Goodbye, Summer 2014!

Geez, I'm always playing catch-up on here. Finding the time to write is getting more and more difficult, but I know I'll never regret jotting things down, no matter how long after-the-fact it actually is. I wrote last time about what a rough summer we were having, but there were good memories I didn't want to forget about either! We did manage to squeeze a few weekends away in. We went to the lake a few times, sometimes just for one night. We got to go one weekend with friends though, and it was sure nice to get away - even if it was only to Alan Henry! Other than that, we didn't travel much. We luckily got some time this month to get away for a while. We went to Kerrville two weekends in a row, and then got to sneak off to Dallas for a couples' weekend.

This was our first true summer break, since Luke started school. It was nice to be on the "non-plan plan", but I also like the structure the school routine brings. Luke did swimming lessons this summer at the Seahorse, and we were one lesson shy of finishing because the kids both got strep. They had it BAD too! Luke ran fever as high as 106.4 during one of his sick episodes this summer. Landry ended up getting tubes twice in 7 weeks. The first surgery was for permanent tubes and adenoids removed. The tubes are supposed to be surgically removed, but she had one come out. So, she had to go back in again to have it fixed. Yay. But getting the tubes helped her speech tremendously, so I have no regrets! She will also be starting back in therapy soon. Her tendencies are getting to be more than I can handle! I'm looking forward to getting some help with her again.

We celebrated Landry's 3rd birthday at the end of August at JumpNJungle with friends and family. We didn't exactly have a theme because she isn't interested enough in TV to have any sort of character obsession. She said she wanted pink and blue balloons, and cupcakes with pink and blue icing, so that's what we did! Looked a little baby shower-ish, but she was happy!
At 3 years old, she loves playing with her babies. She wants to take them everywhere we go. She can occupy herself very well. When Luke is at school and Heath is working, it feels like I'm home alone a lot of times because Landry plays by herself and only comes to me when she needs help to the potty. She loves to play with playdoh, and she loves singing. She's VERY independent. We have battles over her pouring her own drinks, getting into the car by herself (which she seems to insist on doing when I'm in a hurry to be somewhere), and not wanting to hold hands in a parking lot. Instances like these are why I sometimes refer to her as a threenager. She also started dance this year, and she's loving having her own "thing".

I've done Luke's "favorites" every year for the last few years, and so I thought I'd let Landry have a turn!

Landry’s Favorites (3 years old)

1.     Color? Pink

2.     Toy? Babies and bwankies (blankets)

3.     Fruit? I don’t like nothin’.

4.     Movie? Elmo Eggs (youtube video)

5.     Thing to eat for lunch? Nothin’.

6.     Shirt? Pink

7.     Game? Cinderella

8.     Snack? Fwoot snacks

9.     Animal? A Bird

10.  Song? Wheels on the bus

11.  Book? The brudder (brother) one

12.  Best Friend? Allie (her OT)

13.  Cereal? What I eat at Mimi’s (???)

14.  Thing to do outside? Play with Norah at Mimi’s house

15.  Drink? Apple Juice

16.  Holiday? Too over her head!

17.  Thing to take to bed? A toy

18.  Breakfast food? DotDonalds (Mcd’s)

19.  What was on your birthday cake? Pink and blue

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? Sofia

And Luke started KINDERGARTEN! Omg. He's in a class with 4 other boys at LCS. He really enjoys it and seems to be doing pretty good. He's learning to write in cursive! He wanted to play soccer again this year too. So, between school, church, dance, and soccer, we are plenty busy. He decided yesterday he's going to be Dale Jr. for Halloween and can't wait. He's already practicing introducing himself as Dale Jr. Ha!

And as always, some pics...

We spent a morning at the park with cousins Jaxon and Miley.

And an afternoon at the lake with more cousins! Norah and Ruby this time too.

Heath and Luke watching deer at my parents' place at Alan Henry.

Swimming with friends.

The kids at their 5 and 3 year well checks.

Some pics of our lake weekend with friends.

Swimming at the Seahorse after lessons one day.

Landry after her 2nd surgery - still under anesthesia. 

An evening at Main Event with cousins and Mimi and Papa.

Dress up at the Kauffmans!

Luke's first day of school.

Landry's 3rd birthday party.

And her actual birthday - August 30th!

First day of dance class.

Luke's field trip to see a pedal tractor collection while learning about the letter T! It was amazing!

And dinner with friends at Truluck's in Southlake.

True Life: Farmer's Wife

There was an article circulating around Facebook a while back that talked about being married to a farmer. It was pretty much spot on.  It talked about appreciating mother nature, knowing to never plan for things, and constantly seeing the glass half full. Heath and I will be married 7 years this year (11 years, counting our dating years), and I'd have to say it's been rare for me to meet someone outside of the farming community that is truly "team FARMER". One of our local news stations posted a story on the farm bill a while back, and you should've seen the "West Texans" who were ranting about farm subsidies on there. I think Dwight Eisenhower said it best when he said, "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from a corn field."

This year has been the most trying year yet for me. Yes, even tougher than 2009 when I had a new born, and Heath left the hospital to sand fight and gear up to replant when Luke was a day old. Tougher than 2011 when I had a 2 year old and a 6 week old during harvest. Even tougher than 2012 when we took on land at Olton in June because our tenant bailed on us and didn't harvest an acre of the crop up there that year. I think some of the struggle this year has been because the kids are old enough to try and take advantage of Daddy not being around. Sometimes, I feel like we get to the point where my voice is like white noise to them. Heath can come in after a 15 hour day, and say, "Luke, quit." -- and he does! What? Just like that! No threats with a belt or anything. (To which, depending on the day, my response may be "Hm. Must be nice!" or "Thank goodness you're here, babe.")

Some people might say, "But it's raining! Just what all these farmers have been wanting!" And yeah, it is raining.. and YES.. We. Are. Thankful. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful we are for the rain. When we came home from Kerrville over Spring Break, I can remember the tension in the pickup from Heath the closer we got to Levelland. It wasn't raining, but it was time to go back to work. He had no motivation, no vision for the crop this year. Heath loves what he does. I love that he leaves here every morning pursuing his dream. I think it's so unfortunate for a man to have to work outside of his passion. But the drought had him in a huge funk. The day after we got that first rain in May, Heath's phone was ringing off the wall (haha.. I just typed that and thought.. we don't have wall phones anymore). Everyone he talked to, he said, "This gives us something to swing at, but it doesn't have to do it again." -- I think one of the craziest things was back in the Spring during the drought, and people almost expected us to waiver in our faith because of the lack of rain. And no, we didn't know if it would rain again. We were even starting to lose hope that it ever would... but even if it never did, He was still sovereign in our lives. (There's a biblical story much like this in Daniel 3!)

And the WEEDS. Oh my gosh, the weeds. They're unreal. But plentiful water and no weeds is just too good to be true. This is just a perfect reflection of all of creation being in need of a Savior. Of course the weeds are going to get resistant to the weed killer. There's not an endless amount of water for farmers to access when it doesn't rain, either. Ever since the fall, the ground was cursed. There's no chemical cure for it. (See, how easy it is to reflect back on biblical things when it comes to farming?? That's why faith and farming go hand-in-hand, friends!) Are we dumfounded about round-up not working? No. It was promised to be this way in Genesis 3.

So, I say all of this, not to rant.. not for sympathy.. but more for myself, to acknowledge the valleys of my life. If our lives were all peaks, we wouldn't know to appreciate them. And I think the peaks are sometimes the only things we see on social media.
There's not a day that goes by that I regret marrying a farmer. I love that Heath can make it to most of the activities the kids are involved in... There's nothing like a stroll around the farms in the evenings when the crop looks healthy and a beautiful sunset to top it all off. I LOVE when fall is in the air, and the fields turn white. And I love having a husband that has the drive and determination to provide for us like Heath does. Even through the seasons when it throws us off for him to be home early (early, as in 5:30) and we can never plan a weekend away, much less, a date night.. I wouldn't trade it for anything... Not even a salary, paid vacations, and benefits. :)

Happy #5, Luke!

I officially have my first 5 year old. I'm so proud and so sad at the same time! Luke is truly everything I need to be. He was so happy to be 5! When he woke up on the morning of his birthday, he came into my bathroom and danced around saying, "I'm five! I'm five!"

I think everyone, to some extent, has goals and standards for parenting and raising kids. Luke took this vision I had and fine tuned it for me. He got here and showed me that we'd be figuring this parenting thing out together. He's taught me how to love deeper, have more patience, and to see the world has God's creation, even more so than I did before. 

To celebrate Luke's birthday this year, we had a swimming party at Heath's parents' pool. We had about 25 kids come and swim... It was a good, hot day for it! We are so blessed with friends and family with such sweet kids that all play so well together. 

And to keep up with the tradition, here are Luke's favorites from 3, 4, and now 5! It's fun to see these from year to year. 

(3 years old)

1.     Color? Red

2.     Toy? Buzz, and nother buzz. Two buzzes.

3.     Fruit? Strawvries

4.     Movie? Store Story

5.     Thing to eat for lunch? Spiderman cupcakes

6.     Shirt? Store story shirt

7.     Game? Store Story (wii game)

8.     Snack? Fee Fer Yogurt (Phineas and Ferb)

9.     Animal? I love horseys.

10.  Song? Twinkle Little Star

11.  Book? Store Story book.. It was big. It was square.

12.  Best Friend? My befriend Jaxon

13.  Cereal? Cinn toast crunch

14.  Thing to do outside? Paint

15.  Drink? Chockat Milk

16.  Holiday? Nope

17.  Thing to take to bed? Daddy. Daddy’s big. And I’m big too. Daddy’s bigger.

18.  Breakfast food? Cereal

19.  What was on your birthday cake? Mike the Knight

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? I be lightning queen.

(4 years old)

1.     Color? Blue

2.     Toy? Batman

3.     Fruit? Grapes

4.     Movie? Wreck it Ralph

5.     Thing to eat for lunch? Sandwich

6.     Shirt? Blue shirt

7.     Game? Monster trucks

8.     Snack? Oatmeal

9.     Animal? Cow

10.  Song? Old McDonald

11.  Book? Store Story

12.  Best Friend? Jaxon

13.  Cereal? Cimmon Toast Crunch

14.  Thing to do outside? Do my spray rig

15.  Drink? Coke

16.  Holiday? Christmas

17.  Thing to take to bed? Buzz

18.  Breakfast food? Oatmeal

19.  What was on your birthday cake? Spiderman and cupcakes spiderman

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanna be a Firefire (Firefighter).

(5 Years Old)

1.     Color? Orange

2.     Toy? My Danica haule

3.     Fruit? Watermelon (Rawmelon)

4.     Movie? How to Train Your Dragon 2

5.     Thing to eat for lunch? Sandwich

6.     Shirt? Orange Ummerarmour

7.     Game? Nascar

8.     Snack? Vanilla wafers

9.     Animal? Giraffe

10.  Song? Roar

11.  Book? Cars Playset and Disney Infinity

12.  Best Friend? Jaxon and Kegan

13.  Cereal? The same as Daddy – Cimmon Toast Crunch

14.  Thing to do outside? Play with my friends

15.  Drink? Chocolate milk

16.  Holiday? Easter

17.  Thing to take to bed? Jake

18.  Breakfast food? Sausage biscuit

19.  What was on your birthday cake? Nascar

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer

Mother's Day Love

This is my favorite annual blog! I am in my comfort zone when writing about loving my kids... Not that I consider myself "good" at it; I just enjoy it!

Being a mom is, by far, the most fulfilling thing in life for me. I can't imagine what I would do without them. I remember getting nervous before Landry was born, in fear that Luke might be getting the shaft. I hear it's natural for that to happen, and so I just prayed my love would grow to accommodate both kids. And GROW it did!! I felt like I loved Luke even deeper after Landry was born... like, her existence grew my ability to love. It was a relief.

So in keeping up with my Mother's Day tradition, here's to my babies.

Luke -

You make me one proud Mama. I love how easy going you are.. You're happy where ever you go. You haven't always been this way.... Ask the nursery workers at church! ;) Your spirit is sweet, and we still try to guard you from hearing too much about the evil things of this world, like on the news, because you have such an innocent perspective. Your superhero phase has already came and went for the most part, and I think it's because of the violence that comes with it. There's always a villain when a superhero is around, and you don't really care for the idea of villains! So for now, your main interests are farming and NASCAR. After Daddy took you to the race, you're like a NASCAR expert. I've heard Daddy tell people you're a bigger fan than he is! 

I have loved seeing your faith grow this year. It thrills my soul for you to be eager to memorize scripture. Your spiritual questions keep me on my toes! There have been a few nights in the past year that I have put you to bed and then gone to my bed and cried to Daddy about what a blessing it is to hear your prayers. You're not shy to pray in public either, and when you do, you're a total farmer's kid and pray for crops and rain. Melts my heart!

You still think Daddy is just "it". You "get" his sense of humor, and you give him that "you're ridiculous" look sometimes when he's being really goofy... which I'm positive you didn't learn from me! ;) Daddy told you a joke when we left SeaWorld over Spring Break, and you couldn't get enough of it. It was, "What do you call it when a whale poops? Sham-poo!" -- You want to use Daddy's cologne when you get ready, and you want to dress like him, too. I've tried to get you to wear sweats to the doctor before, and you won't do it. You have to have your jeans on. I got you to wear sweats to t-ball practice one day, and you insisted I take you home to change before we went somewhere afterwards. 

You've always had an "eager to please" personality. Here lately, you have shown that through doing chores around the house. It doesn't bother you to make your bed (and you're pretty good at it for 4 years old!) or help me pick up. You like holding the door for me and Landry, and you want to help me carry in our groceries. I love this about you because you're setting a good example for your sister! You're one awesome big bubba, and you are my favorite son! 

Landry -

I've said you completed our family since day one, and I still believe this to be true! You are the total opposite of your bubba, and I consider this a blessing! You entertain yourself very well.. You have absolutely no interest in TV, but you will play all day - even if it's by yourself! You stay busy with your babies, cash register, and kitchen. You love when I let you take your baby in her infant seat to the grocery store and let her ride in the basket. And the diaper bag! Can't forget the diaper bag. You are super sassy, and you speak very "matter-of-factly". When you go to Mimi's house, you like to pretend like you're a baby because she has bottles and pacis. You were acting like a baby and not using your words to get what you wanted one day, so when I told you to use your words because you're not a baby, you replied with, "Yes. Me baby 'cause Mimi said me baby." Sassy girl! 

You are very independent. It has never bothered you to be away from me. Luke isn't quite ready to spend the night away with friends, but you beg to go! You have yet to sleep in the bed with me and Daddy. You have tried, but then you ask to go to your bed because you just can't settle. I look forward to the day when you will sleep with me when Daddy is out of town, but I'm also thankful that you love your bed so much! You have always been a good sleeper, and when I wake you up to take Bubba to school, you're smiling before you even open your eyes. I love it! The only thing you think is worth watching is nursery rhymes on YouTube. Every night when we rock, I let you a watch a few. Your favorite is "The Wheels on the Bus". You still sleep in your crib, and I'm not rushing to get rid of it! I asked you one day if you wanted a big girl bed, and you said (again, matter-of-factly), "No. My bed in my room is my big girl bed."

You have never met a stranger. I took you to the mall around Easter, and I almost ran over you because you bailed out of the stroller as soon as you saw the Easter bunny. You loved him! You did the same thing with Elmo at SeaWorld, and you led me across the room to take a picture with the guy in the penguin costume at the Science Spectrum. You're perfectly happy being the only girl in the group with Daddy and his friends. You tend to prefer men over women, but you are a girly girl! You love to have your hair fixed and your nails painted. You don't like leaving the house without a bow. I feel so lucky to have a daughter! You are, without a doubt, my favorite girl. 

 

Rain, Rain, Come our way!

I should write more often so that I don't sit down and draw a blank trying to remember our lives for the last four months! Here's my best shot at it...

We've done a lot of traveling gearing up for Heath's busy time of year again. As a family, we've been to Waco and Kerrville. Heath and I also took separate trips to Las Vegas, and then Heath and Luke took a guys trip to the race at the Texas Motor Speedway. Our kids have grown out of the stage where it's more exhausting than worth it to take them on road trips..... Hallelujah! I mean, I've never wished them to be older.. It happens so fast. But I don't mind only having to stop for occasional potty breaks! In the same breath, though, I could cry at the thought of sending Luke to Kindergarten... Ah! Kindergarten. I'm trying to get used to saying it without getting a lump in my throat.

So, Easter is coming up. It's on April 20th this year, which is the day Heath and I count as the beginning of our dating years... 11 years ago! Easter was on April 20th that year too, so it makes the date a little more special this year. The last 11 years have been nothing but a blessing, and I am thankful of every peak and valley that led us to where we are now. There's just nothing like sharing my life and my kids with my best friend. I told someone the other day that I always knew Heath would be a good daddy, but I never knew he'd adore our kids like he does. Melts my heart.
Speaking of peaks and valleys.... This drought has my guy in a big ol' valley. He's always been passionate about farming, but a 4 year drought will just about drain the passion out of anybody! We need rain! Our poor kids hardly even know what a thunderstorm is. So, if you haven't prayed for rain yet... Please do, for the sanity of these farmers (and their wives) around here!

As for the kids, they're always giving us a reason to smile. Luke's current love language is received through playing Mario Kart on 2 players. He's been on it since Christmas, and I've been antsy for the warm weather to get here and stay here so we don't have to keep resorting to Mario Kart to occupy him. Everyone who walks in the door gets an invite for a race... even grandparents.. and he's pretty relentless! He loves NASCAR more than I ever thought was possible for a 4 year old. Heath said he sat through the whole race and wasn't ready to leave when it was over. His favorite is Danica, and he can tell you all about her. He also started t-ball this year. I think the best thing about t-ball is how cute they look in their uniforms. Ha! I'm enjoying the years of him not caring whether he won or lost! It's funny to me for the parents to care more than the kids do.
Landry is sassier than ever, and if you ever catch us in public, it won't take you long to understand what I'm talking about. Most of the time, she doesn't want to be carried; she'd rather walk.. or strut! She gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, and she has a weird tendency of fake burping around company... I guess it's like a nervous habit? It's funny at times, but it can make a situation awkward when someone is doting on her and she fake burps. Haha. She'll go with anyone, and she still refers to herself as "Nanny". She's still a very picky eater! She is borderline on the charts... So, she'll be doing a feeding camp at Tech this summer. I'm looking forward to seeing how she does in a group setting.

Here's a quick look at our last 4 months!

We went to the zoo in Waco with cousins.

And to Sea World over Spring Break with friends and family.

I got lots of pictures from the guys trip. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to break Luke in on a trip without Mama!

Mama and Landry had fun too! We went to the science spectrum and Sesame Street Live.. and played with friends and cousins!

And a few more!