Father's Day. A Few Days Early...

I am a Mama tired...
And this is weather wretched...
And my boys are crazy cooped up...
And I am so. very. tired. of. this. rain.....  It kind of bums me out....

My sweet little patch of rhubarb.

So, yesterday the boys and I decided to do something about it.
Rather than sit and wallow in our tiredness...and crankyness...and irritation at the weather...& each other..
We decided to get out of the way of ourselves...

Cooking....with poison ivy hands.  Mmmm-mmm.

And we decided to get our party on and surprise Daddy with an early Father's Day present.

We're finding that people are more likely wanting us to show our house on the weekends, so that means we have to make ourselves scarce during that time...so who knows if we'll even be home on Sunday...

(I will share more of our story in a later blogpost.  We are not going far...)

So, last night was Father's Day in our home.
And it was nice.

See that fishy on the counter?  He died yesterday.  Praise Jesus.

London cooperated by having a lovely morning nap so that the boys and I could make Daddy a pie.  We made a rhubarb banana pie with spelt crust.  Sounds weird...but it tasted lovely, and it was super healthy as far as pies go...

The boys made cards...

Above:  Kaden's card...they always involve fishing.
Below:  Jesse's banner....and portrait of Daddy.  Scary...

And I interviewed each of them with questions about Kevy.
Courtesy of Pinterest....thankyouverymuch...

 Above:  Jesse's interview.
My favorite answers:
Daddy knows a lot about:  "That we're stinky."
Daddy likes to wear:  "Underpants."
My favorite thing about Daddy:  "That he loves me."

Above:  Ransom's interview.
My favorite answers:
What color is his hair:  "Green.  No...black."
What does he like to wear:  "Dresses."  Whaaaaa?
He always tells me:  "Don't scream and don't spit."  True. Dat.
My Daddy is happy when:  "I don't know.  Maybe when he eats corn."

Above:  Kaden's interview.
My favorite answers:
How old is Daddy:  "I think he's in his 40's."
My favorite thing about Daddy:  "That he's nice to me."
He always tells me:  "To reel faster."  (My boy tends to get his line caught on bottom.  A lot).

And then!
My crowning achievement of the day...
I made one of Kev's most favorite meals:  chicken gyros with homemade taziki sauce and homemade naan.
Deee-lish.

It's a teensy bit labor intensive, but sooo worth the effort.  The only thing that I would do differently next time, is I would do a double batch of everything:  chicken, sauce, and bread.  I am very much a fan of leftovers and I fully believe that time is money....so if one is going to take the time to make one batch of something...why not make two...or even three in my book.

Lessons learned, baby.
That won't happen again.
There was enough for Kev to take in his lunch today, but that. was. it.

Go on over to my friend's blog to get the full lowdown on how to make everything.
Thank you, dear friend!  My entire family rises up and calls you blessed!
You rock.  Very much indeed.

One to eat and one to share.

So, it was a lovely evening.
A yummy supper.  A delish dessert.  Sweet little cards read.
And then an early bedtime for all of us..

Fabulous.
Happy Early Father's Day, my Love.
We all love you so....

And how does this man make me feel loved?  Well...Methinks he could sense my growing angst with the weather...and with my Hoolies running wild...and getting under each other's (and my) skin......or maybe it was just that I came right out and told him that my skin is starting to crawl just a smidge.  Either way - that man just sent me a text saying he's asked Grammy and Grampy if the boys can spend the night some night this week and spend ALL day the next day with them as well whilst I go and search for my sanity...AND he's bringing home a pizza for a stay at home date night tonight.

Goodness gracious me...that man is Hot.

How we Do It...

This past week-end, the two largest Hoolies and Kev went on their annual "All Boys, No Girls Allowed" Fishing trip with some friends where they were fish slayin' maniacs and where they could run wild in all their glory.  Before they left, Jesse talked to me on the phone and said:  "I miss you, Mama.  I really wish you could come...but you know the rules.  No girls..."

To which I replied:  "No worries, Love.  You go and have yourself a blast during this week-end of predicted torrential rain."  And they really did.  I however, was quite thrilled with the fact that I am indeed... a girl.

So, me and the two littlest Littles kicked ourselves up to the County for London's debut of a rollicking redneck good time.  I shall now give you a documentary - in mostly pictorial fashion - of how we do "fun" when we kick ourselves up North:

Well, first of all, and of utmost importance....

All of my babies have to be initiated into the the four-wheeling nap time ride of wonder.  Back when Jesse was an infant, this was the ONLY thing that would get him to stop his screaming.  Every single one of my babies has been lulled to sleep on one of these things.  It's a Booker tradition.

This is not how she rode, by the way.  I either wear my babies in snuglies right up close to my body, or I hold them in my arms while on back of the wagon.  And all of my babies have also fallen asleep to the tune of my Mama saying:  "I sure hope they don't get brain damage on this thing.  ROYCE!!!!  Slow down!!  We've got a baby on back of here....."

It's how we do it.
And I love it.
It's one of my very most favorite things in the whole. wide. world.

London was just having a little snooze there while we were getting some sustenance:

Another thing that we do is we always stop along the trail somewhere for a redneck snack of glory.  And this snack always and most certainly involves:  grapes, sharp cheese, crackers, and sardines.

Kevy-Poo is not a fan of this redneck snack, and my Dad teases him something awful.  Kev will eat just about anything in the whole wide world - but smoked sardines and oysters are not his cup of tea...

This is how we do it:
And it's delish.

Dainty finger foods of yum....which also give one wondrous breath, might I add.

On this four-wheeler ride, we decided to ride a couple of towns over to where my Great Grammy Simpson lives, so that my wee little baby girl could meet her Great Great Grammy face to face....and so that I could hug and kiss this sweet woman and have her hug and kiss me and mine.

I think they liked each other.
Grammy kept saying:  "She's such a nice baby.  Isn't she awful nice?"

We think so...
Great Grammy is One hundred and two.  And a half.
She rocks.

Okay.
Another fun thing that I like to do when I go up Home is to go and visit my big brother Clay and see what sorts of shenanigans he's been up to.  One never knows what this man has up his sleeve.  Like a little while ago, he got his two kids a puppy each.  And then a few more months later this happened:

And then...just recently they decided to buy this:
I love her, and I want one.

 I gave her kisses and hugs...and she's going to have a baby.
And I would like one of those, too.

This is what we like to do on rainy days:

Tea parties with lots of treats.

And this is what happens to my three year old when he so desperately wants to go an adventure to find turtle eggs with Grampy....but it's naptime...but "I'm not thleepy 'cause I'm a big boy..." :

Needless to say...he didn't see any turtle eggs...but we didn't either, so he didn't miss much.
Oh, you like Dad's truck?  It's how we do it up there.
You never know what you might need...

And this is what a really rockin' father looks like when he knows his only-est daughter is coming home...and there is only one thing in the whole wide world that she craves and that she is completely addicted to.  His and only his homemade brown sugar fudge.

And so he made it.  Campfire style:

 Rachael Darrah, this is the picture that I tried to text you...

Ooooh Baby... this stuff is amazing.
My dad doesn't use a recipe, however - so his fudge is impossible to replicate.  His instructions go a little something like this:  "Cook it till the tadpole stage...then add the rest of the ingredients...and stir it till your arm gets tired."

Very detailed, Daddy-O...
It's how he does it.

This entire pan was consumed in two days.
No joke.
It's how we do it.

And this is another fun thing that we like to do:

This is Dad's homemade trap that we set with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to catch us some skunks or  coons.  The boys love it.  We didn't catch anything this time.  But, if we did, we'd load it on back of Dad's truck and take it on over to "Skunk Hill" to let it go.

Redneck fun.  I tell you what...there's nothing like it!

This visit, most of the weekend was super cold and rainy.
Very un-summer like.
So, you want to know what we did?  We made homemade coffee ice cream!

Obviously....

Because, doesn't everyone make homemade ice cream on cold, dreary days....especially after eating a double batch of brown sugar fudge?  It's how we do it.....

But, I think one of the things that I most love about going up Home to see my family....is my family itself.
I especially love cousins who are more like brothers who stop by for lunch and baby snuggles....
And I love that our house is always full of loud and people and crazy and fun...

I love other cousins who come over at the drop of a hat when they find out that there is a new baby cousin to hold...and other cousins who make a special effort to stop in just to hold the baby for a second before they head downstate for the weekend...and still other cousins who have already been downstate and are totally and completely pooped - but they still stop over just to say hi.  I love that.

That's family love.
And that's how we do it.

Holding Loosely...

Sometimes...

Sometimes, we need reminders.  (And by "we," I mean "me.")
We need reminders of what's considered a really "big deal" and of what might just be a bump in the road.

We need reminders of why we are here in the first place...
And of what's really going to last.

We need reminders that life is all about chapters and seasons...
And some of these chapters might be really great - so we should enjoy them.
...and some might be a bit of a bummer.  And that's okay, too.  Because...that's life.

That's why I tell my kids that it's so utterly important that they marry the right person.  Marriage is this crazy, wild journey that you take with someone - through the highs and the lows, the mundane and the madness, the cozy and the crazy, the chaos and the boring - and it's all good....and it's all okay....if you're taking that journey with someone who you're crazy wild about.  Someone with whom you would follow to the ends of the Earth.  And someone who you know - beyond a shadow of a doubt has got your back.... and you've got theirs.

Then - whatever life throws at you...
Or whatever you choose to throw back at life ~

If you're doing it together...and most importantly...if you have Jesus...
Well... then life becomes an adventure.
And it's not nearly as scary.

And then when change happens - for those of us who really don't like it so much - it's not as big of a deal...

These are good things to be reminded about.

So...
When you decide to take a crazy, wild jump into the great unknown...
And when you've got friends and family who love you regardless.
When you decide to walk away from one chapter...and walk toward another...
And when some may think you're a little crazy...but you're in this thing together..

When you are reminded again that life is not about "stuff" or things...
or money or wealth.

And when you don't really know what the future holds...but you know WHO holds the future...

When you get an opportunity to step away from the rat race and to let some things go...Well, that's a whole lot better than gripping things fist tight.

And it's a whole lot easier to say good-bye to one chapter and hello to another.  And everything is easier when you know WHO you can trust..

And so....
Here's to another chapter for the Bookers...

"We must learn to hold everything loosely...everything....  Why?  Because the Father may wish to take [something] back for Himself, and when He does, it will hurt you if He must pry your fingers loose....  So, remember...hold everything loosely.  Everything." 

~ Corrie Ten Boom ~

That last letter is really an "E."  The poor block has just gotten dropped one too many times...

And quite honestly?
What is HOME anyway?  What is the definition of HOME - really and truly?

I know...for me, anyway...
HOME is anywhere my Loves and I are.....TOGETHER.

Lessons learning.....
To be continued...

Dirt and Life.

Sooo.....
"Life" has been happening lately...
Like crazy, spinning, whirling, trying to keep my head above water LIFE.

But, at the same time ~
Growing, trusting, stretching, and life lessons learning LIFE, as well.
Growth is good.  On so many levels.
I find that I don't often grow much unless I am stretched...and unless I am made to trust more deeply.
I grow the most when I completely let go of the reins, and when I hold things loosely...
Sometimes I'm not so good at that...

But speaking of growth:

Behold, my sugar snap peas.
And, behold, my redneck trellis of string...

And so, because of "life"....

I was actually tempted to just leave the rest of my garden alone for this season.  I was going to stick with the peas and beets that were already planted, and just let the rest of it go.

But, I have this Lew in my life...

And he came over on Monday bound and determined to till my garden.  I told him about all of our goings on, and he said:  "Well....I'm still going to till your garden.  It'll be good for the soil."  And till it, he did...

My sweet little rows of beets...
Dee-lish.

My sweet little Chicky Bitties...
Trying desperately to sneak into the garden.

Two of my sweet, little boys of deliciousness...
Getting as filthy as they possibly can.

And so...well, one thing led to another...
Lew got the garden tilled, and then he promptly declared that it was time to plant the corn.
Soooo.... the corn got planted.

Then I had to go inside to feed London, so I left the Hoolies out there with Lew.
And when I came back, He and Jesse and Ransom had not only finished the four corn rows, but they had also planted an entire row of beans AND potatoes!

 Lew said:  "I've got no idea how your beans are going to turn out.  I let Ransom plant that row!"

I love this picture.
I love Lew.
He loves my boys.
And my boys love him.

And so, by the time our sweet little afternoon was over...somehow....some way....
Corn, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, two types of lettuce, leeks, basil, carrots, and kale got planted.
I'm not sure how it happened.
It just did.
I am one with the soil.

Tomatoes, green peppers, pumpkins, and squash still have yet to be planted.
Not sure what life thinks about that...

But, I do know one thing.
Dirt is good for the soul...
And Lew is good for my heart.

Six.

Jesse Micah - my "humble gift."
My wild and crazy, sweet and simple, darling little Boy Joy.

My favorite labor and delivery.
And my most unhappy newborn.

My blonde-haired, dare deviled, early morning alarm clock...
My speak first, think later, say exactly what's on your mind kind of kid...
My always tripping, always falling, always filthy definition of a BOY...
My always laughing, always happy, tender-hearted, chock full to the brim with LOVE little boy...

Today you are six!
You are growing up, my Love...
And oh - how I love you!

From the time of your birth (up until present, actually) - you have taught me much humility.  You have shown me that I most certainly do not have all of the answers...and just about every single thing that I have said (with utmost pride) that "my child would never do..."  well, Lovey.... you have done it.  Ha!

And that's okay.  This Mama needed to be taken down a few pegs...
You are so very good for me.  In so many ways.
And I am so very very thankful for you...

I love your love of LIFE!  I love how at the end of almost every day you say:  "This is the best day EVER!"  I love how brave and strong you are - and I love your sweet, tender love for your baby sister.  (Although, your definition of "gentle" and Mama's definition of "gentle" are two very different things.  A gentle Jesse kiss still leaves London's head bobbing!)

I love how you are fearless about some things...but kind of timid and wary about others.  I love how you are so free with your kisses and your hugs...and I love how you still come running to me when you fall and hurt yourself.

Which is kind of a lot...

I love your honesty and your crazy, deep questions.  I love how you throw your head back and laugh loud with all of your teeth showing...and I love how your eyes twinkle and I can tell that you are just filled to the brim with impyness and can barely contain yourself!

My prayer for you, sweet boy is that your wild love for all of life translates into a wild and fearless love for Jesus - for all the days of your life.  I pray that your heart always stays huge, and that your generosity and sweet, giving spirit never die.  I love that so much about you.  You would give the shirt off your back if you knew someone needed it.   That's a God-gift, Jesse.  Many people have to work and learn to be generous.  This is just part of who God made you to be.  Never lose that...

You are the middle boy...and sometimes I wonder if you feel a little bit lost in the mix...not old enough to be the biggest, but not the baby boy, either.  Mama was in the middle, too, sweet boy.  And let me tell you over and over again that you are ALL my favorites!  You are so special and so unique....in so VERY many ways!  You are a best friend to Kaden and a fabulous big brother to Ransom.  And you will always be London's big protector.

You are the joy of our home and the crazy of our car trips.
You are the last one asleep and the first one awake.
When all the rest of us are mellow....you keep us entertained.
When someone is grumpy - you can make them bust out laughing.
When the whole house is quiet...well, never mind... It's just.  not...  Like ever. :0)

YOU are what makes our home happy, Jesse Bear!!
You make your Mama so filled to the tippy top happy, and I love you for it.
Thank you for teaching me Joy.
Thank you for living it daily.
Thank you for being YOU.

You always tell me that you love me more...
Sweet boy - there is no possible way.

#5133.  Sweet & Silly spirit ~ so innocent and true.
5134.   Huge, tender heart ~ with love overflowing.
5135.   Deep love for family ~ and the joy of our home.
5136.   Wild & free ~ one who lives FULLY in the moment.
5137.   Honest & Searching ~ sweet innocence.
5138.   Generous spirit ~ so free with your giving...
5139.   Life teacher...
5140.   Joy liver...

My Joy Journey....

Little Loves...

Weekending...
My most favorite thing to do...

Slowing down...
Being together..
Catching up.

Days for catching butterflies...and for taking naps with newborn babies...

For finding our first painted turtle..
...and for finding the way to my little boys' hearts.

For life jacket and boat ride debuts at three weeks young..
...and for long naps in the great outdoors...

For secret islands...
...for fires...a cool breeze...for cribbage...for long talks...and for little boy adventures..

For wide open spaces..
...for brother-love...and for frogs and fish galore...

For uber unhealthy lunches of hotdogs and smores...
...and for only feeling a tiny bit guilty about it.

 For the first swim of the season..

For crashing - HARD - after a long day of playing in the sun..
...and for having ice cream for supper.

 For sweet next door neighbors coming over for snuggles...

...For first visits to church..
...for babies wearing dresses...and for mamas wearing camo...

 ...And for typing this entire post with one finger while hot, fussy babies are snuggled and soothed...

#5101-5132 ~ My Joy Journey.