Life with my sister

Henry is back with his mom and dad. I texted Abby today and told her that he really didn't want to leave my house and we would meet them Saturday instead of today. She texted back something like, "BRING HIM BACK NOW!!" I enjoyed having Henry the last 5 days. We had lots of fun and memories were made. But I want to share two of the highlights with you. **Wednesday we skyped with Abby and Randall using Samuel's ipod touch. Henry was so cute, he would take the ipod away from Samuel and say "Mama, Daddy" It was so sweet looking at his little face looking at his parents. There just isn't anything like the love of a child! **I rocked Henry to sleep at night. I rocked him differently than his mom does. I rocked him slow and softly told him stories about our family. Abby was five when our grandfather died and I was 13, so I figured I remembered more about Papaw than she did and told him stories about him. I told him how Papaw fought in the war, how he loved...

I have walked this path and steps too many times to count these past few days. Isn't it pretty?! We came here last year and found ourselves here again. Randall's company hosts a family retreat each year on the Gull Lake in Minnesota and this resort seems to be a fave of the group. It is nice that he works for a company that not only makes great butter, but values family and rewards spouses for their support during the busy seasons. I had a fabulous spa day provided by his company while he sat in meetings all day. I never splurge on spa type things, so it was super fun to spend someone elses money for a little pampering. We drove over to the Mississippi River outside of Baxter, MN one afternoon. It starts in Minnesota. This is not it, but it is as far as we were willing to drive! It was so different than the Mississippi River we see back home. We parked and walked over the bridge. Randall was actually standing on the concrete wall with 4 lanes of interstate traffic roaring behi...

Henry is staying with me for a few days this week. He is the cutest thing! I'm trying to teach him to say " Juju is pretty". He hasn't said it yet, but I'm pretty sure he will soon! This is also VBS week at church. I'm so excited that he gets to go to Bible School with my kids. It's special. But it is a hectic week. Today we had an appointment in Pine Bluff and it was raining. I mean really raining and it was 68 degrees. Crazy June day! I had to go grocery shopping so Henry, D&D & I headed to the store. In the pouring down rain. I had forgotten how having older kids makes everything seem so easy. I had to open the umbrella, get out of the car, open the side door, position the umbrella so neither of us got wet, unbuckle him from the carseat , get him on my hip, position the umbrella so we don't get wet, close the door, lock the door and go inside. I had flashbacks of doing that with two and I was never so proud that Henry wasn't a twin!! H...

Here is a little peek at some "do over" dinners at my house of late.... I got a great buy on pork tenderloin last week and stocked the freezer with a few. My pal, Sara makes them all the time and has told me how her boys love it and how easy they are to cook. She simply puts it in foil with a few spices and cooks it according to the package directions. I did just that and it was a winner at my house too! We had yeast rolls, smashed potatoes and sweet and sour green beans. It was a do over dinner for sure, for sure! This week I made potato salad for the very first time and it was stellar! I hate to brag on myself, but it was just that good...I was impressed. I am not a big mayo fan so making anything like tuna salad, ranch dressing, etc is a real chore for me. I like potato salad if the mayo taste is hidden. I attempted the basic recipe from the red & white check cookbook and it was a success. I used red potatoes and lots of spices. Randall is not a big tater salad fan b...

I don't know if this will be good for the soul, but I'm willing to give it a try! 1. I have nine fever blisters on my bottom lip. Nine on one lip. I don't know why, but I don't like it! 2. I may have caused a little pool drama the other day. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry! 3. I hate conflict. 4. I blame the dry cleaners for shrinking my clothes, when actually they could seem to be smaller because of what I eat. 5. I spend too much time on Facebook , but I'm not alone so I don't feel bad about it. 6. I miss Samuel. Still. But, I'm not crying. 7. I kind of lied in number 1. I think my crying caused my fever blisters. I'm blaming them on Samuel. 8. VBS isn't my favorite week of the year. But I love what happens in the hearts of children when they attend VBS . That's why I go. 9. I love to lay out by the pool. I know I'm old. I know the kids would rather me not. But I do. With sunscreen of course! 10. I haven't folded clothes this we...

Mama sent these pictures over the weekend. They made me smile. All of the little girls were in the Fort visiting grandparents and they got together for a little play time with Marmie /Aunt "Taffy" and Gigi/Aunt J - tbeo (my mama and her sister...in case you are confused). Anna K and Gracie B are only a few months apart in age and they adore seeing one another the few times a year that they are able to. They literally squeal. I can actually hear that squeal as I type this. So cute! Then there is little Molly who is subject to do whatever those big girls want to do. Sweet little thing! This picture above instantly made me think of the one below... I went and took a photo of it in my scrapbook and here it is. Sarah is Grace's mama and she always had a little brother who tagged along with us. Bless his heart. Look at him. At least we did not make him wear a uniform with us! Julie was a cheerleader and we often played dress up in her uniforms and performed for anyone who wo...

My kids are growing up. I knew it would happen, but did it have to happen so fast? I can't really believe I wrote those words! I remember the times it was so difficult to go anywhere because of my four kids under six, or my three kids under three. Oh, those were the days! But these days are different and maybe better. But different for sure. Anna has spent the last few days in Fort Smith with some of the grandparents. I had trouble the first couple of days. It was like part of me was missing. No one was needing me. She is pretty independent, she can make her own breakfast and lunch but she still needs me for some things. And I missed being needed. Today Samuel left for church camp. It's the first time he's gone without a parent. He can't have a phone or ipod . So, no texting , status updates, or calls. I can hardly stand it. In fact, when he left this morning at 6:15 I cried. I layed in my bed and cried. And then I texted my mom. Because no matter what, she can make i...