Long Rambler

Oh I’ve been missing in action! Sorry to be gone so long. We’ve had so much going on around here! T just finished a “seven day,” meaning he was off work all week and he’s just gone back today! We got much accomplished including cleaning out the garages! This has been a point of contention in our marriage. Before we wed, we promised one another a few things:
1. to never go to bed angry – That makes us sound like such "good little Christians." Let me keep it real...we’ve stayed up late…a few times we’ve even almost seen the sun rise. Once or twice, we’ve actually fallen asleep arguing. Don't get me wrong, we have a great marriage. I'm just being honest. No one ever admits to me that they argue with their spouse – and more power to you if you have that perfect marriage. We just both happen to be sinners, make that stubborn sinners...
2. if we ever bought a house, it would have a fireplace. I LOVE a good, hot fire! There’s nothing like a steaming hot cup of coffee, a good book, and a fire.
3. and, if we ever had a garage, we promised to always park in it.

Well, we HAD a problem. T’s garage was getting rather full of his tools…so full in fact, that he could no longer park in the garage! And the disorganization was driving me CRAZY! I like a place for everything and everything in it’s place. (Which is ironic, because I constantly misplace my keys and my yard gloves…oh well!)

So, that little rant was to share that we, mostly T, got his garage totally organized and cleaned up and out! Hooray! You can find everything now! It is BEAUTIFUL! T has some great ideas for organizing his workshop, but they’re sort of "in the future" ideas, so we settled for peg board until then. Man, that stuff ROCKS! You can see every little tool in the shop!


We also hung several strands of lights over what will one day be our bricked patio...I'm lovin' it, but I wonder if it's a bit "trashy" to leave them up year round - what do you think?

Speaking of trashy, I went “your trash is my treasure” hunting through someone’s junk. It was in a pile on the street for the garbage men. I found a great Frisbee and a giant frame – a bit seventies, but I figured we could do something fun with it. I sanded it down and painted it a creamy color. T cut a piece of board to go inside her and we’re painting it with “chalk board” paint. MW will have a new chalk board by the end of the week! Yea!

Oh, the Frisbee! So we had a blast throwing that thing all week long. Me and T and MW would throw it to one another, all the while, T3 stood in the middle of the yard staring in awe. Scout exhausted herself running after it each time we threw it. It was hilarious…so, you already know what happened…T3 is staring up at the Frisbee, so is Scout, but she’s off to a good run at this point and BAM! She plowed into T3 and knocked him FLAT on his back. I’ve never run to him so fast! He was screaming…that is, until I put him down and then he was just fine. I almost wonder if he was screaming because I picked him up instead of leaving him! Boys!!!

Ugh…Ramsey. The saga continues. Miss M had called a few more times bragging about how wonderful Ramsey is and what a great fit he’d become, however, he still hadn’t warmed up to her husband. Well, Friday night T and I were about to walk out the door on a date when Miss M called. I let the machine get it. But, I knew if I didn’t talk to her I’d spend all my time with T wondering about what she wanted, so I played the message.

“Um, J, I need you to call me. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

So I called her. I knew what she was going to tell me, but I hoped I might be wrong. The call went something like this:

“Miss M, it’s J. I got your message and I’m so sorry I haven’t mailed you Ramsey’s registration papers yet. I will put them in the mailbox right now.”

“Well honey, don’t you worry about that. Ramsey…he just isn’t working out for us.”

Well, it turns out that Ramsey inadvertently got himself cornered in the bathroom with Miss M’s husband and Ramsey “attacked him.” In a moment of sheer terror, Mr. M threw something on Ramsey, thus avoiding his bite. Ramsey immediately made a mess of large proportion on the bathroom floor.

After that incident, Mr. M said Ramsey had to go. Miss M decided Ramsey was a perfect fit for a family without men. She wanted to know if we wanted him back. At that point, T stepped in and kindly let her know that he and Mr. M were on the same page. If they didn’t want Ramsey, T would happily pick him up and then promptly, as in, on his way home, have him put to sleep. Miss M opted to find him another home…Oh, she called again this morning and asked me to send his papers, “just in case.”




While T organized his garage I had the kids outside playing. MW, who screams at the site of a roach, found a squished roach on the driveway and named her “Martha.” She lead me by the hand to “come see Martha” and then proceeded to fill me in on the details of “Martha.” “Martha” was her “very bestest friend ever” and they dug a hole and filled it with water and went swimming all the time in it. “But then, someone shot Martha and she died. Poor Martha.” Ok, first, since when did we start naming ROACHES? And why “Martha?” And where did she hear about someone getting shot and dying?

Mom asked me where she heard about getting shot and I thought for a sec…T did let her watch MacGyver with him a few nights ago…maybe that’s where. Oh, but wait, T insists that no one has ever gotten shot on MacGyver. Hmmm….blew my theory! Maybe no one has gotten shot, but one guy did get eaten alive by killer ants. Oh, did I mention that’s the episode T picked to watch with MW. I’m certain I neglected to mention that each night for the last four nights, MW has woken around 1 or 2am SCREAMING that there are “buggies on my hands!” Last night this required four, count them, FOUR trips upstairs to settle her. Finally I delegated responsibility to my husband, who had mysteriously slept through all of this thus far. His solution? “Come sleep on the floor in our room.” Oh my…that’s all I’ll say about that.

And a special thank YOU to Uncle M. Earlier today I sent him an email, along with Aunt K, thanking them for their generosity and thoughtfulness to us. Uncle M gave MW a duck call a year or so ago…how kind. Have you ever heard a duck call? They can be VERY LOUD! Especially in the hands, or should I say mouth, of a child. We’d successfully hidden it…out of sight, out of mind. My mind had finally, somewhat, returned after weeks of MW “duck calling.” This morning my precious 13 month old found that darling little duck call. He also quickly learned how to use it. I promise you there were at least fifty thousand ducks on our roof! T3 was quite taken with the thing. He spent all, let me clarify, ALL morning marching around the house blowing it. Here’s how it went: BLOW, pause as he sucks in air through the duck call, BLOW, pause as he sucks in air through the duck call, BLOW, pause as he sucks in air through the duck call,
BLOW, pause as he sucks in air through the duck call, BLOW…you get the picture!

Giving MW that duck call was right up there with Uncle M promising MW she could have a bunny. Oh sweet thoughtful sis and bro-in-law, YOUR day IS coming! Just wait!

In all seriousness, it was so cute seeing him toddle around in his john john, wearing his “bean boots’ with that duck call in his mouth. He thinks it’s the GREATEST thing ever! He even napped with it! Thumb in mouth, other arm tucked around Bo Bear, fingers wrapped around that duck call…boys, boys, boys…I love my little man!

And I suppose this is getting super long…a little more and I’ll let you go. T and I LOVE to read and we made a bad call, considering I still have these two year books to get out…we bought the book, “Mistaken Identities” and I am HOOKED! I read until 4am! Bad idea with two little ones!!! I can’t wait to dive back into the pages. It’s very interesting…

Yesterday was sort of bitter sweet, as it marked the three-year anniversary of our miscarriage. I don’t understand the ways God works or why He ordains certain things. When we went through that, my heart, though at peace, was raw and bleeding. I didn’t think that anniversary would ever come without my heart feeling heavy or at least a little sad. Wow. God is so good and gracious. Yesterday, as I pondered where He has taken us and how He has written our story in ways I never would’ve dreamed, my heart was bursting with thankfulness. I held MW and T3 and ate them up! How could I not? They are amazing. Of course, I wonder about that little one…what would my life look like today, had that little one lived? Hmm…God is the author and I rest in Him. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord.” T and I spent a few minutes acknowledging that it was indeed, “that” day. Coincidentally, or rather, providentially, “that” day is also my baby sister, A’s, birthday. Happy B’day sis! I love you and am so thankful for your life!

On a lighter note…and if you’re easily offended, skip this paragraph! Let me tell you about part of my afternoon…I needed to tee tee. That was all. I “baby proofed” by putting the gate up at the bottom of the stairs and jetted into the bathroom. Sweet relief…for a second. T3 comes toddling in…and opens the cabinet and pulls out my tampons…he seems to think they are mini light sabers or swords and begins whacking them together…I’m almost finished... MW comes in crying and crawls up on my lap – though finished, I AM STILL sitting on the pot. ( I NEVER did this to my mother!) “Hold me. I’m just feeling kind of mellow.” Ok, the light sabers are getting out of hand, so I’ve got MW on my lap and I’m trying to comfort her and I contort my still seated torso into a weird shape to swipe the tampons from T3’s little grip. I throw them in the cabinet and slam the door. MW is still boo hoo-ing. I’ve almost gotten MW settled when I feel something slide down my lower, lower back and then I get GOOSED by none other than my 13 month old! I scream, he grins, and tries to do it again! I just never thought my life would look quite like this!