We've been home since Thursday afternoon. We had planned to stay in Corona for a few more days, but then- while we were out grocery shopping, we looked at the sky and sniffed that familiar scent of ash in the air. The OC fires were burning strong and the toxic air was heading into Corona. So we evacuated our selves from our evacuation site, and came home to where the air is a lot better than it was! We are still so grateful to Dave's parents for putting us and our friends up! Their home was turned into a virtual daycare center!

Although it is better and the sky looks somewhat blue again, the air quality is only moderate, so we haven't been out much. We had Isaiah's gym class today - so he ran, danced, and jumped around like crazy. That "boy energy" was overflowing and I was happy he got to play!

Even though nobody has really reported it, we got rain Saturday morning. It was incredible because Isaiah and I had just been asking Jesus for rain the night before, and although there was no rain in the forecast, it came. We only got a little, but it was incredible nontheless.

So, this week will be full of Disney movies and indoor fun. Until the air quality is good, we're going to try and be inside as much as possible. This is no small feat, as anyone with a toddler would agree. But for Lily's sake especially, we're being extra cautious.

We were restless Sunday night because of the howling sound of the strong winds. It rattled our windows and knocked our lantern over in the backyard. I woke up several times worried about the kids, but they slept through the night without incident.

In the morning, I didn't think twice when I kissed my husband goodbye. He was going out of town on business and would be back in a few days. We went about our morning routine like usual. We almost never turn on the TV in the morning, but I wanted to see what the weather would be like so I switched it on and watched in horror. The fire that seemed so far away last night had now lept closer to neighboring cities. I watched all morning- feeling panicked all day. It started to get smoky and looking outside you could see a thick layer of orange sepia air. I ran the air conditioner as advised, it was hot anyway- we live very close to the ocean and it rarely goes above 80 degrees. Usually around this time it's a cool crisp 70 degrees or so. It was going to be in the mid 90's at the coast. The news wasn't good, the fire was creeping closer. Dave had barely landed in Vegas and hadn't even checked in to his hotel. People were being evacuated in Rancho Sante Fe to the East of us, and Carlsbad to the north. He was on his way home. I felt such a panic in my heart. The air in the house started to get smoky. My throat was dry and my eyes burned.

When Dave got home we finished packing up the cars. The house looked like it was ramsacked by burglars after we went through it- basically throwing whatever was important into our cars. Lily was getting very fussy. She didn't feel good and wouldn't let us put her down for a second. I knew the air was getting to her. This was horrible air to suck in, even the indoor air. I felt like we were in a Vegas casino breathing the exhaust of thousands of cigarettes, in our own home. News of Del Mar and Solana beach being evacuated came. We were surrounded by fire, all around us on all three sides.

We took both cars and the walkie talkies. Me and the kids in one car, and Dave and the dogs in the other. The 5 freeway looked good- we were going pretty fast and then we passed Oceanside where the walk became a crawl. We pretty much went 20 miles an hour from Oceanside to Orange County. My paranoid mind kept thinking- what happens if the fire comes at us and we are trapped in our cars? We had to stop in Irvine so I could feed Lily and we could eat a late dinner. It was 8:30 when we stopped. When we got into the restaurant, Lily smiled the biggest smile- I knew she was relieved and could breathe better. Isaiah was happy and excited the whole time. I think he felt like this was one great adventure. I'm so grateful that he is naive to the fears surrounding us. He's too young to grasp that we could lose our home.

We're here in Corona at Dave's parents house safe and sound now. The air is so clean here. Of course it's 4am and I can't sleep. I hope our house is okay. But we're all here, and that's all that matters.

God Bless the firefighters who are fighting nonstop and risking their lives to save our homes and our neighbors. Prayers for all the people in San Diego.

ARGH!