did have power, hooked up our fridge, the TV, the space heater, a couple of lamps, charged a DVD player, 2 Nintendo DS's and one cell phone, went sledding with the boys and all the while I lay in bed and got well. What a man.

A power outage is not a bad thing with a generator. We have a gas water heater, so all baths and showers were warm and long. We had a poster-size chart in our kitchen listing all household items and wattages. Ben would just add up (we could use up to 6000 watts) and if we wanted to use the microwave we just unplugged the fridge for a few minutes. If we wanted to play the Wii, we unplugged the space heater upstairs. Although I had extension cords running throughout my entire house, I was getting this down by day three. We bought another space heater (Rusty stood in line for a half an hour on day two at a small hardware store by his work) and we put that one in Meg's room where all the kids slept and we had the borrowed space heater in my room and we were great. Meals were a little cold, but we would just bring a space heater down during chow time. My kids are still closing doors behind them, because we wanted to either keep the heat in bedrooms, or the cold out. A lot of our friends learned how to hook up their generators to the fan of the gas heater (only 700 watts) which we were about to do when the power came on at the end of day three. We were all so happy, except for Sam who screamed "Nooooooooooooooooo!!!" at the top of his lungs and drooped his shoulders. He loves to have the power out because we do more things as a family, and we are like camping out. He says it is better than Christmas.

Well, I really do feel blessed. I feel like we did what the prophet has asked and are starting to get prepared. That generator saved us. Oh, we could have gone and stayed at the Blackwells' or another friend's house, but with me being so sick, even with out power it's nice to have your own bed and toilet. I am also so grateful for my garbage disposal, my closet light, my oven, my blow dryer, my washer and dryer, my automatic garage door, my dishwasher, my computer, and ELECTRICITY... Thank you Benjamin Franklin and all the others who invented it (that sentence was Ben's contribution to this post. He just finished reading a biography about Benjamin Franklin).

Playing in the snow before the power outage. No Meg, due to a broken wrist.

It was crazy cold. . .12 degrees.

The first night everyone, (except me--I had the space heater in my sick room) slept in the living room in front of our gas fireplace.

Eating dinner. We used the generator for the microwave, lamp and space heater in order to enjoy dinner a little more.

Rusty made a ton of calls from our home office. Ben made a sign that we put on the door. It reads, "Rusty O'Brien, Attorney at Law." (In bubble letters).

Ice on our deck. Molly and Sam pulled off the ice cubs and sucked on many, many. That's not unsanitary, is it?

I was amazed that these bushes and trees came back to life. I thought the ice had ruined them.

Our poor trees. They made it out of the ice storm of 2009.

MoLLy'S haLf BirTHdaY

None of my kids have had birthdays in the summer until Molly--June 22, 2005. It really does stink as a kid having a summer birthday. Not being able to celebrate it at school with the other kids! Not "feeling special" because your teacher can't put a nice "birthday cake hat" on your head that tells the entire school, "hey, it's my birthday today." Not being able to bring in treats. I should have been more understanding to those summer birthday kids that I grew up with. Now I completely understand.

Molly's teacher is BRILLIANT and allowed Molly to celebrate her birthday by having a half birthday at school. We brought treats and little goodie bags for her class mates. She LOVED having a half birthday. I hope all her teachers will let us do this.

The Break

We got the call, the call that every parent dreads when they leave their kids for an hour to run an errand. Ben tells me frantically (with hysterical crying in the background), "Mom, you have to come home; Meg is really hurt." We were about two miles away looking to buy a generator (our second power outage post is coming up soon; hence the need for a generator). Me, "What happened?" Ben, "Well, Meg was playing on the swivel chair and her leg got caught under the leg of the chair and fell forward and she caught herself with her hand and snap." Me, "Were you or Sam pushing her in the chair?" Ben, "Mom, can't you hear her crying, come home please." I'm pretty sure that I will never know the "whole" truth of what happened that night with the swivel chair.

When I got home, Dr. Ben had put ice on Meg's wrist and given her two Advil (Ben's going to be such a great doctor in about 17 years:). I wasn't completely sold on the idea that Meg's arm was really broken or just a bad sprain (we've been to the hospital before with her and came out with just a bad sprain). So I called one of our good friends who is a resident and asked him to look at it. He took about two and a half seconds to tell me that it indeed needed additional attention. Next stop, immediate care. It was a great suggestion of our friend to go there because we arrived 15 minutes before they closed and, therefore, they wanted to get us seen and out of there so they could go and enjoy their Saturday night. I didn't even have the paper work completed before they had Meg on the x-ray table. Beware of side comment: I broke something (can't remember what) many moons ago, and let me tell you, they have come a loooooong way with this equipment. First of all, everything is on the computer and can be accessed by Dr.'s offices and hospital all over Louisville (probably the world). Second, it's super clear and there aren't those huge slides that you need a light box to read. It seriously (pathetically) amazed me. Anyway, as I was standing behind the nurse and her computer screen she showed me the break as well as the growth plate which had been displaced. YUCK!!!! Her arm was too swollen to do anything that night. Also, it's a "doc in the box." Like I'm going to let him cast Meg's arm. So after getting instructions and a prescription for some STRONG pain pills we were on our way.

The first night right after the immediate care center.

The "incident" occurred on Saturday, January 17, and we saw the orthopedic doctor Monday, January 19. Let me just say that even with drugs, Sunday day and night were hell. Meg was in a huge amount of pain and made me "sleep" with her to rub her back. When we went to see Dr. Jacks she had already looked at Meg's x-rays (due to the amazing technology) and said she needed to do surgery to get the growth plate back in place and she might need to put in a couple of pins. She did cast Meg's arm for the day and night to help it feel better. This worked. Although she still was in pain, it wasn't horrible and probably would have been a little better except while I was running an errand that night Rusty let her play Wii. Are you kidding me Rusty? His response, "What? She said she could." And who's the parent?

Right before surgery. A little groggy. Meg told me I had three eyes and four noses.

The hospital has two types of slushies (red and blue). The test to be able to go home is if you can eat a slushy and "keep it down." Meg passed with flying colors and only had a few brain freezes to prove her lack of nausea.

Meg near the end of her stay. She came out of the anesthesia so well this time (she had problems the year before when she got her tonsils out) and was ready to go home right away.

Dr. Jacks likes to "spice" things up and give the kids she operates on a little "bling." Meg chose a blue cast and pink bow. When she woke up Dr. Jacks had also included the gold glitter. Meg has gotten a lot of attention with this cast.

Family Pictures

When the photographer told me to lay on my stomach and then she put Molly on top of me I was a little hesitant and in fact told Rusty "I'm going to hate this pose." I was wrong. I thought it turned out great and mostly because it was different.

There are 18 grand kids, 4 kids, 4 spouses (spice?) and one Gramma Kathy.

Gramma and the grand kids.

This is my favorite picture of all 190 shots that were taken that day. I love how it shows Aunt Lori and Rusty trying to get the kids to smile.

The two oldest grand kids, Jackie (17) and Kasey (18). When they were toddlers, Gramma had a picture taken of them and wanted another one to put next to it.

The two youngest grand kids. Jason (our little family calls him "J-Russ" because he's name is Jason Russell after Rusty) and Seth, both almost a year old.

Jonny (15) and Molly (3) are kind of the odd-man-out cousins. Molly has seven boy cousins around her age (two younger and five older before the next girl cousin) and Jonny is stuck with all girls on the older end. Molly has developed quite the crush on Jonny and loves his company.

Ben and Adam. . .when these two get together they disappear and I only see them at meal and prayer time.

We were sad that Aunt Kim's family had left before we started doing all the "break-out" cousin groups. Sam wanted a picture taken with Matthew and Nicholas. Here are Sam and Solly.

Meg (11) and Madeline (14)

Rusty's oldest sister Michelle and her family.

Rusty's sister just under him (and his accountant) Lori and her family.

Kim (Rusty's youngest sister), her husband Henry and their five boys and one girl.

Jesus Wants Molly For A Sunbeam

Molly is officially a Sunbeam. Our ward primary has 18 Sunbeams this year and although Molly knew all of them, she was not happy about this new experience.

My other kids embraced leaving my side. Actually, they still do. Molly on the other hand does not. Here you see all her friends looking at her as she's hysterically crying wondering what is her problem. Most kids might get embarrassed by the fact that half the primary was staring. . .not Molly.

This is Molly's substitute teacher. Molly's a little happier now. Check out the little boy on the left, not happy to be in primary either. Can you blame them? We rip them from a life of toys, books, puzzles and snacks to a world where you HAVE to sit the entire time and LISTEN. In fact, now that I think of it, if all of church was like nursery, toys and snacks, maybe we wouldn't have any inactives.

I was peeking in the window during class time. Eva is looking a little tense.

This picture is taken AFTER church was over and Molly knew she was heading home for lunch and to hold her blank.

Molly with two of her BFF's Emma Orr and Eva. Again, after church. Hence the smile.

Ringing In 2009

We've spent New Years for the past five or so years in St. Louis. It is always fun, and Aunt Kim and Uncle Henry host an amazing shin dig. Everyone feels comfortable, kids are everywhere (18 cousins and only 3 go to the church dance) and there is enough food left over to supplement each family's year supply.

Meg has four cousins born with-in a year of her (she is the oldest). Meg, Lizzy and Bella are playing charades with Gramma Kathy.

I think I've posted about how Molly LOVES babies and is going to have at least 10 when she grows up. But, when all the cousins get together she is glued to the two cousins that are under one. Here she is (chewing on her blank--gross) with Seth and Gramma Kathy.

It was 8:30 p.m. on New Years Eve when this picture was taken. Seriously Rusty?

Molly and Meg made it to ring in the new year. Molly wasn't very happy about it.

We have a lot of boy cousins. There are 7 girls and 11 boys. It wasn't loud at all with all these kids celebrating with their blowers. . .

Molly refusing to look at the camera.

I quickly hid all the blowers while everyone was toasting with their drinks.

Adam and Ben. . .they look like they could be twins.

Meg looks tired, but Rusty looks nice and rested (see 8:30 p.m. snooze photo).

We stayed at our Martin cousins', and on New Years Day the kids played Wii for many, many hours in their p.j.'s.

The older girls were so nice to watch "Molly's pick. . .Barbie Swan Lake." As you can see it didn't look like it was too much of a "sacrifice" for them. I couldn't get their attention to ask them anything.

Every year Aunt Michelle makes us a very delicious treat. . .homemade granola. Rusty can't get enough of it.