12...

Today my baby turned 12.  I can't believe how big he is getting!

Can't take it anymore!

Go Trump Go Trump!

please day end...

One son got a Citizenship award for Respect at school...other son got 3 days in school suspension...

I need a nap and lots and lots of wine!!!!

1st chair

Sky had a concert tonight and did amazing as always.  He is sitting first chair front row so I got a good shot of him.

Sky...

Here you go

He is smiling!  Ok, hair messy but this is so him!

Storm Prep...

Everyone is so freaked out about the storm we decided to take some safety actions ourselves. Generator - check, Bottled water - check, Wood for fire place - check, Trump sign secured - check...looks like we are ready! watching twister on TNT.

New feature to the house...

We have decided to add a water feature to our living room.  I know it is a bit extravagant  but hey we figured why not.

Ok actually as I was standing in the living room I felt a drip on my arm dazed and confused at first but thought oh must be from my wet hair, I had been outside and we are having a heck of a storm.  Then another drip and I looked up.  Water was dripping along a seem in the drywall and at screw head locations in our ceiling.

After some mad dashing around the house trying to discover the cause of the water fall we had it narrowed down and luckily our wonderful friend Scott came out to help us.  I hate the idea of them on the roof at night in a storm but they are insistent that it is best to fix it now then wait and have to deal with more damage tomorrow.

Scott brought a friend with him and this nice guy is looking around our living room of bowls and towels on the floor, smiles and says with such sincerity "Nice place you have here".  I couldn't help but laugh. 

Bright side!  Since they had to climb into the attic I had to empty the linen closet so now I get to reorganize.

My baby...

Look at how great Brady's pictures turned out this year!

He wanted to wear Papa's tie, didn't look too bad.

peep peep peep...

Added some new girls to the hen house!

The other night I come in to find one of them (the yellow one) wet and barely alive.  The others are walking on her!  I get her out and she is so cold I get a heating pad and start rubbing her and getting her dry and warm and now 2 days later she is just fine...keeping my fingers crossed though.

OK...

I think it sounds like Suki says mama.  Now I never have my phone ready when she says it good but I did catch this last night...

 What do you think?

growing family...

We have a new baby boy.  He is just under 3 lbs.

well......

Boys went back to public school.  Been quite a week getting things together for that but so far so good.  Here is the first day of school.  Brady is sporting one of Papa's ties.

ha ha ha...

Pic of me...

OK, been hearing grumbles that I never post pics of me...I hate having my pic taken! But here ya go Shane and I went on a bike ride just the two of us and it was wonderful so we took a pic. My hubby is such a cutie!  Me with no make-up...the things nightmares are made of!

Final Fair Ribbon Count...

Brady 3 blue and 1 red

Sky 9 blue, 2 red and 1 white plus top award for the candy class.

Boys entered various crafts, veggis and baked goodies. Lots of fun but glad it is over. Not bad for our first time entering in the fair.

1st fair results

Sky got blue ribbons for both his Apple muffins and his fudge.  In addition he got top award for the whole candy class for his fudge.

Be careful of what you wish for...

I typed this last night but forgot to publish it tell I got back to my computer...


When I was a kid all I wanted was to grow up, be an adult and do what ever I wanted when ever I wanted...now I am grown and cleaning the livingroom at 4 am...NOT what I meant!

Camping...

We just got back from a camping trip to Forks.  Weather was perfect.  We even took a 2 mile hike in the woods to the pacific ocean at the mouth of the Hoh River.  Like usual we had to camp in cell reception and good thing we did because Shane had to be on the phone helping customers.

Now we have to switch focus to the Fair.  Sky has entered into a Fudge Demonstration category plus plans to enter his fudge and apple muffins into the fair this year.  Brady might be entering some veggis but, he hasn't decided for sure yet.

Remembering...

I was looking for an old pic of my boys and came across this one of the family. After about 20 minutes of crying I thought I would share it. I have been really missing Danny and Daddy so much lately.

Parakeets got to go...

Dad

 Mom and dad parakeets are in love.  I have not even gotten the last batch of babies out of their cage and they were starting on the next batch.  I can't take it anymore.  I do not want to spend the rest of my life finding homes for baby birds every 2 months!  I hope to find someone who wants to breed them so they can stay together but I just don't want to deal with it anymore.  All the babies look like the dad.  Brady wants to keep one baby and that is fine but right now all 7 birds are chirping really loud.  Babies want mom to still feed them and she wants them to take care of themselves, it is all very loud.

Mom solid white and other 3 are her babies

Sky...

Sky asked to go away to camp this summer and I thought...great, he will have some fun outside and make new friends. Neither of my boys have gone to sleep away camp before. Dropped Sky off yesterday and it was hard to leave. It was llike the first day of school when he was 5 all over again! I cried on and off the whole 2 hour drive home. He has never been away from me when he and I didn't even talk multiple times a day.

I am sure he is loving his new freedom from me. Even before he turned 13 he has been trying to establish himself as someone other than my baby boy. This will give Sky time away from his little brother which is what he was most excited about.

I will always see him like this...my baby.

Parade fun..

We all took part in Aberdeen Founders Day parade showing our support for Bill Bryant.

Here are my guys with Jim Walsh who is running for state rep.  Jim and his wife are such nice people and I wish we had met them when we first moved here. 

Baby birds the sequal...

So I broke down and put the nesting box back on the bird cage.  She kept laying her eggs on the bottom of the cage and they would get broke.  So we have 2 babies hatched...

They are so small and so darn ugly at this age.  Here is the only surviving baby from the first group
I call her BB.

She looks like her dad, a light blue color.  Mom is white.

Sad day for mom...

If you look just above the flash spot you will see 2 small marks on my wall.  Here is the proof I have been in denial over...Sky is taller than me by 1/2 an inch.  I didn't like the idea of him becoming a teenager, and now this.  I am going to find my happy place...there will be wine there.

Almost done...

Waterfall and pond are almost done.  Shane is excited to get fish in the pond this week.  A few more plants and a walkway and we can sit back and enjoy.  I can sit in my chair in the living room and hear the water when the window is open.  I love the sound of water.

guess what...

One of my fig trees has 2 little figs starting.  Not to count my figs before they ripen but...dibs.

Blue Ribbon...

Today Sky won his first blue ribbon in 4H.  He did a public demonstration on how to make fudge and he did a great job.  Earned his way to compete at the county fair if he decides to give it a try.  I am so proud of him.  This was his first big public speaking all by himself and he did a great job.

Survival of the fittest... or better armed...

Today my husband and I ran some errands getting the last few things to finish the back deck and getting a few plants for the front of the house.  Such a nice day just the two of us.


Then as we pulled up Turner, our black and white polish rooster, jumped in front of the truck and crows as if to tell us that was far enough.  I get out and he is right by my side, didn't think much about it and I turned to grab my purse and he attacked me!  Put 2 holes in my let right through my pants with his spurs and started pecking the heck out of my leg.  I hit him with my purse and he bounces off the tire to the truck and runs towards the chicken coop.  My leg is hurting really bad and I look down and there is blood around the holes in my pants.  As Turner starts running back toward me, I yell for Shane to help me and he comes over and stands between me and the rooster so I can get inside.  I take my pants off and blood is running down my leg.  Next think I know my hero husband is heading out the door with his trusty revolver in hand.

Unfortunately Shane emptied his revolver into Turner so we figured we wouldn't try to make soup out of him.  The farm is safe again...


I WIN!

New additions...

We adopted 2 parakeets a few months ago and they are now mommy and daddy!

They had 6 eggs and mom is very protective so I only see 4 have hatched.

Very different from the cute chicks we hatch.  Everyone is alive and well so we have a good mommy and daddy!  Not sure what we are going to do with more birds and not sure if they will want to lay more eggs in the future, lets home not!

Tinker

While driving back from Yuma Tinker took a turn for the worse.  He was coughing more and started to cough up some fluids that were pink, leading me to believe there was some blood.  I held him on my lap for a number of hours driving through Nevada and into Idaho.  I sang to him and told him I understood if he needed to go.  Along about Boise he was having a hard time staying on my lap.  Since I was driving a U haul I asked Sky to hold Tinker, laying on the couch in the RV.  Just after entering Oregon, Shane exited to a rest area and by the time I was able to park and get into the RV my little Tinker was gone.  He was almost 12 so I know he had a nice long life but I really didn't need to loose him too right now.


One thing odd is Danny started having liver issues and then Kabuki started having liver issues and Kabuki died 2 months and a few days after Danny.  Now, Tinker was diagnosed with a heart murmur in October, Dad passes from a sudden heart attack and just 2 months and a couple days later Tinker is gone.


I have buried my baby near my home and I am planning to plant a Dwarf Japanese Red Maple next to him this spring.  Here is the  headstone I have ordered for him.

I got word it has shipped and is due to arrive on dad's birthday.  It is granite, I think it is beautiful and it should look nice under the tree. 


I am thankful I have a wonderful husband who has been so amazing at holding me together these last couple months.  I long for the day I manage to not cry, I feel that day may never come though.

When will the pain ease...

 

I really thought that finally having the funeral would make things better.  But nothing is better.  Every ounce of my being aches.  I wish I had one more chance to talk to him.  One more day to tell him how much I love him.  I just don't know if I can make it.