I Know You're All Wondering...

What is happinging in this photo.

A little brother/sister bonding time...

Can you tell this is a house filled with girls?

The one boy is in desperate need of his big brother-n-law to come and get rough and tough with him.

Daddy and Grandpa can only do so much!

January can't come soon enough...



What Kind of Day Am I Having...

Great!

Wonderful!

Full of hugs and kisses.

Thanks for asking....

I may have posted these photos before...

I honestly don't know and I am so tired this morning that I am not going to go look...

Some pretty severe storms came through last night and Momma was up making sure all was safe.

This morning, things are beautiful.

Although I did find visiting Raider in the basement and a broken window where he had managed to get in... again.

He just wasn't meant to be an outside dog.

We spoiled him.

He needs Uncle to come back from his trip and take him back to his warm house in Arkansas.

So...

now that I have rambled a bit...

Enjoy the pictures and have a great day.

Personality...

I sat down this morning to do some editing of photos from the past couple of days.

I was planning on doing a whole post on the excitement that took place when we received a box from Galen and Cadi...

but I couldn't resist posting this picture!

This is a perfect example of crazy attitudes in this house.

Take special notice of the little one on the left...

Do you notice anything... strange about her face?

Click on the picture to get a close up...

She thinks this is hilarious!!

It is definitely a true representation of her personality...

Crazy Face!!

Ups and Downs...

We are in the process of building on a new front deck.  There was a teeny tiny little cement step (two steps really) that you couldn't even stand on while opening the door...

Hmmmmm.

Weird.

Anyway, we finally got tired of knocking people off the step and started building a deck.  Eventually the deck will wrap around the house, but for now it will just be a large section of the front.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because this means that there are planers and saws and drills and such taking up space all over the front of the house.

Really ugly?

Yes.

Necessary?

For now, yes.

This has brought a few new ideas to the kids, however.

Kids imaginations are always at work.

They managed to convince Grandpa to let them "use" a sawhorse.

They "borrowed" a long board.

Now, they are trying to figure out how to make this a permanent feature...

And...

When Daddy has time to make this new project a little safer...

Permanent it will be!

By the way...

I'm sorry for all of the whining and complaining lately.

A lot of emotions and feelings have been brought up with this move.

And...

I am a "stewer"...

It takes me a little time to work through some of this stuff...

I am getting there, though.

I think I have more good days than bad...

I think...

For those of you who are praying for me right now...

Thank you and I feel it!

Really.

You are appreciated.

Someone sent me a facebook message yesterday that just made me feel loved and thought of...

and, well...

not crazy!

lol

Everyone needs to know that they matter, I guess.

This process has really made me do a lot of thinking about how many times I may feel like someone is hurting, but I move on and don't take the time to just love on them.

I am not someone who gets down often...

Thank God!

I will say, that the next time I feel like someone is feeling extra lonely and just needs a listening friend...

I will be so much more understanding!

Now, let's get over my ups and downs and prepare for the onslaught of seesaw photos...

I have a ton of them people...

A ton!

All Things...

I Would love to say this is a Wordless Wednesday photo...

I just don't seem to have anything to say.

All I seem to feel these days is anger...

At what?

Who knows.

Everything.

Anything.

All things...

So, since I don't want to drag anyone down with me...

I will just leave you with a photo

of a couple of amazing little people

on a beautiful Fall afternoon.

Scenes From This Big Boys Day...

Brysen turned 5 yesterday...

People!

He IS 5!!!!!

Oh My!

The end of the baby years has come and gone.

He is a big boy now.

Awwwww....

For those of you who couldn't be with him yesterday...

here are a few scenes from his day.

And...

You were GREATLY missed.

The doctor pepper in a football bottle was one of the two things he asked for.

He opened it right before bed, but mean old mom made him put it away.

This morning... right after breakfast... it is out and being sampled again and again and again...

If it were in any other bottle he wouldn't care.

LOL...

 Talking to Bampa and Grandma...

He hasn't put this thing down since he opened it!

Seriously...

 I had the normal plan of catching the perfect shot of him blowing out the candles...

but he blew the darn things out before the cake was even on the table!

He just couldn't wait.

What a great day...

What a great boy!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday...

Today is Brysen's 5th Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful boy!!

I can't believe so much time has passed already...

This will be a very busy day with cake baking... and eating.

There will be presents to open and games to play.

So...

I will leave you with some beautiful photos of our evenings so that you won't feel to depressed when I tell you that the cake was wonderful...

He wants chocolate.

Now, off to bake.

Birthday photos will come soon...

I Know. I Will.....

I don't feel like I've had much to say lately.

It's all been fluff...

filler...

meaningless.

I'm struggling to find my place.

My voice.

I have so many thoughts running through my head.

I can't seem to make them reach my mouth.

I know what I'm supposed to say.

I know what is expected of me.

I know.

I know.

I know...

SCREAM!!!!!!

I know...

I just can't seem to find the feelings that go along with that knowledge.

I'm in a dead zone.

The one thing that I know is that I love my family.

They are what gets me through another day.

I miss my older peeps.

I miss them so much.

But...

That is the way life goes.

My little ones have really drawn closer.

They spend a lot of time. reading and doing puzzles.

Watching them makes me smile.

Smiles are good!

Don't worry.

Really.

Stop it!

I will get through this...

whatever "this" is...

Lonely sounds wrong and empty and stupid.

I WILL get through this.

I will.

I will.

I WILL........

Man...

My dad said something very important the other day...

"A little boy has so much to learn to become a man."

I've been thinking about that statement ever since.

It is so true.

It is so beyond the scope of what I can understand alone.

It is what so many people miss in this day and age.

We are not all the same.

We can't step into the shoes of something we are not.

I am not a man.

I will never be a man.

I can't begin to understand all of the things that make men... men.

Thankfully...

Brysen has a dad, two grandfathers and a brother-in-law to help guide him along this journey.

The road ahead is long and... I'm sure... full of bumps and pot holes.

With the help of those good men I mentioned above...

He should travel that road just fine!

Thank goodness I don't have to figure it out all on my own....

Dream...

Pulled from a field...

unused...

unwanted...

A child's dream.

The tire swing.

Mutual...

We have 4 new additions to the family.

Two cats...

Rosie and Cinderella...

named by the little girls.

David and Goliath...

named by Miranda.

David is the teeny tiny one laying down.

Yesterday, he seemed very sick and we think he has worms,

so please pray as we see if the medicine will do its trick.

The poor little guy is very weak.

Certain family members are enthralled.

In love.

Infatuated.

The feeling is mutual, I think...

Amazing...

It's a cool day today...

Mark and I have headed into the big city to visit with one of our older daughters.

So, I will just have to leave you with a photo of the most amazing young man in the world!

A Little Longer...

Our son loves football.

Especially now that he actually goes and sits in the stands. 

He loves to scream, "Go Blue!" 

He loves to hear the sound of bodies crushing other bodies. 

He loves the screaming fans.

He loves the noises, smells...

He loves to buy an occasional funnel cake...

... just saying...

When we are at home, he is in constant motion.

Ball in hand, toss, throw, jump, fly, hit, run...

You get the point.

Mama has a hard time keeping up with him.

Nearly every day, he will grab that football and say, "Let's play!"

So I do.

I just can't maintain the same energy level that he can.

I wear out.

Then he says, "Galen likes football."

... and I sigh...

and play a little longer.

Learning...

It is chilly today.

Fall may have officially arrived in our part of the country.

The other day, however, the sun was still blazing and the kids were out and about.

Pay no attention to Aubrey's hair.

This was crazy day at school...

and she knows how to do it right!

I guess every animal on the farm came for a visit...

or that is what it felt like everytime I was called outside to see their newest find.

I did NOT take a photo of the snake that I "nicely" told them to get away from me...

I'm sure you can understand.

This little boy thought I was honestly going to let this turtle sleep in his bed!

No Way on EARTH!

He carried that poor thing around forever!

I finally had to make him put it down..

and then he wouldn't leave it alone.

I sent him off to do another task and that poor turtle moved faster than any turtle has moved in the history of the universe.  He knew he had his chance and he took it!

Raising country kids is hard...

when you have always been much more of a city girl than you realized.

I am learning, though.

Engraved...

The other day, the kids were cleaning up cookie crumbs and for some reason I thought that would make a great photo...

Yeah, still not sure about that...

Anyway, when I was looking at the photos, it got me to thinking...

No matter where I am...

No matter what I'm up to...

No matter what I'm thinking...

No matter how alone I feel...

God is with me always.

He never lets me go.

He never abandons me.

 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 49:16

I think I was supposed to take those photos...

to remind me that He loves me...

even when I feel unlovable.

Brysen...

This boy is always on the go.

He has been helping to haul wood.

Infact, that is how he got poison ivy...

During the moments when he has to backaway, he keeps busy with whatever is on hand.

The hoola hoop seems to always be close by.

He always wants to play football and Mama seems to be the only one he can get to play with him...

Galen, I have wished for your expertise many times while I stood out in the yard being tackled or chased.

I am sure that I am scaring him for life with my "girly" way of playing.

I'm sure he will survive but he may need some type of survivors class...

However, He is a hoola hoop master...

He would tell you he is a Jedi Master...