Fall Boren Happenings

Here's what's been happening in the Boren household recently.

Daniel practiced shooting with a pellet gun. He's very serious about wanting to go deer hunting one day. We've told him he has to be 8 years old for that, but he can practice sighting in the scope and shooting the pellet gun. He's gone in the deer stand with Joshua a few times on Sunday afternoons to practice sitting quietly.

He's getting better, little by little. Here his finger is pointing right at a pellet he shot that is stuck in the styrofoam.

Allison has the cutest smile. She just melts your heart.

Allison, our pretty little flower.

Raelee's birthday was celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese. She had a blast.

Halloween. Raelee was a witch, Allison was a flower, and Daniel was Bat Man. Allison was not too happy about getting her picture taken.

DeAna & Joshua on a date at the USS North Carolina.

Got the windows of the van busted out last night. Punk kid threw rocks at us. Definitely shook us up but no one was hurt. Never saw who attacked the van.

5.8 QuakBut

Yep, I felt it. Really eerie, to say the least. I'm sitting in my desk at work, discussing a safety program with a coworker, who startled me when she asked if I felt that shaking. I stopped in the middle of my sentence and gave her a strange look. I saw a reflection of a semi truck pass by the window behind me, and for a split second I wondered if it was causing the shaking my coworker had just described.

And then I felt it...the slight rocking motion of the floor beneath me. I lifted my feet and placed them on the wheels of my chair, and could feel the chair gently rocking side to side. I felt a slight wooziness or seasickness sensation as my equilibrium was thrown for a loop.

I looked back at my coworker and said, "Earthquake!"

It was over fairly quickly, lasting around 43 seconds according to news reports. It was definitely odd, not something you expect to feel in Eastern NC.

No damage to the office or to the home. Joshua was standing on concrete at the Base, and he said that he didn't feel anything. The kids didn't say anything about it this evening. But I definitely remember what I felt. It was just so strange. I can still feel it in my mind.

No aftershocks felt as of yet. We are bracing for the possible attack of Hurricane Irene that's working its way towards North Carolina. The models have it pointed towards the I-95 Corridor (in other words, we're close enough to getting a direct hit). Yeah. Nothing like going from one natural disaster to another. ;)

Sleeping Like A Baby

Allison getting some adorable shut-eye. :) She's 2 1/2 months old & just as sweet as can be.

Family Photo Update

Here are several photos of the kiddos for your viewing enjoyment:

Mother's Day

We had a very nice Mother's Day. Joshua's parents invited us to their house for dinner. Would you believe that Joshua had to work? He didn't work a full day, though, so it didn't interfere with the occasion.

Raelee had fallen head-first out of the van Saturday, busting up her nose. It wasn't broken, thank goodness. Just scary seeing her fly out of the van in an odd fashion and not being able to catch her in time. But a bandage on the nose made everything better.

And here is our family on Mother's Day, all 5 of us. Can you believe that we are a family of 5 now? The reality is still setting in. We definitely love our newest addition to the family. She is such a content little one, just like Daniel & Raelee were at the same age. We are so blessed.

Speaking of which, Allison had her 2-week well-child doctor appointment this week. She is now 7 lbs 9 ozs and 19 1/2 inches long (she either shrunk 1/4 inch or was measured incorrectly at birth). But the doctor was very pleased with how she looks, and that she's gaining weight since the 3-day old doctor appointment. And oddly enough, the doctor even commented on how perfectly-shaped her head is. :)

We Survived

To our family & friends, yes, we are alive & well after the 62 tornadoes that were spawned in North Carolina this weekend. What a crazy afternoon & evening Saturday were! There were a few tornadoes in our county, and one tornado was just a few miles away from our house. The freaky weather we had was historic--the last big tornado system was in 1984 and only 20-something tornadoes were spawned then.

We had some hail, a lot of wind and rain, and a few tree branches fell on the ground. But other than that, we are A-Okay! :)

Oh, and the baby is due in 11 days!!!!!!!!