Daddy is 40!

Daddy's turn! He turned 40 on September 11th, but it was right after Hurricane Harvey. We had to put off the party for a few weeks, but we sure did have fun to celebrate him this weekend. He wanted his friends and their families to come over, and it was a great, low-key celebration.

Daddy, Corey Harper, Andrew Kirby, Shub Dakshindas, Giff (Mr. Gifford)

Kiddos in our Bed

Allison's First Pep Rally

Our middle schooler is in full swing with participating in sports and extracurricular activities, so she was a big part of today's fall pep rally. So much fun!

Playing Trumpet with the Band

Adorable Pep Squad Member

Allison was also introduced with the volleyball team, but I have that as a video. I think she had a great first pep rally experience!

Here are a few more fun pictures from the first home game where she cheered with the Pep Squad...

Hurricane Harvey

Houston just suffered and is continuing to suffer the worst flooding in history, and so many we love and care about have been affected.

Hurricane Harvey has officially become the costliest storm on record, inflicting nearly $200 billion in damage. It destroyed towns such as Rockport and caused major damage in Portland as well. Omie and Papa Fred will need a new roof, foundation repair, a new fence, and bricks put back on the side of their house that blew off. Fortunately they went to the cabin in Concan and were not there for the storm. Portland will be without power for days if not weeks.

Here in Houston we went to school for three days before it was cancelled for almost two weeks. There was actually a funny meme out there because the day before school started there was a total solar eclipse that you could see from parts of the US. We were not in the line of totality, but we could see it some. Therefore, the start of the week was an eclipse and the end was hurricane prep.

Fun Fact - I was pregnant with Allison during Hurricane Rita that threatened Houston, and then I was pregnant with Aidan when Hurricane Ike came through. No, I am not pregnant this time!

We began preparations here in Houston in case we lost power. The grocery stores were mad houses, but I went and grabbed what I could. There were two packs of water left, so I took one. It was a six-pack of Figi for $14. That is insane considering a 24 pack of HEB brand is around $3.50. I decided I could fill up every container we had at home to go along with our gold-quality water. I had pitchers of it in the refrigerator also.

The first weekend it was just waiting and watching the news nonstop. We watched as Harvey ripped through our hometown of Portland and destroyed so many familiar places in South Texas. It was gut wrenching.

We wanted to keep life normal for the kids because we knew we were about to be seriously house bound, so Allison and I did get out for a bike ride.

The start of Harvey for Houston came with serious tornado warnings and tornados touching down not far from us. We prepped the laundry room, and each time the sirens went off we piled in. We were spared, but not far from us houses lost fences, had roof damage, etc. We pretty much lived in PJs, lounge wear, and tried to avoid cabin fever for days.

Once the storm passed it rained, and rained, and rained in Houston. It just would not stop. The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs kept filling, and it became clear they would overflow. The flooding was always the larger threat for our city with this storm, and it was about to get to levels no one could have imagined.

Constantly we watched the Army Corp of Engineers give us updates on the reservoir levels. We live just next to the overflow projection for the Barker Reservoir. We quickly learned what our elevation was as did all of our neighbors. This map was one I was texting to family and friends when they were asking how we were. It looked like we would miss the flooding by one street.

Our street throughout the storm.

We back up to George Bush Park and some farm land. These are pictures from our neighborhood of displaced livestock. 

In order to save thousands of homes from more overflow the Army Corp of Engineers had to release water from the dams. This sent huge amounts of water into Buffalo Bayou which crested and flooded homes along it for weeks. While we stayed dry, so many of our friends lost their homes. We had friend evacuating by boats more than once. They made it safely out of their home by boat and then had to leave the hotel or office building they had made it to by boat again. This went on and on. Volunteers from all over came with their small boats to rescue people. The Cajun Navy was a huge help.

Rescue Numbers on TV

Allison's friend, Gwen's house

Update: After the rains stopped, the releases continued. Once the releases finally stopped, the water levels came down. Homes sat in water for weeks though. Out of 130 students in our middle school, around 25 are displaced.

The charitable heart of Houston was nothing short of impressive. Everyone found a way to help. Tyler went in with his waders to help a neighbor collect things. They saved what they could and moved it out in a boat. Our neighborhood Facebook page was a resource for information and ways to help each other. It was amazing. I am a liason for a displaced family through Grace to get them anything they need.

Allison and Aidan painted with some friends, and all proceeds went to Harvey victims.

They are calling it a 1000 year flood, but the reality is that it could happen again easily. Houston has built on land that should have never been built on. When the reservoirs were built, they told the city that homes should not be built in the flood zone. Permits were still allowed though. To save those homes, the dams had to be opened. Flooding along the bayou affected far fewer homes, but it has flooded homes that were not in a flood zone. So many did not have flood insurance. 

Plans are in the works for a third reservoir northwest of the city. Let's hope more is done though and we never see this again.