Several lines of furious thunderstorms are making their way from Alabama into Missouri and on up into Illinois spawning tornadoes on their way. About 5:30 this afternoon sirens started sounding outside. I was wondering where the fire was since so many sirens were sounding. LeeAnn came into the living room to tell us that tornado warnings had been put up for this area and that twisters had been sighted. That was what the sirens were all about! Since then the sirens have sounded several more times. We’ve had some very big winds, lots of lightning, and some very heavy rains — all of the kinds of weather that reinforces my desire not to live here!

It’s been a fun day. I took the three grandkids this morning to the car wash to get some of the grime off the car before we leave tomorrow morning for the two-day trip back home. They had a grand time, particularly little Shaundra. When she pulled the trigger on the wand for the pressure wash, she certainly wasn’t expecting the force of the water pressure which just about knocked her down! The car looks much better and is ready for the next coating of salt and grime. The weather looks fairly reasonable for the trip home. We’ll probably be able to dodge most of the bad weather.

Once Ohio State is able to pull this football game out, we’ll finish the packing for tonight. We’ll load the car in the morning and hopefully be able to leave about 7 a.m. or so … provided no tornadoes actually come around!

We prevailed on some folks that attended Shaundra’s baptism to take a group photo of the whole family. This is the result and I’m quite happy with the result. So, who’s who?

From left to right: LeeAnn, Me, James, Nina, Shaundra, Nancy (LeeAnn’s mother), Steven, and Vern (LeeAnn’s father). I had to chuckle a bit at the positioning of Vern’s head … we’ve been kidding him about his new-found halo.

Saturday evening we had a delightful turkey dinner and had a lot of family fun. This morning Jim’s ward switched to a new time: 9 a.m. start. Everyone except Jim had to be out of the house by 8:40 a.m. (Jim had to be there at 7 a.m. for early morning meetings). It happened in a rather miraculous manner. The meetings were great. I was delighted at how well the congregation sang the hymns. There was a constant waiting line to bear testimonies. The Sunday School lesson was excellent. Jim and his family are in an excellent ward where Jim is the Elder’s Quorum President and LeeAnn teaches the CTR 5 class in Primary. We had several people tell us how much they enjoyed having Jim and LeeAnn in their ward. I must say we had a great time.

This afternoon we played some games with the grandkids. Clue and then Cranium. Clue worked fine and we wrapped up the game just as the left-over turkey was served as open-faced hot sandwiches. Yum! Cranium, on the other hand, was much more challenging. Steven and I were stuck on green for a very long time and finally, mercifully, Nina and James won the game.

So now we’re gathered around the dining room table. Nina, James, and I all have our notebook computers open and are doing something on the Internet. Vern is reading from the November Ensign. LeeAnn is watching Jim fuss with Bloglines. Nancy is working on a glass of milk. The grandkids are being very quiet….

We’ve been here about twenty-four hours and are definitely enjoying ourselves. The grandkids are great and we’ve had a lot of fun playing and kidding around. The main event occurred this afternoon when James baptised Shaundra, his youngest and last to be baptised. It was a very nice service and well attended by the folks from their ward. It is so nice to be the grandparent at these things and see how grownup the kids are and how well they are doing.

The weather here is rather incredible … it was so warm today that I wished I had summer clothes with me! There was a Big Storm coming ashore in California, the weather maps looked rather ominous, but the storm seems to be falling apart. Regardless, we’re headed back home on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, we’re having a good time in Springfield.