A tennis player in the making..

Lane began taking tennis lessons this past week. He has been playing badminton at home and loving it, so he asked if he could learn how to play tennis. It is two times a week for 30 minutes. You would think that he was a pro for how serious he takes his lessons and then wants to come home and practice some more!!! He is definitely motivated right now!!:) I'll try to get better pictures this week.( He is standing between the two adults-center in the picture).

My second graders.....

These are my second graders after planting flowers last Friday. It is hard to believe that my first year is almost over. It has been so rewarding, although the "natives" are definitely getting restless these last few weeks. I can't blame them because I am feeling that way myself.

What they can think up....

......never ceases to amaze me. Friday evening before supper the boys worked on this box out in the yard with a few sticks and things. Before long, they began putting it over their heads. Amazingly, they had placed the eye holes and mouth fairly accurately. But what happened next was unforgettable!! Marilyn and Connie were here already and grabbed their camera, too. You can hear Marilyn laughing as she watches. I love what the boys create on their own with simple things!!:)

Week's end...

I am so glad today is Friday!! It has been a long week... a parent has been up in arms over nothing and drained me!!! It was finally resolved today with my elementary principal holding a conference with the parent. The workers are coming tonight and will be with us until Monday. They are going to start gospel meetings this Sunday at our house and have them through May. I've told them I am not going to fuss at all, I know that sometimes they like to just have some space. They go on Saturday's and have a study with a girl at the nearby college campus who is here from China going to school. We won't see much of them on Saturday, so we'll have some time to get those weekend chores done. Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Maybe I'll get some pictures will the girls are here.

For all moms.....

My own mother forwarded this to me and I just felt it was so wonderful I need to post it for all my friends who are moms or soon-to-be moms. What an awesome calling we have.....one that comes with a great cost, but one that I believe is never too great to pay!!

MOTHERS and MOMS

This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer
wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
"It's okay honey, Mommy's here."
Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at
work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and
make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.
And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to
babies they'll never see. And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't
have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight,
Moon" twice a night for a year. And then
read it again, "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught
their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?"
in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only
to get calls from the school nurse an hour later
asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and
sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?
The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?
Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation...
And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us...
Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother...

My Sweet Guys...

My guys brought me these flowers from their trip down in the field yesterday evening. Jay stopped and picked them and handed a bunch to each of the boys. They sang all the way back to the house......" Mommy's going to love these flowers, Mommy's going to love these flowers!!!" Their right, they are better than any store bought flowers I've ever gotten. I love these kind of little "surprises"!! I thought they fit well in this John Deere cup.

Me and the boys

Friday afternoon I got off of school early and had some "one on two time" with the boys!! It is really great to spend time outdoors with the boys. They are such adventuresome creatures. We did all things "boy". From caterpillars & lizards to baseball and swinging in between, Lane told me that I was as much fun as Dad!! I have to say that was quite an accomplishment, at least dor me.:) It was so nice to spend time bonding with them without Daddy around. He by the way was fishing that evening. We also had fun doing an activity out of the Family Fun magazine making s'mores in the backyard without any fire involved. So FUN!! See the pictures below... if you want to try it yourself visit www.familyfun.com and you'll find even more cool activities and recipes, etc.

This fuzzy caterillar was being trained to climb the slide.
Lane spotted this lizard climbing the house. As I was trying to take his picture, he kept moving when I was just about ready to take it. He must be "camera shy" !!!!:)
This was the start to our little s'mores experiment. We had a perfect afternoon. The hard part now is to wait as they heat up.
This is the finished product!! The chocolate is soft and runny and the marshmallows are soft and gooey!!! This took a total of about 45 minutes in the direct sunlight. The marshmallows could have been slightly softer but they were still yummy , yummy!!!:)
If you don't believe me when I say, yummy, this is the proof!! Chocolate everywhere!;)

Butterfly Frenzy!

This was part of the fun on Sunday....and I promise we did not spike their sippy cups. If you watch and listen closely, you will see the butterfly and here them yelling "get the butterfly". Lane is armed with the net and Gavin, Bryce, and Gannon are chasing it also. It was so fun to watch them run up and down, back and forth without running into each other and all giggling with GLEE!!:) They never did catch the butterfly, but had so much fun anyway. Click the play button even though the screen is black and it will start.

Fun Weekend

David, Kristen, and Jacob came to stay this past weekend. Kristen and I caught up on the old days when we were younger and the guys enjoyed some fishing on the lake. The boys enjoyed Jacob and he loved being around the bigger "babies" as he says. Anyone who is not a big person is a baby to Jacob!:) So cute!
On Sunday, we had a potluck after meeting. All the little ones enjoyed playing in the backyard. The adults enjoyed the great weather on the porch and visited. A great weekend!! Thanks for coming over David, Kristen, and Jacob! We look forward to more weekends together and that baby girl in September!;)

Lane is teaching Bryce to "whittle" a stick, as Jacob plays in the dirt.
Love this picture of Jacob!!:) He is watching as the big boys are playing with a lizard.
There it is!! The poor lizard was running for cover under the porch.
So handsome, I could just squeeze the mess out of him!!;)
Lane and Jacob sittin' together on the floor.

Lane and Bryce laugh.....leaving the girl behind.
All the kiddos playing in the sand.
Lane and Bryce after the butterfly.
Bryce, Gavin, and Lane on the tire swing.
Jacob loves anything with wheels, he had such a hard time trying to figure out which one to play with.

Spring Break with Mom

The boys and I spent the last week of March with Mom as she recovered from her major surgery. I was glad that my spring break fell when it did so I could help her and dad out. As you can see, the boys enjoyed their time even though Grandma wasn't quite herself. She enjoyed having them as a distraction from her aches and pains. We hunted for eggs and dyed some again too. They enjoyed spending time with Grandma in the chair as she read them books.

Decorating eggs with Grandma's help.

On one of the cloudy, rainy days the boys enjoyed riding the tractor in the house. The managed to get Tia to ride along too!:)
Looking for eggs.
Lane doctoring on little brother.
All smiles at the local playground, of which we visited almost daily!!
A bad case of "Duck Bill"!!! Grandma caught them being silly with their pringles at snack time.

Ride'em Cowboy!!

Friday at school was Rodeo Roundup in Preschool. His teacher helped each child make their horse. Lane's horse's name is Lightening. Of course little brother had to also be pictured with Lightening, with a dirty mouth and all (if you look real close)!!:) Kristen just showed me this weekend how to make these cute little videos with our pictures.

WOW, what talent!!

Mom forwarded this to me today and I just couldn't resist posting it. These little girls range in age from 8-13 and can they sing!! Truly talented!! They are the Cactus Cuties from west Texas.

Speaking of Mom, she is doing very well. The boys and I spent the week with her last week and she improved a lot. She is still uncomfortable at times and taking pain meds. some. The doctors have told her she may have discomfort for as long as 4-6 weeks after her surgery. This Friday will only be three, so she is doing really well!!! A home health nurse is still coming out to the house 2-3 times a week to assess her and help with her colostomy. She hopes to have her second surgery in early June. She has been such a trooper!! I don' think I would be doing as well as she is!:) I have quite a few pictures from our time with her and I'll post them soon hopefully. :) Enjoy the video!!