Whew.

St. Louis has not had a good run with the weather this year. I posted about our friend who basically lost everything after the New Year's Eve tornados hit.Then, Tuesday and again last night St. Louis and surrounding areas were hit again. Some harder than others and some left devastated. Luckily, we are ok as is our home but others are not as lucky. Tuesday was worse for us as I literally felt our house shake.

It's an odd feeling to see the damage on the news and wonder if everyone you know is okay.

Today, I feel blessed and my heart goes out to those who were affected. In December, I saw the devastation. I saw in person what it looked like when a tornado hit and it was not easy to look at. It was then that I felt  a sense of unpreparedness.

Had our friends not gone into the tiny corner/doorway of their basement, they would not be here today. Everything else in their home was GONE. I started to think that me sitting in the middle of our basement wasn't as safe as I once thought.

I share this of hoping that you'll remember this too.

As we sat downstairs in the basement both nights (one night which it was just Brady and I, can you say, freak out when you hear the newsman say that one was spotted RIGHT near you?) I remembered sitting down there with my baby boy last spring. He was still a baby and clueless to what was going on around him. I also remember feeling more nervous and anxious about what could happen--being a mom can do that to you.

I kept wondering what I would do if the tornado hit. I didn't think twice about jumping on top of him to keep him safe and do what I could to protect him.  I kept him as safe as I could in my belly and I would never hesitate to do the same outside. 

You want to be able to protect your child and keep them safe from everything. I sat there last night, looking at my son who is not such a baby anymore. In a few short days, he'll be 18 months old. Both warnings went on well past his bedtime and that meant I was able to rock my baby to sleep for the first time in way too long.

I kept wondering when he got so long and so heavy. He certainly is not a baby anymore. Especially after he almost flipped out of his crib this morning (oh, it's been one of THOSE mornings.) In the midst of it all, there was a little blessing in all the chaos. 

 (picture from my dying cell phone)

I sure am one lucky momma.