Everyday Life

Sweet, funny, growing boy

Windy hair days

The man

Red

Mystery man

Twins

Family bowling night

Handsome little man

Playing tractors

Hosting his own gun safety and deer shooting class.....with very attentive pupils

Riding with the big guys these days

Carpooling

Need I say more?

Happy girl

School days

Attracting a crowd

The lull of the sewing machine does wonders for babies...my little sewing buddy couldn't stay awake to see her finished blanket

Alright....still falling miserably behind in my blogging life. Lots to catch up on and lots of everyday life.

Everybody took Garrett in to get his staples out this past Tuesday. It was a painless, rather enjoyable jaunt to the dr....much more pleasant than the one that had us in the ER last week. Not even any tears this time around. And, in a more social mood than Garrison when we had him in only a few weeks ago for his head stuff, Garrett made all kinds of conversation with the PA and walked away with 2 suckers out of the deal. Not bad. Brad and I were both glad to have the whole ordeal over with and finally have a head on the mend minus the staples. I was finally able to cut his hair last night. Garrison, Grant and Gavin all got haircuts at the beginning of last week but due to staples Garrett had to wait...and somehow Grayson just got skipped. I think he was out chasing chickens or shooting when the clippers went around the 1st time. He and Garrett finally got their's done yesterday. So...we're back to a crew of clean cut little boys. Garrett was starting to resemble a chimpanzee. That kid has more hair than any 2 year old I've ever known...but it makes him completely irresistible in every way.

Gavin enjoying the dinner time humor

I finally conquered the sewing machine completely on my own. And with many thanks to Mother Evye is now off and sewing right along with me. She made Brad a pillowcase for the station and I have managed to get Ivye a nursing cover/blanket done and Grayson his own firefighting pillowcase done. Last night we headed in to get material for the 3 girls' summer dresses. So, I figure I'll start on that sometime next week. By the end of it total costs for all 3 will be 24.00 and they'll have dresses that rival what hangs in Dillard's. I'm excited.

Granny giving lessons

Sewing for Daddy
Finishing it up

Grayson finally decided to put his long saved money towards the new flock of chicks. His entrepreneurial ways figured out that he would earn it all back plus a fortune by selling eggs. We split the cost with him and now have 37 new chicks due to arrive in only 2 weeks. By the end of it they'll look like these...or at least they should.

15 Barred Rock hens.....great for eggs and so fun to look at

15 Buff Orpington hens and 1 rooster....great for eggs and very gentle

1 White Giant rooster.....simply because I LOVE him and this bad boy will mature at a whopping 9.5 pds

5 White Rock hens....because they are great for egg production, gentle natured and I love the idea of white chickens out pasturing

So...assuming they all live through chickhood and the fox doesn't find a Thanksgiving feast early in the year once they hit our pastures we should have a grand total of 42 chickens....39 of which reliably produce many eggs. That's ALOT of chickens....and eggs, my friends. I think I'm hooked simply because I've found what works for us....since goats apparently don't. We still plan on doing the whole dairy goat thing once the pastures are prepped. But that'll be awhile in the making so, for now, we like chickens....and lots of them. Brad and I have pondered why these egg laying chickens are such a novelty to us and I think we finally concluded that it's just due to the simple fact alone that they have lived long enough around here to actually lay eggs.

The egg basket

And on the egg note.....we continue to get double yoked eggs. The children are eating eggs for every meal these days just for the fun of cracking them to see who gets the doubles. I wonder if this has any meaning????? We like getting things 2 at a time around here.

Twins

And on a different thought......

while in town several weeks ago...maybe even before Christmas.....we were all gathered around a table eating out. Garrett and Gavin sat in highchairs at the end of the table, since that's about the only place they fit at this particular place, while 2 others were grouped by my side and 3 others on Brad's side of the table. Ivye was being passed around and sat perched in laps most of the meal. A dear older man approached us during the coarse of eating amidst lots of happy chatter. He complimented us on what a good looking crew surrounded Brad and I and how entirely well behaved and happy they all are. Addressing several different ones they in turn answered the questions being asked of them. Once finished talking to, complimenting and teasing them he turned his attention to Brad and I. Huge tears welled up within his eyes and his voice faltered and then broke. He turned away in order to hide his tears but to no avail. He looked back with them streaming freely down his weathered cheeks and continued on in broken sentences to us. In a matter of only maybe 10 total sentences he stated that his youngest daughter died only a few short weeks ago and seemingly pleaded with us to cherish what sits right before our very eyes...never once taking a day for granted....because you just don't know. He commented tearfully once more on how absolutely beautiful all of our children are, how wonderful it is to see a large family and to hold each of them close and love them even more often than we do....because it is just never enough. Swallowing a lump in his throat and fighting to stave off the sobbing that I am quite sure followed once he exited the doors he quickly turned and left us sitting there in silence. The whole table of us hushed in a quiet silence. One of the boys finally broke the quiet asking why the man was crying for us. I explained simply that he was sad and that his daughter had gone to heaven.

That afternoon has stuck with me. Wondering who the man was, how we could ever contact him and wishing so badly that I had thought of getting his name. We are inundated with older people that love our family and so often I find myself wanting to meet up with them once more. The children are a joy to these people and we so very frequently here of these people's childhood days filled with many siblings long ago. Somewhere our young family with lots of little ones in tow reminds them of growing up on their farmlands with 8 or 10 or 12 brothers and sisters. Every once in awhile we'll even hear about twin brothers or sisters or even being a twin themselves. Through these people I am daily reminded of how blessed we are and I am humbled that they see in our family something that is so very dear to their own hearts. Days long ago past for them but bringing back sweet memories of childhood. But this one particular man has stayed with me throughout these weeks. I look at each of my children and I hear once more his quiet tears and broken sentences charging us to hold onto them, love them and enjoy them even more than we do right now. Is that possible?

I contemplate these thoughts as my heart is heavy and saddened today for the Morris family . 2 years ago today they lost their sweet Joel and I am again reminded of how fragile all of life is. How precious each and every day is that I live with my beloved husband that I cannot possibly imagine ever being more in love with than I am at this very moment and each of my 8 sweet beautiful children that I hold within my arms each and every day...that I see as they awake with rumpled hair and squinty eyes every morning. The sounds of their sweet voices as they talk. I see Gavin now proclaiming wildly in exuberant excitement over his accomplishment, "Bye....see you morrow!" as his little tiny hand rocks back and forth like a little pendulum. I hear Garrett's little slow talking ways as he drawls out whatever it is he has to say in his Texas ways...sounding so much like his beloved daddy. Garrison's little 4 year old voice as he tells his animated stories and hunts down all of his pretend deer, seeking to be just like Grayson....dressing to match his big brother's camo attire and his rifle toting, gun slinging ways. Grant telling the hapenings of life outside in his tiny high pitched voice. Just this morning I watched Evye and Aubrey as they donned their rubber gloves and Evye gave instructions on how to properly clean a bathroom to her little miniature self......as Aubrey vigorously scrubbed anything and everything within sponge's reach.

I love them. Words that seem so incompetent......so surface...so simple....so overused.....but hold the entire world within their power. My heart aches with the love that I feel for these children and my sweet Brad that I hold so close to my heart......for my husband that continues to take my breath away and win my heart over each and every day of our marriage and for our 8 children that keep me humbled and on my knees every moment of my days. What a privilege and honor it is just to live with what I have been given.