Grateful 2011: May Edition

Spending many great moments with this little man and loving all the new faces whenever we pull out the camera. But besides the obvious:

Writing that speaks what I often can't say. Down coats. Rest. Flexibility. Getting things done. Creative and cheap ideas. Sharing what I know. E-mails from friends. Melissa. Friends like family. Coffee dates with some great ladies. Wisdom and Truth. Graciously giving friends. New opportunities. Insights into next year. Keekaroo. New furnace =warmth again! Beth - a great sister and auntie. Garden dreams coming true. Coffee and car chats with friends. Buffalo Ranch stories. Miss Lizzie. Dishes being done. Unexpected visitors. Thrifting. Mike! (even if it was accompanied with a sad goodbye) Time with my favorite guys! Jon - a wonderful brother and uncle.

Fenced In

For the past month and a half we have been working on a house project outside. We anticipated that this project would take us about a week at the most, but the weather prevented this from happening. Winter weather was very hesitant to leave, so between the incredibly rainy, windy, and cold days we putted away on our project.

On April 16th we began our project by tearing out the old chain link fence and wooden fence. Both fences will be reused for different projects (the wooden one a neighbor took and the chain link fence will be used for the garden at my school).

Two weeks later the weather was nice enough to get post holes dug and posts set in cement. Micah did this with the help of a friend while I was on kid and food duty.

The next weekend, between rain showers, Micah worked on getting the stringers put up and into place.

The following weekend brought with it another nice day snuck in between some extended rainy days, so we got to work right away once we figured out how to occupy the little man.

After working all day, we were able to get all of the pickets up leaving only the gate to be built and hung.

So this morning when we awoke to the sun shining again, Micah took the opportunity to get started on the gate in hopes of finishing it before another storm rolled in.

We aren't sure who is more excited about the fence finally being finished, but either way we are all excited to have this house project completed and checked off our to-do list.

How Grandpa Babysits

While grandpa is sleeping on the couch - the little man is confined to a laundry basket, a.k.a his boat, and can't get out or he will get eaten by sharks. Luckily no one was hurt, I mean eaten, on this adventure.

M's Last Day of Preschool

Today was the little man's last day of preschool. I can't believe it. I feel as if it were just a few weeks ago that I was pedaling my bike ever so slowly to preschool to savor the last few moments of summer with my little guy, being sure to hug him a little extra tightly as I lifted him out of the Burley. Now there is an entire year of preschool behind us.

The little man has grown so much in this past year in all capacities (At the end of year conference they said that he knows: all 26 letters and 18 sounds, how to count to 49, all of his colors and shapes, and can write his name with a little guidance. Pretty good for not even being here two years). We are so proud of all the progress he has made this year and all that he has learned. He has had some wonderful teachers and has established some dear friendships with his little buddies. He loves school - sometimes more than he loves being home with us.

We have had our fair share of learning as well. We learned how to be an advocate for our son, even in some of the more uncomfortable situations that we have encountered as parents. We learned that there are some amazing people out there who make our little man feel incredibly cared for and safe enough to take risks, and there are some who provide the opposite. We also learned how to let go a little of our baby as he grows more independent and curious about this world and becomes more of our little boy that wants to know and do everything.

This special day ended with Grandpa Dave rolling into town to hang out with the little man for the next few days. M. is fascinated with the motorcycle and was lucky enough to drive it (as it remained parked in the driveway) with motorcycle gloves and loud little man engine noises. He made a few trips to Hawaii and California, but made it back in time for dinner. Oh the adventures this little man is taking us on.

Pondering

Courage

A word must

travel through

a tongue and teeth

and wide air

to get there.

A word has tough skin.

To be let in,

a word must slide

and sneak

and spin

into the tunnel

of

the

ear.

What's to fear?

Everything.

But a word

is brave.

The Little Man is SO Excited.....

That we have a new mailbox. We have been working on a house project for over a month and part of the house project required a new mailbox. For whatever reason the little man is estatic about this new mailbox. He has been announcing this news to anyone and everyone that is within yelling distance. He has also been caught gazing out the window dreamingly in the direction of the mailbox. There have even been a few times where he announces that he is going to go see his new mailbox, let's himself out of the house, and is found standing with one hand on the mailbox and attempting to engage in a conversation with it. Who knew it could be this exciting?

Pondering

When You Come to a Corner

Do you turn?

Do you pause?

What if you can't bear

to leave the street you're on?

What if you love its old steps and porches and yards

and the name Lucky Medina scrawled in wet sidewalk cement in 1932,

and once you pressed your face to a certain tree trunk

when you were sad and it answered you?

(Whispering, "Yes.")

What if you have to move?

What if the houses around the corner

don't have any WELCOME signs hanging out?

Their eyes are closed and you don't know the name

of anyone who lives here

and you never kicked your ball over their fence by mistake

and you're not sure where the curbs are or the biggest dogs or the holes?

You still know your feet.

By: Naomi Shihab Nye

We Promise - We Do NOT Encourage Him!

This is how the little man planned on going to school today - half naked with his butt (I mean bottom) hanging out. We tried to explain to him that it probably isn't the most appropriate way to dress for school. He seems convinced that it isn't that big of a deal. Oh dear....

It's Getting Hot in Here!

Another house project was accomplished just in the nick of time as we anticipate another few days of colder weather.

Our furnace was the original for the house, so it was well over 60 years old and running well below 60% efficiency. We have been saving up for a newer more efficient furnace, and with the help of a friend, we found one for a fabulous price at a scratch and dent place.

So Micah got busy tearing out the old beast of a furnace and over the course of the day they installed the newer furnace. We had to wait a few days to get it up and running while waiting for a few things to be finished up. The wait was well worth it though, and despite the tremendous amount of dirt and dust that came shooting out of the vents once we finally turned it on, we were rejoicing at the amount of heat. Another huge excitement was that the little man's room has always been cold and extremely hard to heat - not with the new furnace! It has much more power and gusto to get that warmer air where it needs to be. Wahoo!

We have been reminded how thankful we are for a warm home and feel so grateful for the new furnace so bring on the cold weather.... well actually please don't - we are getting sick of the winter weather in the middle of May, so bring on the warm weather please.

Keekaroo!

The little man has been boycotting his booster seat for several months now. Apparently when he turned four he also turned too big to use a "baby" seat. Needless to say, any meal time becomes a battle to get him to sit at the table - and we already struggle with getting him to actually consume food and not just look at it. So, after a little bit of researching and a lot of hype we ordered a new chair for him. The chair fits our requirements as parents (spans several age ranges...and others that I can elaborate on if you really want to know...email). Anyways, the little man was pumped that we got him a "present" and the sitting at the table battles have ended! Now if we could just get him to eat some food!

Pondering

The true measure of leadership is how it treats the most vulnerable.

Baba and Nei Nei

We had the privileged of being loved on by the parents of one of our dear friends. They were back in the country visiting and spent one week in Laramie. They filled the grandparent role for the little man quite nicely and we certainly appreciated the love that was thrown our way! We are already missing their presence in our home and look forward to seeing them again in the future!

Pondering

Secrets

One suitcase

only for secrets --

tucked in the pouch pocket,

pressed in the corners,

one light and liquid suitcase,

one glittering suitcase

filled with tiny

unspoken tales.

And I will carry it

to the other side of the ocean.

I will carry it

so no one knows

what I hold.

Because its cargo

is more precious than socks

or pajamas.

Because a secret is a ticket

and without it

the trip would be

too lonely.

By: Naomi Shihab Nye

Bath Painting

Made some homemade bath paints for the little man tonight and he LOVED them! Here's to shaving cream and food coloring!

Tackled

Our hall closet has been taunting me for the past six months. Daily I open it and remind myself how disgusted I am with the clutter and chaos that has made it into the hall closet.

I have been telling Micah repeatedly that I am going to tackle the closet, pull everything out, get it organized, give everything a spot or get rid of it..... Then I open the closet door and instantly become overwhelmed and drained of what little energy I have left in the evenings.

Well not today! Today I am home once again from work - only this time the little man is the one feeling ill. I don't feel 100%, but I also don't need to be confined to the couch anymore so let the cleaning begin!

First I started by pulling everything out - and I mean everything - and sorting it into piles of like items.

Once I had that finished, I wiped down all of the shelves and then laid down a rubber shelf liner to dress things up a bit. Finally I purchased some new storage bins and if something didn't fit or we hadn't touched it in the past year, it went bye-bye.

I realize that it is probably ridiculous to be posting photos of my hall closet cleaning, but I absolutely love getting things organized. It makes my heart happy - and I enjoy opening the hall closet door now. Ahh, yeah for organization!

Ugh

I am sick.

I hate being sick.

Darn germs!

Pondering

Come With Me

To the quiet minute between two noisy minutes

It's always waiting ready to welcome us

Tucked under the wing of the day

I'll be there

Where will you be?

By: Naomi Shihab Nye