Just Practicing

I apologize for the low quality picture.  I was in a mad rush to grab my camera phone
without him noticing and before he was done praying. 

A few days ago the boys and I had all just gotten up from our naps and were sitting together in the living room.  I was nursing John and Kenyon was sitting at my feet.  

I noticed that Kenyon put his hands together and started to whisper his prayer.  I am a big fan of repetition for toddlers and therefore we pray the exact same prayer every day, twice a day - naptime and bedtime.  He now knows this prayer well and likes to say it along with me. 

"Dear God, 

Thank you for this good day. 

Please help tomorrow to be a good day. 

Please watch over Uncle Miles. 

Amen."

My heart swelled as I listened to Kenyon whisper. 

"Dear God.  

Good day. 

Good day. 

Uncle Miles.

Amen."

It startled him a bit when I asked him what he was doing.  He simply shook his head and replied.  "Oh, nothing.  Just practicing."  

I love this kid. 

By The Numbers

• A hundred thousand miles in feed pickups
• A few thousand head of cattle worked together
• A few hundred acres chasing each other with the swather and baler
• Five years of marriage
• Four (or so) days late with this post
• Three pregnancies
• Two healthy kids on earth
• One cantankerous rancher

(And a partridge in a pear tree.  Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Happy anniversary.

New Hand

We gained another hand last week; his name is John.  The past week has been a bit blurry, what with the enormous amounts of sleep we've all been experiencing (and should be doing right now).  

Our entire family of four (FOUR - how crazy is that?!) went for a drive the other day so Kenyon could teach John about everything in the world which he is an expert in.  Cows, bulls, oil wells, beans, tractors and dogs.  

It was a very long drive and a very long lesson.
John fell asleep during parts of it but I didn't dare tell Kenyon that John dozed off during his lesson. 

A random happy picture.  Because nothing in the world compares to a happy baby.

John watched as Kenyon helped the men ship cattle this morning.
Hopefully by next week he'll have his own rattle paddle and be ready to work. 

After a long morning of work a nap was definitely needed.  

Laurie is accurately portraying how I feel chasing after two boys for the past week.
Hopefully, 'haggard and sleep deprived' is the new chic.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Once upon a time I thought it would be sooooo fun when my sister's kid was finally old enough to run and talk and play with Kenyon and be such a big boy.  

Now?  Not so much.

What happened to the little snuggle master that would cuddle in my arms and sleep away?

There's nothing like that new baby smell.  Auntie Lala couldn't get enough of it either.

By the way, what happened to the kid on the right?!

And now, we're stuck with this:

This ridiculously large, rambunctious, hilarious, smiling boy.  Although still kissable, he now can run away when he's had enough; and snuggles are not always high on his priority list.  Sigh....

Happy birthday, Kade, since apparently there's no stopping you. 

I suppose one of the few good things about growing older is you can start to have really deep, meaningful conversations with your grandparents.  

For instance: 'I'm sure my mom won't mind if I eat TONS more ice cream.  Trust me.'

'Did you toot?'

'No, I think that was your toot.  You can't blame all of them on me.' **

**This is not even close the the real conversations they had, but I like my captions and it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Top Ten Ways to Predict Gender

Here is my super-duper accurate list of ways that I am absolutely, positively, without a doubt certain that we are, in fact, most definitely, assuredly guaranteed to have a BOY:

1. I have experienced months of extreme sickness with this child.
2. I carried 'high' for several months, followed by two months of carrying extremely 'low'.  
3. My belly button has never completely 'popped'.  
4. Kenyon tells me that this is the gender.
5. Every little kid under five tells me this is the gender.
6. This is what Grandma Curry predicted.
7. A random test on the internet told me so.
8. I am guaranteed to have this gender of baby due to the sign of the moon when Jupiter and Mars were aligned on the anniversary of the eight phase of the lunar calendar.  (Honestly, I made most of this one up.  The lady that started to rattle this tale off to me scared the bejesus out of me and I spent most of the time she was talking saying silent prayers in my head.)  
9. I have experienced contractions off and on for over three months now.  "Braxton-Hicks?" you ask.  No.  Like 'grip-your-husband's-arm-and-cry-and-breathe-hard-for-the-next-45-seconds-type contractions.
10. Because I just have a 'gut-feeling'.

Here is my super-duper accurate list of ways that I am absolutely, positively, without a doubt certain that we are, in fact, most definitely, assuredly guaranteed to have a GIRL:

1. I have experienced months of extreme sickness with this child.
2. I carried 'high' for several months, followed by two months of carrying extremely 'low'.  
3. My belly button has never completely 'popped'.  
4. Kenyon tells me that this is the gender.
5. Every little kid under five tells me this is the gender.
6. This is what Grandma Curry predicted.
7. A random test on the internet told me so.
8. I am guaranteed to have this gender of baby due to the sign of the moon when Jupiter and Mars were aligned on the anniversary of the eight phase of the lunar calendar.  (Honestly, I made most of this one up.  The lady that started to rattle this tale off to me scared the bejesus out of me and I spent most of the time she was talking saying silent prayers in my head.)  
9. I have experienced contractions off and on for over three months now.  "Braxton-Hicks?" you ask.  No.  Like 'grip-your-husband's-arm-and-cry-and-breathe-hard-for-the-next-45-seconds-type contractions.
10. Because I just have a 'gut-feeling'.

Ready or Not

We've been busy the past few weeks and I think (fingers crossed) we're not forgetting anything too major for this new wee one.

Clothes are washed, folded, organized and in the dresser.

Diapers are laid out.

Bottles are washed and in the cabinets.  Breast pump and accessories have also been checked and double checked.

Swings/jumpers/bouncers/binkinies/boppies/any other odd sounding accessory is ready.

Car seat is installed and Kenyon stares at it in awe every time he gets into the pickup.  "Baby here soon?"  Poor guy, I wonder the same thing.

Meals have been made and stuck in the freezer, and I add to this cache as often as possible.

New 'big brother' books are stored away at a grandma's house, ready to be read at a moments notice when it is time for Kenyon to step up to the plate.

Someone, please help us out.  What in the world could we be forgetting?!

Excuses, Excuses

Sometimes I wonder why I can go an entire week without posting.  Then I remember that I am the mother to him...

and auntie to him...

and sometimes we swim...

and measure corn on a whim.  

(Sorry, I had no idea when I started this post it would end up rhyming.  It's all I've got today.  We read too much Dr. Seuss this morning.)