Monday, May 31, 2010

Dear Mike,

As I sit down to write to you today, Memorial Day 2010, my eyes are already filling with tears. I could not be more proud of you, son.

When you learned new things as a little boy, I was excited for you. When you began to drive, had a job, and went off to college, I knew the future held great promise for you. When you graduated from JMU, my heart was bursting with happiness at what you had accomplished. You have made a good name for yourself everywhere you've gone. Throughout your life you have left a trail of people who speak very highly of you, and whom you have influenced for good.

But seeing you wearing the US Air Force uniform with our name on it leaves me speechless with pride. I have no doubt you will go far and do great things.

Thank you for the being the wonderful son you are. Always remember Whose you are, and depend on Him to help you every step of the way. Thank you for your service to our country.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

You knew it was coming.

Are you sick of me yet? I don't do much other than follow Sticky Bean around with a camera.


I realize this isn't the Bean, but my hero husband and the man-boy are putting new plugs and wires in my van and that's a big deal. It has the biggest motor Ford could cram into that tiny space, and it's taking two of them working from opposite ends to squeeze the wires in there.

The best toy ever invented.

I love squishy, fat little baby feet.


Everything eventually makes it to the mouth.

He's exploring his inner dog. Been hanging around Pete too much.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Friday, May 28, 2010

Busy, busy, busy.

Sticky Bean has had a busy day. He did some dog training

checked his email on Aunt Abbie's funky purple computer

worked on his puzzles


had lunch with Grammy


and organized the cards for us.

After all that, how come we're so exhausted and he's not?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A day late and a dollar short.

And here are the pictures that should have been posted with yesterday's spiel about Pete going to the vet.

When I was getting ready to take Pete for his semi-annual checkup, I opened the door and let him go. That's the best thing to do when he's excited—it keeps you from getting your legs chopped off at the knee by his tail. So Pete was outside having his nervous breakdown while I was inside picking up the 8 pounds of dog hair I found when I moved his giant crate, when I heard him barking like all get-out. Thinking he was terrorizing one of the neighbors, I ran out to find him defending his home from this:


That would be the beach ball floating in circles around my neighbor's pool. He's a mite skittish.

I went back in and man-handled his crate out to the van (full-size, about 5 feet of cargo space behind the back seat). But as soon as I opened the back door, this is what he did:


Now try getting him out so you can put the crate in. When I finally did, he immediately got in the crate, which was still sitting in the driveway. Like I should lift it, dog and all, into the van. Somebody shoot me. Or him.

After threatening him within an inch of his life, I made him sit 8 feet away. It was all he could do to stay there, and he whimpered pathetically the whole time I was wrestling his home-away-from-home up in there. When I finally got the crate in the van,  he sprang from where he was sitting, cleared the back bumper, and went straight in, crashing through the metal door.

Once again I had to make him get out so I could swing the door out, and back he went. Can't you just hear him saying, "Well, it's about time you got this thing right."


"Ok, I'm ready. Let's go!"


Be thankful ~

Karen

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Lots of visuals today.

I promise I am still here and sometimes I even do some thinking. But not today.

This morning we wrangled the beast into the van and took him to the vet. Doesn't that give you a great mental picture of what happened? In reality, we opened the back doors, he jumped in, and we couldn't get him to jump out so we could put the crate in. He loves the van (or the truck) because it means, "Hey! We're going somewhere!" Doesn't matter that he's going to be poked and prodded with a muzzle on his face and have his nails cut. In Pete's case, stupidity is bliss. They must give him a lot of treats.

The vet tech just called to tell me Pete had been an angel (Seriously? MY Pete?) and he was ready to be picked up, so we're off again. But first, I have to share the photo of the day with Deb's caption below:



Cram it in, gag it up. Repeat.

Have fun with that.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

♫ Oh, I looooove technology. ♫

Those of you who have wasted 92 minutes of your life watching the worst movie ever made will now be singing that song in your heads all day long. You're welcome.

I'm sitting here alone in my house trying to work. I'm on the couch with my laptop (where else?) in my lap. The dishwasher is washing my dishes, the washing machine is washing my clothes, and the air conditioner is keeping me cool and comfortable. I have my cell phone next to me so I don't have to get up if someone calls. After raising five children, I'm not sure I can call this work.

Lovely is at school teaching pre-teens how to write a song and Abbie and the man-boy have gone to the Baltimore Aquarium. I almost went with them, but decided I'd better stay home and get some "work" done. It's going to be a brutal day, but somebody's got to stay here and push the buttons.


Be thankful ~

Karen

Sweet Shot Tuesday: Happy Birthday Boy

I may have already posted this, but here it is again for SST.



Be thankful ~

Karen

Monday, May 24, 2010

Hear that sucking sound? That's my checkbook.

Once upon a time, we bought cars and drove them. The end.

Life is so simple when the kids are young. You feed them, get a few toys, and everybody's happy.

Then they learn to drive and it's all over. We currently own four cars, a van, and two trucks. (Yes, that's seven vehicles. Parking is a nightmare and the insurance bill isn't much better.) The cars are the nicest vehicles. But do we get to drive them? No. The kids drive them, or more specifically, the girls. But all the vehicles are in Ben's name because it's cheaper that way, and when something needs repairs, we pay for it. And except for a short time when Mike was out of college and working, we pay the insurance too because all the money the kids make goes into the tuition pot.

Because of all that paying, Ben has always refused to call the Acura "Leah's car" and the Honda "Abbie's car." He calls it "my car that you drive" and he doesn't let the girls refer to them as "my car."

Eventually, though, he gives in. At some point since she started driving the Acura three years ago, it became "Leah's car." This summer it needs a few repairs, and he's even going to let her pay for them since it's "her car."

Last fall, we decided Abbie needed a car at school. The logical choice was the Honda, since it's the nicest one we own and would be reliable. We wouldn't have to run down and fix it every time something broke and she would be safe in it. So she's been driving it about 7 months.

Yesterday Ben and I were discussing which vehicle needed what work done on it this summer, when he said, "And didn't we say we were going to have the timing belt replaced in Abbie's car?" He immediately said in a disturbed tone, "Did I just say that? Did I just call that her car?"

I patted his arm and said, "Just give it up. It's her car. Don't fight it."

Kids are expensive. They go to college. They need cars. I wouldn't change a thing.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Happy birthday boy.

Chocolate cake will do that. I'm sure it runs in the family.


Deb said after she put him to bed, he jumped up and down in his crib for an hour.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Friday, May 21, 2010

I remember . . .

I remember when my daughter and her husband were in Thailand helping a missionary, and she called me one day to tell me she was pregnant with my first grandbaby


I remember exactly one year ago today pacing around my house, knowing she was in labor, waiting for a call, when I got this on my cell phone


and I sat right down on the couch and cried.

I remember talking to her on the phone in those first few days, knowing how she was struggling and Sticky Bean was screaming and not nursing well. The girls and I finally decided we just had to go help her. We drove the 12 hours without telling her, and when we walked in her house and found her crying, we all hugged and sobbed together. And I got to hold my new grandson.


I remember when they came to visit just a few weeks later, to surprise us for our 25th anniversary party. We got this picture of four generations


I remember getting this photo on his 4-week birthday and thinking, "Boy, that went fast!"


I remember when they came to see us at 3 months and he smiled for the first 5 minutes of the 14-hour drive


I remember when they had their first family portrait taken


I remember when Bean was big enough for a flannel shirt, just like his daddy


Oh, my. This is going to get long. I'd better hurry up.

I remember when he discovered his feet


 when he learned to sit in the Bumbo


 when he hated his walker


 when he learned how to squeal


when he was learning to drink water out of a bottle


and when they came for Thanksgiving and Papaw fed him


I remember when Aunt Leah made him mittens


and he discovered his tongue


Okay, I'm really hurrying now.

I remember getting this picture of Bean eating with gusto


and when he discovered the dirty laundry pile


I'm really trying here. Skipping a few months.

I remember when Bean came to San Antonio to see his Uncle Mike graduate from Air Force basic training 



and when Tennessee had really severe flooding and Bean went out to survey the damage with his mama and daddy. 


That first year flew by. I'm so excited to see what the next one brings. Happy birthday, Sticky Bean!


Be thankful ~

Karen

What's new isn't really new.

Thursday was full of work, grass cutting, laundry, and Pilates. While I was at the gym, Ben came home and went straight to the woods to work on cutting up one of the oaks the boys cut down a few weeks ago. They're trying to get it all out of the woods before the undergrowth gets out of hand.


The logs are so big they cut halfway through them,


turn them over, and cut the rest of the way through.

Man-boy is bringing another length out into the clearing to be cut up.


I'm so helpful. I just hang around and take pictures of the work and the garden.


Be thankful ~

Karen

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I do not have a photo. I was busy licking my fingers.

Yesterday was round four at the eye doctor. For several reasons, we are having trouble making me a pair of glasses I can actually, you know, see with. Because I am vain and refuse to wear regular bifocals with the line in them, and because I have a crazy-bad astigmatism in my right eye, and because my last lenses came from Canada and we can't get them anymore, and because the stylin' new frames I picked out are 3mm shorter than my last ones, so far it's been impossible.

The opticians have been wonderful, measuring and re-measuring, looking at this and that, doing everything they could to make the first three tries at lenses work. But no.

So yesterday the eye doctor double-checked my prescription (it's correct), and then two doctors and three opticians pored over the lens books trying to find just the right one. They finally picked one, we decided to go with the old frame since I know it works, and we ordered new ones. Goodness, I hope these work.

While the how-do-we-make-glasses-for-the-woman-with-freak-eyes conference was going on, I kept smelling something incredible and overheard somebody say something about crab cakes. My ears perked up. I do love me some crab.

Next thing I knew, one of the nurses came up behind me and handed me a little plate with two fresh, homemade crab cakes on it. I could tell by the incredible aroma—it's not like I could see them.

I'll tell you what . . . you can re-make my glasses as many times as you want. Just keep the crab cakes coming.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

New profile picture over there. See?

This is another of Abbie's black and whites from this past semester.



It was slightly overexposed, but I doctored it a bit in iPhoto and I like it. Whadda you think? I think my man loves me.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Random thoughts for a rainy day.

Still raining. I'm trying not to to be mad about it since it keeps me from having to water the garden, but rain usually makes me kind of crabby.

I'm going back to the eye doctor Wednesday for my fourth try at new glasses. I think the problem may be that my new frames are too small, so they have to use compact progressive lenses, which just don't work for me. We'll see what happens.

Good news of the day: Abbie's check engine light came on a couple weeks ago while she was at school (that's not the good news part). We decided not to do anything about it until she got home for the summer. She came home last week and I was going to take her car in today, but yesterday while we were driving, the light magically went off (that's the good news part). The car is, however, still making a noise that sounds like quiet moo-ing, so I guess I still have to take it in. But at least it won't cost me $90 to read a computer code and turn the light off. Now, how do you tell a mechanic that your car is moo-ing?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sunday night soccer.

Did I mention that Man-boy is obsessed with soccer? The instant the last amen is said, he and his friends are out the door and on the soccer field.

Everyone plays—girls, boys, little kids, and sometimes even adults. (Mr. LeFort schools them all.)


When they start, it's still light out.


but even with no lights, they keep playing.

The girls are pretty tough (some are even playing in skirts and bare feet)


but Man-boy gets it past Katelyn.


Jace loves soccer.


Man-boy takes a shot . . . left-footed! I'd break my neck.


He's pretty serious about it too.


At the end of the night, he's worn out.


Sunday night soccer—his favorite part of summer.

Be thankful ~

Karen