Fun in the sun .... porch!

I stayed home from work today to take care of Ty. Brian and Kelly's babysitter's little guy has the flu, so we are taking turns staying home with Ty this week.

Today he got to inaugurate our new high chair! I tried using a booster chair with him last week, but that didn't work out too well. So viola! We have a new Winnie the Pooh highchair! He is now eating the second step of baby food ..... the wonderful blends. Kelly said he did NOT like the chicken and noodles one .... but he did well with his fruit and rice for breakfast.... the peas and something or other for lunch ..... and the mixed veggies for supper. He is still getting 3-4 bottles of formula a day, and usually has two naps at Grammies ...... tho I understand he doesn't sleep that much at the sitter's. But ....... she probably doesn't play soft baby music and have the curtains drawn and the lights down low for him. We Grammies know how to encourage a nap! :)

In between mealtime and naptime .... we soaked up the sun on the sunporch. I even moved Kasey's daybed out there so he could soak it up with us! It has been such a gloomy and rainy Fall that it felt soooooooo good to sit in the sun. And I am hoping the extra Vitamin D we absorbed will help Ty ward off the flu bug.

Finally .... here is a video clip of him playing in the bouncie turnie thingie. As usual, he was laughing and grinning at me ..... before I got the camera! He has such a quick sly smile that it is hard to catch on film. Oh well, as long as I get them in person .... that is all that matters to me!

Mothering .....

Ya know ..... now that my chicks have flown the coop ..... I have more time for self-reflection. And I have come to a realization that has been very self affirming.

I am maternal ...... but not domestic!

So, what the heck does that mean??

Well ....... I love to mother, and nurture, and encourage, and teach, and provide all of those little experiences that help ones to spread their wings and discover who they are.

But ... I HATE to cook and clean!

Hmmmmmmmm, maybe that came from marrying a man who, for the first several years of our marriage, only wanted boiled potatoes and hamburgers without a bun for lunch. :)

Or, from raising a darling little boy who wanted the same meal every day for 2 weeks and then when you started to serve it the 3rd week said "Why did you fix that? You know I hate it!!" :)

Or from raising another precious little pumpkin for whom I literally had to hide 3 peas in a huge mound of mashed potatoes in order to get him to eat them. :)

You young moms have sooooooooo much to look forward to! :)

But through it all, I have learned a lot of important things ..... gold carpet does not show straw ..... bugs ..... fawn boxer hair ..... or a myriad of other assorted things that get drug into a farmhouse from the outside. Keeping the curtains closed and the lights low does wonders for hiding dirty windows and dust. And burning candles before company comes is a miracle worker for stale doggy smells!

So, when you start to get down on yourselves cause you don't think you are filling all of the shoes in your closets (or filling all the roles you feel expected to play) ..... just remember ..... you can be maternal but not domestic. Or, domestic but not maternal. Whatever combination you happen to be. God made you with the skills you have for His purpose. So use those skills to the best of your ability and wade your way through the other stuff. My boys are strong, intelligent, hardworking ....... and slender! :) So I guess I didn't do too bad after all!

It's a ..........

Craig just called to let us know ... they are having a little boy!
Well ... at least that is what it looks like for now ..... :)
The due date is still 2/28/10. Course, he's hoping it'll pop out a day early!
I told him I was gonna call it Henry until I get told otherwise!

Marriage!

It's our 33rd anniversary today, so I've been thinking alot about what makes a successful marriage. Here are a few thoughts .......

1. Set your priorities early and stand by them. Mine are; 1. my faith, 2. our marriage, 3. our kids, 4. extended family, friends, and work. You will notice that I am not in my list. But I believe that if I concentrate on making the other things priorities, my needs will be taken care of as well.

2. Keep the institution of marriage sacred. You may not always like your spouse ..... and they might not always like you ...... but the institution of marriage is sacred .... and should be treated as such.

3. Beware of living your life based on emotions. Romantic love comes and goes ...... as does anger. Go to bed mad if necessary ..... or sleep on the couch if necessary. But do not lash out in anger. Wait until you have calmed down to see if what triggered your emotions is a real concern, or just something that ticked you off at the moment. " Be angry .... but do not sin".

4. Ignore ... or manage .... the little things that annoy you about your spouse. When we got married Steve always wanted me to do things like his mom. He gave up after I kept doing them my way. It was not worth fighting over. And .... he has a habit of letting the orange juice run out so there was none for me in the mornings. After I got over the "If he really loved me he would make sure there was orange juice for me in the morning" thoughts, I started drinking grape juice. Now if his orange juice is out in the morning ..... oh well! The same goes for tooth paste .... etc. If his dries out because he left the cap off ..... oh well! It's his problem .. not mine! :)

5. Forsake all others. Period. Don't allow pornography, or other people to become third persons in your marriage. That is non-negotiable. The institution is for 2 people only. Save your big guns for this one issue.

6. Realize that you will be spending your life in the same house as this person, so deal with the major issues before contempt creeps in. That is the time to sit down, put the issues on the table, and decide what each of you can do to make the relationship livable. Love will return when you realize that each of you is willing to sacrifice for the sake of the marriage.

7. Oh .... and did I just mention sacrifice. I have an acquaintance from high school who has been married 6 times and divorced 5 times. His theory is that he takes care of his own needs ... because he can't trust anyone else to take care of them for him. My theory is, if you sacrifice some of your wants for the sake of your spouse, and he does the same for you .... then both of your needs will be met ..... but in a co-joined way. And that is where those feelings of love come in.

I've written a book ..... Oh well! Just a few thoughts on making a marriage work!

Love to you all!

What Happens at Grammie's ........

Kelly was shampooing their carpets Thursday morning - in anticipation of Ty starting to crawl - so I got to babysit the punkin! Tee hee! What fun we had! You know what they say ........ What Happens at Grammie's Stays at Grammie's! :)

Except of course ..... when it's posted on the web! ;)

I soooooooooo wish we could be this close to Craig and Jesse when their little bun pops out of the oven. They are just going to have to get a blog and a Facebook page so they can post lots and lots of pics for Grammie and Grandpa to see! What a wonderful time and place we live in, when we are just a mouse click ...... or a cellphone call ...... away from each other!

Riding!

Steve and I finally got to ride our steeds yesterday ..... and I tell ya ... it was like the race between the tortoise and the hare! And we were definitely the tortoise!

Hawkeye and I started out walking fast in the lead, but soon Steve and Cindy overtook us and got in front. Then Cindy shied and balked at a blacktop patch in the road, and my faithful little mule plodded right past her! She soon passed us and got ahead again .... but then she balked at the entrance to the waterway, and Hawkeye and I plodded right past her again. On the way home she shied again at something totally stupid, had to stop to pee once, and then had to stop to poop. And each time Hawkeye and I plodded right past her. We all ended up back at the barn at the same time! It was awesome! I soooo love my little mule. We had to go up and down a steep ditch a few times, and he never balked once. He just keeps plodding along! God has truly blessed me with him at this point in my life! And I hope I can have him for a long long time!

Babies!

Ty and I got to bond again last night! Brian and Kelly went to the Lee County tractor pull and asked me to watch him while they were gone. Darn! :) When they first left he kept looking around the room. Then his eyes focused on me .... and he beamed! It was awesome! We had a great time playing and snuggling. Today they brought him to the 4-H Fair so he got to attend his first cattle show....... tho I doubt it will be his last! :)

Jesse called me yesterday ..... she had a prenatal visit.... and they got to see the baby's heartbeat! The audio wasn't working on the machine ... so they didn't get to hear it. But! They got to see it! She said Craig couldn't believe how fast it was. I asked her how she has been feeling and she says she just feels like she has the flu. She has only gotten sick a couple of times, but she is always tired and has no appetite. I told her that that is God's way of reminding her she is pregnant! When she gets farther along, she can't help but know it. But in the early stages we sometimes need a reminder that something very powerful is going on inside us. At least that is how it was with me. But..... that was a long long time ago! :)

Father's Day 2009

Here are some pics from our picnic at Lowell Park. We had to dodge a few raindrops, but all in all it was a nice day!

Gone Fishing!

Brian has been fishing with his buddies in WI this week, so I have been checking in with Kelly and Ty each day to see what I can do to help them.

Yesterday Ty was awake while I was there. He is such a cutie!! He looks so much like Kelly's Dad now, but has Brian's droll expression. So it makes a cute combination! When he smiles or chuckles, it sometimes startles him. Like, what the heck was that.... and where did it come from? But then he will smile again and all is well. He is just starting to coo to me .... tho I imagine he does it more often to Brian and Kelly. He still hates his tummy time..... but he gets it anyway! Gotta strengthen those back and arm muscles if he ever wants to crawl or sit up!

Tomorrow is his 3 month birthday. In so many ways it seems like he should be older than that. He fits into our family so well that it seems like he has been with us always. He is a very natural addition to our lives!

PS .... a prayer request...... another dear, dear new mom is struggling with post partum depression. Please pray that she will find herself on an even keel physically and emotionally soon, so she can continue to be the awesome mother that she is! We don't always have control over how our bodies work. But I know she will use this experience to help other moms in the future. It takes someone who has been through it to undertand what it is all about. Love you, honey. And I am praying for you!

Here's Hawkeye!

Here's a couple of vids of Hawkeye's first day at our house. I thought I was taking still pics , but when I transferred them to the computer I discovered they are videos. So ... if you see some pretty grass in the middle of one of them .....that's why! :)

Hawkeye!

Those of you who are my facebook friends know I have been struggling with my Arabian mare this Spring. She tossed me off twice and now is gone.

Well....... after searching online and locally for a small quiet horse to take her place ...... and one that I could actually afford ..... I just tonight bought a mule! I know ..... laugh all you want ....but someday you are going to be jealous of my good fortune! :)

He is 15 yrs old. Small and refined. Black with white socks. And his name is Hawkeye. He is really thin. Was run ragged by the other mules he was with. But once we fatten him up a bit, I think he will be really pretty. And for the record ..... his head and ears are not as large as some mule's are. So that was a plus as well.

When I told Brian I was going to go look at a mule, he said "You're going to do what??? Why????" I assured him that if Steve and I ever ride together in public, that Steve will have to ride Hawkeye and I will get his horse! Tee hee! That seemed to passify Brian somewhat.

Anyway, this is the start of a new adventure. And if you are ever in our neighborhood, stop by and I'll let ya ride him. Then we'll see who is laughing at whom! :)

Craig and Jesse's first home!

Craig and Jesse are buying a house! Yeah! Their offer was accepted, the inspection is done, and the closing date is set for June 26. They only thing they are waiting for is for Craig's VA paperwork to be delivered. They looked at several different houses in the New Port News area, but this is the one they kept coming back to. And it was the only one that was at the top of both of their lists. So we praise God that they were able to get it!

Here is the website address for the house, if ya want to check it out.

http://www.homesandland.com/listingslideshow.cfm?listingid=12742760

Their move to VA was very good for both of them .... tho we miss them terribly! But .... we parent our kids so they can learn to fly ... and leave the nest .... and find the purpose God created them for. And both of our boys have done that! And we are incredibly humble that God allowed us the opportunity to help them along the way. Children are not our property. They are only loaned to us to nurture and direct until they find their own path in life. And sometimes the path is winding...and other times the path is straight ... but as long as they stay on course ... they will find their way in the end.

OK ... I'm rambling ......:)

Until later ......

In the beginning .... Sue created a blog!

Like many of you, I never dreamed I would ever be blogging. But with our families spreading out ..... and new members of our family being born ... I thought this would be a good place to post news and pictures in order for us to stay connected.

So bear with me as I learn how to use this blog. And Valerie, Emily, and Caroline, I may be contacting you periodically to see how to fix the mistakes I make on it! :)

So now ..... let me see if I can figure out how to post a pic..... If nothing shows up in this spot ... you'll know I failed! :)

But hopefully, you will see some pics that were taken at Ty's baptism on Sunday. OK....here's goes!