Halloween at the Hospital

Well, we had planned to spend Halloween afternoon at Granny's house. Instead we spent it at the hospital, because that's where Granny is right now.

I took all 6 kids (my 3 and my sister's 3) up to see her.

She hadn't slept all night, had her right leg in traction, and acted as though she was delighted to see everyone. She kept asking me if I needed anything. Like a snack or drink. In a hospital bed in traction, and still trying to serve others.

There were other relatives there besides us, so it seemed like a party. We were all crammed in the room, but it didn't seem weird, because we pack ourselves in her house like that too.

As everyone was talking and visiting, I went to granny's bed and took her hand. As I started massaging her arm lightly, I decided to sing "How Great Thou Art." It's a good thing she can't hear too well, because I can't sing too well. But I looked at her and saw she had her eyes closed as though she was relaxed and peaceful.

I love that woman beyond words.

Two kids cried upon sight of granny in that bed, and that was my Ellie and Luke. They both tried to hold it back, but seeing her like that I imagine was hard for all of us.

Tomorrow she will have surgery to place a steel rod in her leg and fix her "Halloween trick" as she calls it. She has the faith that her Lord will carry her through. Our prayers could only serve to support her even more.

The Day I Have Dreaded

When your granny is 99, you know that at some point, inevitably, there is going to be an issue healthwise. Last night, Granny fell and broke her hip. Well, shattered it, as the doctor said. A hip replacement is in her near future. She is in lots of pain, though still full of life and spirit. She had us all cracking up. But a broken hip, as you know, is not a good thing. I thank you in advance for praying for Granny. I told her you would be! And she's holding you to it now, ya hear?

A Blast from Halloween Past

the cat family, circa 1979

I Heart Granny's House

Our every-holiday tradition is to go to granny's. If there is a holiday, whatever it may be, we celebrate at granny's. Below are images of this year's Halloween celebration complete with cookie decorating and crafts at granny's house. The moments are so sweet I could eat them.

One note: For the first time EVER, the grandkids supplied the food. I took the chili and pumpkin bread and everyone pitched in by bringing other stuff. One one hand it was bittersweet, a changing of hands, so to speak, on the other hand, it was about time I got off my hiney and started SERVING instead of being SERVED. For Pete's sake, she's 99 and the most precious thing you could ever imagine. Look at her in the last image in this post: she's glowing.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

For obvious reasons, we have always kind of been a basketball family. In fact, instead of listening to classical music in the womb, my children heard the steady squeak of basketball shoes on the court and the thump of adrenaline raising songs played at timeouts. That's just the way it's always been.

Imagine my surprise at the way that football has snuck up and intercepted our hearts! I just wasn't expecting it. In the least.

At Jenks, kids start playing TACKLE football at the tender age of six. I know, it sounds crazy. And it is crazy. You can see our first experience with it here. I wasn't so sure at that I wasn't the worst mother in the world for allowing my precious son to be involved with such a thing.

But I'll tell you, he has loved it. LOVED it. His favorite thing about playing tackle football? You guessed it... the hitting. There's something about a boy that needs that physicality. To smack other kids down and be smacked down.

Tom has enjoyed the heck out of football too. He has seemed to relish each game as though it's the SuperBowl.

And another strange thing has happened! Ellie has gotten into it. She actually (I can't believe I'm typing this), willingly and excitedly puts on pads to help Luke practice. She runs the ball so he can practice tackling her and then she goes after him real hard when he runs it. It's been a really strange phenomenon.

Now that Kami's cheering for Jenks Black (for the first time EVER, cheering that is), football has exploded into our lives even more. Would it be weird to say we're becoming a football family?

So the fact that the kids played football for about an hour in grandma's back yard when we went over this weekend really wasn't that surprising. A kid next door jumped the fence, they squared off, boys against girls, I made the calls and off they went, making football history right there in granny's yard.

TOUCHDOWN!!!!

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Fall!

Feeling Lazy

It's what Fall Break does to us. Ahhhhhh!~

Happy/Busy/Crazy/Busy/Happy

At long last.

Whew. I feel like I have been going non-stop for a month.

And I just NOW sat down. 24 X 31 hours later....

I get frustrated when I am soooo busy, feeling pulled, not being on top of things...

feeling like every moment is worth a thousand bucks. What am I going to do with that moment?

....but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else than what I have been doing.

I am happy busy. Crazy, yes. Wondering if this is the true meaning of life. Yes.

But knowing that this is a phase that I will look fondly back to one day.

Planning birthday parties. Coordinating stuff. Helping with homework.

Emphasis on the WORK. Solving puberty problems. Staying up late. Getting up early.

Feeding the herds. Tending to people. Praying my heart out for it's the only way I can make it through each day. Playing a little tennis in between. And spelling words. Lots of em. All with Tom out of town or busy with basketball much of the time.

You know. You are living it too.

There is a time in the not so distant future when I will miss the business the craziness the happiness that comes with taking care of my precious family.

And here are some of our happy/busy/crazy/busy/happy times over the last month that include a birthday party, a homecoming parade, family photos, and mudnight at our church .

When Mommy Isn't Watching

Ok, I have a guilty pleasure to admit: Dateline NBC.

Guilty: because I have zero time to sit down and witness someone get "exposed" for an hour in my evening.

Pleasure: because there is something odd in me that enjoys seeing people's true nature... watching people self-destruct right there on cold, hard TV. Ok, feeling guilty again.

Said guilty pleasure happens about once every 6 month... and tonight with Tom OOT (out of town), I DVR'd the show.

This night, no murder trial, no child predators (thank heavens, that show makes me want to pull the plug on every computer in our neighborhood) , but it was the hidden camera watching kids when their parents weren't around that caught my attention.

Interesting situations:

*Will a child stand up against a bully?

*Will a child let a stranger in her house?

*Will a teenager text in the car? (There is a business that actually installs hidden camera to check this out)

*Will a child ride with a driver she thinks has been drinking?

In each case, Dateline NBC experimented with different kids and the outcome was different. One 12 year old girl stood up to the bully like I can only dream my kids would. One set of siblings, 12 and 14, let a stranger into the house when he flashed a badge and said he was a "milk inspector." Another little boy stood his ground when the elderly stranger demanded, "Let me in, my wife is sick!" The teenagers TOTALLY texted in the car, probably because they had seen their parents do it so many times and the kids riding with the older teen who showed signs of drinking? What do you think those 4 kids did? Got in the car with the drinking driver. All 4 of them.

It was pretty thought provoking and I'm somewhat convinced I will do the following things:

*Teach my kids to stand up to a bully. Give them specific strategies and show them the tape of the sweet girl (Lucy) who befriended the victim and was a total sweetheart.

*Set up a test for my kids and see if they will open the door to a stranger. I know it sounds awful. I am really thinking about it.

*Stop texting in the car completely. I am actually pretty good about it, however, I DO, I admit, I DO text at stoplights. I think that probably needs to stop too. The kids are watching!

*Start now talking about riding with safe drivers. And talk to my kids about it. I will probably show them the tape. I want them to see all the signs the teenagers chose to ignore. And set up an emergency code with the kids when they get older. The show suggested "111." That means drop everything and come get me now!

I just hope my kids do the right thing when Mommy isn't watching!!!!

I'm Pretty Sure I'm a Redneck

When your family's idea of a Labor Day Get Together is a cookout between two ponds on a strip of land called the "Island," I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

When you can't remember one family member's real name because everyone has called him "Tuff" since he was born AND Tuff wears something that looks like a mullett (see blue shirt on left), I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

When the kids have to dig through dozens of cans of beer to get to the water bottles at the bottom of the cooler, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

When you choose to play with a stick gun instead of the football, trackball and baseball your momma brought for you, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

When coralling the kids together for a family picture and they step in cow patties, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck. When there is a dog named Hank at the family get together and they stick him in the back of an old Chevy truck full of barbed wire to keep him away from the hot dogs, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.When you're taking a "cousin" picture and one of your cousins thinks it's appropriate to just stoop down in front of everybody else, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck. When your cousin celebrates her 50th birthday in a lawn chair with a big honking chocolate cake, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.
When your daughter eats the chocolate cake straight from the serving spatula and everyone gets a kick out of it, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck When it's normal for your son to walk around with a weed in his mouth, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.When you take a picture of your cousins who you only see once a year, and the background for the picture is two old farm trucks, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.
When the kids go swimming in the mucky ponds for entertainment, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

When people don't see birds in the air but "targets" in the air, I'm pretty sure you're a redneck.

Yep, it's official, I'm a bred, born and raised REDNECK!