home again...

Im home! We had a WONDERFUL time. We drove 3700 miles in ten days, we saw too many family members to name and I'm thankful that we have friends and family to visit. more tomorrow....

vacationing

We're loving life, driving long, visiting family and dear friends.....

I have to say that if you haven't seen the sun rise in the desert well you simply haven't lived! 

The highlight of my trip? Bat Girl of course, and the long hours in the car with my family... now THATS living!

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Christmas pictures 08'

Today I took the kids out to take their annual Christmas picture and I LOVE IT! I usually take about 100 pictures and sort through them at home but this year it was FREEZING, we took 8 and called it good! A few came out great this is not the one I'm using for cards but it's close. Are they so cute or what? None of them were very happy with any of the pictures- you know how teenagers are!

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I love the Holidays!

Broken Promises and skinned knees

My Sweet Kid3 takes Kid4 to the park every day. When he gets home from school she has her jeans on and is ready to head out. He is so sweet to take her and I’m not sure that every 12 year old would take a 4 year old to the park EVERY single day- but he does.

I love to watch them digging in the sand, swinging from the trees- just kidding- they swing on the swings! I love to watch them chase each other around and up and down the very big slide. It’s a fantastic feeling to see your kids happy with each other and having fun together.

Kid4 often comes home with funny stories about the park and the kids there. Yesterday she came inside for a minute and told me that “the new kids at the park are running away from home because their Mom LIED to them, she said they could have a pony but they DON’T have one! Little Bill wanted to run away and then he did not and he took a nap” I laughed because I saw that episode of Little Bill- we love Little Bill by the way and I also saw her listening intently to the “new kids” at the park and wondered what they were saying… now I know. Apparently their Mother is an Ogre… I mean who doesn’t let their kid have a pony? MEAN MEAN MEAN!

Kid3 and 4 headed out for a trip to the park this afternoon and she insisted on wearing a skirt so off they went. She was dancing around and running and they were chasing each other having the time of their lives. Kid3 came inside to go to the bathroom really quick and she stayed outside with our neighbor friend, I was also watching her from the window. All of a sudden the second I looked away I heard a big scream and being the overprotective parents of the baby that we are we all ran outside (All= me, Mr. B. and Kid2). She had fallen while our poor neighbor was walking her home and she was apparently stomping and telling him that she was “an adult” and “could stay at the park alone”… he was trying to coheres her home and she was not taking it well, slipped on the curb and fell on her knees!

Poor little girl, she has experienced running away, a lying Mom and skinned knees- does childhood get any better than this?

brothers

Brothers and boys have a different relationship than sisters and girls. They do love each other and have a similar need to tell each other things and communicate but they are not as verbal as girls- thank goodness! My first real understanding of the special relationship between boys was my brother and his friend in high school, they would do anything for each other and my brother named his first born after him. They didn't need to talk, one just knew what the other needed.

Later on in life when I had boys I could see that they are special in a different way. They do communicate, you just may have to listen harder or different.

So often boys get the short end of the stick, often adults treat boys as if they are always up to trouble and that may not be true. Boys get into things, they hop fences, go fast and get dirty but they aren't necesarily misbehaving- they are just being boys.

Brothers are amazing, through time when friends fail you brothers are forever.

I love pictures of brothers, and boys together having fun. Boys get into things, make messes, get dirty and seize every moment possible... I love brothers! These are pictures of a few of my favorite boys!

ode to my silly goosey

The tiniest blessing near or far.
What a wiggly silly goose you are.
Beautiful girl full of grace.
Those charming green eyes, oh’ what a face!
Brown bouncy curls dance and swirl about.
Amazingly innocent without a doubt.
As you grow we'll watch and see
What a miracle you will truly be.

for my Mom

Here's what I made today. The picture is not a great one because it's from my cell phone but I think you get the idea.

It's a WELCOME banner for my Mom who is having family over for Thanksgiving. It was fairly easy to make and I love it so much I am making me and Bat Girl one too!

Father-daughter time

My husband took Kid2 on a much deserved trip with him. They enjoy each others company and she is old enough to stay in a hotel by herself while he working. They have been going out for breakfast, she is on her own for lunch and they meet up again for dinner... The above picture is what they ate last night? HOW GROSS! I'm glad I'm not sharing in the gross-ness!

Kid2 is spending all day reading, taking long baths and doing manicures and pedicures.... she is loving the alone time. She is probably the only one who wouldn't be bored all day by herself, she loves to be alone.

It's nice to have father/daughter alone time- another day, another blog I'll tell you about the best trip I ever had with my Dad, just he and I alone.

We miss you Kid2 and Mr. B, but take your time because these are the memories neither of you will ever forget!

Waiting on Daddy

Mr. B. is out of town for a few days this week and Kid4 is devastated! She does NOT like her Daddy to leave- ever! She likes him to be near her at all times.

Poor little Kid4 cried and cried last night while Kid2 packed to go with Mr. B. He took Kid2 with him so they could have a father daughter trip while he was travelling on business. It’s the perfect thing for Kid2, she will enjoy spending time alone in the hotel during the day and adore having his full attention at night. This evening they had fun sending me pictures of them eating gross things…. It must be a Dad thing.

Kid4 cried and cried last night and I told her that her and I could not be apart that I would be too sad hoping that she would feel better knowing that I needed her company. She smartly replied that I would have two boys and Daddy would have two girls and that is the fair thing. She did not feel like it was fair for Daddy to only have one girl for a father daughter trip- I agree with her!

All day today and tonight before she fell asleep she wanted me to reassure her that it was “only 2 days” without Daddy- It’s really 3 but hey she probably won’t know!

Tonight she put his hat on the bed post with stickers of a mouth and sunglasses and said that we could pretend that this was Daddy until he comes home. I’m not sure that this is an acceptable stand in but it will have to do!

So Daddy if you’re out there reading this Bella wants you to COME HOME QUICK, she just can’t live without you- and Sister too she says.

**here is her “pretend Daddy” and her sleeping soundly waiting for daddy.

Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest!

My sweet son- kid1 has a new haircut. There’s a story behind the haircut and I can’t wait to tell it.

My Sweet son broke up with his girlfriend of 5 months- and if you remember being a teen that’s a long time- a few weeks ago. Needless to say she did NOT take it well. I mean she DID NOT TAKE it well! Poor girl, she is a very sweet girl but they had too many things that were going to be hard on them in the future and I really push that kid to look into the future.

He has been talking to another girl, she is very sweet and she is in Drama with kid2 and the first girlfriend. Kid1 has been talking to this “new girl” for a few weeks as friends. This new girl has beautiful hair; it’s a very perfect color of red and brown mixed together on a pretty head and its cut perfectly. She has a sweet smile and is sweet to my kids- so I like her.

Kid1 has told me many times how her hair is so pretty and we all agree that she has great hair…..

She cuts her own hair- are you figuring out the end of the story?

I’m not sure why boys do the stupid things that boy’s do- that’s a blog for a different day but kid1 let this sweet girl cut his hair! They had been talking about it for about a week now and I think it was a way for him to court her. . . It’s hard to say really.

Anyway needless to say – Lesson learned for kid1. The Dumbest thing you can do when trying to date a girl is let her cut your hair to win her affection!

Remember the movie Dumb and Dumber....? see the resemblence?

looking back

When I look back at my past I think of a time when I was very young and carefree. The times I remember most were spent in Hoof-Ville. I never lived there myself but I spent a good share of my childhood there. Many of my closest childhood friends lived there and we lived to see each other during Holidays and summer. My favorite childhood friends name was Laura, I loved her- I still do. She and I were inseparable while I was in town.

I have the fondest memories of that place my sweet sweet Grammie and Granddaddy lived there and we would set up home in their house for our whole visit. We woke every morning to the smell of bacon and eggs. We had daily sweepings from my Grammie- she was a neat freak! I can still see the dust swirling around her as she frantically swept that floor beneath us. If I close my eyes right now I can see the barn, the cows, the garden, the tractors…. It’s all the same to this day. Going there is like stepping back in time, it’s like getting a slice of my childhood back for just an afternoon- it’s like a little slice heaven for only a moment. I love that farm, I love that barn, I love it…

I would spend Sunday mornings at church with all my summer friends and we would laugh and giggle and be thrilled to be together again. I would sit snuggled next to my Grammie in that church pew and she would quietly tear a piece of gum in half for her and me to share. I have counted the ceiling tiles in that building a thousand time I swear. I know that church building like the back of my hand- it’s a part of the fabric of my soul.

As a little girl I dreamed of buying the little house down the red dirt from my Grandparents and living near them forever, I just knew that Laura and I would spend endless days there…. That was my plan and plans change.

Now that I am older and have more reality than I ever cared to have I cherish those times even more. The friendships, the Holidays, the sights and smells they all make up the memories that I have locked deep in my heart and sewn into my soul. When I go back, I try to soak it all up and remember it all at once. I flood myself with memories as I walk towards that run down farm, those broken down tractors, and that grown over garden- the years have taken their toll on that place, but my memories are as fresh as yesterday, I hope they will always stay that clear in my mind.

**the picture above is of my friends and I one Summer at the local park in Hoof-Ville

Misty, Mindy, Kelly, Ashley, Laura, Matt

104 years of change and still going

My dear Great Grandma was born in 1904 and is still living today.

She was born while Theodore Roosevelt was president. She was born when there were only 144 miles of paved roads and 8,000 cars. Can you imagine living when only 1 in 10 Americans could read and write, only 14 percent of the population had bathtubs and the American flag only had 45 stars? I can’t begin to wrap my mind around there only being 30 people in Las Vegas, Nevada- now there are 30 people per elevator! Can you imagine that in 1904 there had only been 230 reported murders in America so far? It’s not something I can even fathom.

My Great Grandma life started with Theodore Roosevelt and life will likely end for her while Obama is in office- now that’s change! My Great Grandma has seen change in her life, she knows about change. My Great Grandma to this day can talk about politics, family, remember birthdays and have a normal and relevant conversation while you sit at her side. She is amazing.

Her eyes have quit looking- she is blind now. Can you imagine what she might have seen in 104 years with those eyes? When I visit her I stand there in quiet awe of her before I speak. I always just look at her pure beauty and wonder what she thinks about and if her mind ever wanders back to the years when she was young. When we speak I look at those eyes and I marvel at the fact that those eyes looked at this world for over one hundred years until they retired. Have you ever looked into your baby’s eyes and known that those eyes will see you first and then so many other things-possibly one hundred years of change?

I have sat and talked with my Great Grandma about change and the state of the world and the change she has seen and I always walk away in utter amazement! The things she has seen, done, heard are comparable to nothing! I love to look at pictures of her when she was younger, her and great grandpa, her and I and now her and my own babies. If we could transfer all her knowledge- the knowledge of 104 years what would that do to our minds?

My Great Grandmothers 104 years could not have all been easy. She lost children of her own, brothers and sister, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and great children. The loss of her husband of more than 75 years was a hard loss and so it was so hard to see her grieving for him. I know she must ask herself why she is still here today, why she has suffered so much and lived so long. I have asked her before why she thought she was still on this earth and she simply said “God isn’t ready for me to come home yet”.

I believe that My Great Grandma lives still today because she has great faith in God. I don’t think she filled her mind with unnecessary worries, sin and things that plague us today. I believe that my Great Grandma kept her eyes on the Lord, prayed fervently when necessary and looked to God for help. Her faith has sustained her and still is today.

I know that she has seen great changes in this world we share and so many of them must have broken her heart or made her feel weary and weak in the knees. If I asked my Grandma today this minute what she thought about this presidential election I think she would tell me to pray for him as we would any president. God can do anything he sees fit and he can prick our President Elect’s heart.

Grandma you’re amazing! There are just hardly words to describe your strength and faith. When I feel weak and weary I think of you and how much change you have endured and it gives me hope. You’re an example of strength, faith and pure wonderfulness to many. I respect and adore you more than I can say.

*presidents during my Grandma’s life*
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George Bush (1989-1993)
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
George W. Bush (2001- present)
Obama (2008 president Elect)

NOW THAT'S CHANGE!

Warning- stupidity ahead

I voted last Thursday because I didn’t want to get stuck in line today. I was afraid that I would wait for 2 hours and then 20 people from the actual vote kid4 would have to potty or something and I would lose my place in line… so Mr. B. took the day off and we went to vote. That’s not the stupid part of the story though…

We waited for 1 hour and 45 minutes to vote- well worth it! We waited near interesting people and had good conversation. I enjoyed waiting. (Still not the stupid part)

We got up to the front and if you know me I get a little nervous about things like this- not the voting - here is what ran through my head the last minute before I was called in-

Will I know how to work the machine?
Will I fall and knock over my machine?
Will it even be a machine?
What if its paper and my pen doesn’t work?
Can you ask for help?
Are you aloud to talk in that LITTLE room?
What if I accidentally look over someone’s shoulder, will I get in trouble?
What if I get so nervous that I can’t see the ballot?
What if I get so nervous that I pass out?
What if I trip and knock someone else over? What if it’s a domino effect and the whole place folds like cards?
What if I start doing a nervous laugh? (if you have heard the ‘nervous laugh’ you know what I’m talking about!
What if I forget WHO I am voting for? (this does happen to me)

That’s just a few things that were running through my head as I showed my ID which I did drop, took the tag that had to run thru the machine and was pointed to “any one available”… which also made me nervous (don’t get me started). So I chose one, walked that direction and did not even trip! (woo hoo)

I swipe the little card and there it is- the electronic ballot-VIOLA…. I started checking names and trying to read VERY carefully.

**very important side note**
I am dyslexic

So I read the names and I’m not even blacking out- woo hoo! This is what I read-

· Obama/Biden
· McCain/Palin
· Independent Librarian

WHAT? Why… WHY…. Would I vote for a librarian who doesn’t even have a name? I have never heard of this. I stop to think a minute….. Obama….. McCain…. Librarian…..? This just doesn’t make sense? I can’t ask a question….How did I not hear about this….? This does not make sense……. Hmmmmm……????

WAIT a minute! HOLD ON HERE…..

Maybe I should re-read this….

Obama/Biden
McCain/Palin
Independent Libertarian

AAAAAHHHHHaaaaaaa!

So I check McCain/Palin (did you think I would vote for anyone else?) and then had to hold in the nervous laughter the rest of the time… I was dying laughing inside because I mean really? How stupid am I? If someone else spent a day inside my head they would either laugh or cry…. I try to laugh!

Happy voting day friends and I certainly hope you did NOT vote for the “independent Librarian”!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ..... fat?

Today kid4 stayed home from preschool because she is not feeling well. I made pulled pork and it cooked all day and smelled wonderful!

Anyway … I pulled some pork out for lunch and had a couple of bites and it was so so so good. I hadn’t separated the fat from the pork because I knew I was eating it and I would not eat the fat pieces. I put the plate down and there was still quite a bit of pork and fat on the plate and kid4 asked me if she could have a bite. She took a bite of pork and said “yum, this is good chicken”. She took another bite (I was not watching her) and she said “I like the chicken, but I don’t like the dumplings”…..

Ewwwwwwww she ate the fat and thought it was a dumpling!! I thought back to the friends episode with the glass of fat? Remember that one?

I laughed because what else can you do when your kids do gross things unintentionally? Like the picture above where kid1 was holding a crab in his mouth on a dare! Kids are so gross!

Monday morning madness

Monday mornings…. Errrrr….. mornings in general are maddening! Mr. B. gets the kids up at 6am and then he gives them a little time to wake up, get moving and get started without an adult bothering them. He gets up and gets himself ready a few minutes later. I try to stay in bed. Most mornings I sleep through the whole transaction but some mornings I get up to see the kids and say hello.

My job in the morning is to stay in bed because two adults with two different plans for what should happen in the morning is too confusing and frustrating to big kids. Kid4 sleeps in, so she isn’t in the morning mix. When I do get up I am making sure they have what they need, and asking to be sure their “rooms are clean, bathroom picked up, dog fed, watered and pottied” etc. etc. etc. Mr. B. is doing the same thing but other things like “Take the trash out, turn off the lights, get your lunches, hang up wet towels, and feed myrtle the turtle”. So between us it makes for a mad morning.

This morning I got up to see the kids and started dinner (it has to cook all day long), I saw that the apple butter jars had sealed and had a busy morning. I should be cleaning up from the apple butter aftermath, the re-doing of old lamps, and adding my favorite shelf to my house… but I’m going back to bed while dinner makes itself in the oven!

Here’s a happy Monday video for you…. Yes I realize it’s sideways, I don’t know how to change it. I really added it because the laugh is so cute! I love baby laughs!

HAPPY MONDAY!
**18 days till Bat girl and I laugh so hard we wet our pants!

no rest for the weary

My littlest one- Kid4 does not sleep well, she never has. She can go days with very little sleep. She woke up this morning at 3:00am and here we are up together again.

Over the years as we have been up while everyone else sleeps I have changed my perspective about the loss of sleep. When I had babies and was losing sleep I would always try to remember that it's a short amount of time that you have alone in the night nursing babies or up with your arms around them. There will be a day when they don't need you anymore. When Kid4 is awake I try to enjoy it to the best of my sleepy ability by reading books, talking to her with no interruptions, holding her, just being with her during the quiet nights.

Im not saying Im never frustrated and in fact I have had many nights where I was frustrated to tears about no sleep- I just try to remind myself that it's only a matter of time until she will be up alone not needing my company, curling up in a chair without my lap, reading to herself without my help.

The sleepness nights with our kids are short. (short in the grand scheme of things of course) Holding that little sleeping warm body is gone in the blink of an eye.

My friend Steph just had a baby and I have thought of her so many times when I have been up with Kid4 lately. Steph must be weary and tired with 3 small kids at home. I loved THIS post because she threw caution to the wind and let the kids play and be kids even though she must be weary and tired and up all night. Don't worry Steph I SWEAR those days will go quick and you'll be back to sleeping soon!

**the picture above is Kid1 and Kid4 taking an afternoon nap. He had a HARD day at school and she hadn't slept the night before so she crawled onto his back and they both fell asleep. They are big fans of one other!