Birthday Boys

So much has been happening lately that I have really neglected my blog. Here it is the middle of May, school is almost out for the summer, and I am really not prepared, mentally or physically. I wanted to post a few pictures of our March and April birthday boys before their next birthday rolls around.

Jordan's Birthday at the park.

We had donuts instead of cake.

Ten squiggley candles.

It was cold that day, so Jordan was not too excited about the snorkel.
He will be happy he has it on our first lake trip though......if it's not lost.

Everyone enjoying the donuts.

We went to Silver Dollar City the day after Jordan's birthday also.
The first thing we did was take the cave tour. The kids absolutely
loved it; especially Hunter. Here are some pictures of us inside the
cave.

Here are some pictures of Hunter's birthday. Hunter made sure EVERYONE he saw that day knew that it was his birthday. Kieth and I asked him where he wanted to eat for lunch and he very enthusiastically shouted Chili's. Not only did he want to eat there, he also wanted a steak. The kids menu does not have steak so we had to order a man size plate for him. He is an awesome eater and he ate nearly every bite. The waiter said he could have a free sundae, but when the meal was over, he brought out a huge molten lava cake instead. Hunter's cuteness is hard to resist. Here he is enjoying his meal. I will let the pictures do the talking.

When the boys got home from school, we had a little celebration. Hunter loved his Cars cake, but yet again, I could not find the candles, so we used tealites. Hunter wanted a pet bird so bad that he cried about it for days. I do not like inside birds. I think they are nasty at times. So Lesli told me they had a new line of FUR REAL pets at Wal-mart. I happened to find a baby parakeet that needs fed with a bottle and chirps and moves. Holy Cow! What a life-saver. Hunter also got a new bike, but I guess I didn't take a picture. He is holding his plate up for it. Hunter still wants it to be his birthday. He had more like a birth-month instead of just a day. Actually, I think we may still be celebrating his birthday in the middle of May. He just won't let it go.

So that's the first two birthdays of the year. The next two come in July and August. I just don't know how the boys keep getting older and older and I look younger and younger.......yeah right.
Until next time.

April boys show they care; with gentle souls they are rare.

Today is Hunter's 4th birthday and even though he has only been part of our family for four short years, we have a hard time remembering what life was like before him. Kieth and I were pretty much finished having children after we had Dakota, Riley, and Jordan. We were blessed with three wonderful boys and we felt like that was enough. In 2004 we decided to build a house, which kept us very busy for over a year. The boys were also growing older and somewhere along the way my longing for another baby began to emerge. Actually, my aching desire for a daughter resurfaced. I told Kieth that I wanted to have another baby because I was sure it would be a girl. How could it not be? We already had three boys. He thought it would be a good idea, but we were both anxious because it was like we were starting all over. We finally had all of our kids potty trained, off of bottles, out of our bed, in school......and life was good. What were we thinking?

When I had my ultrasound, I could not believe the lady said it was a boy. I asked if she was sure, and......she was sure. I must admit, at first, I was sad. I knew that as I approached 30 years old that this would indeed be our last baby. I longed for a daughter of my own so deeply. I wanted to have a mini-me that I could dress up and go on mommy-daughter dates with. I wanted to paint her nails and brush her hair. I wanted to talk about boys with her and one day plan her wedding. I wanted to be the "mother of the bride" and be in the hospital room when she had my grand baby. And I wanted her to call me her best friend when she got older. But as sad as I was that I would never have a daughter, I was equally as happy about having another son. Boys love their mommy's so much. How could I be sad when Heavenly Father was giving me his precious child to nuture and love as my own. So, even though I may always wonder what my daughter would have looked like, I have faith that I have been given what I need.

We were almost finished building our house when Hunter arrived on April 20, 2005. We were partly moved in, but we had no running water yet. I told Kieth I wasn't coming home from the hospital until he had all the plumbing finished. So Kieth and dad worked 24/7 for 3 days to complete the task. Jordan had just turned 6, Riley was almost 9 and Dakota was almost 11 when Hunter was born, so needless to say, he received copious amounts of attention. Someone always wanted to hold him, and change his diaper, and feed him, and play with him. Life was all about Hunter, ( and still is), which I now attribute to his spoiled ways.

So here we are 4 years later. Hunter has been one of the highlights of our life. I love seeing his older brothers take care of him. They are, for the most part, gentle and kind to him. Sometimes they get annoyed or angry with him, but Hunter has a way of getting back in everyones good graces with his endless kisses and I love you's. He is an extremely affectionate child and you never hunger for attention in his presence. He readily and happily offers love to everyone in our family. Hunter has a strong sense of purpose and I believe he knows exactly where he came from. One day last year when Hunter had just turned three he told me a story that I will never forget.

I was ironing clothes one Sunday morning for church and Hunter approached me. He said, "mommy, when I was a baby I lived in the water". Since we had been going to the lake quite often, I thought he was talking about his newly acquired swimming abilities. So I just dismissed his statement as if he were recalling a recent lake outing. But then I got a strong feeling inside that Hunter was not talking about the lake. He was telling me something more important. So I turned to him and said, "what did you do in the water, Hunter, swim"? And he said, "no, I was waiting to come". And then I said "waiting to come where, Hunter"? He then looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, "I was waiting to come Home". I can not help but believe that Hunter was revealing to me a small part of his pre-existence. We almost did not have him. We were done. But this precious child of God waited for his earthly mother and father to get ready, and finally, he got to come to earth after a long wait. I love this child so much. And I am so thankful that he waited to become part of our family. Happy Birthday Hunter.

March boys are filled with courage, strong and wise they don't discourage.

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago today, Jordan joined our family. Where did the time go? My pregnancy with Jordan was somewhat uneventful. I had all the normal check-ups and ultrasounds and my two previous pregnancies prepared me for most of the ups and downs. This was the first time that we actually found out the sex of the baby. When the doctor said it would be another boy, I was upset at first (I can't lie). After all, I already had two boys and I desperately wanted a daughter, and this was going to be our last baby (Or was it?). I eventually came to understand that I had been given what I was supposed to have. Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, I would embrace.

I gained around 40 pounds with Jordan and because I was bigger than a houseboat, I was scheduled to be induced on the 25th of March at 7:00 a.m. I was happy about the possibility of induction because even though I had given birth before, I always second guessed myself about if I was really in labor or not. This way, there would be no second guessing. What I did not count on was the fact that babies come when they are ready, not when you are.

I remember March 24, 1999, like it was yesterday. I got up that morning and felt really energetic, like I could conquer the world, or at least conquer the mounds of laundry that patiently awaited me. Kieth worked 12 hour night shifts at that time, so as me, Dakota (4) and Riley (2) would get out of bed, Kieth would retreat to bed for the day. I ran errands and got caught up on things I needed to do. I also hands and knees mopped my entire kitchen and dining room floor which was a day's work in itself. That was in the days before swiffer made it easy.

Kieth had taken off work that night because we would be going to the hospital the next morning. It was getting late in the evening and I was a little anxious about having the baby. I decided to go to bed around 10:00 and as I layed down I remember thinking that the baby was being extremely active. It felt like he was doing flip-flops and having a party. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement. All of a sudden Jordan kicked me really hard and I felt a pop in my stomach. It seemed like I heard it too, but I couldn't be sure. I thought to myself that it was really weird and a little concerning. Especially since Jordan immediately stopped moving.

I forgot to mention that I had a really bad cold at the time and I would have periodic coughing fits. Well, I started coughing and then I thought I was peeing on myself. I was thinking give me a break, I'm not that old! But, it turns out that Jordan's kick broke my water. I hollered to Kieth in the living room and told him that I thought my water just broke. He said there was no way and that he was pretty sure I was just peeing (Who gave him a PHd.) I got up and walked into the kitchen (on my newly cleaned floors) and water started gushing everywhere. I was more upset about the water on my floor than the fact that I was in labor. That's when Kieth got worried and called my mom. She arrived with babysitters in tow and we headed off to the hospital around midnight.

Jordan arrived with a full head of coal black hair at 5:19 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs.11.4 oz. and was 20 inches long. Kieth wanted to name him Jordan Michael but I vetoed that and named him Jordan Clay after my older brother Clay. Jordan was such a good baby. He never cried and mostly slept. Life was an adventure with a 4 yr old, a 2 yr old and a brand new baby to say the least. Here are some pictures of Jordan through the years.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Which came first; the chicken or the egg? Well, in our household, it was the chicks. And hopefully in about 5 months we will be enjoying lots of farm fresh eggs. At least, that's the plan. It took us, well me, quite a while to decide to actually get chickens. Every since Lesli got chickens a year or so ago, Hunter has been relentlessly begging and pleading to get some as well. You would think that since I was raised on a farm, riding a pet Brahma bull for fun, that it would be a quick and easy decision to raise chickens. Well, it was not, and I have had to work through some insane phobias the last few weeks in order to come to this decision.

I wouldn't trade the way I was raised for any thing in the world, however, farm life is just not my idea of a good time. I'm pretty sure that I'm a city girl living in a farm girls world. It's just too much work (I don't know how my sister does it), and besides that, I don't really like animals, well except for my dog and cats and the ones at the zoo and on the Discovery channel. I also really hate dirt and mud and well, don't even get me started on poop! Also, I am a self-proclaimed germaphobe. I can't even stand the thought of someone walking through my house with shoes on. I think of all the things they may have stepped on throughout the day that are now deeply embedded into my carpet. I have been known to pull out the industrial sized steam vac and clean carpets in the middle of the night.

And then there is the issue of my food aversions. Simply put, I am really picky about my food. I could almost be a vegetarian if it weren't for bacon and the occasional grilled burger. And, did I mention that I hate eggs. I can't stand anything about them. I think they stink, cooked or raw, and I would never eat one, not even to save my life....maybe my kids life, but not my own. And, as if all these irrationalities were not enough, my biggest phobia of all about farm life and chickens originates from the chicken killing rituals of my childhood. I'll never forget the times my family spent the day killing, boiling, plucking, and gutting harmless chickens (some of them were my friends) just so we would have food to eat. Imagine that.

I'll never forget it, how could I, the sight of chickens running around without a head(yes, it's true, they really do that) is etched into my crystal clear memory and the smell of boiling chicken flesh and feathers is burned into my nostrils to this day. But this story has a happy ending. I set aside all my phobias and for the love of my little Hunter, we now have chickens. I have to admit, they are pretty cute. We had to put them in the dining room until they get bigger (breathe in, breathe out), and for the most part, they have been pretty easy. I look forward to this new adventure (kind of like the way I look forward to getting a root canal). I'll keep you posted. Until next time.

Boy Meets Girl

Boy meets girl. Girl plays hard to get. Boy doesn't give up. Girl falls in love. The end. That would be the short version of how Kieth and I met, but the long version is much more unique and interesting. So in celebration of Valentines day, I thought I would blog about how we met.

In the summer of 1992 I got a job at Dairy Queen along with a few of my best girlfriends. I was seventeen, self-absorbed, preoccupied, and thought the world revolved around me. It did, didn't it? Throughout my teen years I never had a serious relationship with anyone and aside from many crushes and a couple cases of severe puppy love, I had never met anyone that had that "he's the one" quality. That is, until a certain Navy sailor came b-bopping into my life one day in a shiny red pick-up truck. Well, there's more to it than that, so let's back up a little.

One of my co-workers at Dairy Queen was a guy named John. John had a twin brother named Joe who was in the Navy stationed in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe would come up to Mountain Home and visit his brother on his days off. On one of his visits Joe asked me to go out with him to a concert. I originally said that I would go, but when the time came, I backed out and stood Joe up. Concerts weren't really my thing and neither was Joe. Apparently Joe was pretty hurt by this so he went back to Memphis and told one of his friends all about this girl in Mountain Home that broke his heart. Joe and his friend devised a plan that went something like this. The friend would come to Mountain Home with Joe and meet this girl. Then the friend would get the girl to like him and then dump her, thus getting revenge for the scorned friend.

A week or so later {late October 1992} I was working one night at Dairy Queen when I saw Joe pull into the parking lot. I noticed he had someone with him, but I was not interested enough to find out who it was. Joe introduced me to his friend but I did not remember his name. After they left, my friend told me the guys name was Kieth. {I talked to Kieth about his version of this first meeting and he verified the fact that I blew him off and he was not happy about it.} A few weeks later Joe and Kieth came up to Mountain Home again to try to get my attention, but I was even more disinterested than before. I was actually pretty mean. I did not like Kieth, but it seems that he felt something for me. {Plan backfired} He would write letters all the time and send them to me. He was falling hard and I did not even give him the time of day. Kieth sent me a final letter and told me that he was never coming back to Mountain Home again......that is.....unless I wanted him to. I didn't really know him that well, but the thought of never seeing him again made me anxious and sad and more anxious, so I told him to come up one more time and I would go out with him to see if there was anything there. This is when Kieth decided to really step up his game. Up until this point, he had always come with Joe in his car to visit. But he told Joe that this time he would bring his red truck to visit me because it was a proven chick-magnet. {Whatever}

Throughout this whole time frame {about 6 weeks} I had been semi-dating another guy. I went to a couple parties with him and rode around town a lot and also took him to a church activity.
I was not exactly sure when Kieth would be coming to visit me, but I knew it would be soon. So here's how the night in question went down. I was working at Dairy Queen and the guy I was semi-dating drove by and asked me to go out with him after work. I told him sure and to wait in the parking lot after I got off work. Then, during the course of the night a perfume salesman that I had met before came by and asked me if I would ride around town with him after work. I am not sure why I said yes, but I did. Then, if you can believe it, that was the night that Kieth decided to roll into town! I did not know he was coming that night, so when he showed up, I was floored. Now my shift was over and I had three guys waiting for me in the parking lot. I was so nervous and confused and mad that I had gotten myself into this situation and I did not know what to do. I pleaded with my girlfriend to tell me what she would do, and utilizing her interestingly innocent seventeen year old wisdom, she advised me to choose the one with the nicest truck!

So my girlfriend went out and told Kieth to drive around the back and pick me up. I could not face the other guys and to this day, I do not know what happened when the DQ lights went off and I was no where to be found. I choose to believe that they are happily married and do not even remember that girl who stood them up over 17 years ago.

Kieth and I drove around town and got to know a lot about each other. I found out he was 26. I was only 17. I also found out that he had just gotten divorced after being married for 4 years. I was just a senior in high school. He was a war veteran and a Navy sailor. I was a blizzard and dilly bar maker. He had traveled the world. I had a map of the world. He was stationed in Memphis and I lived in Mountain Home. However, even with the multiplying obstacles and differences, there was just something about this guy that intrigued me......and I was falling.................

So that's it. That's how we met. Kieth and I have been talking lately about how we met and I asked him what his feelings were when he first saw me. I won't tell you what he said about that, but he did say that he loved me even before I knew that he loved me. He completely melts my heart and I know without a doubt that we are soul mates that were lucky enough to find each other. Three cheers to a Happy Valentine's Day and to finding the one that melts your heart......Until next time.

Time Flies

Holy Cow!!! Where did the time go? I would first like to apologize to anyone out there who may follow my blog on a regular basis. I have really dropped the ball on posting often. I don't have time today to fill you in on everything that has been going on in my life these past few weeks. I just wanted to change my Christmasy background to something more Valentiney. (Okay, I'm making up words now) And I also updated my playlist. I had fun doing it. It is a compiliation of most of the songs Kieth and I listened to when we were dating. Listening to them brings back awesome memories of a great time in my life. I wanted to write a little about that this month since it is the month of LOVE, but I will do it another day. Anyway, my family is just now getting things back in semi-order after a huge ice storm and I have laundry piled high, so I will leave you with a hello, new background, and different songs to listen to. Until next time......

Reflections and Resolutions

Looking back, 2008 was a phenomenal year. We celebrated 15 years of marriage as well as Kieth finishing his Bachelor's Degree. He graduated in August after two long and difficult years of college. Kieth's diploma was definitely a family accomplishment. We sacrificed many things during the time Kieth was in school, but the biggest sacrifice was family time. The courses were so intense that he and I would spend hours and hours in the office studying, writing papers, and doing homework. I helped him a lot with his work because I love him and he needed it. And besides, helping Kieth with his work made me realize two things, #1 I'm smarter than I thought I was and #2 I love to learn. I should have taken better advantage of learning in high school, but unfortunately I was preoccupied with other things. One day I may go back to school, but for now, I am satisfied helping the boys with learning the ABC's, 3rd grade spelling, 6th grade science, and 8th grade Algebra.

Looking forward, 2009 holds promise. In the past, I have never really made and kept resolutions. Well, I've made plenty of them, it's just the keeping part I seem to have a little trouble with. So this year I decided not to sabotage myself with a lengthy list of resolutions that I know in six weeks will be long forgotten. No, this year I am giving myself a break. Instead of making a list of resolutions, I am just focusing on a few areas of my life that need a little strengthening. I am working on putting things into perspective better. I think it's called "not sweating the small stuff". I tend to let small things just rock my world, when in reality they are completely insignificant. I am also practicing greater patience with Kieth and the boys. Things do not always have to be done my way or in my time frame, so I'll let a few things go. And last, but not least, I will try to show more kindness to my family. More often than not, we are nicer to, and more accepting of strangers than we are our own family. I may even let Kieth be "right" a time or two this year. ( I said MAY). Until next time.......