A Lesson in Testosterone

Buddy, the horse, is going to get fixed. He has a little awkwardness in that area and has not yet been gelded. He's a quiet horse, on the verge of lazy, so we just haven't worried about this...until Tuesday. He saw a filly he liked in a neighboring pasture, ran through hot wire and jumped the barbed wire fence to get to her.

As we were making supper that night, with the kids in the living room, Dave told me that Buddy has an appointment with the vet to get snipped on Wednesday, which includes Buddy getting put to sleep.

A few minutes later, we sat down to dinner and Layla asked, "Why does Buddy have to be put to sleep to get his haircut?"

(This took me a few seconds to piece her thought process together)

"Oh! (getting it now), Buddy isn't going to get a haircut (snipped). He's going to the vet to have surgery and they need to put him to sleep so he doesn't feel it."

"What kind of surgery?" Layla asked.

"Welllll...you see, Layla," I continued, "boys produce a hormone called testosterone...a lot of it. It's something in their body that can make them a little crazy at times and can make them do some interesting things."

"Like jumping fences?" Layla interjected.

"Yes, exactly," I said. "So Buddy's going to have surgery to help his body stop making so much testosterone."

A minute passes.

"So, will Daddy and Cooper jump fences?"

"It's quite possible, Layla."

Layla Lately

Hearing Layla read, I mean really read, brings tears to my eyes. I don't know why...I didn't cry when she took her first step or learned to ride her bike without training wheels. But something about the independence reading brings really moves me. Her first book was "I Like Bugs". And it's true, she's always liked bugs. She recently went through a phase where she wanted to be a "bug artist"...a person who illustrates the bugs that you find in science books (I'm sure there's an official name for such an occupation).

Another thing Layla has always loved is swimming. She's never been fearful of the water and we go to the pool frequently in the summer so she's learned a lot on her own and with me. But, I decided it was finally time for swimming lessons so we started a few weeks ago. I was amazed at how, on week 3, she freestyled down the pool. As I watched her long body move through the water, I just couldn't believe how big she was.

She is starting to turn the corner a bit in the adjustment-to-kindergarten-process. I've noticed a big change the last few weeks, which is good because the emotions were exhausting me! She braved it through her first piano recital and thoroughly enjoyed her school and church concerts.

Then and Now

Their first Christmas as brother and sister and their 4th... ***sigh***




We've had a fun and busy week...3 Christmas parties and 3 performances that our kids were in. Just a few more days and the kids will be on Christmas break and Dave will be off work. Then, when all of our obligations are done, I feel like Christmas is really here!

Christmas Tree

When Layla was 2 we started a tradition on going to the tree farm the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and picking out our tree. Decorating this year was a breeze! My mom was here and did the fireplace and the kids are old enough that they decorated the tree and I didn't have one single ornament to super glue back together when they were done. Yeehaw!

"What I'm Thankful For" By a 6 and 3 Year Old

Layla's Thanksgiving Centerpiece. I bought the flowers and she did the rest.

I asked Layla and Cooper what they are thankful for and here are their answers.
Layla - "I'm thankful for my brother, mom and dad. I'm thankful that I have loving and kind friends. I'm thankful for Jesus. I'm thankful for this whole wide world and that He made everyone. I'm thankful for all of the holidays and years. I'm thankful that we have a warm house and lots of furniture and a warm bed. And those people that don't have anything, I want to share this with them. I'm thankful for EVERYTHING, that means everything in the whole wide world, houses, barns, whatever!"

Cooper - "Nufin. I don't want to do this."

Trick or Treat

This is the first year we took the kids trick or treating. We live in the country and don't get trick or treaters and the kids' school doesn't do any Halloween celebrations, so they've never even asked. But last year Layla went trick or treating with her cousins and remembered how fun it was to dress up and get candy! So a few days the big event in Winterset, Layla asked if we could go. I went to Marshalls and got the last costumes they had that would fit my kids and badda-bing-badda-boom, we were off!

Layla turned her princess costume into an ISU Princess costume, with the help of her cyclone face tattoos and Cooper was thrilled to be a monster(Frankenstein).

We went down and back one short street. The kids saw friends, played, and got just enough candy to make them happy...the end.

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Her Wedding Song

I listen to a lot of praise music. It is a way to keep my heart right, to have moments with God anywhere and, well, to drown out certain voices coming from the backseat. When I start singing and praising, the little voices that are fightin' and fussin' around me usually join me and there is harmony among us!

One of our favorite's right now is Hold Me by Jamie Grace. It is such a fun song and we can't help but dance when we hear it. Today Layla announced, "I am going to dance to this song at my wedding!"

"Really? That's a great idea! Which dance?" I asked.

"I think when I dance with my husband."

"Well, I sure hope he likes this song too."

To which she exclaimed, "Well, if he loves me and he loves Jesus, he'll dance to it!"

That's my no-nonsense girl!

Wrapping Up!

We made it through our second season at The Pumpkin Ranch. What a blessed season we had. To God be ALL the glory! When it's over, people always ask me if I'm relieved. I have such mixed feelings! We love hosting friends and family at our house and turning this place into The Pumpkin Ranch 10 days a year is just like a big party. It's so fun watching people enjoy our hard work and there is such a sense of teamwork among Dave, Layla, Cooper and I. It's a frantic pace. If you know Dave and I, you know we love that pace...for a season. And that's why The Ranch is a good fit for us! The frantic pace comes to a hard stop on November 1st and it takes a little bit to adjust to sudden slow down.

But, what was hard for me this season is Layla is in full time school. That means she's gone M-F, 7 hours a day and the Dave and I are out working at The Ranch Saturday and Sunday. I spent the entire month of October emotionally torn! That, I will NOT miss!

A Full Hand

Today, when Cooper held my hand, he held my whole hand. When he started walking, he held one finger. He then went through a stage where he held two fingers and they had to be my ring finger and pinkie...on my right hand. Through the years he's added one of my fingers to his grasp as his hands have grown. And now, he's apparently big enough to hold my whole hand. These are the ways I measure my children's growth...how many of my fingers they take when they hold my hand, the length of their legs against mine when they sit on my lap, when they start calling me mom instead of mommy. There has not been a single day of their lives that I haven't looked and them just for the sake of looking...just to take a mental picture of who they are in that moment and just how beautiful they are.

I loved them as babies, but I love them more for who they are now and that will only grow with each passing day. Even the days when I'm frustrated and overwhelmed!

That's My Girl!

Layla is at such a fun age. An interesting age, but fun. She is discovering her way in this world without us for the first time. She goes to school 7 hours a day, 5days a week, which means she sees her teachers and her friends more during the day than us. She has to make decisions about how to behave and how she will treat others when Dave and I aren't looking. I'm proud of her. She always tries to do the right thing, she looks for children at school who don't have friends and befriends them, she goes to people who are hurt and comforts them. But with this diligence, she also carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Not only is this a time of growth for her, but also for me, as her mom. Letting her figure this world out is hard at times, but I know that when I let her experience the ups and downs and let her navigate them, her confidence grows. I know that she needs to depend on God more than me. He will never fail her. He will never leave her. I will always fall short. Instead of rushing in to make sure she's always comfortable, I have to let her go a little. Instead of fixing things for her, I have to point her to God and let the two of them work some things out. And what joy it brings me when she comes to me and says, "Mom, I was scared, but I just kept telling myself 'I have faith in God. I have faith in God.' Pretty soon, I wasn't scared anymore."

That's my girl. That's my God!

Melt My Heart

There are days that Cooper can wear me down. He's such a good boy. He's a good listener, he desires to obey, he's always happy, he's very sweet, and he's, well, as I've said before, very busy. Tonight, I was thankful when bedtime rolled around. I tucked Cooper into bed and he said, "Mom, if a bad lion try to get you I will save you." He puts his hands on my cheek and said, "You are my best girl."

OK, I've been recharged for another day.

The Milk of Jesus

Layla prays the blood of Jesus over her loved ones. Cooper has picked up on this. When we pray together as a family Cooper closes his eyes and also prays that the blood of Jesus cover us.....and with great passion and energy he also prays that the water of Jesus....the rocks....and the milk cover us as well. It's just so funny, we haven't had the heart to correct him yet because every night he adds something new.

My Busy Boy

Cooper is...........busy. In the last 24 hours I have found myself saying things like...

"We don't microwave our drawings."
"The lamp shade is not a basketball hoop."
"You can't stand on the edge of a shopping cart and jump off."
"No, the toilet is not a diving board into the bathtub (especially when it's on the opposite side of the bathroom!)
"Yes, I'm sure that you cannot jump down the entire flight of stairs."
"Nope, the ceiling fan in your room will not hold you. You're too big."
"I know you're too big for the ceiling fan to hold you, but you are still NOT big enough to drive the bobcat."

***sigh*** We do best when I direct his busyness into work. Yesterday he picked pumpkins with me for a special order. He loved it. He picked, dug with his shovel, raked dirt and got filthy dirty. I love that boy!

The Law of Gravity

I dropped Layla off in her room at school today and left to walk Cooper to his room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a child running behind me...closer...closer. I turned to look, thinking I was going to get hit if I didn't get out of the way. When I turned, I saw the most beautiful girl, sobbing, running right towards me. It was Layla Faye and today was the day she cracked. She's been brave for weeks, no tears, but today the flood gates opened.

I held her for a few minutes, I prayed over her, then I walked her to her classroom, still crying, handed her to her teacher, and walked away. So hard, but I knew I had to do it.

When I picked her up, she was happy, but obviously tired. As we drove home she told me that Mrs. Carlson hugged her and hugged her today, Mrs. Stiefel gave her a treat of licorice to take home in her bag, and all of her class stopped and prayed for her this morning.

"Mom, it's just been hard being brave for my friends. Today, I just had to cry. When everyone prayed for me, I felt warm inside, but I still missed you," Layla told me.

Several quiet minutes passed.

"Mom? There are some questions I have about the law of gravity."

Uhm...OK

"What exactly is the law of gravity?"

Uhm....my brain is scrambling now...F=G something...and something with a gravitational constant..uhm...I think there were some m's in there...(sad I know, but please don't judge me. Not only don't I remember the scientific explanation, I'm completely perplexed as to why my 6 year old is asking me such things!)

"What goes up must come down," I stated, completely unsure of my ability to explain this to her.

More silence...I can tell Layla is processing.

"Kind of like me," she answered. "I've been up, but today I'm down."

And with that, tears came to my eyes for the second time today.

....and so it goes

Tuesday was Layla's first day of Kindergarten and today was Cooper's first day of 3 year old preschool. Holding Layla back last year was a great decision. She made the cut-off to start Kindergarten by 19 days, but she would not have been ready for a full day of school. This year she is ready and really loves it. However, she is thoroughly exhausted! She said yesterday she wanted to sleep during nap time, but she was afraid she'd sleep through music class. Today, she wanted to sleep, but her friend Sam was missing his mom and was scared. Layla told him just to go to sleep and she would stay awake to keep an eye on things. Here's to hoping tomorrow she sleeps!

Cooper is an interesting little soul. Yes, he's very active but his personality is very steady. He can split his head open and you will barely get a cry out of him. He doesn't like to slow down for band aids and he doesn't look back when I throw him into new situations. He just goes. He may not talk to anyone, but he goes. He has an ACTIVE imagination and has plenty of playmates in his head. So, when I dropped him off this morning he was fine. He even remembered a song, the shape of the day and cut wonderful lines on his cutting project. A good first day.

She's 6

The little girl I love the most turns 6 today. She amazes me. She is wise, her faith runs deep, she's intuitive and loyal. And she will always be my little girl...always.

The Party

Although Layla's birthday is tomorrow, we had family over on Saturday for her big 6th birthday party. Our kid's birthday parties still consist of just family. I know that Layla and Cooper will want to someday make the transition into parties with their friends. But for now, I'm going to savor the time that they find such great friendships with their cousins. We decided to have a candy themed party this year and the big hit was the candy buffet table that the kids got to feast on (I'm sure their parents loved the bucket full of candy each one got to take home)! Here's what it looked like before the party...and what Layla looked like the afternoon after the party...sugar crash.

Last Day of Summer

Today was our last day of summer. Yes, I am sad! I like having my kids with me. Even when they fight like crazies, I would rather be with them than without them. Although I feel sad about not having Layla with me everyday, I'm really excited for her to start this chapter of her life. She's ready.
To celebrate our last day of freedom, we went to the zoo. Here's what I love about the Des Moines zoo....you can see it all within 2 hours! We had a great day!

A Horse Tale

Layla has wanted a horse forever...as most little country girls do. Since she was a toddler, she inhales deeply around horses and says, "I love that smell!" Last week, our sweet neighbor had Layla over to ride a horse for the first time. Layla did not hesitate at all, she got up on the horse by herself and off she rode...and galloped. I was shocked at the fact that she didn't have to muster her bravery, there was no fear, which isn't typical of Layla.

The child has been praying for her own horse and Dave and I have continued to say no. A few weeks ago, someone we knew asked us if we were interested in their horse. Still, even though we knew the horse and knew he would be good with kids, the answer was no. Then, they said it would be free to our home. Good grief! Dave and I decided that God was answering that little girl's prayers in a way we couldn't say no.

Dave secretly brought Buddy home Friday night. Saturday morning, I told Layla she needed to go outside and water the mums. And there, tied up by the mums, was Buddy. She was shocked that one of the neighbor's horses was tied up to one of our trees. It didn't register with her at all that horse was hers.

Needless to say, Saturday was a good day for Layla. She got her horse and had a birthday party with her family. She and her cousins got to ride Buddy, play on the new playground, jump in the jump house and run around like crazy people for hours.

When Layla said good night to buddy, she whispered to him, "We will never be apart and I will love you forever."

A Passion for History

Layla loves history and always has. She is so curious about how people used to live and how things were invented. When we go to the library, Layla is drawn to books about these things. Last week, she picked a book about the evolution of trash handling. Yes, as in garbage.

It's no surprise we have read every Laura Ingalls Wilder book (including picture books, first readers and chapter books) and every book written about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Layla's favorite TV show?....Little House on the Prairie. Even Cooper will watch it, he loves that Pa is always working and sweating.

Today we went to Living History Farms. Cooper was fully expecting to see the Ingalls family. He kept asking, "Where the Ingalls?" After he got past that expectation, he loved it. They both did. And for me, it was full of great memories. We went often as kids and I especially loved going with my grandparents because it brought out great stories and memories they shared with us.

When we were walking out he said, "Mom, thanks you take me here." It was a successful day.

The Final Stretch

Layla will start kindergarten next Tuesday and Cooper will start his first year of preschool. Wow. I'm just not sure what to say about that. Yes, it makes me sad that these years have gone so fast! But, at the same time, I have loved seeing them grow, change, and mature. I'm excited to see them both charter new territories and be nudged out of their comfort zones a little. And although painful (far more for me than them), I know they learn to rely on God even more when they're uncomfortable in life. Don't we all?

One of the hardest transitions for me will be moving from part time school to full time school. Seriously! I'm not ready for Layla to be away from us so many hours in a day, I'm not ready to start commuting everyday again and I'm definitely not ready to be so darn scheduled!

It has been a great summer! The kids and I have traveled, traveled, traveled and had some wonderful adventures together. Now, to see how many more we can squeeze in before school starts on the 23rd!

The Prayers of a 5 Year Old

There is nothing sweeter than the prayers of children at bedtime. Really and truly, when I hear Layla and Cooper pray, on their knees, in the darkness of their rooms, I feel a little guilty that I was so ready to put them to bed and be done with the day!

Layla prays with the words of a 5 year old, but the heart of a wise woman. Tonight's prayers included this..

"Jesus, we love the guys who fight for us. We know some make it home and some don't. We're sorry for the ones who don't, but know you are holding their families right now, right in your hands. America is a good country. Not everyone is happy all the time, but that is how life is. It's still a good country. We know you love all nations and made all nations. Help us to love all nations too. And thank you for John Wayne."

And John Wayne was mentioned because we went here today. We drive by his birth home almost every time we're in Winterset and Layla has always wanted to go. I promised her we would go this summer. And since summer is almost over...

Happy Boy

We aren't really a NASCAR family. We've been to a few big races across the country with AgriGold and Dave likes to take naps on Sunday afternoons with a race on TV (he calls it NAPCAR). And that's about the extent of it. But, I'm always up for taking the kids on any new adventure. So, when AgriGold sponsored a few cars at Newton this weekend and hosted a hospitality tent, the kids and were in. We were able to go down by the garages and pits during practice and Cooper was in heaven.

That boy loved every minute of it and even got to ride in the tractor that took us down to the infield. Layla thought the outing was pretty cool too....loud....but cool. I think Cooper's favorite part was at the beginning of the race when he heard, "Gentleman, start your engines!" and all the engines started. He had been waiting for that all day. "Just like my Cars movie," he said. He also asked my if any of the trucks in the infield during the race would talk. I think there was a little confusion between the movie and reality. But, that's the life of a 3 year old.

Must See

If you haven't made the Indianola Balloon Festival part of your summer tradition, you must! Here are some of our favorite pix from this year. And the one with the two kids, one posing like she's in the middle of an 80's robot dance and the other who looks like he's trying to get on the cover of Abercromie's catalog, I don't know who they belong to.

If You Were My Baby

Tonight, Cooper and I lay in his bed, waiting for Layla to finish brushing her teeth and join us for bedtime prayers. She took awhile! As we lay there, Cooper touched my cheek and said, "(If) you my baby, I take care of you Mommy."

"You would?"

"Yes and I (would) love you a long time."

"Will you still love me a long time, even if I'm not your baby, just your mommy?"

"Yes, because I love you the most."

Not even possible, buddy.

Where are We?

Can you guess where we spent our Saturday???




Can you guess now?



Sometime, somehow, in the last year we came across a show on the History channel called American Pickers, featuring these guys. We were excited to find out they're based out of Le Claire, IA. So, we planned an adult day out with friends. Le Claire is a cool, fun, little town. It was a great road trip!

She's Home!

Layla is home from Camp Grand-Oko. She is exhausted, cranky, emotional and sad. All signs she had a great time! Luckily, I get to go to work in the morning and leave her transition back home up to the babysit! Sorry Michaela!!

We were getting ready to go outside tonight and check the pumpkins and here was the conversation between Layla and Cooper coming from the mudroom as they put their shoes on.

"Layla, I love you. You're the best sister."

"I love you too buddy."

"I missed you Layla. I missed you a long time (Cooper's phraseology for "a lot")"

"I missed you too buddy."

"Layla, you at Grandma Faye's? You tell me, I won't feel sad."

"No buddy, I was just at a meeting." ("Meeeting" is Dave and my code word for "we're going to do something really fun, but we're not telling you because you're not going")

Running from the Law

Sunday night Dave and Layla left for a few days. Dave...to work, Layla...to Camp Grand-Oki. This meant that Cooper and I had a few days of togetherness ahead of us and I was really excited! He is no maintenance and so easy going. He has enjoyed actually playing with his toys rather than being bossed about how to organize his play and what the rules are going to be!

One big project that we took on this week was cleaning kidland so that I could rearrange some stuff. Wow, 6 garbage bags full of donations later, the kids have a clean organized space they can mess up and fill again. During my cleaning, I found 14 packed bags. I've always know my kids are packers, some part of their play always includes packing a bag for a trip, a baby, a hunting expedition in Africa or a plane ride to somewhere (yes, they're a product of always being on the go!). But seriously...14 bags stashed all around the basement? It's like they're on the run from the law and have to be ready to flee at any given moment.

Cooper's tool box was packed to the top. Here are a few of the things I found....

a pair of underwear
a wisk from my kitchen
staples
a few of Layla's fake press on nails
a dead flower
rocks
a dried up worm
a stick
Layla's socks
hot pad
books
bandaids
mousse
swim floaties
pumpkin seeds
a CD case
a microphone
a boarding ticket
a piece of gum
a glue stick
3 markers
legos
a hotel key card

A little paint...

...a driveway....and 3 year old with complete freedom equals this