Here we go again!

What a week!

I drove back to St. Cloud on Monday - I beat the storm rolling into this region. I was met in St. Cloud with hugs and kisses. It was wonderful to see the kids and I felt very pampered by Nana Jane and Papa Ron (no, not the diaper pampered...the spoiled kind of pampered!).

We cozied in, as St. Cloud got about seven inches of snow from Monday - Wednesday. Carson and I ventured out for haircuts and to grab a few things on Tuesday. We stayed tuned to the news and watched the Red River level fall, while many battled with cold and water as the storm dumped 10+ inches in this area. Daddy was snuggled in here at home and rested a lot - he had put in a lot of sandy hours in the past week!

We continued to be spoiled with Nana Jane's yummy cooking! No wonder the kids look at me sadly...I love to bake, but I am not a creative cook! Carson adores Nana's chicken noodle soup and I know he would have had it for breakfast had it been offered to him!

Carson had a great time playing on Monday and Tuesday with Sam and Will. He really enjoyed a trip to their home and couldn't quite understand why Will had homework and was at school during the day. Not everyone is impacted by flooding, Carson!

As Wednesday dawned, we checked weather and road reports. By mid-morning we knew that all looked good for the Kitch three to head home! With Papa Ron's help cleaning the snow off the van and load up and Nana Jane's yummy lunch in our tummies, we were on our way shortly after noon. I am truly not sure how to convey our thanks and gratitude for how much you did for us this past week, Papa and Nana. It meant the world to us!

Once on the road, my prayers were answered when Grace fell asleep about 20 minutes into the drive (she is not the best traveler and RARELY naps in the car). She woke briefly, but fell asleep again after I cranked the heat. Thankfully I had good friends keeping me company - a Coke -Cola and the ipod. Carson fell asleep between Fergus Falls and Alexandria. I could hardly believe my fortune! With no stops on our trip, we made it home and only saw about ten flakes of snow coming down along the way. Both kids woke when we exited at Moorhead.

Daddy was waiting in the driveway and was very excited to see all of us. We were all very happy to be reunited. After many family hugs, we unloaded the van and worked on unpacking.

Carson made visits to the fish and cats and Grace raced around the house in excitement. Ahhh...good to be home!

We got settled and cozied in. We snuggled a lot. Carson fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Yesterday was pretty lazy - we did some laundry and house cleaning. Travis and Carson bought another critter - an algae eater for the fish tank. His/Her (?) name is Splash. Splash has a lot of work to do. :) We now have two kids, two cats, six fish and an algae eater under our roof. We did go out for supper last night - quite honestly we just didn't feel like cooking that much! We also enjoyed a trip to Barnes and Noble.

Today I had a meeting with FargoDome staff about NDSU's commencement ceremonies on May 15 & 16. We were supposed to meet earlier this week...needless to say that didn't happen. We're set and gearing up for the big events. They are in full clean-up mode at the Dome. Here is a time lapse of the sandbagging efforts at the Dome (early in the process). The Dome is full of sand and grit - it will be a big effort to clean it up, but well worth it.

We had a meeting about Carson respite care today - we have a meeting every six months to establish new goals. All went well.

Today was a nice day of melting - not too much, but some went. The news today that a second crest is expected at the same level or higher than this recent record level was not well received. We knew there would be a second crest. No doubt about it with our last two snowstorms. We're hoping and praying for no additional moisture in the next few weeks (this is very strange for a western ND/eastern MT girl to be praying for - I grew up knowing only dry and drought!). I know the National Weather Service would love to be wrong about this recent announcement.

Papa Chip was able to get out of Kelly and Melyssa's yesterday. He left for home this afternoon. Carson was very sad to not get to spend much time with Papa Chip. We assured him that he'll be down again soon.

Trav and the kids enjoyed time outside this afternoon. Trav and Carson finished off their time outside with a snowball fight! At least this snow is perfect for something!

I do have a lot of pictures to sort through and post. I will get to them...just have been cozied up! It is back to work/school on Monday...back to reality!