Merry Christmas

Eden Ann, 7

Elia Clara, 2

Lars Matthew, 5

Cousin Zachary with Elia, Eden & Lars

The Strawns

Daisy Eden

My Kindergarten Daisy is now a 1st grade Daisy and has the certificate to prove it.  Over the course of the last year, Eden has earned 7 daisy petals and has attended several sponsored events, sold fruits and nuts, cookies, made cards for the nursing home and was a color guard in the Girl Scout Investiture Ceremony last evening.

Thanks to all the young ladies, parents and leaders who worked together to make the program a success, and the visitors who came to support the girls!~

A Week of Thanksgiving

November has come and is nearly gone now. 

The weather has been beautiful this month and I have found myself in quite a routine of being outside, far removed from this computer. Today, surprisingly brisk out, has been spent indoors Christmas shopping online in the company of three kids and some fantastic music in the background.  I told my self that I'd pay bills today, too, but that hasn't happened yet....


Everybody decided to be sick last weekend, so that we could get it out of the way before Thanksgiving Week.  (It's hard to be thankful on the National Day of Thanks if you're sick and unable to enjoy Turkey and Mashed Potatoes.)

Al chose a sinus infection first, Elia, second with the stomach flu & some sort of respiratory illness thrown in for fun.  Then on Saturday night, Eden, Lars & I took after Elia and threw up all night long & into the next morning, leaving our regular church pew free for somebody else to use.  I had three kids in my room from 0530 Sunday until 4:00p in the afternoon, in bed, on the floor and on mattresses on the floor, with piles of pillows, blankets, and buckets.  It was effective.  By 5:00, we all felt better and took a 4 block walk, which wore us all out.  So we came back home and went to bed for the next several hours.

With illness around us and a short school week for Eden & Lars, we've shook up the routine a little bit here and spent more time relaxing and reading stories and less time working on laundry and house cleaning.  I figure I did enough laundry last weekend to get a few days break. 

Wednesday, Eden went to Dave's house to help make pies for Thanksgiving Dinner.  She was very pleased and came home with several tips for me in my next pie making endeavor.  I don't make pies. 

Thursday, I got up early, dressed in my most comfy track pants and put the turkey in the oven with my Alton Brown foil tent and chanting the phrase, "Basting is Wasting".  Then I peeled potatoes for Giada deLaurentiis' Mashed Potatoes and turned on the TV just in time for the parade.  Three hours of a parade with puzzles, cars, games and coloring during commercials was just enough.  The turkey started smelling fantastic and the guest of honor arrived.  Thankfully, in sweats. 

Everyone enjoyed dinner and apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. The pumpkin pie had to be relocated to the garbage, much to the disappointment of Allen, who's never gone a Thanksgiving in his life without involving pumpkin pie.  I thought he was going to scrape it out of the trash bin when the promise was made that another pumpkin pie would show up tomorrow for supper.  This one, fully cooked. 

After some serious napping on the couch, some pumpkin chucking contest on TV, wrestling with Samson and more puzzles and games, it was time for a short walk and back home to make sandwiches and read stories before bed.  Couple more friends came for dessert late that afternoon and we chatted well into the evening.  Eden, Lars and Elia love having people over and after a whole day of it, slept well through the night. 

Have spent the rest of the weekend doing much of the same. 

Eating, playing, napping, reading.
Repeat until bedtime. 

Halloween 2012

Halloween is always so much fun around here and, as usual, everybody who came over had a good time slurping soup and sneaking candy from the various bowls and buckets around the house & yard!  We carved pumpkins on Tuesday and set up the decorations, then waited for Wednesday to come.  I kept busy at Lars' school in the morning, complete with a trick or treat parade up town, then to the library for story hour with Elia.  The afternoon was spent puttering in the kitchen with some music on and candles burning, just waiting for the boys & ghouls to show up.

Eden, inspired by a class project about dressing up like a futuristic character for Red Ribbon Week, chose to be a robot.  Lars wanted to be a Pay-loader slash Bridgeport City Worker this year which gave Allen some room for creativity in the garage, along with a few late nights.  Elia didn't want to be anything until the morning of.  I asked her if she wanted to dress up in a costume for Lars' costume parade at school and she said, "YEP!" I tried the ladybug on her before breakfast and she didn't take it off to eat or sleep until bath time last night.  It was so funny, she just wore it around town and around the house all day.  You can do that when you're two. 

Today, I'm cleaning up the mess of the past two days, cutting up & cooking pumpkins for all the pumpkin recipes I look forward to making in November, and pondering where October went.

Happy Fall to you.  

2012-1974=??

Everybody deserves one special day out of every year...and this one belonged to Allen. 

Home fried chips with fresh Salsa, Laura's famous tossed salad, Beef Enchiladas, Beef, bean & rice burritos, Mexican rice from our favorite Mexican, good friends, and the party was on!

After supper, with laughter in the air, Lars and Eden gave Daddy their wrapped gifts.  Lars, a skid steer that he picked out from the store and Eden, Red Twizzlers. 

While the birthday cakes (Irish Creme Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Chip Cheese pie) were being candled in the kitchen, Eden verbalized her first cuss word when she repeated the mantra "Where's the damn cheesecake?" from an unnamed and forgiven friend whom lap she was sharing.  Reportedly, Allen's eyes got as big as saucers and she stopped short of the end of the sentence, as everybody stared at her, gaping.  I'm so thankful I was in the kitchen, where I could scold her without her seeing me laugh. 

Always good company and good fun when birthdays roll around here.

Happy Birthday to you!~

An Unexpected Trip

After talking to Chad on Sunday afternoon, I felt uneasy.  Something just seemed out of place.  Tone of voice?  Lack of luster? No humor? No sarcasm? Something.

By Monday, something wasn't right.  He didn't answer my calls, wouldn't text back. 

I didn't sleep Monday night, but couldn't say why. 

Tuesday morning, no answer again.   No text back.   I laid on the bed and fell asleep soundly for almost two hours. 

Then, at 10:59 a.m. I woke with a start. Something was wrong.  I called his phone again.  And Mom answered. 

"I want to talk to Chad", I calmly screamed into the phone.
"He's not talking to anybody", she said.

Awkward silent beat.

"Wait. He's reaching for the phone. I guess you're the special one", she said.

After a few brief mumbled and pained words, he dropped the phone.  Mom picked it up and started saying something before I cut her off with an abrupt, "I gotta go."

If he's not able to talk to me, I guess I'll just go sit with him then until he can. 

I booked tickets eastbound, then called my sister to meet me in Chicago the next afternoon.

 Then Dad called; "he's headed to ICU with a falling blood pressure"

I'm not going to make it.  Why didn't you go yesterday, Sarah?

Change of plans.  Time to fly.

A few hours later, with the help of SEVERAL family & friends in at least four states, I was on my way to Michigan with Elia to see my brother, quite possibly for the last time.

I text-ed Al to tell him my plan.  He said the Pastor's were praying for Chad at their conference. 

Tuesday night, I slept two hours in the guest room at my cousin's place in Denver, waking at 2:00am to pace the courtyard and wait for the chauffeured ride to the airport at 4:00am.

The plane landed in Detroit Wednesday morning at 11:30a and by 2:00 p.m., I was meeting Dad in the lobby of the hospital.  A few minutes later, I walked in to see some fat faced stranger in the ICU.

From there, it's a bunch of mixed emotion & fear, with a few special moments & humor thrown in for good measure.

Prayer vigil at several area churches that evening.  

As time went by, Chad got better & better and with each passing hour, that dreadful feeling started to pass away.  Things were looking up.  He was stable enough to transfer to the University Hospital. 

Is this the awake and happy stage before they crash and die?  The hospital staff was ready for a code. I heard the nurse tell the transferring Paramedic, "he's a full code so be ready for that." 

Nice.  

And then it happened. No, No, not the code. A prayer was answered in the way we wanted.  He just got better.  At least a little bit.  And then a little bit more.  Pretty soon, he was coming home to recover.  Safer there anyway, away from the hospital germs that got him so sick in the first place.

Joy.  

And Thanksgiving.

We had a mashed potatoes and turkey dinner to celebrate.  With the sickly guest of honor among us. 

Thanks be to God!

And to all the friends and family who offered up themselves and their gifts along the way; those who called with words of comfort, text-ed their availability, Face booked support, brought food, did laundry, cleaned house, packed lunches, bought gift cards, gas cards, stocked the fire, shuttled kids to soccer, got me to Michigan, gave me a bed to sleep in, chauffeured us around, or simply sat in prayer. 

Thank you.

You know who you are.

First Snow!

 There's nothing like the first snow of the season to make a kid's day

 (even if it only the 5th day of October)!

 Elia was in glorious splendor this morning watching the snow fall, finding it irresistible.  The smiles say it all.  And to think, we started the week at a balmy 97 degrees. 

I thought Michigan weather was weird, but not so much anymore. 

Lars goes fishing

In a last minute attempt to salvage the last few hours of summer (actually, it was the first day of fall), Douthit's invited us to the lake for a campfire and fishing adventure.  Lars was thrilled, and was screaming in his #5 voice, "Mark-y's going to take me me fishing!!" over and over and over again. 

I was pooped after a long day and on my way home to veg, but Laura said she'd bring everything and all I'd have to do is show up with the kids and Lars' new fishing pole (which was in the car with his new Spiderman tackle box before I even gathered my things up and got OUT of the car). 

After a few minutes of throwing some things together from the fridge, jackets and bug spray, we loaded up and headed to the lake.  But I forgot the bag of stuff that I'd just packed up.  And Laura forgot the 'fire stuff' and Lexi wanted me to bring her a pair of flip flops. And then there is the small detail of matches to LIGHT the fire.  And the dog.  At least Dave stopped to get worms.

At any rate, we got out to the lake in plenty of time to make three trips back to town, fish, eat and socialize.  Lars wanted to eat the fish we would catch, but Laura said we didn't have a knife to fillet it.  All Allen heard as he was climbing back into the Ford for the 1st trip back to town was something about not having a knife and he asked, "Did I hear that I needed to grab a knife, too?"  And we all said, "NO" at the same time. 

While Dave put the pole together and stung the line, Mark and Lars dug into the tackle box. Lars started looking for the perfect spot to fish.  He told the girls "I need it quiet, I'm fishing!" in his loudest whisper, and they wandered further up the banks to look for sea shells.  With Mark-y's diligent (and patient) guidance, he taught Lars how to cast, turn the handle half a crank till you hear the click, and stand there quietly.  Lars seemed willing to wait all night if he had to, he wasn't in any hurry.  He kept whisper yelling to the girls (who were getting closer and closer with every find) "I'm fishing.  I need it very quiet!"

In no time at all, he felt the tug.  Mark set the hook and Lars started reeling it in.  The look on his face is impossible to describe.  It was like he didn't know what he was about to find on the end of the line and then when the fish came wriggling out of the water, Lars' face lit up like the sunset.  The fish was a small trout and Lars had the most excited look on his face ever when it hauled out of the water.  He was squealing with glee, and of course moving around so much, I couldn't get the camera to focus for a photo.  Mark got it off the hook and Lars studied it, felt it and studied it some more.  Mark suggested they put it back in the water so it didn't die and Lars agreed, so long as he could catch it again later.

When asked at the campfire how big the fish was, he held up his hands in the appropriate length (he's as honest as you'll ever meet) but said, "about 20 foot long".  Said like a true fisherman!

In all, it was a good night with friends and family and a couple of labs thrown in for fun. 

Fall is here and with that, another season of memories to make.

Lars is Five!~

I'm pretty sure Lars just grew into a little boy overnight.  

He went to bed last night, a sweet 4 year old with visible thorns in his life.  He was hidden under his heavy blanket when I went in to tuck him in.  I peeled the blanket back from his face and said, "Good night Lars, I love you." And he said, "I need that over my face."

I said, "I'll see you in the morning, buddy.  I love you."  

(yes, trying to receive a reciprocal response!)

And he said, "Tomorrow is my Birthday. I will be Five"

Indeed.  

Today, Eliezer Matthew, the boy who amazes me in so may ways, is now five years old.  I think I say this every year, but he's so much more than that lifeless blue body that came into the world that awful September afternoon.  He just is who he is. 

Right now, he is pretending to be a pirate.  He has a cardboard box and masking tape and scissors.  I believe a treasure chest is in the making.  He told me that he needs a ship.  Anybody have a spare one we can borrow? I suggested the couch, but he said a couch doesn't move, so it won't work.  

Imagination?  Yes.  As long as it is practical...

ARRHHH Matey!

Tuesday, September 11

It was a Tuesday and I was living in St. Louis, Missouri at the time, working as an ABA therapist with autistic children at an elementary school near my apartment.  I was single with a boyfriend at the seminary, no children, no real significant commitment to life's changes and courses.  Not even realizing how good life was. 

We had just brought the kids from Morning Calendar Time to their Cubby areas to work individually with their therapists.  We hadn't been at our seats more than 5 minutes. 

When the principle came into our outdoor classroom and whispered into the head teacher's ear and her hand came to her mouth in shock, I figured it didn't concern me and kept on working with my student. 

Then, quite suddenly, one of the other therapists got up and ran to the parking lot, rifled through his car, and brought back into the classroom a boom box with a 4" black and white TV on the front. Whilst the rest of us left our cubbys and let our kids roam free in the centers areas, he plugged it in, shot the antenna up and tuned into CBS just as we all watched a plane crash into the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center. 

All he said was "Al Qaeda" and I looked over at him with a funny look and said, "Huh?" 

Little did I know then, that would become a household name. 

As the kids wandered over to see what was going on, somebody grabbed the big tri-fold floor mat and placed it around the boom box as a screen.  All the adults could see, and all the kids were jumping up and down by their respective therapists to see what was going on. Through the silence, the kids soon bored of trying to see over the mat and began playing on the floor next to us.

The rest of the day is a blur of watching TV, pushing the kids on the swings, eating lunch in our outdoor classroom, and talking about it; whatever "it" was.  I don't think we earned our pay that day, because I'm not sure we did any real teaching.  But we all learned a lot.

When we left school that day, I went directly to the seminary to find Allen, who had his own version of events to share.  He had a TV in his room, so we went up to watch more of the same.  I wondered if the Hot Air Balloon show would still occur that weekend in Forrest Park downtown.  I wasn't thinking that I was being selfish, I just didn't understand the full impact of what had happened.  And I was anxiously awaiting that hot air balloon show!  I think we went to Evening Prayer that night in the chapel at 10:00p like we usually did, and I drove home and went to bed.

It was only as time went on did I realize that this was my generation's "Pearl Harbor" or "The Day Kennedy was Shot".  And then I wondered if I should have reacted differently? 

Where were you on 9/11?

Douthit Fire

Laura Douthit came home tonight to her girls (who've been camping out at the Strawn's all week) and a simple pot of stew & biscuits, with hopes that Mark will return before the weekend is over. In between smoke inhalation, running Mark to the ER for stitches, cooking food (with gas stove and no electricity) to feed firemen, running fire lines, cleaning up after the sleeping firefighters, manning the phones, thanking people endlessly, fending off reporters, packing up years worth of memories, and (excuse the pun) keeping her "cool under fire" with the in-laws, Laura snapped a few photos to share. As many of you continue to keep them in your prayers, I show you their beautiful land, now forever changed. The trees will grow back in their grand-children's lifetime, the grass will be green again, the wildlife will return to breed and fill the country side. But for now, things are a little bit sad. And things look a little bit different. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. We love you, Douthits.

If you wish to read about the Douthit Fire.....

 Google "Douthit Fire".  

There are at least a dozen articles from Nebraska newspapers today.  

Happy Birthday Eden Ann!

This summer we did not have any trouble remembering the date of the first day of school....Eden's Birthday. 

Eden off to First Grade.  Happy Birthday!

Today my first baby turns 7 years young, and her and I walked off to 1st grade with a Dora backpack stuffed with school supplies, crackers for the classroom snack cupboard, boxes of tissues for the snuffly months and a bag of birthday goodies to share with her friends, new and old.  She is sitting next to one of the new kids in town and so I told her to introduce herself and make him feel welcome.  She said, "Welcome to what?  I've never even been here before!"  So true...

1st grade has 20 kids in both classrooms, so a big class for here.  I know she will love it.  Lars doesn't miss her yet, but I've only been home 10 minutes and he doesn't yet know that.

In the meantime, Meegan and Zak and McKenzie are still having a great time hanging out in Nebraska with us, and seeing the sights.  We have climbed everything in sight and then some, going to Wyoming yesterday to Ft. Laramie, Register Cliff (which Zak scaled in no time at all), and The Oregon Trail Ruts, which go on forever it seems (I bet the pioneers thought that too, actually), and picnicking at Whipple Park in Lingle.

Today we are getting ready for a Princess B-day party with friends and family and enjoying the last full day of fun with my sister and the teenagers.  Tomorrow will be a sad good-bye and I'll consider fall just around the corner...

Lange Visit - Week One

Aunt Meegan is here, Aunt Meegan is here.  And Zachary.  And McKenzie.  And we are having a ball!~

In our first 24 hours, we aclimated to each other, figured out sleeping arrangments, took naps, drove the "Old Oregon Trail", hiked the trails at Scottsbluff Monument, ate at TDO,and went racing!  

Over the weekend, we introduced them to Courthouse and Jail Rock, but ran out of daylight to get to the top, drove around town, saw the Bridgeport State Lakes, went to church, and packed the camper.

We have since returned from a trip to the Black Hills the night before last and I spent much of yesterday going through the 600 plus photos that we took.  If Meegan snapped one more photo of a Bison, I was going to take the camera from her clutches.  They are pretty neat; however, after the 1st dozen or so shots, they all start to look alike.  She swore that one was smiling at her at one point.  That was the point where I took the camera away.  

Zachary took to the hills in the form of climbing.  And climb he did.  All over.  Up. Higher and higher and higher... around hills, over rocks, down slopes, up shale and would get in the car and ask when the next climbing stop was going to be, before going back to reading his book.   

Kalli came with us for the 1st half of our trip, and her and McKenzie became fast friends, setting up tents together upon our arrival, taking the kids to the park, and hiking and climbing and scavenging together till they were weary. 

We drove all over the Black Hills, hiked the Needles on Needles Hwy, hiked up a steep hillside in the National Forest, hiked down some steep terrain at a pullout overlooking the faces of Mt. Rushmore (Or Mountain Russian more, as Lars insists), we hiked at a roadside picnic stand near Coolidge lookout, we strolled through a field with a herd of antelope being stalked by a coyote (see pics of Meegan standing on top of the car), and drove past the sites of Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park, and others.  

We visited Wind Cave and decided that was the point we needed to start tracking license plates.  We snapped all but 3 different state or providence plates that we saw and had a fun time stalking people when they drove in the various parking lots we were in.  We never saw a Hawaii plate, but looked for a long time....

The day that Allen & Zachary went back to go spelunking for 4 hours at Wind Cave National Park, Meegan, kids and I walked all around Hot Springs, finding a local secret on the hill side, a natural spring fed river, free for the swimming.  After a dip in the springs, a short climb up the rocks, and a well deserved snack, we came back into town for a walk up to the VA, (where Lars got stung by a really nasty looking hornet half way up the step-way), and went for ice cream at Gus' with the boys upon their return, a treat from Grandma and Papa.  Then it was time to head for home.

Yesterday was 'clean up day', which is the first day in a week we picked up toys, clothes, newspapers, crumbs, shoes, pillows & blankets, and the like.  I did at least 14 loads of laundry, most of which needs to be folded, and cleaned out both vehicles.  Meegan and kids made chocolate chip muffins, Kenzie and Eden & Elia went to the library for craft time and Elia fell asleep on the library couch for an hour.  I ran errands in town, getting Eden and Lars' B-day cake pans in at the post office, something very exciting! Kenzie and I made baking powder biscuits while  Meegan cut up vegetables for the beef stew I was making.  She hitched a ride to the gym for a couple hours and worked out enough for two bowls.  For dessert, McKenzie and I made peanut butter ice cream, which went over very well for all.  

I didn't put my feet up until it was time for bed.  It's nice to have company.  

Today's plan is to hike Chimney Rock, but the pager keeps going off and I keep running out of the house. (However: this morning's early morning call garnished us a dozen donuts, however, so it was worth the trip to town!)  The weather is perfect and seems to be getting better as the days go by.  With any luck, we'll be sitting at the race track tonight, and planning our next day's adventures...bull riding!~

Aunt Meegan is coming!

Aunt Meegan is coming, Aunt Meegan is coming!

Eden just brought me out the calendar.  

Eden: "How many more days is it Mom?  6 or 5?"

Mommy: "Well, let's just count the days.  Today is the 6th and they come here on the 10th.  How many days is that, Eden?"

Eden: "OH!  Just three days and a few hours more plus all day today, right??"

Mommy: "Good deal, we better get to cleaning that toy closet out so that the toys can get put IN it so I can clean the carpet in the living room.  How does that sound?"

Eden: "Um...like work"

Mommy:  "Welcome to my life..."

RAIN

My children are in no way deprived, nor do I shelter them.

However, rain is hard to come by in these parts, so when a burst of a Thunderstorm blew to the area this afternoon, they ran from the garage to the front yard to wait for puddles to form.  When they did, there was no stopping the curiosity of three children. 

Lars grabbed a couple of his Cars cars (Rusty and Fred, I think) and headed to the curb.  In a matter of minutes, the poor vehicles were being swept away in a torrential flood, into the storm drain and out to sea. 

Eden took to the gutters to run as fast as she could up and down the moving water, Elia closely in tow, doing as big sister did.  Every once in a while (though not caught on film), her hands flung out to both sides, her head tipped back and her mouth opened up to the sweet, wet feel of the drops. 

Thank you, God, for the rain.  A men. 

Now to be with the slew of firefighters out there dousing the lightening struck fields that are now burning up the prairie in every direction of Bridgeport..... water and sandwiches, anyone??

It's Hot Here

Is it just me or is it really hot this summer? And I mean hot all over.

In Michigan, surrounded by lakes that are bigger than many of the states on the Eastern seaboard, we could swelter in 85 degree heat with humidity that is unmeasurable except in the lungs of the asthmatics, and we'd wish we were someplace that boasted a 'dry heat', but accept the fact that we were just tougher than the rest and could handle it.  

In Western Nebraska, surrounded by the sandhills and no trees,  we are that 'dry heat' that is most certainly measurable by looking at the thermometer and saying, "wow, that's hot" and we wish we were someplace that was humid with a needle below 104 degrees.  Yet, we can also brag about being hot and arid and being able to stand the test of 100+ degree days with no problems what-so-ever, and accept the fact that we are just tougher than the rest and can handle it.

Funny how life is when you look at it from different perspectives. 

And even with all that heat experience, both humid and not, it's just plain hot all over.  My flowers look dehydrated, with shriveling vegetables to match. The kids are lifeless when not dressed in a swimsuit. The grass is dry and pokey with dead patches all over and if you look around and can't find your neighbors, it's because many of them have shriveled up and taken to the indoors themselves.

What did the pioneers do without Air Conditioning?

What are you doing to beat the heat?

T-Ball

The first night, I thought nobody would show up to play.

The second night, I thought nobody would show up to help coach the score of kids who came the first night!

Parents are watching from the bleachers. A few grandparents, some siblings.

Muttering amongst themselves.  Critiquing?

Or just hoping that their child will hit the ball, be praised with a high five and run in the right direction?

Some are smiling, some are not. 

It's hot.  Really hot.  The wind will not quit. 

Somebody has to go potty.

Do I have an extra glove?

Somebody else has sand in their eyes. 

I hear somebody crying in the outfield.

Can I play 3rd base? 

Somebody's thirsty, can we get a drink? 

(Thank God their was a hose on the spigot)

I decide quickly that if I just pretend the adults aren't there and play ball with the kids, everything will be fine. 

And it is.

The third and fourth nights came and went. Different help came and went.  I was chasing a toddler in one direction and baseballs in the other, taking three-year-olds by the hand and running from home plate to first base, then waiting for the next ball to be hit and repeating the process over and over and over until everybody had a turn. 

Don't forget to go from second to third...no no no...over here, follow my voice!!

And the parents were still watching.

Some were smiling, some were not.... 

Somebody that I recognized stopped me in the post office after week #2 and told me quite exuberantly, "The kids are having so much fun learning T-Ball with you as coach, you've taught them so much!"

It caught me completely by surprise and I thought they were just being nice. 

I hope I said thank you.

I kept it to myself until now.  I had to watch and see for myself if they were really having fun. Or learning anything.  Tonight, when a Kindergartener caught a pop fly, stepping on the base to force an out, and a gleaming smile crossed his face, I thought maybe so....

And you know what?  I'm having fun, too.

We have one game left and our little red team has grown about 3 sizes. To my knowledge, nobody has a hit out on me yet.  At least not professionally.  I even got a compliment from an old hat in the game of coaching T-ball and that made my day.  Probably even more. 

As Yogi Berra once said, "If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em." 

And I'm saying, if you do come out, put a smile on your face and let's hear some cheer for the little ones.  With a ball and a glove slung over their shoulder on a bat, they are the happiest creatures around.

And that makes it all worth it!  Heat and all.

Life in the West

I was privileged enough to be asked to take photos at a family branding over the weekend, as I did for them a few years ago.  Just getting to the location was adventure enough for me, as is usually the case.  Even though I grew up "out in the country" in mid-Michigan, I was only a few miles from town and could walk if need be. I was an hour and a half from downtown Detroit and 30 minutes away from two malls and more restaurants and businesses than was able to list in a 50 page book.  What I thought was a small town growing up has proven to be a Metropolitan compared to where I've been the past 10 years in Nebraska.   I've gotten accustomed now to living with manicured lawns, next door neighbors, block parties and paved streets, with sidewalks to contend with in the way of winter snow shoveling and summer grass edging. A street light constantly shines in my bedroom window all night long.  My vegetable garden is a swath along the back side of the fence in the alley between the two garbage dumpsters and I consider myself blessed to have such a space in town to grow them. If only the underground water sprinklers would reach them...

Driving out to the ranch yesterday, I found myself daydreaming on the 5 mile driveway about life in a covered wagon with an ox and what a shock that must have been to the early settlers.  A white poppy here and there with only a few wild flowers thrown in for color, it's no wonder so many people died or gave up along the way.  And now with all the modern marvels, it's still the same untouched space it was 200 years ago.  

I parked my car at the main house and caught a ride in a big, old beat up pick-up truck to an open space way out in the middle of the ranch.  The young driver explained to me that "grandpa fixed a road up to it early this morning, and if we use 4 wheel drive, we'll be fine."  Wide open spaces don't explain the ranches out here. You can see for miles and miles and miles, and the cattle just wander around aimlessly, never worried about running out of space.  

Walking around the prairie grass alone with a camera was freeing.  I confess, I did wear my Mp3 player to drown out the mooing of the cows.  If asked, I would tell anybody else it was for photographer inspiration, but I really just don't like the angry mooing mamas and bawling calf sounds! 

Watching the generations of people working together to get the branding done was what made me smile the most this time.  Parents and grandparents in their snap up long sleeve shirts and cowboy hats and knee high cowboy boots with chaps, teenagers with their jeans and T-shirts and ball caps, little ones still dressing like their parents in their snap up long sleeve shirts and cowboy hats and knee high cowboy boots with chaps, and the few others who come back home to help out but still favor their tank tops on a typical hot & dry 100 degree Western Nebraska day. 


Early in the morning, kids and adults alike had gone out on horseback and rounded up all the cattle to the corral.  From there, they work in a fluid motion, everybody taking a battle station.  Some stayed on horseback to lasso the calves, others grabbed colored chalk to mark the forehead of the calf once it has a certain vaccination, which was done by a slew of more workers.  Some tended to the branding irons in the flame, others still had the responsibility of holding the calf down on the ground once the horseman drug it over to them and yet still others needed to stand by the big bulls and mama cows and wave their hands to keep them from charging.  And after a quick break with snacks as large and filling as my evening meal, they went at it again, some changing positions in the game, others doing exactly the same thing they've done year after year after year. 

All I did was stand back and snap photos, staying out of the way of the horses and little calves that were still three times my weight, and praying that I could hear the rattle snakes through all the mooing, bawling and good tunes so that I didn't get bit... it's a long way back to town for the emergency room! 

The event was successful all around, and 200 head of branded, medicated and chalked cattle later, they packed up and drove back to the house for a noon meal feast, prepared by the women who brought the snacks out earlier. Many will repeat this process week after week until all their cattle in the land are branded, helping out neighbor after neighbor after neighbor. 

Now, look at these photos and tell me that Nebraska isn't what it claims to be:  The Good Life

First Baby's Last Day of Kindergarden

Eden's last day of Kindergarten....really??!

Wasn't I just taking her picture standing at the front door, eyes squinting as the sun blocked her view, lunch box in backpack?  Lars standing nearby, encouraging her all the way.  Elia wasn't even walking yet!  After the first week of Kindergarten honeymoon had worn off, I had to walk her to school kicking and screaming because she wanted to bring her blankie, or she wanted to stay in bed longer, or have different cereal, or not brush her hair or this or that....

Now, at the end of the school year, she has grown two shoe sizes, is getting dressed without whining, can brush her hair and teeth without help, and doesn't even realize that she is growing up right in front of me! She now leaves her blankie and PJs neatly in a pile on the floor next to the couch where she dresses, in effort to let Elia sleep peacefully in their room. She goes in Daddy's car and he drops her off in time for breakfast with her friends, too numerous at this point in life to name, then she's gone for the day.  Lars is itching to get her by 3:00 so they can play and is usually glad to walk or bike up with me to retrieve her.

She can read short stories to anybody who will listen, she is adding and subtracting, has tried a variety of new foods, thanks to the lunch program, and has learned a little bit about speeding up the pace in her life to keep up with the world around, which is often very hard for her, as she is never in a hurry.  And I do mean NEVER.  My grandma always told me, "Sarah, the hurry-er you go the behind-er you get" and though this may be true, Eden will not ever have that problem I don't think.  Sometimes I wish I would slow down a little and enjoy life the way Eden does.  But I really don't want to repeat grade school!

We have learned about Eden that she is a perfectionist, which was long ago suspect, and she tends to chit chat to friends at times when she should be listening.  She likes to fiddle with things in her hand, and she is a day dreamer.  We have learned that she is well behaved and respectful to others and that picking her up every day from school put a grin on my face, almost as big as hers!

Good Job, Eden Ann!  Enjoy your summer (because the first day of first grade is your next birthday!)

To Race Car Drivers everywhere

To Race Car Drivers Everywhere:  Please remember to make a sharp left at every corner and if you miss one, realize that your Blood goes round and round and your Air goes in and out.  Any variation of this is a bad thing...

From Your Local EMS Provider.

Allen is Rev'd Up and Ready to go racing!

Happy Birthday to Me.

A quick thank you to all my family and friends who remembered me yesterday and made it special ... even the text from my brother at 0500... and the one from my sister an hour later....somebody needs to remind them of the TWO HOUR TIME CHANGE! 

After church, we gathered for a beautiful Sunday dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes, carrots, roasted chicken, fresh baked rolls with real butter, fruit, veges & dip, romaine salad, and all the fixings.  Almost all that I didn't need to cook, with a cake that I didn't bake or decorate, and candles that I didn't light and ice cream that I neither made nor scooped.  It was service with a smile!~

Friends gathered to eat, drink and be merry, ride bikes, play ball, work on the race car, roller skate, roller blade, sit and relax with wine, take photos, jump rope, and generally enjoy a beautiful, sunny day.  

Ended the day with a few phone calls from far away family & friends, a few texts, a card game, and dozens of well wishes from my fb friends.  

A day well blessed, filled with love and life~

Post Grandma

Well, as expected, time with Grandma went fast.  And time hasn't slowed down, because I'm pretty sure she left a week ago and I have still not caught up to blog! It's always nice having an extra pair of hands to empty the dishwasher, make a sandwich, change a diaper, help dry off the freshly bathed, fold laundry, take a walk with, run out the door w/o having to find a babysitter for rescue calls, etc....

Here are the events of the past couple weeks--

Highlights: Two day respite retreat was WONDERFUL.  Quiet, calm, free, humorous, relaxing, fulfilling, productive and worth every penny. 

Grandma taught Eden how to sew straight stitch embroidery and she has since completed her name on a cloth.  Or, nearly.

Low lights:  Elia has a double ear and upper respiratory infection and sleeping at night has been a challenge. 

An unexpected death in our congregation of an elderly and beautiful woman brought much sadness to this house last week.  She was somebody who always hugged me and loved our children unconditionally.   She only wished Lars would let her hold him, but he never would.  Elia regularly crawled up on her lap during service and then she'd sit there and just hold her, apologizing later that she couldn't stand up to sing the next hymn.   We went for car rides in the country that she loved, she cooked hot dogs for our kids and 3 course meals for us.  She taught me a lot about being a wife and mother.  I thought she had so much more to teach.  I know I had so much more to learn.  The day before she died, we sat alone together in her living room, and she was still beautiful to me. She asked me to sing at her funeral, and I couldn't answer.  But it was an honor to do so.  She often said she loved to hear me sing, and I loved knowing she was right there listening.  I guess with the 318 people at her funeral, I wasn't the only life that she'd touched.  

------------

In other news, Lars will be done with school this Friday and Eden the next.  Which means summer vacation begins in the house very soon.  No more 7:30 bed time, but oh, how I do like my quiet evenings after that. 

Eden has grown so much in Kindergarten and is proving to be a little Mommy to the younger two.  She is quite a peacemaker, yet enjoys throwing in a taunt or two when she sees fit.  Yesterday, she locked Lars in the bathroom and took to her bedroom for the afternoon...

Lars has done so well in Head Start and is so aware of what he needs, he just does it. His tantrums have diminished to almost nil and short lived when they do happen.  He'll start to yell about something and then tell me he needs to go sit quietly in the dark for a few minutes before he can finish his sentence.  Works for me!  He assures me he's going to use the toilet when summer break comes, but was quick to correct me that summer technically doesn't begin until the end of June.... 

Elia is a pistol.  A riot, but a handful none-the-less.  She has learned how to climb over the chain link fence, so locking the gates is quite pointless.  She helps herself to whatever she would like with the help of stacking stools on chairs, or enlisting Lars to do her dirty work. She can undo childproof containers of every shape and size and can effectively stay up past her bed time every single night with a few blinks of her eye lashes....

Allen "The Rev" is two weeks away from his first race as a super stock race car driver at Hi Way 92 Raceway Park.  Since the sale of his Bumblebee last fall and the winter purchase of an old rusted out stock car, he has been pounding panels, painting, decaling, installing a modified motor, and has become the Vice President of the Platte Valley Motor Sports Club, as well as this year's Track Chaplain and class representative for the Limited Late Model class.  He's in for a fun and busy summer.  He has a few dedicated friends who have helped him get off the ground these past few months and we are all looking forward to the race season beginning. 

I'm just going with the flow. And that's just fine with me.

Tomorrow, I'm one year older, and that's Ok too.   

Grandma is coming!

"Grandma comes today!" exclaims Eden this morning as she gets ready for school.  

"Where's Papa?" asks Lars. 

"He is going to stay in Michigan this time while Grandma comes to help out while Mommy goes out of town", I say.

"And then you will come back?" he wonders. 

"Yes, I'll just be gone a short time and then I will come back", I assure him. 

"To change my diaper? And cut my strawberries up?"  he questions. 

"Yes, for both of those reasons and many more." I say.  

"Yeah", Eden pipes in, "Because she's our Mommy, Lars".

"Yeah"! he chuckles, "You're our Mommy!"  

Right on, little ones.  Right on.  

GRANDMA COMES TODAY!

Easter Vacation 2012

Our Easter Vacation Re-cap:

Perfect weather all weekend? check
Budweiser stocked in fridge? check check
Elia in the dog's water? check
Easter Egg dying party? check
Lars Head Start Easter Egg hunt? check
Elia soaking box of kleenex in bathroom sink? check
Maundy Thursday? check
Allen working on race car? check
Good Friday? check
Allen working on race car with help? check 
Elia opening new box of pads, unpeeling the sticky and stuffing the toilet? check that
Pizza and Movie Night for kiddos and friends? check 
Popcorn with lots of butter and salt? check
Allen working on race car? check
Scooter rides? check
Milkshakes and card games? check
Talking about upcoming race season? check 
Stuffing plastic grass in Easter baskets? check 
Roller blading? check
Allen and friends working on race car? check
Elia fishing bag of Doritos out of garbage after bedtime and eating the crumbs? check that one too
Change fuel filter, charge battery, take Kalli for motorcycle ride? check
riding bikes? check
cleaning the garage? check
re-dirtying the garage? check that
Allen working on race car? did I mention that one already?
Bath? check
Riding tractors? check
Easter Sunday Breakfast? check
Elia finding the chocolate in her basket while wearing Easter dress? check
Easter Dinner with family and friends? check 
Bocce ball in the yard? check 
Bocce ball in the yard again? check
Lounging around? check
Talking Stock Car talk? check
Playing with Elia's new golf clubs? check
Easter Egg Hunt? check
Easter Egg Hunt again? check
Yard work? check
Elia in dog's water? check again
Bath? check
Ham sandwiches? check
Elia wrapping her face in scotch tape? check
Elia in fish tank? check
Bath? check

Back to school??  CHECK THAT!

What was your spring break like?

The Third Child

I can see why my parents stopped at three children.  And it's not because the third time's the charm.  And it's not because that third child was finally the perfect one they'd all been waiting for.

It's because the third child is REVENGE for everything you ever did to your parents.  There is no time to make another child because you're too busy cleaning up after that blessed THIRD one!

Let me give you a few examples from the weekend, in case I'm not being clear here:

safe from intruders

Previous to yesterday, I had placed large pieces of tape across my desk drawers/filing cabinet, as I was tired of having to clean up the empty spaces after she'd made a go through of them.  Yesterday afternoon, while I was enjoying the 85 degree day and I thought the kids were as well, I take a break to come in and find the twenty pounder on top of my desk, clearing it off as if I needed to dust it. (See photos)

 

When I asked, "Elia Clara.  What do you have to say for yourself??"  She simply said, "Mess". 

She got out of bed in the night and made her way to my bathroom, opening every tampon, crushing all the Dixie cups and peeling the sticky off each and every panty liner in my jumbo package.  (So much for saving money on the big box.)  As it were, she slept in the crib the rest of the night with panty liners stuck all over her pajamas.  I was too mad to take photos.  And probably too tired.

On Friday, I was making my bed while she was climbing up the entertainment center and taking a dripping wet washcloth to our LED TV screen.  I need to find a new place for the dog's water bucket. When I told her 'no', she threw the wet washcloth into the speaker, of which she had already removed the mesh cover.

Saturday, while playing in the park, she made a dash for the road.  I was thirteen steps behind her and caught her just as she turned to laugh and giggle about standing in the intersection.  When I paddled her butt, the neighbor yelled, "I saw that!" and started to reminisce about his own young child, once upon a time.

When it was time to leave for a concert last night, there she was, laying in the sandbox under the deck, sand stuck all over her as she'd just come from standing and playing in the dog's water.    

I'm not saying she won't grow up to be as wonderful, spontaneous, loveable, responsible and carefree as her mother (also the wretched third child), but I am thinking Kindergarden seems a long way off right now!

I don't get it

They were fine all through church, 'happy' even.  No Sunday school today meant they had to come home with Mom, stopping off at the dollar store on the way to each get new flip flops for the summer. 

Came home, had a bite to eat, changed clothes & diapers, down to the living room and on went the TV, waiting for the wind to stop blowing and the sun to come out.  Meanwhile, Elia falls fast asleep, flat on her face on the coffee table (she can sleep anywhere!), Lars is playing Cars and Eden is in a world of make believe.  

The 3rd child can sleep anywhere, I've determined

Then it happens, I make myself a tuna sandwich, grab my novel and a bottle of water.  I sit on the couch upstairs.  So far, so good.  One tennis shoe comes off.  The dog starts barking outside.  The other tennis shoe comes off and I kid you not, WWIII breaks out downstairs between the siblings.  Was it because I took my shoes off?  Is it the novel I so badly want to crack open?  The sandwich? Or was it because I tried to sit down for a few minutes of solace?  What, exactly, causes them to know just when to scream and cry and hit and bit and fight?  I don't get it.  

So, they've been banned to the outdoors until further notice.  And you know what?  After a serious 5 minute screaming event between the two with some gnashing of teeth thrown into the mix, they are playing perfectly fine, in a world of childhood adventures known only to them and all to their-selves. 

Surely, I never engaged in such activity as a youngster??

Like the book says

Elia is my text book child.  The only one we've had, actually.  

Eden, on the contrary, was coddled and spoiled and helped all along the way, because she was the first and that's just how it works.  Which, to be honest, you don't even realize until the second one comes along.  She slept 12 hours at a time from 4 months old (not normal, I find out later) and napped 2-3 hours during the day.  I could take naps during the day or catch up on laundry when Eden was up at night then slept the during the day.  I was easily refreshed and able to keep up with her at all other times, as well as bake cookies, participate in every church and community function in my spare time and fill in scrapbook pages with the best of them.  

Lars, well that's a discussion for another book. 

Elia?  Text book baby.  Text book toddler.  Breast fed co-sleeper who didn't sleep through the night till 15 months, took to her crib at a reasonable age, ate table food in the appropriate intervals, crawled at the right time, walked at the right time, talked at the right time, starting with the word 'no' and branching out from there. You know that she's teething when she gets a horrible diaper rash, spikes a fever and her nose runs like a hose.  Likes to be cuddled and read to, loves to play outside even when it's too cold and generally shows her independence regularly.  Just like the book says.  

And the terrible twos that start at 22 months? Well, that's where this chapter ends.  Or is this where the chapter begins?

Racecar progress

After a long awaited nice day, here are the first decals to go on. The "name " was stenciled, sprayed, and hand outlined.

Happy Leap Year

Leap Year:  A day to catch up to the sun.  

A day that people who wish for more time in their day get a whole extra 24 hours of it.  

A day that people who need an extra day in their week actually get one.  

A day that stretches the normally short February into one more work day for a few extra bucks to go towards rent.  

The question is this...does anything extra get done?  Are your floors shinier or your windows cleaner on this day? Do you pull out the silver and polish it because this is an extra day?  What about all those mending projects sitting on your sewing machine?  Are they completed at the end of the day today?  Do your kids get an extra book tonight because of this extra day? What about calling an elderly relative you've put off because you haven't had time? Or catch up on somebody's photographs, read a good book, find a new recipe, call your best friend for no reason, organize your tools, sit and talk to a stranger at the park, pick up garbage along your street, Google something for the heck of it!  

The list of extra possibilities are endless....

What are you going to do to celebrate all this extra time today?  Make it good-

The Bright Light

I opened my eyes ever-so-slightly and I saw a bright light in the darkness.  Then, flowing white robes cascading all around my blurry eyelids.  I was sure I was dying and it was beautiful, though I admit my feet were a bit cold. I closed me eyes.  

The next thing I know, it's 0600 this morning and somebody is crying.  Time to get up and get dressed.  Another school day, kids to take care of, breakfast and diapers, household chores to complete, husband to get out the door to work.  I knew it must have been a dream. Too good to be true.

Standing in the laundry room (which is catywompus to our bedroom) a few minutes after 0800, I see the white robes lying in a heap on the laundry pile. I guess the brightness last night was Al flipping on the laundry room light and the flowing white robes were not taking me to heaven but, rather, were being thrown across the room to their final resting place before the washing machine took over. 

Better luck next time, Sarah....

Blankets

Dear Eden,

At six and half years old, I think you're old enough to know the truth.  

Your baby blanket, your precious hand-made-by-Aunt-Janet Pooh bear blanket that has only once slept away from your little arms and is so soft and cuddly.... well, it fell apart somewhere along its path in this big world. 

The journey from hospital bassinet to bedside cradle to crib to toddler and then twin bed.  From Central to Western Nebraska, from it's traveling in Missouri &Arkansas and South Dakota to Wyoming, up to  Montana and back home again.  From Colorado train stations thru Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan and in your many dreams, it just kind of wore itself out.  

I tried to put it back together a little bit each day while you were at school this week.  In fact, I spent hours at the sewing machine trying to piece the shreds individually back in line, sewing one row at a time.  It worked in places. I ran out of sewing thread and bobbin twice, but to be honest, it mostly just hangs limp in rags now.  

Frankly, though, I don't think you've noticed.  You haven't mentioned anything about it all week.  And believe me, I've been holding my breath every time you've climbed into bed...waiting for you to notice that something is ever-so-slightly different.  

(Don't worry, I didn't wash it this time.  I've learned my lesson there.)

I guess, if you ever get around to reading this letter (I know how busy you are these days), just know that I tried to stop it from happening.  And I tried to make it right after the fact.  Really I did.

But I'm just a mommy.  Not a superhero.  

Sweet dreams my first baby. 

I will always love you.

In Eight Minutes

I have exactly eight minutes to write this while my mixer kneads pizza dough for tonight's supper.  New recipe, very excited to try it out.  I'm not sure what will happen if 8 minutes expire, but I don't want to chance it.

Lars, after his worst day at school ever, of which he apparently spent most of the time in his quiet box in the corner with his heavy vest on, plays Cars cars by himself in his bedroom.  This is where he spends most of his afternoons lately.  I just went in to check on him and he said, "My video watch says it's time for you to leave the room". 

Elia waxes off a Del Monte banana.  That will take her far less time than 8 minutes.

I knew it would happen eventually and it did:  I forgot to pick Eden up from school.  I didn't forget, per say, I just didn't remember to pick her up at the right time.  Every other week on Wednesdays, the kids here get out an hour early and that was this week.  I was out getting the bikes hooked up to go for a ride when I happened to walk in as the house phone rang.  Caller ID said "Schools".  Who uses a house phone anymore, anyway? I almost let it go to the machine but the number was different than usual, so I answered it;

"Sarah, we got out early today."

"Oh.  I suppose you want me to come pick Eden up, then, huh?"

There went the 'bike ride to school' idea.  Eden came running out the door when I got there and said, "Don't worry, Mom, one of my other friend's mom forgot him, too..."  Nice.  I'm the mom who forgot her kid.  And she's only in Kindergarten.  This does not bode well for my future Kindergarteners....

In fish news, we had our first near-death experience with them yesterday, when Elia climbed up on the second shelf of the 3-tiered plant stand and grabbed the tank.  I happened upon her just as the tank was tilting precariously to the left and water was spilling onto the lower levels & floor.  I grabbed the tank in one hand and Elia in the other while she held onto the lid, causing the fish to have a bit of nausea, but were otherwise unharmed. She repeated this process that very evening, when Daddy walked in at the right moment....

I had given up on getting Christmas card out this season when New Year's Day had come and gone.  However, when Allen was out of town with his parents for two weeks, I found I had some extra time on my hands and wrote Epiphany cards, instead.  I also read two of my favorite novels, cleaned my desk out, and sorted through just about every closet in the house.  We're an organized bunch here at the moment.  Having said that, Elia is officially the first of my children to be in clothes that are a bigger size than her age.  And I'm having a hard time keeping up with her.  

Well, my eight minutes are up.  Until next time....

The Chain Saw

Yesterday, I stepped outside and heard the most wonderful sound: 

A chain saw. 

Now, I understand this sounds awful coming from someone who lives in Western Nebraska, where trees are scarce to begin with.  We need as many as we can get.  However, it's not a sound I hear very often out here, and almost never in town.  And it's music to my ears.

A smile instinctively crawled on to my face and I had to hear more of it.

I couldn't tell where it was coming from, so I walked around to the side yard, just as I saw the top bough of an enormous pine tree give way and disappear from view and I heard people yelling above the sound of the motor a street away.

And I stopped to watch for a long while.  Elia joined me, craning her neck to figure out what I was looking at.  Clearly puzzled, she wandered off.

A chain saw has a very distinct sound.  It sounds like Michigan in the fall.  I can't describe it any other way.  The buzz - whine of a chain saw, followed by Dad's voice yelling, "Look out!"

And a chill immediately sets upon the air and the wind starts to blow, almost out of necessity.  

And a chain saw has a unique smell.   It smells a little bit like cold sweat wrapped in plaid flannel.  And a bit of oil.

And they have a look all their own.  Some are small for taking the branches off the boughs, and some are large to take down the whole tree.   But all of them have big burly hands attached to the black handle.

And don't forget the safety lessons that come with the use of the chain saw:  My dad had a pair of jeans that were turned into shorts some years ago.  I'm sure they are still folded in his drawer somewhere. As far back as I can remember, those jeans have a jagged edge cut on top of the thigh, about 6" in length where he set the chain saw on his leg before the chain stopped moving.  If I had to guess, at the time of the incident, they were probably brand new jeans and that's why he ended up wearing them every year after that.  And maybe as a reminder to Chad & I not to repeat the same mistake.

But the thing I remember most about the chain saw is all the memories it served me with.  I learned those woods like the back of my hands and can close my eyes and see myself sitting on a downed log, far away from reality.  I learned how to chain up a trunk and pull it home behind the truck and drag it behind the shed, cut it up, roll the stumps over to the chopping pile, then stack it in cords to dry for use the next winter. 

1987

 I thought I was strong as an ox and always wanted to carry "one more piece" into the house.  

So, you see, it is more than just the sound of a chain saw.  It's a life time of family.