Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Playing Around...

I imported all my posts from my other blog... Photos and all!
We will see how this goes...

New Blog!

Yes. I started a new blog. I turned my old blog 'private' due some, well, privacy issues!

I will be sharing all my cards and layouts and perhaps some life stories here at my New Happy Place!

Not sure if I will post photos of the kids..working on that area of privacy!

Hope to see you soon!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

My Special Boy

My Eleven Year Old Boy
At last night's School Spring Concert
(NOTE: Sami plays the drums and the drummers
were hidden in the back. Thus, no photos! ACK!)


Jake's Big Present!
Is waiting in the garage.. right now!

Jake's Teaser Big Present
Is waiting at his spot at the table for when he comes running in from the bus.
In about 20 minutes.
Asking, again...
"Is my big present here YET????"
We've been doing this dance since Tuesday!
The store was not open on Monday, when I arrived, after having this on hold for over a month!
And it took this long for me to get to the right town to get it!

Jake's Party - Monday Night
Along with $50 from Grandma Pat, a new Basketball, a chipboard album of his favorite kitty Teeny Tiny Tiger Toes (who went to Kitty heaven 2 years ago)
and some Axe 'big boy' shower supplies,
Jake got his own Goldfish.
And he was excited!
Sami has ruled the goldfish aquarium for about 4 years.
Now Jake has a contestant in the fish races!
(We watch their antics from the dining table - hilarious)

A Cake Made By You Know Who!
His special request: Vanilla, with Vanilla icing, and Vanilla IceCream.
Oh. and the strawberries were a hit!
(P.S. The cake 'look's yellow because of our ranch eggs!)
Sami: 'How come I don't get strawberries on my cakes?'
Me: 'Cause your birthday is in January, and strawberries are not in season then'!
We are tough with the 'in season' food stuff
Just ask Mexico.
I have not bought their stinkin' hard skinned rubberized tomatoes for months!
I am patently waiting for local - anything grown in the US will do at this point!

******************
My little boy turned 11 this week. On Monday.

It's hard to watch your kids grow up and older. They begin to need you less, demand less of your time, and want to distance themselves from you when they are around other kids. I know that pain. I experienced it last week when I chaperoned Sami's 6th grade class to the coast. Sami hardly said a word to me during the trip. I was like the 'old friend' who got traded for the newest and coolest girls.

Jake is my special hug giver. He's warm and cuddly. He is also my sidekick at the Boise Farmers Market. His job is to keep me awake when we are driving home - by talking. He's good at that. I learn a lot about how his mind works when we are alone together on those 3 hour drives.

He has a lot going on in that brain of his. He is very smart and just comes up with some real zingers. I wish I could remember a few! He is known at school as one of the smart boys in his class (not 'smart*ss smart silly! Brains smart!). Sometimes I feel really 'stupid' around him - and to think that at one time 'I was smart'! HA! I have a Masters degree with minors in Math and Computer Science, however, for some reason, I am now dumb as a fencepost. I try to help him in Math but he gets mad and wants to do things his way. That's the interesting part. My way is 'the school way' but Jake's mind works in a whole different dimension.. and he's right! I wish my Father could have met him! Oh my gosh they would have had some great conversations.

Jake also inherited his Dad's devilishness. He began enforcing the word 'no' at 2 something. He would also get put to bed at 8pm, then come down stairs a bit later, and repeat the 'to bed' cycle quite a few times. Unlike his sister, who hit the pillow at 8pm and stayed there until the morning! No. Not Jake. About 10:30 pm or so, he would come downstairs once he could crawl out of his crib - in the dark!!! - and find our bed, and sneak in. This went for several years. The bed thing. I mean, until he was seven or eight people! Not as frequent, but enough.

But now. He is his own little man.

He reads his own style of books (dragons, etc.)

Plays his own kind of computer games (Myst, things like that)

Plays chess.

Wanted throwing knives or an ax for his birthday (woah! Who is this kid? Thor? The mighty hunter?). And we said.. no. But I got him Axe shower supplies. No one made the connection.


Wants to play real dungeons and dragons with real people.

Laughs a sweet belly laugh.

Makes friends with anyone in his class.

And has his mommy wrapped around his finger.

Happy Birthday sweet little boy man-child. Who, during last night's prayers ripped a big one and was furious that I left the room holding my nose - and laughing!

Dude!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Oh my.. Whole Lots of Busy Going On!!

Hello dear friends and favorite family peeps!

Ah.. how I love being able to talk with just YOU!

No I did not fall off the face of the earth... it's May.. and this is the busiest time of our year on the ranch. We have baby lambs being born, markets to sell at, and the ranch is 'full speed ahead' (grass is growing, etc.)

For example, just this past week we have:

Celebrated Mother's Day
Sami and I left on Monday for 4 days to the coast - with the 6th grade class (insane time of year, but I refused to let either of us miss the trip! I could not let her go w/o a watchful eye - the teacher is one NOT in total control)
I purchased a special birthday gift for myself! New Camera! (Not an SLR, yet a great point and shoot!)
Saw my 48th birthday come and go on the 'down low' (spent with the 6th graders)
Pondered why some parents don't parent (6th graders)
Came home on Thursday night to 2 exhausted men/boys! They were sunburned, dusty, and worn out from helping the Shearing Crew (who travel on the road and shear flocks of sheep), Jake was pulled from school for 2 days to work.
Mowed the lawn for 1 hour - still have 4 to go!
Left for Boise yesterday morning - soaked up a beautiful day of sun and got back 12 hours later, and did chores - milk goat, feed 7 baby lambs, etc. etc. etc. Dropped into bed at 8pm.

And, tomorrow we have Jake's birthday.

I will share photos later! I have 122 shots from the coast trip. Lots of fun stuff!

Happy Sunday to you all!

Off to mow before the rains hit.

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