September

{view into our field from the driveway}

For Labor Day weekend Curt headed to Louisiana to help gut out houses that had been flooded by the intense rain storms there a few weeks before. About 5000 Latter Day Saints (Mormons) from surrounding states came in. 

Our stake was assigned to help in the Hammond area, and they turned the property around the LDS chapel there into a tent city. They were very organized and had port-a-potties set up around the perimeter and had shower stations set up outside (the women got to use the ones inside).

People in the community who needed help would call in and the volunteers manning the phone would create a work order and then a team would be sent out to the home.

This was one of the homes that Curt's team worked on. They had already emptied some of the home, but that big pile of stuff needed to be hauled down to the end of a very long driveway, and the rest of the stuff from the inside needed to be hauled out.

This is a picture Curt got from the owner of how high the water got on the same house.

{church gym turned into supply center}

{one of the work crews from our ward with a pair of homeowners they helped}

When he got back home I did the annual pressure washing of the driveway.

Always crazy to see what the climate here builds up on concrete.

 

 {cupcakes by the neighborhood pool}

{amazing entertainment, clothes getting washed}

We've had a glass topped table for our living room for most of our marriage.

It definitely wasn't the most kid friendly thing, but McKay had started climbing on top of it regularly, finally pushing it high enough on the priority list to replace.

So glad we did though, this new ottoman thing has been awesome so far. 

These two are buds and get to spend a lot more time as just the two of them since Des is in school now.

Our friend Ryan was in town briefly for work and Curt was able to grab lunch with him.

I organized a pine wood derby for the girls in our ward (ages 8-11).

It turned out great.

{Curt and his helpers, setting up the track}

{about half the cars that ended up racing}

Des attended a friends birthday party. Things like this make me realize he's getting so old. 

And he lost two teeth in September.

 {holding hands on the way to cub scout pack meeting, those boards are for the crossover bridge that was being used that night}

{McKay imitating Des. He follows his brother around everywhere}