The Flood of 2011

Well, it happened again. Our house flooded last week.

While we were on vacation. Fabulous, right? Dealing with a flood alone is dramatic enough....but to be gone on vacation just makes it that much more enjoyable.

Yeah right.

To make a long story short - because, quite frankly I'm tired of discussing all the details - the entire downstairs needs to be replaced. Carpet, sofa, entertainment center, bookshelves, cabinets, drywall, trim, etc. Fun, huh?

But, things could be worse. We still have our house and our family. That's all that matters. Everything else can and will be replaced.

Close-up of the Laundry Room. Drywall is warped; needs to be replaced (along with the vanity).  Flooring will also need to be replaced.

Here is the first step/main landing area downstairs.  While all those spots aren't mold (it's actually rements of the carpet padding), the floorboard, trimwork, and drywall will need to be replaced here as well. 

All the furniture shown here will need to be replaced. 

This is kind of an obscure picture, but if you'll notice our sandbox is on top of the pipe.  And that's not where we have our kids play in it.  It traveled all the way there from the back of our house.  With the sand in it.  The rains were so strong and powerful, that it actually put a dent in our garage with the weight of it.

Fun times.

Double Stroller

Do you like our take on the "double stroller?"

I mean, how cute is he?!?

Indy Zoo

Malnar dropped in for a surprise visit on Sunday, so she joined us for a trip to the Indianapolis Zoo.  It was such a great surprise; I love that lady!  We visited all our usual spots: the dolphin pavilion, the ssssnake exhibit, the poopy elephants, and of course the roller coaster and train ride.  As a special treat, we let Emma get her face painted.

Tour de Cure

On Saturday morning, I did the Tour de Cure; a ride/race supporting the American Diabetes Association. I elected to ride the 75K, but you could choose between 50K, 75K and 100 miles. All races started and ended at the track (IMS). The 50K & 75K, though, went out on the road where the 100-milers did it all on the track.

I did it with my good friend Kelly. We had a fantastic ride. The weather held out for us, with only a few moments of sprinkles, and I was feeling really good and strong. In fact, I think I'll be doing the 100-miler next year!

Italian Fest

What a weekend!  We packed in a lot of family fun by kicking off with the Italian Festival.  Held downtown at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Lacy Park, this is one of Andy's favorite festivals of the summer.  It provides lots of yummy Italian cuisine, rides and game for the kids, and live entertainment for the adults (and kids, too).

Emma enjoyed herself on the handful of rides that they had.  That girl loves rides and heights, I'll tell you what!  Drew even got to take part in the Mega Slide.  Which he loved.  He just laughed and laughed and laughed.

Then on Saturday, Andy & I got our fitness on where I did the Tour de Cure and Andy did the Carmel 1/2 marathon.  More posts to follow on those events.

Saturday afternoon I was surprised by the one and only MALNAR, who came down from Chicago to spend the night with one of her college friends.  She had some time to spare, so we spent an hour or so together before she had to head out.

She then joined us on Sunday for a trip to the zoo.  It was ridiculously crowded yesterday, because the weather was absolutely perfect; not too hot, gentle breeze, just fantastic.  We even splurged a little and let Emma get her face painted.  She was a beautiful butterfly.

We capped our fun, family-filled weekend off with a bike ride to the play park.  Such a great weekend!

I love going on rides with Emma! 

And Daddy does, too!

Fish Face! 

She always has to be in the picture! 

Trying on Mommy's glasses, take 1.... 

...and take 2 



My "Bootie" Dancer

Oh, Emma.  Emma, Emma, Emma.  What can I say?

"I Like Coffee"

Drew seems to have taking a liking to coffee.  He's always taking my and Andy's Starbucks cups, trying to get every last drop of the foam that's left at the bottom.  So the other day, I captured his cuteness on video.