Pictures I Took Of The Flood

Wow! Having a mudslide/flood in our area has put everything on hold! Time stops still and everyone focuses on preventing more damage and clean-up. This will be one event I will always remember.

I was hoping to get a deal on some frames and twin sheets at a garage sale when my phone rang. A neighbor asked if we were home because a 'ditch' or 'canal' was flooding one of the members in our ward. I told her I would call Chris and tell him to get down there immediately. I left for home to watch the kids. Upon arrival, I could hear sirens and see water down the street. As I walked closer, this is what I saw! This is the street I live on - I am about six houses down from where we live. Yikes! A river of muddy water. Lots of it! As I look across the street, I see Roxy's old place taking on water. Much water left 200 N. through Roxy's and Campbell's backyard and went to the canal behind their house.
Walking a little farther, I see Chris and the gang putting up boards, rocks, whatever they can find to keep water from going into Eris' home. Unfortunately, there was too much water too fast. Her basement got a couple inches of water. Her yard grew mud!
Rounding the corner, I looked down Crockett Ave. A river of muddy water! What a surprise.Norma's rental. Does this picture not scream 'Welcome home!!!' The tennant in this house just moved in three days earlier!There are three houses for sale on Crockett. This one is the only one that got flooded. I have a feeling she will have a little bit more difficulty selling her home now. Flooded basement! Muddy lawn! Tangi's front yard. Harley's little truck! Luckily, it didn't get swept away!!!
Whenever there's a river in your front yard, you want a family picture, right? Well, I got one for Tangi!!! Did you see Harley on Channel 13 news! He's famous - like Chris!
Mr. Busby's yard always looks amazing. His house just got put on the National Historic Register 3 weeks ago. See him taking a picture of the plaque he put in front of the house with muddy water for the background. Beautiful. His yard looks awful. Luckily, his home didn't have a basement!!! No flooding inside! His house will stay on the register.
The old house on the corner of Crockett and Canyon Rd. This yard was devasted. Most the water and mud ran through it and left an annoying present - a large quantity of silt!!!

Looking down Canyon Rd. They wouldn't let me through due to downed power lines, a gas leaked and a house that was destroyed. You can see some rubble and rocks in the road.
On my way back to where Chris was, I see Chris' truck in the middle of the road being used as a tool to block water. This is the dam they had made against Chris' truck to divert the river through a garden instead of into yards and down 200 N.
I guess there is a reason we have so much crap at our house! It came in very handy this day. Those big tree limbs, board and OSB scraps kept a lot of water out of houses and yards.
I came back to assist in anyway I could. I talked with Eris' and calmed her down. She was a little in shock - almost fainting. I made her sit down, got her water, told her not to worry about teaching relief society the following day, helped her contact her insurance, got some people in the basement moving furniture and assessing damages. Then I went to the next house - Tvetdnes and did similar. This is why I was walking the streets with a camera and not assisting with a shovel. I had Cooper in my arms! At 25 lbs, he gave me a workout! I held him for a couple hours! The mud and water prevented me from using the stroller.
After they got the water stopped, Chris and I checked in on other homes. We went to Tvetdnes'. Her house was flooded and had about 6 inches of water in the basement. Chris ran to get a pump and got as much water out of the basement as he could along with others.When the water stopped, this is what was left. Mud, silt, dirt - EVERYWHERE! Inches of it! Luckily, many people had rushed to serve and clean-up. Hundreds of people brought shovels and went to work attempting to clean up what they could.There were people everywhere including people from our ward who rushed to the store (or food storage) and brought water, popsicles, and treats. Chris was in a parade (or so he thought). He was jsut on the way to the next house!
Mr. Busby's flower art is destroyed. The birds are covered with mud.
Our street. Covered with mud!!! What a mess. This is slick stuff. I fell on it!!!
We went back home to check on Cadence and to refuel our bodies. I wanted to make sure our house was ok. I was hoping the irrigation ditch that ran through our backyard didn't flood. I knew it would have more water than usual in it. This is what I found in the garden - silt (and weeds). Even with our headgate in, we got a thin layer of silt.

The irrigation ditch was lined with mud! I'm nervous for the next time we are supposed to irrigate. Will all this silt come into the garden?We ended up taking both kids back through the rummage to see what we could do and what the plan was. The news helicopters were buzzing around. At the church, it was full of news trucks. I should have given them copies of my pictures since most of the ones they had were after the water was stopped. The Bishop talked with Chris to find out which houses in the ward were damaged and the extent of that damage. They copied my pictures to print out for a large meeting that night with community and church leaders.This is a picture of the roof that had been swept off the house that was destroyed and the garage full of rocks in the house next to it!!! Unfortunately, this is where we heard that there were most likely 3 people inside the house who were dead.

The next post will be about Sunday.

The Flood And Chris on TV

If you haven't heard or seen the news, "the Island" (our neighborhood) was flooded today (Saturday, July 11) from the canal above Canyon Road breaking. Crockett Ave was a river and a few people in our ward had their basements flooded. The river started down our road on 200 N., but found ways to the other canal across the street from us before it got to our house. We are grateful we weren't flooded!!!! We were out assisting all day! Here is the link to KSL news. Click on the video to watch Chris. He was interviewed as we were reporting/assessing damages of the houses in our ward. He also was quoted in the article. What a crazy day!!! More pictures to come later!
Here are some pictures from CacheValleyDaily.com. That truck is Chris' truck. Cooper and I are in the pictures of a neighbors garage.

Patriotic East Canyon

My mom usuaaly reserves her time share at East Canyon over the 4th of July. On the 2nd, we watched the fireworks with the Fredricksons out in Hyrum. Cadence was afraid of the noise and Cooper stared in amazement. On Friday, we packed up the car and headed to East Canyon. Syd and Cole were there and Cadence was so excited to be with her cousins. They went swimming and played together all evening. After a dinner of Rib-eye steak, everyone played a killer game of Monoply.

In the morning, we filled our bellies with pancakes, eggs, bacon and potatoes at the 4th of July breakfast. Because it was Cadence's THIRD birthday, she opened her presents and played with the ballons and blowers(?).

Her cousins had to leave and on a little "hike" we went!

Cadence was brave to sit on this fence all by herself. (Part of the resort is in the background.)

That day we swam, tried to go fishing (but got attacked by mosquitos), played we Cadence's presents, explored the playground, talked with Zazu, and just had fun! In the evening. we drove to Henefer for fun fireworks. (I don't know why this picture is sideways!)

Sunday morning we drove home because Chris had to teach a lesson at church. Vacations are so much more exciting and busier with kids!!!

A Late 11 Months

Cooper has reached the age of 11 months (one month ago. I'm late again!!!) He is requiring a lot of supervision as he is a very busy, curious, happy and mischievious little guy. I no longer think of him as a baby:( He has taken on a whole new persona. Cooper loves the dirt and mud. Irrigation time, dumping water from the pool into the flower bed, or anywhere else he can sit in dirt, mud or small rocks will keep him occupied for hours. He still enjoys putting the rocks in his mouth. Sometimes, I think he looks like an abandoned or neglected child because he is filthy (but still cute!) He also like to hold the hose and assist in filling the pool or watering the lawn. Cooper also loves water and swimming both in the wading pool in our front yard or big swimming pools. At bathtime, he crawls from one end of the tub to the other and back again. He stands up and is so busy touching everything outside of the tub he can. When it rained a lot, he loved sitting in the puddles and splashing.Cooper's communication continues to improve. He has added the signs "duck," "rain," "again," "water," "airplane," "book," and a few more. His vocalizations have continue to increase and are becoming more distinctive. He loves to talk and call out to people. He attempts copies sounds and blowing that we do - like giving raspberries, saying "shhhh" with a finger upto his lip, blowing air on hot food, and blowing kisses. Eating is going well. He still loves to nurse (but won't sign "milk" and he pulls his own hair when he nurses at night), but eats a variety of food. Oranges are one of his favorite foods. I usually put the oranges on top of this countertop and he climbs and reaches for them and starts eating the peel. He gets a funny look on his face from the taste, but continues to eat!!! He actually spit out some food this month - mashed potatoes and jello. Cooper is still crawling. He is fast and has a "sprint crawl" when we wants to get somewhere fast. When he crawls outside, he uses his hands and feet (not his knees). He looks like a stink bug crawling through the grass. He is obsessed with the stairs. Whether we are inside or outside, he climbs the stairs and has climbed up our long steep stairs by himself quite a few times. He has stood on his own a few times, but will fall down when he realizes he is doing it. Walking while holding our hands is another favorite activity. He holds one of our hands and walks, but does not want to let go. Cooper is getting heavier and heavier. He's got some major stomach overhang and rolls. I am developing some great muscles in my arms. His 5th tooth broke through. It is on the top. His hair is turning quite blonde and straight and his skin very white (although he sunburns quickly and easily). He doesn't look like a bi-racial baby.
Cooper enjoys assisting me with the laundry. While the washer is filling-up, I put him on top of the clothes and he plays with the water. When I am getting clothes out of the dryer, he pulls up and empties the lint tray. Sometimes he tries to eat it, but realizes that he does NOT like the taste or texture. He wants to help me wash the dishes, but there is little space for me to put him up on the counter. Let's just say he doesn't like to help me clean up. He carries toys all over the house and plays/destroys/messes up Cadence's dollhouse toys. One of his newest obsessions is pulling the wallpaper off the wall in the upstairs bathroom. He finds the edges, and with his little finger nails, gets underneath it and pulls. He has ripped some rather large pieces off. Oh well :(!!! I guess we will get to redo that room too someday. He also likes to ring the doorbell when entering the house, turn lights on and off, and turn the water in the sink on and off.Cooper is into everything - even more than last month. He has dumped bags and boxes of cereal. Two more shelves in the kitchen have been cleared off and one of the countertops is a victim of his climbing and pulling off items to eat or play with. He can climb on couches and even can get up on some chairs. He has a stubborn side and gets mad if I take something away from him. He lets me know when I have made him upset!Cadence loves Cooper and they are becoming better friends every day. Cadence is his partner in crime. They both love the mud and dumping water, riding bikes, and laughing. It is so fun to see them interacting. Most of the time, they get along. Cooper got sick for two days this month. He had diarhea (yeah for me) and threw up twice. He was a little clingy even though he usually will go to most people and is very social. Cooper doesn't hold still for very long. Church is a struggle. He has the desire to explore, move around, crawl under the pews - not sit still for three hours. He keeps me busy.

Getting Cooper into his carseat is NOT fun. He does this stiff body thing and turns while screaming so it is nearly impossible. I feel like I am abusing the poor kid while I belt him in. He is just so interested in everything he sees (like the seatbelts and hooks and locks and window roller) that he wants to touch them. He doesn't mind driving though. Him and Cadence have lots of fun pretending to drive. Even though Cooper is no longer a baby, he is my baby and I love him deeply. His smile melts my heart. He LOVES to cuddle and is a momma's boy. Despite not getting anything done and some frustration on my part, I love this stage of exploration and curiousity. Cooper is learning and growing tremendously. My "Bubba" is my joy!!!

A Walk Along the Wiver

For FHE a couple of weeks ago, we took Cadence to ride her big wheel/bike along the Logan River Trail and us to follow with Cooper in a stroller. It was so fun and beautiful! Cadence is so funny. She would pedal as fast as she could and then put her feet down to stop herself because she was going to fast. She rode almost the whole 2 miles. When she got tired, I took a turn. Let's just say riding a big wheel isn't as comfortable, fun or functional as it was when I was 5.
I did manage to make the pedals go around, but Cadence felt like she wanted to push me! What a big helper! I'm sure the people who passed us thought we were crazy. Well, we are!!!
A week later, my mom came up to take care of the kids while I sold my latest creations, bandana dresses at the farmers market. She stayed a couple of days and we took her on a walk along the river! She loved it and now this gives her one more reason to move to Logan after she retires!!!
I love taking pictures on the train tracks by river. I wish I had an amazing camera!!! Cadence is one of the patriotic skirts I made her.

Swimming at Snowbird

A couple of weeks ago, my mom had her timeshare week at Snowbird. I've been going to Snowbird the third week in June since I was a baby. All of us went to relax on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures with Chris there! Chris had to work on Monday so we drove back with him and left after playgroup (at our house on Tuesday). The kids and I had so much fun!!!

Cadence and Cooper got to play with two of their favorite cousins (Cole and Syd) on Sat and Sun.

They went swimming together and played at the park. Cooper loved the kiddie pool because he could stand and walk by himself. The water made it easy for him to hold up his weight and maintain his balance. He was more confident walking when he was holding onto a noodle or in a floating donut!

On Tuesday, we brought our other fun cousins (Maddie and McKinley) down with us to stay until Friday night. Party!!! Much of our time was spent in the pool. Cadence actually got her face wet without crying! She was much more daring than last year. She wasn't clingy and wanted to go in the deep end! She still won't put her face IN the water. Maybe next year!

Cooper got his face wet too. He liked to splash. I put him underwater a few times. He didn't freak out, but he didn't seem to like it either. The pool is so much fun!

We hiked too! We definitely had to walk/hike to "Look Out Point" and get our yearly picture. The weather was good this day. (It rained a few of the other days we were there.) So beautiful!
While we were there, Cadence, Maddie and McKinley went exploring! They found this pile of sticks to climb in. Cadence did not like the ants she would see on the ground. She took off running once, tripped and skinned her knee. It was traumatic for her!!!!

We also played on the playground more! The swings were awesome because it was an all-ability playground. Cooper enjoyed driving the car and attemping to climb the slides.

The most fun activity and newest addition to Snowbird is the mining activity. We bought two big bags of dirt/gems and poured them into the contraptions that one puts in the running water. The water sifts the small dirt pieces out and leaves the larger gems and minerals. The girls loved finding and sorting the gems. Cooper just loved playing in the water. This is such a good idea! I wish I would have started the company that sets these mining mills up!

Cooper also loved this large stuffed dog that we passed in the Snowbird Center several times. He gave it lots of slobbery kisses and darling squeals!

Grammy brought some paint and other activities for inside the condo. Cooper found the paint and enjoyed fingerpainting!!!

I brought my sewing machine and sewed almost 30 bandana dresses. I didn't get them all the way finished, but I made A LOT of progress!

The last evening we were there, Snowbird held a "Grill On The Hill" BBQ contest. The kids stopped at the arts and crafts booth. Afterwards, we walked upto where the food and beer (of course) were. The band started playing and Cadence started dancing!!! In front of everyone! She was so cute! Maddie joined her and so did I. You gotta love that Cadence is following my footsteps of being a crazy dancer in the front of crowds!!!

We've been home for 2 weeks and Cadence is still talking about Snowbird! Oh, how we love thee! I enjoyed this year much better than last year. I kept thinking back to how my body felt like exploding with Cooper 2 weeks away from popping out! We are excited about next year!!!