Hurricane Sandy: October 28, 2012

Florida hurricanes aren't what we expected.  We thought they'd be like strong weather warnings in Lexington, where people flock to the stores to stock up on bacon and eggs and then stay in their cozy houses for days until the snow and ice subsides.  Hurricane Sandy has been about as underwhelming as Tropical Storm Debby a few months ago, complete with people posting sarcastic pictures of their tipped over plastic lawn chairs as "storm damage".  We've had two very windy and rainy nights in a row, but the days weren't any stormier than a normal Florida fall day. 

People don't stay in for hurricanes, either.  We've been on the local news site today, looking at images of people lining the boardwalks to watch the high waves cresting just a few feet below them. 

I enjoy the cooler days because the kids finally get to wear the jackets I have to buy for them "just in case" but never use.

The weather did hit Fort Pierce a little harder than Vero Beach, so Craig telecommuted on Friday instead of driving south to work.  The ducks got an unexpected mid-morning visit from all five of us.

My girls wore raincoats to keep from getting wet and my boy stomped through the storm gutters in his sandals.  This is typical.  Just moments after this pictute, he fell headlong into the water.

The interesting thing about Florida weather is that it's actually more pleasant to go out on bad weather days than on normal days when it's just plain hot and humid.  No bothers with sunscreen, no sweaty clothes to change at home.

This is a typical Florida picture.  Raincoat because it's cute, and no pants or shoes because it's still 84 degrees.  My kids are in for a rude awakening if we ever move to a climate where shoes are mandatory.

No explanation.

That evening Devon put on this year's Halloween costume for the first time.  Someone gave us the conductor overalls and hat when Devon was still in newborn sizes.  We've been saving it for his third Halloween, and probably his fourth and fifth.  As you can see, it's still a bit big.
 

When the kids were in bed, Craig and I got started on our Date Night: making a float for the Vero Beach Halloween parade.  I was a bit surprised that the parade hadn't been cancelled since it was going to be held on Day 2 of Hurricane Sandy, but the recreation department assured us that it was still on.

I drew the face on the tagboard freehanded, and Craig took a boxcutter to one of the wardrobe boxes we've been storing since our last move.

We painted, glued, and punched holes.

 We started at 8 and were just letting the paint dry at 1.  It will definitely be remembered as one of our more fun and unusual Date Nights.  We look forward to doing things like this WITH our kids in the future, but right now they're just too young.

Devon's face when we showed him "Big Thomas in the Garage" made the late night worth it.  We reassembled Thomas in the Vero Beach High School parking lot, anchoring it firmly with twine against the predicted high winds.  We found our group, Treasure Coast Twins, all of whom were dressed up and much admired:

Kaley and Ryley

Robert and Ryan

Noah and Julianna

Carrie and Melina rode in the "Sodor Line Caboose" behind Devon's Thomas. You can see that we put more effort into making him happy this time around.  Since the girls aren't really into wearing shoes, headbands, hats, or any article of clothing they can remove, I wasn't sure it was possible to get them into a costume.  They ended up really loving the butterfly wings I bought for them, but more in the eating sense of the word.

We took a group picture,

...and then the conductor decided to get this train moving!

Craig dressed to loosely suggest Mr. Topham Hatt.  I looked for a top hat at Walmart to complete the look, but didn't find one in the costume aisle.

I didn't want to wear a dress and be Lady Hatt in winds that were predicted to top 25 mph.  I went as one of the "workers".

The kids were definitely a perfect age to enjoy being in a parade.  I hope our twins group decides to do a float for Christmas.  Devon waved to the families who came out to watch, many of whom took pictures of the little conductor driving his Thomas.

The parade ended at the community center, where everyone got a bag of treats. 

Devon enjoyed showing off his Thomas.  It was one of the perks of having little twin sisters.  Not only did our huge triple stroller serve as the form that kept his train rolling, but we never would've thought to participate in the Halloween parade if we hadn't been part of a group.  It was SO MUCH FUN!

We tried for a good family picture, but by the time we got back to the car it was noon and the kids were showing signs of wear.  Carrie was sucking her thumb and Devon was cheerfully dismantling a piece of red licorice and spitting little pieces all over Thomas.

The outing ended in bliss: three hours where all three kids slept. Aaaaahhhhh.