What a day

     Recently I decided that I'd like to do something to help my appearance before the summer season arrived. It would be nice to go to a gym and work out or something healthy like that, but with Dalton's schedule and the boys I knew it wasn't possible to be consistent. So I decided to go the "if you can't tone it, tan it route," hoping that I can also exercise somehow here at home.

     I didn't tell anyone that I was going to tan, partly because I just didn't want to bring it up, and mostly because I know that tanning doesn't get good press (probably for good reasons). So I decided that this would be my little secret. Dalton agreed to let me have a month to tan, woo hoo, so I signed up and started right away, wanting to make every tan count. For those of you who are anit-tanning beds, don't worry…..I never tanned my face and I only tan for 1 month about every 3 or 4 years, haha. 

     It was fun tanning, I like that quiet time just laying there. It was mostly relaxing…..except that I started listening to the Old Testament (trying to read through the Bible in a year) and it gets pretty hard to follow/pay attention to all of the names and places and relax at the same time. I also like the quick results that tanning brings, I'm not as scared to wear shorts now. 

     One Saturday I asked Dalton to watch the kids so I could go into town and tan 'real quick' since they weren't open on Sundays. We also had a birthday party at 4 that afternoon, so I really did have to be quick. I got away a little later than planned, which meant I had to leave Dalton to deal with lunch for the boys, ooops. 

    I finished tanning, went to my car and turned the key…..nothing. I tried again and again and still nothing. Great. I sheepishly called Dalton to see if he could come up there. I say sheepishly because when I'd asked if tanning was an option, I told him it wouldn't be an imposition on him and I wouldn't be calling him all the time asking if I could tan, oooops. He said Tucker was already asleep but they'd head up there, poor Tucker, maybe he'd go back to sleep in the truck.

     I waited for a while and they finally pulled up in the big rig. Of course this place is on main street downtown so there was constant traffic zooming by us. Dalton got out and went to work trying to locate and fix the problem. I was on kid duty…..I think working on the car would've been easier than trying to keep the coons at bay inside the truck. Thankfully there was a package of Reese s Pieces in the glove box, so that kept us entertained for a bit. And someone stopped to help Dalton, which was also good. While they worked on the car, we tried to keep busy. Finally I had to let them out for a second so they could say hi and not tear the truck completely apart. 

Trapped fun….Dalton giving everyone on main street a show, working on my car.

     An hour later Bobby Rice and Dalton towed my car to the Pitcock office, while I drove the big rig over there. No luck on fixing the car. Drat. We went home, put the little boys down for a quick nap and then headed back to town for the birthday party….in the rain. I tried to talk Dalton into letting us chicken out, but he said no. He's very polite and proper, I appreciate that. 

    The party was one of those where you don't know many people and so it's just a little awkward. The kids had fun, but were soaked with rain water by the end so we borrowed a couple pair of shorts so they didn't have to go home wet. Cooper was very uncomfortable with this, even though he knows the kid we borrowed from. He did not like the idea of wearing someone else's shorts, so funny! 

     As we were leaving I had the bright (turns out not so bright) idea of going out to supper. We didn't have much to eat at home, we were already out, and I had skipped lunch due to the car incident. He reluctantly agreed so we headed to Dos Chiles, the spot we usually go when we do go out to eat. We hadn't been there in a while and I was looking forward to it. We got a booth in the corner…..a round one with too much space for the boys so they were bouncing around. Two minutes into the experience and I realized I should have just settled for a PJ&J at home. Oh well! The food came quickly (thank goodness) and we enjoyed it. Then it was time to pay. Sometime earlier in the week I'd lost my debit card (or rather misplaced it) so I only had a check……but when I went to get a check I realized I was out of checks. Uh oh. Dalton then realized he'd forgotten his wallet……but thankfully he had a check. We relaxed until we found out that Dos Chiles does not take checks……UH OH! So there we were……3 rowdy boys, a meal that wasn't paid for and no method of payment. This was really our day. So we did what everyone does when they are in this situation….we called the parents. 

My little stalling partner. I should've let him eat the chips instead of me!

      Mere Mere and Popsey happened to be in town, so they brought us by some money….how embarrassing, ha! Dalton, Tucker and Ace went outside to wait for the money while Cooper and I stayed inside, trying to look like we were still eating…..since our waiter had already dropped off the ticket and kept walking by our table looking at us suspiciously. I ate another chip, asked for a to go tea, ate a few more chips, asked for a to go box, ate another chip and avoided eye contact….you get the picture. By the time Dalton got back with the money I was stuffed with chips and ready to go.

      We sheepishly left the restaurant, loaded up and headed home. No more stops and no more adventures. This day was definitely not our best and we didn't need to invite any more calamity on ourselves. 

     The next week Dalton was super busy so he didn't get a chance to work on the car until Thursday, which meant I had to drive the big rig. I must say that I improved my standard driving quite a bit that week and even ran some errands I normally wouldn't have felt comfortable doing in his truck. That's one plus for getting out of your comfort zone. 

     I was anxious about taking the big rig on Cooper's field trip to the Graham Airport. I had signed up to be a parent helper and they told me I'd be hauling an extra child or two. I thought, oh great I'll probably let the truck die at a red light with extra kids in the back! A friend who's husband also drives a standard came to the rescue and offered to let me borrow her car to take to the field trip. I was so thankful and didn't hesitate to say yes! The field trip was fun, and even though I only wound up having to take Cooper with me, I was glad I didn't have to join the convoy in the big rig. We saw lots of planes and even watched one take off, while we stood in the misting rain. 

 

     Finally, late in the week, Dalton worked on the car but we wound up having to take it in to the mechanic anyway - turns out the parts he bought weren't good. They fixed it and $650 and a weekend later we went to pick it up. As I prepared to drive away I noticed that even though I'd shifted into drive the dash said it was in reverse, and the lights on the speedometer were only half lit. Wonderful. Well, we had somewhere to be so we told them about the problem and said we'd be there in the morning. 

      That evening, as I was driving home by myself I passed a cop. The instant he passed me I knew what was going to happen. I got pulled over. Not only did the dash say it was in reverse, but my reverse lights had stayed on instead of my taillights, which we didn't notice until it was dark. I gave him my spill about what had happened, and then apologized for not being able to find my insurance card…yeeesh. Thankfully he was very nice and understanding and I didn't get a ticket. And I was even more thankful that the kids rode home with Dalton so I didn't have the commentators in the back seat. 

     The next morning we took it back in, got a loaner truck and had to wait another day to get my car back. The boys were pretty excited about the new ride, a truck. I had to keep reminding Cooper not to tell people we had a new car, that we were just borrowing it until ours got fixed. When I went to pick my car up, expecting to just get the keys and go, I was surprised when they handed me yet anther bill….hadn't they squeezed enough out of us??? My cheeks got red and I reacted a little harshly, and then called Dalton to tell him that this is why I don't do the auto stuff…it's his department. He made sure I didn't say too much to them and then said he'd take care of it. God really knew I needed a calm and steady man when he made me so erratic and emotional! 

     So I huffed and puffed while I switched the car seats over yet again, and then did my best to smile at the people when I said goodbye. These situations always make me sigh because I let my temper get the best of me instead of being kind and sweet…..God still has so much work to do in me. 

     Moral of these stories: Laugh out loud when things like this happen. It makes everything better. At least it did for us (maybe if I'd have just laughed at the auto shop when they handed me bill #2 it would've gone over well….mabye not). 

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

Visit from Grandma and PaPaw

     Grandma and PaPaw have been talking about wanting to come visit us for some time now. However, making the trip up here is a big challenge for them. Like us, they have lots of animals and plants to take care of, so it's hard for them to stay gone long. Unlike us, they are older and don't travel as well, so it's easier to stay home.

     Finally though, the opportunity came for them to come visit. I found out on Saturday evening that they were coming the next day. Woah baby! Not one to discourage visitors though, I quickly got a menu ready and prepared for the visit, which included cleaning the house. Thankfully we'd just mowed the yard so the outside was looking good.

     The next morning I went to the grocery store, started lunch, cleaned the house, tried to keep the kids busy, and tried to make the house as 'first impression' ready as I could. About 10:30 they pulled up so I rushed to change out of my homey clothes and then greeted them outside.
     We had such a sweet visit…..once the pressure of showing PaPaw my garden was finished. Thankfully we'd just gotten it planted (see pics below) so there was something to show him. Unfortunately it wasn't too impressive yet….I only hope that I can send him some pictures of it thriving later this summer.

      They got the tour of the place, inside and out. And then it was time for lunch. I made chicken tacos with rice and beans and a chocolate chip cookie cake for dessert. It was a success! After lunch some took a nap while the rest of us hung out in the yard, swinging and talking.

Tucker tried to hide from us in the shop. The guys visiting about the price of cattle. 

Pearson visiting the broncs.

 Mom and Grandma; John and Little John, aka Tucker

The boys showed PaPaw where the arena would be. Papa got a workout carrying the boys on brooms. About 3 seconds after this picture was taken the heads of the brooms fell off the sticks, 

taking the boys with them. 

     When everyone was up again, we played the bean bag game, while the boys ran around (or stole bean bags from us). Then there was a lull in the action. So I asked who wanted to race. The little kids raced around the house. Then Pearson, who had come up to visit too, wanted to get in on the competition. No one else volunteered as his opponent so guess who got to race Pearson three times…….me! He won. I won. We tied.

 It's always pretty competitive around here when games are involved. Despite Mom's attempts to distract Dad, he still managed to make a few in the hole. 

      Next, I set up an obstacle course for the boys (let's face it…I couldn't last another race). Pearson, Cooper and Ace competed and bettered there times after running the course twice. Then Dalton and I joined in. I actually beat Dalton, woo hoo! However, if he'd not missed the ball the first time he probably would have won…..but that's an if. Unfortunately I have no pictures from the course because I chose to video instead; a good decision because they were pretty good videos.

Cooper's photography skills at work

      After lots of laughter, and garden, chicken and life advice, we reluctantly said goodbye to our visitors. I was so very glad that they came up to visit, and so grateful that they took the time and made the effort to come. I think that they enjoyed it….PaPaw even joked he wanted me to save him a corner of the barn in case he wanted to move in. I hope they I'll always have a place for them here when they want to come back, for a visit or forever!
       Thankful for the joy of new gardens and the potential that is there! And thankful for grandparents who love me and seek to encourage me and pass on knowledge that they have. Now it's my turn to go and visit them.

"Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life." Proverbs 16:31

Teeball

     This year is Cooper's first year to play organized sports. We considered soccer in the fall, but decided that preschool was enough, so we were excited to sign up for Tee ball this spring. We were a little nervous because we had no idea which team we would get, so we were really excited when we found out that Reagan Kelley and Aaron Walker were the coaches. And they had picked several kids that Cooper knew to be on the team. This made it more fun already.

      A couple weeks later Cooper had his first practice. Of course we all went, thankfully they practice next to a playground so the little boys and I went to play. Cooper looked so cute with his little glove and I was really excited to be starting baseball….if there's one sport I'd like him to play, it's baseball!

First practice!!

     The morning of the first Tee ball game, we were busy around the house. It was gardening day for us too because we'd waited a little longer to put it in, making sure there wasn't going to be another frost. We were just getting going good on the garden when I looked up and realized it was time to get ready to go. Did I mention it was also picture day for the team?
     I went inside and started gathering uniform pieces and realized that we still had to get Cooper's hat from the Kelley's house. After admiring his cuteness and oohing and ahhing over his uniform, I got Cooper's shoes, only to remember then that he'd lost a shoelace. That meant we needed to stop for a shoelace in town. Now it was go time and I started getting a little panicky about the time we had! We finished getting everyone dressed, threw everyone in the car and drove to town. We also had to go by the feed store to pick up something we'd forgotten for the garden. We went by the feed store and I dropped Cooper, Dalton and Ace off at the baseball fields so I could go get Cooper's hat. We knew we didnt' have time to go by the store too, so I cut the shoelace we had in half and it worked for the game. At this point I was thinking we were the worst tee ball parents ever, so unprepared and chaotic!!
     I wanted to get a tea to drink too, so I was going by Taco Casa when I realized that I had to have Cooper's hat to him before the group picture…which was probably any minute now. (I wasn't rushed before because I figured he could borrow a hat for his individual picture.) So I sped out of the parking lot (with my tea) and screeched into the baseball park. It was so crowded! Thankfully I made it in time and found a parking spot right behind the tee ball field. Tucker was still sleeping so I left him snoozing while I took Cooper his hat. I was able to see the group picture and tried to keep him clean until his game.

He's #6…picked the number himself. He's the one about to catch the ball in the photo ; ) 

      The game went great. Cooper got a couple good hits, woo hoo! And he even made a couple catches and threw the ball to first. I was impressed, especially since we don't watch much sports at home. And it was good to know he has some athletic ability…you never know until they get to play a sport.

 Loyal fans!! Nana made 2 games and Popsey and Mere Mere have been there to cheer Cooper on too. 

And of course the brothers are always there. Ace wants to be out there with him real bad. Tucker enjoys people watching and running around. 

      After the game I asked Cooper if he enjoyed it. He said yes but it was a little boring sometimes. I'm just glad he's doing good so I can move him to coach pitch next year! I don't think he could handle two years in tee ball. Next year it will be Ace's turn.

Posing for the picture and then making a good hit!

       The next 2 games were rained out and we've had two more since then. Cooper has been a consistent hitter and pretty good in the field…..he wasn't to thrilled about playing first base though. He would get distracted by the runners and not see the ball coming his way. He does best in the infield positions closer to the action.

Go Diamondbacks!

      I'm also loving baseball because it's a great place for the littles to play too. They can run around behind the field/dugout and I can actually enjoy the game…..a win-win!!

     After 2 solid weeks of rain outs we finally got to finish our season. I snapped a few pictures with my "big" camera during the last game. Only 6 players showed up so the boys got to do some extra fielding and catching. Ace even got to practice hitting after the game was finished and he loved it. We'll definitely be back on the baseball diamond next year! 

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are swerving the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24