9 Months (and five days)

Well Tyrel, you are now 9 months young. You have changed VERY much in this past month.

You have started scooching around on the floor, getting up on hands and knees trying to crawl, pulling up on everything (to your knees, you haven't quite figured out how to get those feet under you.) You are starting to learn what "no" means. you don't always obey it though...we are working on that.

You are working on your very first farmers tan. Your face and arms are tanning up nicely, while the rest of you is still white as can be. You love being outdoors. It's so fun to eat dirt, and watch animals, and all that other fun stuff babies do outside.

Just today while in the bathtub, you learned how to SPLASH! Oh How Fun. Mama will need to start wearing a rainsuit to bathe you.

It won't be much longer til you aren't my baby anymore....You'll be a TODDLER. Of course you'll ALWAYS be my baby. You just won't always be a baby. I just can't believe how fast you are growing. Time is just flying past.

I hate so much to see you upset, I'm afraid that I will spoil you. I'll just have to get over it though, because it won't be so cute in a little while, and I want you to grow into a godly young man with self control, and that starts with me and daddy training you.

ANYWAYS, I'm going off on bunny trails.

Daddy and I love you so much big man boo.....yes we call you that [smile] .

Happy ninth month big guy.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, you have a top front tooth now too.

~Love Mama.

Storm

This is a true story, the names of the people have not been changed, the times are approximate....:D

2:10 AM: Becky wakes up. Lightning is flashing all around. No big deal, it's been like that all night.

2:15 AM: Becky wakes husband, asking him to cuddle as she hugs baby in front of her tighter, she just got scared, not sure why.

2:16 AM: Becky asks husband to pray..husband offers half hearted sleepy prayer.

2:17 AM: Becky starts praying hard....Then out loud...

2:18 AM: Becky sits up in bed commanding the storm in Jesus name, telling it that our home will stand firm....starts praying in tongues....Starts YELLING prayers at the storm while feeling the weirdest kind of scared she has ever felt...baby wakes and looks around...doesn't cry.

2:19 AM: House starts shaking like it's going to come apart at the seams....Becky tells the storm..."Peace...BE STILL" about the time the roof is peeled from the home.

Torrential rain follows, but relative peace is now here. Becky and husband Stephen start getting dressed, the baby, Tyrel, watches without so much as a peep. They head to head of the house where the roof is still intact...just in case of hail.

They call the parents of Stephen, whom live next door, asking how they fared through the tornado...they didn't even realise.
Doug (the dad) comes to pick them up in the truck...they wade out to him through knee deep waters. Past the tin and other roof debris, past the extension cord hanging from the power lines that had been on the ground mere moments ago.

They go to the house,watch Star Trek, sleep, check damages the next morning and decide it must have been a funnel cloud, that never touched down.

And that was how our night went last night...Thank You Lord that we are all safe.

Hangin' Out

Things I've Done

I stole this from a friends blog, the things I have done are in red , and the ones Stephen has done are in blue. The ones we've both done will be a mixture.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
42. Had amazing friends
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
26. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Seen a bear in the wild
152. Shot an animal
153. Fallen out of a tree
154. Eaten a grasshopper

Good Home Cooking

Well I feel like a lousy cook.

Today I mashed up some avocado for Tyrel. He made about the same face as Tommy did the first time he tried one. I did get several bites in him though.

Anywho, later on I was out in the yard planting some flowers, and looked over at Ty who was sitting on a blanket beside me...he had moved the blanket out of the way and was munching on handful after handful of dirt, like it was the next best thing to Mama's milk. Sure makes me feel good about my food preparation...he would rather eat dirt.

I Can No Longer Deny It

He is ready to start eating people food.

Some Pictures

Here is a bunch of random pictures. Some from today, some as old as several months ago....I just got them all off of my camera.

Getting Big

My little man has decided to grow up all of the sudden. Just in the last few days he has sat up by himself, started scooching (technical term) backwards on his tummy, and when I stood him up in his playpen today, he stayed standing, while holding on to the edge. Here are some cute pictures of him. Enjoy...or else.

My God Shall Supply All My Needs

Guys working hard

I have been repeating that to myself for the last few hours.

For those of you that don't know, part of the roof blew off of Stephen and I's house on Wednesday night. For pictures of the storm damage look here.. http://www.homesteadblogger.com/mom2countrykids/ . Yard Mess

Anyways, I got home from visiting my family last night. I brought the older of my younger brothers back with me to help Stephen get the roof on. He was helped over the weekend by our friend Jake, Stephen's dad, and brother.

Anywho, the boys were up and working good this morning, getting a lot done. I went out to watch for awhile, and as I sat on the back of the truck watching them put tar paper or some such something on the roof, before the tin, a roll of the paper rolled off (not sure how, as the roof isn't very steep) the roof, bounced in the back of my MIL's truck, hit the back window and shattered it. Broken Window

I think we will just be handing our income tax return over to my FIL, between him getting the roof materials for us, bills, and now their truck window. Old roof, up close and in field

Anyways, I am just glad we will be GETTING the return so we will have the money to pay him.

Ben "ladder sliding", stepping down is much too slow

Thank You God.

~Becky A picture of Tommy I liked.

Tommy

This isn't his sibling spotlight post, I just found out that he also started a blog...you should read it...because I said so.
Here is the link.
http://tommy-thewalker.blogspot.com/

Christopher (my first victim)

Dear Chris,

You cannot even begin to fathom the love and adoration I have for you. How much I seek your approval. To hear you brag about me is beyond words, I can't explain why that is either.

There are so many things I miss about growing up with you. Yes, you could be a bit of a bully at times, but I hardly remember those things. The memories I hold on to are ones of you helping to teach me to ride a bike, playing football, going out shooting BB guns, and fishing. Or washing the dishes for you so you would LET me mow the yard for you.

I love getting to visit with you. You're filled with so much energy and fun.

Whether you like it or not, I pray for you all the time. I think God has great plans for you. The way you have a passion for the things you believe in, I can't imagine what all you could do for the Kingdom of God.

I am so proud of the time you spent serving our country in the military. I'm glad you didn't have to go to war though. I think you are a wonderful patriot.

You have such a beautiful family.

I Love you Big Brother.

Love, B-E-Keysaywhy

Sibling Spotlight

I am going to, over the next few days (or weeks), Spotlight each of my brothers with a post dirtected to them. Warning: They are likely to be mushy and dorky as I tell them all the things I normally wouldn't. Muhahahaaaaahaa....I'm gonna publicly embarrass ya'll!

EEK!

While I was at my brother's house a few weeks ago, I was going to go for a walk. So I put on the Ergo and got Tyrel, and started to go outside, then turned to come back and tell everyone I was going to go for a walk and see if anyone wanted to go with me. As I came around the corner into the living room, I swatted some of my hair on my neck that felt like a spider crawling around...only to find out it WAS a spider crawling around. Well, I started freaking out, screaming at my brothers to get Ty out of the Ergo while I danced around swatting myself to get the spider off. Well I swatted it down, to the floor I thought, but just in case not, I asked the boys to check Tyrel. They were making fun of me, saying Ty was fine, but then Ben looked down and the spider was on Ty's cheek. Chris saw it and started yelling "It's a brown recluse!" Ben swatted it off of Ty and Tommy stomped it into the ground, and I freaked out for the rest of the day. (helped along by my sweet brother putting a huge fake spider on the ergo where I would find it next time I went to put it on.)
Anyways, ever since then I always feel like I have spiders crawling on me, especially at night.
Well that won't change anytime soon, because this morning after dressing Tyrel, I was picking him up off the bed to set him on the floor, so I could make the bed, and a spider ran out from under my skirt, across the bed. I put Ty on the floor, took off my skirt and shook it, then hunted down the spider and killed it...No screaming or freaking out..on the outside anyways. But now I will have a really hard time sleeping. I'll just KNOW every little tickle is a spider crawling on me.
Stupid arachnids.

Modesty

I have been very convicted lately to dress more modestly. Not just dress, but BE modest, inside and out. I don't exactly dress immodestly, I'm sorta in a grey area. I don't think dressing modestly means you have to wear floor length dresses all the time, but it does mean not wearing tight fitting clothes such as my favorite jeans.
Now, my husband doesn't like me to wear baggy jeans, nor what he calls "mommy jeans" because they don't look good. He does however like me in a skirt or dress.
So I suppose I could save my favorite (and his) jeans for at home, and as we can afford, start making me some skirts.
The hard part for me is that I am a tomboy. It is not something I "do", it is who I am .
I keep thinking I have to be one or the other, but really, why? Why could I not be me and still dress femininely? Tomboyness is something my husband loves about me but he would also like me to start dressing more like a girl (I know because we've talked about it.) I can just save my jeans for when it's not practical to wear a skirt.


I have been reading blogs (see Maidens for Modesty to the side) about young girls who are already to the place I would like to be, and I know that is how I want my girls to be, but it has to start with my example.

April Fools

I had me a great April Fools day prank, but I just can't do it. I can just see my mommy sitting at her computer going "OH BOY, Maybe it'll be a girl this time" and then tomorrow finding out I was lying. I just couldn't do it.
I was all prepared to go through with it until I read her blog asking if anyone knew where to buy those fake winning lotto tickets for Dad, but then she said she wouldn't do that...and I'm glad cause I could just see (if he fell for it) him getting all excited and dancing around wanting to move to Ohio right away, and then to be laughed at and crushed. It makes me sad to think about it. I am a very gullible trusting person, and I think when you break someones trust, even for a joke, it can be hard to regain it...

ANYWAYS, Happy April Fools Day!