Green Thumb, Anyone?

I do NOT like to touch dirt. I especially hate to get dirt under my fingernails. This drives me nuts and I feel so nasty until I can suds up and wash the dirt far, far away from my clean nails. I never liked playing in the dirt as a kid, either. And yet, God thought it would be a great idea to give me THREE boys? Seriously going to ask Him about that one day.

But somehow, I fell in love with gardening.

I love flowers. I love taking pictures of them, watching them grow and, as of last year, planting them. I was really depressed one day, one of those periods of time where I went weeks without any quality *ME* time, and Chad had kicked me out, suggesting I go buy some flowers "or something." I spent about $80 on flowers that I could plant outside our base housing, the whole time wondering how in the world I was going to plant them without touching dirt. Crazy, right?

As soon as I got home, I dove in to my new project - mainly because I know me and I am a procrastinator with a capital P. I had to get started while still high from the pollen of my beautiful flowers. I ended up borrowing a lot of tools from my green neighbor (actually she was black, wahahaha...), Lori. The end result was SO beautiful and rewarding that I wondered why I had never done that before. Oh yeah....DIRT.

Everytime I pulled into my driveway and saw the colorful flowers that *I* had planted myself, I immediately felt my spirit lift. Flowers, I learned, are a mood enhancer. Planting them yourself and watching the rewards of your labor, even more so.

If ever I have needed something to help keep my spirit lifted, it's now. So, starting with my Mother's Day bounty of flowers, I got busy and began planting. Then I decided, Why not try a vegetable garden? Half the fun is seeing something go from a tiny bulb or stem to a blooming flower.

So last week I spent way too much money on some gardening utinsils, seeds, soil, and GLOVES, and got busy planting some veggies in Mom's garden. Yeah, I know. But I'm tired of waiting for my own house, my own land, my own garden. Ugh....pity party coming on!

For now I have just 5 veggie plants in the ground, but the next free evening I get, I will be planting a lot more at Beth's house :) She doesn't have kids or dogs to constantly run out of the garden, plus she has really good soil. Don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about? Like a real gardner?!?

Anyway, here are some pics of what I have now. I'm going to keep you informed as they grow. Maybe it will lift your spirit too or, even better, inspire you to start one of your own. Enjoy!

Remember my lily from Easter? Planted in mom's little flower garden, aka my "Happy Place."

Jessica got a Gerber Daisy, one of my all time fave flowers, on Mother's Day as well, so I planted hers for her (really, so I could take pictures of it anytime I wanted)

And this is how it all looked last week, May 21st, before all the rain hit...

Beautiful, right?

Then it rained. And rained. Rained again. Oh, and rained some more. If it weren't for all the rainbows, I'd think God had forgotten a little promise He'd made a long, long time ago!

Now, I planted some squash right HERE. I know because I put this cute little stake thingy in the ground right next to it so I'd remember that. But there is no squash plant to be found. I think it is there, but buried good. We're going to wait and see :)

I do not like tomatoes, except stewed in vegetable soup, but I seem to be the exception in our family. So, I planted tomatoes. Plus, I hear they're pretty easy to grow and we know how I am all for easy!

No comment, Beth or Louise!

And this next little stub was a veggie of some sort, but I can't remember because it didn't have a stake thingy and I didn't use my brain and make one. So not only it is doubtful that it will even grow, but if it does, I won't know what it is till it sprouts something yummy to eat!

Yeah, same deal again. You'd think I would have came up with a way to know what all of these were, but I only bought 5 plants, 3 of which had stakes, so I thought, how hard can it be to keep track of two without stakes? Apparently, pretty hard. No idea what this one is. If one of you recognizes it, please let me know! But he's green & pretty, right?

*Update: Yes, peppers DO ring a bell, Anonymous...thank you very much...Michelle? Jacklynn?

The rain knocked most of my lily's petals off, till I'm down to one little droopy flower :( I *think* you are supposed to cut the spent flowers, which I did, to encourage new growth. Hmm...sounds like a life lesson in there somewhere ;)

Jessica's gerbers were droopy and needed cut as well, so I did. I do know that they tend to come back real easy after a cut back, but I don't think they bloom much through the summer. Mostly a spring flower, which is a shame. Their many colors are almost decadent ;)

Now, since I started this post, my boys have tried 28,139 different ways to send me over the edge, so I think I'll go lay down in my garden and try to suck in some of that mood enhancer I was just raving about. That or plant one of them in my garden ;)

PS: my sister Louise did all of the shoveling for me when I planted these, so to her I say, "Louise, I am not worthy to breathe the air you exhale."

Happy Memorial Day!

A picture says a thousand words, so I'll let my camera do the talking:

We had a cook out at Mom's today (I am the only one that calls it Mom's house anymore; everyone else says, Let's go trash Amy's house!). We had so much food, I feel like a thanksgiving turkey. Or, for the boys, a pregnant bass. Whatever works for ya!
Anyway, we all get along so well, we always just end up sitting around, talking and telling funny stories that usually start with, "Remember that time....". So much fun!

Jessica & Josh: Love your hair cut, Jess! Can't believe how much it changed your looks!

Isn't she beautiful? Notice her pretty green eyes:

Beth - thought this was a great one of you! Still loving the hair cut you gave yourself, with layers!

And with BFF (Boy Friend Forever....or Beth's Freaky Friend LOL) Cliff

Louise & two of her munchins, Conner & Regan

Love this one of Beth & Micah:

Jess brought a coworker & new friend, Tamra - told you girls this one was going on the blog!

Here's Bah (Micah's name for Ben), showing off his Mama's Boy muscle shirt...how funny is that!

Someone that *hot* should not be allowed to hate the camera...but he does:

Tim does NOT hate the camera. He asked if I needed to take another one LOLOL!

Our Sister picture:
Jess, Me, Louise, Beth, & Melissa (on laps)



Just chillin'

Stupid Spaz knows I hate him, so he is always in my face. He finally got tired of my evil eye and got some love from Mo':

Ben never ate a single marshmellow, but every time I turned around, he was blowing a fire out on one:

and making someone else eat it LOL:

I think Micah was eating more ash & dirt than "mamawa":

But he cleans up good, don't he! And he LOVES his "pike" hair LOL (he can't say his "s" at all yet!):

I missed Katie & Ethan so much today...they love family get togethers. Any excuse to hang out with the adults ;) Missed Mom & Dad, too. I'm sure there would have been some target practice going on if Dad had been home. Especially if he'd seen Louise touching the pot leaves Tim had in his police car LOL. Soooo much fun!

Seems like I'm forgetting someone....hmmmmm. Maybe another brother? Neal! Yes, Neal too. Who else? Ohhhh, right.....CASEY. I miss you, Casey! I miss you constantly asking, "So, what are WE doing today?" And, of course, Ben misses his bed buddy. So, hurry up and come home!

Love the ones you still have, miss the ones you don't, and above all, love the One that gave you any of them to begin with.

Love you all and Happy Memorial Day!

Train 'em up!

So, Ben will be three years old on August first, which means there is a milestone we have to cross off our list soon: Potty Training.

In my experience, when you potty train a girl, you start talking the talk, with demonstrations, around age 18 months. Then around 2 years of age, you let them sit on the potty just for fun. Then, oh, think you can put something in the Big Girl Potty? Good girl! And, Bingo! Mommy's Little Big Girl is potty trained before the two and a half years mark. You sail on past her 3rd birthday with Mommy of the Year Award in hand, ready for early Teen Pregnancy Intervention.

But boys are a little different. To put it bluntly, boys are L.a.z.y. Yes, I said it: Lazy! I have three of them, I get to make that generalization. Yes, I am aware that your little boy is the perfect male specimen and potty trained at 18 months....but that is NOT the norm, and I have 2 boys and 3 brothers that prove it :) (Sorry, bros...get under that bus)

See, with boys, you start the demonstration phase at 18 months, then start setting up the scene and introducing Potty Training Vocabulary at age two. At two and a half years you start asking for volunteers. Then, one day you make a fatal error: BRIBERY. In a moment of desperation, you promise, "If you pee pee on the potty, I will give you a piece of CANDY!"

Big Mistake.

From then on, anytime your precious little boy wants a piece of candy, he yells,
"Mommy, I pee pee on da pot tyyyy!" You get your hopes up, run look in the potty, hands already in clapping position....but no go. False alarm. And you continue to get false alarms and what I like to call "Just Got Lucky" bowel movements (basically, he would have peed right then, no matter where he happened to be...he just happened to get lucky and be standing naked over the toilet at *that* exact moment).

So then you spend about six months negotiating candy amounts, running to the potty for false alarms and JGL's, when FINALLY, around 3 years old, the left side (or right, can't remember which side does what right now) of their brain kicks in gear and BAM! Suddenly, over the course of a few days to a week, your little baby boy morphs into A Big Boy...right in front of your eyes. And that year, as the elves, gnomes, storks...WHOEVER...hands you the Mommy of the Year Award, you wipe the sweat from your brow, grab your hard earned trophy, stagger toward your bed and, as you drift off into a much needed month of sleep, murmer to your perplexed husband, "You're potty training the next one!"

Today's Fun Potty Conversation:

Micah was potty trained last year, around his 3rd birthday. Now, I'm setting Ben up for his initiation to the Big Boy Club. Today's conversation gives me hope:

"Micah, I KNOW you have to go to the potty...you're walking like a penguin, and I know I don't own a penguin. So go get on that potty RIGHT NOW. Or *else*!" (Substitute any form of legal punishment you can think of in place of *else*)

"But Mommy, I awweddy poo poo on da potty tommawoh (tomorrow), remembrr?"

"You mean yesterday, but that doesn't change the fact that you are obviously prairie doggin' it, so go to the bathroom NOW!

Two minutes later:

"Mommy! I poo poo a big one, WOOK! "

And then my favorite part of the job, I LOOK. Fortunately, after now looking at 4 different kids' poo, I focus on color and substance only, while conveniently breathing through my mouth only...a skill only moms seem to possess, or so my husband swears as he gags after one of these cool potty sessions.

Everything looks good. Still no sign of that penny he may or may not have eaten. Obviously the apples did the trick as this is his 4th poo in 3 days, so check that one off the list. Hmmm, green? Oh yeah...drank all that orange kool aid earlier. Woo! No trip to the ER to determine if the copper penny is eating his small intestine and changing his poo to green....

Then, I hear proof that my scene & vocab set up is working on the next candidate in training, Ben:
"Wook, Mitah! You poo poo a big one! Dood boy, Mitah! Dood job, Mitah! Dood job!"

Then, my manners check:

"What do we tell Ben, Micah?"

"Tant tou, Bah."

"Dood job, Mitah! Dood job!"

"Tant tou, Bah."

"Dood job, Mitah!"

"Okay, OKAY, boys, I get it...good job, Micah. Let's move on!"

And so I gear up for the next phase of Operation Potty Train Ben...aka, Hell Week: Training Pants. Stay tuned.

Picture of the Day:

My Mother's Day Bouquet...otherwise known as,
Mommy of the Year Trophy

Issues

Blogger.com is having technical difficulties right now, so I'm afraid to put a lot of energy into a big post. I'll check back tomorrow, though.

All Grown Up...

Micah found Chad's fishing hat and said, Mommy, look at me! I a MAN! Tate a pichure a me!


So I did.

He said, Wet me see! And then he said, Hey! Dats my eye! Tate a pichure of boaff my eyes, mommy! And Ben said, I wanna pichure too, Mommy.

I took a picture of them both, together.

They said, Wet me see! Wet me see! Then, Mitah, you a man wike Daddy! Mommy, Mitah a man!

Then Ben said, My tuhn, Mitah. So Micah gave him the hat and Ben said, Wook, Mommy, I a man wike Mitah e Daddy! (they say "ee" instand of "and") Tate my pichure adin.

And, of course, I did.

Doesn't he have a face for hats?

Then they got all goofy, started wrestling, making faces, and demanding more pictures, then to see the pictures. And I bottled it all up in my heart, to ponder in the years to come when they are yelling about how unfair I am, I never do what they want, and don't I love them? When they are too busy to call home, never think to send a picture of themselves, or forget my birthday... Then I'll pull out these pictures and smile to myself about how it used to be so easy to please them, to give them what they wanted, and get only hugs and kisses in return.

That's what we moms do.


"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

Catch up!

I feel so behind in my blogging. I have many stories to tell and pictures to share, but it's just been crazy around here. I have a lot to do today, as well, so here's a quick update:

We got to see all of Chad's family while we were in Ohio for the funeral and they are a great bunch of people. The kids had so much fun with their cousins, Joyce & Jacob. Actually, they are Chad's cousins, so our kids' 2nd cousins, but they are all the same age and I never heard a single argument or disagreement between the four of them. They have a mini petting zoo/farm going, with cows, sheep & lambs, pigmy goats, shetland ponies, bunnies, and a dog. My kids were in HEAVEN when we went to visit, asking if we could get a goat (nope), lamb (maybe), horse (I wish!), cows (only if we can name them Steak & Burger), and every other animal they saw.

This one is only about waist high, a Shetland Pony, I think:

Sheep

See the lambs? They are running toward the hay Uncle Clint was dishing out:

The funniest thing about it all, to me, is that they have a pasture of cows, lambs, & goats all living together...and a trampoline in the middle of it. That's how they do it in the country ;)

And have I mentioned my wonderful MIL yet? I seriously have the best mother in law in the world...and not because she likes to steal my kids for long periods of time ;) She thinks The Smartest Thing Chad Has Ever Done was to marry me. And of course I have to agree with her on that one. Plus, we used to call her a lot to settle an argument or bet and she was ALWAYS on my side, though she tried to act diplomatic and unbiased when doing so (to keep her son happy and thinking that she loves him more. Clearly, I am her favorite).

Anyway, my WMIL (wonderful mother in law) begged me to leave Katie & Ethan with her, and after some arm twisting (ha!), I agreed. Actually, there have been many times I've wondered why in the world God gave me children when clearly Mammaw Jody is much more qualified to raise kids. If I were rich, I'd hire her as my nanny. She is the Lay on the Floor and Play With the Kids type. And you remember me, right? I'm the OMG You Want Me to Get Dirty WHY? Type.

I'm just kidding, a little. I am doing much better. I do not like to get dirty, but having boys has taught me that it all washes off, eventually. Some dirt does take longer than others...but that's a story for another day ;)

Anyway, K & E are having a blast with Mammaw, as I knew they would. She has already taken them to the Columbus Zoo, let Zack's dog spend the night (a puppy sleepover!), let them paint a porch (at that age, it's "let", not "made"), play with Joyce & Jacob and their farm animals, etc. They are loving life right now. And I feel a lot less guilty about Micah & Ben taking up so much of my time.

I have so many stories & pics from the trip to Ohio but I'll have share a little each day over the next week or some of you would get fired for not working, LOL. (Beth, Jessica, Tamra)

We got home Monday evening after a layover with my Grandma (more on that later), and a 2 hour detour outside Knoxville. By then, we were ready to come back to the Nut Farm (no offense, Jess).

Tuesday, I took Micah to the Allergist and he is highly allergic to pollen of all trees and cats. Then he is mildly allergic to soy, peanuts, grass, dogs, and a few other things. Mostly spring allergens, with cats thrown in for good measure. Beth thinks the cat one is only normal, as cats are clearly demonic and being allergic is like having a built in radar for cats: CatDar! Like GayDar, but politically correct. And you know how I aim to be politically correct ;)

So he starts allergy shots next week. The Allergist said that is a CURE, not a bandaid like the meds he is on now. After a year or so of the shots, from what I understand, he should be off his meds or need a lot less. Right now we are doubled up on Singulair and Zyrtec just to keep him breathing clearly. I can't wait to see him be able to run around in the yard without sneezing, itchy eyes, and needing an inhaler at night.

It just got really quiet so here are some pictures for you to admire while I go hunt some boys:

My FIL cuts his grass every 3 days or so, which the boys loved. Free entertainment!

After every mowing, we had to dope poor Micah up on Benadryl LOL

Pappaw Walt keeping them busy...

and feeding them rubarb from the garden

This house reminded me of Tara, in Gone With The Wind

There was a huge barn and lots of landscaping as well...just as I imagine Tara :)

Party like it's 1999!

Today is the 10th anniversary of the day I married my best friend.

Prepare yourselves...it's about to get mushy!

11 years ago, this past February 1st (my birthday), the hot guy I worked with at Angelo's Rib House asked for my phone number. I was ecstatic! It had been a rough few weeks, rough year really, leading up to my 21st birthday and that was the best birthday present I could have asked for. God knew exactly what I needed and his name was Chad. Ain't God good?!

I like to think I was exactly what Chad needed, as well ;)

And so began our lives together. We dated from March till the following May, when we got married, on May 15, 1999. (Remember that date, babe!)

And the rest is history!

Well, not quite! We actually almost didn't have that first date. Chad didn't call for 2 weeks. We worked together several nights a week and I was going nuts after the first few days. Why didn't he call?! Then, on Valentine's Day, I thought, Oh, he has something really sweet planned for Valentine's Day. He'll ask me out then. But, um, NO.

Sad thing is, everyone else at work assumed the same thing, so when he walked in with nothing - no flowers, chocolates, or even an invite for a first date still - we were all confused! To top it off, the guy I had broken up with a month before actually did bring me flowers and a stuffed animal...to work! Where I worked with CHAD.

So, long story short, Chad thought old BF and I had gotten back together and we didn't get that all straightened out for another week or so. Then, he set up a date around the first week of March (1998). Then stood me up. YEP.

Now, I liked him A LOT by now. He made me weak in the knees ;) But when I found out he'd stood me up because he was busy getting drunk with his best friend, I hit the roof. He apologized and asked for a second chance and I told him, One more chance. You stand me up again and it will be the last time you ever get a chance with me. Look at me being all independent and self assured!

Remember that, Katie.

So we went on our first date, I think March 6th (I remember it was a Tuesday), to O' Charleys. He got the loaded nachoes. I think I got the club sandwich. Yum. I'm hungry!

And so, we started dating.

He was not who my parents thought I'd end up with. Chad was just...strange. And in our family, that's saying a lot; we're a pretty strange bunch ourselves LOL. But he made me so happy. We got along from the beginning. Rarely did we argue, and when we did, it didn't last long. That was important to me. I'd seen too many couples that argued all the time and I didn't want that. I had had that. I craved a peaceful, happy relationship. And that's what we had.

He still makes me laugh out loud at night when it's just the two of us snuggling under the covers, telling outrageous stories he made up just to see me smile. He still makes me weak in the knees when he plays catch with his kids, or pushes his babies on the swing, or rides them around and around on the four wheeler when I know he is so tired from working like a dog for 10 or more hours straight.

He is The One. The perfect one for me.

We lived in Cleveland for 3 years, where we had Katie and Ethan. Then he joined the Air Force and we moved to Japan,where we were stationed for 3 more years, and where Micah was born. Then on to Andrews Air Force Base, outside of Washington, D.C., and where our fourth, and final, Benjamin was born.

Our cup truly runneth over.

Now, here we are, almost back where it all started...

In case I haven't said it lately, Babe...I'd follow you anywhere. To infinity and beyond!

(Sorry, Micah is really into Toy Story right now!)

Here are some pictures (OF COURSE!) of me and my VHH....yes, Very Hot Husband.

This was taken by Katie while we were in Japan, around 2003, 2004
Look how young we are!

This one is from our first vacation home from Japan, so again, 2003

Us in 2006, Maryland

Me & My BFF in October of 2008

And yesterday....my VHH:

He doesn't love my camera, can you tell?

I wouldn't quit till he smiled for me ;)

He's so pretty!!!

So, there you have it. 10 years down....40 more to go. We decided to quit at 50 ;)

PS> For our anniversary, my very awesome MIL (mother in law) is going to come stay with the kids for a couple of days, while Chad & I take a little mini second honeymoon. We've earned it this year! We are going to rent a cabin and take the four wheeler and some fishing poles to a place about an hour or two away, and have some fun!

O HI O

In Japanese, Ohio (like, O Hi O) means "Good Morning!"

I'm going to have a pretty busy day tomorrow (Friday) so I'm going to go ahead and post some pictures I've taken so far on our Ohio trip. As I said, we'll be going fishing in the morning, about 7am, then tomorrow afternoon we are having a cook out/fish fry. Walt, my FIL, does that every summer when we come home to visit, to give us all a chance to hang out with Chad's extended family at one time. The funny thing is, Chad's parents are divorced, his mom remarried, and the only family that shows up is his mom's side...my FiL's ex in-laws. They still fish together, have cookouts together, everything. It's the neatest thing, this blended family. The way it should be, I guess.

So, enjoy the pics and please, please...pray I catch more fish than Chad or Walt. It would make me SO happy. It would make them SOOO unhappy. Quite possible rank up there with one of my best days ever.

Jesus, if you are reading this, I just want to catch more fish than Chad & Walt. Please, please, please!

Amen.

These farms are beautiful, representing the hard working people that make up middle America:

I am SO glad God didn't call us to be chicken farmers. I would not be a happy chicken farmer's wife. UGH. And no, that is not a chicken farm. I'm just sayin'.

How many deer do you see?



If you zoom in, you can see a 5th pair of ears on the right :)

The deer in Chad's hometown are so not afraid! They seriously wander downtown in the evening. It's actually a real safety hazard, but they are so majestic, aren't they.

Ben took it upon himself to give Boy, Zac's dog, some water:

By the time he would get it to the poor dog, most of it was on his shirt LOL.

Here he is walking PAST the thirsty dog. Poor Boy was like, What up wid dat?! Where crazy white boy goin' with my watah! (Boy is actually black, thus the ebonics ;)

He kept picking up the water and moving locations. That poor dog. I actually felt sorry for it.

I have taken this exact shot for the past 3 years now: Pappaw Walt & Micah mowing the grass. It's their "thing".

Here is poor Ben waiting for his turn...so excited to finally "wide on dah wan mowah".

These were taken this afternoon. I was pitching to Katie while Chad attempted to take pictures...

Poor girl trips over her own size 4 (in women's!) feet all the time.

How sweet is his smile? I love, love, LOVE that grin right there. I could bottle him up and keep him that sweet and 4 years old for ever.

Ethan practicing his bike riding skills

We went to cousin Joyce's baseball game and the boys found their Nirvana: a dirt hill that resembled a Monster Jam field. Ben & Micah's "Happy Place."

Walt has a beautiful home and yard. It's very peaceful here. When he's asleep, anyway ;)

The End