What Summer Brings..

Summer Brings...

toes in flops

water in the pool

a break too short,

before we go back to school

long hot days,

warm summer eves

bugs in the air

green on the leaves.

secretly growing up,

my baby now a boy

this is hard on my heart

but still brings my heart joy.

making memories and new friends,

visiting new places to and fro

 traveling and taking road trips

so we can

go where Daddy goes.

I cannot figure out why time

 has to pass so fast

I will close my eyes

And pretend ... it will always last.

~s. mccall

                                                

I look at this little picture of my lil baby Diesel (who is nicknamed my little Miney because I told him one day he was my little "mighty, tiny" baby. He looked at me and said, "Miney?" He was crossing mighty and tiny and came up with Miney. I loved it and call him that in so many ways...Diesel "Miney", D-"miney" and my favorite, "Sugar Miney"!.. Anyway, he is growing up at an insanely fast pace and I feel like I have just had a conversation with a scholar the past few nights. He is not even 2 years old yet, and can talk like a brainiac. All of a sudden he counts to 10. And repeats EV-ER-EE-thing.. in his own way.

doggy= gawggy

Daddys Rhino=buggy

trailer=tray-derr

ring around the rosie= woe-see

yogurt=yogi

orange= onn-denge

croutons= shruthons

coupons= hee-honns

grits= wittssth

helmet= hemm-ett

what I call Lander when I am joking, Pappy=  happy

what the kids call my Dad, Pop= hopp

computer= pooter

dirty=door-ee

spiderman= spize-ann

batman= batpan

anything that doesn't work is dead

you get "kee-iw'd"(killed) if you run in front of a car or this can happen in water, of any size in any place.

The list goes on and on. Then I remember , Myles used to be like that. He's getting older and yes it is hard for me. Sometimes, Myles still has words he says are sooo cute. Like fifth=thrifth, forget and regret= forgret, south carolina= core-foline-uh. and so on... They are so precious. So sweet and innocent. Such little monsters  that argue  I sometimes question if my sanity is street legal. They are my little guys. My sweet bambinos, and I am so proud of them. They both KNOW God lives in heaven. Myles knows that, and I quote,  "Jesus died on the cross so we can be saved so we dont go live with the devil in hell. You WILL burn there forever. Jesus is God's son." And thats just a small part.. When I asked Diesel the other night (while we are watching a cable Christian channel show about Jesus's resurrection, that I explained in the best 2 year old detail I could)  "where did Jesus go after he died on the cross?" (again, this is basic 2 year old conversation) I thought he kept saying, "wha happen?!" I finally got he was saying, "to hebben!" -to heaven! What a reward, as a parent, to know that with all the mistakes I make, and boy I make them, my boys know something that is REAL. That will not change. And that is a start to the best thing they will ever know!

"For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there."   ~1 Samuel 1:27-28 (KJV)

"Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck."
(Proverbs 1:8-9)

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
(Mark 10:13-16)

 

                                    

Goings On...

I haven't been able to check in, in a while because there have been a lot of, "Goings On"... For me to say what all we have been doing would take me until daylight tomorrow. But I can sum it up with one statement. We are having a lot of fun.

The first week after we were in South Ga, we made a trip to Nanny El's favorite produce place, The Red Barn in Manor, Ga. When we arrived, me and the kids headed out to the strawberry patch. This was more like a strawberry heaven.. row after row of red, ripe berries mixed with those that were yet to turn color and some just blooming.

                                                         

Myles, Diesel, Lil Lander and Little Sarah (Lil Lander's sister on his mom's side) had a funtime picking 13 POUNDS of fresh strawberries. Which were later made into homemade Strawberry Jelly by yours truly. After staining our hands red with pickin', we headed inside the air conditioned barn to meet up with Nanny El, Aunt Van, Ms. Pam and Ms. Mary who journeyed with us, and chose to soak up the AC instead. Myles and Diesel must have been really thirsty, well these photos say it all...

I made a half gallon of sweet tea (because I do make the best. It's true- ask anyone.) and packed up some jars and this is what happened to the last of  it between two McCall brothers..

Then we were on to picking corn. I think we came home with around 100 ears, or a "bushel and a half" that cost $12. And I made creamed corn to die for out of it. In the words of my Diesel who tried to imitate my Myles, "HOLE CAW!" which is holy cow! It was delicious! And boy did we ever eat it like it was the last there was ever going to be..

So we fared away with A LOT of fruits and veggies from this garden.. But you may be wondering, How about the garden I planted... Well it is doing great. Either I am picking it, or it is blooming. I have had radishes, squash, okra(ok, just one piece of okra, but thats because it has only started coming in!!!!) banana peppers, and my watermelons, that stared in Ellijay in those Jiffy pots, are almost 2 pounds. HOLE CAW! Not to mention the corn, grean beans, egg plant, bell peppers, canteloupe.... its only a matter of time...

The Trailerhood as we call it, is finished for the most part! I have really never been so proud of something like this before. Just amazing every time I walk through the place.. I will think, "I like that color of paint!" and answer myself, "Oh, I chose that!" "I like how that looks- wait I built that!" "Love those curtains in the kitchen, how old fashioned! HEY, I made those!!!!" I am constantly reminded of the talent God has given me, and that am blessed to use it. And how much I enjoy what all I have been doing. Relying more on us than the store is wonderful. Even though thats just in the babysteps phase, I can tell a difference. And our checkbook hasnt seen many trips to walmart. Like 3 in the past almost 2 months...And we dont really have TV in the trailer. Myles brought his playstation 2, which he hasn't been allowed to play in a month for unnamed reasons, but has played 3-4 movies in that same time frame. If we want to watch the tube, we go across the yard to Nanny El's and usually she is watching The Grand Ole Opry reruns or Hee-Haw.

I have picked up on a lot of sayings while we've been down here..

One of my favorites, maybe my very favorite is when talking of someone who has passed away.."SoandSo was sick.. and come well, Tuesday morning it was over..." "Ooooh, he/she has done and checked on outta here."

Myles and Diesel have enjoyed playing thier newest game,"Jailcopper." For some reason, Myles is always the cop...hmmmmmm. And the other day while waiting on Daddy to finish up the last touches on the go kart, Myles convinced Lil Lander to ride him around the yard. ON THE LAWNMOWER. I have never laughed like I did at those 2 riding around the yard on the Cub Cadet, mowing deck up, at full speed. And full dust storm. And dont foget, we have 3 kids. So while 2 are blazing around the yard on the riding lawnmower, Ohhhhhhhhh yes. Diesel will not be left out. He convinced Aunt Van to ride him around the yard. IN HER CAR!!!!!!!! HOLE CAW! I cannot figure out how he has learned to talk so good, much yet how did he get her to ride him around with the radio up, in her car. IN THE YARD???!!! That took the cake. Thats really what he wanted. And then while Myles and Lil lander are riding the go kart this past weekend, Diesel looked to the bigger picture, again. Nanny El rode him around the yard in her car. Thats really what he wanted, and she even gave him the choice of her car or truck!!!! This is what its all about... sitting in the swing, with Daddy Bear, watching Myles and Lil Lander on the go kart, riding through mud puddles just made using the water hose(who says you have to wait on rain to make a puddle???) and Diesel riding shotgun in Nanny El's car pushing, pressing, and turning every electronic device in it he can reach. All in the fenced in yard..

after picking strawberries

eating corn right after he picked it

Look Momma! He picked it himself.