Then the lights came back on...

We got our power back on Friday night. After five long days, our lights came on, our cable came on, and we were able to get back to "normal" (you know, normal for us). We were lucky that Sandy didn't cause any physical damage to our house. Our neighbors, our town, our state wasn't as lucky. As I write this, there are people just a few miles away going to bed in the cold dark. So much food has spoiled. So many trees are being carted away. So many houses are dark. We got through it the best we could. And the boys, they had no idea that anything was wrong. I was glad to try to make their days as normal as we could even though their usual hot-spots were out of commission - schools were closed for a week, grandma's house lost power, the mall lost power, and we were home-bound until it was deemed safe to go outside.

The day before Sandy was scheduled to make her appearance, we took the boys to Muscoot Farm for their annual Boo Walk. I wasn't sure if we were going to have a Halloween this year, so I figured this was a good way to let the boys wear their costumes and get in some Halloween fun. The skies were already ominous, and it was quite cold, but we trekked on. Matthew was out-of-his-mind excited to put on his Iron Man costume.

And Noah, he was ecstatic to be the side-kick.

Matthew got his hand painted at Muscoot (since taking off the mask was forbidden).

And he took the business of the scavenger hunt very seriously.

He had quite the eye for spotting all the little Halloween treasures scattered throughout the trails.

After a successful hunt, we hit up the farmer's market, checked out a few of the animals, and of course hopped on the tractors.

Matthew was so happy to be out and about in his costume that he even let me take a picture of the two of us.

The next day we hunkered down and waited for our fate.As it grew dark the winds picked up and our lights started to flicker. Then we went dark. And it got loud - the wind, the debris flying around, hitting our roof. The winds were so intense that we never heard two 50-year-old pine trees fall from their roots next door. Thankfully they fell towards the street and not towards my neighbor's house. When night turned to day, we went out to survey the damage. And we started our wait for our electricity to come back.

Tuesday came and went. Wednesday arrived and Matthew jumped out of bed excited for Halloween. We put on our Halloween shirts and I tried to come up with a plan for our day.

We were supposed to be at Matthew's pre-school parade and party, then trick-or-treat at the mall, but instead we were only able hit up a few houses on my mom's street with cousin Maryann. Some people had already made their escape from the neighborhood, and some roads were blocked with trees, but there were a few houses that were happy to see us and handed over loads of treats. Matthew seemed to have fun, so that's all the really mattered to me.

Wednesday came and went without power at our house. The mall got power back on Thursday, so we soaked up some of their electricity as a way to escape the house for a bit. 

Lunch, the dollar store and a few rides make their day.

While we were there we noticed they were setting up for Santa's arrival. So I made plans for a Saturday photo opp.

To celebrate the arrival of the big guy (and the arrival of a utility crew from North Carolina who restored our power), we indulged in some very messy cookies (post-photo of course).

This week was a new start. Schools are back in session (for the most part), downed trees have been cleared (in most areas), and the lines at the gas station are getting shorter (day by day). Unfortunately, there is a forecast of more severe weather mid-week. So I am enjoying today. Because I just don't know what tomorrow will bring.

I hope all of you in the tri-state area are safe and warm tonight. Good night, and good luck!