Ready, Aim, Fire

Over the years, I've come to realize that my grandmothers are/were worry warts.  They were always worried the babies would get trampled by the older kids, or they'd be late to an appointment, or their personal belongings would fall out of their walkers and into the trunk of my car and the item would be lost forever.  Lots of worrying.

That's who I blame my excessive worrying on.  I worry about everything!  If I have an appointment early in the morning, I set my alarm but never get a full nights sleep because I worry my alarm won't go off.  When Doodlebug cries during church, I worry about who might be annoyed with us.  Thursdays are bathroom cleaning day and I worry that I'll accidentally get bleach on my clothes.  You name it, I worry about it.  It's no way to live.

If you turn the news on up here, you're guaranteed a handful of stories about someone getting shot.  Add that to my list of things to worry about it.  Guns intimidate me, big time.  I'm not against them being in the hands of someone responsible but let's be honest, they are meant to do harm.  I just always hope I'm not on the receiving end.

LaVor has been wanting to take me shooting for a loooooooong time but I've been too chicken.  It's like me going in the ocean past my knees.  No thank you!  The ocean is a huge force I don't want to reckon with.  Same with guns.  Powerful, loud, deadly...ack!  But we all have to do things we don't like sometimes.  Or at least that's what I tell The Lime.

My parents were in town to watch Doodlebug and The Lime was at a friend's house so LaVor and I went to the range last week.  Why it had to be in the ghetto, I don't know.  But most things around here are in the ghetto.  When we got there, and I heard the shooting, I just about jumped out of my skin.  What was I thinking?!  Thankfully, the gentleman who reviewed everything with me was confident, funny, and informative.  And LaVor knew what he was doing so I was in good hands.

Holding a loaded gun might be one of the scariest things I've ever done.  I was extremely slow in shooting.  Partly because I was nervous but also because I didn't want to blow through $12 in a matter of seconds.  The group next to us, shooting rifles, didn't help my situation.  I felt like I was bowling and had to wait for the guy to bowl next to me so I could fully concentrate on what I was doing.  Only this time, I had a deadly weapon in my hands.  Am I the only one that closes their eyes when they pull the trigger?  I had visible proof on my forehead that casings were flying everywhere.  And there's a wide array of shooters in this area, let me tell you.  If you can think of a stereotype, they were there with us.

I told LaVor on the way home, now that I've held and shot a gun, I can't comprehend how these crooks and thugs go around shooting people like it's nothing.  Such disregard for human life baffles me.  And some of those people are kids!  Frightening and sad.

With that said, if I ever have to defend myself against said crooks or thugs, I might have a chance.  As long as I have enough time to breathe and relax, they're standing completely still, and are only 5 yards away from me.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 11

-Hates grass. I put the blanket in the middle of the lawn and he'd try to get off, touch the grass, and then sit back down on the blanket.
-Is a bottomless pit. If we're eating something, he's at our feet begging for a bite.
-Has 5.5 teeth (6th one is just about ready to pop through, 5th appeared on 3/27).
-Isn't walking yet but you can see his wheels turning.
-Gets very upset if he can't play with your cell phone.
-Has started pointing to people and things.  If you ask him where Jesus is, he points to the picture above our fireplace and says, "Ssssssss."
-Knows exactly which cupboard he's not allowed to go in and always makes a beeline for it.
-Loves strawberries.
-Won't keep shoes on so he's barefoot 24/7.
-Loves to clap at The Lime's t-ball games.
-Can wrestle with the best of 'em.
-Loves to give kisses on the lips.
-Still nurses all of the time.
-Figured out that if he goes to the corner of our couch, he can climb onto it.
-Ate a moth a few weeks ago.
-Gets extremely excited when you go into his room after he wakes up.
-Brings lots of happiness and fun into our home!

Out With the Old

Spring is a wonderful season of newness, freshness, and cleanliness. It's been almost three months since The Lime let anyone touch his hair with scissors. Things were out.of.control and action needed to be taken. Especially after he said he wanted his hair to look like Uncle Jesse's.

The Lime's hair was thick and too long for my liking. It was making him sweat like a banshee when he played hard and was constantly in his eyes. I was relieved when LaVor agreed that it was time for a cut (he doesn't mind the long hair). But first, we had to take a "before" picture.

When I heard a little knock at the door about an hour later, I had no clue what would be on the other side. When I opened the door, there was a big kid standing in front of me. I almost started crying, he looked so grown up and different. Not to mention, his hair hadn't been this short since his first haircut exactly 4 years ago.

I can't get enough of my boys. They're just so handsome and lovable! I just wish they'd stop growing up so fast.

On Steroids

I think it happened during the fall; we noticed green onions sprouting in our failed garden.  They started as tiny and chive-like but we cut what we could to enjoy on our baked potatoes and eggs.  Slowly but surely, they grew into massive plants and now we have more than we know what to do with.

LaVor picked four plants last night.  We kept two and gave two to the neighbors.  He sliced the roots off of our plants and stuck the roots in water, so the plant could continue to grow.  In about an hour and a half, the plants had visibly grown!

LaVor cut some last week and those have grown a substantial amount.

See where the re-growth started?

And here's one of the plants we haven't touched yet. I don't know how all the other plants in our garden failed last year but these green onions have gone wild. Steroids is my only answer.

Hopefully this year will be more productive. While we love going to the farmers market, it's so nice to be able to grow and eat your own fruits and vegetables. Plus, they wanted $1.50 for a bunch of green onions. Yowseirs!

We're looking forward to enjoying our strawberries, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, cilantro, and our carrots that are just starting to sprout!

Patience

One of the few shows we enjoy watching together is Fixer Upper. (It's even caused LaVor to throw around the idea of moving to Texas. I wouldn't mind. Go Aggies!) We were wondering what nationality Joanna Gaines was so I turned to Google a few months ago to find out. That turned me onto her Instagram account, which led me to a photo that caught my eye.

I then googled Kara Tippetts and came upon her blog, where I read her story. A 38 year old mother of 4, wife to Jason, battling breast cancer. What especially caught my eye was her passion to live, even though she was dying.

I found her blog shortly after Brittany Maynard ended her life. Kara wrote Brittany a letter, asking her to reconsider her decision and shared her testimony of accepting the Lord's plan with Brittany.

In the short time that I've known about Kara Tippetts, her positive outlook has made a huge impact on me. She completely handed her life over to Heavenly Father, accepting the trial that she was faced with, turning to Him and the Savior for comfort, peace, and truth.

I loved this excerpt from the letter:

"Dear heart, we simply disagree. Suffering is not the absence of goodness, it is not the absence of beauty, but perhaps it can be the place where true beauty can be known.

In your choosing your own death, you are robbing those that love you with the such tenderness, the opportunity of meeting you in your last moments and extending you love in your last breaths.

As I sat on the bed of my young daughter praying for you, I wondered over the impossibility of understanding that one day the story of my young daughter will be made beautiful in her living because she witnessed my dying.

That last kiss, that last warm touch, that last breath, matters — but it was never intended for us to decide when that last breath is breathed."

As I was preparing for my visiting teaching appointment this morning, I couldn't help but think of Kara Tippetts as I read the words of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

“Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something … even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being ‘willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father’. Ultimately, patience means being ‘firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord’ every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so.”

I was sad for Brittany Maynard when she took her life, accepting her death sentence the doctors gave her. It's easy for me to sit here and write this, as I'm not faced with the extreme trial both these women faced. But I was really pulling for Brittany, that she would ultimately choose to live her life until our Father decided to call her home, rather than ending it on her terms.

In the last two weeks, based on Kara's husband's blog posts, it was expected that her passing was near. But she never lost faith, she never second-guessed her beliefs, she embraced the time she had with her children, husband, friends and family. She was an exceptional example of being patient.

As I kissed my boys before bedtime last night, I couldn't help but think of Kara's children, who will never have their mom to kiss them goodnight or good morning. I climbed into bed, next to LaVor, and thought of her husband who is now physically without his sweetheart. Their lives are forever changed but I hope they're able to feel some comfort in knowing their wife and mom fought a good fight and was an example to many. I'm certain she arrived to our Heavenly Father and heard the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Play Ball!

The Lime has been active in t-ball for about a month now and loves every second of it. He's got the hitting down, thanks to lots of practice between him and LaVor, but we've got a lot of work today with catching and throwing.

It just so happened that Opening Day was the morning of my grabdma's funeral, so we rushed to get pictures done and then rushed back home to get ready. That was a crazy day!

The Lime wanted to wear his sunglasses in the team photo and LaVor was all for it. He thought The Lime looked pretty dang cool with them on.

My brothers were in town for the funeral and joined us, as well as my nephew. Doodlebug kept trying to climb up the fence, curling his toes around the metal like a little monkey.

The Lime had to miss his first official game, due to illness, but was rarin' to go for the second (his first) game. He had to be there at 7:30 in the morning. And although we were all exhausted the rest of the day, we agreed we much preferred an early game than in the middle of the day when it's super hot.

The Lime has been the last one to bat. In t-ball, they just go through the team and let everyone hit and then run to each base. Since The Lime is last, he gets to run all the bases without stopping, thus making him feel like he hits a home run every time.

It's fun to see him improving and taking advice and guidance from people other than LaVor and me. And even though he might be caught playing in the dirt rather than paying attention to the game, this is how all the baseball players had to start out.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 10

-Likes to bonk heads on command. Was even caught bonking the fireplace glass this morning.
-Has 3 teeth with the 4th not far behind (popped through on 3/13).
-Likes to wave "hi".
-Hasn't met a cracker he doesn't like.
-His hair is starting to turn strawberry blonde.
-Likes to say "baa baa" which we think is "Big Bro".
-Is totally content behind held all the time, which makes people think he's an angel baby. They ask us if he ever cries. I tell them they're more than welcome to come home with us and see what he's really like.
-Was told he was gorgeous at Costco last night. I tell ya, the old ladies just love him and his brother.
-Still wakes up at least once a night but I think that's because he had a rough couple weeks with teething and pooping all.the.dang.time. and got out of whack.
-Isn't interested in walking by himself but still walks along the furniture.
-Discovered how to open the cabinets in the kitchen.
-Is getting cuter every day and makes it hard to not eat him up.