Me ... and my Babies

I rarely like photo's of me ... but I love this one. My very good friend Peggy took this, and sent it to me. Even though the kids weren't smiling, we're all together.

I'm coming to realized that I need to be in pictures too. I want my babies to look back someday and see me with them. I've also come to realize that I am not just the person on the other end of the camera.

Memories in the mind fade over time ... but when you have pictures to look at, it jars the mind and brings home the moment. For when that day comes, that I'm only a memory ... I want my kids to look through all these pictures and see the "Me", .... their Mother. So from here on out, I'll be sticking my face on here ... a lot!

Peggy will send me more ... and I too will get a chance to edit them. I'll post a few more when they come my way.

The Fabulous Four

It's been over five years since these four kids (men) were all together at my house.  It seems like just yesterday.

Jake, on the left, comes often, but Mike just returned from Iraq recently and has been gone for over four years.  Of course third in line is Joey ... my son.  He makes it here when he's home from college, and when he can.  Gavin, on the right hasn't been here either in all those years.  He had never met my babies until tonight.  I didn't realize how much I missed them until they showed up here tonight.

Just hugging them almost made me cry.  I didn't want to let them go.  Watching them eat made me laugh.  It was just like the good old days when they were teenagers, and used to come and eat me out of house and home.  Especially Mike.  We didn't even have to be home for Mike to come.  He'd just come to eat.  We had to keep things stocked up for that boy .... because his Mama couldn't cook fast enough for him.  Bless her heart, she made a big boy.  When that boy started growing, he didn't stop.

They came and fished tonight.  Together.   .... just like the good old days.

Chicken Frying Fool

All the kids were here last night ... and I was ordered to fry chicken. Lots of greasy fried chicken! We had a Happy Birthday Everyone" party since it's pretty rare to get everyone together these days. As it ended up all of my kiddo's ended up here and all the grandkids except Carter. He's a little snotty right now and was with his Mama. Today's Carter's birthday as well.

Today is Jared's birthday. He's twenty-four now. Unbelievable in my eyes. He was my baby until my little babies came along ... now he's my big baby! Last month Joey and Mariah had birthdays and Elissa's was in October! Juli and Josh will have to wait for the Summer "Everyones Birthday Party!"

Since Jared and Elissa didn't make it home for actual Christmas last week, we celebrated that too last night. The kids had a ball opening presents again. I can now say that Christmas is officially over for this year!

Thankful

This morning, so early that I can see my reflection in the window by where I sit ... I thought about the things I'm thankful for in my life.  Like most of you ... there are many.

My life.  The lives of my children and husband ... and my family.  I have three sisters and a brother and their families, and two Mothers and two Fathers.  How blessed can I be?  We all get along and we all love each other.  We're a close family and all these years we've been blessed with health.

We take so many things in life for granted, until harsh reality comes knocking.  Up until less than a month ago, my family had never known that gripping fear and possibility of losing one of us.  Of course, we've had our ups and downs with surgeries and illnesses that we get over .. but we've gotten over it and life went on.

Less than a month ago, my brother in law Kenny was diagnosed with a large brain tumor.  A week ago, he had surgery.  They weren't able to get all the tumor, and it is cancer.  It's hard for me to even write that word, and it's almost if I don't say it .... it isn't so.  But it is, and we're facing a battle.  I want to wrap my arms around my sister and protect her from all that is ahead of her and Kenny and their two boys.  I want to wave a magic wand and make it all go away.  I want to give them another twenty-six years together ... and I want my family to not have to deal with this.  This is a first for us, and we don't want to be in these shoes.

We've been in a crisis and it ruffled our feathers.  During Kenny's surgery, as the day wore on ... my sister kept getting sicker and sicker.  She'd been through a lot emotionally as the day drew closer and we thought she was worn down and had the flu, when in fact she had a small bowel obstruction.  Robin ended up in the same hospital in Indianapolis admitted and facing surgery.  As it ended, Robin was transferred to our hospital since Kenny was coming home and things are looking up for her.  Hopefully, she'll come home tomorrow.  Kenny made it home for Thanksgiving at Mom's, and through out the day we all went to the hospital to visit Robin.  She's okay.

Yesterday at my Mother's, it was wonderful to be with my family and be together.  I saw everyone in a different light and I vowed to not take life or my family for granted.  Even though it's unspoken, I know we're all feeling that way right now.

In a brighter light, the picture above is my sister Kim and her husband Danny.  They just celebrated thirty years together and we did a little photo shoot out by the woods at Mom's house with their family.  Kim was loving it ... Danny wasn't so keen on it ... but like a good husband that loves his wife, he at least cooperated, and like most men, after they see the pictures, they love them too.  I got a few good ones and I bet within a few days ... they'll be hanging on their wall.

So in closing ... remember the good times, ponder on them and take the time to make more.  Fix the problems and forgive, for when it's all said and done in life ... you, your family and God is all that we really have.

I hope your Thanksgiving was as good as mine.

Hugs.

Happy Thanksgiving

It couldn't have been more perfect!  Today we celebrated Thanksgiving at our house and all my 'littles' made it home.  This is the first real family picture of all of us together with our families.  I don't have a remote to my new camera, so I hit the timer and ran each time to get in the picture!  It was so funny ... and so much fun.  I only snapped six shots and prayed that one of them would have all of us looking at the camera ... and we did ... just once!  It's not entirely in focus ... but I love it and have already uploaded it to print a 10 x 20!

My entire mission for today was this picture.  Posed exactly like this in individual little groups, but yet all together.  I already had it planned out where everyone would be.  It was a little nippy and we all ran out in the field behind the house with my son-in-law Derek carrying the chair from upstairs.  He's that big dude in the middle!

From left to right, Josh is with his family, Amy, Carter and Luke.  Standing is Jared and Elissa ... then Joey and Mariah.  Juli is with Derek, Kelcie and Landen in the front on the ground ... and of course, Me ... Von and our little littles!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope yours will be as wonderful as mine was with my family today!

Tanya

Wordless Wednesday ~ Revisiting the Exhaustion

"Exhaustion"

For more Wordless Wednesday's at 5 Minutes for Mom, click here.

The "Heart" of Livia

Don't you just love these big eyes? Yes, they're really almost that bright blue. I got a new lens and it does this to eyes ... with a little help from Photo shop of course.

Liv and the kids were in the pool this evening and I shot a few pictures of them playing in the water, and this picture just screamed, "make me artsy." .... So I did! Liv is our niece and she's a cutie. She's just starting to try to talk and is a little doll and I love her bunches!~

Now I'm going to go make Sam, Jay and Meg artsy too!

Hot Summer Days

Just a few pictures of my kiddo's on a hot summer day. A couple weeks ago or so, we went walking down the road again with my camera. Maybe someday I'll actually get to photograph the front of them without them separating and running! Someday .....

This little road leads up to one of our barns where some cows live. It's our favorite spot to play, and the barn is so intriquing and full of neat stuff for little kids. I just haven't figured out what yet ... but they love it, and always come back out really dirty, and really happy. Isn't that just a kid thing?
Hope you enjoyed your country walk with The FarmHouse Kids!

(the pictures look glorious in a larger size ... just click them)

Be Blessed Everyone.

The Mississippi Kids are home

My far away kids are home for the weekend. It is so good to see them and get a good hug in from that Mississippi son of mine.

Of course, we planned a little photo session in the city for this evening. It was lots of fun and Main Street will never be the same again!

The street is beautiful and the old store fronts aren't too shabby either! I love the orange brick wall below and the old iron bench there.
I'll post a few more tomorrow ... some ice cream licking and someone got splashed ... and it wasn't me!

I really think I like these square pictures, and the emotional Mom side of me just has to write a few words on them!

Be Blessed Everyone.

Girl

I've created a little monster. After over three and a half years of my camera being shoved in her face, to capture every breath that she takes, she's decided that she loves it. Praise God, because I love love love love love to take this girl's picture!

This child is no longer just a kid .... she's a "G-I-R-L." A very prissy girl and she rolls around on the floor posing. It's hysterical to watch her. I have a model in the makin' and I think it's fantastic! She is feeding my passion and wearing out my shutter!

It's amazing to have watched the transformation of a shy backward little girl to this new girl that is becoming more sure of herself as she absorbs the world around her.

For now, I'm just loving it! But I also know how important it is to keep her grounded ... so every once in a while I point my camera at the boys! I kid.

Be Blessed Everyone.

Farm Princesses

Oh how they love each other. More than I know. Kelcie and Megan are more than niece and aunt ... they are best friends. We have a whole wardrobe of princess clothes for when they are together, and they transform right before our eyes. I feel totally excluded in their world ... when they're together.

They love to match and to look alike. They love to trade shoes and touch each other's hair. They love to laugh and do girls things and they burst into giggles about the boys. They live in their own world ... when they're together.

They don't see each other as much anymore. Kelcie has moved a little further away, and goodbyes between these sweet kindred spirits are getting a little harder to say. They're both almost four years old and I hope for all of their lives, that they're close and love each other.

Kelcie and her Mommy are getting married in August and we've been busy planning and doing, and getting and making. Kelcie and Megan will walk down the aisle together in front of Juli, and they'll hold hands and throw flower petals. I'm sure these two will giggle and do it their way.

Be Blessed Everyone.

Pictures in the Park

After a not so good Saturday (no electricity from Friday evening to Saturday evening) we had a good Sunday.

Yesterday afternoon I met up with my wonderful photographer friend Peggy, in her beautiful town park. We were on a mission to get some good pictures of these kiddo's. It's hard for me to get them all together, facing me, without running away. After all, I'm the Mommy.

Peggy did a great job of snapping just the right expressions. I did a great job of story-telling and pecking out tall tales to keep them sitting while she took their pictures.


Meg of course, and Jay, after he warmed up a bit started loving it. Sam, on the other hand, needed Pretzels and Orange pop, TLC and lots of coaxing. But like a trooper ... he came through! I'm proud of you Sam!

Through the drizzle and spurts of sunshine, they turned out just wonderful. Peggy has lots more to send my way and I can't wait to get them. Thank you Peggy!

Be Blessed Everyone.

Little Miss Perfect

Isn't she? Little Miss Perfect. Her shirt says it all. She ask me what the words say on her shirt. When I told her, she said to me, "we are ... you and me, and Jesus, and the boys."

It's funny how kids can change the meaning of something so simple as a few words on a shirt to something that has such a great meaning. Through her innocent eyes of youth, and in the eyes of Jesus ... she is. Little Miss Perfect.

Be Blessed Everyone.

The FarmHouse Kids - 6 months old

Them!

Him!

Orange Pop and Candy

I could rant and rant about how cute my kids are, but I won't. I don't want them to get big headed. They have super-sonic hearing and repeat everything these days, even if I don't say it. I believe that they can even read my mind. I think a thought and they run. It happens every time! I tried for 10 minutes to get them to sit on these concrete blocks out by a barn ... "No Way!" Sam said, "It's dirty!" I had to bribe them with Orange Pop and candy to sit down ... and they still wouldn't look at me. I really hate posed pictures at this age. It's hard. I don't have enough pockets for all the candy it would take to get them to look at me and smile.

Now Jay, on the other hand, ran all over the yard today wanting his picture taken. That was after I started talking about the Orange Pop and Candy. He was running place to place and literally begging for me to shoot him. That's shoot with a camera for anyone that tends to get radical.

Sam only stood still because I threatened him. No Pop! No Candy! No Food! No Water! No Toys! Nothing ..... for seventeen more years if he didn't stand there and smile. He did it! For a split second and he shot off like a lighten bolt. He had places to go and things to do .....

Jay even wanted his pictures taken twice in the same spot. Then he ask if he gets two Orange Pops and Two Candies. Now that's a smart kid. He's got it going on and adding it all up!

These two decided to work in the muddy garden before I caught up with them. Jay was planting Green Beans and Sam was planting Corn! Marlboro Man had not taken down the Tomato cages and they still have Tomatoes hanging on them. Sam and Jay found them! .... nothing more to add about that, except mushy rotten tomatoes that hung all winter are gross. So were my boys. MM is headed for trouble now ...

After wiping their hands on the grass .... they jumped on here and talked about Orange Pop and Candy!

Poor kids! I had to tell them that they can have it after Dinner .... it didn't go over well and I had to drag them in the house kicking and screaming! Summer is almost here! They're going to love all the Orange Pop and Candy they'll get if only they'll let me take their picture!

Be Blessed Everyone.

Just One More!

My Mississippi Kids are Home

My Mississippi kids are home. They made it in about noon today and will leave back out tomorrow afternoon. It's only about a six hour drive home, so they got up really early this morning and headed home for Easter. After dinner tomorrow, they have to drive back. Jared has to work and Elissa has classes Monday morning. It was so good to see them. It was also good to take a few pictures of them. (like I don't have enough)

The kiddo's were taking a nap when they got here, so we did a photo session. Up went the background and out came the lights ... and the fun began. We did lots of shots on the floor. Jared is hard to photograph because he's always acting so silly. Every picture of Elissa is great. Her smile is beautiful. I know they're my kids, but I have to say .... they're gorgeous! It was just a year ago this month that I did their engagement pictures.

When the little kids woke up we left for Boston's to have pizza. We did a little shopping and headed for home. They had to drive back to Elissa's parents tonight and they'd only had about three hours sleep last night. But I just talked to them and they're safe and sound, and already there.

Be Blessed Everyone .... I have to go and help the Easter Bunny get ready to come here in the morning!