What Mother's Day Is All About

The girls made these for me at church this morning.

Last Kiss

As I just finished giving each of my daughters their last kiss of the night -- while they were sleeping -- all I can think is that I AM SO BLESSED. I am so blessed in so many ways -- by what God has given me in my husband, our sons, our daughters, our family, our home, and so many things.

Tony is in New Hampshire right now for our brother, Billy's, memorial service. We loved Bill so very much, and he is gone from us now. He will not get to watch his son, Kyle (age 9), grow up. His wife, Pam, will not get to share everything Kyle does and learns with Bill. Pam will miss out on growing old with the man she has loved for so long. Bill was one of the most unique, loving, honest, true, devoted, and personable people I have ever known. Although I'm not there in person today to pay my respects to his memory, I'm there in heart. I hope Bill knows that his nieces are the reason I'm not there, and that he has a permanent place in my heart.

We all loved you Billy, and we will continue to love you forever. You left us way, way too soon.

Talking about babies...

Today I told the girls that Samantha and Derrek (my son and daughter-in-law) are having a baby. They were VERY excited, and the news sparked lots of conversation. They wanted to know how the baby got in Sam's tummy, how it got out, and when it is coming out. Then Nora proceeded to tell me that she wants to adopt a baby from Ethiopia when she grows up, and Ruby stated very, very firmly that she is definitely not going to adopt a baby. Nope, she says she's going to grow a baby in her tummy, and it's going to be Chinese! "Mommy, I want to grow a Chinese baby in my tummy." Elizabeth didn't weigh in on the matter. My funny girls!

My Soccer Girls

Today was the first day of soccer for Ruby, Nora, and Elizabeth. They've been so excited for the past week that they were even counting down the days! They had a really great time and all three did surprisingly well! And the best part? This "league" -- of sorts -- was formed by moms in our homeschool group, using volunteers and pooling resources. It didn't cost a cent, and all of the little kids get some great exposure to soccer. Here are my soccer girls!

No more high heels for me!

I need surgery on both of my feet for bunions! Seriously, am I THAT old? Aren't bunions something old women get? Oh yeah, I guess that's ME! I might as well just go ahead and buy Crocs in every color of the rainbow -- oh, and those winter Crocs with the fuzzy lining too.

I've been having trouble with pain in both feet for months, and it has worsened since I've been going to the gym frequently. So, I finally went to a podiatrist, and the verdict is that I need outpatient surgery on both of my feet if I want to correct the problem and, most importantly, prevent it from worsening.

Apparently, women get bunions more often that men because we spend years of our life wearing fashionable footwear with a "narrow toe box" and high heels. Yep, I did that for years. Does this sound familiar to any of my girlfriends out there? The first step in getting relief from bunions is to quit wearing said footwear, which I did about two years ago when I "quit working."

So, have any of you had bunion surgery? Was it successful? What was the recovery period like for you -- how long and how much pain? I would have it on one foot, wait until I'm fully recovered, and then do the other one, so I won't be completely incapacitated. If you have had this done or know anyone who has, please leave me a comment and let me know your experiences!

Hope Adoption Agency Reunion

I'm wondering how many of my blogging friends are attending the Hope reunion in July. I would really love to go and take the girls, but flying there is out of the questions financially, so it would be a car trip. Hmmm. Eight plus hours in the car with three kids -- one who gets car sick on just about any trip that is over 30 minutes? Well, there are remedies for motion sickness, right? I'd love for Ruby and Elizabeth to see some of their friends from Ethiopia (and I know Nora would have fun too), and I'd love to meet in person some of my online friends. Trying to decide...

Someone Very Special

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about all of the gifts God has given me. One of those gifts is my brother. David (but always Davey to me), is my younger brother, but in many ways he has always seemed a little bit more like a big bother. He's one of those people that you just know God must have put in the world for some really special reason. I know I couldn’t begin to list all of the things about him that I love and am grateful for, but here are just a few:

• He always loves me … no matter what.
• He would do anything for me, and often does – even if I don’t ask. Once, when I was about sixteen years old, and he was fourteen, he spent his own money and bought parts to fix my car, surprising me when I got home.
• He always loves my husband, kids (all six of them), and grandkid (soon to be plural)…no matter what. I believe he would do just about anything for them too.
• He’s in the top 1% of all the smartest people I know – in the whole world.
• I love his pretend arrogance about his fishing skills. And I love camping with him and his family.
• He can fix pretty much anything, except maybe a broken heart. Seriously, it is almost scary of much he knows. He’s on his way this afternoon to fix my roof – even though I didn’t ask him to. Actually, he’s amazingly good at just about everything he tries.
• He's the #1 best tractor driver for every hay ride we've had (even when he realized the brakes on the tractor were a tad too weak to be really effective at stopping the wagon-full of people heading down a hill).
• He’s the best uncle that three little girls could ever dream of.
• He has encouraged and supported Tony in learning to hunt.
• He supports me, even if he may not agree with all of my ideas and decisions.
• He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen.
• He has been through some pretty rough times in his life, yet he found the strength to turn them around and make a happy and successful life out of them.
• He is stubborn and hard-headed sometimes…like me.
• He's not afraid of anything, except maybe a mass of ants falling on him unexpectedly while remodeling my bathroom. That was something to see!
• I have seen him spend his only free day of the week driving an hour each way and then spending six hours or more out in the freezing cold to help our dad or Tony cut and split wood, or any other chore that needs to get done.
• He’s a very devoted father and has raised two great boys.
• He knows how to love with all his heart.
• He is my brother.

Post Script to Golf and Guns

I'm sure there are some who are offended by the idea of hunting, but please keep in mind that the deer and turkey population are large and need to be controlled. Also, we do not waste the meat -- it is all eaten!

Golf or Guns?

Tony was an avid golfer when I met him -- and a GREAT golfer! I think part of the reason he was (and still is) so good is that he never took himself too seriously. He enjoyed being outdoors, talking to other golfers, and playing a good round. But he never got too uptight about the game. And he was great!

So...we left Florida and moved to Missouri. Now, there's plenty of great golfing in Missouri, but Tony decided on a new sport -- he was going going to learn to hunt! How many people decide to "take up" hunting in middle age? Seems like most people who hunt just grow up hunting. This is one of the things I adore about Tony. He never feels limited -- if he wants to do it he will do it! So today, Tony bagged his first turkey! In November he got his first deer! He just decided he would do this, and he DID!

I wish I could be more like Tony. He's an incredible person in a hundred ways, but one of the things I most love about him is his self-confidence. He tells me sometimes that he doesn't like to think about things in terms of age because it is self-limiting. I really need to take a lesson from him! His confidence and determination inspire me every day. Here's a picture of Tony with his first turkey (and a picture of the girls with their morbid curiosity)!

Pretty Toes

The girls say thanks to Aunt Pam for all the pretty colors!