Some catching up to do...

Things have been completely chaotic at our house, so I'll use this post to catch ya'll up on what's been happening.
*NW Ohio/SE Michigan was slammed by an ice storm which means that my hubby was sent out to help restore power. He was sent to the Cleveland area which wasn't struck by much ice, but enough to need the extra lineman. He didn't receive the call until Monday night, so that's why he didn't get work around here. We were hoping that was the case because the kids would really like to see him working storm and still be able to see him at night. We only lost power for a few hours in the middle of the night, but my Mom and MIL lost power for awhile. Not fun to be without the heat.
*The kids were out of school quite a bit last week, so we did paper mache heads, read books, snuggled, watched movies, and just had fun, quality time together.
*Jakey lost his very first tooth and the tooth fairy actually found him in Cleveland (where Jojo had a competition)! He was so excited and handle the tooth coming out like a champ. There wasn't any blood, so I'm sure that helped.
*We another round of nasty winter weather that came in on Thursday night, and Jason got a call to head out for that as well. This one took him to Washington D.C for a day because they suffered some wind damage. He feels this one was more for show, than to actually help. I guess the power company out there isn't doing what it should and they needed reliable lineman to help out for a bit?! Who knows, but he's making storm pay, so I'm not complaining.
*Friday afternoon we headed out to Cleveland (along with my co-pilot Alice and her 2 kids) for a competition. Last year we went to this competition and encountered 13 inches of snow with more falling during the competition. Talk about a nasty drive. I feared that this one would be the same way since it's right along the Lake (which equals the snow belt). The weather was actually really nice and the roads were cleared and in really good condition. The kids all behaved and we had a lot of fun. We found our hotel and encountered the worst hotel experience EVER! Our room wasn't ready because they decided to change the locks on rooms in the wing we were staying in. The pool was over chlorinated so the kids that did swim had red, sore eyes, breathing problems, upset stomachs, and a bathing suit that changed colors. We took a unanimous vote to leave this hotel and find somewhere else. I didn't even bother checking in because I was grossed out by the looks of the place. It really looked like they only opened because we were there. There was a haunted lounge (no joke!), poop spread on walls, nasty bathrooms, parking lot not even plowed 8 hours AFTER the storm hit, and smelly rooms. It was not pleasant at all. Lucky for us, our coach called a Ramada a few miles down the road, explained the situation, and she gave us an even cheaper deal for a MUCH nicer hotel. It was now 8 o'clock and my kids still hadn't eaten dinner. We all unpacked called a local pizzeria and had $126 worth of pizza delivered to the hotel. Each and every one of the kids handled the long trip, changing hotels, late dinner, and mass confusion so well. So if you plan on staying in a Quality Inn at 28611 Euclid Ave in Wickcliffe, OH...don't! The pictures on the website aren't even of that hotel, it's bad. For the people that did check in, they are hoping to get at least half a refund back without too much red tape. Instead head to the Ramada on Bishop Ave, you'll thank me for this advice! lol
*I didn't sleep very well in the hotel and after that long drive home, I fell asleep on the couch before 9:45. I was beyond pooped. Luckily both kids were sleepy as well, so we all went to bed before 10 last night. I feel much better this morning.
*Our girls ROCKED the competition on Saturday. They learned a new routine this week and it looked AMAZING!!! They competed against 4 other teams and came in 2nd, plus they got the WOW award, and the sportsmanship award as well. They were 4 points out of 1st place. The team that beat them had a 3 point deduction for touching down after doing a tumbling pass, and our team had 6 points. Such a close competition. Each and every girl was beaming when they came off the floor, they knew they did an awesome job!
*The kids don't know it, but Jason is coming home today. He should arrive around dinner time, so I'm trying to keep them occupied and their minds off of him being gone for almost a week. I love seeing their faces when he suddenly walks in the door!