My baby will always be my baby!

Ben is my fourth child... my baby forever. He gives me the best hugs and wet slobbery kisses -- the kind you need to wipe your mouth with a keenex after. He is going to be four soon, and he is getting so big. Diapers are a thing of the distant past for our family, and Ben has been anxiously waiting for his soccer coach to call since last fall when all of the other kids were awaiting calls from their coaches.

This week, the older kids started school. Alexander started kindergarten in the same school where the twins attend fourth grade. Alexander still seems so little to me, but he has instantly grown up with his daily routine of riding the school bus and going to real school. Ben was sad when he realized that everyone started their school on Monday except him. He just had a cookie party on Monday, then we start next Monday.

He is mostly bummed because his new school has some really cool trucks and a track for him to play with -- he is obsessed with trucks. "They have a car carrier and a firetruck!" he exclaimed. In our house, you know you are really special if he lets you play with his car carrier, and firetruck runs a close second". He relates everything to what people drive. He asked one of the concession stand workers at Silver Dollar City if she drives a truck or a car. He asks many people we encounter this question. If they drive a truck, we move on to if they have a trailor and what kind of trailor. When Papa recently went into the hospital, he was very concerned about knowing if Papa went to the hospital in an ambulance or in the feed truck! Oh how I wish we could freeze this moment in time! Yesterday, he came into the room and exclaimed "Moooommmy - You need to turn off your computer NOW!" I said "why?", and the little bugger said "Because it is snuggle time!" as he bound into my lap. How can anyone resist this?

School is back in session, I started teaching college this week too, and I have so many things I need to catch up on, not to mention the fact that I suffered a ruptured eardrum just 5 days ago and am still not 100%. None of that matters right now because I am head over heels in love with the best snuggler in the world! I realize that this time will pass too soon. He will always be my baby though.

This week, Ben and I have had a lot of together time. I am just savoring this time, because it is starting to hit me that it will be gone before I know it! The twins were a bit of a blur from birth until kindergarten, then Alexander wasn't even 2 when Ben came into the mix, so this is the most calm my house has ever been. I never really had that newborn quiet time because I was outnumbered with twins. This is it... really. This is the most time I have had with just one child. I do long for more time to get things done, but for now, I am cherishing this little snuggler.

This Girl LOVES Animals!

I have never seen a child who loves animals like this. Maggie has always been captured by animals. As a toddler, she never really had a Barbie phase. She has this collection of horse toys and she lines up the mamas with the babies and they all play and have conversations, etc. She could get lost for hours in this type of play, and really needed no playmate... just her horses.

I have only met one child who thinks like Maggie about animals, and it is one of our cousins in Oklahoma that lives on the ranch. Halley and Maggie are 2 peas in a pod for sure.

As she grew up, she became interested in reading about horses and expanded her passion to dogs too. She asked for a puppy from Santa for FOUR years before he finally brought Marshmallow. By the 4th year, Maggie told Santa that he didn't have to bring her anything else if he could please just bring a puppy. She really meant this.

By age 6, she stopped watching kid television programs, and would watch Animal Planet channel at every opportunity. She knows the most random facts about all animals from this show. She is not the most energetic about school studies at this age, but she has an amazing mind for animal facts -- she loves all animals, but her love is especially for dogs and horses. I think this shows that she can retain what she wants to. She now says that she wants to be a veterinarian or a animal rescue specialist. Though this is a common goal for girls her age ( I think I wanted to be a vet at some point), I think she has a spark about the animals that most children do not possess at this age. My sister loved animals a lot, but I still think Maggie's passion is unique.

When we left ranch camp, Maggie begged to just stay for the next school year. She would miss us, but the animals would help her to get over her parents. She really belongs in the country. Her smile at ranch camp was like no other time I have seen. She was really in her element!

Only time will tell what the future holds for this child. My brother says that she will stop wanting to come in a few years as she becomes a teen and gets more interest in social life and boys, etc. I know this is probably true for the average girl, but I just can't see Maggie dumping the animals for a boy.

Country Girl at Heart - Memories of the Ranch and Ranch Camp

I live in one of the best metropolitan suburbs around. We are a master planned community, and everything was certainly well planned. We have every amenity I could imagine for children. Our schools are top notch. Our neighborhoods are connected by bike and hike paths. You never have to go more than a mile to reach a wonderful park, and all of the parks have the latest and greatest equipment. Any sport or recreational activity we would want is within 5 miles. We have every major shopping venue within 10 miles.

Maggie & Anthony were 2 when this was taken - 7 yrs ago. They were cowboys / cowgirls for halloween. It is just in their blood I think!

We even have childcare at the Kroger grocery store... something that is just about the most valuable of all of the amenities -- I cried when I discovered this one.

The Woodlands is absolute Utopia for families. For this reason, many people who relocate to the Houston area end up in the Woodlands. So another interesting fact about our community, is that it is made up of people from around the world. Just on my street, we have families representing, Germany, Thailand, Switzerland, New Zealand, Philippines, Mexico, and Canada. I love meeting people from other cultures and learning about different places, and I hope my children are also soaking this in. Anthony's little friend Felix came from Germany 2 years ago and did not speak a word of English. He now speaks very well, but their friendship started with 2 boys who could not communicate very well. I have to think these experiences will be remembered.

After our 2nd summer at "ranch camp", I am sitting in a quiet suburban house for the 4th day. I have had the opportunity to catch up on chores (which I need to get back to shortly), but I will never be caught up. What I notice as I re-enter this world is that I miss the country. I really don't need much, and though I never appreciated the quiet of the country when I was growing up, I do prefer the quiet of the country. Peace & Quiet - That is what I love about the country. I love my quiet house now, but there is a difference between QUIET and PEACE. I feel like we just go all the time here, and though we were busy on the ranch, it was a peaceful kind of busy. There was a purpose to our work there, which made it seem less like the treadmill we are on at home. I guess we always want what we don't have. When I was growing up in a small country town, I would have thought this life in a wonderful place like The Woodlands would be the ticket. As I age, I see it a bit differently.

As a child on the ranch, we would just get on our horses and ride. We would be gone for hours, and nobody ever worried. We were safe from the outside world, and we just didn't worry about things like snakes and other mishaps that we might have encountered (thank goodness nobody told us to worry about it). What I remember most is that we entertained ourselves without any technology. Just the great outdoors, some animals, a companion or two, and our imaginations. We didn't need a formal activity.
Alexander was not even one here, and already he loves the ranch. What's not to love?

I sometimes worry that my children are so programmed for the scheduled activities that they won't know how to entertain themselves. We got a little taste of this at ranch camp. We didn't watch much television, and they played with each other in the great outdoors. In current life on the ranch, we have added 4 wheelers and Rhino vehicles to the mix. I loved watching my kids play outside together. In my world, peace doesn't necessarily mean QUIET. My four kids are very loud, actually. You can ask just about anyone -- they are LOUD! Somehow though, a simpler life for a few weeks gave me some kind of inner peace.

When I was a teen, I hated that I lived on an isolated ranch so far (10 miles) away from my friends and social life. As I look at that life through the eyes of a parent, I think how much I will always cherish our "ranch camp" because my children are each other's friends. There are no friends ringing the doorbell, or calling from the street. It is just us, and this has been good bonding time for all of us.
Another fun time about ranch camp is the time we get with cousin Forest and Uncle Thatcher. This is the most time I have had with my brother, who is 5 yrs younger than me, really ever. The 3 kids were about 3 in this picture, and they have always loved the horses. Maggie especially, but that is a whole posting of its own.

As it sit in my house, which is more quiet than it has ever been, I notice the noise of the lawnmowers, cars, people. Ours is a quiet neighborhood by Houston standards, but nothing compares to the country life.
My children are raised in a different world than I was, and for them this is mostly good. I think they also love the country, so I really hope that this experience can continue and that it gives them somthing valuable as they look back. For me, ranch camp has brought back a lot of great memories about my childhood, and has given me a new appreciation for my children.

Ben and Papa - 2 Peas in a Pod

Ben and Papa definitely bonded this visit. Ben rode in the FEED Truck with Papa, which he loved. He felt he was a important part of the ranch operation. He opened gates with Papa, and was proud that he knew that the feed truck gets filled from the top. He knew how to run the siren to call the cattle, and how to make the feed go out to the cattle. He love this feed truck! It is important that he bonded with his papa this visit, because previously, Papa was somewhat of a scarey being to him.

He was only two years old last summer, and was attached to mommy. He would cry when I tried to leave him with someone else, then Papa would yell at him for whining and crying, then he just clung to me all that much more.

The ranch is a tough place for a little guy. Those mooing cows seemed so big and so loud to him last summer, but this summer, he was in charge of the feed truck operations (or so he thought), so he had no fear! He and Papa had a great time. He always had the biggest smile on his face when he was riding in the feed truck with Papa!

I miss these faces!

AAwww... I miss these little faces. I don't think they miss me one bit! I am glad to see them smiling though, and I know they are well cared for. My mom spoils them and that is okay with me. She tells me that Alexander will be making his own bed by the time he comes home, and she had gotten them both new shoes that they can put on by themselves.


My mom is my lifesaver. I have not had a break in so long, and she just sensed that I was getting close to the end of my rope, and she rescued me. I didn't have to ask, she just offered. I love that she knows me so well.

If she could just teach Alexander how to read, tie his shoes, and write his name in upper / lower case, we would be good as gold.

Seriously, my mom is the best! These kids don't even miss me. I miss the heck out of them, but it is some consolation that they are with the person in this world I trust the most with my most precious possessions! She sends me pictures so I feel connected!


It does bother me that they will not want to come home with me when I pick them up... but I will win them over again within moments. They are well cared for now, so I am at peace

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My First Day Without Kids... "Too Far From The Heart"

This is Day 1 of my first time without kids in 6 years. I miss them like crazy. It is so quiet with no kids in the house. I have to admit that I enjoyed sleeping in today. Hubby and I watched a silly movie before we got out of bed at 10:15 am (it has been a while since I have been this lazy-- and not a kid show).

We went to church, then we went on a bike ride. Hubby has been riding his bike to get his knee stronger after surgery.

We decided to take Marshmallow so she could get some exercise. She got a lot of exercise at the ranch, so I think she needs more than a walk these days.

I was holding her leash while riding, and it was going great until she saw a squirrel and came to a screeeeeee...ching stop. This made my bike crash, and helmet cracked and fell off, and I have big scrapes on my elbow and knee. You would have laughed at me, lying on the ground after such a wild crash. John doesn't believe that the dog had anything to do with my crash. I admit I have had a history with clumsy accidents of all sorts, but I swear that the dog saw a squirrel and put on her brakes, which sent me flying! Thank goodness for the helmet... it ended up with a crack, but that could have been my head, and I need all of the brains I have left to function in this crazy life! All is well though, so I am using the need to nurse my road rash as my excuse to relax this afternoon. I promise Mom, that I will get to work tomorrow... really, I will.

I learned as a child to be tough. My dad is the toughest of souls. He rarely seeks medical treatment for anything. He coined the phrase "Too far from the heart", which he would say sympathetically when we injured ourselves as children. This would then make us cry and stick our lip out, then he would make fun of us for sticking our lip out, saying something like "if you stick out that lip any more, you might step on it". Then, he would say "wait, let me catch those tears", and he would try to catch our tears in his handkerchief.

It isn't the model we read about in parenting books, but it has made me rather tough in the end -- a trait that probably helps me since I am rather clumsy. Also, many days in my world bring some amount of pain to my body, and with kids, there is no time for sympathy for me. When I was in pre-term labor with the twins 6 weeks early, I was 7cm dilated and thought it was going to be false labor... so much so that I wanted to take a shower before going to the hospital at 5am,
so that I would not be late for my 8am meeting with a disgruntled manager at work. The twins were born at 6:30am, so thankfully, John talked me out of that shower!

I think I do have a high tolerance for pain, and maybe my dad is the one who deserves credit for this. My hubby is also not the most sympathetic of souls, so maybe in part it is a male thing. I was raised to be tough though, so I can handle more than most. I may need this strength in this life!

Unfortunately, this motto has not served my dear dad too well. He has ignored some warning signs when it was too close to the heart, and is suffering the consequences as he ages. I will try to remember that and not take this philosophy too far!

I miss them already!

I dropped the twins at camp for the first time yesterday -- 13 days! They didn't look back... they will have a blast. But how will we be? I long for peace and quiet, yet I miss the chaos.

For the first time in almost 6 years, I am home without children. My mom took the little boys while the twins are at Kamp Kanakuk for the first time. I will depart in 8 days to pick up the littles in Oklahoma, then on to Branson for the camp closing ceremonies. I have dreamed, begged, pleaded, offered bribes for this break for the past 4 years, and my hubby hasn't come through, but finally, my mom had pitty on me (or possibly thought I was near a break down), and offered to take the little boys while the twins are at camp.

For moms, we want a break, but as soon as they are gone, we miss them so much. Breaks are funny like that. We want what we don't have. I just wish I could fly in to give them a hug!

I know they are all safe though, so I will try to focus on the rare chance to knock out some productivity in this casa! I desperately need to purge the toys and clutter in the kid's domain -- okay, mine too. I have a list a mile long, but I will wear out before I make it to the midpoint.

I need to get organized for the start of school for kids and for teacher mommy. At the moment, I am not sure what classes I am slated to teach at the college this fall, so getting that schedule in my calendar might be a good start.

After all of the work, I hope to find a couple of days to relax before hitting the road again on the 9th. I will be rearing to go by then. I have never been away from any of them this long... let alone all of them at the same time. I miss my snuggles from Ben, kisses from Alexander, smiles from Maggie, and even the smarty pants Anthony. Life just seems incomplete without them, but I will try to keep my eye on the ball, because who knows when this will happen again.