Our Friends The Chickens

We'd like to introduce you to The Chickens! They are good friends of ours. We visit them almost everyday. About a month ago we got up the nerve to ask some neighbors we did not know if we could look at their chickens. Mr. Sam and Mrs. Rita were delighted to share the fun of their chickens with us. They have 2 chicken coops. Now, we not only have chicken friends but Sam and Rita are also our friends!

Everyday it is not a decision as to if we are going to visit the chickens but what will we bring to feed them. They love grapes and zucchini, lettuce, bread and apple peels. Cooper points and says, "Chickens, bock, bock" over and over again to alert you to what kind of animal you are viewing.
If you'd like to visit some chickens we'd love to share our friends with you!

- Messes and Mosquitoes -

Cooper is so funny these days. He is almost 2 yrs. old and has just started communicating in sentences which is pure joy to this mom's ears. His first sentence was "I made a mess" Yes, quite funny to this mom's ears but not so joyful on the eyes.

I do catch myself saying, "ohhh you made a mess" in a -not so joyful- voice and sometimes laughing at the messy messes I come upon.

Cooper also tells Allie "Aow-ee a mess" when I feed her cereal.

The 2nd sentence we're hearing is "I see a moon!" in jubilation and then shortly after "...and a star". We then talk about how God gave us the moon so we can see at night and how pretty the stars are (meanwhile we are getting eaten alive by mosquitoes). Tonight as we drove home from church Cooper was so quiet in the backseat. As I glanced back he was watching the moon follow us home. Did you ever notice that Wal Mart has a star in the middle of the word (between the L and the M)? I didn't either until little Coop alerted me to the fact. Did you know that the Nike Swoosh looks like a moon - yeah, I thought that was a stretch too but now you understand how much Cooper is into finding stars and moons around town.

Anyway, it is quite fun to relive the marvels of this world through your child's eyes as he begins to take make sense of it for the first time despite the messes and mosquitoes!

Gustav Gone - Yikes Ike!

At Grandma Lena's Memorial Service

We are a little nervous around our house during hurricane season. The reason - our 3yr. new house flooded during Katrina and we lost just about everything except our photo albums. What a huge mess it was but I've got to say what an awesome character and faith builder it was as well. As my sister said, "You have learned many life lessons from hurricane Katrina and you learned those lessons very well. You don't need another storm!" Yes, I agree!

Katrina was supposed to be a 30 year storm - one of it's kind for several years. The first 2 years after Katrina were very quiet in the Gulf of Mexico, but this year is quite different. First a mandatory evacuation for Gustav a "3" and yikes here comes Ike just about 2 weeks later.

Gustav came at 'as good as time as any' we had to be out of town anyway for Grandma Lena's memorial service. The 7 hour drive took about 9 hours. I guess our kids aren't quite used to long car rides yet. We had to stop several times. We evacuated on Saturday one day before the mandatory evacuation took place. We left our dog at my sister Heidi's house, (her house doesn't flood and Duke likes to hang out in her garage) only to return to see a tree had fallen on the garage. Duke and his friends (Woody and Bear-Heidi and Shaw's Dogs) found their way out of the garage with a wild story to reminisce about. Tiffany and Daryl are the greatest Dog Care Takers!

We are simply watching, waiting and praying that Ike is not another Katrina.

Decked Out

We love hanging out - outside. Many Louisianian folks think we're crazy and declare that the hot, humid summer months are your chance to sit in the air conditioned house or the time to vacation elsewhere. Not us - maybe it is our California roots, but we just love being outside. So ... we took on the project of expanding our of 16X16 foot deck and added another 20X20 foot section. All we have left to do is stain the two decks so they will be the same color. Lee and Hal (Lee's dad) and Cooper worked for about 4-5 days and it was finished in less than a week!!! Why did you take on this project in August- you ask??? Good question . . . Lee's 2 weeks off every month gives me the opportunity to beg for some pretty serious honey-do projects and Lee has had the itch to build something with his garage full of tools. Whenever he builds something I am so impressed with what guys can do.

Take'n It To The Lord In Prayer

Have a prayer concern? Leave your prayer need as a comment and I will pray for your concerns each Saturday morning.

The TOP 10!

We have celebrated our 10 yr. anniversary this month! yeah !!! How fast it has flown and then again how young we looked in our wedding pictures. What a blast the past 10 have been, I am anxious to see what the next 10 yrs. bring! Being married is #1 the best thing that has happened to us. But, our lives would not be the same without a few other things that we've experienced in the past decade . . .

The TOP 10 best things in the last Decade:

1. Cooper and Allie - our kiddo's

2. Moving to Louisiana - we were finally able to buy a house

3. Lee's Job - Drilling For Oil

4 Michelle's Autism Business

5. Finding Our Church; Tammany Oaks - Serving with a smile

6. Living close to family (Lee's Parents 10min. drive and Michelle's Sister and Bro-In-Law 5min.drive) - they are just fun!

7. Recovery From Hurricane Katrina - Character Builder

8. Becoming an Uncle and an Aunt to our Brothers' and Sisters' kids - 4 nephew's and 4 neices's

9. Achieving Financial Peace

10. Our Family Dog Duke - he's just a cool huge rottweiler!

"Brotherly Love"

It is funny how "sayings" change after having kids.

For example, "up all night" or "an all nighter" has an entirely different meaning now that kiddo's have come along. In college we sort a bragged about doing all nighters studying or dancing or "just" talking all night with a new fellow . . . Now I look with deep empathy at my mom friend faces who have just pulled an all nighter with vomit, ear infections, birthday cupcake prep or simply bad dreams with their kiddo's.

The saying "summer fun" is sure differnt! Before kiddo's summers were short, fun, and possibly filled with a an exotic trip like a cruise or even Europe. Now that I live in the south with kiddo's, summers are very long, hot, & a bit stressful (wondering when a hurricane might pop up and thinking how will we evacuate, who will we stay with who won't be driven crazy by our kids, is a hotel too small for a week???) Now with kiddo's I am constantly thinking where can we go that's not too hot but fun enough for a 2yr. old. Surprisingly, Sam's club is pretty fun (oversized carts, taste testing stations, and lots of crazy things to look at). Splashing in a fountain at the mall is pretty fun even if the kiddo gets so wet you have to change his clothes. Having strangers tell you "Your kids are adorable" whether or not it's true - is pretty fun.

Well . . . this week Coop has been wanting to hold Allie. He holds out his arms as though I'll just hand her over. When I've got them both set in the big recliner and he squezzes her a bit too tight and she screams, or tickles her toes or when he kisses her & she smiles back at him - all I can think is how the saying "brotherly love" has changed for me. In these moments when my kiddo's love each other without really knowing what it is they are doing - what a gift for me. There are some "sayings" that simply change your heart for the better after kiddo's come along.