MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

We are so excited to see everyone when we go home in two weeks! We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

P.S We are proud to announce that we are no longer students! The big guy took his last Masters final Saturday morning. He will now begin the CPA testing! Our crazy goal is for him to have his CPA by May!

KEMAH?

We enjoy spending some weekends at Kemah Boardwalk, especially when visitors are in town. Many of our friends and family have been here with us, so we thought we would share a picture of what's left of one of our favorite restaurants there! It was so surreal seeing these rides and buildings that we enjoyed, no longer there, or being rebuilt.

Joe's Crab shack was one of the few places open for business! Grandma bought her a pink shotgun for memorabilia! Great gift Grandma!

Grandpa and Daddy helped Ky's see the ships out in the ocean. She loved that she could close one eye and see out the other at the same time! So easily ammused!

Oh, our cute family! The creepy thing about this picture is that the rest of the boardwalk, down a few feet from where we were standing, was completely demolished. It just ended and there was the water!

LETS FINALLY EAT A HOME COOKED MEAL! It had been almost three months since we have cooked a real meal in our own home. We were grateful this Thanksgiving to have surpassed a hurricane and a fire, but most of all we are blessed with a wonderful family:)

WE HAD A STOVE FOR THANKSGIVING!!!

WE FINALLY HAVE A STOVE! We finally had our new double oven placed in the kitchen, just in time for me to start the Turkey! Literally, we put it in the night before! No, it's not finished, but we are close. Just missing the cabinet over the fridge and the tiled back splash and we will be open for business! It was so wonderful to cook again and I highly recommend the double oven. The turkey was cooking in the bottom oven while my casseroles were in the top. It was very nice having extra hands too!!! Thanks Kathy!

Our little helper set the table this year! Each setting was complete with a tiny mint on the napkins. I could just eat her up!!!

Aunt Angie enjoyed her first visit to Texas and loved wearing out the kids!!!

Ky's fell asleep at the top of the stairs waiting for her daddy to come home one night from school!!!

This is the kitchen in complete demo! Oh, I am so glad this is almost over!

Fun and Exciting Times!!!

We recently got a babysitter and went out with a fun group of friends for the new Bond movie! We met at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner then off to the movies, and yes we dressed up! Isn't Number Two hot?!

Our sweet angel baby now loves the camera! She walks around the house and says, "CHEESE"!

She also is having issues about leaving her piggy tails alone, so after a couple of hours this is what her hair looks like! Still cute, even if she looks like a little devil with horns!

Having a grand time playing Polly Pockets with their great Aunt Karen!

We really enjoyed having Aunt Karen and Uncle Mike in town, even though the time was short and we were still without a kitchen!

IT'S A BOY...

IT'S A BOY!!!

DURING ALL THE CHAOS WE DID DISCOVER WE WERE ADDING A NEW ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY! WE WERE SO EXCITED. EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT WITH THE PREGNANCY AND THE BABY IS SO FAR HEALTHY AND GROWING WELL. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THE PROGRESS! THIS SWEET BABY BOY IS DUE IN MAY!!!

HALLOWEEN AND HOUSE PIX...

WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE WERE STILL SOME HOW IN GOOD SPIRITS AND ENJOYED OUR HALLOWEEN OUT WITH OUR FRIENDS!!! OUR HOME IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION STILL, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE A STOVE IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING. THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR FOR THIS YEAR! ELECTRICITY, A KITCHEN, AND A NEW NURSERY IS ONLY A MINUSCULE PART OF ALL THAT I HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR!!!

OUR FRIENDS WERE MORE THAN HELPFUL IN OUR TIMES OF NEED! THANKS Y'ALL!!!
THE GIRLS AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVAL!!!

WHAT A CUTE GROUP OF KIDS!!!

WORKING ON HER SPIDER CRAFT AFTER HER SCHOOL PARADE, SHE'S A TRUE ARTIST!!!

THE HOT TIN MAN! HIS FINANCE TEAM AT WORK WAS SUPPOSE TO DRESS AS WIZARD OF OZ CHARACTERS, HE TURNED OUT TO BE THE ONLY GOOD SPORT!!! HILARIOUS

We didn't let a fire ruin HALLOWEEN!!! Check out our sweet Ragedy Ann!
And our sweet Princess Ky and her fairy friend!!!

We partied late on HALLOWEEN! The kiddos had a blast!

The left overs!!!

Stupid oil!!!

The tree leaning on the our fence. This truly saved our home from total destruction!
This is what we saw that morning out our kitchen door when we finally had day light!

It was very humid and the heat wiped us out. Poor baby ate a lot of cold Gerber ravioli!

The window below the tree is the nursery that is still under construction!!!

Here is the monster tree that was completely uprooted during the Ike! It was so tall it went over our backyard and over the front of our house!!!

Hoping the Storm is Over...

Some of you know our recent story, but some of you have not heard what has been going on in our home. We were one of the crazy ones who decided to wait out the storm. We had all the emergency supplies we thought we would need and decided to hunker down in the family room on the main floor and wait out IKE. It was a long, scary, dark night with strong loud winds and heavy rain. The front of the hurricane hit around 1:00 am. We slept off and on for a couple of hours however the sleep conditions were not the best. I could hear pieces of tree hitting our windows. Sleeping was a thing of the past once a large 70 foot tree from the other side of our fence came crashing down on our home at 4:00 am. It was terrifying and heart-wrenching. We continued to listen to the radio in the dark waiting for advice from the city. It seemed like hours before dawn began to break and it was surreal. The tail end of the hurricane left devastation to our beautiful city. Homes had trees on them, through them, and in them. Yards were flooded and left with debris. There was no power, for days we heard nothing but sirens and chainsaws. Only hours after Ike past, we had a knock at our door and there were 15 ward members. They helped cut down one of the two trees pressed against our home and began the demolition of my sweet baby nursery. The tree had punctured the roof through the ceiling and into her room. They ripped out sheet rock, insulation, and carpet. They then formed a funnel system to catch the still heavy rain fall. We spent that first afternoon together with friends and neighbors trying to provide comfort for one another. Cell phone use was hit and miss and we shortly found out that our neighborhoods phone lines still worked as long and you used an old phone (not cordless). I found one in an emergency box and had instant contact with our family in Utah. We also found out we were the only one that had a working phone line for miles and miles. Our home became very busy since that good news traveled fast. We had people we had never met using our land line. It 's amazing how a catastrophe can bring a community together!
The nights were long and hot following Ike. Food became scarce and water was questionable. After three days and all the food in the freezer and fridge had spoiled, we decided to get out of town. We were one of the few that had the gas to do so. Most people were stranded since gas stations had run out of fuel two days before the storm. The airport closest to us was closed so we packed a few bags and drove to Austin. We spent the night at my hubby's cousins home and then the girls and I flew to Las Vegas. Daddy stayed to protect the home and help with church projects. It was awful leaving him in those conditions. We were without power for two full weeks. He was left hot, hungry, and extremely lonely. He kept reminding me that we could not stay. He said it was unbearable.
We arrived home15 days after IKE and we are still in shock from the damage. Mother nature displayed its unforgiving power on Texas. We still had a hole on our roof and contractors were booked out for months. It felt as though things could not get any worse, but the storm was not over at the Richards home...
We arrived home Wednesday evening from Las Vegas and things felt like they were getting somewhat back to normal. I decided to get out our Halloween decorations on Monday. Christian was at work and I decided to make a nice family dinner. I watched Take Home Chef on TLC and saw a fabulous recipe for orange chicken and fried rice. It looked easy enough so I called and asked C to grab a few things on his way home. I started the rice, chopped some veggies and called again to ask if he was on his way. I then started the oil. The girls kept playing by the stove to I became distracted with keeping them out of the kitchen. When I returned I heard a swoosh sound and felt heat. The oil was in flames. I quickly turned off the burner, but the flames became so high so fast that it was melting the microwave. I grabbed the girls and opened the back door and told them to stay outside because there was a fire in the kitchen. After only a few seconds outside I returned to the kitchen with the microwave no longer there. I grabbed some baking soda and sprinkled some in the pot and the fire did not seem to budge. I had a very naive/amateur cook reaction and tried to move it to the sink which is in our island. DO NOT EVER MOVE BURNING OIL!!! The flames began to jump at me and I moved back and some splashed on our hard wood floors. I then heard screams behind me and realized the girls had come back into the kitchen. K bugs was screaming, "your hand". I then realized my right had was in flames. I luckily still had the oven mit on and threw it on our granite, grabbed both girls and ran outside screaming FIRE! Someone from the park came running over and I ran back inside to get my phone. My cabinets above the stove were now in flames. The fire department was there in record time, since the station is only a couple of miles away. The entire neighborhood was in my yard. I was horrified. The damage was contained to the kitchen, thank goodness, but the damage from the smoke and melted plastic microwave was horrendous. We were told to take nothing and find somewhere to stay for a while. The insurance company was unable to put us up in a hotel since all were full for 50 miles from IKE.
Our sweet friends down the road took us in, yet somehow the storm shockingly continued. The next morning we awoke to a typical rain storm. This was the first rain since the hurricane so C decided to run home to check on things. He left around 6:30 am. I got up and sent Ky off to school with her friend we are staying with. Moments after they left I heard someone come in the garage door of our friends. It was my husband. He was fire truck red. He looked at me and said, "I think something bit me". I instantly rummaged through my friends cupboards searching for Benadryl. I found nothing and made him lay down. I jumped in the car and drove to another friends up the street. I ran back with only children's Benadryl. Our other friend followed me in with an Epinephrine shot. In those few minutes that I was gone, he had the worst case of hives I have ever seen. It looked like blisters covered his body. His ears were so swollen he could no longer hear what we were saying. I called my mom in a panic and she said to take him to the hospital, but not to give him the Epi shot unless he stopped breathing. I decided I was not in the right state of mind to stab my husband in a moving vehicle. We rushed him to the car and drove to our trusted fire station. We walked in, and one of the firemen from the day before, told him to get in the ambulance. His blood pressure immediately dropped and so did his oxygen level. It took about twenty minutes to stabilize him. They treated him in the ER for an allergic reaction and overloaded him with more Benadryl. Our prayers were answered and he was released later that evening with another bad memory!
It is now Sunday evening and we are packing up and returning home. No, we do not have clothes to wear, a kitchen to cook in, or any electronics, but we have each other. My family is alive and well and even though we hope this crazy storm in our lives is now over, we know now that we truly can get through anything as a family. Thanks you all for your love support and prayers! We love you all and we will keep you updated on the restoration project!!!

The Richards Family
(Richards Reality continued...)

4TH OF JULY!!!

WE SPENT THE FOURTH OF JULY AT A LOCAL CENTER CALLED MARKET STREET! WE HAD PLANNED TO GET THERE EARLY FOR A GOOD SPOT, BUT WE GOT THERE EARLIER THAN PLANNED BECAUSE OUR GIRLS FOR SOME REASON BOTH WOKE UP AROUND 5:00 AM. SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING THEM BACK TO BED, WE GOT UP, DRESSED, GRABBED SOME FOOD AND HAD THE BEST SPOT IN TOWN! WE ALL NAPPED WELL!!!

HANGING OUT WAITING FOR THE PARADE TO START!
MY HUBBY AND I RECENTLY WATCHED THE HBO FILM SERIES "JOHN ADAMS" AND I LEARNED A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL HOLIDAY, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU! A FEW DID YOU KNOWS?........

1- DID YOU KNOW THAT THOMAS JEFFERSON AND JOHN ADAMS DID NOT ALWAYS GET ALONG?

2- DID YOU KNOW THAT ABIGAIL ADAMS LEFT HER CHILDREN IN AMERICA FOR YEARS AND JOINED HER HUSBAND IN FRANCE BECAUSE HE "NEEDED HER SUPPORT"?

3- DID YOU KNOW THAT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CHANGED ONE WORD IN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE?

4-DID YOU KNOW THAT JOHN ADAMS WAS THE SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND LIVED IN AN UNFINISHED WHITE HOUSE DURING HIS LAST TERM?

5-DID YOU KNOW THAT HIS SON WAS THE 4TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

6- DID YOU KNOW THAT JOHN ADAMS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, AND THOMAS JEFFERSON WOULD HAVE BEEN HANGED BY THE KING IF THEY HAD BEEN CAUGHT WRITING A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, BUT THEY DID IT ANYWAY?

7-DID YOU KNOW THAT THOMAS JEFFERSON AND JOHN ADAMS WERE THE LAST TWO TO DIE THAT WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR FREE COUNTRY? THE DIED THE SAME DAY-- JULY 4TH, THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR COUNTRY'S BIRTH?

I COULD GO ALL DAY WITH THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT THIS GREAT NATION, BUT MY BABY JUST WOKE FROM HER NAP! THIS SERIES WAS LONG AND DETAILED, BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! PUT THE KIDS DOWN, TURN ON THE SUBTITLES (BECAUSE IT CAN BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND) AND LEARN!!!

THANKS TO THESE WONDERFUL MEN AND WOMEN, WE ARE FREE!!!

SUMMER FUN!!!

THERE WERE SOME DAYS THAT WE JUST "BUMMED" AROUND!
THERE WERE A FEW GOOD FIGHTS!
SOME DELICIOUS TEA PARTIES!
SOME SILLY MOMENTS!
AND SOME DORA MOMENTS!

SUMMER FUN!!!

WE DID SO MANY FUN THINGS THIS SUMMER! IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, BUT IT WIPED US OUT!!! WE STARTED OUT THE SUMMER AT HOME SPENDING MOST DAYS AT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD POOLS. KY-BUGS SPENT THE FIRST PART VERY SICK FROM REOCCURRING BLADDER INFECTIONS. OUR BABY WAS JUST SO HAPPY TO BE WHERE EVER WE TOOK HER! WE HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT SUMMER TOO! ENJOY THE PICTURES!

ALREADY TIRED AND IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING!
HAVING FUN AT THE POOL! THAT WAS UNTIL I DISCOVERED ANOTHER FEVER HAD SPIKED! 104.6!!!
OUR DOCTORS OFFICE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING, SO WE HAD TO TAKE KY TO THE ER! SHE HAD A SEVERE BLADDER INFECTION WHICH HAD BEEN REOCCURRING SINCE WE MOVED HERE. SHE HAD TO HAVE A CT SCAN AND ULTRASOUND TO MAKE SURE THESE INFECTIONS HAD NOT PERMANENTLY DAMAGED HER KIDNEY'S, BUT EVERYTHING WAS FINE! POOR SICK GIRL!
TELLING HER NANA HOW SICK SHE HAS BEEN!
SOME GOOD DRUGS AND SOME CANDY AND SHE IS BACK TO CLOWNING AROUND!

A DAY IN THE LIFE...

TIRED BABY! We go swimming a few days a week and she falls asleep like this often. We try to go before or after nap time, but she still loves to take a rest in her little boat! How sweet is this? Just hanging out together watching morning cartoons!
We knew it was only a matter of time before big sis figured out that she could carry the baby around! They think it's hilarious.
My handsome husband! He will be mad at me for posting this, but he is not in many pictures and I happen to like this one a lot!!!
Trying out our froggy pool from our neighbors! Yes Ky's is wearing her Dora shoes. There might be a spider in the water that she may need to step on. This little girl is too funny.
Out to lunch with the Grandma & Grandpa before Rae's party!
Swimming fun with at our friends home! Somehow I ended up being the only adult in the pool with all the kiddos. We had a great time!
Watching one of the wicked storms we have been having out here. She is fearless! The thunder does not bother her at all, it just makes her more curious. I love that she sits on her feet!
Our smart little bug came out of her toy room with her name spelled out of blocks! She can't wait for school!
First time down our neighborhood water slide with daddy! She, of course, loved it!!!
I may be teaching my girls bad habits! We were out to dinner a few nights ago with our neighbors and Bugsy needed to go "tinkle". When she was finished she wiped, stood up, and flushed the toilet with her foot. SHE'S ONLY 3!!! It gets worse. She then proceeds to grab more toilet paper, walks to the door and opens it with the paper then throws it in the outside trash! No I am do not have OCD, I just think public restrooms are disgusting! I know you all do the same thing so stop making fun of us!!!