Three Simple Words

I love these words because I can imagine my heavenly Father saying them to me, possibly several times a day, leading me into His best with His gentle reminders...

Try... Again... Please

These words fill our home, fill our hours.

These three nifty words, can gently and effectively turn our children's average words into kind, respectful words and right heart attitudes.

Sometimes we use these words to promote politeness.

Child: "Moooom! I want a snack!"

Mom: "Try again please."

Child: "May I please have a snack."

Sometimes we use them to promote peace.

Child (screaming): "Moooooom! So and so did such and such!"

Mom: "Go back to your sibling and Try Again Please, to speak truth to them in a kind way. If they don't listen then come back and ask me in a kind way for help, and I would be happy to help you.

Child: "Okay, Mom."

Sometimes we use it to promote patience.

Child: "Moooom! Is it time go yet? Mom, can we go now? Can we go now Mom?"

Mom: "Practice your patience, and either stay here and help Mama, read a book, or go find something else to do until it's time to go."

Child: "But Mooom!"

Mom: "Try Again Please."

Child: "Ok, Yes Mama."

Of course there needs to be patient words and explanations of what's expected of my kiddos when I say those three simple words... and as always I need to live by my example... and sometimes the conversations do go on much longer than the examples above, and I have to remind them of the kind of behavior that is acceptable in our home in greater detail... but I was surprised at how quickly they picked up on my expectations when they hear those three words.

But for now I am thankful for, Try Again Please, as I've watched it transform the attitudes and the atmosphere of this place we call home.

What Is Happening To Me

The rumor is 100% true.

I vowed I'd NEVER walk this road, but here I am.

Yes, there's officially a cat now living on the farm. And well, it just might be because I kept feeding him milk. Yes, me, the absolute NON-animal lover convinced a stray-cat to stick around and make his home on our front porch.

I know... What on earth has gotten into me????

Truthfully, I have no idea.

But in some very weird way, I'm actually kind of fond of Dave.

Ya, that's his name... Dave The Cat.

And he's incredibly chill. He let's all the kids and their little friends carry him around for hours.

Dave even gets to go down the slide every once in awhile... lucky Dave.

Last week, Siah, Hal, their little friend Campbell spent hours trying to climb the tree in our front yard in hopes of catching Dave. I think the real story goes something like this:

The kids torture poor Dave for too long.

Dave escapes to the roof.

The kids think that Dave just want to get a sun tan which is why he is on the roof.

Mama thinks they're reasoning for Dave being on the roof is so terribly funny that she can't bring herself to tell them that cats do usually care about sun tans. :)

The good thing about Dave, besides the fact that he provides hours of entertainment for the many small children that live on this farm... He eats the mice!!!! Praise God!

Why just this morning while we were all eating our breakfast, good-ole Dave ripped a mouse to shreds right outside sliding glass door.

I gagged on my food.

I was grateful, but rather disgusted just the same. :)

So what is happening to me as we acclimate ourselves to this country life, and leave that glorious beach further and further behind???

Well, we have a cat. And I think that just might say it all.

I'm slowing down,

learning to let go,

trying new things,

and feeding stray cats.

I think I'm falling more and more in love with this place and the life that it gives. The way my kids spend endless hours out doors, the way they climb trees, and hunt snakes. The way "owies" are becoming less a catastrophic and more of picture of adventurous pride. My Siah, comes up to me often, shows me his wounds from falling off his bike or jumping off the swing, and declares, "Mama look, I got a scratch, but I didn't cry!" :) I love watching my baby turn into a full fledged boy.

What is happening to me here is good... so, so good.

Summer On The Farm

Water guns,

rope swings,

a bounce house,

a slip and slide,

a blow up pool

friends,

smiles,

laughter,

sun tans,

pregnant belly's resting on the kitchen counter with the snow-cone machine on full blast,

kids screaming all happy running wild from freezing sprinklers...

Summer on the farm...

It doesn't get much better than this.

Proud To Be His Wife

Some friends are way more than we deserve. A dear, very pregnant friend, who already has two small kiddos, took in all four of our treasures for the weekend and let Joey and I slip out the farm gates and spend a few days treasure-less.

Thank you sweet, sweet friend!

DESTINATION: Vail, CO

OPERATION: Tough Mudder 2011

TEAM NAME: Mud-Stained Eyes

GOAL: Don't Die

The plan was simple.

Meet the team up in the mountains, eat good food, laugh with friends, complete a 10 mile obstacle course created by Navy Seal type folks in under four hours, and make it home alive to put the kiddos in their beds by Saturday night.

It's Friday afternoon and we're through the gates and riding the highways through the peaks. We're with friends, talking about life and swapping memories of when we all were still dating and kidless.

There's a gorgeous park with paddle boats and views of the snow-capped mountains. He's running with some of the guys and her and I get to take our time strolling along the beaten path.

We meet up with the rest of the team and have enough nachos to feed an army. They're delicious but they fill us all up with air that makes for hilarious jokes and laughter later on alone in our room. If you know my Joey, you know that I was laughing until my stomach hurt.

Not to long after sunrise we geared up for the Mudder, Sarah and I went out early with the boys to scope out the course in hopes of capturing some of their experiences with our lens. And getting off the shuttle brought a magnificent sight... thousands of men and women, ready to willingly annialate themselves....

Surrounded by HIS glorious creation... it just might inspire one to be brave...

My man...

The team...

A little prayer... A whole lot of faith...

And let the games begin! Hundreds running down the mountain... one guy totally diggered and you could here the crowd echo "ooooooo" as he got trampled by the mob.

Sarah and I snuck up the mountain to catch a glimpse of obstacles 7, 8 & 9. The water was like ice and the team trekked across one side and dogged barrels on the other. Some folks came up shaking and cramping... but all our boys... they were awesome.

Obstacle 9... logs up the hill, through the mud.

Crawling through the mud...

Ice jacuzzi...

The gondola...

Sarah and I couldn't make it up to the middle obstacles so we camped out towards at the man-size slip and slide that led straight into a nasty mud puddle.

And Everest... The boys made it look like a toy. They got up like a human on an ant hill.

And the grand finale, a tunnel of 10,000 volts. And they're brave and they run like nobody's business. My Joey, he gets shocked in the eye, and he just keeps running...

Ten miles and three hours and forty minutes later... Triumph! All nine Mudd-Stained Eyes crossed that finished line.

A little mudd, nine manly men, 25 obstacles, 10 miles,

and a much needed night away with the man I love more than maybe I should.

Him and I and some ridiculous show where people jump through holes on the television.

He cracked jokes and I laughed.

He kissed me and I kissed him back.

He is most certainly a manly man who crawls through mud, swims under barrels, and runs full force through electric wires...

But he's also the man who takes me along on his adventures

and makes me so proud to be his wife.