Christmas Letter................

Let me just say, I am not lazy. I am, however, overwhelmed at times. This is one of those times. It was only a few days ago that I discovered that I hadn't written my Christmas letter and furthermore, had not even sent out my Christmas cards. I have them, they will be late.

As I write this, there is a multi-person FBI take down going on with canine units and air support. All of this in my family room. The only casualties seem to be James (Conner pulled his ear) and the resemblance to clean that this room once had. My days are filled and joyful, but also very very loud!

We have had another blessed year. Steve keeps busy with the stations and is very active with the community. I have warned him that he is perilously close to being a politician. I have also reminded him that I am not politician's wife material and refuse to pretend!

Our country station upgraded to 100,000 watts and that project took most of Steve's year. I am happy to say that the station sounds great, is working well and no one got hurt. Not even a tower crew working in high winds.

I have been busy with my sewing. We have finally added fabric sales to our clothing. You can find us at http://www.letherbelittel.etsy.com/ . We have some gorgeous quilting fabric right now. We attended the Curry County Trade days and decided that the ends doesn't justify the means. SO we pledge that in 2009 we will attend the Ag Expo, Heritage Days and the Peanut Valley Festival. This keeps us in Portales and limits the time away from our families.

The children have grown beyond all reason.

Caitlyn will be eight the day after Christmas. She is slowly blossoming into a young lady. As much as I delight in her new growth, I am also saddened. This is my baby! She discovered soccer this year and while she likes to run as a forward, she really prefers to be a defender. Never have I seen her put so much effort into her sports. She is also a top student in her class with an exceptional grasp of vocabulary and math. She says she doesn't like math, but with a 93% average, she must be understanding it. She is one of the taller girls in second grade. Caitlyn remains committed to meteorology and is still very interested in weather and storm watching. Unfortunately for her, this year was a mild storm season. It was fortunate for the rest of us because one year lightning struck one of our towers and we had to replace a cable. I don't even want to discuss how much that cost!

William received a formal diagnosis of High Functioning Autism. It simply means he is our same boy, but now qualifies for help where before he didn't. A behavior specialist is available to him on some school days and help with transitioning him. They have also provided things like chewies and fidgets. In his first day in the computer lab he chewed through the cords of the ear phones! He is adapting well to kindergarten and is very keen on the workbook pages given to him. So compelled is he, that is teacher has given him an older workbook and he barters good behavior for extra work. Gotta love that! He is very tall for his age and loves to play soccer. He is one of the top goal earners on his team and will often score up to ten goals in a game. He recently began to understand defence and during one game we all called for him to "stop the ball, Will'. True to form he threw his body on the ball and stopped it cold. He is still very literal, but his vocabulary and verbal skills are very very good. We have stopped him from from compulsively picking his scabs, but now he has decided to pull teeth. At the slightest wiggle, out it comes. I believe he has lost around seven teeth.

James, or Jimbo as he sometimes prefers to be called, is still my laughing boy. He happily went to kindergarten but ran into issues when he realized that he couldn't charm his way through, he was expected to WORK! Now he is doing much better and rising to the challenge of wanting to be in with the top readers. He follows along perfectly and is doing very very well. He is often the only boy at the table with all of the girls. Somethings never change! When Caitlyn was having some problems with a bully at school, I asked Jimbo to keep an eye on her. That afternoon, Caitlyn complained that all during recess, Jimbo followed her around and kept sitting next to her at lunch, no matter how many times she moved. That's my boy. So golden hearted. He still begs to be tickled. Jimbo enjoyed soccer this year and scored several goals. And with his tender heart, several times he has given up on a goal to let Conner or Ambrelyn take the shot.

Conner. Where do I begin. Everyone is so charmed by him and dotes on him. But I know the real Conner. The one that gets stubborn and refuses to eat his dinner and feeds it to the dogs. He is very sweet and it is hard on him to keep up with the "brothers". Some days he is reduced to tears and other days he comes out swinging. He is a new four years old and is very proud of his years. He very much enjoys his pre-school program and helping his mama at home. We begged and were allowed to put him on the same soccer team as the twins. What a blessing. He is a big kid, so size wasn't a factor. He is also stubborn, so that worked in his favor. He has scored several goals and most of them were for our team. He sometimes gets carried away and goes the wrong way. And sometimes he gets frustrated and sits down and refuses to move. At heart he is very sweet and engaging. He just has to be tough to survive!

We went to visit Steve's family in Las Vegas and had a wonderful time swimming and playing in the Nevada sun. We saw an old west shoot out and a mock hanging. The kids were delighted at all of the new things to explore and once again proved themselves to be awesome travelers. We explored the meteor crater in Arizona and discovered that it can still snow in Gallup, New Mexico in June.

We then spent a week a Ute Lake with the Gramzows. We took Mickey with us and enjoyed the fun of swimming and inter tubing. The kids wore either swimsuits or pajamas. By the time we got back, everyone could swim because they spent a week in life vests. We are very glad that we took Mickey with us because it was his last trip with us.

Sadly we had to put him down at the end of September. His arthritis was out of control and he either has a stroke or developed dementia. He was confused and afraid and in pain. It was very very difficult and Steve and I both cried. We were lucky that our vet came and put him down in the comfort of his own home, on his own blanket. There will never be one like him.

On a happy note, we are dog people and only made it one week without a dog in the house. We adopted two dogs from the vet, who runs a shelter. Holly can only be described as a mix breed. There is almost no hope of figuring out what all is in her. Cricket is a black lab. So the kids are learning to pick up their toys because puppies will eat anything. They have brought happiness back into our home when we were so sad.

The kids have never been around young dogs, so the noise level has only gone up. There is all kinds of play between them and it will only get better.

Our birds all continue to thrive. Will's cochin rooster won reserve champion large breed and he was so very proud to get that trophy. I took champion and reserve champion waterfowl with Howard and Molly, my rouen ducks.

The horses are doing well, too. Shiloh is twenty now and if the weather isn't pleasant, he simply stays in the barn, content. Caitlyn has taken to riding him and I always smile because this was the horse that struck fear in the hearts of trainers and farriers. He is happy to walk quietly along as she talks constantly to him. Since she likes going slowly, they are a good match. Bella continues in her training and remains undeniably sweet. Being younger, she is frequently seen frolicking through the pasture in spite of rain, wind or dusts storms. Moe, the pony of too much fur, keeps up with her. I think he overheats in the barn in the winter. I have seen him stand out in storms, covered in ice. And yet when I go check him, his skin is roasting under his coat. He patiently endures various brushings and time carting the kids around.

We would like to take this moment and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We hope that everyone is blessed in the coming year with health and happiness.

James and William are SIX!!!

It doesn't seem possible. My fragile twin babies, those tiny babes that seemed to wear envelopes instead of diapers, those sturdy toddlers who amazed us, are now hearty and strong boys. There is nothing tiny or fragile about them. This year they took on Kindergarten, and they are doing well. Will took to studies very easily. There were routines and rules, he was in heaven. For rewards, he gets extra pages in a work book. Jim took a bit longer to settle. Once he learned that, no, he cannot charm his way into good grades, he took up the challenge and is doing very well. So we celebrate this year with a dinosaur cake (make the T-rex eating the other one!!) and cap guns. I love you, Brothers.

Hang on, Mom, I think Will set the trash can on fire....

Will loves to clean out the fireplace. He loves to take it from messy and full of ashes to swept nicely clean. We have a fire almost every night and anytime Will has an extra ten minutes, he cleans it out. This morning was no different, except I wouldn't let him do it because we went to church. After church, Will gets the trash can and cleans it out. He took the trashbag and put it in the outside trash. A bit later I notice the outside trashcan is smoking. I go out, lift the lid and sure enough there is a small slow fire with papers and the ashes. Apparently Will (in his autistic mode) didn't notice the heat of the coals or ashes and just scooped them up. I turned the hose on and checked with the local fire department to see if there was anything else I needed to do. I was told to turn the ashes into mud and fill up the can. And to call back if there were problems. He kinda thought it was funny, so maybe this happens fairly often. Of course, Steve was at work, so he missed it! AGAIN! Like just last week when the boys opened a second story window and hung out of it while wearing hard hats.

And just an FYI:

The Portales Fire Department has a response time of five minutes or less to my house.

The Roosevelt General ER only needs to ask me which kid it is anymore.

The Roosevelt County Sheriff's department knows not to leave their trucks anywhere near the boys and we have already had a lengthy chat about what constitutes criminal mischief.

The Second Amendment Rocks..........

This is the enemy......

This is the solution..............

Ok, the AR-15 isn't mine, but I loved firing it!
The .22 rifle is mine
and I love it!
The world is safe from
an alliance of
bad hay bales and rogue pumpkins.

We lasted a week.................

We lasted a week without a dog. We grieved for our dear Mickey. We floundered in sadness, all of us. Then we went to Caprock Vet and looked at Dr. Bartlett's rescue dogs. We saw this one dear one with a cute face. While we were visiting with her, her cage mate unlatched the gate and ran over to see us too. We went home and thought about them. Then we decided that we absolutely couldn't split them up. So we adopted both of them. They are both about six months old. They are sweet and lovely. And playful! The lab mix is named Cricket and the mix is called Holly. They have helped ease the pain in our hearts. We still miss our dear Mick, as we miss all of them, but their love helps fill the void. And they are so grateful to have found their forever family.

School......they grew

Our kiddos have grown so much. These are the pictures from this year, taken by Donita of Times Remembered. She is fantastic with a gift for bringing out the true personality of her subjects!

The Passing of Mickey Rooney....

It is the end of an era. Today our beloved, Mickey, was released from his pain. He joins his dearest friend, Maggie. Mickey was a wonderful dog, even said from the unbiased. He came to us as a small broken puppy. Just six pounds, he was covered in road rash and had a broken leg. A vet with a heart refused to euthanize him right then and there. This sweet pup with the loving eyes deserved a chance. So we came on as "foster" parents who knew that it would be a permanent post. Mick was ours, and we were his. He grew, and then grew again. And then he grew even more. He topped out at about 115 pounds. Long of limb, he enjoyed bounding along with Maggie bulleting by his side. Sometimes that old broken leg would hurt, and he would tripod his way through life. Always happy. He could sing along to "Old MacDonald" and remember to woof in the right places. He could also sing his own songs.

Mickey moved with us to the country side of New Mexico. He discovered the joys of being a country dog. Chasing errant cows, treeing the cat and chasing guineas were all things he enjoyed. Mickey also loved the snow. He was the first one to go out and play and the last one to come in.

Mickey loved his job with his family. Those were his babies. No one who didn't have his approval could get near them. And even then they were closely watched. When the therapists came to work with the twins, he was right there. Any floor time with a child also meant floor time with Mickey. One therapist refered to him as "the Bubble Nazi" because no bubbles were permitted to touch the floor--ever. The children were always safe from rogue bubbles.

We some times called him the "Fun Police" because any horsing around that caused the kids to squeal and scream was quickly dispersed by him.

Mickey went on vacation to Ute Lake this past summer. He loved being with "his" kids and by "his" it also meant the Gramzow kids. He got to go to the beach and play in the lake. He fussed and cried if his kids swam out too far. He perfered that everyone stay in chest deep water-his chest deep. He was able to ramble freely all over a spit of land with no leash or tether. He spent the evenings with Jori and I, with his head over one of the house's A/C floor vents.

But the past couple of weeks held little joy for one so happy. His back hurt, his legs hurt, things had gotten so confusing. He cried at night. He paced. He isolated from his beloved family. We think it was either a stroke or dementia. Finally last night, as Steve sat with him and tried to hold his paw, he lashed out in pain. Mickey the gentle giant could hold it together no more. He was on every arthritis med and painkiller we could give him, but it was time.

Kindly our vet, Dr. Bartlet, and her assitant, Joan, came to the house and Mickey slipped into his deep sleep. We so miss our "Mouse". We buried him next to Maggie and are very sure that even now, they romp and play as they had in their youth. Joined by Sprocket who was there first.

Good Bye, my baby Mickey. You gave us 12 wonderful years. I love you and I can't wait to see you again.

Mickey Rooney

8/1996 - 9/2008

Baldies........

Some of you have heard of a friend from Dora who has osteosarcoma, bone cancer. Lance is 8 and is in the third grade. He is under going treatment at St. Jude's. Well, chemo being what it is, Lance's hair started to fall out......so he shaved it. My boys wanted to support Lance in his fight. Here is the result:

Soccer Saturday

We had a blast last Saturday on an all day soccer high. It was a beautiful day, hence we all got sun touched because it wasn't so hot we felt we didn't needed sunscreen.

Caitlyn's team, the Dragon Ladies, started off with a great first game. I have never seen Caitlyn play so well. She ran, she chased and she fought for that ball. She had her first stint as keeper and nothing got by her. I was afraid that she would fall into her old habit of keeping back from the scuffle. I couldn't have been more wrong. She didn't score, but it wasn't for a lack of effort on her part. I am so proud of her. The game was a delight with wonderful sportsmanship on both sides. They played a wonderful team called the Killer Bees and those girls are good! We won 3-2. Parents on boths sides agreed that it was an exciting game and we were all very happy with our girls.

Next game - a game for the FireBalls. Jim decided he wanted to play. And so did Ambrelyn. What! A 4 year old girl on a U6 boy's team? There were NO U5 girls teams from Portales to put her on. Rather than stick her with U6 girls she didn't know (or worse with the U8 team her sisters are on) we stuck her on the Fireballs. Coach Ben had watched her in practice and had no worries. She was a tiger. She got into the flow and would go toe to toe with any of the boys. At one point the other coach called out to the players to get them to stop, "Hey, Boys" and Ambrelyn called back, "No, I'm a girl." Also another player took a deliberate hit at her. She told him off and then told his coach. We were laughing so hard.

But the highlight wasn't Ambrelyn's game(though I am sure Jori would disagree!) It wasn't Wild Bill's 5 goals and amazing save. It wasn't Conner going after the ball like a rat terrier. It was James. Mr. I Am Not Good At Anything. Coach and I decided not to play Will and Jim at the same time. Jim took the field, got aggressive and scored a goal. We were cheering, Jim was beaming! And from the sidelines comes William. Yelling and hugging his brother, so happy that his brother made a goal. It brought me to tears. Will was telling everyone, "that's my brother". Then Jim went on to score ANOTHER goal! It was incredible. Then when my heart was bursting, Conner was upset because "everyone is scoring goals but me!" Jim takes Conner to the center line to get ready, puts his arm around Conner and says, "Don't worry, this time it's your turn." I darned near bawled! The Fireballs won the field!

Then (because this was a marathon soccer day) we had the girls' second game. Once again, Caitlyn played hard. She was able to do some fancy guarding and passing and assisted Haileah into a goal. They worked very well together. The girls were definitly more tired at this point but they stayed strong. Haileah and another young lady bounced off each other and the parents of the other girl went after our coach! The ref had to pull them off. It was so insane! I think it was sour grapes. Despite that being their second game, the Dragon Ladies were victorious again!

Such heroic efforts earned out soccer warriors the ultimate reward...Dairy Queen!

Soccer season starts

Yes, it is that time again. Caitlyn has joined the ranks of players this year. She and Haileah are on the same team...the Pink Dragons. Tomorrow is our first game.
William and Conner are on a team together, Conner playing up a division. They are the Fireballs.
Wish us luck! I am asst. coaching the boys. God be with me...I'm gonna need it!

Conner turns FOUR

Hard to believe it but my BABY turned Four!! He will be going back to pre-school this month! He is such a big boy now, it is sad to see him grow...even as I celebrate each new milestone! And he is still my shark boy and the cake was his idea......

Treasure Hunt

We had a treasure hunt today! I had the kids dig holes and I put in all sorts of "treasure". We covered them up and went to the library and then had lunch. FINALLY! I let them dig it up. IT was harder than they expected and more fun. I'd estimate we only found half of it!

Happy Fourth of July

Okay, so it isn't on time, but I was too busy celebrating to write it then! We had all sorts of fun and then I got to light some major fireworks. Our neck of the woods allows for us to purchase and set off our own displays. I love an item called an artillery shell. It has a launch tube! It throws a firework into the sky with a big WHOMP and then it burst into a big circle of lights. Much like the commercial displays you see. This year I learned that if you load an artillery shell upside down, the launch tube explodes. And your audience runs screaming in terror as the shell then explodes into color, on the ground. BUT it wasn't me that set the trash barrel on fire, this year. It was the kids with sparklers! Enjoy!

So Loved by God..._

Our dear Katie, our four year old Frog Princess passed away to Heaven this past Sunday, at her home in Clovis. She was surrounded by her family and their love.

We met Katie's family at Trade Days where we were able to be Dress Angels and provide Katie with the dress of her dreams.

We cannot know why Katie had such a short life. Our only thought is that she is so loved by God, He couldn't bear another moment without her. So, little Beloved, we will miss you and love you always.

To your family, may they know peace and have faith that you have a cherished spot in Heaven.

Swim Lessons

Sorry for the delay in posts. We have been busy with Swim lessons.....enjoy! Since Conner wants to be a Shark when he grows up...it is fitting that he is the bravest of the boys when it comes to swimming. Not the strongest swimmer, no, but the bravest! Caitlyn jumped from the high dive, not once but TWICE! I have video but I have so much trouble getting it to load. So I'm not putting it up right away. But she did great. The first four minutes of the video are her standing on the top of the board, getting ready and pulling back, getting ready and pulling back. Finally she jumps! We are so proud! She passed level 2 and the boys all passed level 1!

Vacation!!

Sorry for the dry spell! We just got back from visiting Grandma's in VIA LAS VEGAS!! What a wonderful time we've had! Pictures, pictures and more pictures! Enjoy!

Summer's here and so is Larry the Toad

Every year we have a summer visitor on our back porch. Larry the toad makes an nightly appearence on our back porch. We know it is the same one because toads are territorial and he always tries to hop in the house! Mickey has learned to leave him alone and the kids....well the kids just think he is the best.

I think he's grown this year!

The last Day of Pre-K

It had to happen. The twins had their last day of Pre-school. It was a fun but bittersweet day. The kids enjoyed face painting and watching Jori and I do up Ms. Kellie and Ms. Patty, their wonderful teachers. It soon became chilly and then rainy, so our plan of having a water fight didn't work. But we had some indoor play with a sand box and water and some "whoop it up time." They enjoyed every moment.

They both are going on to Kindergarten and I remember when they were born. Their journey was thick with peril and struggle. James had an oral motor problem that made eating extremely difficult. Whatever ounces I managed to get down him, he'd throw up due to reflux. He would loose weight and I fretted over him. Now he stands tall, healthy, never as stout as his brothers, but a well proportioned boy. No oral motor problems....and no speech problems. James was exited from the Special Ed program. Jimbo has left the building!

William was a mystery. Happy, content until too much noise, stimulation and changes. What was going on with my fair haired son? We finally have a diagnosis of a seizure disorder and high function Autism. But don't sigh or feel badly. Will is bright and eager to learn. He may even out grow the Autistic diagnosis. And as for seizures...let's just say it is a work in progress.

Let me thank as many times as I can the love, support and experiense of their teachers through three years of pre-school. Ms. Patty and Ms. Kellie are unique and incredible women. They will forever have a special place in my heart. And we still get to visit them often!!!

Boys, steady those wings, get ready....now FLY!

Funniest Email Reply...EVER!!

Okay, I got this silly story via email, about this guy who helps an elephant in the wild and years later sees this elephant at a zoo and it seems to know him. So he goes over to it, can it be the same one? The elephant reaches over grabs the guy and kills him....guess it wasn't the same elephant. It was a fiction someone wrote to counter act all of the heart-rending truely touchy-feely kitten infested forwards that go out all the time. I am guilty of spreading them too, so when I read this one and burst out laughing, I pretty much forwarded it to everyone I know. One friend, a rabbi, wrote back and said he hadn't laughed out loud from an email in a long while. But the very very very best reply was a simple note from my Aunt Vicki, who is the bestest and craziest person. This is all she wrote:

That was so touching, I almost peed my pants. Vic

That made me laugh harder than the orginal forward.

God Bless you, Aunt Vicki!

Where we come from..

Had a very funny conversation with Jimmy. We were talking about being first and last out of the bath. I said that he could be considered last, or second, because both were true. He said he was last. Feeling a grumpy mood come on, I teased him and said that actually, he came third. After he gave me his stink eye funny look, I said," Out came Caitlyn, out came William, out came you and out came Conner." He said, "Bella is older than Conner." (We recently had a talk about how old everyone was, animals included. As it turns out, Bella was foaled in April of 04 and Conner spawned in July of 04). So I said, "Well, Bella didn't come out of me."
Jimmy then gave me a pointed look and said, "No, Bella came out of a trailer."

'Nuf said.

Be the Change.....

There is the quote, "Be the Change you want to see in the world." A profound statement, but how do you act on it? How do you make the changes, one step at a time?

Jori and I were at the Curry County Trade Days. We had our booth up and were talking to people. We have a knack for getting people to open up. A grandmother comes in and talks to us a bit and mentions that her granddaughter, Katie (4), is dying. She has terminal cancer, a very rare form of it. There is no hope. We are both brought to tears and said we would pray for Katie and the family. Her grnadmother then went and looked at our clothes. She spotted our Frog Princess dress and started to cry. Katie calls herself "Princess Froggie". They loved the dress, but looked at the price and couldn't do it that day.

Now that dress was complex and I loved it, but no matter how many craft fairs we went to, no matter how many people professed to loving it, it never ever sold or came close. There must have been a reason.

Jori and I share a brain and it made easier to make the split second decision. We pulled the dress from the hanger and bagged it and told them to take it. They all started crying. We started crying. We told them that they should give it to Katie and tell her she is loved. Katie's kidney's no longer function and she is on a constant morphine drip for the pain. She is in and out of conscience, but her grandmother thought this would make her happy. We can't be sure, but there is a chance that this is the last dress she will wear, this side of heaven.

It was an incredible moment. We reached out and touched a stranger and changed their life. We made the world better, but giving on little dress. It felt so good.

Katie, you are a lovely little Princess Froggie. Go forth and be unafraid and out of pain.

God Bless you.

Amazing Story!!!

MOLLY THE AMAZING PONY
Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there."This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too." And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. "It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse", she laughs.Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it."It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life", Moore said, "She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.""She's not back to normal," Barca concluded, "but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself."This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind!

Me a Chaperone??! At a Candy Factory!!!!!

Yes, I was a chaperone for a field trip! To a Candy Factory!! Sarah (sweet little sister, Sarah!) and I went to lend support and have fun. It was way cool. We watched the Leslie-Gibb candy factory make cinnamon cube suckers. We also found out that to make about 1600 suckers, they use about 55 pounds of sugar. They have a giant TANK of corn syrup. We also saw peanut brittle and peanut patties. This is peanut farm country so we have lots of peanut specialties. I was good and DID not touch and, believe it or not, provided a good but goofy role model to the kids.
We also toured the Norman Petty Recording Studio. Think Buddy Holly. It was really neat. Sugar Shack was recorded there! We also went to the local livestock auction and warned all of the kids NOT to raise their hands and thus buy a cow. I believe I told Caitlyn that if she bought a cow, her father would have a cow.
After fetching drinks, herding through bathrooms and dispensing hugs, we rolled home. What a fun day! Special thanks to Sarah, for driving and being the best buddy to hang with! Thanks to Kendra for keeping Sarah and I from getting lost, keeping my newly purchased candy cooled and by being a very fun lady to talk to! May our kids have many more fun times together!
Thanks kids...thanks Ladies!!

Coaching and the Dirt Squad

We had another soccer game. This one was on a Tuesday as the opposinf team couldn't play on Saturday due to a Little League conflict. We got there and the boys were all warming up. Coach's wife came over an announced that coach was tied up at work and could I coach the game! Before you think badly about coach...he's a great guy. He is a plumber for a major company and when dairy has a water problem, it has to be fixed right away. It's either the cows will get sick and die (majorly expensive) or the FDA will shut them down!

Back to the game. I coached it! It was great!! They were all over the place. Half the time I had to grab one and pick them up and swing them around to get them to stay on the lines. A couple times they started impromptu wrestling matches. Conner got to play a quarter and tackled the ball and then grabbed ankles on anyone else who tried to take it. Jimmy scored a goal and then at one point took a ball that rebounded from a goal post, ran it down the length of the field and was inches from scoring another goal. William played until he realized that the stray dog who came over was hanging out with Tristan, his "MonkeyMaster"! By the way, Tristan's mom, my good friend Sarah, took the puppy home. Follow the link to her blog for that story!!

Dirt Squad

We went to a great church social and while we were gone we had another of our wild dirt storms that inhabit the High Plains. At the social, we grabbed kids and toys and bouncy houses and headed indoors. When we got home we had to rescue the playhouse from Jori's front pasture. But apparently Jori accidently left a kitchen window open. I kid you not, there was about two inches of dirt and hmmm...pasture debris, I guess would be a polite term. As soon as Jori fowards me the pics I will post them (Jori, hint hint). So Sunday we spent 5 to 6 hours cleaning. Everything had to be taken from the countertops and washed. The wind pushed gunk into the cupboards so everything had to be taken out and washed. The cabinet faces had to be washed down and polished. We got to everything but the floors. Jori's husband, Cory, took on most of that but the fine cleaning is still going on.

Moral of the story....always close your windows before you leave the house!

Follow the link to Jori's blog for more details.

In Memory of Suzie...

I found out this weekend that a dear friend from high school passed away. Suzie was a kind soul in a school riddled with social climbers. She was a sweet, steady and quite frankly brilliant part of our group of friends. She attended and completed Vet school, but while there developed a fungal infection in her lungs from infected birds. Due to many complications, Suzie never was able to beat this infection. Suzie fought it for years. It was a horrible thing when she had to give up practicing her craft. She hated being away from the clinic, out of touch with animals. I always valued Suzie's insights and often emailed her for "appointments" for my dogs. Slowly this infection gained on her and I remember the day she told me that she was not eligible for a lung transplant. We both refused to discuss defeat and we both looked to specialty hospitals around the country. But Suzie was never strong enough to travel.

Despite her constant fight, we, her friends, never really considered how terminal the disease was. Suzie had a way of calmly explaining that she hadn't been answering her emails because she was in the hospital. She happened to cough up a cup of blood, or maybe two, but she was feeling better now. She was able to rebound over and over again. It was a joy to see her in the summer of 2006, when I went back to see my San Diego sister. She was tired and her face was puffy from yet another round of meds. but she and some of my dear friends gathered to meet. She even wanted all four of the kids there!

Her death is a sad sad loss to many of us. She loved her dear husband, Jim. She loved being a vet. She was a devoted friend who was always available when needed. She had so many talents, she must have been too special to remain on earth and God called her home.

Suzie, we love you. Journey safely and we will see you again soon.

Potting soil and an A$$ kicking...

My Sweet Bella

Okay, I am not one to use profanity on a regular basis, but I sort of had to for this. Read on and you will agree.

Jimmy wasn't feeling well and I decided Tuesday night to keep him home from school on Wednesday. Jimmy was happy with this and while he wasn't fully sick, our spring winds had reved up his asthma and I though a day off would do him well. Sick because of winds, you say? Being a pansy because of a spring breeze? Bite your tongue, dear reader. When I say "wind", I mean "WIND". Sustained at 35-40 with gusts up to 60 and one lovely day in the 90s. There is nothing here on the High Plains to break that wind except for the occasional cow. We have watched our trash cans, kiddie pools and assorted items blow across the pasture. When the wind dies down, we go looking for treasure.

So yes, WINDY. But when we get to school, in the sensory tub is a bunch of potting soil and little tractors. Jimmy decided he felt much better and really wanted to stay at school. I was dissed for potting soil.

Which brings us to the second half of the title.

Last week, my dear filly, Bella, had a wound of her shoulder. It looked as if she rammed a doorway or gate. She is very sweet, but kinda flakey. Of course, being my horse, the wound became infected. I called a wonderful woman, Vicky, whom you might remember from a previous post. She is a lovely Brit who is almost a vet! Well, after placing a call I found out the best solution to drawing out the infection would be a paste of sugar and betadine. So we began pulling Bella into the round pen and treating the wound. Being my horse, one wound isn't enough. Pretty soon we noticed that she could barely walk. A closer exam showed a nail in her hoof. I pulled it out and noticed it looked sheared. Was it always this way? Or had my flakey girl broken a piece of it off in her hoof? I borrowed a metal dector from Jori's son Andrew. No hits, another infection. Okay, I know this one, pack the hoof with ickthamal, wrap in duck tape and hope the infection finds a way out of the hoof.

I went out in the pasture to collect Bella, so that I could change her packing. I brought carrots (thanks to Mom for picking up the really big bag while in San Diego, they're gone...the kids ate them!) out to catch her. Shiloh met me at the gate and I gave him his carrot and started to walk out to Bella. I hear Shiloh coming up behind me and WHAM. He lashed out in jealousy and kicked my butt.Literaly. He kicked my hinney. I had a tizzy at him and said many many unkind words. I vented at length on his ancestry, lack of inteligence in specific and at the ever present wind in general. I went to collect Bella, who, by the way, has learned to stay out of Mr. GrumpyPants's way.

So in one day, I was traded for a tub of potting soil and had my a$$ kicked by my horse.

Soccer Boys!!

I am so proud of my boys! We all know how Will loves soccer. Today was no different. He went to his game despite having wheezing and coughing. He came, he saw, he conquered. After scoring four goals, coach pulled him out and let James play!

Way to go James!! He went in there, fought for the ball and SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL!! He was so proud! He went on to play hard and have two assits! This is a big step for him. It is very hard to be Will's brother on the soccer field, harder to be his twin! But James played hard and did very well! It was only when Will was put back on the field with him that he quit.

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!! After the half, when James had petered out, coach came by to talk to James. Connner was sitting there with a pair of cleats on. Conner loves to practice with the team and is itching to play. Coach looked at him and said, "I'm tempted to put him in and see what he does." I said,"He's got cleats, I'll let him." Now, this was a cold morning and all the kids we wearing jackets and mismatched sweatpants. Conner really didn't need a uniform. Also, the kids in this division are U5, under five at sign up, so most are 4 or 5. Conner is 3, but he had the height and weight on some of the other kids. Don't forget, Rooney Boys aren't really built like boys....they're Man-Cubs.

So Conner goes in for the kick off. Coach lets him have the kick. He makes the first kick and here comes the other team. Conner kicks to the side and goes with the ball. He goes through one of the other players and takes the ball and scores a goal!!! The parents on our team went nuts!! Steve and I went nuts, Will was cheering, Caitlyn was cheering, James was bouncing. Coach is laughing! Conner was grinning to split his face! We had him sit out and let James play again. James had some good scrimiages and played well until Will took the ball from him and scored a goal. We tried to encourage James as much as Will because he was working very well as a team, but he felt put out and we let him have a break.

So Conner got to go back in. The other team had the kick and Conner went right out and challenged it. He helped move the ball until it went out. He was given the throw in and threw it to his team member who took it and made a goal. And that was game!

Now my boys showed great spirit and Will was full of excitement for his brothers. They did all of this despite a player on the other team who took to pushing our boys, even when the ball was NOT in play. I gave Will the code phrase, "Be a wild man." which tells him not to worry about the other kids and lets him release his inner hounds. The other kid grabbed his shirt and Will rounded on him and shouted in his face, "STOP THAT." Now, Will has at least 20 pounds and 6 inches on this kid. He left Will alone but went after everyone else, including Conner, who pushed back and gave him "stink eye". Which is a very ugly look that the kids aren't allowed to use at us. I told all my boys that if he pushed again, they had permission to push back. I guess he took Will's hint, because he left my boys alone for the rest of the game. What irked me the most was that his coach and his parents didn't rein in his behavior.

But, enough about that! I have three wonderful soccer players who played so well today and tried their very best. I can't ask for more than that.

So we're off the Pizza Hut to celebrate!

Bad Bad Me...

Yes, I have erred. I haven't posted much lately. William and I went to Albuquerque for an appointment at UNM's Nuero department. It went well and William was very cooperative. We will have a phone conference later this month to get the results.

Spring Break was fun and over fast. However, we are still having a great deal of fun! Today we cleaned duck ponds, made rivers in the mud and ran thru the sprinklers. I took the time to take pictures of Caitlyn in some of my newest creations. Sometimes she just stops my heart!

Easter Cupcakes

Boy did I have help! We made cupcakes for Easter. Caitlyn did most of the work, making great pink cupcakes. Everyone had a hand in decorating and well....you can see how that went!