Flashback Friday

In May 2009, we planted a whole forest of trees at our place.  I don't remember now how many... 150?  200?  We had lots of great help and it was a beautiful day. 

Mr. Helpful had a perfect seat. 

They just keep going...

I think drinking out of a hose is a rite of passage for a farm kid. 

Chore time

No trip to my parent's house is complete without Lucas helping Papa Richard do chores.  I love watching it. 

"Me help."

Papa said "Stay by the gate."

"Me help."

Yes, there are dairy calves in the herd.  No, I did not grow up on a dairy farm.  Dad has diversified since the kids left the farm.  I remembered Lucas' mud boots, but it never even crossed my mind to bring "chore clothes."  I love watching Lucas soak up this time with his Papa.  Lucas is a little farmer, for sure. 

Signs of summer

Friends, barbecues and playing outside are staples of our summer. It doesn’t matter what we eat {there is always plenty}, where we go {mi casa es su casa}, or who can all make it {everyone is invited}. The kids love playing together and the adults love gabbing. Well... the moms gab, the dads usually end up playing a ball game with the kids.

With the weather being so nice lately, we’ve kicked off our summer a little early.

Josh, Lucas, Hanna, Marc, Jake, Jonah

Jake, Brent, Dave, Hanna, Marc, Ellie, Lucas, Garrett, Lucy, Maggie, Jonah

Play ball!

Swing, batter batter, swing!

Garrett, Lucy, Marc and Lucas

I think Lucas was trying to share his food with Lucy and Garrett.

Random ramblings...

Imagine my surprise when I entered the living room on Saturday to see that my precious little boy had taken off his pants and underwear, opened the front door and was hanging out the door {with his business}.  All I see are these cute little buns.  I ran to the door, grabbed his hand and pulled him away.  I peered out to see the mailman was at our box at that exact moment.  I was pretty sure I was going to get a visit from DHS about my nude babe. 

When I asked Lucas why he took his pants and underwear off, he said "they hurt me."  These were not new underwear or pants; he's worn them plenty.  Oigh.  Then I explained that we have to have pants, underwear and a shirt on to go outside. 

**********

While playing outside Sunday (completely clothed), a rabbit went racing across our backyard. 

Me:  "Lucas, look at that rabbit.  He's fast!"
Lucas:  (without missing a beat he quickly responded) "Dat wabbit fast like me." 

His speed, nor his interest in nudity, comes from his mama. 

**********

Before climbing into bed, Lucas always goes potty.  He had his "mmm" in his mouth (pacifier).  When he reached up to flush the toilet, mmm fell out and was briskly swished away into toilet-land.  The look of terror on his face was priceless.  I thought it was funny, but wonder if it won't cause a flushing issue at some point.  This is the first non-toilet-appropriate item (that I know of) that has been flushed... not too bad.  It took several minutes of calming Lucas down before we continued our bedtime routine.

**********

Brent and I are fans of the sitcom "The Office."  Lucas climbed into my lap while we watched an episode the other day.

Lucas:  (pointing to TV) "Dat Jim."
Me:  "You know Jim Halpert?"
He shakes his head yes.  Maybe we need to cut back on our addiction.

Time to party and get healthy!

We had such a healthy winter this year, I should have known it would catch up to us.  In the last month, Lucas has had a double ear infection, a weird bug where he ran a fever off and on for 48 hours and now pink eye.  Geesh!  The weather has been cold and yucky in the last two weeks and today is a gorgeous spring day that I hope wipes all of the bad germs out!

In between the illnesses, we did some partying.  Brad and Michelle were in Iowa to celebrate their upcoming nuptials with friends and family.  We showered them with lots of goodies and had plenty of fun, too. 

Connie, Michelle, Chris

Sierra, Lucas, Michelle, Carrie

Breaking for a fruit snack.

Helping Aunt 'Chelle open gifts.

Handing out favors to the guests.

Smelling the lucky ladybug statue hidden in Aunt Janie's plant. 

Carrie, Sierra, Michelle, Teresa

The happy couple.

Everyone always says...

...how much Lucas looks like Brent. 

Really? 

You don't think he looks anything like me?

Don't need 'em...

Daycare sent home Lucas' diapers because he doesn't need them anymore.  Yay!  He stays dry at nap time and only wears a diaper to bed at night {he even wakes up dry sometimes from overnight}.  I'm afraid to say it, fearing I will jinx it, but he is doing so great!  We are still working on poop, but he is doing really well. 

*I said in our header that sometimes things get yucky; poop is yucky.

Happy Mother's Day

Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I wore clean clothes everyday.  {I went to the bathroom by myself.}

Before I was a Mom -
My house was usually clean. I never tripped over toys or sang lullabies. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on,
pooped on,
spit on,
chewed on, or
peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin or a case of the giggles. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every ten minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known
the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment or
the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

I am thankful {EVERYDAY} that God chose me to be a Mom.


*I have seen lots of versions of this, but have no idea the proper author to credit.

Flashback Friday

Our First Garden

May 2005

Brent is the gardener; I'm just along for the ride. I don't mind weeding and picking, but I really have no idea what to plant, how to plant it, when to plant it, how to cook it once we pick it... you get the idea.  So in the spring of 2005 when he wanted to not just plant, but BUILD a garden in our back yard, I was a little weary.  He and, our next door neighbor, Dean, came up with a plan that I had no vote in.  I thought it seemed like way too much work, but it became a beautiful masterpiece and was yummy, too. 

We lived in Ottumwa at the time and there wasn't a "perfect" spot in our backyard, so the boys created a perfect spot.   

The finished product - complete with deer and rabbit protection. Look at that grin on his face!!

It was the perfect garden.  Brent spent a lot of time taking care of it and we all enjoyed lots of good food.  We had our first {and successful} experience making salsa and canning.  He planted it again in 2006 and had great plans for 2007, but that was the spring we moved.  We sold the house, but our lovely neighbors continue to tend our garden.  The new owners are perfectly okay with that. 

It has been four years and Brent has been dreaming about a garden since then.  The perfect spot, the perfect size, the perfect seeds... we planted it a few weeks ago and he couldn't be happier to tend to it.  How come in his dreams, everything gets bigger?  The old garden looks itty-bitty compared to the new one.  

I'm glad Brent enjoys this hobby and I'm glad that Lucas gets to learn, too.  It is fun for all of us. 

Random pics

Photos from my cell phone.

Jonah and Lucas, best buddies

Playing farm with Uncle Brian and Papa Steve.

Haircut time - Lucas loves Jennie!

Planting corn - can you see his red hat and yellow shirt?  He is so attentive sitting in the tractor!

Lucas pushed his high chair from the kitchen into the living room and wanted to watch tv in it. 

Garden

The garden is planted!  All 1,200 square feet of it. 

Lucas kept Daddy in a straight line. 

(Notice the sneakers?  We've had lots of shorts-and-boots days, but that night I convinced him otherwise.)

Then he helped set the planter.

He supervised.

He instructed.

Soon, we will all get to eat it!

Black birds & tools

Did you also know that toy drills can be used to ward off unwelcome guests?

We had a few blackbirds that {I presume} were eating worms after a rain. Lucas was headed to his play set to "work." Lately, he doesn't go to his play set without his tools. I have no idea why. But he is always hammering, screwing, twisting, etc. He spotted the blackbirds and stopped in his tracks. He turned around and looked at me, worried. Being the consoling mommy I am, I turned and ran to get my camera; I could see something good about to happen.

When I returned a few seconds later, Lucas was holding up his play drill and pushing the button so it was making noise. It never phased the birds. {You can also see that he had his hammer and philips screw driver in the other hand.}  He held the button on the drill for a good minute. I was cracking up. The birds didn't care, so I decided to walk towards them, knowing they would fly away. Lucas stayed in this exact spot until they were gone.

A toolbox full of daddy's tool is like Christmas morning for this little boy.