Toy Bowl Season Begins

I love basketball season.  So do the boys.
Today, we started with a game at 8:00 so we were at the school at 7:30.  John Michael's team was playing Our Lady of the Valley.  Brandon was nervous since it was his first game to coach and the boys were pumped.  They won 8-5 and they had a blast which is the most important thing.  Brandon says he feels much better about coaching now that he made it through the first game.  With Devane as his assistant coach and Danny in control of the book it seems that all is going to go well.

We stuck around and watch a few other games before Danny's game at 12:00.  They were playing Our Lady of Sorrows.  They won 31-11.  Danny scored for the first time in a game.  I was super proud.  He has been trying so hard and he finally did it.

Brandon and Uncle Patrick had some things to do at storage, maybe one day we will get them cleaned out.  It is nuts how much is in them.  Especially when most of it can probably be gotten rid of in all honesty.  Maybe soon.
Danny is spending the night with Chandler and Cole is spending the bight with John Michael.  They are an excited group of boys!

Walk Through

Sunday morning we headed to mom's early. We wanted to walk through the house and make sure there was nothing there. Then it was on to storage. This is where we needed help and again so many friends came through. Thank you all.
I was pretty convinced that Metro would add a sign to their location about children. The kids had so much fun playing cops and bad guys while we unloaded the truck. This was no easy task and before we could begin we had to rearrange the storage buildings and pray that they would be able to hold everything. Going back through these is going to be a task to say the very least. Again to Metro, thank you so much for everything you have been great to work with.
Amy and Terry and the kids came back to the house and hung out for a while. Amy even made dinner for all of us and it was so good. I know that she was exhausted after two days of helping. I cannot tell you what it meant to us, thank you.

Helping Hands

Saturday was moving day. The boy's decided to miss their basketball games and help at Nana's. This was a decision that they made on their own and made me so proud. They are growing up to be truly amazing children. I cannot explain in the blog how proud I was of them.
So many people showed up to help pack up mom's house. We knew that the upstairs we could get but the basement was going to be a challenge. So many memories and so much stuff. I have a list of thank yous I know that I will leave people out but to everyone, all I can say is you have no idea what it meant to me, Brandon, my mom, and even my boys to have your help physically and mentally.
We took one load to storage, well Brandon and the men did. Metro was amazing to work with and I recommend them to everyone who needs a truck or a storage unit. They helped us in so many ways and they were so understanding and patient. Thanks to everyone at Metro.
There was so much to go through in the basement and I hate to think about everything that was destroyed. It is just sad, a lot of memories, will soon be a pile of rubble.

It's A Total Loss

So this morning I went to reserve a large truck from Metro after I dropped the boys off at school.

They were excited because today was an out of uniform day. I went to the home and school meeting on Tuesday and that is the reward. I would go anyway, but this incentive is what makes them push me to go, even after a day like this Tuesday.

This morning the foundation engineer met mom and Brandon at her house at 8:00. After about 10 minutes he made the call to total the house. He said that it is safe for us to continue moving out but it is not repairable. This was the news that we knew was coming, but it is still not easy to hear.

I got the boys from school and we headed back to work. Almost all of my mom's upstairs is cleaned out. Well, what is being kept is boxed up, and what is not is either still there on the floor or is in bags. With a bulldozer coming I am not stressing about the trash or about what is being left behind. If it is damaged we have taken pictures of it so that she can itemize her list for the insurance company. If it is just not needed or wanted it is just there.

Tomorrow is finishing everything off upstairs and tackling the garage. Right now I am get it done mode, but I also am an emotional wreck. There is so much to do and so little time so that is definitely keeping me motivated.

Thank you again to everyone who came out today and helped. Mrs. Terri the cookies were amazing and so were the sandwiches, but those cookies....Wow! Mr. Mike, thank you so much for helping go to storage and getting that process really underway. Beth and Brandon thank you again! Packing up and taking out means so much. To the guys and girls from Trussville High School. Thank you so much for helping get the truck on its way to loaded and for all of the boxes. Sonia thank you for the help packing and the boxes, tape, and bags. To Regions thank you for the hot hamburgers! To everyone thank you!