The Great Flood

So, uh, its been raining a little bit.  Tuesday is when it really started.  Tuesday is when I got a message that there was a tornado warning in effect for our area.  It was really windy and pouring buckets and buckets of rain.  I went upstairs to look out the window and thats when I laid my eyes upon my parking spot.  Which was completely under water.  I gasped out loud when I saw the water lapping up onto the sidewalk about a foot from our first step.  I ran outside to see my neighbors all doing the same thing.  A neighbor from up the way grabbed a shovel and waded out to the drain (which was about ten feet from my car and completely clogged).  My next door neighbor waded in as well.  In the meantime the water had gone up and over the bottom of my car, and was my car was so deep in the water that I couldn't get to it, let alone open any of the doors.  Luckily we had no where to go and the kids thought the whole thing was great fun.  My poor neighbors stayed there until all the water drained and then we all swept and raked up all the trash and leaves and dirt.  Its happened about four times since then, yesterday when it started pouring again I literally ran outside and jumped in my car to move it to the street (the water was already about an inch from my door, I had to jump from the sidewalk into my car.)  I've always liked my neighbors, and we've always felt like a little community in here, but these last couple of days have really shown how great they all are.  Josh and a neighbor from behind us were out there the other night at 10:45 when another neighbor came out with a flash light to help.  The first neighbor who jumped in the water lives a couple condos up from us, his house and car were not affected at all by the flooding, he just wanted to help.  We keep saying that everyone else in the complex owes them all a real nice gift, since all the rain water from their homes is coming to our one clog-prone drain.

Here's some video I took the first time it flooded.  Sorry its a little shaky and random, but it gives you a good sense of the extent of the flooding!


The Flood from The Family Wright on Vimeo.

A Day at the Park

Some fun with our new Flip video camera and iMovie. Enjoy!

Ninja Babies Need Naps Too

Parker wouldn't/couldn't fall asleep today for nap. I kept going upstairs to find her with one less article of clothing on and four new toys out. When she got down to her skivvies playing with the stroller and a baby and a dinosaur, I banished her to the couch where I could hear if she got up to play. She fell asleep fairly quickly and it was quiet for a good ten minutes when I got up to check on her.

And found this:

How she got from the couch to the closet five feet behind me, got this umbrella out and then covered herself up and fell asleep, without making a PEEP, is totally beyond me. She is a ninja.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

How we've been enjoying a few of our Christmas gifts:

*Tammie's new bed. She refuses to sleep in it on the floor, so its currently on my bed. But we're getting there!

*Ahhh, the Matterhorn collection. Fin has been loving arranging and rearranging his most treasured objects.

*Though, much to Fin's chagrin, I have not been able to find Jupiter yet, Fin has enjoyed his new telescope and declared, "Outer space is like TOTALLY AWESOME!"

*These princess shoes were made for walking and that's just what they'll do...

*Grandma presents combine! Sticky chalkboards from Gammie provide the perfect backdrop for the magnetic "paper" dolls from Nanny!

I don't have pictures of ALL the great presents we received but wanted to thank everyone! Our Christmas was a whirlwind, but it was amazing and warm and full of love and laughter. We love you guys!!

Grayson Hunter Hill

As some of you know, our close friends Dave and Christy had twin boys about four weeks ago. Last Sunday, their son Grayson passed away quite suddenly. His brother Carter is doing well in the NICU at Saddleback. Words can not express the absolute sorrow we feel for our friends, nor can I even imagine their pain. I'm writing this post simply because as I've shared this news with others, I've heard over and over of what they could do to help. Dave's brother has set up a memorial fund to help this young family and I just wanted to re-post the information for those who may have not seen it.

From Dave's brother Brandon:

"An account has been set up in Grayson's name if anyone would like to help this young family out (in lieu of flowers). You can send a check directly to the bank or you can send it to Brandon or David and Christy. You can also make a donation at any California Bank and Trust locations:

Grayson Hill Memorial Fund
account #1680033236
California Bank and Trust - Corona office
200 South Main St, Suite 150
Corona, CA 92882

If you send it via mail directly to the bank IT MUST HAVE THE ACCOUNT NUMBER to ensure it goes to the proper place. If you are sending it to Brandon or David/Christy it can just say 'Grayson Hill Memorial Fund'."

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If you would like to send anything directly to Dave or Christy please email me or Josh and we can get you the proper contact information.

Dear Santa

We've never written Santa a letter, but Fin has been talking about doing it for a couple weeks now. Today I uncovered an old typewriter I'd forgotten about and Fin wanted to use it to write his letter to Santa. All the drawings are his (and all the more impressive when you realize he's using his left hand, and he's been right-handed). We addressed it and mailed it today.

It reads:

dear santa,

for christmas this year i would like a nerf gun. and parker would like a purple nerf gun with flowers on it. and parrots. i've been really good and parker has been really good too. can you bring mommy and daddy a picture of small world and thunder mountain. i would like a new pirate ship. and a book about water rides. and a skull tunnel for my train set.

love,

griffin and parker and daddy and mommy

tammie would like a tiny bone and a bed and a chewy toy.

Parker's Christmas Program!

Parker had her first ever performance today. She was so excited about the show all week. And she was really excited to wear her new "cinderella" skirt. When I dropped her off at class this morning she ran inside and exclaimed to her friend in a pink velvet dress, "Oh! I wuv your dress! Do you wike mine?!" and did a little twirl. I was a little nervous that she would panic, since she does not like the noise of crowds, especially clapping. And she is known to flee at too much attention. But she did wonderful! I think her love of singing and dancing trumped any nervousness she might have felt. She also really loves being a part of a class and following directions. Out of her whole class there were only one or two other kids who sang and did the hand movements like her. Her class is the youngest in the preschool, so that was to be expected, but I'm so proud of my baby girl.

Parker's Christmas Program 2009 from Lauren Kniep on Vimeo.