A "Normal" Week

Last week was a "normal" week. Church, work, daycare, housework, etc. Sometimes "normal" is a good thing! "Normal" can be way under-rated.

Kevin (and Anna) have planted six of the ten trees. One afternoon they were outside and when I looked out the window I saw Anna helping Kevin. He was filling in the hole around a tree with the shovel. Anna had her tiny shovel (that goes to her sand pail) and was working right along with daddy. It was just so cute! I grabbed the video camera and captured the moment through the window. One day we can show her how she helped plant the trees. Of course it wasn't too long after this moment that I saw her back on her tricycle going up and down the driveway. I guess she was just supervising at that point.

Mason showed us what a big boy he really is this week. His speech therapist had told me that she preferred him to drink from a cup with a straw (alas, no sippy cup). I thought 'yeah, right'! But I bought a sippy cup with a straw to at least say I tried. Well, he can do it! He just sucks it right up. Only problem is he will try to tilt the cup up (as with a normal sippy cup) but then there's no liquid at the end of the straw. I can't believe that he will be 18 months on October 6. Time is flying by so fast!

Kevin was a door greeter at church services today. Tonight Anna was helping him before Bible Class started. Apparently she did a great job because I heard lots of compliments on the "new" door greeter. Some even went on to say that she was "a lot prettier than the one this morning".

Mimi came over for a few hours today to watch Anna & Mason. Kevin & I went to a couple of Open Houses to look around for ideas for our house project. We got some good ideas of what to do and what not to do. But we still want more ideas. So if you have some to share, please let us know.

If you see Kevin tomorrow (Sept 29th), wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! In celebration his mom is cooking supper and then Anna is spending the night. It was so funny because earlier I asked Anna "whose birthday is tomorrow?" She said "Daddy's! But I wish it was TODAY!" I asked "why?" She said "so I could spend the night with Mimi!" Kids just say the cutest things! (That's a blog that I've been working on for a while and will eventually get posted.)

Hopefully we're in for another "normal" week but I've got my doubts. I'm getting a wisdom tooth pulled later in the week...so that should make things interesting! Tell you all about it next time...

Where is September Going?

I can't believe that over half of September is gone! Soon it will be Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas! (Anna would want me to add her birthday in there between Thanksgiving and Christmas. To her it's a national holiday...but wait until she gets older!)

This week was fairly normal until Thursday. I woke up around 3:00 a.m. not feeling so well. I tried to get ready and go to work but it just wasn't going to work. How much work can you do when you can't stay out of the restroom vomiting? By Friday morning I didn't feel great, but I got up and went to work and felt better as the day went on. I'm just not one to stay down for long...I've got to be up and make sure things are getting done. I think it's interesting that when Kevin picked both kids up on Thursday, that he needed to go mow his mom's yard. So she watched the kids and fed them supper. I know she didn't mind at all (and actually enjoyed it) but how come I don't get that lucky??? :o) So far (fingers crossed) no one else has gotten what I had. Please pray that they don't either.

The much anticipated NEA District Fair was this past week. Saturday night we met Brian, Holly, Katelyn, Nathan & Macie at the fair and had a blast. Anna & Katelyn rode lots of rides. I don't think they will get back on the Dizzy Dragons. They ended up in a dragon with some older kids. The older kids had the dragon really spinning. Before the ride was over we thought we could tell Anna & Katelyn weren't having fun. When the ride ended, Anna & Katelyn came out without smiles. Anna ended up in tears once she made it to me. I felt so sorry for the girls. They said that the kids in the dragon were "being bossy" and wouldn't stop spinning when they asked them to stop. Then on the way home we were discussing the experience and Anna said "I said I want my mommy." That just broke my heart! But I guess that's just one of many more times that I won't be able to protect her. (That's going to be so hard!)

When we were ready to eat we couldn't find a place to sit. So we went out to the stage area and sat on the bleachers. There was a concert going on and it was loud. After eating Anna & Katelyn started dancing. At one point they had their own little audience...talk about stealing the show. Mason enjoyed the music too. He would bob up and down and sway. Then when everyone clapped he would clap too. He didn't get to ride the Merry Go Round because it was FAST. I don't know that I've ever see a Merry Go Round go as fast as that one! But other than the Dizzy Dragons everyone seemed to have a great time.

Having fun!

Is the stroller the only ride we get to do?

Hopefully they will pay more attention to where they're going when it's real!

I can see the future...Anna & Katelyn riding a jet ski at the lake.

As we were walking back to the truck, we ran into Brianna. Brianna is Anna's special friend from school. They had to hug and talk a little bit. Too bad we didn't run into her sooner!

So happy to see each other!

The planting process of our trees started Saturday. While the kids napped we went out and measured and flagged where to plant them. Kevin is quite the perfectionist when it comes to things like this (which is a good thing!). We measured and remeasured and measured and remeasured and moved flags and changed our minds!!!! If it was up to me, I'd just go out there eyeball it and dig a hole and hope it works out! But like I said it's good that Kevin wants it done right. Here is the first tree planted. I'd like to say I had a part in getting it in the ground but Kevin did all the hard work. That's one down and 9 more to go! (We were originally going to do eight but decided on 10...five on each side of the driveway.) Maybe by the next post I'll have more trees to show. I'll just have to crack the whip at him!! (He never reads this blog!! ha, ha)

Our first tree!

A Video Finally!

I finally got a video loaded! (I've still got some kinks to work out but at least it is on the blog now.) It wouldn't let me add any text before or after the video, so I had to make this post to explain. I had to change "Our Songs" to where it wouldn't automatically play in order to hear the video. So if you want to hear "Our Songs" scroll down on the right and hit the play button (first button on the left- triangle pointing to the right). Sorry!

I took this video of Mason winking back at the end of August. I have been trying to get it on the blog since then! Every time I tried to upload the video directly to the blog I would get an error message. So I finally uploaded it to Google Video and embedded the video into my blog. I was still having difficulty with that until tonight. Not sure what was different about tonight but I'm just glad it finally worked!! If anyone has any suggestions on making this easier please leave me a comment.

Mason Learned to Wink

September Fun

Last Sunday afternoon we went to Lowe's to look for trees to plant up our driveway. The kids enjoyed the shopping cart ride the most...

We decided on the Cleveland Pear Tree. Kevin bought eight of them Friday afternoon. We were planning on planting them yesterday but decided to wait for Tropical Storm Ike to blow through. We are sure glad that we waited! Fortunately we don't have a lot of damage after the horrible winds last night but we did have some. Our underpinning to the house is all messed up. We found a piece of it out in the road on the way to church this morning. We have limbs down but no trees. Thankfully the house is still standing...I was beginning to wonder around 6:00 a.m. when I could feel it shaking. I even woke up Kevin and asked if he thought we should go somewhere else. But we stayed and got ready for church and fortunately it's a happy ending (except for Kevin who is out looking for all the underpinning and trying to put it back in place).

The cooler temps earlier in the week had us spending more time outside. Anna has always enjoyed playing outside and it appears that Mason does too. All I have to say is "Mason, do you want to go outside?" and his little arms are reaching for me to pick him up and go. His favorite outside toy is a lawn mower that was given to us by some special friends. He pushed that thing all the way around our house, up and down the driveway and then some! He is so independent!! When he would get to the thicker grass, he couldn't keep the mower moving. So I'd reach down and push on the mower to get it moving again. As soon as it moved, he would reach over and push my hand away. If I didn't move my hand, he would screech at me and if that didn't get me away then he'd just fall down and have a "Mason fit". I just hope he enjoys mowing so much during his teenage years!!

So proud of his mower.

Wonder if he will look this happy about mowing at 16???

Anna loves to ride her bicycle. We just need some pavement for her! (One of the downfalls to country living...but it's worth it.) The kids let me pull them down to the mailbox (and then back up the hill...great exercise).

Saturday night we went to the NEA District Fair Rodeo. This was Anna's second rodeo but she was too young to remember her first one. This was Mason's first too. We met Uncle Scott and Aunt Debra before the rodeo and ate supper. Then we picked up Mimi and met Papaw & Grammy at the rodeo. So it was a whole family adventure. Anna loved the rodeo! Her favorite part was the clown "Rudy". She was fascinated by him! We're not sure what Mason's favorite part was...maybe the music because it sure got him to dancing! It took everyone to keep him entertained. He got passed around from person to person. But he really did well. We were all up past our normal bedtimes because it was after 10:00 when it ended. But we all had an excellent time. Anna was excited about wearing her pink cowgirl boots...

As her shirt says "Rodeo Princess"!

Daddy & his little cowgirl & cowboy (that didn't want to be still)!

Ready to rodeo!

A Visitor Under the Sandbox

Thursday evening we were all outside. Kevin was busy working in the shop and the kids and I were playing. Back in the spring Kevin built Anna a sandbox. We were playing near the sandbox and I noticed how the rain had washed out some of the dirt around it. In my mind I was thinking 'that looks like the kind of place that a snake would hide'. Just a few moments after having this thought, I saw something move under the sandbox! I hollered at Kevin and said "There's something under the sandbox!" The hole I was peering at (from a very safe distance) was small and dark. So all I could see was a small snake head & it's tongue slithering in & out of its mouth. Kevin didn't get excited and just kept on working. Of course by now I've got Anna's undivided attention. I continue to see the snake head and say "KEVIN there is a S-N-A-K-E under the sandbox!!!!!" I spelled snake so that Anna would not panic (because I was doing enough for everyone). So Kevin gets the hoe and comes to see my find. I've gathered the kids and we are watching safely from the shop. Kevin is looking at the hole and studying the situation. He finally says "come and see what this is". I'm like "no way!" He insists that I come look and I'm like "tell me what it is first!" I'm thinking that he's going to tell me what kind of snake it is. After a little bantering back and forth about "come here and look" and "no, tell me what it is", he finally says "Brandi, it's a FROG!" Of course I don't believe him because I know I saw a snake's tongue! I finally get brave enough to edge out of the shop a little ways to try and get another look. Kevin is bent down (fairly close to the hole where the snake/frog is located). In the meantime, Anna comes up behind Kevin and grabs and pulls the toy lawn mower that is behind Kevin. The lawn mower is on gravel so when she pulls it there is a loud noise and Kevin jumps like he's been bitten! After recovering from a near heart attack, Kevin again tries to convince me that it really is a frog. I'm just not seeing a frog...I'm seeing a snake that keeps sticking his tongue out. I ask Kevin if he is absolutely positive that it is a frog. He says "YES!!" and goes back into the shop. That is just not good enough for me. I have got to see for myself that it's a FROG before I can be appeased. Otherwise, I'll be having nightmares about that snake and will never let Anna get near the sandbox again. So from a safe distance I start picking up small rocks and throwing them at the hole where the snake/frog is lying/sitting. My aim is horrible and I just can't seem to hit close enough to our "visitor" to make it move. Anna picks up on this fun game of throwing rocks at the hole and tries to help me out. I don't know how many rocks I threw (at least a dozen) before I finally hit close enough to my target for it to move. So I'm watching for slithering or hopping and our visitor............................................................................................





HOPS!!!!! I exclaim "okay it is a frog!" Anna says "it is a frog, Daddy". Kevin says "I'm glad ya'll finally concede to my saying it's a frog!" So I'm feeling much better knowing our "visitor" is actually a frog (although I really don't like them either but do prefer frogs to snakes). Thinking all is well and glad the whole ordeal is over I start to walk away from the sandbox. Then Anna so innocently asks "Momma, what's a 'S' (pause) 'O' (longer pause) 'T'?" She was trying to spell what I had spelled earlier S-N-A-K-E. You really had to be there and here the way she was trying so hard to remember what I had said to appreciate it. It was so cute & funny at the same time. I had not realized that the whole entire time that this ordeal was happening that she didn't know I thought it was a snake! I didn't want to frighten her by mentioning a snake and getting that thought into her head (because she's like her momma). So I just tried to ignore the question and kept walking. Should've known better because when I didn't answer she said "Is it a snake?!" She got me! Needless to say, Kevin will be filling in the hole where our "visitor" was lounging. Because until he does, Anna won't be playing in the sandbox!!!

We laughed so much that night about the whole ordeal. In my defense, I was a very safe distance when looking at our "visitor", the hole was small and dark, and I was seeing something move. Only it wasn't a snake's tongue, it was a frog's chin(?) moving up and down. (Does a frog have a chin? I don't know what it's really called.) And yes, it's past time for my eye exam too! Not to mention that I have a vivid imagination...and after thinking about a snake being under there and then seeing something move...my imagination went into overdrive!

Our Songs

I added a new "feature" to our blog this week. It's "Our Songs". I've had a few people ask me why I do this blog. It started out just for fun and to keep people that we don't talk to often updated on our family. But as I've continued posting it has developed into a journal of Anna & Mason's lives. I hope to one day have it printed and bound for them as a keepsake of their early years of life. So when adding the songs, I picked songs that have meaning to us. If I do ever get around to making this into a book for the kids, the songs won't be included. So this post is to let them know what songs I chose and why I chose them. (So some of you may want to skip this post.)

You're Gonna Miss This (Trace Adkins)- I call this our family's "theme song". The verse that says "one kid's crying and one kid's screaming" just reminds me of our house so much of the time. But although there are times I want to pull my hair out, I try to remember that one day, as the song says, "you're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back, you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast, these are the good times, so take a good look around, cause you're gonna miss this". I know that one of these days, if the world keeps spinning and I keep living, that I'm going to look back and think 'Wow, if only I could go back to those days!"

Blessed (Martina McBride)- Since this song came out, I felt it fit my life perfectly. As it says "I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve". Oh how true! Although my life is far from perfect and there are things I'd change, I still am so blessed. God has given me a wonderful husband that provides and cares for our family, two beautiful and precious children- Anna & Mason- that I would not know what to do without, a great family of support- my parents, mother-in-law, aunt & uncle, brother & sister-in-law, grandparents that have passed on, and so many other people including some awesome friends (many that read my blog). God has also blessed me with good health, a place to live, food to eat, and everything else that I NEED in life and so many things that I just WANT. So even when life isn't always going the way I want it to go, I can hear this song and be reminded that yes, I am blessed!

In My Daughter's Eyes (Martina McBride)- This song came out right before Anna was born. I still remember the first time I heard it. I was on my lunch break and driving back to work. Lets just say that the hormones of late pregnancy along with the words to this song sent me into tears! But they were happy tears (you women understand). After trying for what seemed like an eternity to have a baby and getting so close to having our much anticipated daughter, this song just hit home. As it says "in my daughter's eyes I am a hero, someone strong and wise that knows no fear, but the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me, I see who I want to be in my daughter's eyes". I know the day is coming (and sooner than I want) that Anna's view of me will be so much different from what it is while she is young. Right now I'm still smart, fun, wise, pretty and all the good stuff to her (at least most of the time). But from the time of her birth until she hits that stage, I get to be as she tells me "the bestest mommy in the world".

I'll Be (Reba)- This song is special because it was played at our wedding. I think the words to it are perfect for describing how we should be there for our spouse. "I'll be your shoulder when you need someone to lean on, be your shelter, when you need someone to see you through I'll be there to carry you, I'll be there, I'll be the rock that will be strong for you, the one that will hold on to you, when you feel the rain falling down, when there's nobody else aound, I'll be..." Now after having children, I see how this could explain my love for them as well!

Carrying Your Love With Me (George Strait)- This song was popular when Kevin and I were dating. It still applies to us today. Whether we are gone on a business trip, at work, or just apart due to living life it still applies. "I'm carrying your love with me...it's my strength for holding on every minute that I have to be gone, I'll have everything I'll ever need carrying your love with me." Anna & Mason, I'll always be carrying your love with me too!

Walk On (Reba)- I have loved this song since I was young. (I've always been a huge Reba fan.) It's my prayer that Anna & Mason will follow the words to this song through their lives. "When your troubles knock you down, pick yourself up off the ground and walk on...Nothing ever stays wrong that long, walk on..." I try to live by this too. Sometimes life throws us punches but we need to get up and walk on!

County Fair & Other Fun

Our family loves this time of year...fair time! Thursday evening we braved the drizzle and mist to go to the Greene County Fair. Why??? Good question! One of Kevin's friends was in the 4-wheeler races and we wanted to watch him. We went early enough that we could ride a few rides first. This was Mason's first time to go to the fair. He really seemed to enjoy it! He had lots of smiles, pointed at lots of things and hollered in excitement a lot. He was unsure of the Merry-Go-Round. You can see it in his big-eyed expression. After about two circles, he was in Dad's arms for the remainder of the ride. (I think Anna is going to be like me and enjoy the rides while Mason is going to be like Uncle Scott and not care anything about them.)

Mason says "Mommy, why did you let me get on this thing??!!" Anna says "this is the best!"

Anna had a wonderful time too! Only problem was she didn't get to ride enough rides to suit her. I told her that the county fair was "just practice" for the district fair. She can't wait for the district fair to get here and will be SO disappointed if Katelyn doesn't get to be there with her!! It's hard to believe that the district fair is only a week away.

Riding in the helicopter to stay dry!

Mason would love to get ahold of a goat!

We didn't get to watch much of the 4-wheeler races due to the rain. We actually watched a little of it from the livestock barn. We watched Kevin's friend run one time and then we left. (He ended up winning.) It turned out to be cooler than I'd expected. Thankfully I had dressed everyone in long pants but I wish I'd taken jackets too. I ended up wrapping a small blanket around Mason and fighting to keep it in place. One good thing about going during bad weather...we didn't have to wait in line for any of the rides.

Friday night Mason spent the night with Grammy & Papaw. So what did we do when we were minus one child? We borrowed another child!!! We took Anna & Katelyn to Chuck-E-Cheeses. Of course they had a blast! After using all their tokens we went to the mall and let them play on the playground.

Riding double!

The Best of Friends!

The girls are growning up!

Saturday morning (with Mason being gone) Anna & I slept late. The weather was so nice. Anna played outside a lot and I took it pretty easy myself. Saturday evening I had a get-together with Paula & Kim (childhood friends). We had a blast just talking and laughing. We plan to do it again and might even meet at "the wobble box". After leaving there I picked up Mason and we headed home. He and I kept some late hours on Saturday night...we didn't get home until after 9:00! (ha!) Anna & Kevin had a good time while I was gone. They played outside, rode the 4-wheeler and had popcorn for supper (yum, yum!).