Another recent photo shoot.....

Little Mallory turned ONE!

(yes, that is snow on those mountains in the distance)

It was SO cold and windy that afternoon, but Mallory was a trooper! This is such a sweet family and mom is a very good friend of mine.

Instructing A Child's Heart

Before Collin was even born, we were given a book to read called Shepherding A Child's Heart. It has been one of the best Biblical parenting books we have found. For 11 years now we have read, and reread and REread this book. We have also taught home studies with it in past places we have lived and Bible studies with it here on base. If you have not read it yet and you are about to be, or already are, a parent, I highly recommend it.

This month, after all these years, the author and his wife have released part two, Instructing A Child's Heart. It has both the husbands and wife viewpoints as well as more practical implementation suggestions and lots of answers to questions. It arrived in the mail today and I am excited about reading it. I know I need all the advice and encouragement I can get in this job of being Mommy.

I added a bookshelf a month or so ago to the sidebar on the blog. There are some incredible books listed there as well.

Happy Reading! I am off to see if I can sneak in the first chapter before they are ready for dinner.

 

A Sign of Spring

Well, the trees are finally budding! A few more weeks and we can look out of our windows and see GREEN! A lot of the buds blew off in the bad dust storm the other night. For those of you who have never experienced one, it is like a wall of wind that hits out of nowhere. We had a surprise one Monday night. It doesn't build up, it doesn't get a little windy and slowly get stronger. There is no wind, and then there is WIND. The reports were 60 mph wind gusts with steady steams of 40 mph. If you are somewhere out in the open, most of the time you can see it coming, the air looks red. But here in the neighborhood, you can't because of the tall trees.

They were so strong and so sudden, one of the maintenance men working on the jets was literally picked up off the ground and thrown into the plane, breaking his pelvis and femur.

Kaitlynn and TIff were at the park, and they come running home screaming, eyes and mouths all gritty from the sand. Because it isn't just wind,I guess a better name would be a sandstorm, we do live in a high desert after all!

And, it snow flurried again on Tuesday. Every year I forget how crazy April is. No dainty April Showers here!

The tulips bulbs are out. It will be so pretty when they open. Pictures coming as soon as they do!  :)

Alright, I have procrastinated enough. The big kids started school about an hour ago and now they are calling for me.

More later! BYE!

...........

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Saturday and over SIXTY DEGREES!

What a day it has been. The promised 60 degrees finally happened and we enjoyed EVERY second of it.
Here is proof!
:)

I think I found the cure for my funk this week.
SUNSHINE!
And being out in it all day.
And sleeping in till 10:00 thanks to my sweet hubby!

You got to love small towns. If they don't exemplify Freedom of Speech, then I don't know who does it better.

This is the local diner in town and I have cracked up every time I have driven by that sign this week. How about a big AMEN to the owner! If I wasn't on my South Beach diet, I would drive through and support him by buying a large chocolate milkshake.
:)

My first photo job today was a sweet young couple with such a cutie-pie little guy!
The mom is the great piano teacher that comes to our house every Thursday at 1:30 and pushes and challenges Collin and Kaitlynn. I LOVE how hard she makes them work.
Daddy deploys next month so she wanted some family pics and a lot of the two boys together.

Isn't he adorable?

We also did some bartering. The photo shoot in exchange for a months worth of piano lessons. I LOVE THAT! I used to have such a bartering system going on back when we lived in Alabama. I had friends and people who swapped out their skills and it was a win-win situation. I took pictures and in exchange, swapped for haircuts, custom sewing, babysitting, speciality cakes and more. I wish our society was more willing to work that way. We all could save some money and we all could enjoy using what we love for other people.

The best part of Kaitlynn's day was meeting our new horse friends. My friend Cathy has given us an open invitation to come to her house anytime to feed, brush, and soon, to ride her two Morgan horses, Dandy and Dapper. Today was the initial meeting and the tour of where everything is kept in the tack room and how to measure the hay and the grain.

Where taking pictures makes my heart sing, being with these big animals does that to Kaitlynn. So as we spend more and more time there, she will understand just how much work these big animals are, but I have a feeling she will just fall that much more in love with them.

My second photo job of the day was the 5th and 6th grade girls soccer team in town. Coach Conrow asked me to come out and get a bunch of action shots during a game. I had fun! I took almost 300 hundred pictures for him. I go back in a week and a half to do all their individual and team pictures.
Here is a sample of some great action!:

These girls don't fool around. They are out to WIN!

Here is "Coach Conrow," our next-door-neighbor and great friend Gunner with his daughter Morgan. He flew out later in the day to Alaska to look for a house. They abandon us in July.
:(

Mostly a WONDERFUL day. Our little friend Katie, fell out of a tree in the green belt and ended up getting 14 stitches. Her brothers came here until she came home. She is SO proud of the number of stitches!
It is now
bath time for a bunch of dirty, sweaty, horse smelling Smiths. ALL of the kids are sunburned. SUNBURNED!

Isn't that GREAT! Because it has to be a beautiful sunny day if the kids are going to be out in it enough to burn.
YAY!!! I am finally seeing the light at the end of the Winter Tunnel!

Things that made me laugh

How much did it cost my piggy bank to fill my tank with gas?

The cheapest grade gas is up to $3.29 per gallon here. What is it where you are?

(Jacquie, after our conversation this morning, this one below was even funnier) :)
And this is probably a glimpse into our future.

Some weeks, well, are not as good as other weeks. My patience level has been extra low, maybe because I haven't been sleeping well and I am just worn out. So when things can make me laugh, I really appreciate it!

Here are the funnies that had me giggling! (hopefully they really are funny, and not a side effect of sleep-deprived-overworked-tired-of-cleaning-sick-of-laundry-need-a-month-on-a-deserted-island momma).


I did get sent a video of a woman cooking live crabs for the first time that was also really funny. If I can find it again I will post it too!

The Rollerblading Crew

Tiff is a self-taught-gotta-learn-fast-to-keep-up-with-the-big-kids kid. He says right now he wants to be a hockey coach when he grows up.

A very cold and windy evening, but a nice and clear late afternoon. Temps in the low 40's, but it is the wind that is painful. The snow melted by lunchtime.

I found skates for all 4 kids at the mormon thrift store in Boise. Three dollars a pair.
Now THAT was a well spent twelve dollars!

Snow in April. Not so good. Baby owls in the tree. Really good!
They sure are camouflaged. In this first picture you can't even tell the nest is in the tall tree.

Eye contact! We think there were three owlets (?) in the nest. There sure were a lot of owl pellets on the ground!

Here you can see Mom (or Dad) sitting right above the nest.

Talk about eye contact. (S)he watched my every move!

Click on the pictures and they will open up big.

Woke up to snow this morning...........

{BIG SIGH}

Nanny Deprived

I came across this cute website last night, and as I am sucker for questionnaires, I read through it, laughing the entire time, and embarrassed that some stranger knew some of my secrets!

How do YOU score?

1) Have you ever eaten a random cheerio, puff, or pretzel just because you had no where else to put it?

2) Have you ever vowed to never again wear white due to constant grime, bodily fluids, and dirt showing minutes after you've gotten dressed?

3) Have you ever used your garden hose to wash down a high chair, stroller or child?

4) Have you ever walked around with a half eaten cookie in your pocket?

5) Do you look forward to going to the doctor or dentist just so you can sit in the waiting room and read a magazine by yourself?

6) Have you ever used a public restroom while holding a child on your lap because there was no where else to put them?

7) Have you watched Yo Gabba Gabba? I'm so sorry if you have!

8) Have you ever found marshmallows in your slippers?

9) Have you ever counted down the hours until bedtime?

10) Have you perfected the fine art of changing pee soaked sheets while still mostly asleep?

11) Have you been forced to discuss or explain the plot of a Disney movie while trying to merge onto an interstate in rush hour traffic?

12) Have you ever had to use preschool safety scissors to cut a major package because that was all you could find?

13) Have you ever cleaned grilled cheese off of your sunglasses?

14) Have you ever answered the door wearing "princess jewelry"?

15) Have you ever run out of batteries on PURPOSE?

16) Have you named your dust buster and consider it part of your family?

17) Can you tell what time it is based on what show is on Noggin or Nick Jr.?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you truly are Nanny Deprived!

heehee. I answered Yes to all but ONE QUESTION!!!

Does that mean the Nanny Fairy will arrive? I hope so. And SOON.

And no, I am not telling which question I answered no to.

What did you score?

And what questions can you add? :)

Well, Cathy never did make it to my house for the photo shoot. So, I didn't get to photograph baby Ryan still in the womb......what I got was even better.

I had the honor to be with her in the delivery room . I am so wired I don't know how I will ever fall asleep.

It was a happy, joyful, special evening that I will never forget.

Hubby will be flying in tomorrow; there were so many excited and emotional phone calls with him all evening.

Here he is, about 5 minutes old.

What an amazing night.

This morning was the Base's Annual Prayer breakfast. It is a big deal, with over 150 military members, spouses, and important town people attending. Sam was the POC (point of contact, am I sounding more and more military or what) and it went really well. Last night the entire chapel staff had dinner down in Glenns Ferry at Carmelas Vineyard.

This morning, a good friend took this picture. So let me introduce you to everyone.

First, is our Wing Chaplain, Lt.Col Vic Toney. He and his wife just got orders and will be abandoning us for Ohio in July. We will miss them so much. We are just so thankful to them. God answered many prayers when he allowed Sam to have this great boss.

Next, is retired chaplain, Jim Sands. He does a lot of volunteer work here on base and his help and personality are so appreciated.

The tall one, our great friend, Capt. Steve Barfield. He is the Sr. Protestant Chaplain right now and is doing a great job.

Then is Sam.

Next is Brigadier General Cecil Richardson, the Air Force Deputy Chief of Chaplains (soon to be the Chief of Chaplains). We sat next to him at dinner last night. What a humble, soft spoken, genuine man. I am extremely excited to have him as the Chief of Chaplains.

Last, is our friend and neighbor, Chaplain Richard Anderson.

All of the chaplains left for Boise today to take Gen. Richardson to the airport, and to wait on Ch. Dennis Saucier to return from his 6 month deployment this afternoon. He will be the new Wing Chaplain after the Toneys leave.

We have a new Sr. Protestant Chaplain coming in at the end of August. I have heard that he will not be living on base. He wants a house in town because he is a professional photographer and wants a place to open his studio.

Am I having jealousy problems?? yes. But I am also excited about it.

I had a maternity photo job today. Taking end-stage pregnancy pictures of a great friend at 2:00. She called 15 minutes ago, driving to the base, but she isn't coming here, she is going to the hospital!

We are both hoping it is false labor. We both want the pictures done, and we both want her husband to be with her and he doesn't fly home until tomorrow.

Little Ryan, please stay put for 24 more hours!!!!!!!!!

Soldiers to the rescue

We informed the proper authorities here on base about the squirrel problem

(written about in the posts below),

and the Commanders sent out immediate help. Just gotta love those soldiers!

AHH! The benefits of living on a military base.

:)

Kaebrie's Morning Quips....

I let Kaebrie crawl in bed with me this morning, trying to postpone starting the day. I was out WAY to late last night. We had a great book club meeting that went a little late. It didn't wrap up until around 9:30. But 6 of us stayed for a few minutes which turned into a few hours and I didn't get home until 11:30. Sore. From laughing. The kind of belly laughing that makes your face and sides hurt. For HOURS. I can not remember the last time I have laughed that hard for that long.
It was SO much fun.

Anyway, I was SOUND asleep when I heard Kaebrie call my name, so I opened her door and told her to come cuddle with me.

She doesn't "cuddle" - she talks.

She was still for maybe one minute, then sat up and told me the following:

"Mommy, my batteries aren't working anymore."

"What batteries?" I mumble.

"The ones that live in my mouth and my back."

"How long have you had batteries in your mouth and back?" I ask, coming more awake now.

She answered, "About four weeks."

"What do the batteries help you do?" I asked.

"Sit up and play with my toys and sing," she replied. " But Mommy, the batteries are DEAD!"

"Well, then change them," I told her. Just wanting 2 more minutes to cuddle under my covers in quiet.

So she proceeded to stick her fingers so far down her throat to pull out these imaginary batteries it was a good thing this was BEFORE breakfast or we would have seen breakfast a second time.

She hands me her dead batteries, and I hand her imaginary new ones and she "puts them back in." Again, I am thankful this conversation is taking place on an empty stomach.

"O, thank you Mommy! I can see green again!"

{ what?????????????}

"Can we go eat now?"

And that was the end. I was just wishing I had already had caffeine in my system so I could have been more awake to ponder that weird start to my day.

April First

April Fools Day.

I need to research how the tradition of this day even got started.

This morning started out as a regular ordinary day. Sam got called out for 3 hours in the middle of the night for a counceling session, so he was sleeping in a bit this morning. I crept in and took my shower and crept out without waking him up. Kaebrie was in room time, the big two had already started their school work, Tiffer was in his room and I went to the kitchen to rinse off the breakfast dishes. I turned on the water and got soaked! Collin had taped down the handle on the sprayer attached to the sink and water went EVERYWHERE before I could figure out what was wrong. He laughed so hard!

The neighbor girls got Kaitlynn pretty good. They wrapped a package very professionally, addressed it properly to her and left it on the doorstep. The return address was WILLY WONKA. She opened it up and in it was the biggest box of Nerds I have ever seen. Nerds are these small rock like pieces of candy. Collin got so jealous! He wanted to know if I was going to make her share. He begged and pleaded with her to give him some. Then when she opened up the seal and found a box full of dirty rocks, he laughed and laughed that she got "had." I laughed and laughed and reminded him how much he begged for them and that he got "had" as well!

Sam's boss got him with a beautiful pen that shocked him when he clicked it to write.

5 years ago today I got what I thought was an April Fools prank. The phone rang at 6:00 one morning and it was my sister. She was pregnant with her first baby, but wasn't due for another 2 weeks. The plan was for me to drive the 4 hours from Mississippi to Alabama to be in the delivery room with her and Brian. I thought she was fooling me. I kept telling her I didn't believe her, April Fools, because nobody calls us THAT early in the morning. It wasn't until she broke down in tears and said her water had broken that I finally believed her. Sorry Jacquie! Today, Blake is 5 years old. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!

(How come I couldn't get a red-head child? She tries one time and success!!)

Not an April Fool prank. I picked up Aubie from the vets this morning. She got declawed yesterday. I hated to do that to her, but she was destroying the rug and both chairs. She is home, but NOT happy. She hates those blue bandages!

DeeDee got me a great birthday present, a new bird feeder with a big bag of seeds.

THANKS DD!

We have some beautiful birds here including several types of pretty woodpeckers, so I was excited to hang it up and wait for the birds and try to photograph them.

Well, obviously, the squirrels had other ideas.

(notice, there are still no leaves, not even leaf buds on the trees yet).

Something needs to be done about those squirrels!

Christopher obviously didn't want what I gave them for lunch. I don't see anything wrong with peperoni hot pockets and cut up granny smith apples. Apparently he did. He threw it all away and then told me he ate it. Well, I told him that was it until dinner. He didn't get another lunch and he didn't get an afternoon snack.
The punishment was really on me, because I had to listen to him all day long beg for food. And I mean beg....ALL.DAY.LONG.

So for dinner tonight, here is what I made! Strawberry chocolate pie!

The kids believed me.

For a few bites anyway. :)

It is really Shepherds Pie. With mashed potatoes mixed with beets.

Tiffer did eat good, but not as good as I thought.

I mentioned to Daddy that he hadn't eaten since breakfast, and Collin said that he had a snack.

I asked where.

Apparently, one of the neighborhood boys was shooting marshmallows over the fence with his new marshmallow gun.

Guess who scoured the yards and ate all those marshmallows?

:)

I think I will assign a science project to the kids. Maybe they can make a squirrel catapult like the video below and that will teach our little friends to stay away from my bird feeder and to stay on their own feeder. :)