Fair Share

This afternoon after Von went to milk cows, I settled the kids down with a new movie. I'm trying really hard to get them away from cartoons and more into movies that have a bit of meaning. So I picked the movie to buy today, and I bought it because it is Joey's all time favorite book. "Where the Red Fern Grows".

While Jay and Meg didn't get into the movie, and went to sleep instead .... Sam, on the other hand, didn't miss one single word of the entire movie. In fact, we watched it twice. Sam is deep. Deep in thought, and spiritually deep.

At the part of the movie when the Grandfather told Billy to think about his fair share and indicated that God would provide, Sam understood that. He perfectly explained it to me, and when it happened in the movie and God moved the wind to fall the tree .... Sam told me that God did it because Billy had done his fair share.

Today Sam developed a new trust in God, a new understanding and a new love of life.

He walked out onto the back porch where "Sammy" his old boxer sleeps most of the days now, and said to her, "Sammy Girl, I love you and you are my best friend, and I know God will always take care of you." He's wise. So wise for a five year little boy that loves God and his dog.

Sammy our boxer is really old ... and this winter she almost died. When Sam found her, it saved her life. She was half frozen, very sick and hurt. With a lot of tender loving care and medical attention Sammy survived. Every day Sam talks to her, rallies for her and pushes her on. He draws pictures for her and writes her letters and tapes them to the wall where she can see them. Every day.

I know the time is coming that Sammy is going to go to Dog Heaven, and my little Sammy is going to be devastated. I'll need that mythical Red Fern that only angels can plant when the time comes ... and I'll need to find a way to ease the heartache that my little guy is going to feel.

Sam is doing his fair share ... and the rest will be up to God.

My Velveteen Boy

My velveteen boy betrayed me this evening.

It was so pretty outside today when I picked the kids up, we dressed them in their bib overalls and "orange, so that I can see you a mile away" sweatshirts and sent them out to dig up the yard! That is Sam and Jay's favorite pastime ... especially in the Spring when the ground is so soft. There is nothing like holes and piles of dirt everywhere. Our yard shrieks that "boys live here" and you have to be careful when where you walk so that you don't fall in a hole.

My littlest boy is now big enough to go outside and play with the big kids, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He runs and romps and keeps up with everyone just fine. He is now ruler, and when he runs his ears pin back and flap in the wind. His fur is soft and he feels like fat velvet ... but this evening he went missing, and we searched everywhere thinking the very worst.

Then as I was walking back from the pond ... I spotted him alone in the barn. He was having the time of his life as his short little legs jumped in the wet straw. He was burrowing as deep as he could in the muck and he only stopped long enough to glance at me as I yelled .... "Gus, get out of there!" He was on a mission ... and that was to make sure that every inch of his body was covered in the black slime.

My sweet little velveteen boy has betrayed me ... he has found life beyond me. The same world that my little boys live for ... a world of dirt and mud, and slime and cow poop!

Bowling Baby Bowl!

Today I met up with my big kids ... yeah again. This is getting to be a habit. It really wasn't them I was caring about today ... but the cute little kids in the car seats was what had me going. We went bowling!
The reason I'm showing you the scoreboard is because I wanted you t see that the girls beat the boys. (I was on the boys team ... with all the boys). We had a lot of gutters.
I really don't think I've seen a bowling score like this ... Is 65 really that low? Next time me and the boys are going to nail Juli and the girls.
Here's Meg and Jay showing off their "gutterballs." It was neck and neck for a while .. but Jay's got there first!
In this corner is Jay and Sam. They have good technique don't you think? ... and by the way, don't let that picture fool you, they really didn't knock down all those pins. I did. (well .. maybe, Juli did) I can't remember because I was having too much fun "high-fiving" the kids and taking pictures.
They "high-fived" each other every gutterball they rolled!
They also got quite good at posing every single time they got up to bowl. We didn't do it the traditional way either. By all means, that wouldn't have been a good thing since we had so many rookies! We took turns. The kids got a turn .. went to the end of the line and we kept rotating!
Luke finally started getting pretty good at it. He had that bend over and put the ball between your legs and roll thing down pat. But of course, he had to pose with the ball first!
... and Kelcie, well she just had all the moves as well!

Today was a great day! We all went out to eat together and I got to spend it with those that I love the most. Josh and Jessie cheered us on while they kept an eye on Carter and Juli kept the balls rolling and the kids moving ... and me, well ... I just had fun with my babies!

In three weeks, we're going bowling again .. this time, Paige, Hayley and Cloe will get to be with us.

Gus!

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had to put Katie our little Chihuahua to sleep.  It was a better place for her.  It broke my heart, and I still can't go out to the little grave in our backyard where Von buried her.  I feel so guilty, but in reality I know that she is out of pain and misery.

In the eight years plus, that we had Kate ... she was never really happy or healthy.  She was allergic to grass, her hair fell out, she had red, raw and irritated skin for months at a time, and she had one half of a tooth.  She wouldn't eat dog food, and she would dehydrate.  She weighed less than three pounds and looked emaciated.  I had to give her steroids shots, fluids under her skin and grind her food (hot dogs is all that she would eat).  I had to bathe her every other day and spray medicine on her body.  In the end, she lost control of her bowels, had diarrhea and would pee everywhere.  She was miserable, and hurting.  I kept her here longer than I should have because I was selfish ... and because I loved her.

THEN Christmas came, and I had puppy fever.  I thought it would heal my heart a bit ... and it did.  He did.  His name is Gus, and he's a real turd.  He has the energy of a steam engine and is shiny and fat and feels like velvet. He is marked like Katie, and that is probably what drew me to him ... that and the fact that Juli had just gotten a "Ty" just like him.  Not only did I just get a Gus ... I persuaded the cuteness onto Josh and Jessie.  They now have a chewing, biting and pooping "Snickers" for my Grandkids.  But OH what glorious pleasure I got out their faces on Christmas day!

Being that I'm kinda OCD and majorly impulsive, I made a decision to get a puppy for the kids ... against my husbands firm "NO."  I justified it that first of all ... all kids need and deserve to grow up with a puppy.  Secondly, I am my own woman and can think for myself.  I'm a grown working woman and can make my own decisions.  I've raised children and can make life and death decisions, and being that this is 2010, a husband certainly has no right to tell me NO.

Now on the other hand, I forgot that I'm old.  Having a puppy is like having a houseful of little kids, but even worse.  He chews us up with his long little snout and alligator teeth and doesn't have a clue what the word NO means.  He has short man syndrome.  He sleeps on my side of the bed and I hold him down and whisper in his ear how much I love him ... or he'll persistently howl until I pick him up.  He never crosses the middle line, at least while I'm awake.  He's not loved on the other side of the bed.

We are living back in the throes of baby gates again trying to keep him corralled.  My kids love him ... I love him ... but his Father is still mad at me, and most likely will be for the next 48 years.  He doesn't give in easy ... especially when he steps in puppy poop at 4:30AM.  When he does, I just hug Gus a bit tighter in bed and put my hands over his ears when I hear Von cuss.  I certainly don't want Gus to grow up thinking that he's not loved!