Gifts that Keep on Giving....and Being Taken Back!!!

Who knew the hours of fun that would take place when each boy was given a half roll of wrapping paper and their very own tape dispenser?

Everyone is catching the Christmas spirit around these here parts. Even Ransom....who attempts to unwrap the gifts as quickly as they are wrapped! Favorite toys are getting wrapped and are being given....then decided that they really are a dearly loved possession, "so how about we trade?" Other gifts are being wrapped and given...and upon being unwrapped the receiver declares: "Hey! I gave that toy to YOU!"

Gifts are being wrapped (with waaaaaaaay too much paper), and then unwrapped by the same person because they forgot to check the label....or they never marked a name on it in the first place....or they really wanted it for themselves, anyway!

Gag gifts are being wrapped and found to be of utmost hilarity! - Like old socks or NOTHING!

We're letting them wrap and unwrap their own things at will. It's silly. It's fun. It's festive. It really IS teaching them about joy in giving....and it's all leading up to our family Christmas that we'll celebrate this weekend! Whoop!

And it's all going to be VERY hard for Mama to know which toy truly belongs to whom when all the fun finally DOES wear off........

For OUR little family....only 4 more days until Christmas!!!!!!!

On Kaden's Bed.....

While I was rushing to get the boys ready for church this morning, I glanced up at Kaden's top bunk and was, for the millionth time, in shock and awe at the contents on top of his bed.

HO.LY. COW. MEthinks this child is a Hoarder.....

So - just for funsies I got out my trusty little notepad and pen, and took a little tally of the wealth of treasures that this child sleeps with every day and night.

Here we go:

No less than 19 stuffed animals
a gift bag
2 flashlights
itch cream
2 tins
2 tupperware
a plastic crate
and a little bag with his name on it - ALL of which are stuffed with junk
gun
squeak frog
caribiner
wind up bug
wrapping paper
office supply kit with scissors, tape, tape measure etc.
dot to dot game
multiple drawings under his pillow
raisins
toy car
pack of tissues
small calendar
locks and keys
couple of sticks
4 bags of various sizes hanging off one corner of his bed
6 ft. long snake hanging off the other corner
multiple kid magazines
silly putty
3 small plastic frogs
pair of socks
long sleeved shirt
pajama top
little cardboard doghouse
mini dog that wags his tail when petted
books
crayons
paper

And I am SURE I didn't dig to the depths......

To be fair - this is his only little spot in the entire bedroom that he shares with Jesse that is his alone. Jesse is not allowed on his bunk. But, seriously...Oh my word.

And he absolutely loves it!

When I told him all I had discovered and read him my list, he broke into a huge grin, shrugged his shoulders and simply said: "Hehheh. I didn't even know I had that much stuff up there. AWESOME!"

Keeping Christ in Christmas

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Sarah asked this question on her blog: "How are you keeping Christ in Christmas?" And she went on to share how she does exactly that with her little family. One of things that she does with her little girl is each day for the month of December, she reads through this little book:

I was so excited by the idea, and I have wanted to do an Advent of sorts with my Littles for many years now, that I promptly sat down at my computer and bought both the book and some candles as well!

And I will tell you - I love it. Thank you so much, my friend. This book is just about perfect for Jesse's age....maybe a little young for Kaden. But, the discussions that spring up from doing this together as a family every day have been very special and very priceless. It's really a simple little book. Basic, simple little reminders of how - each and every day - we can get ready and wait for Jesus. There's a verse or two, a little prayer, and then a simple Advent activity at the bottom of each page. In the back of the book, there is a little calendar where they can take turns each day flipping the flap and seeing what the hidden picture is. And that's really it. But the talks that we have every day as we read together are precious.

Another thing that we do every year is this:

THIS is my all time - absolutely favorite interactive nativity. It's called "What God Wants for Christmas." It is very kid friendly, and it comes with an amazing little story book that weaves the story of the Nativity and each figure that comes with the set.

Each figure comes wrapped in its own little box that looks like a present. And after the story is told of each person, there's a poem at the end of every page that reads like this:

"What God wants for Christmas? It's - to you - a surprise. In box number seven it is disguised. But - no peeking! Be patient! For this you must wait. It's what you offer Him, and it's really great!"

Then, once the very last figure is placed in the nativity set, they finally get to open box #7. They discover that it's a simple mirror - reflecting their faces back to them.

It is so special, and the kids just love it. Every year, they get SO excited when they see me bring this up out of storage!

The back of the book also gives tons of suggestions for different ways you can mix it up, it tells how to lead a little one to Christ, there are devotional ideas, and also many ideas of how to incorporate kids of all ages into using it and applying it to their hearts and lives.


So, these are two things that we are doing to keep Christ at the heart of all of our celebrating. It is SO easy to get caught up in all of the hustle and bustle, the worries and cares, and focus on so many things other than what the heart of Christmas is truly about!

We are trying to savor. We're trying to slow down. We're baking and cooking things to give away and to share. We're making cards and gifts to give away and not keep for ourselves. And we are trying to see things through the Lord's eyes. May we all get caught up in the wonder and beauty of what Christmas is really and truly about!

Merry Christmas and Toe Jam

Tis the season for lots of holiday baking around these here parts. Fun treats that get made only once a year beg for little hands to help share in the cooking and baking! From toddlerhood, both of my boys have always loved to help out in the kitchen - stirring, mixing, scooping - and when Mama feels brave - cracking eggs, and.....as of late.....using the mixer. Holy Heavens - do the ingredients ever fly!

Today, we made homemade peppermint patties. They are Kaden's and my most favorite candy, and my sweet little neighbor, Lou happens to be quite fond of them, as well. It's his 90th birthday today, so we're having him over for supper, and then we'll send him home with a little tin of these treats.



Kaden is the neater and more particular of the two guys in the kitchen. Shocker. But, today - we were surrounded by a plume of confectioner's sugar! It was everywhere! Really, quite amazing, actually.....

No worries....the toes never went near the food in the bowl.....just right up to the edge!

And, this is how we do it! Kaden sits on the counter and mixes. Jesse stands on a chair and licks off every speck of sugar he can find. There was a lot today.

I had to cut them off when it came to the floor. This picture does not begin to do justice to the floors...and the chair...and the counter....and our clothes. It was epic.

Ransom's New Thang

Well, besides:

~ Saying "Mama," "Dada," "Kitty," "Hi!" and signing "More"
~ Pulling himself up to standing and creeping along things
~ Showing signs of a VERY strong will that matches the middle brother
~ A temper that trumps ALL of them
~ And a sense of humor and vocal capabilities that has all of us in stitches and makes Daddy & I shake our heads in wonder at the thoughts of the chaos that is very soon to abound in our home at an unbelievable decibel level.....

THIS

has become Ransom's new thing that he likes to do before falling asleep at every blessed nap and nighttime. A sort of naptime ritual, you could call it. It starts out with him being super excited about going to bed. He has always loved bedtime and has often played very contentedly in his crib for up to an hour before crashing asleep. He has a puppy that he has to hold for when he finally zonks, and then he has a various assortment of toys that we hear him talking to, playing with, and rearranging for several minutes before he goes down.

As of late, however, once he's done his playtime.....He's DONE. That's all she wrote. With amazing loudness each toy - one by one - is systematically dropped out of his crib onto our very echoey wood floors. It's fantastic.

I don't know. Maybe I'm getting softer in my old age. Maybe it's because he's baby #3. Whatever the reason, it doesn't phase me in the least. I actually find it kind of funny. He's not mad. He's not chucking them because he's grumpy. He's just done playing and he's ready to sprawl.

And, then when he wakes up, he pulls himself up to standing in his crib and he leans over and talks to them until we come and get him! And there is quite a conversation that takes place! I wonder if he's apologizing to them...

Right Now

All is calm.
All is bright.

OH Christmas Tree!

Well....last year, we got our tree in the pouring rain. This year we decided that a blustery blizzard was at least one notch above that experience, so off we went - the whole kit and kaboodle!

We went to our most favorite place in the whole wide world - Piper Mountain! We love it there. Normally, they have horse and buggy rides, homemade hot apple cider and homemade donuts to offer their buyers.

This year, the whole place was barren. We couldn't for the life of us figure out why....

No biggy. We had the run of the place to ourselves! So, off we trudged.

Once we got to our tree of choice, this is pretty much what Kaden did the rest of the time. He was pooped from his walk.

Jesse maintained a respectable distance. He quite vividly remembers last year when he got in the way while Daddy was chopping the tree down and he got taken totally and completely OUT. It was amazing. And very hilarious.

But the boys bucked up and became big men and tried to help Daddy lug the thing back to the car....

...until they fell into a sinkhole and got buried in a snowdrift.

And here she is! What a beaut! We shall see just how long she stays upright with a wee little toddler in the house this year. It's first for us to have a little one at this age. It could get interesting!

Since I Last Posted.....

~ One of my chickies has disappeared. I'm pretty sure she's bit the dust, as there is no sign of her. Good thing I listed to my Dad when he told me to get more than three. The sad thing is, she was one of my best layers.

~ Kevy went to Pennsylvania to do a training with a team at Philadelphia Biblical University.

~ While he was there, he called home and said that one of my very dear friends is pregnant with baby #3.

~ I'm slightly shocked, because both she and her husband informed me under no uncertain terms would they have any more. They were "good with two!"

~ So now I miss this friend.

~ HOWEVER.....I drove for two hours ALL BY MYSELF yesterday, and I talked the entire time with one of my oldest childhood friends, and it was DIVINE. Love you, Kwisti.

~ We have yet to get our tree. It will be taken care of first thing Monday morning, I assure you. But, the house is decorated, and I have candles in every window.

~ I bet my life that about half of them will not make it through the Christmas season because of my wee little hooligans.

~ The boys' and my new favorite game when we're up at Grampy and Grammy's house is to tie the sled onto the back of the four-wheeler and go flying around the lawn in their two inches of snow. My goal is to see if I can whip them off. Their goal is to stay alive. It's delicious fun.

~ All three of my boys have snotty colds. Joy unspeakable.

~ Maybe it's because of all of the face washes in the snow.

~ I just wrapped most of my Christmas presents last night while watching Survivor. Two people quit. I'm pretty sure they're going to regret doing that. I know I would.

~ Whenever I go home, Dad and I have been going on lots of adventures cutting down little Christmas trees to put in buckets everywhere, birch trees to make into stars, and finding birds nests to add to both of our collections. It's how we bond. Tons of fun.

~ Then we go downstairs and work on our creations. The boys "work" too. So far, it's mostly involved Jesse hitting Kaden in the head with a hammer (by accident) and Kaden cutting his finger with a saw (by accident). All minors boo-boo's, but it did add to the excitement for awhile.

~ My oldest brother and I have begun a wonderful texting relationship. He's very witty. And he's NOT a phone talker. So, we'll randomly text each other back and forth about twenty times, and that's how WE bond.

~ My youngest brother is the best phone talker of all of us. I put a show in for the boys when he calls because I know we're going to be catching up.

~ He and his wifey are pregnant with bebe #1. OH happy day. This is going to be SO much fun!!!

~ This is my new favorite post. It's right where my heart is these days. I love this lady. It's called "Keeping up Appearances." I can't tell you how many times this is my goal above what is really important. It's humbling.

~ I'm working through some respect and character issues with my boys right now. That's humbling, too. It's not easy, and it's not fun. I'm so often too quick to just want to fix the attitude and not want to take the sweat and tears to fix the heart issue. I'm learning.

~ And just as quickly as I see things in their little lives that I want to "fix" to make them "better," the Lord so graciously puts His finger on issues and flaws in my life and points my finger back at me. He reminds me of MY imperfections and flaws, and He once again points me back to the cross and my constant need for Him to be able to do ANYTHING right - let alone the biggest job of all - PARENTING! He is gracious. He is loving. And I need to be the same with my Loves.

~ Again.....I'm learning. OH. SO. SLOWLY.......

A Snowy Family Day

Every once in awhile, when life gets too crazy and family day rolls around, instead of going on some sort of grand adventure.....we all feel the need to just stay at home, in our pajamas, and have a total and complete veg out day. When we woke up to snow this morning, we knew that today would be one of those kinds of days. No crazy deal shopping, no trips to Campden, nothing glamorous. We have decided to trade in the excitement for the comfy.

A big ole roaring fire.


A coffee, pancake, bacon, and eggs breakfast.
For both our family and THEIRS, I guess!

LOTS of looking out the window, wondering "What in the WORLD is this crazy, white stuff?"

Hmmmm. Can I eat it?

Well....if I can't eat the stuff that's falling down outside, I guess I'll settle for sneaking a few kitty snacks, instead.

And for the rest of the day, lots of leftovers from yesterday, maybe a fun, family movie, some games, BOATloads of laundry, and.....if I'm REALLY lucky, maybe a nap!

Happy Black Friday, everyone!

Thanksgiving Homemades - Take Two

Here are a couple of other Family Fun Magazine ideas that have quickly become tradition in our house every time this season rolls around. These treat-sies are easy, fun, messy, and totally unhealthy - what most kids like!

These little turkeys will sit by everyone's plate tomorrow. Super cute, although slightly fragile and do not travel the greatest. Still fun.


And these little pilgrim hats are my favorite, and they travel wonderfully!

Go over to my sidebar and check out the details there.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Thanksgiving Homemades Take One

Have I ever mentioned before how much I love Family Fun Magazine? (I'm too lazy to do the hyperlink thingy, but just look over at my blog list on the right. You'll see it there. It's under "Good Stuff"). These guys have so many fun, seasonal, and holiday themed craft and snack ideas for young children. I LOVE them!

This year, we are using their thankful placemats for the kids to color on while waiting for their meals. And we are also using some of their ideas for fun treats and card ideas. Today the boys worked on thanksgiving cards that we're going to take to our next door neighbors on either side of us.

Here are the results:
Kaden's:

And Jesse's:

I love this season. I love this HOLIDAY. I love that we enter a time of THANKSGIVING before we enter the all to often chaos of Christmas giftgiving.

We are trying to nurture intentional thanksgiving in our children's hearts - not only during this season, but during every day of their lives. I want them to WANT to do things for others, to WANT to give gifts and not just receive them, and to be thankful for all things both big and small.

And it starts with us, right? They learn by example.
And so this week, we are making lists of all the MANY blessings that God has given us - both big and small. We are blessed beyond measure. We have no idea.

One of the little things I am thankful for? Teatimes with my boys. Yes, they are boys. But they LOVE tea, and we have such lovely chats during these rare moments of proper decorum!

It's so often the little things, isn't it?

And all of those little things added up, make for a pretty sensational life.

Grace Squeezed Out

In church this Sunday, a man whom I have long respected and loved, preached a simple, yet oh so profound message on grace. He said that if we were to squeeze the Bible what we would see come pouring out would be grace. GOD'S grace. His forgiveness. His love. He quoted apologist Ravi Zaccharias saying that the one question that he has the hardest time answering is why Christians treat each other the way we do. Why do we show each other so LITTLE grace? Why do we hold grudges? Why do we take offense so easily? Why are we not committed to each other? Why do we keep lists of wrongs done to us? These lists are dangerous - they will destroy us if we let them.

One comment that he gave was: Each church culture reflects the sum total of the individuals' walk with Jesus. I completely agree with this statement. Every church has its own culture - reflective of its people. And every individual sends their own message, as well. We need to be a church - and we need to be individuals - without fences and barriers. People need to feel free to come and heal - to be broken and mended. People need to sense - ahead of time - grace in us! Do we do this for each other? In the little things as well as the large?

I want to be that kind of person. Someone not easily offended. Not easily threatened when I see others living out their lives and their calling differently than the way that I do it. Gracious in my actions. Gracious in my responses. Gracious when I feel wronged, and gracious when I need to ask forgiveness. Gracious in my parenting and gracious in the way I see others parent. Gracious with my passions and the way God has asked me to walk out my calling and obey Him. And gracious with others who have different convictions.

Jesus was called a "friend of sinners." And aren't we all - just that? Sinners? Does He not show us grace unlimited? Does He not love unconditionally? Does He not wait for us - with arms wide open - for His prodigal children to come back to Him over and over again? How can we not do the same for each other?

How strong is your grace muscle? I'm finding mine needs a little more exercise.

Finding my Groove

Wow. It's been so long since I've been away for any number of days that I had forgotten how it takes awhile to find my groove again! Kevy did a great job of keeping the house picked up, dishes done, etc., - but there had been no real cleaning done for awhile. I have a hard time functioning until I get all of my ducks back in a row again. So, it's taken me a few days, but I think I'm back on track. Whew! Laundry, dishes, filth, baths, STUFF never takes a vacation, does it? I wish it would......

Man - I missed all of my little men. And the big one too. A whole lot. I missed their messiness, our fun conversations, Ransom's cuddling, story times, our little routines, talks in bed with Kevy, my home, its smells, their smells....most of them. ALL of it - I was SO happy to come home to. I'm a crazy mix - I LOVE to get away and have a break from the normal rhythm of life. I love to have something out of the ordinary to look forward to. But, once I get just a little taste of it, it'll do me for a long time, and I am so happy to be right back into the rhythm of the crazyness of MY life - messes, diapers, cries in the night, laundry and all.

But, OH the fun we had!

It was SO fun to be crazy and not be responsible for anyone but myself for a few days. It was so WEIRD! We felt like we were being so wild and crazy by just driving - sans map - until we were tired and then finding a hotel and not knowing what state we were even in! For me - a 33-year-old-mother-of-three-married-for-eleven-years-PLANNER - that was pretty wild and crazy! Ha! Our throats were literally sore after driving for 14 hours, because we talked nonstop. It was so nice to catch up on life together - uninterrupted, conversations completed. It was so fun to go to bed when I wanted and wake up when I felt like it. It was fantastic to be pampered and have my meals made and dishes washed for me. And it was SO satisfying to get some work done in my albums. Ransom is now completely up to date. The others, we won't speak of, but they are for another roadtrip! And then, when the retreat weekend was over, we crashed at our friend's house and stayed up late visiting with her and her four (FOUR!) boys. And then we kicked it home the next day - again talking nonstop and driving and stopping whenever we felt like it - as opposed to whenever a diaper or bladder was full!

And so now I am home. Refreshed and rejuvenated. It was so good. All of it. And I am the better for it. Getting away lets me see my life afresh and anew, and I am again clearly reminded of all of the blessings that I have and of the very full life that I live. I do so love to get little breaks in my life - little moments to breathe and have my mind quiet and wiped clean from responsibilites for a bit. But I love just as much - more so! - jumping back in with both feet - laundry and school and meals and dirt up to my ears....never ending, really.....but it's what I was made for. And I love it.

HOME

Hundreds of miles and 96 scrapbook pages later........

I am HOME with my Loves.

AAAAaaaaaahhhhh.

It was amazing.

And my boys are delicious.

Hit the Road Jack!....er, Amy!

Holy Hannah, I cannot believe what is actually going to take place in just a couple of hours. In just about 120 more minutes (!) a childhood friend is going to be pulling into my yard - sans children - and I am going to get into her car - sans children - and we are going to go on an honest to goodness roadtrip. Just the two of us. Oh my word.

I don't think I've gone on a real roadtrip since I was pregnant with Kaden - six years ago. Remember that, Kristi? The blizzard? Our car dying? The French policeman? Our hubbies coming to rescue us? Good TIMES!!! Hoping this trip won't be THAT eventful, but just as fullfilling and fun!

Goodness, though. It takes a lot of work to go away! But, I think I'm ready. Laundry is caught up, meals have been made, bread is rising, a fabulous family day where love tanks were filled has taken place, schoolwork is prepped, and Daddy is confident. Kudos to Kevy - I believe this man that I married is one of THE most capable men, I know. The kids will be fed three square meals a day. They'll look presentable, and their clothes will match. The oldest two might even get a shower. There's a bonus! He knows how to cook. He does laundry. He's tidy. AND he's adventurous to boot! He's already planning a roadtrip to Cabellas all by himself with the kids. I rarely do roadtrips alone with those three! Ha!

So where am I going you ask? Well, I'd like to say that I'm going somewhere super spiritual like to a women's conference or something. Buuuut, that's not it. I AM going away with about 90-some other women though. That'll be enough women for me, I am sure. I'm used to hanging with the boys. The estrogen level will be at an all time high with less than 100, methinks - let alone 1,000 or so. That thought kind of panics me!

Anyhoo, we are roadtripping out to scrapbooking retreat where another of our childhood friend's lives. I touch my albums only once a year - and this is the time. My goal is to get Ransom up to date. I have ALWAYS said that what I do for one of my boys in that department I will do for all the others. I can usually conquer about 100 pages at one of these things; whatever doesn't get done won't get touched again for many a month. But, as long my anal mind knows that I'll get to them again in a year, I'm cool with that.

So, it'll be task-oriented. I'm recording our family's heritage! And there is an agenda, for sure. But it will be fulfilling. And there will be depth. These women love Jesus. They women are real. And I am so VERY excited for extended - HOURS! - connecting with other women. I've had a bit of a drought in that department since my Rachey left me awhile back.

Going away always messes with me, though. I so rarely do it, that I am pumped out of my tree. But I SO love my home, and its rhythm, and my men - OH my men.... I'm stoked and I'm torn. I can't wait to kick it, and I'm already missing them. I'm craving some time with a WOMAN, and I already miss my very best friend.

Sigh. The independence level has surely disappeared since I became a wife and Mommy!

Self-Portraits

For school this week, the boys had to draw pictures of themselves.
This is Jesse:

This is Kaden:
(Should I be concerned?)

This is Jesse's interpretation of the three of us.
I'm the one in the middle with the wild hair. Hmn.

And, this is Jesse's interpretation of him and Kaden.
Can you tell who is who?

Well, huh. I guess I'm at a loss for words.

Today

Every once in a great while (not TOO often, mind you) I absolutely LOVE a horribly, wretchedly, miserable, blustery, rainy day outside. For some reason, it just makes the inside that much more cozy. Kevy and I pulled up the shades in our room this morning - before anyone else was awake - and we opened our window just a crack, and then we snuggled in bed and watched the trees bend like crazy in the wind, and we listened to the rain pouring down outside. It was lovely. And so cozy and safe. And quiet. For just a few brief moments, anyway!

This week-end was really nice. One of our most favorite couples brought pizza over to us for lunch on Saturday, and we just spent a couple of hours visiting and being together. They just LOVED on us and the boys, and they gave so much of themselves to us. After they left I thought about how I want to be that kind of person/couple/family for other people. That visit was a gift to us!

I really have no idea who reads this blog other than about four or five of my friends, and I would never want to embarass anyone or put them on the spot. So, I will just say this about our day yesterday. Kev spoke at a missions conference this Friday night. The conference went on all weekend, so we attended that same church on Sunday. Some very VERY special people came and sat with us yesterday - people who we love deeply. And it just blessed us. It really made my whole week-end. Truly. That time was special, and it, too, was a gift.

And so now a new week begins......

Usually, at the start of a new week - especially at a rainy start to a new week - I need to give myself a pep talk and a swift kick in the pants to repeat the process of a week again. Our family day usually seems a long way off. But today, I am refueled and refreshed. Some special blessings took place this weekend. And I am reminded again of the importance of RELATIONSHIPS and of the necessity of giving of ourselves to others in unconditional love and acceptance. When Christ's blessings are lavished out on us, we are then recharged and refueled to return those gifts and lavish blessings upon others.

When we do this, then we are fulfilling the command that Peter gives us: "Keep FERVENT in your love for one another, because love covers over a multitude of sins!"

These Past Few Days

~ Well, with all of the excitement of getting the deer - there always follows the work of cutting and wrapping all of the meat. And, it is a JOB. Sweet little old Lou came over last night and is coming over again today to help us. He and Kev cut up the different steaks and roasts and stew meat, and I wrap and label all of it. Then, we give him some of the meat and feed him all day. It's a pretty good system.

~ Pretty much all of this week we have been fighting a nasty cold bug. It's gone through the whole camp, and it has NOT been fun. We all feel like today we are starting to get back on top of our games. Finally.

~ During one of those sick days, the boys and I snuggled up on the couch and watched Toy Story 3. And I cried like a baby at the end. Oh man. Super sappy. Or, maybe it was just because I was feeling sick. Either way - there were tears!

~ And finally, the biggest deal of the week.......A hometown boy up in my neck of the woods was killed in combat this week. It has completely rocked everyone in the community up there. One of the beauties of living in a small, hometown is that everyone knows everyone. We rejoice with each other and we grieve with each other. And there has been some heavy grieving up there this week. If you think, please pray for the community and that family. It has hit home, and it has hit deeply. The family is very committed in their faith, and they are glorifying God through all of this - but it is heavy.

A Story of Teamwork and Modern Technology

Or, more accurately - a story of a "God thing."


Have you ever had an event take place in your life where everything just "seemed" to fall into place perfectly, and where it would be so easy to write something off as simply being "really lucky?"

Well, this morning, something like that happened, but we all know that it was totally a God thing - just a beautiful, perfect gift from him.

Are you ready for the story? It's pretty cool.

Once upon a Tuesday morning, Kevy again got up at the crack 'o dawn to go and sit in his deerstand in our woods out back. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the boys and I were all just doing our morning routine like we always do. The big boys were playing in their bedroom, and I was getting Ransom dressed for the day.

All of a sudden, Kaden yelled: "Mommy! There's a buck in our garden!" And sure enough, there was a nice six-pointer meandering his way through our garden and heading towards the woods in the vicinity where I knew Kev was hunting. So, I ran for my cell phone and texted Kev as quickly as I could: "There's a buck in our garden - heading your way."

And then we waited. And we prayed. And we freaked out a little bit.

About five minutes later, we heard two gun shots! Within minutes, Kev called saying: "Nice teamwork!" He was getting ready to get down from his stand when the text came in, and he was just reaching for the phone to check the time. He said that everytime he gets ready to get down from his stand, he prays for wisdom to know if he should sit a little longer in case he might miss something by getting down early.

By Kaden seeing the deer in the first place, and then by getting my text, he got himself resituated and was ready for the deer when he came by. And the deer dropped right at the base of his stand!

How cool is that? Oh the WONDERS of modern technology!
A great story of teamwork, an awesome gift from God, (a great lesson in answered prayer for my boys!!! - which I am very aware does not happen all the time, by the way) and a nice shot by my Stud.

But, a story of "Luck"? I think not.

And, of course, Lou and Arlo had to come over to join in the fun!

Hunting Season & Random Life Stuff

~ I just made pudding for dessert. And I taught Kaden how to slurp it from his spoon. Horrible manners, I know - but I've always slurped my pudding ever since I was a little girl. Only from the comforts of my own home, of course. Never out in public. And I am SURE that Kaden will never embarass me in public with this new found joy that I've just bestowed upon him.

~ I cut both of my big boys' hair this week. Always have. I bribe them to sit still and not complain with lollipops. When they sit still, the outcome looks half decent. When they're wiggly - their hair definitely looks like Mommy cut it. Jesse was slightly wiggly. Enough said.

~ This is Lou. I love Lou. He came over for camp coffee yesterday.


~ My sanity from Pennsylvania came and visited with me for a week with her two daughters. We had a grand old time, and now I miss her like crazy and feel very lonely.

~ This is Ransom playing chess. He is very brilliant.


~ My ducks have decided to desert me and go and live over at my neighbor Arlo's house because he has a big pond. I had to make him some treats and go over for a visit to make sure that this new arrangement was okay with him. He promised he would neither eat them nor shoot them. I promised I would never again get ducks.

~ It snowed yesterday. I was very not impressed with that. My boys however - all of them - were thrilled.

~ Kevy has been getting up at the CRACK 'o dawn to try and shoot da turdy point buck that is destined for our freezer. There's a song about da turdy pointer, you know. There's also a video of what da turdy pointer tinks about da hunters: