Early morning

Woke up at 6 a.m. this morning.  It's Saturday.  This stinks...was my first thought.  I remember my parents saying they "couldn't sleep past such and such time".  I used to think....WHY not?  Y'all are weird.  I'd say they were in their 40's at that time.  Ah....now I'm in my 40's.  This is just cruel.  So tired, but wide awake.  It's funny how little pieces of your parents habits, mannerisms, thought processes become a reality to you and unfold before your eyes as you age.  It is only until those things actually happen to you that you fully understand them.  I think about this sometimes when the girls look at me as though I am an alien, for one thing or another.  I think - and sometimes say - you'll understand one day.  The same line my parents used on me.  Full circle.  Interesting.

So, wide awake, I head for the kitchen and the coffee maker.  I am fairly type A (or really type A).  Actually, a better way to describe me is a type A want-to-be with little time or ability to carry it out most days.  That is most accurate.  This leaves me with a kind of permanent anxiety about all the things that need to be done, should be done, should have already been done.  Some days I wake up with that feeling.  It's not the way to start your day or even go through it.  I know this.  I am always trying to take myself down a notch.  But today, in the quiet of my kitchen at 6 a.m., I looked around and felt thankful instead of "behind".  Not on purpose.  I'm stubborn.  It's nearly impossible for someone to talk me into something and even harder for me to talk myself into something.  It was just all those little reminders of some very wonderful people in my life.  Everywhere I turned in the kitchen, something caught my eye and I thought - I love that.  Then, I thought, I sure do love them.

Here are a few of those things that made me smile this morning......



Owl - painted by Claire.  I love this little guy. 

Family rules - created by Kate.  Sometimes I think these are more for me.

 

Family dinner game - gift from G'ma and G'pa.  We

use it almost every night.  If you don't have one, get one. 

 

Gift from Fr. Shelby and Becky honoring our dog, Missy

Hanging on my front porch, where you could

find her most days. 

 

 

Love this tea towel from my dear, dear friend

Tiffanie.  From one Southern gal to another. 

We met within months of my move to Tulsa in 1996. 

Instant friendship.  Southern girls know how to find each other.

 

 

Another tea towel from another sweet friend, Laura.

This sums it up.  She is always good

for a hefty dose of sunshine.  If you don't have a Laura,

you should get one!

 

Valentines card - by Claire

 

 

Valentine craft - by Will!

 

 

And these three sit right by my coffee maker. 

   

Trying really hard

....to like this cat. 

And these chairs are for us, right? 



Blue meets Bo

The first 20 minutes we're home after school are enough make my shoulders tense.  Everyone is tired, hungry, trying to talk to me, trying to yell at the other sibling who is also trying to talk to me.  It's a bit of a mad house around here.  Add to it the unloading of the car (did we take a trip or just go to school today?), the scramble for a snack, the energy of Will flying through the house looking for his tractors, finding them and then whizzing by on the hardwood floor at great speeds (watch your toes), little voices asking for help with homework, Blue running back and forth greeting us all....it's a whirlwind.  It feels like those 20 minutes are enough to earn me that occasional glass of wine I have some nights.   

I usually go ahead and let Blue outside for a while to lessen the craziness.  A week or so ago, in the midst of unpacking lunchboxes, hanging up coats, opening juice boxes, and trying to start dinner, I caught a glimpse of this little exchange happening outside.  I put everything down immediately, grabbed the camera and headed outside to see if I could capture some of it.  I tried to get the kids to come outside to watch with me, but I think they were arguing over the last of the Cheez-its or something.  That's okay.  It was nice and quiet and Blue and Bo were able to get acquainted.  I love these. 



Those dogs are HUGE! 

Oh no...they're coming over here! 




Maybe if I get into ATTACK mode...!

No.  Let me try to sneak up on 'em. 

 

Maybe I'll just try to say hi..."Hi guys!"

 

 

Oh, you are big...please don't hurt me...

 

 

Hello, Blue!

Sweet Bo, lowered his head to greet Blue

 

 

And then finished it off with a little kiss!   

 

 



Letter to Blue

If Missy could have left a letter of advice for Blue, here is what it would have said:

Dear Blue,

Wow...you lucked out, buddy.  These people love dogs.  Just want to give you a bit of advice that might make things easier for you.

1.  First of all, you have 30 acres to roam around on.  Get out there and have some fun, but don't go too far.  Lewis Ave is too far.  I learned that the hard way.

2.  These people are busy.  If they happen to forget to feed you, fend for yourself.  There's a buffet of choices out there.  Turtles, mice, rabbits...all for the taking.

3.  Please, please go out to the pasture to do your business.  I don't think I ever caused them to lift a shovel and scoop my poop.  Be considerate...head out on those 30 acres I mentioned.  You've got lots of room - no need to mess up the yard!

4.  All those pricey squeaky toys, raw hides, fluffy stuffed animals and fancy tug toys from PetSmart....you don't need them and Bill doesn't want to buy them anyway (he's kind of tight).  You have an endless supply of rocks out there.  Learn to like 'em. 

5.  Go down to the barn with Bill at night.  He usually goes down there to feed the horses after he helps get the kids in bed.  It's dark and he might need you.

6.  The horses.  This brings me to the horses.  They are big.  You are not bigger than them and you never will be.  If you choose to act like a big shot - make sure you are on the other side of the fence.  Learn to get along with them.  It will serve you well.  (The fence is electric, by the way...watch your ears if you decide to slide under it)

7.  Do NOT scratch on the door.  They'll let you in if it's too cold, too rainy, too hot.  Just relax and enjoy the scenery.  I don't remember ever lifting my paw to scratch.  Never had to. 

8.  Will loved me.  You should know that up front.  He will warm up to you too.  Give him time.  You need to follow him around when he's in the yard - that kid gets into everything.  Keep an eye on him, but don't get too close when he's on his four wheeler unless you are lightening fast like me.  

9.  The ponds out there are great for a swim when it's hot, an extra drink if needed, or a quick bath.  Don't be a pansy - get in there!

10.  Begging for food is not cool.  Please refer to bullet point #2. 

11.  Pick your spot in the front yard and wait patiently for them to come home.  I said they are busy, but they always come home.  You should be there to greet them and make them feel safe - every single time. 

12.  If you hear something that requires a bark, by all means bark.  Do not bark to hear yourself bark. 

13.  Above all, have fun.  Kate is sweet, Claire is an absolute blast, and Will is all boy, a true playmate.  Enjoy your new family and try, TRY to mind your manners! 

Love and best wishes,
Missy

p.s. I hear there is a cat in the mix now.  You are on your own there.  I would have eaten him by now.  I guess if you make "nice" with the cat, you can actually score one on me.  Make it count!

Blue and Missy

About four weeks ago, we adopted a new dog.  I wasn't really ready for another dog.  Missy will live on as one of the greatest dogs of all time in my book and accepting anything less than that just seemed impossible for me.  It's not that she was under my feet, slept in my bed, snuggled up with us each night and lazed around the house.  I've had that kind of dog.  Those dogs are great...they are.  However, Missy was totally different.  She was smart - so smart, well mannered, unassuming, trouble free, easy going, never demanding and I swear if she could talk I would have learned a thing or two from her.  She was gentle, yet very protective.  Thankful and humble, there was not a pretentious thing about her from her pedigree (lack thereof) to her temperament.  Her eyes looked like they were full of love and stories and mostly gratefulness.  It's hard to find pictures of my kids outside without her in them....close by, watching over them.  If she had been a person, she would have been one of my favorite people ever.   



She came to us as a full grown dog, maybe around the age of three.  Our friend, George, who kept our horses while our barn was being built, had taken her in.  He had feed her from on old trash can full of dog food - nothing fancy - probably dog chow.  She'd sleep in his barn with the horses or outside on a little patch of grass.  She was always a content, happy, no-fuss kind of dog.  If she had come to me as a puppy, I'm quite sure I would have ruined her - immediately.  There wasn't a spoiled bone in her body and she knew how to take care of herself and us.  The perfect ranch dog.  She became ours when George had to move to a nursing home and would no longer be there to look after her.  The day we brought her to our house, there had been a big flood at George's place in Bartlesville.  Bill went up to move the horses and Missy came swimming after his truck.   As he was driving out, he looked in his rear view mirror and immediately went back to get her.  He grabbed her up in his arms, trudged waist deep through the water and to the truck with her.  She settled in at our house that day and looked as if she'd always been here.

We really just lucked into having her as part of the family.  We can thank Bill's mom (Nana) and her friend George for Missy.  It's funny how things work.  We always thought we were taking "care" of George.  We kind of looked after him and took him under our wing.  He didn't have much family around and we all grew to love him.  He was a gentle soul in his later years, but you could tell that cowboy had some stories and had lived a tough life.  He taught Bill so much about horses and introduced us to some great horse people.  And, as it turns out, he gave us quite a gift.  I like that.

Cowboy George, Nana, Kate and baby Claire

George and Kate

 

 


So, back to the new puppy.  A friend on Facebook (isn't Facebook just handy!) posted a picture of the cutest little pup.  I immediately - without asking a soul in my family - said we'd take him if they couldn't find the owners.  I don't know why I did that so quickly without any consultation with the other four people in my house.  That picture was THAT cute.  Lucky for me, it worked out.  Everyone else thought his picture was cute too.  Will's reaction was, "he is adorable".  The girls let out the biggest "AWW"! in unison you ever heard.  Even Bill said..."that's a good lookin' dog".  Long story short, the owners were never found, we were notified, we drove to South Tulsa and picked up Blue.  That's it.  Now he's here....all 40 lbs of this 12 week old puppy.  He is a mess, chewing on anything and everything, exploring every mud hole out here, and trying to learn that we do NOT want him to sleep on the couch.  He is fun and lively and a handful.  He is quite a contrast to Missy, but we are enjoying him so much. 

I don't know that he will be the trouble free ranch dog Missy was - but then again I don't know that he won't.  The difference is....I am raising this one.  Remember, I have a history of ruining a perfectly good dog.  But, as Will pointed out, he is adorable.  It's very hard to say no to this face.  So...Welcome, Blue!  We love you!  And we won't ever mention the big paws you have to fill.  I have all the faith in the world in ya.  My money is on you!   

 

 



Love....these pics, these kids, this moment

Happy Valentines Day!  This seemed like a perfect post for today and a good one to get me back in the saddle on some blogging.  Cannot believe three months have passed since my last blog.  Busy is an understatement these days.  Four nights a week of basketball practice, two nights a week of gymnastics, science fair, homework, projects, a new puppy (stay tuned...more to come on him), and just general stuff has kept us moving at warp speed.  The basketball season ends this weekend and though the girls are sad, I see some small, much needed space being created in our schedule. 

A few weeks ago I heard great roars of laughter coming from upstairs.  I had to sneak up the stairs and take a peek.  When I peeked, I had to go get my camera.  This is what I saw.  What I see now, when I look at these pictures, is love, joy, fun, laughter, family and sweetness.  All the good things that represent Valentines day.  So happy hearts day from all of us! 

Claire must be able to read a Curious George story like noone else.  Wish I could have heard more of what was going on.  I do believe she was probably putting her own spin on it.  I would expect nothing less.