Severe Weather and 20th Anniversary of 9-11

We had quite an adventure during this holiday week! 

Theo didn't have school on Monday (September 6th), so we spent the day playing at home with dad, who also had the day off!

On Tuesday, September 7th, Theo had OT in the morning and then went to school that afternoon. We were warned that we could get some "severe storms" in the afternoon, but they would be fast moving and shouldn't linger. They were right about that!

[Theo working hard at school with PT]

At about 3:00 PM it started to rain and within minutes it was coming down so hard that I couldn't see our backyard fence. I stared getting warnings on my phone and I could hear the tornado siren blaring in the distance, so I went into the basement.

We lost power and it was very dark in the basement, but I was safe. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was really coming down. The house was shaking from the thunder and the lightning was happening so quickly and was so bright that I could tell it was right on top of the house.

The phones were down at the school, but I knew Theo was safe. After the worse part was over I grabbed my book and waited by the window for his bus to show up. I then got a call from the school nurse who told me that Theo was safe, but the buses were having a hard time getting to the school because of all the downed trees and power lines. She asked me if I wanted to come get him. I told her that our power was out and I couldn't get the car out of the garage. Josh was on his way home, so we could go get Theo after he got home. She said that was fine and she would keep Theo safe and entertained at the school while we waited for Josh to get home. 

I called Josh to tell him what was going on and he told me a bunch of roads were closed, so he was having a hard time getting home. I decided to try the garage door and it turns out we have a battery backup! The door opened and I called the nurse and told her that I was going to come pick up Theo. It usually takes me seven minutes to get to Theo's school, but it took 25 minutes because of all the road closures. There were multiple downed power lines, trampolines in trees, debris in the roads, closed roads, and downed trees everywhere. Theo's school is in an old neighborhood with some really old large trees. Many of them were lying in the street, but I was able to navigate around them and I finally arrived at Theo's school. I parked and started walking to the front door when Theo's pickup bus driver pulled up in his little bus. I asked her what she was doing there and she said she was so worried about Theo and she heard they couldn't get a hold of his drop off driver, so she came to the school to make sure he made it home safely! FOR REALS! How sweet is that?! At the same time Theo's aid and principal came walking out of the school with Theo. I honestly wasn't worried. I knew Theo was safe and that he would be well taken care of until I picked him up. 

Thank you so much to the staff at Theo's school who kept him happy and safe during the storm! 

We didn't know how long the power would be out, but since the storm came through it was much cooler and we knew we would be fine for one night without power. We got out our 100-hour-candles (thanks mom!) and Josh and I went into the basement to find some games. We played a couple rounds of Rummikub and then we put Theo to bed. At 9:30 PM I got a text from our power company saying they were STILL evaluating the outage and didn't know when power would be restored. A few minutes later the power came back on! YAY!

The next day on the news they reported a tornado had touched down just north of us. They also said that the evaluators would be out in our area that day looking at damage and they would determine if there was a tornado that touched down in our neighborhood (some locals swore there was one). Regardless if it was actually a tornado, there was still plenty of damage. I'm so glad that no one was hurt and hopefully they can get all the trees and debris cleaned up quickly!

If Theo wants to go to Disney World, he will have to wear a mask. We are working on it, but he's not a fan.

[Work in progress!]

Theo has figured out how to get his toys out of the baskets. He enjoys taking ALL of his toys out and creating a mess!

["Yes, mom, I need all of these toys!"]

Theo is a "sensory seeking" kid, so he likes to squeeze into tight spaces. He can be quite silly sometimes!

[Sitting up big and strong at OT]

[Getting on the bus with his glasses and face mask on]

September 11, 2021 was the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. I loved all the tributes and the out pouring of love and support for all the victims and their families. 

[Can't wait!]