Boys Love Tractors and Tricycles

This weekend we went up to Manly's hometown for his 10 year high school reunion. Yes, he's actually that young. While we were there we visited with his family who still lives in the same place where he grew up. It was the first time we've been up there in over a year and a half, so it was the first time Brubbs got to spend time on the farm. He LOVED it!
While we were there the kids got to visit the tractor, the horses, run free in the field, and fly kits. Brubbs also got to play on some of the same toys that Manly played with as a child. I love that we have these pictures.

Manly as a wee child with the same sense of direction he has now. Isn't he the cutest thing?

I almost loaded this tractor into the suburban while no one was looking.

Maybe some day they'll let us have it. Brubbs LOVED it!

My Manly Man sporting the trike.

Brubbs on a farm tricycle. Not sure it's the exact one, but still it makes me smile.

A Good FRIEND is Hard to Find

Have you ever had someone in your life that you want to spend more and more time with because they just get you. That's how we feel about our friends Wes and Bailey and their family. Scotty first met Bailey in the 6th grade and they have been friends since then. Wes joined the picture as Bailey's husband shortly after high school and that's when I met them.
They are crazy about each other and love their kids near flawlessly. Bailey is a labor/delivery nurse, but now just works two nights a week so that she can spend most of her time with their five kids 6 and under(just like us!). She's just started the homeschool journey with their oldest who is in Kindergarten this year. Wes builds the most beautiful handmade guitars you've ever seen. He's a great musician and a fantastic father. Their kids are hysterical and sweet  and BEAUTIFUL! Bailey and I keep saying that we're going to arrange marriages between our kids because they have 4 boys and a girl and we have 4 girls and a boy! We'll see how that turns out in a few years...Our kids get along so well with each other that it seems we spend a lot of time together, but really we only get to see them once ever few months. We got to see them this weekend and it was just so fun to get to live life together. Now I'm going to start praying the Lord brings them closer to us, because they are such a blessing to us!
These are a few pictures of our time together. I wish I'd gotten a group photo, but with 14 people, it's tough to get everyone in one spot long enough to snap a picture!

Scotty with their youngest Elijah. He looks like he could belong to us!

Scotty with their Eli and our Isaiah. I'm telling you these two look like brothers! 

Some of our kids eating a picnic lunch. This is everyone except the babies and parents.

More picnic.

Olivia with their oldest, Josiah. These two are so much alike and had such intelligent fun.

Wes with most of the kids. My girls were talking about him this morning and Olivia said, "Sometimes I'm a little scared of Mr. Wes because of his long hair and deep voice." Emma Claire said, "I'm NOT scared! I think he is HAAAANDSOME! He looks like Jack Sparrow." 

The Isaiah's! Our Isaiah is maybe 2 weeks older that theirs. They don't look alike AT ALL, but they are near identical in personality.

Addison with her "BEST BEST BEST friend!" She said this because he shared his oatmeal cream pie. Ha! She said, "I think Noah is NICE!"

Olivia and Josiah looking for "clues."

Our Little Girls and their only girl, Anna Ruth. Isn't she so CUTE! Such a sweet personality and those eyes!

The Isaiah's invade Mia's personal space with kisses and hugs. Their Isaiah started it, but our Isaiah didn't want to be left out. In this picture it looks like their Isaiah is saying, "Awwwww!"

Liv and Josiah. These two had so much fun. So sweet!

Am I a Teacher?

I was trying to make sure the little girls were doing their chore of folding laundry. Isaiah was getting in and out in and out of the laundry basket and each time he'd shriek, "SEEEE!?!?!?! SEEE?!?!?!" He'd continue to shout out until I'd respond, "Yes Isaiah. Momma See's you! You're such a BIG boy!" Emma Claire and Addison were fussing at each other off and on intertwined with playing more than they were folding. Apparently there were more important things to think and talk about besides laundry. Imagine that! All the while, Olivia is sitting at the school table trying her best to get her work done.
I'd been sitting there with her off and on throughout the morning. We're currently "visiting" Mexico, so she'd been brushing up on the Spanish alphabet, color names, numbers, and simple phrases. We're also talking about deserts this week as part of our Mexican theme, so we'd been looking at facts on desert animals. She was reading aloud to me all about camels and how they can go a long time without drinking. What she was reading was so important to her and she was so passionate about sharing it with me.
I started to get irritated as her reading became something like a drone in the background noise of the moment. As Isaiah's volume began to rise and the girls fussing became predominate over the folding I looked around and started to lose it. Then, in the distance, first quiet and soft then loud and dramatic, I heard Amelia start to cry from waking up from her morning nap.
At this point there are five kids all needing my attention at once. I did the only thing I knew to do. I got up from my spot in the living room, and went into my bedroom. I took a few long breaths, then walked back into the room ready to attack the situation. Know that this was after minorly losing it with them earlier, but after realizing that my earlier breakdown had done nothing to help the situation I knew I was going to have to try something else.
First, I disciplined the little girls and got them settled back into a steady pace of folding the laundry. Next, I pushed Isaiah around the living room table in the basket, then we pushed the basket back into the laundry room together and SLAMMED the door(since Amelia was already awake anyway.). I had him come upstairs with me to "help" with Mia. We changed her diaper, and got out some fun toys to take back downstairs for the two babies to play with while we finished...SCHOOL! It hit me like a ton of bricks! I'd left the room and not even addressed my sweet oldest daughter who was so excited about what she was learning! I had not even thought about saying anything to her. I left her while she was reading TO ME!
When I got back downstairs I ran back into the school room and there she was just sitting happily in her seat reading what the Living World Encyclopedia had to say about desert animals. I apologized for walking out on her and told her I really did love hearing about what she was learning, but that I'd gotten distracted by the other kids. She didn't even seem to notice. She was too excited about dry animal droppings to care too much! She said, "Oh...OK, but MOM!! You've GOT to see this! God made these animals so their POOP is dry and they don't lose too much water! Isn't that COOL!?!"
What a great blessing to "teach" this lovely girl, but I'm starting to think she may end up teaching ME!