Out My Back Door

I look out and this is what I see.......two little munchkins hauling a table out of one of the out buildings.  When they put their heads together.....it is SCARY what they can accomplish!!

They had set up camp here....and I caught Wren signing to ILey to "go get sand"........I'm like Oh no no no no!  Not on my back step!  Move the table to the sand box.

 .........so they did.

 I like their choice of seating.....now that's using what you have.

Only Iley's skinny little backside would FIT on this seat!

 

This was Friday, headed out the door to school.....for some reason she was a grump!

Saturday night.......football game again.

This was Sunday after noon.....She fell and bit her lit good and proper......it bled and bled and bled.....I wonder if her 1/2 an aspirin a day for blood thinner, makes it take longer to clot.

The boys spent all afternoon on Saturday and Sunday working on their fort.  They kept talking about it, and coming up to the house to saw boards......they found a pile of junk lumber......begged fence posts and old nails off of Grandpa D........and a fort is born. 

 We finally got  curious enough to walk out to the pasture and check out their progress.

I have to say I was quite impressed with their efforts.

They were so busy they didn't have time to stop and talk!  Their time was limited....Gordon and Caleb were going to have to go home before long.......but they have many plans for the next "work day"

They dug fence post holes by hand.....

  

I'm not sure they appreciated the help we brought with us........?

Cat Cat did NOT like the wind!  She kept saying "lets go home!  I want to play school" We told her Pretty soon.....to which she said ....."it's long?"........well maybe.

 

Scout on the other hand.......was VERY interested in everything they were doing! ...and seemed oblivious to the wind......even though it had to be whistling through her "ears"

 She was telling Dad...."I can see you"

I see your eye!

 Wren got tired of watching the building, and went to explore the gully.

Iley actually went with her!

 They made many runs back and forth from the house to get supplies.  None of them are actually old enough to drive so driving the truck back and forth was kind of fun.

 These 4 have been buddies for as long as they can remember....probably because their mothers are two of MY best friends:)

Caleb (a friend) talking to Sherman.

 Gordon (a friend)

 

I made them stop and pose for me:)..........I told them some day you will be glad.....I'm not sure they were convinced, but I got my pictures.

 Headed back to the house, the wind about blew us there!  The girls were so cute walking along "chatting"  I say that loosely, as there is very little conversation that anyone can see or hear.  But.....they communicate!  It's kind of crazy.  A nod, a gesture, a sign.....and they are instantly on the same wave length.

 Wren would make some X or design on the ground.....and Iley would nod and do some kind of little jig??  They did this for most of the walk.

Wren carried this grill skewer all the way down and back.  She found a wire along the way to hook on....?  She is ALWAYS doing something........moving, moving ........not just herself either.....I had to make the garage off limits or the entire contents would be moved to the pool......or the sand box......or loaded in the wheel barrow and hauled off to some destination or other!  She totally rearranges any piece of furniture that is not too heavy, or forbidden, and the toys in their bedroom, almost daily.  She is extremely creative and has much ingenuity!  But.......She wears me out!

 They spied these long dust collection pipes as we went by the shop.

 Oh look!  Now Iley has the skewer!

 Wren got bored with the pipes and tried out the tractor tire.

 Iley wanted in too, but there's lots of poky things so she just squatted.

Then she moved back to the pipe.

Iley in the mean time was inspecting one of the boys play guns Dad found on the walk.  She picked it up and cocked it like a pro.  Troy's like...."how does she know how to do that?".....ummmm she's watched her big brothers do it a hundred times?

 Don't shoot people....shoot a bear...........she wasn't convinced.....at all.......Her big brothers regularly split up and pretend shoot each other........

I'll shoot mommy...hee hee......Daddy says "don't shoot mommy!"....she is heartless and just giggles!

"Don't take my picture! I shoot you!"

 Then she said.....I kid you not........."you wanna die?"     Bwahaaaaahaaaahaaa!  No need to ask where she learned that either!!!  I confess I LAUGHED!  Am I failing as a mother????

 I think she needs a few gun safety lessons!!!

 We get back to the house......and I'm thinking they are nicely playing in the sandbox.....when Troy says you might want to check on the girls.....I can tell he's amused......They had 2 trikes, 1 scooter, a stroller, a dump truck full of muddy pine cones, two buckets of sand, a shovel, and a blender........on the front porch!!!  No need to ask who's idea this was......granted she had willing help......but ...I know who is the master mind behind it!!.... this is the same child who hollers for me in the middle of the night because she wants her covers fixed........seriously.

Who me?......uh huh.

I Almost Cried!

Yes! I almost cried......From JOY!!  I will start with today, and then back up a couple.  I got a phone call from Wren's teacher that she was having a FABULOUS day, and Wren wanted to tell me about it!!  We have had several phone calls since school started where the days weren't so fabulous.......and Scout was having a rough time adjusting to following the rules and new routine.  And while I know we will have more rough spots......this encouraged me so much today! When Wren called, I said "Hi Wren! i'ts mommy"  "your teacher said you were a good girl!!" "Good job" "Mommy happy!"  Mrs. Kay said she was signing "good girl" and "good job" while she was talking to me:)  Oh happy day.  Progress. Usually she just babbles and doesn't try to sign.  I tell her constantly "USE your HANDS when you talk!  Mommy can't understand you"

 But.........what made me almost cry was the note from her teacher.  It said "Wren had and AWESOME day!  I saw more social interaction today than I have the whole school year!  The kids are becoming more interested in sign language and signing to her and she signs back.  There were several girls that signed "pretty nails" (we had painted her fingernails last night for finishing her homework)  Her face lit up!"  If you have ever watched your child repeatedly get ignored in a group......not intentionally.......but ignored all the same.........it is heart wrenching.  Or watched them have a child come up to them and TRY really try to talk to her......and she just doesn't understand.......and because she can't understand or talk........she wanders off to do something more active than playing dolls or doctor with a lot of conversation involved..........rejection, time after time.  It breaks your heart.  For her.  Even though she doesn't totally understand yet what she's missing......but she's starting to.  So when I hear that several girls signed "pretty nails"......AND HER FACE LIT UP......Oh my heart....her face lit up!... because she understood what they were saying, she felt connected, and validated....part of the group and conversation.....and of course she had a females joy of her efforts in the beauty department recognized:)  Maybe just maybe, this will spark an interest in learning more language........maybe she will work harder at communicating!  Please God give this child the gift of language!  Our daily plea and prayer...........Like the song.....Let me know redemption wins......let me know the struggle ends......Beauty from Ashes.........a hope and a future.  We are Trusting in her Creator.

These next several pictures are from this morning right before they walked out the door.  Iley had just FINALLY pulled her front tooth!  Her permanent tooth is coming in behind it already and it looooong ago needed to come out.  Can you tell she's a little pleased with herself.

I Love the next two!  They crack me up!

 

We were headed out the door to take a walk.....I grabbed a hat to keep my hair from blowing, and Iley wanted a hat too.  We knew if Iley and I both had a hat on........who else was going to shriek........so we grabbed one for her too.  It was really too hot for their pick of hats, and they didn't last long.

 I told her to run get a pair of socks.....this is what she came back with......and put on herself.

Our walk was cut short by the arrival of some dove hunters in the pasture, we came back to the house and the girls were swinging on the hammock..........when one end came loose and it crashed to the ground.......luckily Wren was on it, and Iley was pushing.........if it would have been the other way around.........oh the weeping and wailing that would have ensued!!  We had a few "should I cry or not moments"  but then Wren moved on.

Since she WASN'T on the hammock.........she thought it was HILARIOUS!

Then these two charming children showed up......I had my camera handy so told Ella...smile!  Your mom and sister want to see your charming face.  Don't you miss this face! 

Yesterday Sherman was the teacher.......and the girls were the students............I'm telling you If he was my teacher I would beg to home school!  I told him he would get fired.......you're a teacher, not a general in the army! Quit barking orders at them.  He said "this is how it was done 'back in the day'"

I'm not sure.......even "back in the day".......if they would have been allowed to hold a student at gunpoint!  The students weren't much fazed by it!

Mr. Mess

Any one like to take a guess at what he's doing?

 What will it be???........a bug jar?.........or.............

....a sippy cup!  Seriously.  He is nuts. I think he thought I'd let him take it in the living room that way....NOT.

 The worst part???.........uh huh.....he has a VERY interested apprentice!  ACK!  See that straw in her hand...as soon as he took out the bit, she put it in the end and pulled the trigger....it spun around and around.....oh the possibilities whirling in her little top knot.......frightening.

.......and one very unconcerned........cat......cleaning itself in the corner......(okay...eating an apple, but you get the idea)

Our Reality

Your Reality in Christ is that you’re 100% saved, redeemed, accepted, carried, cared for, watched over, provided for, comforted, loved. Christ isn’t just sort of for you, Christ is 100% for you – your Reality is 100% safe in Him.

Good to know!!  Cause most days our reality looks more like this!

 

As for expectations — your expectations have a direct correlation on your irritations. The higher your expectations, the greater your irritations.

They had no expectations, so thought they were doing great!

  Expectations kill relationships.
 
Your Expectations in Christ are that you don’t deserve anything, can’t earn anything, don’t merit anything — your expectations are 0% in and of the flesh. It’s all grace.

Look at the difference in Kyndahls feet and Iley's :)  

                                                        

Look Mom, No Hands! :)

                                            This was all Kyndahls idea.......she started it.

The formula for life turns out to be blessedly simple:
Reality in Christ (100%) – Expectations (0%) = A Happiness — that has nothing to do with what Happens

 I love Ann Voskamps writing!  To read the whole article....with much prettier pictures....go here:)

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/09/how-to-figure-out-the-equation-of-a-good-week-a-good-life/ 

Then Mom had to show them that yes, I can still do this too!  I spent half my childhood upside down:)  Just ask my mother.

Then Saturday evening found us at Shermans football game......it will find us at Shermans football game for the next 8 weeks :(...I mean... :)  uh huh.  When we were walking up to the game, Iley is saying "where's all my little friends?  Where's MY friends,  THERE'S MY FRIENDS!"    She was not talking about her brother and sister:)  Wren in the mean time is trying to follow Harrison off with HIS friends.  I said sorry sister....I don't think he wants you tagging along.....she did NOT see the problem with this.

 Sherman is #50  He's out on the field....He's the biggest one on his team.   He had a bunch of tackles...He says "I LOVE tackling!"  one time he grabbed a little dude on the other team with one hand and yanked him down while saying "oh no you don't!"  This gentle giant is rather ferocious on the field!

 Mean while back in the stands.......we have two charming gentlemen waiting on the girls to get done eating so they can come play.  Yikes!  Is this a glimps into the future??

 Midget needs to grow a little more legs to wear capri's.....they kinda look like high water jeans.

 The homing pigeon has come home to roost.........."I tired, let's go home......It's long?"  Anything that doesn't happen in her time frame is "long"

See the napkin wrapped around her thumb.......she picked it.  She picks on her fingers anytime things are unfamiliar, or she's bored, or nervous.  I told her if she doesn't quit I'm going to make her wear gloves.

 Who's tired?? Not me!! This is FUN!  She even got in the middle of a side line football game and got tackled by some boys and went off stomping! LOL Even funnier...Harrison saw it, and was ready to go tackle a few boys!  Protective brothers:)

Sunday was rather uneventful..........so that's all folks!