Ike Strikes

I'm ready for Church, Mom!

Today, the remnants (HA!) of Ike hit our area of the country. We've received rain and effects from hurricanes and tropical storms before, but by the time it reaches us in the center of the country, it is usually just a lot of leftover rain.

Not today. Today we didn't get a drop. We did, however, get 50-60 MPH wind gusts for a good portion of the day. Lost some shingles and a lot of branches. There was extensive damage in nearby cities...we were lucky.

We arrived for Mass just about the time the wind really started to pick up. It was brutal...so hard that it was difficult to walk against it. At one point on our short walk from the car to the church, I looked back at my husband, who was carrying Olivia. I saw that she had wrapped her arm around his neck and was burying her head in his shoulder, eyes closed tight. The wind didn't scare her at all...she was just protecting herself against it by using Daddy's shoulder. It was sweet.

In other news, Olivia is a walker now. She's not entirely steady, but today she walked from the living room to our bedroom...a good 30 steps for her...without falling, so I'd say that classifies her as a walker. In a week or two, she should be as steady as any toddler because she is practicing all the time. She seems to be very proud of her new walking skills.

Look, no hands!