Shennanigans: Why me, Lord?

'What have I ever done, to deserve even one' shennanigan these kids pull?

I say this, tongue-in-cheek, because I know, eventually, that what I've experienced in raisin' kids will actually give birth to a new way of rollin' with the punches. With all the little things that have been happening recently I feel like I've been way-layed with the biggest haymaker seen on earth.

There's definitely a sense of humor to be learned with raisin' kids. They think that 34 degress is HOT! They think that playin golf is okay in the house because they aren't 'throwin' anything. They broke the glass on an 11' X 15" picture of a buck. This week there's been dozens of spankin's to our 1 1/2 yr old. He won't stay off the table, or the counter in the bathroom! He opened up a Christmas present this mornin' that was ready to be sent to family out East. You name it, he's done it. Toys in the toilet. Books in the toilet. Books in the bath. He's climbed on the kitchen table more times than I can shake a fist at. Lliterally. I'm tired of turnin around and him gettin scolded and spanked. I'm at the point that I just don't care now. He's a tornado! But he's learned to call me 'mommy'!!!! I love it! His sweet innocent voice so deftly belies all the orneriness this kid has thrown at me!

For some reason, all the kids have felt the necessity to rearrange every-single-blasted cabinet that's within their reach.



There is dog hair in every-single-lovin piece of tupperware and bowl I own at this point! I'm not even gonna attempt to straighten up the goods because, I swear, they're like bloodhounds. If I organize a cabinet, the dry-bar, the closet, the basement, the toy room, the unbelievable amount of hats that look oh-so-good on my man, the picture books, the bookshelf, a drawer of clothes, you've got an ace in the hole bettin they'll be rearrangin' it inside 24 hrs. They sniff that stuff out! They don't even see me sometimes, but they know!

This has been a doozy of a Fall/Winter. Good thing is, the temperature's been above freezing so they've been outside playin out some of the friskiness.



As I'm typin this, runnin up and down the steps, checkin on the kids, I find this:





Peace out! I'm gonna go clean up the kitchen!
P.S. The chairs are in the kitchen 'cuz JD can't slide them to the table and climb up.

A Full Life

Lordy! It's been a coon's age since I've posted anything! I had to go back and read what I wrote just so I wouldn't backtrack and share the same thing again!

There have been a lot of things goin on around here lately! My cousin had her fifth baby. There was a bit of a scare because my cousin's other children had come down with the H1N1 flu. She was running a high enough fever that at her check-up, the day before her scheduled c-section, she was admitted to the hospital. Medical precautions were such that she was isolated in a compressed room and could have no visitors in her room! Not one of her family members or friends could go to see her. Her husband stayed out at their farm to take care of the older children since he wasn't allowed in the room either. After a shot, an IV, and lots of praying, her contractions stopped over the course of the night. Her fever left and when she had been 24 hrs fever free she was released to go home. Bein' that her delivery had been scheduled via c-section the morning after she was admitted, they re-scheduled the delivery for the next Monday. A healthy 7 lb 15 oz (if my memory serves me right) baby girl named Sage Lillian was born. Her middle name, Lillian, is in honor of the greatest great-grandmother she never will be able to know.

Last week Sunday, I received news that a very dear friend of mine was rushed to the hospital with severe pain in her female organs. After being transferred to an unknown (to me) number of hospitals they found she has cancer. As of yet, I do not know the date of her surgery and the doctor's have no idea as to the extent/growth of the cancer. She had text me last week Monday to let me know, firsthand, what was goin' on. I replied her my sisters were on it and I had known there were complications since the day before. She was flyin' in a good friend from Florida that night, to help her care for all the critters on the farm; a doe with two fawns, a few horses, a herd of dogs, a number of cats, a coop full of chickens and who knows what else she's coaxed in to adopt and care for! She is a very grounded individual with a husband who has made her his life. I have no doubt they are finding strength in each other and very importantly, leaning on God's understanding and peace.

In betwixt these to tidbits of news, my aunt had her 3rd and (and very strongly pray) her final back surgery!! She has been at home for almost two weeks now and has been improving and healing very well! She's been down a long path of back pain and previous surgeries. This third time has been easier than the previous two but in a way, harder emotionally, waiting for the healing to take place and the extensive therapy that will be involved.

Before the cold set in we were havin' beautiful weather! So much so that I opened the windows and we welcomed, much to some of the kids' dislike, a number of outdoor insects! Here is one of our guests which made my nephew yell repeatedly during lunch time, 'Aunt Janae!! Aunt Janae! I don't like spiders!! I want my momma!' And thus began a fit of crying mania.



I trapped the green invader and let him back outside. Bug gone, drama vanished.

Jd has taken to 'sleeping' with Buster.



And then he pesters him while his brother wants to share the pillow with Buster:





Oh, look! There's our toothpaste! That kid has been stealin that tube for over a week now! Never a dull moment!

We've had an owl in our maple during the evening hours, and I caught this avarian species out back just the other day:



Where's Woody? Where's Pecker? Never mind. My version of 'Where's Waldo?' isn't goin' to be a sensational hit among any genre, young or old. Anyway, it's a red-bellied woodpecker. And so far, he's left the siding alone. He's gonna have to find different peckin' ground if he so much as puts one hole in my house!

Talkin about birds. The kids and I made bird feeders from pinecones, peanut butter and seed the other day. Of course, the day I chose to make these just had to be a warm enough day that we couldn't even hang them up! The feeders are in the freezer waitin for the next onslaught of cold days, which will be comin soon. Sooner than I want. Oh, I guess it is mid-October. Blast it!





I'm not sure what's up with the ever-pensive look on my son at this time but it seems he was really chawin' on some thoughts. Maybe he was creating a plan to save the people of our country from impending doom!



Okay, back to the feeders. It's so much more philosophically soothing to think of feeding birds in your backyard.



We've also, this past week, been in a great friend's wedding! We had a weekend full of wedding festivities and a grumpy lil' cowboy who almost ended up in his own Boot Hill!! More on that later!

Have a great weekend, especially now that it's half over!

Goldilocks has hit the dust

I think Goldilocks has had quite a day. Or maybe quite a life. Poor thing. She's gone now....



I think she couldn't handle the chaos in the house and found the fastest way out. There was an open window. I found her lyin in the mulch beneath it.

This has been kinda a week for me too. I think I'm gettin sick with a sinus infection. I've been real tired, which is not normal. I've been real lackadaisical which is not normal either. The boys' naps have been very weird, as in, they haven't been sleepin or it's takin so long for them to get to sleep that then they go to sleep much later at night. Which I don't necessarily like. There's still much stuff I like to get done after they go to bed. Sometimes it's only a soak in the bath, settin the coffee pot up for the mornin and readin a good book. Other times it's cleanin the kitchen, laundry, folding, puttin away, fillin up the dog's water, sweeping, etc. Actually, I've been real languid on that too. I pretty much just wanna get cleaned up and read a book. I'm rambling aimlessly now, so I think I'll spare whoever actually reads this and put an end to your misery. I'm gonna go watch the thunderstorm roll in. The trees are bending. Leaves are flyin. The thunder has woke up one of the boys.

I'll leave you with this peaceful scene:







I love this kid!!

Fall activities

Wyatt has been diligently workin on his boarding skills. He puts all of us adults to shame. Well, at least mom, dad and his Uncle Mike. This last weekend, at various times we all had a moment when we thought we were young (and later, yes, dumb). We all tried goin down the ramp. It didn't work for any last one of us. It was arms flailing, legs peddlin in the air, and a relief when we finally landed on the ground, even before we were able to take stock in any injuries that might have happened. In every attempt that was made each of us had spectators that were able to enjoy a good laugh. JD has really picked up his walkin skills. He spends the majority of each mobile moment walkin and not crawlin. He gave himself a carpet burn in the same spot he just healed a couple weeks ago from a sidewalk burn. Nothin stops the kid.

He's still up to his ears in mud.





Wyatt and I made a canning jar habitat for his two snails, one worm and numerous rolly-pollies. I think the jar lasted 2 days, and then it was cracked. He was very proud of it when he had it.



He has made an airplane out of sponge blocks:



We made hummingbird feeders the other day!





This is one of the birds on the old feeder. We've seen them on the new ones, which is a good thing.


We've taken a family picture! Our last one was about 10 months ago and at least JD has changed a lot!



Here's something that happened yesterday...coffee grounds were dug out of the dry box that was packed and closed for camping this weekend. They were dumped all over the inside on all the other items, and, as you can see, on the floor!



On Saturday, the boys and I, er, uh, I mean, me and Wyatt, with destruction/unpacking help from JD, put up all the Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations. At one point, Wy was so excited to find more pumpkins, he yelled out, as he was diggin them out of the sack, 'Woo-hoo! More punkins!!' Later, as he was lookin around the main floor, he said, 'We've got lots of stuff, huh mama?' Yes, yes we do. Here's just some of our decor:









All of the plastic pumpkins have a fair share of bite marks on them, so we put the suspects behind glass:



Just kiddin, they were there for other reasons last night. The bite marks on the pumpkins are from the year 2007 from Wyatt's second autumn season.

We've also taken down both pools. Today, the boys and I cut down the sunflower heads and de-seeded them. We've got a pan of seeds roastin in the oven right now. The other sunflower head was moldy, so we've hung it up in a basket to see if the birds mind the mold.







I've lived with the four seasons all my life, with the exception of the years 1996-1999, and I still struggle, each Fall, with not accepting that summer is over. I love autumn and the hint of chilly days and nights, soups, warm bread, bundlin up to go outside, holidays and get-togethers and all that stuff, but I adore the spring/summer seasons more. I'm slowly gettin into the Fall thing this year. We are goin campin one last time for the year, this weekend. We've got a new fishin spot to try out which we have a real good feelin about so I hope we can end the year with a long stringer full of fish!

Happy Fall/Autumn to everyone! May you have un-holey blankets, lots of wood in the stack and... be careful carvin pumpkins!

Loose Ends

I feel disoriented. Discombobulated. Antsy. Is that a word? I felt it yesterday too and it didn't put on its boots and ride outta here. There's a thought that keeps haunting the farthest recesses of my mind. Am I pregnant? It's just a slight disturbance. Not that I wouldn't mind havin another ornery scally-wag around here but I'd like more time to get my mind in it, if it's gonna happen.

Wyatt has really pulled the noose on sanity this week. He has taken to whinin and cryin about piddly little things. He's been tattle-talin a lot too. 'Mama, (my cousin) said, 'Uh-uh' to me.' That's what you're gonna come whine to me about? Funny, cuz just the other day you got in trouble for sayin the same thing to one of your cousins. My, how things are twisted! Jd's been a little on the crusty side too. Not sure if it's some more teeth comin in or that he's a little under the weather. The last 3 or so nights I've felt like we were back in his 3-6 month old stage of absolutely-nothin-and-no-one-but-mama-can-make-me-stop-cryin. Okay, I'll be fair. It was from 2-7 months. No joke. I'm no smilin, either.

I have toilets to clean, clothes to pack, camp supplies to pack, recipes/ingredients to prep and pack. There are chocolate chip cookie bars in the oven! That's good news, huh? I also have cinnamon rolls on the way. They'll be done in about 5 hours if I'm lucky. The pool is half drained too!

I can almost say that I abhor loose ends. Okay, I can say I abhor them. It doesn't make me feel as incompetent as I thought. Or lazy. Or low-life. Anyway, I don't like loose ends. Especially when all the loose ends have to be done by Friday because of our FIRST EVER FAMILY VACATION! We are goin to the Jasper area in Arkansas! Log cabin. Food cooked over fire. Perculated coffee every mornin, sipped from the back deck that overhangs the crick. Family. No cell phones. Bear. Wildlife. Family. (We're goin with my Aunt and Uncle.) I. Can't. Wait.

Well, 6.5 hours later it is, now. I've swathed the backyard (because the grass needed it that bad).



Free to anyone: 10 square bales of rich wet mix (weeds, crab grass, marigolds, buffalo grass, and maybe some bermuda) fertilized by ammonia only (yes, the au natural kind. Pee is as natural as ammonia can get!)



I'm sorry, babe, I did NOT break out the weed-eater. I should have. But I didn't.



And I absolutely refused to even mess with the west side of the yard.



That's alright. We have neighbors that don't seem to care. I think. I hope.

The small pool is drained. I wasn't payin close enough attention and mud bug (a.k.a. JD) crawled in the small pool and was playin in 4" deep water. Great. That was is 3rd set of clothes today. Wyatt decided it looked fun and just sat down in the pool, too. Poor Addyson met the mud in an accidental slip and fall.

The cinnamon rolls are made. Supper's in the crock pot and I'm ready for a cold tall boy. The boys are rompin around somehow while they're supposed to be sleepin. Oh well, at this point whatever works for them, works for me!

Great! My Internet Explorer just shut down every page and said it wasn't workin! Does anyone else use Photobucket and have they wondered if it creates problems like I do?

Okay, this was JD's second set of clothes today.



Yes, they are dark jeans, but make no mistake, they are soaked thru and thru, back to front and front to back!



He also played in the dogs water bucket, of which I had JUST scrubbed and filled up early this mornin. Figures! He added grass and dirt. He has yet to convince the pups that it tastes better like that. They ain't buyin it.







Here's the florette on my hen and chicks:





This is the first time in the years upon years that I've had this kind of plant produce 'flowers', if you will.

The other day, we watched a cicada come out of his old house!





When he saw me takin pictures so close to him he turned around. I'm pretty sure he thought I was the tree. I'm not so sure to take that as a compliment or be disturbed by it. He kept reachin out to grasp the camera.



Hey there, little feller! I ain't yer mama! Sorry!





Poor guy. He was fightin a wind up his back that kept bendin his wet wing.



I grabbed a stick and gave him a lift to a notch in the tree and he took off climbin.





Hope you have a good long life and my dogs don't catch ya and eat ya! Cuz they do that, I'm afraid! Stay away from the lights! They're bad news! And stay away from birds! They'll eat ya too! And remember to change your underwear every day! Drink lots of water! Be seein' ya! Happy trails to you!