The "F" Word

I always try and give each of the kids little chores around the house. They aren't much but I feel like it gives them a little ownership in what is going on or "wrong" in the house. I think I realized I need to start it when Nate came to me one morning and announced, "Mom, my blinds are really dusty in my room, you need to clean them, they are disgusting." (He was 4) I figured if there was ever to be any hope of him finding a wife, I better teach him how to get off his duff and take care of it himself (even if he is only 4). So, anyway, back to my story! I asked Jake to please set the table before dinner tonight. He was excited to help as normal. He gave everyone a napkin and a spoon and that is where things got interesting. As I am getting food on the plates I hear Jake say, "Here's your frickin fork!" as he chucks the fork across the table at Nate. Wade and I both looked at each other in one of those "now what?" moments. So, I sternly say, "Jake we don't say that...ever...for any reason." When Nate says, "It isn't as bad as the "F" word is it?" To which Wade says, "It is pretty much the same thing, and we don't ever want to hear it again." Nate looks at us with huge eyes and says in a whisper, "You mean it is as bad as F-R-E-A-K?????" So needless to say, at our house, for the time being, the worst word in the world, the dreaded "F" word is.....F-R-E-A-K!

The rest of the dinner conversation went something like this....."the parrot fish eats up rocks and coral reefs and then, this is the funny part, he poops sand!!!! He, he, he!" "So, next time you play in the sand at the beach you are playing in Parrot Poop!!! He, he, he!" Hey dad, "Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!" Wade and I both looked at each other in amazement...did Jake just actually tell a joke that made sense? Then..."Dad, why did the chicken cross the rain forest? To get wet! He, he, he!" And.......he's back! Few, I wasn't quite ready to be out of the Jake total goofy, nonsense zone!

Love Letters

I have started reading a devotional every night before bed, just for a little me time, down time, deep thinking time. No snot, no dirty diapers etc. you get it. Anyway, the other night it really inspired me! It was talking about the lost art of writing love letters, like little gifts. The book is called Heart of my Heart and it is written by Kristin Armstrong. She wrote this to her son Luke...it says everything I want to say to my kids and with such grace. I am now planning on writing each of my children their very own "love letter" in the near future!


Luke,
I have loved you from the minute I laid eyes on you, understanding my legacy as it unfolded when I held you for the first time. I was awestruck by the honor of raising you, forever altered by the desire to be a better woman on your behalf. I want to be stronger so that I might protect you, smarter so that I might be wise enough to challenge and guide you, bolder so that I can fight mightily for you until you are bold enough to fight for yourself, wiser so that I might know how to better intercede for you in prayer, more faithful so that I can teach you in the way you should go, more humble so that I can admit when I fail you and recommit to trying harder and again.
I want so much for you, my dear. I pray for you to have a deep and abiding faith that sustains you long after I am gone. I pray for friends who are loyal, understanding, funny and godly- friendships that will challenge you and lift you beyond yourself, in the direction of God. I pray for a wife who loves you for who you are and who you are becoming, a woman whose faith has a depth and power that match or exceed yours. I pray for children for you to cherish, lucky little people to blossom and thrive in the love that pours from your huge heart. I pray for a career that blesses you, with passion, purpose, and provision for your family. I pray for you to glorify God with your talents, work hard, make a difference, and be free of financial slavery. I pray for you to have good health and take good care of the body God gave you. I pray for you to have a joyful spirit, one that sees humor and travels light. I pray for you to be strong in the grace that is in Christ, and to be a man of intent, a man of character, a man of integrity, a man of passion, a man of God. And to match all your strength, I pray for a heart that is soft in all the right places- compassionate, kind, forgiving, and vulnerable.
Know that my heart is for you, always, in this life and forever in the next. May our glorious God hear my prayers for you and bless you with every good and perfect gift from above. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Mom

I will never be able to match this love letter, but I will try my darnedest! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I Wish, I Wish Upon a........

Last night was just crazy! Wade and I both had meetings at 7pm, which happens to be clean-up dinner/ bath time. So, I planned ahead and made a stew in the crock pot. Dinner at 5pm, bath right after, jammies (Not Nate of course...he announces to everyone that he sleeps in his underwear and so he couldn't wear his jammies to the meeting) and a bag of tricks to keep them entertained at my meeting. Yes, all three at my meeting, while I take minutes. I head out the door in order to get to my meeting a few minutes early and get them situated. As we are walking to the car Nate says, "Mom....the big star!" He then busts into a song, "I wish, I wish upon a star...."you get the point. So we get into the car and head down the road. Jake starts saying from his seat, "I wish, I wish upon a star.....!" When Nate pipes up and starts in on...you can't wish on that one I already wished on that star, only one person can wish on a star at a time...la, la, la. So Jake starts again..."I wish, I wish upon a star...." Nate getting really annoyed says, "Jake there is only one star and I already wished on it" (It was dusk, really only one star so far). Jake gets really upset and points out the window..."NATE I am wishing on that star!" I stop the car to try and see the direction he is pointing. Well, Nate is starting to really catch on to things and is pretty witty. About the time I figured out what "star" Jake was pointing at. Nate busts into song again..." I wish, I wish upon a LAMP POST!" He, he, he!

Patience....I need it...now....really bad!

I guess the title of this post pretty much says it all! I am tired of harvest, tired of fall work, tired of feeling like I am trying to keep my head above water and tired of hunting camp (that hasn't even started yet:)! OK, no really, sometimes I just wish for a day when Elsie (new puppy) would not dig up my favorite plant, Cooper (old new puppy) wouldn't pee on something, Sammie (the mature dog in the group) wouldn't chew up a new pair of shoes, Nate wouldn't try to pick a fight with anything and everything breathing, Jake would not argue with the wall and Jo would not try and risk her life (for just five minutes). But in all honesty, what fun would life be if any one of these things didn't happen in the day. I have just been trying to tell myself to breathe....take it all in.....appreciate all of their strengths and accept my weaknesses! So, sorry everybody that had to read this, I am considering it cheap therapy.

The Sloth?

While sitting at dinner I notice that Nate has a scratch beside his eye, so as a concerned, caring mother, I ask, "Nate, what happened to your eye?" This is the answer I got:

Well mom, I was pretending to be a sloth while I was climbing the tree in the back yard. And not just any sloth mom, I was being the species with three toes, ya know, the Three Toed Sloth. Because there are lots of species of sloths, but only one with three toes.

Anyway, I was pretending to be a Three Toed Sloth and I had my eyes closed and was grunting hanging from the tree and I ran into a branch!

What do you say to that? Hum, I bet it has happened to a sloth!

All I can say is this, I can't imagine what families miss out on when they don't eat meals together. We have the most random, wonderful conversations. Oh, and by the way, Jake thinks it would be really cool to milk a cow when he is four:)

Unobstructed and Fantastic

(Perfect picture...even kind of looks like my kids and babysitter:)

I was thinking about what has been going on in our lives that I could blog as I went about my day. Picking up, cleaning, picking up, getting Jo off the kitchen table, grabbing the puppy as she races by my feet (who let the dog in AGAIN!), picking up, getting Jo off the kitchen table....getting the puppy's head unstuck from the soccer net (actually happened)....you get the point! So anyway, the idea popped into my head...babysitter. So I ask you...why?....why do they take every freedom when they are left alone with a babysitter. Wild and free are the two words that best describe them. When I look in my thesaurus a variety of synonyms pop out at me that best describe my children. Wild: untamed, feral, frenzied, mad, crazy, unruly and unobstructed. Free: independent,open,unregulated,immune,exempt,lax and fantastic. Why am I looking in a thesaurus you ask? Because I forget how to talk when I am with children 24 hours a day and my vocabulary is limited to NO and Good Job. Although I have been answering "Why?" every 30 seconds for the last week. And no, I am not to the "BECAUSE" response...yet. But, I do feel it coming!
Last night I had the privilege of volunteering at a fundraiser for a great couple. The key word being volunteer..meaning help, which I can not do with three children in tow. So I called one of my wonderful babysitters that I can totally count on and she was willing to help me out. She actually sounded excited which makes me wonder about her sanity.
When I got home Wade had already gotten home from work and took over kids duties. Then....I start to look around. Nothing serious, the babysitter does a wonderful job, don't get me wrong and the best part, they have FUN!
But....little things pop out, it appears we have used up a gallon of GAZILLION BUBBLES in less than 3 hours, made a giant...messy fort, made coffee in the bathroom (who doesn't do that?), taken a shower..together, instead of a bath (the ceiling had already dried). I just have to laugh! I can just hear them now, "Mom always lets us eat a bag of marshmallows for dessert!"
In a few years it will just be a wonderful memory...for now, I think I need to pay the babysitter more or she may never come back.

Busting thru the brush!

I was thinking today about when I was little and my sister and I would play outside all day long in the pasture. We would gently push down the grass and brush and make paths to little rooms and play house, it was a wonderful place and our imaginations ran wild!

I just have always been one to follow the crowd to an extent, but then wind off on a side road and meet back up down the path or put on the brakes when I didn't think something was a good idea, which happened a lot with my sister:) Lots of stories about that...they may be future blog topics.

It seems to me that Nate may end up being a lot like me. He has his own interests and follows them, but at the same time tries to not stray too much from the norm to be a geek or a weirdo. I was always a little on the geeky side and to be honest never fit in a certain crowd, which was kind of a good place to be and didn't work out so bad in the long run.

Now Jake on the other hand...where did this boy come from? He has been one of a kind from the get go. A little over 9 1/2lbs when he was born, colic for a year, opinionated as all get out. He is such a free spirit which I love, tells you how he is feeling, won't let it fester and is happy pretty darn near 99% of the time. He will be a great husband and father with such a kind heart.
Which brings me to the point of this blog. His desires change daily and he always shares them with me. I remember a year ago when he said that when he grows up he wants to marry me and live with me. Then after a little talk he said he was going to marry a girl he falls in love with after he goes to college and build a house next to mine.:) Then we moved on to farmer, rancher or farmer and rancher. Just this week he decided he wanted to be a McDonald's cooker (he loves McDonald's). And the latest.....you ask?

I was paying the bills today and I hear from the other room," Mom...I am being a HAIR CUTTER and Jo is sitting still!" You can imagine the pictures that flashed through my mind, no bangs, left side missing....right side missing and a bald spot on top...bald spot on top and no bangs...the possibilities are endless! So I flew into the kitchen (the longest second of my life) to find Jo sitting proudly in her big brothers booster chair, hands folded nicely in her lap and a big grin on her face. Jake...looks at me and drops the scissors and the beautiful brown lock. To my surprise (I will never tell him this) he didn't do too bad of job. No big holes, but enough hair on the ground to see that he had "thinned" it a little!

So the moral of this story.....Jake has yet to discover his "path" in life, but I am quite sure he will not get there by gently pushing down the grass, he is going to be busting through the brush at 100 miles an hour with a big grin on his face!

Spidey Strikes Again!

Spidey went for a ride on his yellow and red racing motorcycle today! Jake said he was "ripping up the field" (aka the red rug in front of the door).

Opposites Attract

It seems our new puppy and I have quite a bit in common! She likes gardening and T-Ball:)

Back to the Basics

Every once in a while I read a quote or saying that really stops me in my tracks and makes me think. Today...was one of those days!

"If a child is given love, he becomes loving...If he's helped when he needs help, he becomes helpful. And if he has been truly valued at home...he grows up secure enough to look beyond himself to the welfare of others." -Dr. Joyce Brothers

This really made me think. The things I see the kids doing that I dislike...I do. How can I expect them to do otherwise?

A Dingo!

"Mom....stop the car.....I just saw a dingo! In a yard!" My response, "Nate, we are late to swimming lessons, we can't stop, oh and aren't dingos those wild dogs that live in Africa or something?" The minute it came out of my mouth I was correcting myself in my head...not Africa Ange, duh, it is Australia. Then from the backseat, "Mom..not AFRICA, it's Australia. Oh, and did you know that you could domesticate a dingo? Did you know that mom? And the kids in Australia pick up sticks and boards to make themselves look bigger if they see a dingo. Ya see, Dingos don't eat anything that is bigger than they are and the board will make the kid look bigger." I didn't say it, but I was thinking... and he wanted me to stop so he could get out and see the dingo. I would guess that he was counting on it being a "domesticated" dingo!:)

Strap up and Hang on!

Hang on Spidey! Jake's favorite thing to do lately...strap poor old Scuba Spidey on really good (at least three rubberbands required) and let er' rip. Poor guy did some tractor work today he even took a few rides down the slide! It makes me smile to hear him out in the yard making his motor sounds...which are endless.

Girl in the Box

So...Jake just came into the house from the garden with mud and grass all over his shoes. When (type A mom) I say, "Jake freeze, you have mud!" He proceeds to "freeze" and then decides to take care of that mud and grass and wipe his feet right where he stands! Fixed! What was I worried about..right? Anyway, he comes in toting a bag full of all his abundant harvest from the garden. I really love that they enjoy being in the garden however..the bags of 2" long zucchini and 1" long green beans combined with a few beautiful raspberries (with pees stuffed in the middle, I've heard they are better that way!) doesn't go very far for a family of five. I would really be happy with maybe a 8" long zucchini or 4" green bean, I'm just saying. It is so hard to WAIT for it to grow! So back to my story... He pulls out his bag and hands over the 3" long summer squash with a big smile and says, "Mom, I got you a squash. But, I think it is just enough for maybe you and dad, maybe Nate. I know it's not big enough for me to have any! But, that's OK, I know you like it a lot." And, that is when it hits me, looking at his little smile that has turned into a half-smirk. He is intentionally picking them just big enough that there is "just not enough" for him. So thoughtful of him to give up his share, Little twirp! So then he says, "What you doing?" I say,"Making jam and listening to music on my I-pod." Jake says with much contemplation, while looking at the I-pod speaker, " Mom...how did you fit the girl in the little box and make her sing?" Sometimes, I just don't know how to answer his questions! What do you say to that? "I don't know honey, but maybe she is hungry. Why don't you feed her one of those 1" green beans!:)

Promise to Myself

So....here I am finally starting a blog. This all started when day after day after day I was hard on myself for not taking time to write down all the silly and delightful things my children say. I have bought two different journals and put them next to my bed with my favorite pen...but nothing. With three small children I fall asleep before I hit the bed. I want to be able to look back on these hectic, crazy days and remember all the sweet little things they say. I hope to find peace in my mind by knowing I am doing my best as a mother and wife and at the same time leave a little trail to look back at when all too soon they are grown into wonderful young adults and off on their own. Which is a touchy subject with me, because, I feel like it is just around the corner. I look at kids in our small community that were four when my husband and I got married and now they are about to graduate...in the blink of an eye! So, as a write, Nate is out playing with his favorite dog "Sammie", Jake is on his favorite swing going back and forth, back and forth (I practically have to pry him from it at night) and Jo, well she is swimming in the dog water bowl, her favorite place in the world. And me...I am feeling the need to go join in the fun!