Pumpkin Patch at The Roloff Farm

Mommy and Madison in the pumpkin patch...someone wants to go run around!
Where's Madison? Her shirt says "Daddy's Little Pumpkin".

The entrance to their farm

There are several stores, stands and attractions (on either side of what's shown in this pic)

Their house, as you see on the show

Matt Roloff
Here are Jacob and Molly who are on the show
Here is Jeremy, who's on the show

Here we are with Matt's parents inside the Western town that Matt built

Madison prefers the larger animals to the small animals for some reason

Have you ever seen the TV show on TLC, "Little People, Big World"? I watch it often and I knew the family lives in Hillsboro - the same town as my folks...and only about 15 minutes away. Pumpkin season began today, so we went to their farm! It was so much fun!! The weather was fantastic and the drive and the farm were so beautiful! We got to meet everyone in the family - the dad, sister, two brothers, the grandparents, etc, but the mom was away at a speaking engagement. Everyone was so nice, but I was too embarassed to ask if we could take our picture with them. We enjoyed a tour around a farm, seeing their house and the structures they've built. They had a small animal petting area and a large pumpkin patch. There were several camera crews there as well, filming for their show. It was a fun day!

A few pics around the house

Immersed in her books...
Immersed in the tupperware...
Just woke up! Look at my bed-head!
Tyson dressed up for an early Halloween...
Doesn't he look so happy?

The Little Gym

We took Madison to The Little Gym today - and it was fabulous! She LOVED it!! It was just what she needed - now, instead of crawling over/through/under furniture, she could do that on proper gym equipment...

Hunter's ultrasound pics - 22.5 weeks

profile

two little feet
profile with legs above head

front of face and abdomen

Yesterday, we visited a Perinatologist here in Portland, per my Houston doctor's request. We got a good report, overall. The doctor said Hunter looks "spectacularly healthy". He weighs about a pound and a half. All of his organs look healthy and are growing on track. However, because he was once again extremely active, it took the ultrasound technician a long time to take her needed measurements and pictures. He was quite stubborn and uncooperative, but hey - he looked like he was having fun flipping around, sucking his thumb and hiccupping. The only set-back we had was that the cervix is shortening. Not a big surprise seeing that I've been on my feet a lot lately, with all this travel, etc. So, the doctor has asked that I wait another week to go home to Texas. We were planning on going back this weekend, but we'll wait to go home next weekend. The doctor wants to see me again on Monday to do another ultrasound and measurement. Until then, she's asked I reduce my activity. So, if I'm on good behavior and lie low, I hope to get home soon. We have enjoyed our time here, but will welcome getting back to our own home.

Mark returned to our home on Saturday night from Dallas. On Sunday, he inspected everything in and around our house. We really were so fortunate. Aside from needing a new fence, we had no other damage to our home - praise the Lord! Power was recently restored and the water ban was just lifted. I got a call from Madison's teacher yesterday. School won't be starting for at least another week. Her wing of the school was severely damaged, with the roof totally blown off and the walls caved in...so they have a lot of repair and rebuilding. They're moving classrooms around. They'll be back in their original classroom by Christmas, hopefully.

As we expected, Mark's schedule will remain very hectic. His office building at the plant is completely damaged. He is currently working out of a nearby hotel, along with a team of people. He was told that now through the first of the year (2009), at least, he'll need to work every day, but will be able to take one day off every 14 days. I feel so bad for them!!! I can't even imagine, but I'm so thankful he's working so hard to provide for us.

What a little monkey!

We are doing fine and enjoying our time here in Portland, although we miss Mark terribly! The weather is chilly here. Madison is getting a mouth full of new teeth - so many to count. Her shoe size jumped two sizes as well. She is climbing on/in/through everything; she's a little gymnast. You won't believe it, but at 14 months, she can do half of a sommersault - Aunt Sarah helps her get all the way over. She has also learned how to give her Aunt Sarah kisses. Hunter is doing great and very active each day, especially in the mornings. I think he takes after his Granddaddy Chipley, who gets up before dawn every morning. Oy. I go to see a Perinatologist on Monday morning here in Portland for a check-up. Will update you then on that apt. Just heard that our neighborhood got power, so that is great news. Mark will probably be sent back to Beaumont this weekend, so he'll assess the situation and tell us when we should come back. Meanwhile, we're having a great time here! My family has been so good to us. My sister is a fun playmate for Madison, my Dad hooked up two computers with Skype and a webcam that we use as a video monitor for Madison while sleeping, and my mom - well, she just knows what to do before you even need to ask her!

Arrived in Portland

We arrived in Portland safely yesterday evening. Thank God we had a direct flight - we were a traveling zoo. Sarah and I didn't secure seats that were next to eachother until last minute. Again, thank God that we did. Me, my pregnant belly, Sarah and Madison, were stuffed into two seats. Our carry-ons, Madisons bottles/food, etc, and her DVD player, and my 16 lb cat were stuffed under our seats. In fact, when we were getting off the plane, a guy about 18 or 19 who was watching our spectacle, said, "Well how many little creatures do you have?". It was amusing and true. Madison and Tyson did well on the four hour flight. We thank Elaine and Dixon for Mad's DVD player and her packet of Baby Einstein DVDs!!! They are essential and a life saver. Madison remembered everything exactly as it was here at my folks since the last time we visited (a short two weeks ago) and went right to her toys and also to things that are not her toys, but my folks let her play with anyhow (although they probably wouldn't have let me or Sarah play with them when we were babies).
Talked to Mark. He is really busy, as is everyone else he works with. He's been given the job of communications liason between the chem plant and oil refinery for start up processes. Sounds like a very tough job, one that I don't envy. Better go, but will update soon.

Our time in Dallas

On the road again...traveling to Dallas...Sarah, Madison and Tyson together in the back
Baby Bennett Tucker - our really good friends, the Tucker family, also had to evacuate to Dallas (Terry works for Exxon, too). The traveled with Christy's mom who was in town visiting, plus their three kids - including their brand new 3 week old!
Out to eat with the Tuckers
Fun jumping on the bed
Enjoying the pool at the hotel

Before we leave for Portland, I wanted to post some pics. Here we are making the best out of our stay!

Sunday Update

The good news is that our home is safe and had minimal damage, from what we've been told. Our new fence is gone, but hey - we're alright with that. There is no flooding and no water damage from what our neighbor can see (he has a key to our house). The bad news is we've been told it could be up to 4 weeks until our house could have the power restored. I'm not really in to "camping out" with a one year old for that long. SO...we are going to fly to Portland tomorrow. Again! Back to Portland. I haven't spent this much time at my parents' house since high school. haha. My folks will love the time they'll get with Madison. We'll only arrive with what we brought to Dallas - a few tank tops, t-shirts, and shorts. So we'll have to do a little shopping when we get to Portland for some warmer clothes, food for Madison and food for Tyson.

Mark went into the local office early this morning. He doesn't know how long he'll be here in Dallas. When he is told he needs to go down to Beaumont, Exxon will likely provide a place for a large team of employees only (not families) to stay.

The few people from Beaumont that Mark talked to, each had trees fall in their homes. A few people he works with from Bridge City each had to go up to their attics during the storm because of rising water in their homes AND because they had to ward off all the snakes that came in with the water. How scary.

So the plan for now is that Madison, Sarah, Tyson and I will fly out to Portland. Just bought one way tickets, since I don't know when we'll come back. I was scheduled to see a Perinatologist on Friday in Houston, but obviously that won't happen. So, after speaking with my OB/GYN, I may see one out in Portland. Who knows, but I'm confident it will all work out. Just part of the adventure. :)

We know we're really fortunate to have a home intact to return to. We've met some people who have had severe damage. One couple we met this morning during breakfast evacuated from Galveston. Their house is completely gone. It is just so sad.

Update

Wanted to give y'all an update. Mark spoke to a neighbor of ours back in Beaumont as well as a couple people who work at the Exxon chemical plant and refinery. They said the city looks like Rita occurred all over again. Trees are down and power lines lay everywhere. All power is out across the whole town. No clue when it will be restored. Will likely have a problem with water retention in the city. They said winds were around 100 mph last night. They're still over 50 mph currently. Downtown is 9 ft under water. Flooding prevents anyone from getting into the plant to assess any damage, so we're waiting on that news.

Our neighbor said there is no flooding yet to our neighborhood. From what he see's, there's minimal damage to our home's structure, but our fence is toast. May be shingle damage and not sure if rain blew in. If he can, he's going to go into our home later to assess any other damage. Our neighbor had rain blow under his front door, etc. Rain may have blewn through the vents and into the attic. Their fence is down and their really large wooden play structure secured in the ground by concrete, blew across the yard and knocked down the fence.

All that being said, we're still waiting to hear from management what Mark needs to do and when he'll need to come back. He was given a hologram card that would allow him back into the city, because he is with petrochemicals. But, madison and I would not be able to come in. Madison, Tyson our cat, Sarah and myself will likely fly to Portland to stay with my family for an undetermined amount of time. We'll be able to make that decision in a couple days. Mark, obviously, wouldn't be able to stay in our home, but Exxon will provide a place for the few hundred people considered "critical employees" to stay. After Rita, they provided a cruise ship for employees to sleep on. They may likely do that again this time. I'm not kidding! And no, this is not your nice Carnival cruise line ship you may be imagining right now. :)

So things are still up in the air, but I'll update this site to keep you posted as we get more info. It's raining and windy in Dallas, but not bad at all. We're very lucky to have a hotel room. A manager at our hotel was saying how long the wait list is for any cancellations. Talk soon.

We're in Dallas

We are in Dallas - safe, healthy and dry. Thanks for all your prayers and txt messages and calls!

Yesterday, Mark wrapped up work and came home around 1:30. We loaded the car and got the house ready - packed food in car, emptied the fridge/freezer, unplugged media equipment, put towels on every window sill and at base of doors to prevent any water leakage and damage to our wood floors, grabbed insurance docs, grabbed the cat...and left. We didn't board up our house, though several neighbors did. It was really surreal to see spray-painted numbers on the doorways indicating how many bodies were inside. Just in case people left or stayed - so rescue would be aware.

We left around 3 pm and decided to take an alternate route and not on the main highways. Good decision. What would have taken 6 hrs, only took us 8 hrs. We've heard from other people that the main route took 15+ hrs to get to Dallas! We arrived around midnight. We have a suite, which is good, but still a bit cramped with three adults and one child.

After dropping Mark off at the office this morning, I went to a nearby hospital to get my fetal fribronectin test. I was there for a while, but had a comfortable hospital room to myself. The test came back negative and all is well! I am well and the baby is very healthy. Just told to take it easy, but not to worry!

Mark's been super busy, as well as his co-workers. His plant, specifically, is going through a cold shut-down currently. Which requires a lot of planning, etc. They are expecting 30 feet of tide surge in Beaumont. Mark will work all day Sunday, helping to plan post-storm clean-up. I can't imagine the logistics that must entail.

We're going to get some lunch now...will write again soon. Tropical storm winds expected here in Dallas tomorrow, plus rain, but should be it. We will see! I really hope our house is okay back in Beaumont, but glad we will be safe. And, our cat, too. :)

Hurricane Ike

Beaumont is under mandatory evacuation, as of this morning. Exxon has asked Mark to relocate to Dallas to carry on business. So, we are all going with him. We'll leave in about an hour. We're all packed, just waiting for him to get home. I was supposed to go to the OB/GYN today for my next Fetal Fibronectin test. They called me early this morning to cancel my apointment, but recommended I go to a hospital in Dallas to get the test done. I asked if I could wait, but they said no. So, per their suggestion, I've found a large hospital near our hotel and I'll go to Labor & Delivery tomorrow to be checked out and tested. Sarah is still with us and will come to Dallas with us. Several days ago, Exxon reserved a suite for us with a living room and kitchenette and pull-out couch, in addition to the king size bed. It has a nice outdoor pool, so we'll take Madison there. Mark's not able to come home until lunch time today...I'm sure traffic will be awful and will take forever to get to Dallas. Glad I filled up my car with gas and got food yesterday for the road, just in case. Will bring my computer with us. Will keep you updated.

A much better morning!

Before school this morning
20.5 weeks pregnant
Hmm, this looks like fun...
Oh, here we go!

Grammy and Madison

Happy to be home again, but we miss Portland.

Madison had a much better morning and was much happier to go to school today. :)

She has done really well the past two days and has received good reports from her teachers. She was a little clingy at first when I dropped her off, but quickly ran off to play. She cried yesterday before we left the house, but has never (yet!) cried in the classroom. The teacher said her favorite enjoyment is playing outside on the playground. However, we need to watch her "bark eating" hobby. haha. She colored a beautiful picture today of a butterfly with new triangular shaped crayons. The teachers even laminated it for us! But she did enjoy eating an orange crayon, too. So, we know she likes to put things in her mouth... We really like her teachers. I just really wish Madison could go to my Mom's school in Portland, OR. It is amazing and really hard not to compare other schools to it.

Some new things she's done lately...
1. A few new words of hers include "duck" and "dog".

2. She is currently getting in FIVE new teeth! I am not kidding. They are coming in at different stages, of course. She has a total of four on the bottom, and almost six or seven on the top.

3. She tries to "run".

4. We can put her hair in pig tails

5. She tries to "read" books aloud

6. She cries when you bring her inside after playing outside. She would be perfectly happy outdoors, always.

Sarah and Madison are having a great time together. It's really special Sarah can be here. She hasn't seen Madison since the first of February, so they're making up for it!

Mark has been quite busy and his office quite hectic as everyone is preparing for yet another hurricane. We possibly will need to evacuate tomorrow. Two hurricanes in two weeks. Again, Mark gets relocated to Dallas for work, to continue the business. So, Madison, Tyson (cat), and I will go, too. We'll make a decision about Sarah's flight tomorrow...she's originally scheduled to leave on Saturday, so we may need to change that.

First Day of Pre School

Look who was SO excited to go to her first day of school today!!


Another bag and her lunch bag, too. Hey, a girl can't have too many bags, right? :)

Our Trip to Portland

Madison in her cute new jeans and top, ready for the Engagement Party!

Mingling at the party

My new Halloween Costume!
Playing with Sarah and Dave's dog, Boatie. They are buddies!
Set-up before the party
Engagement cake
Dad, Mom, Dave, Sarah, Danae, Madison and Mark

Hey, what's up? Let's get to the airport!
The first morning after waking up, Madison found Papa's organ...wow, lots of buttons!
Wedding and reception site
Where the ceremony will take place
I'm a little ballerina

We've had such a wonderful time in Portland! It is incredibly beautiful here and the weather has been fantastic. The best part? No humidity!! Ok, lots to share...

We arrived on Wednesday night after flying from Beaumont to Portland, with a short stop in Houston. It was really nice to be able to fly straight from Beaumont, without having to drive to Houston, first. We saved in gas $ and don't have to pay for parking in Beaumont. Anyhow, we arrived Wednesday night and were warmly greeted by my parents, Sarah and Dave! They brought two cars - just so they could see us and we could all fit on the drive home.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we enjoyed some light shopping. It was so nice to drive around town, see the Evergreens and Mt. Hood in the distance. The highlight was helping Sarah choose a wedding dress!! She and my mom had already scouted out several bridal salons and narrowed down the dresses. I went with them on Thursday, where we narrowed them down further. She looked absolutely stunning. Every dress was so different from eachother, so it made the decision even more difficult. However, each dress was equally as beautiful. When Sarah tried on her first dress, she aged about 15 years to me! See, in my mind, she's always my "10 year old little sister"...well, not anymore! She automatically transformed into a mature woman. But, she'll still always be my little sis in my heart.

On Friday, we had the pleasure of visiting their wedding site. It is located in a beautiful section of Oregon City, OR. Click here to see. They're getting married in "Abigail's Garden". It looks like a beautiful natural escape in the middle of nowhere, with colorful vegetation and bubbling brooks surrounding. They'll get married under a white gazebo in front of a sea of white chairs for the audience. Nearby, is a huge tent and dance floor with set tables and strung white lights for the reception. A separate tent holds the food and beverages. Nice bathrooms are nearby and suites for the bridal party to get ready. There are so many places for photo ops!! Wonderful photography ops. We are all excited for next year.

On Saturday, Mark, Madison and my dad came with us to the bridal salon. They got to see Sarah try on her dresses. Like before I got married, Sarah wanted my Dad to choose her wedding dress. Both Mark and my dad had the same wowed reaction with three of the dresses. But when she tried on one more, they were silent. My dad got a tear in his eye and we knew that he knew that was "the one". It was so sweet.

The big Engagement Party was on Sunday afternoon. We had a Fiesta themed party! We catered in Fajitas, taquitos, and all the fixings. Dave's mom made a yummy Tamale Pie. We had drinks and a cute cake with their monogram on top. We played "How Well Do You Know the Bride & Groom", which was fun. The kids enjoyed playing in the yard and especially the pinata activity. Several of our relatives came down for the party and Dave's relatives were there as well as most of the wedding party.

Poor Mark - he did NOT have a vacation...because of the hurricane, he was working from early morning until very late at night. He did make time to go a few places with us, to see the wedding site, see Sarah's dress, and to help with the party...but most of the time he was on the phone and computer. He's on a team of chosen Exxon people to relocate to Dallas in case of a hurricane, for business continuity purposes. Families go with the employees. So, we thought Mark was going to have to fly into Dallas and stay there for a while. Beaumont was under mandatory evacuation, but anyone in the PetroChemical industry could enter in the city. Since the storm was not going to directly hit Beaumont, he went ahead and flew down there on Monday. Madison and I stayed here in Portland. We will fly back home on Friday. My sister is flying down with me to help with Madison on the plane and will stay with us for a week.

We are enjoying extra time here with family! My cousin, Sara Rebecca stayed, too, so we are all having fun together. We miss Mark lots, though. Turns out, Beaumont was not affected by the storm, so that was good news.