Bob

Claire had a friend spend the night last night.  It wasn't long after they got up before she decided they had to go see Bob, really needed to introduce her friend to Bob.  Who is Bob?  Well, Bob is an unlikely character.  First of all, our Bob is a she, not a he.  And she is one of our FOUR neighbors.  Lives right our here in the pasture with us!  How could a mother name her baby girl Bob, you ask?!  Well, she didn't.  Glenda (as her mother named her!) wanted her granddaughter, Ella, who lives across the country in Palm Springs, CA, to associate a name with her face and be able to speak it as soon as possible.  So, she declared herself Bob...instead of Grandma, grandmother, Nana, etc.  Ella was quickly able to say Bob.  She still introduces her as "my Bob".  So sweet.  That's the story.  So, she is now "Bob" to granddaughters, Ella, Leslie, and Holly.  "Bob" to grandsons TJ, Parker, and Conner.  And, luckily, "Bob" to my Kate, Claire and Will.  We love you, Bob!  And if you ever forget that,  just take a look at this picture.  Took this right after I said it was okay to cross the pasture for a visit!  Look at 'em run! 

Bob, Claire (in the shades!), and Kate

I just think I know what I'm doing...!

My girls love each other.  I'm pretty sure they would be lost without each other.  We live out here on our acreage without neighbor friends to play with.  They have each other....that's IT!  Oh, and one baby brother.  But these days he is wrecking havoc on their playtime.  Barbie clothes, American girl dolls, hair/beauty salon products...you name it, he can try to eat it, throw it, or smash it.  Not exactly their idea of a perfect playmate.

Most of the time, they argue.  Yes, you read that right.  Most of the time, they argue.  We have just hit the stage (I'm going to call it a "stage" so I can view it in a better light!) where each of them takes major exception to anything the other does, says, imagines, begins to say, etc.  You get the picture.  When all is going well - it's fabulous.  Brings a tear to my eye...my sweet little girls.  When all is not well - it's not fabulous.  Brings a different tear to my eye.  Their dad and I are trying to help them, as gracefully as we can, navigate through these sisterly arguments and encourage kindness.  But at times, I slam on the brakes, yell, "WAIT JUST A MINUTE" and give them a good ole time out!  That's exactly what was going on in the car on the way home from school last week.  We have exactly 21 minutes to spend in the car together every afternoon on our drive home.  Those 21 minutes usually set the tone for the remainder of the evening.  I had just bought - out of the kindness of my heart, given how much Valentines candy is still in this house - them each some candy after school....Kate, Reece's peanut butter cups and Claire, milk duds.  The arguments started almost immediately upon getting into the car and lasted almost the entire drive.  It was, simply, about how many milk duds Claire should give Kate in order to make up for one Reece's that Kate may or may not share.  She will let her know when she knows how many milk duds she will get.  The negotiations were heated, to say the least (over candy?!?!?) and I had had my fill when we hit the top of our driveway - after about 20 minutes!  Our drive is exactly 1/4 of a mile long.  I said, "Out!  Now!  Both of you...you can walk from here!  I have listened to the arguing all the way home.  I'm tired of it, Will is tired of listening to you guys.  Just get out and walk home!!"

Shrills of excitement immediately from the back seat....Claire:  "YEA!!!  Come on Kate, let's go - how fun!"  Kate: "Yeah - let's go!"  Claire (here's the kicker):  "And I"ll even share all my milk duds with you!"  They happily exited the car and happily walked the rest of the way.  Hmmmm. 

Not exactly what I was going for (punishment!), but the end result was what I was looking for.  I defintely don't always know what I'm doing.  I just try my best and pray alot!  They never cease to amaze me, surprise me or delight me.  Here are a few pics of the "long walk home". 
         

Let it snow, let it snow, and once again....let it snow!

 Ah, the snow!  I remember the first time I really experienced snow.  Not the dustings we had in Mississippi growing up, but my first REAL snow.  Those dustings were fun and super exciting.  We thought it was better than Christmas morning if it ever snowed!  But the first time I experienced a real, sure enough snowfall was on the first day I was to report to work for Amoco in Tulsa, OK.  It was January 1996.  I was fresh out of business school with my M.B.A. and ready to tackle my first day on the job.  I was in temporary housing at the time as my apartment wasn't quite ready.  I remember waking up early that morning, getting ready, making sure I had everything I needed, grabbing a cup of coffee, etc.  At some point I opened the curtains and - WOW!  Snow....tons of it.  And I thought, "Oh my gosh - how PRETTY!  This is great!"   I guess I hadn't watched the news the night before.  I had no idea I would wake up to snow.  I grabbed my coat, which was all I had in the way of winter gear, and headed out. 

     Getting to my car was one thing.  I was soaked from the knees down, but I thought - oh well, I'll dry out on the way to work.  Getting my car door open was another.  It took me and a couple of  guys who worked at the hotel to pry it open.  This should have given me a clue that travel would be tough.  After the door was finally open and I had scraped as much snow/ice off of the windows as I could with my....credit card!....I was on my way.  More problems quickly developed.  It was still snowing and my windshield wipers were stuck to my windshield.  REALLY?!?  But I could see pretty well and I had to get to work on time, so I let it go.  I drove as carefully as I could, 20 mph tops, down the Broken Arrow expressway and made my way into downtown.  I found a parking space....there were lots!  Amazing!  I trudged through the snow to the door of my building.  I was greeted by a gentleman who informed me that there would be no one reporting to work today.  Didn't I get the message?  No.  I did not.  I made my way back to the hotel, changed out of my wet, cold clothes and thought "What have I done?  Why am I here?" and "This snow stuff is no longer fun or pretty".  I called my parents and eventually recovered from my morning!   

     Fifteen years later, I'm still here in OK!  I just make sure to watch the news/weather more closely.  And the snow can be pretty at times...if I don't have to get out in it and if it doesn't stick around for too long.  I have officially had enough of this round of snowy weather.  My kids have had a great time, though and I have had a great time watching them! 

  

Bill, attempting to shovel our ROAD!  Our driveway is one thing, but our road is about 1/4 mile long.  He gets an E for effort.  We still can't get out! 



The girls had an absolute ball!



Will was not so sure...notice the girls still having a ball!

Claire  - my little clown!

Me and my girls!

Horses must be fed!

And yes, that is me, shoveling snow!  Maverick, our blue healer, was in sheer disbelief as was my husband who grabbed the camera!