Mothers Day 2009

picture this. .. we deiced to go for a hike, and enjoy the amazing trails that are literally just out our back door.  Amy, Todd, Reid and Denali (the dog) off for a nice spring hike.  

I should tell you a bit about Denali.  She is a good dog, great spirit.  She is a bit, um, shall we say “high spirited on a leash”. . . she loves to run outside and she just can’t be bothered by a leash.  We set out from the house.  Todd had Reid on his back, and I was “walking” (I use the term loosely) Denali.  I was trying my very BEST Dog Whisper dog walking technique. . . “I  am the pack leader” “Calm Assertive Energy” I reminded myself. . . it just wasn’t working and before we got too far Denali and I needed a break from each other.  OH, I should tell you about the leash.  Since Denali is such a challenging dog to walk we have almost every variety of leash available.  Today I was using the red one, which clips around my waste, with a elastic leash that clips onto Denali’s leash.  The idea is my body weight helps keep the dog in control (yeah, right.) 

So when Denali and I reached our breaking point, Todd grabbed  a short section of leash and “walked” Denali with that.  She works better with him, and really better with a shorter leash.  Since we were going to let her off the leash she stayed clipped to me, while Todd managed her. . SO PICTURE WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS SAW. .  ”Did you see that?  That man had his wife on a leash!”

Happy Mothers Day!!

 

(Oh, I should say, we really did have a great hike.  Once Denali was off the leash we were all much happier.  Reid got to throw rocks in the creek, and turns out he is quite the hiker!)

Gardening?

I started a garden this week.  I know almost nothing about gardens.

* Gardens grow in dirt.

* One needs seeds to plant in said dirt.

* Water is important.

That about captures what I know.  So, starting small, I mean REALLY small.  I have a 48×48 INCH garden plot in my back yard.  I figure since Reid and I are going to spend A LOT of time “outside” this summer, I might as well create a fun and pleasant yard for us to play in. 

SOO. . we turned over all the dirt, added some “Garden Soil-Good for Vegetables”, put up a small fence (to keep wandering little boys OUT), and planted a row of carrots, radishes, lettuce & beans, oh and I have a couple of pea plants, a tomato plant and two strawberry plants (the peas, tomato and strawberry are outside of my SMALL garden.)  

Since I have NO IDEA what I am doing, I thought I would just start.  Start small, and see what happens.  . . 

 

This is it!!

 

Reid with his "gardening" hat on! Lots of good sun protection!

Cows. . .

Pioneer Woman has nothing on me when it comes to cow pictures!!  This weekend we got to be a part of the Ranch Cattle branding event. . . It was a beautiful day (for us, not so sure the calves liked it as much. . . ) 

 

 

Have you seen. . .

This amazing, wonderful, happy video on YouTube? I could watch it all day.

Outside?

 

Oh My! Easter Eggs!

 

 

Reid has developed quite a vocabulary over the past couple of months.  Without a doubt his most favorite word is, “outside?”  (he says it with a rising and falling tone, sounds like (and usually is) a question.) 

Somedays it’s his first word in the morning, “outside?”.  He doesn’t only love to say the word, he LOVES to be outside.  

 

Hula Joy!

 A few nights ago, at about 2:00 in the morning I awoke not to a crying boy, but a little voice, calling out in the dark, “outside? OutSide? oUTSIde?”  

I see where and how our summer days will be spend. . . OUTSIDE!

AHHHH. . .

Yesterday I had a list of errands that needed doing.  After Reid’s nap we loaded up and headed to Target. Reid is a good guy.  He’s really laid back and go with the flow. . usually.   In the Target parking lot I tried to put him in the shopping cart.  ”No! No!” . . No big deal. . I thought, I’ll just put him in the cart once we get inside.  

Standing over the cart he held his legs STRAIGHT and WOULD NOT BEND them. . all while yelling “NO! No! No!”

I have a strict policy that in a battle of wills with a sixteen month old, I always win.  Finally I got him in the cart. . met with tears and screeches.  I thought. . . “once we get moving, he’ll get interested in looking around and we’ll be fine. . . ”  

What I didn’t anticipate was the looks, glares, and raised eye-brows from other shoppers.  That about did me in.  

SOOOOO, I did what every responsible mother would do. . . I headed straight for the baby-food aisle.  He loves little yogurt snacks.  I thought, I’m taking them off the shelf, opening them up and letting him have at it.  I’ll pay for them when we are done.  (something I never thought that I would do!!)

Worked like a charm. . . 

Only thing is, my nerves were so fried that I we have to go back today so I can get all the things I forgot on my list!!!

 

amacaca

Wings. . .

 

Mark Harris - Find Your Wings

From the album The Line Between The Two

 

 

It’s only for a moment you are mine to hold 
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold 
So many different prayers I’ll pray
For all that you might do 
But most of all I’ll want to know 
You’re walking in the truth 
And If I never told you 
I want you to know
As I watch you grow

baby Reid & Daddy Nov. 2008

Chorus:
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I’m here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings 

Reid & Papa "wings"

May passion be the wind That leads you through your days 
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way 
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet 
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I’m here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings 

on his way at Grandpa's ranch. . .

Chorus:

It’s not living if you don’t reach for the sky 
I’ll have tears as you take off 
But I’ll cheer as you fly 

I will cheer you. . always!!

When I heard this song I had tears in my eyes. . . I still have them in my eyes (to tell the truth!)

No Appointment Necessary

I saw today a “Minor Surgery Center” the sign read, “No Appointment Necessary”. . Does that mean I can just walk in and say, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about getting my tonsils out, I’ve got an extra three hours with nothing pressing, can you fit me in?”

Bad Coffee Shop Behavior

Yesterday I went to a local coffee shop to work on a project.  As I got out of my car I noticed an older lady getting out of her car too,  you know how you can just tell that you are in a race with a person?  She was racing me to get in the door and get the “good chairs”, little did she know that I had my computer and didn’t want the “good chairs”.  I did have a flash of “petulance” run through me and thought, “maybe I will sit in the chairs”. . just to annoy her.  It was so obvious what she wanted and the vibes she was sending me NOT to sit there.  

I didn’t sit on the “good chairs”.  She got her chairs.  All was well. . . 

UNTIL a young woman came in to study her nursing.  The nurse got her coffee saw four empty ”good chairs” around where the lady was sitting and took one.  I could see it all from my table.  The Bad Behavior Lady started to bristle.  Everything about BBL was seething that this young woman would dare to sit in her chairs.  Mind you, BBL hadn’t made an effort to save any chairs, and she wasn’t saying, “you know, I am waiting for a friend”. . she was just silently boiling.   (So much fun to watch the whole thing develop, it was fascinating!) So the nurse got herself settled, in a chair across from the lady and was just cracking open her book with BBL’s friend walked in.  ”I TRIED to save a chair” she loudly announced to her friend and STORMED off across the coffee shop.  The nurse was stunned (she hadn’t noticed BBL body language)

It was Bad Coffee Shop Behavior if I have ever seen it.  BBL could have saved a good chair by putting a section of the newspaper down, she could have politely said something to the nurse. . .not talking and acting like a five-year old was probably not the best option. 

 

Isn’t people watching fun??

Friday Quick Takes. . .

*  Spring is in the air.  There are many great things about living in So. Cal. . . . the nice weather all year comes to mind.  Yet, I always missed the change of seasons.  It’s been great fun this year to watch spring slowly come.   The delight in seeing bright yellow and purple crocus spring up in small patches is amazing.  Small signs of hope.  Another thing I love is hearing the birds come back.  The call of a red-wing blackbird signals spring to me, and we live in a place where the birds love to come.  

*Yesterday Nana, Papa, Reid and I went to a Nature Center.  We had such a great time.  We found windows to watch fish (Reid told them all “Hi”). . at one point we went up a small rise to a creek and came face to face with a Blue Heron.  There were Canadian Geese flying over and one on a little creek bed below the walk way.  At one point Reid bend down with his hands on his knees to peer through the walk-way rails at a water-fall.   The Nature Center opens into a park (That my brother and I use to play at when we were little, it was a short walk from our Nana & Bampys house.  Reid LOVED the slide. He went down one that we all thought was awfully tall, but he took it on and LOVED it. . Leaving the park we found a squirrel sitting in the crook of a tree munching on a taco chip. . .Reid loved it all. 

* I’ve been thinking the past few days about “Group Think” and how it plays into so much of all we do.  I am reading a book about organizational transformation and they author said one of the signs of a healthy organization is their ability to acknowledge and authentic about “group think” that happens in their organization.  It made me think about the Church and how much “group think” happens there (quite a lot I think) 

* Little boys love “outside”. . or my little boy loves outside.  We were outside before 9:00 this morning, he would go outside at 6:30 when he wakes up, in his pajamas if I would let him!! All this outside makes me glad I invested in an iTouch. .. I can check my e-mail, do a yoga video, play solitaire or any of three other games I find highly addictive while Reid is “outside”. . . The yoga is a bit hard, I have to admit. . . just when I get into a pose, Reid comes and wants to show me something, try it himself, or run off with my iTouch.   Still it keeps me entertained while he is “outside”. 

* I’ve been loving Facebook.  In the past few weeks I’ve connect with a number of high school friends.  There were only 13 people in my class, several of us started kindergartern together and graduated together.   We were friends whether we wanted to be or not, there is an attachment that we had.  It’s been so much fun to find people and see where life has taken them!

 

* I hope when he’s older, he won’t mind this bath picture.  What a cutie!!

 

Mr. Handsome

 

* Jello-pudding finger painting. . . not so much of a hit. . 

 

Get this stuff OFF my hands!!