Around the house in 80 pictures

    Ok, hopefully it won't be 80 pictures, but the title wouldn't have worked with any other number. Sometimes it's the little things around the house that are so fun and sweet and memorable and make the days a joy. So instead of blogging about a single event or topic I'm going to post a bunch of mis-matched pictures together with captions that tell it all.

   Enjoy!

 Growing into the walker (with a blanket stuffed in front)

 Cooper's blocking the view going in and out

 Making Father's Day cookies for Popsey

Loves wearing Daddy's boots and hat

 Daily job of scooping up you know what.. Cooper likes to help

Took him a while but he finally got a piece on his shovel

 He's throwing it over the fence (well, maybe through is more accurate)

Big boy in his Bumbo

 Ace's favorite way to travel 

(until I dried the sling which may have caused it to shrink...

uh oh guess I'll have to lose some weight)

 Gus and Cooper swimming together. 

At first Gus put his nose in, then his paw and before long 

he was playing with Cooper. 

Gus likes to take the toys out of the pool. 

Then Cooper gets out and puts them back in. Fun Game

 Shelling peas with Daddy; he gets most of them in the bowl

 He's actually pretty good at it

 Ready to go to the lake in matching swimsuits. 

Notice Cooper's leg. He almost fell down trying to cross his feet like Daddy. 

He imitates everything..especially if his Daddy does it. Precious!

 Climbing up the boat ladder after swimming with Popsey

 Mere Mere and Cooper getting into deeper water (for Cooper anyway)

Kallie took this picture of suave Cooper 

 "Who are you looking at?" 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

Orphans

     We had a hit and run in front of our house the other night...and we lost precious Little Girl. Luckily I didn't have to see her, Dalton found her that morning as he was leaving. He didn't tell me until lunch and the conversation went something like this (he has to be careful when giving me bad animal news..I take it kinda hard).

Me - "What are we going to do with Ursula's kittens? We have too many. By the way I haven't seen Little Girl all morning; maybe she's taking care of her kittens." (She'd had 5 about 4 weeks earlier)

Dalton (with eyes downcast and a serious look on his face) - "I have something to tell you......I saw Little Girl this morning."

Long pause..I'm starting to get the picture now.

Dalton - "She was on the road."

Me - "Oh, no, not Little Girl! She was Cooper's best friend. Why was she on the road in the first place??"

     Then I cried. Pathetic I know, but you are talking about  a girl who cries over most every lost pet. I think there is even a home video of me presiding over a frog funeral...I give quite a eulogy.

    After shedding a few tears, it dawned on me that she probably had kittens still hid away somewhere and I immediately went into rescue mode. We got a flashlight and headed to the shed by the house. We looked under it. No kittens. But I could hear them. Then we tried the water pump shed..bingo. We found 5 lonely, hungry kittens!

They didn't pose well for their group shot

     We got them out, put them in a laundry basket with a towel and moved them to the front porch, where they now reside during the day. At night we put them in the shed for protection. They are hungry little guys. We feed them milk through a medicine syringe and are trying to get them to eat/drink from a bowl. No luck yet.

 Dalt is so excited to have more kittens

 "Feed me now!"

"I'm coming to the milk if the milk won't come to me."

 Look at the cute little kitten...

 "Mom, he's getting a little too close for comfort!"

 "Get him off now!"

"I thought I was the baby of the house?"

    So, as if we needed another helpless creature to take care of at this place, we now have 5. Let's recap our inventory of needy things. One 3 month old, a 2 y/o in the throws of terrible 2s, a huge puppy and helpless chickens that beg to be eaten by whatever comes along if they aren't corralled up and penned at the end of every day; oh and a garden that has to be picked frequently to avoid squash the size of Cooper.

    Fun times! Needless to say we haven't been watching much TV lately; that's a plus.

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philipians 4:11

Guerilla Warfare

     Lately I feel like I've not been able to keep up around here. It could have something to do with having a very active 2 year old running around and getting into anything and everything that he possibly can. Or maybe it is a result of having an almost 3 month old who spits up 24 hours a day and requires constant attention. Then again it could be related to the fact that I have given up caffeine because it makes Ace restless and fidgety.

Happy Boy!!

     In any case, these past couple of weeks have been a constant state of trying to keep things picked up and clean..unsuccessfully. You know you're in trouble when your husband is picking up around the house on a Sunday afternoon just so he can find a place to sit and relax.
    So I've declared war on my house and chores, as of last week. Not the kind of war that charges ahead and doesn't stop until the house and kids are spotless, dinner is ready and I'm waiting in a cute dress and pearls at the end of the day. No, no my friends. This is guerilla warfare...the down and dirty kind.
     I'm usually awakened each day by Cooper asking for milk or Ace asking for milk (two different sources though, don't worry). Then it's up and at 'em. The next hour is a blur as I stumble around trying to get diapers changed, me changed and some breakfast for all three of us. Then I usually survey the damage and try to figure out where to start. From there it's a gamble as to what gets done.
    So, last week I went back to my best tactic...a to do list on public display. For some reason I respond well to public humiliation as a motivator, so if I publish my to do list for Dalton to see, he can help me keep going. Also, nothing thrills me more than marking something off of my list. I'm a total nerd about it, and I sometimes add things to the list that I've done that weren't on there before, just so I can mark them off. I know...weirdo!
     With list posted, I then start my guerilla warfare cleaning. I don't think I've ever fully finished a task in one attempt since Ace was born, but that's ok. I attack, stop to tend to kids, attack, stop to turn Dora on, attack, stop to turn Dora off because I do have a limit to TV watching, attack, stop for a snack ....you get the picture. For the most part things are functioning well. My biggest problem has been laundry. I enjoy laundry (no, seriously...much better than mopping) but when you have a spitter like I do, it multiplies the laundry by 2 or 3. I can usually get the clothes washed but then make the mistake of piling them up to fold them when the boys are sleeping. In my mind I picture both boys asleep while I fold laundry and watch some TV. Reality...I fold about 1/3 before something happens and so there is still a pile when Dalton gets home.
     Today though I got smart and folded it before nap time. So when Dalton came home for lunch he found a clean house and empty couch to sit on. Success! No more waiting to fold...seize the pile. Also made a note to self...once 2 o'clock hits, no real work gets done. Then it's just keeping up with the evening activities.
     Another issue is toys...we are blessed to have plenty of things for the kids to play with, but once they are all strewn around the house it creates a cluttered mess. And now Cooper seems to be entering a ...get everything out, throw it all around and then walk away..phase. We're working on re-learning clean up tips. Today I put some toys away to hide for a while; that way they are new again when I need something to entertain the munchkins.

He's going through a 'no smiling at the camera' phase

     Then there's the spitting. We've tried one kind of medicine with no success and are now moving on to round two. If this doesn't work it means I'm stuck with a waterfall of a baby. At least he's happy most of the time. It just means that I have a new perfume, and having a constantly wet shoulder is becoming normal. It's pretty sad but I've quit changing shirts after every attack...what's the point right? (Ok, that may have been too much information). Just make sure when you see me to hug me with your face to my right shoulder...just in case.
     All in all though, it's still a  pretty great job, being a mother. Most of the time when I'm sitting among piles of clothes and toys it's because I've spent the time cooing and kissing Ace or tickling and watching Cooper...I'm sure I won't regret these choices later. They are two special boys and I love them lots and lots and more every day!

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Our Garden

     It's getting to be mid-June and our garden is flourishing, to say the least. We have been so blessed by the growth and produce that we've gotten so far. Not to mention the pure enjoyment of going out to the garden daily to see what has grown and how many veggies are waiting to ripen.

     Dalton is really excited and having fun with the garden this year. I think he checks on it more than I do. Most of all, God has helped us out, sending rain to help the plants, and not sending 100 degree days yet!

     Before I show you pictures of the garden now, I'd like to show a few of 'in the beginning' to give a little perspective. Maybe you'll be as excited about the magic of growth as I am. It's in my genes...my PaPaw's garden would put ours to shame; he's so good.

 Tomato 

 Cute little new plants

Notice the small tomato plants in the cages

     Now that we've recapped the starting stages, here is what the garden looks like now.

 Tomatos to the right, peas to the left

 All of the vines on the right are squash, crookneck, spaghetti, butternut

 Tomato plants; remember how tiny they started out? Amazing!!

Watering the garden..Cooper likes to garden shoeless and pantsless

     Wow, right? Yes, Wow! It's so neat how it's just grown and grown, and all of the veggies on the plants...woo hoo!

     Dalton picked a big bowl of green beans a few weeks ago and when he came in his first words were "God is good." (We may be watching too much Little House on the Prairie). Since then we've picked a couple more big bowls and have frozen about 10 bags of green beans. This week the peas should be ready. It's work picking and snapping and cooking and freezing the produce, but so worth it. And nothing is better than knowing that the food on your table is home grown.

Blooming and growing peas

     We have also gotten some fresh tomatoes from the garden. They are amazing and taste nothing like those from the store. If we get a bunch of tomatoes at once, we hope to try and can them. That will be another adventure and post in itself!

     Speaking of much produce at once, we have squash and zucchini in abundance (I wanted to say coming out our ears but that phrase is overused). I've now made sauteed squash, baked squash, grilled squash/zucchini, zucchini fritters, zucchini bread and next I'm going to try veggie lasagna (with added sausage..we can't have a meal without meat, remember). I'm definitely expanding my recipe resume.

    Last but not least, we have a lot of cantaloupe that will be ready soon. Dalton counted 30! Last year we made about 8 and they were delicious, so if these are the same we'll be in cantaloupe heaven. It may be time to set up a roadside stand with veggies, cantaloupe and eggs...then again maybe not.

   Dalton is so ready to pick one; it's just eating him up that we have to wait. He's like a kid at Christmas. (He may be getting seeds for Christmas this year)

Gus: "I sure would like to dig in that cool, wet dirt." 

    So, that is our garden update. It's so fun and a source of joy and entertainment for us...which is good because way out here we don't have too many of those. Next post I'll introduce you to our milk cow, Josie. Just kidding..I have to keep some reason to go into town!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21

1st Swim in the new Pool

     Cooper got a pool from Nana and Paw for his birthday. Yesterday we filled it up and Cooper tried it out. It was a big hit! He did a lot more splashing and getting in and out than 'swimming' but that's the fun of a backyard pool, right!

     Gus really wanted to get in with Cooper, but I didn't let him. Maybe later in the summer he can join in the fun. Instead he watched from a distance.

     Ace fell asleep while I got it all ready, so he had a nice little nap while I watched Cooper play.

     I caught Cooper with his face in the water a couple of times, and almost panicked but then realized he was getting a mouthful of water. After getting the water in his mouth he would get out of the pool and go spit it out. Boys!

     As I watched Cooper play in the pool while holding sleepy little Ace and listening to Christian music praising Jesus I felt this overwhelming sense of contentment and happiness. What a blessing it is to be able to sit and watch my child playing, knowing that I have a healthy family, a nice house, plenty of food and no real needs that aren't met. On top of that, and most importantly, I have God's love, Jesus's grace and the Holy Spirit's guidance in life. And this is why I sleep so well at night...well, when Ace isn't ready to eat and Cooper isn't coming in to snuggle.

     Of course later than evening when Ace was screaming and Cooper was sitting beside me going "ahhh ahhh aaahhh choo" over and over the relaxed happiness could not be found. But a God-given contentment was still there, along with a prayer for patience.  Did I mention that God is good?

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Tractors, Calves and Boats

     The time of year has arrived when there is lots to do outdoors, for work and play. Recently (well, maybe not too recently...it's taken me a while to get this posted) Dalton and Popsey had to work calves, and I took Cooper along to watch the action. We have to start young so he'll be interested when it's his turn.

 Popsey and Daddy hard at work

 Herding cows with his stick

 Walking in the tire track

Cooper -  "Guys what's going on? I want to help." 

 Doing the dirty work

There were a lot of grasshoppers. 

Cooper even had one in his pocket for a little while.

     Springtime also means plowing up the ground to get ready to plant something new. This means that Dalton gets to use the big tractor...which Cooper likes. We took Dalton lunch one day while he was plowing and Cooper got to ride in the tractor for a couple of rounds. I think he liked it, except that he bumped his eye on something while bouncing around on Daddy's lap.

 "Bye Mama!"

And they're off...

     Dalton and Popsey have been working on a little john boat and motor, a fun thing to do with Cooper this summer. Dalton wants to take it on the creek to fish, but for their first outing we took it to the lake. Thankfully it started up and they were able to take a little ride around the dock. They even took the Heartfield kids with them. I think they all had a good time.  I would share pictures, but while transferring the pictures something happened and I lost them. I'll have to share them later.

This picture is after Coop and Dalt got home 

from going to the lake a second time. 

     More updates to come...the garden has exploded and I can't wait to share pictures! God is so good and we are so blessed. I am overwhelmed daily at His goodness and provision. He gives us just what we need when we need it, no more, no less. It's a great testimony to His faithfulness, and helps us not to get too comfortable.

Love Ace's expression

"In Him we live, and move and have our being." Acts 17:28

Horsey

   
     Cooper has a buddy. His name is Horsey, and he's a part of the family...no really, Cooper insists that he be treated like a third child. After Ace came along, Cooper did the baby thing for about a week and then decided that going back to a baby wasn't for him. Not to be left out, he's made Horsey his baby, or at least his little friend.

     At first he was treating Horsey like a baby and putting him in the swing or carrying him around wrapped in a blanket; at one point Cooper even wanted me to feed Horsey too while I was feeding Ace. Now Horsey has grown up a little bit and he's more Cooper's age now. Here are a few things Horsey likes to have done:

1. Putting socks on. When we were leaving Mom and Dad's house I put Cooper's socks and shoes on. He then promptly held up Horsey's hooves and insisted I put socks on him. So Horsey visited the Credit Union with one sock on...the other one fell off in the car (maybe he is more like a real baby than I thought).

2. Finger and toenails need to be clipped. Today, after I clipped Cooper and Ace's fingernails, Cooper held up Horsey so I could clip his too. Luckily Horsey wasn't as squirmy as the other two, so it went pretty fast.

3. Going everywhere with us. Horsey used to be necessary for bedtime only, but now, as a family member, we have to take Horsey with us all the time. I don't mind, he's quiet and doesn't fight the car seat. One place Horsey doesn't go is the backyard. I told Cooper that it wasn't safe for him out there and after a very brief encounter with Gus Gus he and Horsey agreed.

4. Watching TV. The other night Cooper wanted us to change the channel on the TV. We said "No" many times. Then I looked over and Cooper had Horsey. Horsey turned his head and looked at me, then raised his hoof and pointed at the TV repeatedly (the signal to change channels), with a little help from Cooper of course. It was too funny!

5. Hide and Seek. Horsey likes to play hide and seek at nap time. Cooper puts him under the blanket and raises his hands to do the "I don't know?" look. Then we search until we find him.

6. We call him by name..well, sound. When we can't find Horsey, Cooper whinnies and we go searching. Usually Horsey isn't too far away. Sometimes I even hear him whinny back...

7. Drinking milk. Horsey seems to like milk too. When Cooper drinks his milk, he will often stop and put it up to Horsey's mouth so that he can have a drink too. At least Cooper is practicing sharing already. He's also happy to share Horsey with Ace..great big brother.

     So, welcome to the family Horsey! We are glad you are a member. Just don't run away, or we'll be in serious trouble.

Horsey (photo courtesy of Cooper)

"Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4