When Bipper Comandeers the Camera

I found these while looking through the pictures on the camera.

hmmmmmm.

Apparently Christopher grabbed my camera!

and took pictures of

gravel

grass

and his feet

Does This Look Like Trouble?

1. water balloons
2. brothers
3. sisters
4. water hose
5. hot day

Looks like trouble to me!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

watch out for this guy!

Wordless Wednesday

alternately titled:

Why I Smile When Ruby Wakes Up

Summer Time

Summertime:

piggy tails, polka-dots,

lollipops and tank tops!

The Monday After

The Monday after the County Fair:

the kids' white show clothes on the line.

They were white early in the morning on show day,

not so white by the afternoon...

but they're white again now!

(our lawn also closely resembles a pasture 

after practically living at the fairgrounds all last week.)

The Way I See It

On my walk, I have quite a view.
I love the quiet, the fields, the birds, the morning sun...
Ahhhhhh...

I doubt very much if I could live in a town, much less a city.

How do "town folks" do it?

Do they crave people the way I crave wide open spaces?

Perhaps...

I decided to take a panoramic shot of what I get to walk in each morning.

For your viewing pleasure:

Country living.  Ahhhhh.

Bikes and Boots

Big kid--big bike.

Another big kid--another big bike.

(a friend outgrew it and gave it to Andrew.  Way cool!)

Little kid--little bike.

And puddle boots.
Of course.

What Child Is This

I'm not really sure who

would let their lovely little girl...

run around with worn-out leather gloves...

flip-flops that are ten sizes too big...

one pony-tail in

and one pulled out...

play with all the bikes

amongst a muddy spot on the driveway.

Who would do that?

Oh....wait,

that's my Ruby.

Just a Swingin'

Just swingin'

and gigglin'

and smilin'

goin' real high!

makin' crazy faces at Mom

and layin' on the grass.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh...

How the Bipper Got His Name

When Christopher was learning to talk, he kept saying "Bih-puh".
It took me awhile to realize he was referring to himself!

He was pronouncing "Christopher" as "Bipper" and,
well, it just stuck.

It's been three years now, so it'll most likely stick with him as he grows.
I know of quite a few adults with nicknames that have "stuck".
Beaver
Spock
Tigger
Gopher
Fug
Bump

Do you have any to share?

Is it sad?

My husband has had the same phone number 

his whole life.

He's never moved--

unless you count from the front yard 

to the back.

(His parents built this house behind their existing

house when he was 8, then the old house

was moved off the property.)

Oh, and he did go to college for a short time

and so lived in a dorm.

My parents moved to the house where they live now

when I was six months old.

We moved off the farm in the fall of 1995, 

after my dad sold his cows  in February of that year.

Dennis and I were married in September of 1996

and my parents moved back to their original farm in November.

My point:  we've never lived anywhere else.

I think it's neat,

but I recently had a conversation with someone who said,

"that's pretty sad..."

What do you think?

Is it sad that neither of us have left the area where we grew up?

This person implied that she hoped we had bigger dreams for our children

than what we had done with our lives.

The dreams I have for my children 

don't include the location of their house.

They include things like

strong character, a growing relationship with the Lord,

humbleness, joy, discernment, a love of learning---

these are the things that matter to me.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday 

to the man whom I have loved

since I was a girl...

my husband of nearly 14 years,

the father of our 8 children.

The man who isn't afraid to do this:

 

 And who writes me love notes in manure:

Gavin!!

When the kids and I were at the lake,
there was a family there that left shortly after we arrived;
a mom, dad, and little boy apparently named Gavin.

How do I know he was named Gavin?
'Cause they said it like a bajillion times as they were trying to get him
to do what they wanted him to do.

Little Gavin throwing sand?
"Gavin!"

Straying too far from Mom and Dad?
"Gavin!"

Packing up beach toys...getting ready to go:
"Gavin!"

Little Gavin running in the opposite direction?
"Gavin!"

Mom and Dad, hands full, ready to go to the car, little Gavin runs away and back to the water:
"Gavin!"

Mom, Dad, and Gavin starting to cross the road to get to their car, Gavin runs out ahead into the road:
"Gavin!"

My point?
Never once (that I heard) did they tell Gavin what they wanted him to do.
They only yelled his name.
Not, "Gavin--stop throwing sand."
Not, "Gavin--that's too far away from Mommy and Daddy...come back now."
No "Gavin, time to pack up our toys and head for home."
No "Gavin!  You must not run away from Mommy."

My observation was that they were not going to train this little boy...yet they expected him to know what they meant, just by yelling his name.

Aaannnd why did I notice all of this?
Oh yeah...'cause I used to do the same thing.
And still do sometimes.
It's an easy trap into which to fall.

It's something I've been working on lately.
Say the child's name AND what you expect to have happen.

I guarantee you'll have better results.

you might be a farmwife if...

you might be are most definitely a farm wife 

if you have chased heifers through an alfalfa field--in your flip-flops.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron!

It has been said that

Little boys become big men

because of the influence of big men on little boys.

My brother Aaron is one of the big men 

in our little boys' lives.

This picture is from New Year's Eve last year,

can you see how Christopher looks up to him?

Literally and figuratively?

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Thanks for loving on our kiddos like you do.

Now I Get It

Now I get it.

Or, well...Ivy got it.

Another tooth, I mean.

Yes, another tooth.

This baby turned 4 months old last week.

She got her 1st tooth the week before that.

Her second popped through yesterday.

This is by far the earliest any of my children have gotten teeth.

I had an appointment yesterday for which I had to run to town.

Ivy, of course, came with me.

When we came right back home,

she was still sleeping in her carseat--which she typically does not like.

So I brought the carseat in with me,

she stayed sleeping.

And stayed sleeping.

And stayed sleeping.

 And stayed sleeping.

 

She hasn't been such a great napper the last week or two.

And she is usually takes a few good naps throughout the day.

I hadn't even really chalked it up to teeth.

Duh.

 

She took a reallllllly long nap.

I kept checking on her,

and then the thought occurred to me:

I bet her tooth came through.

And sure enough,

when she awoke,

it had.

The drooling, the fussing, and finally the looooooooooong nap--

Now I get it.

The Lake

We live about 10 minutes from a number of lakes.

The kids love to go and I love to take them!

We had the beach to ourselves.  I LOVE that.  It's harder to keep track of my tribe when it's full of people.

jumping off the dock

Ruby loved the waves

Ruby showing Mama a rock.  Or something.

One of my favorite pics of the afternoon.

Except for my Incredible Hulk shadow.

My other favorite pic of the day.

Elijah went to get his towel.

The sun was shining through a cloud, 

the flag billowing,

and Elijah looking like a superhero.

Love it.

The Bipper got a little cold...

He warmed up later, though.

Building sandcastles OF COURSE!

Linnea and Andrew talkin' on the dock.

I LOVE THE LAKE.

and so do they.