Monday, May 16, 2011
Exploring New Places!
On Thursday, May 12, Jackson really took off with walking. He is walking up a storm. He has to have help getting started but he is improving more and more each day. It will not be long before we will not be able to catch him!! He is really enjoying walking and laughs and is so proud of himself. This week, we celebrated my 33rd birthday. Over the weekend, we took Jackson to Sykes in Homewood to buy some new shoes. That place is just too cute. They measured his foot and brought out the sandals I selected for him. He did great!! We then took him to meet our photographer friend, Erin and she took lots of pictures of Jackson. He was very cooperative and really seemed to enjoy being outside. On Sunday, we went to church and Nana and Papa went with us. He was dressed up in one of his birthday outfits that his Mimi and Pops gave him. Jackson also has an octopus that blows bubbles during his bath time. It is hysterical and amazing how many bubbles it blows out. Here are some pictures from the week:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Baby Steps...
Last Saturday, May 7, Jack took two or three steps on his own. He is so funny. He is closer and closer to walking. Lookout everyone!!!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Happy Mother's Day and Jackson's Dedication
We had an awesome weekend! Jackson's dedication at church was this Sunday so Mother's Day was extra, extra special! We got up Sunday morning (well, we got up late and missed Sunday School because our high-tech alarm clock named Jackson did not wake us up until 8 am) and Jackson gave me a diamond necklace for Mother's Day. We went to church and Aunt Glyn, Uncle Rex, Jodie and Drew came to Jackson's baby dedication. Jackson was dedicated along with 3 other babies. During the dedication, Jackson was hilarious. He was looking around reaching for the baby of the couple standing next to us. At one point he was hitting the dad standing next to us. Then he kept putting his arms up in the air and I just knew he was going to let out some kind of a squeal but he didn't. He then decided he would start poking me in the eye and playing with my hair. He was quite a sight but all in all he was very quiet and very wiggly. After church we had lunch at Aunt Glyn's with Uncle Rex, Jodie, Drew, Rob, Granny, Granddaddy, and Great-Great Grandmother. When we got home from eating lunch, Jackson decided instead of taking a nap, he wanted to play and play and play. He was one tired little boy when he finally went to bed (which was about an hour after his normal bedtime). It was a wonderful Mother's Day and I am so thankful for Jackson and our family. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
Friday, May 6, 2011
May is Here and Jackson is ONE!!!!
Here are a few pictures from this week. Jackson turned one on the 4th!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Jackson's Birthday Party and Turning One!!
We had Jackson's birthday party on Saturday, April 30 at our city hall. We were a little worried about the power situation but we were so thankful that the power was restored to that section of town on Friday. We got up early Saturday morning and went to city hall to set up everything. It only took us about 2 hours since much of the work had been done the night before. We decorated with balloons and some of Ray's old toys. Everything was in primary colors and we served sandwiches with all the fixings, chicken salad, pasta salad, chips, dip, and cake. Jackson tried a pickle for the first time and one can only imagine the look on his face. Needless to say, he didn't care for them very much. We gathered and ate, enjoyed cake, and opened gifts. Jackson had his on little smash cake that he played in for a couple of minutes before deciding that just wasn't for him. He was really interested in opening his gifts because he was too busy chasing around one of his balls that we brought from home. Will came to the party and went home with his "Manny Manny" (Handy Manny) ball. He was so cute. I think he enjoyed the party as well. We had a very nice turnout for the party - Nana, Papa, MiMi, Pops, Great Mee-Maw and Paw Paw, Great Granddaddy and Granny, Great-Great Grandmother, Aunt Katie, Kathy, Nanny Toot, Aunt Sandra, Jodie, Drew, Tamra, Summer, Amanda, Will, Susan, and Uncle Tyler. At the end of the party, we loaded up the cars to go home and before we could finish loading up, Jackson was sound asleep in his car seat. Here are a few pictures from that day:
Remembering...
Continuing to remember the State of Alabama:
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
April 27, 2011
This was a day that changed the lives of many people in the state of Alabama. Early that morning, Jackson, Queenie and I found ourselves sitting in the laundry room because of the threat of a tornado. I was dressed for work and had just gotten Jackson up and changed. We sat in the laundry room for about 5 minutes because the storm was moving so fast. As it past, I could here the doors in the house rattling. After the storm passed, I found that rain has blown in under one of our doors and through the doorknob. Our neighborhood had suffered no damage with the exception of a few missing shingles, etc...nothing compared to what would happen over the course of the day. At this point, I didn't realize the damage that had occurred only 2 neighborhoods over from us. I found out that many homes were damaged, power lines mangled, and the steeple blown off our church (along with other damage). MK called and said a tree had landed on the corner of her house. Amanda texted to see if we were ok. Texted Mary to see if she was ok. Everyone was ok!!! For which we are very thankful. I had to report to work for a couple of hours even though we had no power there. We were sent home early because of the power issue as well as the threat of an even worse storm headed our way in the afternoon. Later that evening as more and more tornadoes were spawned and a huge path of destruction was being created across the state, we were sitting at home watching debris fall from the sky. There were reports of this debris coming from as far as away as Tuscaloosa. The path of April's Fury storm was enormous. There were over 263 tornadoes reports in 6 states on that day - 23 in Alabama. A couple of in Alabama were reported to be F4 and F5s. Nineteen counties in Alabama were affected, 250+ people dead, over 300 still missing, over 5,000 homes and businesses in Tuscaloosa destroyed.
Our hearts are heavy for the people in all areas across Alabama. Many lives lost and even more lives changed forever. Here are some of the pictures from Moody:
From AL.com on Monday, May 2:
"As National Weather Service teams continue Tuesday to survey the damage from last week's storms, the number of confirmed tornadoes climbed Monday to 23 statewide. Government analysts said Monday there were 362 tornadoes nationwide during last week's outbreak, including a record-setting 312 in one 24-hour period. According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, between 8 a.m. Wednesday and the same time Thursday, 340 people were killed in the storms. That makes April 27, 2011, the deadliest single day for tornadoes since the March 18, 1925, tornado outbreak that left 747 dead in seven states.
In Alabama, the official death toll Monday was 236 people killed in the storms, according to the state Emergency Management Agency. Another 2,219 people were injured. Spokeswoman Yasamie August said the state agency was double-checking fatality reports from its county emergency management directors.
As the share of Alabama that came under federal disaster area declaration broadened to 36 counties Monday, Gov. Robert Bentley planned to address the tornado damage during a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday at 6 p.m. Charities, businesses and individuals continued to reach out Monday to help provide for those who had lost everything in the storms. Among visitors to the area was controversial actor Charlie Sheen, who toured Tuscaloosa to survey the damage and drum up help for storm victims.
The storms that swept across the state and the south Wednesday included an EF-5 twister, the strongest of tornadoes, which killed at least 26 people when 200 mph winds swept across 132 miles, from Marion County into Tennessee. "That's as big as it gets; that occurs rarely in the history books," climatologist John Christy said. "It's one of those systems that only comes along every few decades."
Reports from weather service storm survey teams painted a disturbing picture of the devastating power of those storms. An EF-4 tornado swung through Greene, Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties, killing 65 people and leaving an 80-mile-long path of destruction in Alabama. That storm system started in Newton, Miss. and ended 7½ hours later after traveling a total of 380 miles to Macon County, North Carolina. Two EF-4 tornadoes left large swaths of destruction in central Alabama, killing at least 12 people. One passed through Cordova, destroyed two mobile homes and a house, flipped a bulldozer, tossed a pickup truck 200 yards and a dump truck 50 yards -- destroying it and leaving a 2½ foot crater in the ground. As it approached U.S. 78, the tornado tossed two more mobile homes at least 100 yards before continuing through Cullman, Marshall and Morgan counties. A few miles north of Arab, that tornado destroyed a large storage shed, picked up the farm equipment inside and slung the large machinery 10 to 20 yards. As it continued its violent path toward Union Grove, 190 mph winds destroyed a cinder block home and sent the debris flying more than 50 yards. Several large trees were ripped out of the ground and haven't been found, and some concrete power poles were bent over at the base. A gas station was demolished and two pumps were ripped from the ground and are missing. Weather service meteorologist Mary Keiser, who participated in storm surveys in Bibb and Hale counties, said it is difficult to see such destruction. "These are people's lives," Keiser said. "You're trying to go there as a scientist, but this isn't just something you see on a radar screen."
As officials continued to tally the damage from Wednesday's tornadoes, efforts to help those affected by the storms also continued. FEMA has awarded more than $2 million in housing assistance in Alabama, which can include rental payments for temporary housing for people whose homes are un-livable, grants for home repairs, or replacement of essential household items to make the damaged building safe, sanitary and functional, FEMA spokeswoman Denise Everhart said. More than $1 million also has been awarded for other needs assistance, including grants to pay for things such as medical, dental, funeral and transportation expenses not covered by insurance, she said. The cost of removing debris in the city of Birmingham alone could run as high as $10 million, Mayor William Bell said Monday. Bell imposed a curfew in parts of the city affected by last week's tornado. People will not be allowed to enter or leave tornado-ravaged areas between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, reasonable exceptions will be made for residents in those areas who are traveling to or from work or school, Birmingham Police Chief. A.C. Roper said. As of 5 p.m. Monday, 24,139 Alabama Power customers remained without power, including 10,647 in Jefferson and Shelby counties, said spokeswoman Hallie Bradley. That's down from a peak of 412,229 at the height of the storms."
Our hearts are heavy for the people in all areas across Alabama. Many lives lost and even more lives changed forever. Here are some of the pictures from Moody:
From AL.com on Monday, May 2:
"As National Weather Service teams continue Tuesday to survey the damage from last week's storms, the number of confirmed tornadoes climbed Monday to 23 statewide. Government analysts said Monday there were 362 tornadoes nationwide during last week's outbreak, including a record-setting 312 in one 24-hour period. According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, between 8 a.m. Wednesday and the same time Thursday, 340 people were killed in the storms. That makes April 27, 2011, the deadliest single day for tornadoes since the March 18, 1925, tornado outbreak that left 747 dead in seven states.
In Alabama, the official death toll Monday was 236 people killed in the storms, according to the state Emergency Management Agency. Another 2,219 people were injured. Spokeswoman Yasamie August said the state agency was double-checking fatality reports from its county emergency management directors.
As the share of Alabama that came under federal disaster area declaration broadened to 36 counties Monday, Gov. Robert Bentley planned to address the tornado damage during a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday at 6 p.m. Charities, businesses and individuals continued to reach out Monday to help provide for those who had lost everything in the storms. Among visitors to the area was controversial actor Charlie Sheen, who toured Tuscaloosa to survey the damage and drum up help for storm victims.
The storms that swept across the state and the south Wednesday included an EF-5 twister, the strongest of tornadoes, which killed at least 26 people when 200 mph winds swept across 132 miles, from Marion County into Tennessee. "That's as big as it gets; that occurs rarely in the history books," climatologist John Christy said. "It's one of those systems that only comes along every few decades."
Reports from weather service storm survey teams painted a disturbing picture of the devastating power of those storms. An EF-4 tornado swung through Greene, Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties, killing 65 people and leaving an 80-mile-long path of destruction in Alabama. That storm system started in Newton, Miss. and ended 7½ hours later after traveling a total of 380 miles to Macon County, North Carolina. Two EF-4 tornadoes left large swaths of destruction in central Alabama, killing at least 12 people. One passed through Cordova, destroyed two mobile homes and a house, flipped a bulldozer, tossed a pickup truck 200 yards and a dump truck 50 yards -- destroying it and leaving a 2½ foot crater in the ground. As it approached U.S. 78, the tornado tossed two more mobile homes at least 100 yards before continuing through Cullman, Marshall and Morgan counties. A few miles north of Arab, that tornado destroyed a large storage shed, picked up the farm equipment inside and slung the large machinery 10 to 20 yards. As it continued its violent path toward Union Grove, 190 mph winds destroyed a cinder block home and sent the debris flying more than 50 yards. Several large trees were ripped out of the ground and haven't been found, and some concrete power poles were bent over at the base. A gas station was demolished and two pumps were ripped from the ground and are missing. Weather service meteorologist Mary Keiser, who participated in storm surveys in Bibb and Hale counties, said it is difficult to see such destruction. "These are people's lives," Keiser said. "You're trying to go there as a scientist, but this isn't just something you see on a radar screen."
As officials continued to tally the damage from Wednesday's tornadoes, efforts to help those affected by the storms also continued. FEMA has awarded more than $2 million in housing assistance in Alabama, which can include rental payments for temporary housing for people whose homes are un-livable, grants for home repairs, or replacement of essential household items to make the damaged building safe, sanitary and functional, FEMA spokeswoman Denise Everhart said. More than $1 million also has been awarded for other needs assistance, including grants to pay for things such as medical, dental, funeral and transportation expenses not covered by insurance, she said. The cost of removing debris in the city of Birmingham alone could run as high as $10 million, Mayor William Bell said Monday. Bell imposed a curfew in parts of the city affected by last week's tornado. People will not be allowed to enter or leave tornado-ravaged areas between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, reasonable exceptions will be made for residents in those areas who are traveling to or from work or school, Birmingham Police Chief. A.C. Roper said. As of 5 p.m. Monday, 24,139 Alabama Power customers remained without power, including 10,647 in Jefferson and Shelby counties, said spokeswoman Hallie Bradley. That's down from a peak of 412,229 at the height of the storms."
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