Simplicity

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

Confucious

Well, isn't the above quote the truth, heh?  I know from personal experience and from the previous job I had that life has gotten way too out of control.  The things that people freak out about on a regular basis and the supposed "necessities" we have all become so used to thinking we need have gotten way out of hand.  Oh don't get me wrong, I like to be pampered and spoiled on occasion too but people in general have gotten to a point where if they can't get their massages in every week or can't find a way to get out of the house for a night on the town without their significant other and children each week they are bitching about it.  The word spoiled comes to mind and it was working around people and customers (not all of them) with those outlooks that was part of my deciding factor as to switching jobs and working full time at the farm.  Although the farm is full of a lot of physical work and not easy, it really doesn't get much simpler than this and I have already noticed a huge change in me and how simple life can be and how your outlook on everything really does begin to change.

I know one of the first things people had opinions about when I decided to change jobs was "How will they afford it?"  Well, I can tell you, changing jobs has saved me money in many different ways.  There is no longer that need to impress people like at my old job.  My husband has seen me at my worst so he doesn't expect me to be all dolled up in the barn and well we all know that the cows could give two shits about my appearance.  So, with that said, I no longer spend a lot of money on makeup, hair spray, mousse and expensive perfume.  Oh sure, I use it on occasion when I go to run errands and out places but seriously, the supplies last A LOT longer than before.  And I can tell you, when I get home, I hit the shower and my hair is pulled back immediately for the day and no makeup applied and I have the au naturale look going on.  Works for me.

And as you can see.  Pretty much every day it is sweatpants and a sweatshirt or t-shirt for me.  No need to complicate things by deciding what to wear, nobody is here to see me other than the hubbie and kids so we're good.  And when I know I am going back to the farm at 3 pm, there is no reason to fix myself up only to get all dirtied up again later.

Side note - I would not normally wear a sweathshirt with birds and flowers on it, but it was a gift to our daughter and she didn't like it and it's all about comfort for me now and it's warm.

I've also saved a ton of money by not needing to buy nice clothes so I can look all professional at work.  The last time I entered a Kohls department store to buy anything was when we did our Christmas shopping and I don't think I bought myself anything.  Obviously I don't have to spend a fortune on good clothes for in the barn and if I buy a few pairs of jeans and some shirts at the local Goodwill store for $4 each for in the barn we're set.  Trust me, huge savings there!!!

And....because I have a closet full of nice clothes from my last job, if I do go out on the town or to church I have plenty to choose from.

I've also noticed a significant savings by not stopping at the local gas station on my way to work each morning for my cup of half cappucino/half coffee and a donut.  I would also stop at this same place roughly three times a week for lunch and now anything I am eating now is being made at my own home. 

I think the biggest change I've noticed is the fact that I don't really want to go places to spend money once I get home from the farm.  Seriously!  If I get up at 3:55 am to go to work and get home about 9-9:30 am knowing I will be going back again at 3 pm, the last thing I feel like doing is getting myself all dolled up to go run errands and have to rush back so I don't.  I also have Luke to think about, as he no longer goes to daycare (another big savings), and well going anywhere to run errands with him makes errands a lot more difficult so I put things off as long as I can before going.  Before I had a bad habit of running to Walmart because I needed one thing and then I would come back with five other things I didn't really need.

So, in a sense, I'm kind of becoming a hermit and I'm okay with that.  My life revolves around my kids, the hubby and the farm.  I don't feel the pressure to impress anybody anymore.  I am who I am.  I'm pretty much as simple as they come despite what some people may think.  My days consist of the following:

Finger painting with Lukas.

Watching little Lukas play dressup.

Keeping the house clean with my little "helper".

Appreciating all of the beauty around me each and every day while working around the farm and experiencing life as I know it.  My simple life.

Surrogate

Surrogate - to put in place of another; substitute.

So, I am approaching the age of 40 and have given birth to 4 wonderful children already at this time in my life, and never would've guessed that at this time I would be taking care of so many new babies on a daily basis.  Oh no, I haven't started a in-home daycare or becoming a foster mother or anything, but I have become a surrogate Mom to many adorable baby calves around the farm.

This morning while walking outside to bring down the second group of cows to come into the barn to be milked I thought I was seeing things.  You have to cut me some slack, it was early (about 6 am), it was still dark outside and because I get up so early now I was likely still not fully awake so it's possible to see things that may not really be there.  But I wasn't really imagining anything, out in the cowyard, surrounded by a lot of curious cows was a tiny little calf who just greeted the world.  Like that sight wasn't surprise enough to me, but as I continued south through the cowyard I spotted another one!!!!  Twins!!!

The newborns!!!

It's funny how my natural instinct takes over to want to take care of these little creatures and make sure they aren't harmed.  Initially I thought there was no way I could carry them the distance I needed to so that they would be inside the barn where it was warmer and not have a chance of being stepped on by the bigger cows outside but when Jeff didn't have the time at the moment to do this for me I decided "when there's a will, there's a way" and I walked out there with the mindset that I was going to "DO IT!"

With all my might I picked up the smaller of the two first and it seemed pretty easy and despite her being wet yet and a tad full of cow manure from being born out in the cowyard, I hauled her into the barn.  I was quite dirty after this and I'll admit, the second one seemed a lot heavier to me but again I was determined and got him into the barn too.  So damn cute!!!! 

Along with these two little ones I also have 12 larger calves in the two pens in the barn and 6 smaller ones (5 in huts outside and 1 inside by the twins) who are depending on me to be their surrogate Mama and feed them each day and I'm happy to be there for them.  It's my nature.

Oh sure, these little ones aren't going to give me hugs and make me pictures for my fridge or anything but I do guarantee that they will slobber me with a ton of wet kisses whether I want them to or not and I feel obligated to make sure they stay fed and are loved.

They likely don't realize at all what love is I guess, but I do, and that's what makes this part of my job that much easier for me.  They're kind of like my own kids, except thankfully for me, my kids are potty trained :)

Saddened

My heart has been heavy all week.  Not because of anything that happened to any of my loved ones or myself but because of that horrible accident in Campbellsport that claimed the lives of three beautiful and young high school girls.

I didn't know any of them personally, I had seen Caitlin briefly once about two years ago at Rocky Roccocos in Fond Du Lac with her Dad.  Jeff and I know her Dad as he sells us supplies for the farm and ran into them there when out Xmas shopping one time.

Strange thing is, her Dad had just been at our farm on Friday and spoke to Jeff and I for about an hour while we were doing afternoon chores and we were talking about our children and sports and everything.  It seemed so ironic to me that within 48 hours of shaking his hand and having a conversation about where exactly he lived and everything that I would read about this horrible accident.  My heart immediately ached for him and his family as he truly is a genuinely nice person.

After the intial news online and Facebook I had read posts made by people questioning the time of the accident and pointing fingers at these parents and what not asking why they would let their kids out at that time of the night.  It made me sad that people are so quick to "judge" a situation and circumstances and people in general.

I mean, come on!  We were all young once, just like these girls, and made some bad decisions and so on, and I can tell you for a fact, whether or not my parents knew it, there were times in high school when I said I was somewhere I wasn't, there were times I was out way later than I was supposed to be doing something foolish but fun!  Heck, I see a lot of adults making real dumb decisions everytime they leave the bars or bowling alleys on the weekend and choose to drive home but fortunately for most of us the outcome isn't so sad.

All I can think of is the pain these poor families must feel and for the surviving passengers of the vehicle how difficult moving ahead in life could be for all of them.  The poor girl driving is going to live with the guilt of this for a very long time and I can only hope and pray that God gives her strength to get past everything and looks towards her future.

This is truly another story in life that doesn't seem to make much sense but reminds us that there is a Higher Power in charge of it all.  As hard as it can be at times we need to try to understand and keep our faith and in this case don't assume or judge these precious girl's actions or the parents involved.  Any one of us could fall into a similar situation in our future and I can only hope that people decide to show support for my loss rather than question why I didn't have my child strapped to her bed all night and not out having a good time with her friends and exploring life.

I stopped and thought about it.  There have been many times where my 13 year old daughter had spent the night by a friend's house and I just assume and hope that they make good choices and don't do anything stupid.  But at the same time I do know that kids will be kids and they could easily sneak out of the house and test the waters of life.  I've personally done that, so I know.  And if they decide to venture out, well, you pray that God keeps them safe in whatever way he sees fit.

Pray for these families, pray for their friends, pray for that community as it has to be one hell of a blow to their system.  Beautiful, intelligent girls with so much passion for life........so, so sad.

Oh, and yes, use this opportunity to speak to your own children about the dangers of speeding and not wearing seatbelts and last but not least hug them, love them and tell them all the time.  One just never knows when will be the last time.

Cookies

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.  Barbara Jordan.

Lukas holding the sheet of cookies ready for the oven

Oh it's been a crazy few weeks and I'm still trying to get in some sort of a "routine" with my time home between milkings.  One would think I would have all kinds of time to get caught up on things around the house, but I feel like I haven't even made a dent in everything I still want to do.  This may be due to lack of energy from the early morning hours and most definitely having a 3 year old constantly wanting his Mommy's attention all day.

There were issues with my dryer (damn thing!) and it wasn't heating properly so one load of laundry would take 3-4 cycles in the dryer to dry completely and that put me behind in that department and well, I haven't even made a dent in the playroom downstairs that so desperately needs to be reorganized and cleaned.  Hopefully now that my dryer is fixed and I feel like I'm getting a little more energy throughout my day, I can make some progress soon on those two things.

However, there is still the issue of the attention needing 3 year old by the name of Lukas.  He so loves having me home.  Not that he has really told me that or anything, but I'm pretty certain of it seeing as how anytime I attempt to take a nap he comes over immediately and tells me "Up Mama!" and he is always asking me to play trains, trucks, tracties or games with him.  Oh yeah, and when I get home from the farm in the morning he almost instantly tells my mother-in-law that she should now go home.

So I've been trying to get his help with various projects and stuff I want to get done during the day.  He loves to be my "helper" although it does usually slow the process down a tad.  And today he was my helper in the kitchen to make our favorite chocolate chip cookies. 

Here he is after getting the melted butter from the microwave.

Lukas taking a finger test of the sugar in the bowl.

Observing the batter as it is being mixed.

After putting the cookies in the oven, the best part, licking the beaters!!!

Displaying the finished product.  Yummy!!!

I do realize that baking cookies today obviously didn't help in the dent I need to make in the laundry and playroom but what I do know is that for one little 3 year old boy, he thought helping me with this task was "the bomb!".

It truly is the little things in life that mean the most if you ask me.  When it comes right down to it Lukas doesn't care at all that the laundry isn't caught up and he sure doesn't care if the playroom is atrocious (seriously it is - no pictures necessary), but he does care that I pay attention to him and that he got to help his Mama and make delicious cookies for his whole family to share, including the Doggie Doggie. 

Hint:  When watching below video, Nach is Zach and Nam is Sam :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBt-D2buteg

Co-Workers

So it's been a while since I've blogged about the new adventure I've been on, dairy farming, so I thought I would give all of you an update.

I have a ton of thoughts running through my head on a daily basis while helping Jeff at the farm.  Good and bad thoughts, some funny, some stupid and well, I'm sure some people may think I'm half crazy when done reading this but seriously, I think these things.

At the farm we milk about 110 cows two times a day.  And although, due to their size, many people are extremely intimidated by cows and scared of them, overall the majority of them are very calm, cool and collected and I find them to be kind of like really big dogs in a sense.

Some of the girls looking at me in the barn.  They are such nosy animals and the second they see you coming the majority of them will watch you the entire time to see what you are doing.

Each one of them has their own select personalities just like any one of us do.  Some of are very easy going, we have a few in the barn that I refer to as "sassy pants" as they always have to push my buttons some way or another and then like humans, you have the ones that are divas and others that are just, well, bitches really.

And the more you are around them, the more you figure out each of their personalities and start to recognize each and every one.  Oh gosh, I have a ton I need to get to know yet, Jeff of course recognizes each and every one and knows exactly where they belong when they come in the barn, but I still have a lot to learn.

When I'm working in the barn I consider these gentle giants to be my new coworkers because with the exception of Jeff, I see them more than anybody lately and I consider them a big part of my life and have noticed they are kind of like big "kids" really.

So, let's introduce you to some of my new co-workers.

I don't know her official name but I call her "Whitey" for obvious reasons. She is one of the nicer cows in the group and one of the easiest ones to recognize in the barn as she is mainly white. She is very calm and one of my favorites although when letting her out of the barn she will be sneaky and slip into an empty stall on her way out in-between two other cows and eat more food before you notice her.

I don't know her name either, but I do know she is a sassy pants!!!  If you notice, the top part of the barn has tie stalls and all of the cows in this part of the barn have pretty little necklaces around their necks so when they get in the barn you can chain them into their stall.  Well, this sassy cow will not let you approach her at all from her left to tie her in.  If you even try from that direction I guarantee you will go flying, so you have to come from her right and reach below and tie her in and depending on "her mood" sometimes that doesn't work either and I end up leaving her and one of the guys will eventually tie her in.  Also, she is technically on my side of the barn when I milk, but only the guys can milk her due to her 'tude!

This cow's name is Kathy but I call her "Big Red".  As you can see, she is a rather tall and large cow compared to most and she is a D-I-V-A!!!!  Above is a photo of what she has to do every single time she exits the barn for the night.  You must let the cow to her right out first so she has ample room and then she will back her butt around and use the smaller, center bar between the two stalls and massage her belly area with it.  If you don't allow her the time to do this for at least 5-10 seconds she will buck her head at you and not cooperate very well.  She cracks me up really!!!

I wonder a lot when working around the farm if the cows have "friends" and are clicky like humans are?  I mean, do certain cows hang with the same ones when out in the cowyard together?   Are some cows more popular within their cowyard?  Do other cows look at another one and think "Oh man, I wish I looked as pretty as she does?"  I know, I'm crazy right, but seriously, it enters my mind.  And no, I haven't been drinking!!! 

I don't have a picture, but there is one cow called Martina that is super, super tall and I can't help but think of our daughter when I look at her.  She just towers over the other cows in the barn, just like Sam always has within her class.

This new adventure has been fun.  It's been a lot of hard work and my hands hurt like a son of a you know what, must be from being used in ways I hadn't been using them before, but overall it's all good. 

The views from the barn windows and doors both mornings and nights are spectacular.  Whether its the gorgeous pink winter sunrises I have been seeing the last few morning or the full moon shining so brightly in the night sky as I am letting cows out of the barn, it makes me stop and pause at the miracle of it all.

There is such a peacefulness to farming.  The smells, the sounds, the views, the animals and the gentle nature of it all.  Along with the cows there are the farm cats that are constantly roaming the barn.  Beautiful cats simply looking for some warm milk for their bellies, but don't dare approach them.

And then there is my faithful companion Lucy, who follows me around throughout the barn the entire night, like a little shadow.  She prefers to only attend the afternoon milkings though as she apparently isn't a "morning dog".

This has given me a new appreciation for a lot of things.  I always knew my husband was a a hard worker before, but now, watching what he does all day and knowing how much more he does at the farm once he lets me leave in the morning makes me respect him even more.  He is an extremely hard worker and anybody who would think otherwise is nuts!!!

I have certainly been appreciative of the fact that farming puts you in touch with nature and makes you appreciate the beauty around you every single day.  I always had a keen eye for the beauty surrounding us before, but this has certainly left me with an even deeper awe.

I love that this new job leaves out all of the bullshit of the crazy world around us where too many people are caught up in materialistic crap instead of what really matters.  I may get kicked occasionally by a cow, or have poop all over me when I leave for the day, but I'll take that anyday over being stepped on and shit on by another person who is only trying to better themselves.  I don't miss that kind of bullshit at all!!!

January 2nd, 2002

The above date may not mean much to an average person reading this, but the above date, January 2nd, 2002 had a very significant meaning in my life.  On that day, ten years ago as you can see, our family lost one totally amazing man, my father, at about 5:00 am in the morning after a lengthy but courageous battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

I look back on that day and the days previous to that date quite regularly while going through my daily routines.  The first initial thought that enters my brain is that our family pretty much got screwed, to be blunt.  He was 58 years old when he passed.  58 fricking years old for crying out loud, way too young to have to say goodbye to any of us.

Anybody who has experienced a similar loss can likely tell you that in those last moments together things may happen that you never thought were possible, emotions are high, words get said that weren't maybe said before and some walls that maybe were up before seem to be broken down.

I remember doting on my Dad the last few days in the hospital, trying my damndest to make sure he was comfortable and that  he knew I was there for him.  The last time he ever got out of bed to go to the bathroom it took me and two nurses to walk his 95 pound body to the bathroom only about 3 feet from his bed.  He really didn't even need to go that bad, he hadn't been eating and drinking much, but I think this was his crazy and bold determination to fight the inevitable and try to convince himself this really wasn't happening.  I helped in ways I didn't think I had in me, but because it was him, and because I knew it wouldn't be long, a different part of me took over and did what was "right" and what was needed.

I'll never forget how his skin was so dry and his throat became so dry.  So along with other family members, we rubbed lotion on  his legs and arms to help him feel better, had a contanst cup of ice water handy with a little sponge-like lollipop that we would dip in the ice water and then put in his mouth to suck on.  It wasn't much I guess, but it was all we could do at that point.

I look back now, I remained rather strong through it all, broke down on occasion of course, but didn't want him to see my pain anymore than he needed to.  He was such a strong man himself, and had been in and out of the hosipital so many times before, I truthfully think most of us initally thought this time would be no different.  He'd go in, get stronger with some blood transfusions, and come back out again like he always did....I knew in my  gut right away that this time WAS different.

I'll never forget my Grandma (God bless her soul), pleading with his doctor a day or so before he passed, that there must be something more they could do to help him.  Couldn't they call Mayo Clinic and do something experimental or something, she didn't want "her Norbie" (as she always called him) to die.  This was her first born child, "No parent should have to watch their child die before them, I should go first!" she said.  She kept asking for a miracle.  I told her at that time that in a sense we had gotten a miracle already.  My Dad had battled this nasty disease off and on for 16 years!!!  That in itself was a miracle to me, we could've lost him many years sooner than we did really.

Taken in September 2001 for my parent's 40th anniversary.  My Dad, his Mom and my Mom.  This was taken roughly 4 months before he passed away.

Another thing I won't forget is that I was the one that went down to the hospital with my Mom the Monday morning before he passed and I think this was the first time my Mom realized "this was it".  We had visited him in his room as soon as we got there, he didn't look good, he looked sooooo weak.  He needed to be attended to by the staff shortly after and Mom and I decided to head to the cafeteria for a bit.  Before leaving one of the nurses approached her about all of the legal paperwork (Living Will, etc.) and it was at that moment that her expression changed and she knew it wouldn't be long.  She lost it in the cafeteria with me, she had been in denial before then.  Shortly after I called my brother and told him he needed to come down.  Our sister was called shortly after.

There was a lot of chasing the next few days.  Making sure Mom had clean clothes (she wouldn't leave the hospital), checking mail, running our kids places so I could be at the hospital.  I left briefly on Monday and came back later that day and never left his side much after that.  I was too scared to.

His room was small.  Mom had her chosen spot in the recliner right next to his bed.  There was one other chair in his room, we would take turns occupying that, and another person a lot of times would sit on the edge of his bed, then the hospital had arranged for us to have blankets and sleeping arrangements in a nearby lounge (I never stayed in there).  The hospital staff was great and had a cart with beverages and some snacks available to us too.  I didn't feel much like eating anything.  My heart hurt.

A couple of cute things I'll always remember.  That Monday, when Dad could still speak a few words and was more alert, he still managed to pester the nursing staff by pushing his button and asking for them to put lotion on his legs and stuff, he called them "massages".  It was at that moment he was still his spunky self for a little bit.  I had told Dad he needed to stop that and that the nurses had other patients to attend to.  Typical Dad, he didn't listen to me and pushed his button another time. 

At one point during some conversation, he raised his pointer finger and pointed it directly at my older brother Dion and called him a "Squirrel Killer".  Apparently while traveling to a racing event together with the motorhome, Dion splattered a squirrel on the interstate or something and that was his given nickname for that weekend and Dad remembered this.

We still aren't sure what the reason was exactly and will never know for sure, but he looked at me one time and said the word "baby".  We are thinking perhaps he said that because I am the baby in the family or possibly because I had a baby at home (Zach).  Either way, I will cherish these last few words forever.

In October (3 months before he passed away) with newborn baby, Zachary. 

And I'll never forget that at one point he lifted his head up and looked around the room and seemed to be taking a tally.  Counting everybody in the room to make sure we were all there as if it was the final thing he needed to check off his list before he could go. 

There were a few times throughout Tuesday evening/early Wednesday morning where we had false alarms and thought he was going to pass but didn't.  After those incidents my sister Delene and my sister-in-law Patti had decided to go and sleep in the nearby lounge, Dion, Mom and I camped out in Dad's room.  Mom fell asleep in her recliner, Dion was sitting on the chair and I had chose to sleep on the hard hospital room floor alongside his bed.  Not the most comfortable spot obviously, but at that point it wasn't about me really, and I wasn't leaving the room.

The last while Dad had been given morphine for pain and was wearing an oxygen mask.  I hated seeing him like this.  Nobody wants to see their loved one hooked up to machines and non-responsive but I guess it helped to comfort him so it was what it was.

I had dozed off a bit on his floor, Mom was sleeping and I'm not positive if Dion was asleep or not but all I know, and I'll never forget the moment, when Dad took his very last breathe I immediately awoke on the floor.  It was almost as if somebody up above had tapped me slightly on the shoulder and let me know what had just happened.  I glanced at my Mom who was still asleep and then looked at Dion as if asking for confirmation from him that he knew what I knew, both of us not rushing to confirm as we knew what that would mean.  Oh man, tears strolling down my cheeks now just remembering.

I awoke Mom, her immediate response was that he was still breathing she thought....I had to tell her no, he wasn't.  In the meantime Dion went and got Delene and Patti.  They came in the room.  He was gone.  No more suffering, no more pain, no more poking and prodding of needles and feeling like a pile of shit every single day of his life.  It was all done.

The very last picture I have of my Dad.  Taken exactly one month before he passed away at Zachary's baptism.  He was late getting to church that day as he was so sick then already but was bound and determined to be there.

As comforting as it was to know he would no longer have to go through anymore pain it literally broke our hearts into pieces.  Our matriarch.  Our leader.  Our husband, father and grandfather was no longer with us.

In the years since his passing rarely a day goes by where I don't think of him or think of some special times we spent together.  I hear in my head his smart ass comments and I use them myself occasionally. 

"Too bad, so sad, my Dad," he would say on occasion.

When I sneeze I say "Yachabatchee!!!!"  Not sure what that really means, but he said it, so I say it.

When I dace with the kids sometimes, I mimic his dance moves and swing my arms and legs as high as I can and really get into it, like he did.

I claim his personality, I claim his looks, I claim of his whatever I can whether it's true or not, as I want to be more like him.

I have found in life, when working with other men, that I have a tendency to compare them to my Dad and so far none have come close really.  No offense guys but most (now I say most, not all) of the men I have worked with recently don't even come close to being the man he was.

A man who loved his family, took a ton of pride in his work, enjoyed time spent with his large group of friends and loved to live life to the fullest and who never once threw in the towel on this dreaded disease called cancer.  He fought it 100% all the way.

Miss you Daddy!!!  Love you always!!! 

Spent

Spent - used and no longer useful;  very tired.

Yep, that's me.  The one word above is the perfect word to describe how I have felt a good majority of this week and exactly why I have been so late in making any new posts.  It's a good spent, don't get me wrong, but it is a feeling I can't seem to shake at all.

The new schedule at the farm, getting up a little before 4 am and most of the time going all day, whether at the farm or at home without a rest until hitting the hay around 9 pm and then adding all of the fun and activity of the Holiday season has really kicked my butt.

Like I said above though, I wouldn't change it.  It's been a good last couple of weeks.  Nothing beats spending time with family and friends and I cherish every single moment I have with them.

My three gorgeous kids with the mini pillow pets Jeff and I got them.

Although I have been tired, this has by far been the best Christmas break I have had in a long while.  Oh sure, I'm still working an average of 9 hours each day at the farm, but at the same time I am able to be home with my kids throughout the day while they are off of school, something I haven't done in a very long time and it feels damn good!!!

One day the kids and I cleaned up our house, not by their choice of course, but it was completed nonetheless.  My simple rule was, "You want to do anything fun this week at all when you are off of school, you are helping to clean the house".  It worked.  Hurray!!!

One day Sam went to a friend's house overnight so I took the boys and one of Zach's friends to see the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie, and to my delight and surprise, Luke actually made it through the entire movie with only two periodic exits to go to the bathroom.

A different day little Luke came to chores in the afternoon with us, which is always a handful, but still nice at the same time as it just gives me that much more time with the little guy before he is older and flying the coop :(  He just basically rides his tricycle up and down the barn aisle about 100 times and it's all good.

And then this morning Zach came with me in the morning to help Jeff and I do chores.  I love that!!!  Good old family bonding time.  And for a young guy at the mere age of 10, he does a pretty darn good job, although I noticed and he admitted on the drive home, he was moving a bit slow for chores this morning.  I guess I can't blame him, afterall it was very early when we left.

Along with these other activities, the kids and I just basically chillaxed at home, sat back in our jammies a lot, watched movies, talked and just acted goofy.

My underwear head dudes!!!

I feel blessed once again.  Blessed for these new opportunities life has brought to me.  More time "spent" with my kids and more time "spent" with Jeff.

Okay I'll admit, there have been a few naps throughout the last few weeks on the couch with the hubby too.  We haven't been able to do that together for a long time and it feels damn good!!!