While The Cats Away...

...Mommy's friend lets the little ones splash in mud puddles and documents the fun!

And her punishment?

I left all the wet, muddy clothes behind for her to wash!

Flood Update...

As I type this, Daddy is spraying the basement with a bleach and water solution to cut down on the mold growth. From what we heard, this is our only option. I guess there are some fungicides that you can buy that work better but because Tater is immuno-suppressed, they are not recommended. So say a prayer that it works and that the icky smell begins to go away!

Here are few flood shots that I've been store up since Thursday. We've been so busy working on drying it out and enjoying Easter, that I haven't been able to find the time or energy to post them!

It's hard to see but this was our first sight of the bare floor (Thursday night)!

Miss Wiggles lives up to her name!

This is where I found her at breakfast yesterday after she wiggled out of her buckle.

The man room on Friday afternoon.

Another few of the man room from Friday afternoon.

The backyard Friday afternoon.

More of the backyard.

The man room late Friday night - a bit more STUFF!

The dining room - we DID NOT have Easter here!

The six loads of laundry that I did Friday, in between moving boxes, taking care of the kids, cleaning the rooms we can still live in, and trying not to break down from the stress of it all.

Flood News!

FYI - We have several small spots without water!

(I won't say "dry" because everything is still wet...there are just a few spots without puddles!)

And Then the Sun Came Out!

Well, the dumpster and sun arrived all at once! We blocked off the street, let the kids run wild, and emptied the contents of our water-soaked basements into our neighborhood dumpster. By the end of the evening, the kids joined the basements in the status of water-soaked!

Love Tater's outfit!

Bruiser loved his stick...and the water!

And there is the dumpster with the men checking it out!

Our house with the hoses flowing out...

When we took off Bruiser's boots, he dumped a bucket-full on our floor!

Love this shot!

T.W.B.T.F. (aka The Weekend Before The Flood)

We are still pumping out and cleaning out. The water level in our basement fluctuates - sometimes we go down below pumping level, but as soon as we turn off the pump, the water goes right back up! Daddy stayed home again today in hopes of being able to wet vac a bit but spent most of the day moving things out of the basement and into my dining room, his man room, and out on the deck (because it is not allowed to rain any more!!!!). Good thing he did stay home...route 95 was closed and it would have taken him hours to get to work and then the police ordered a mandatory evacuation of his plant because a dam was going to break. He may be home again tomorrow for all we know!

Oh, and the dumpster is arriving soon! We are going in with two other families and getting all the wet stuff out of our houses. We have a sofa - a sleeper sofa! - in the basement that is just ruined. It's the first thing in the dumpster!

So, looking back, here a few pictures of happier times! Papa and Mimi and Nana and Pap visited for the weekend and Papa took control of my camera. So not only do you get to see the kids having fun decorating eggs and playing with Papa and Mimi - you get to see a few pictures of me too! Lucky you!

Coloring eggs

Miss Wiggles got into lots of trouble while I was busy dying eggs!

Mimi and Tater colored and cut a lot!

Miss Wiggles helped herself to an apple and carried it all around...until it ended up under the rocker in the living room...'til Monday!

Meltdown Bruiser-style!

Trying to hide with the food he stole!

Apple girl!

Two By Two?

Anyone seen the news coverage of the record flooding on the east coast? Yup, that would be us! You know it's big time when the Weather Channel arrives in the neighborhood! Sam Champion of GMA was nearby as well...big time stuff!

We thought we were all clear and good until this morning when I was checking Facebook. Our across-the-street neighbor posted that she had water in her basement (funny how we talk more on Facebook than in person - and we are steps away from each other's door!). So, into my head popped the idea to check our basement...15 minutes before I had to be at work! I opened the door and, at first glance, things seemed okay. Then something caught my eye...something like an inch of water seeping through the floor. Just great!

I grabbed Daddy, he called off work, our great sitter pitched in, and I headed to work. By the time I had come home from work at 11:30, three inches covered the entire floor and Daddy had searched for a pump all over with no luck. We emptied everything we could or needed to - luckily most of our things are already in plastic from a lesson learned with burst hot water heater!

By 4:00, Daddy had located a pump at some obscure contractor supply place and we made an investment in hopes of a dry basement. As of right now the water level is holding it's own - no higher, no lower. Our best guess is that the water table is at the same level as our basement and is just seeping in. Daddy is on the phone as I write with the oil company to find out what to do about the furnace. And wouldn't you figure that I have a full day of curriculum writing tomorrow - so Daddy might not make it to work again!

Here are a few pictures of destruction and the rain...enjoy while my OCD goes into overload!

Dining room storage

More storage in the mudroom.

The playroom "pool"!

Standing in the water...cute boots, huh?

Floating toys

Backyard "pond"

Front yard "river"

See the neighbor's hose!

And the rain pours on...