Pictures from Mother's Day Take 2

Just a few more pictures to share..... My lovely and talented sister-in-law who has blessed our family in so many ways!
The grandchild picture- mom's roses had really put on a show for the day and provided the perfect backdrop!

Caleb at the end of the day. He was barely able to keep his eyes open as Granddaddy helped him eat his Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream (which he absolutely loved). I think Granddaddy loved helping feed it to him just as much as Caleb loved eating it as this was Caleb's first time to have ice cream (I finally found a decent brand that met all of C's restrictions). My dad loves feeding babies and little kids and especially loves feeding them sweets like ice cream, something he had missed out on with C until now.

Grandmama with Ace at the end of the day- tired but still loving being a grandmother!

Pictures from Mother's Day

So, my very talented brother-in-law helped us install our new computer (one he built for us which has more storage than we'll ever know what to do with) and it has been awesome! I, however, have had to learn to use a couple of new programs I wasn't previously familiar with. Anyway, I think I am now getting the hang of things, so here are some belated pictures from Mother's Day. I have to say, my dad was one awesome Granddaddy that day! It's so neat how my parents can be such a team! Dad really spent a lot of time watching the grandkids and playing with them and taking them on wagon rides. Just as my mom is a Super Mom, my dad is a Super Dad and a super Granddaddy! Eli's first wagon ride, on a wagon that must be at least 25 years old.
Mother and Daughter- I just love this picture as the family resemblance is so, so obvious! The Hinkson girls are beautiful! Kuddos to my sister for having the only granddaughter in our family! And for being such a terrific mom and sister!

Caleb wearing his helmet for the daredevil rides down the hill. I don't think the boy stopped the entire day until his head hit the pillow that night. He really didn't even stop to eat- he had a few chips here and there, but he was on GO the whole day. The boy has more drive and energy than anyone I have ever known.
Somebody has always got to sit on the bench.

My Mother's Day Breakfast- I have to say my husband is one of the most thoughtful, loving husband's a girl could have. He set all of this up of course but had Caleb act like he was doing it all. So, so very sweet! Thank you Jeremy for being the love of my life!

Mother's Day

What does Mother's Day mean to you? I mean truly, for those of us who are mothers, it might be described as a somewhat self indulgent holiday. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we are celebrating a day because we are mothers- because we gave birth (or adopted children or for whatever reason became a mother to someone). Mother's Day for me, however, is not about me, totally, although I do love the fact that I have been blessed by having children. Being a mother has made me more rooted in the world, and I'm not talking about "the world," but the total cosmos. It's like I have been given a foothold in what it really is to be a part of something bigger than myself. The birthing process itself was an out of this world experience for me- both times. With Caleb (and the epidural) I felt as if I was totally surrounded by angels and it was almost as if they were singing to me throughout the entire process. With Eli (and no epidural, just the support of my husband and awesome nurses), I felt as if I was part of some orchestral masterpiece not only written by God, but also completely directed by Him. I felt in that moment as if I was totally were I was supposed to be. Granted, the pain was there, but there was purpose and understanding and comfort throughout. A friend of mine, Brandy, who had undergone natural childbirth before me and with whom I had shared my desire to pursue natural childbirth, had encouraged me with the words, "Katie, I'm not going to tell you it doesn't hurt because it does; but as soon as the baby is out, the pain is gone." So I held to that and she was so right! Anyway, I might blog about that later when I post about Eli's 1st birthday, but for now, back to Mother's Day. Well, my mother's day celebration couldn't have started out more perfect. My sweet husband and son fixed me breakfast in bed- a rare, rare treat! And on top of it all, I was able to share it with my son (it was Fruit Loops by the way!). I also received some beautiful cards delivered to me while in bed. We did not make it to church that day, as my mother-in-law had passed the previous day and we were all kind of worn out from that, so we spent the morning together as a family which was nice. My mother then prepared lunch for all of her children and grandchildren who live within driving distance (yes, we missed you Uncle Seth!) and also my brother-in-law Russ. Now, this gets me to my point about mother's day- MY MOM. Here it was, Mother's Day, and of all the females in the family, she has birthed the most babies and yet she is preparing the meal! She had determined in her mind that since my sister-in-law and I both have little ones and my sister was driving from Kentucky and we have such a large crowd that eating out is a hassle (especially on a holiday like Mother's Day), that it just made more sense for her to prepare the meal. So, on a day when she could have focused on herself, she was doing what it is that makes her who she is- the loving and giving mother that she is- by doing for others. And what a lovely day we all had. The food was delicious as usual and the company of course the best you could ask for. So thank you mom, for defining what Mother's Day is to all of us. You are the best of the best!

Bug Man

We spotted a single, lone Cicada last month. Caleb was very interested in it and actually smiled when having his picture made holding it. One of the joys of being from Tennessee!

This and That - Playing Catch Up

Blueberry Biscuits- my new favorite treat to make for Caleb and for the rest of us as they dairy and egg free, but you'd never know it! They are also suprisingly low in fat and moderate in calories, but again, you'd never know it!!
Wrestling with Daddy, a favorite pasttime of ours!

Eli's new crib- after one recall, two trips to Target and a whole day spent disassembling the old crib and then assembling the new crib.

The start of my parents garden- this was late April so more has been planted and much growth has occurred. These are green beans, of which I had the first taste today- two words: SUMMERTIME YUMMINESS. Updates coming soon!

Eli's loves to crawl into tight spaces and inspect the electrical outlets and electrical cords. We have made quite an obstacle course of most of the house to keep him safe from harm.

Remembering

My dear mother-in-law passed away ~2 weeks ago. She had been battling a painful disease for over 4 years and on hospice for just a few months. It is easy for me to remember when she was diagnosed as it was the same day we found out we were pregnant with Caleb. Wonder of wonders! I remember talking to Jeremy on the phone that day and him telling me about her treatment and I thought to myself, "I'll take a pregnancy test just so I won't freak out if I have to be around radiation or chemo treatments." Surprise, surprise it was positive! I couldn't believe it! I remember going to work that day and thinking how excited I was but then also how sad at not knowing the future for Pat. I kept the news to myself all day- just a secret between me and God and of course the new life I was carrying inside me. Later that day as I headed from Memphis to Jackson to visit Pat, I called Jeremy and said, "Guess what?" I think he knew as soon as I uttered the words. Joy in the midst of sadness...Life in the midst of death...Relief in the midst of the unknown. I remember a few weeks later telling Jeremy's family as we all sat beside Pat in the hospital room- talk about timing! Pat was of course happy for us. How thrilled we were to be giving her a grandchild and how we hoped it would bring her joy.

I am so relieved that Pat is no longer in any discomfort or pain- she has experienced the ultimate healing. I am of course also very hopeful as I know I will see Pat again one day and that is most comforting to me. We shared a Christian faith and I know she is standing before our Lord. I am saddened, however, that her time with her grandchildren was cut short. Caleb loved her and Eli was of course growing to love her. She made them both beautiful baby blankets. She was very fond of reading Caleb stories and he loved, loved crawling up in her lap. He would use the lever on the side of her recliner to "boost" himself up so he could climb over the arm of the chair onto her lap. It was very sweet. One of their favorite stories was I Love You This Much. Pat taught him the motions to the story and I am so very glad I was able to capture it in photographs. As many of you know, Caleb is very rambunctious. He has been known to take a swing at several people. In the entire year Pat lived with us, however, he never attempted to hit her, which was something I was somewhat worried about. She was always so very gentle with him, however, and never seemed frustrated with him. In fact, the most I ever heard her get onto him was her telling him to leave her cane alone and this really only because we were all afraid he would use it to bang on someone or something around the house. He loved messing with her stuff! He especially loved going in her room and crawling up on her bed beside of her to "inspect" all her gadgets. He was particularly fond of the grabber she used to help put her socks on or retrieve far away items. I remember to how good she was with Eli. Even being in a frail physical state she would hold Eli and keep him entertained by dancing her fingers around, which he watched in fascination. She was a sweet, gentle and soft-spoken lady. Pat was also very generous in supplying me with plants. After she moved in with us, she drew me a map of her yard and labeled it for me to transplant some of her plants to my yard. She also shared plants with my mother who made the trek with me to Pat's house in Jackson. What a wonderful trip that was! I planted what I think is a beautiful hosta garden and planted many other flowers as well. I think if we are to work in heaven, Pat is lovingly tending to the growing things up there. Or perhaps if we have any need of adornment in the realm of clothing in heaven, she might perhaps be sewing or quilting. It brings a smile to my face to think of it!

An early Mother's Day Gift

If I don't write this now, I am afraid I will forget it, so here it goes. Tonight I was able to put Eli to bed before Caleb- I think this might be the first time that has happened since Eli was born (almost a year ago). As of late, Caleb has not been napping, pushing his bedtime to sometime between 7 and 8. Today, however, wonder of wonders, he napped! So, Eli, not being the great napper today, was ready for bed earlier than his usual, which allowed me to have some alone time with Caleb. So, after allowing Caleb to watch a bit of TV and taking some time myself to check the computer (I am ashamed to say that, as I obviously was not appreciating the alone time with Caleb for the precious and rare gift that it is), Caleb asked for a snack. He requested those "O" shaped cereals (you have to picture him making an O with his fingers too- it's just a 3 year old thing!). Side note: Kroger had a special on Fruit Loops and I bought a box as a special treat. As a mother of a child with food allergies, there are soooo many things I have to restrict in C's diet - imagine, no M&M's, no ice cream, no cheese- well, regular cheese anyway, no Reese's eggs, no PB&J, no McDonald's french fries and the list goes on and on. So, for my child to be able to eat Fruit Loops, well, by golly I am going to allow him too! And again, wonder of wonders, Caleb ate all his supper (100% whole wheat pizza with vegan cheese, carrots and cooked apples- ah, there's the dietitian/mother in me!) tonight with a good attitude, so he was fully entitled to a snack. (Um, in our house, if you don't eat your food at your meal, you are not allowed to have a snack later- well, most of the time anyway!.) So back to the Fruit Loops. After telling Caleb that yes, since he ate a good supper he could have a snack and that the Fruit Loops sounded like such a great idea I thought I would have some too, we proceeded to the kitchen where I poured him a bowl. As I began to pour my own bowl Caleb said, "You can share some of mine." Had I heard right? Ah, the sweetness of it! My 3 year old, who loves Fruit Loops and rarely gets a bedtime snack, wants to share it with me- out of his own bowl! How sweet!! What mother would pass that up? I don't care if the boy had the stomach bug, I was definitely sharing that bowl of Fruit Loops with him!!! What an invitation!!! So we shared the yummy bowl and at my son's suggestion, had a second bowl. We played a little game of 'Guess what color the one that I just placed in your mouth is' (a game my mom played with me and my siblings when we were little, only I think we used M&M's and from what I remember, it was her way of eating our M&M's!). So after finishing our snack, we had to do our bedtime routine, which tonight included a book of Caleb's choosing. Wonder of wonders he dug out a book we haven't read in ages titled Let Me Hold You Longer, by Karen Kingsbury. Moms, if you have a son, this is a precious book! It is even more precious to me now having a second boy as I have realized how quickly time passes by and how quickly a child passes from baby to toddler to child (and I know preteen, teen, young adult and adult will quickly follow!). And not that I want to keep my babies as babies forever, but I do want to be fully present and appreciate each stage of their life, Lord willing! Well, in one part of the book the boy is in the car leaving for college and his parents are waving goodbye from the front door of his house and the dog is licking his face saying goodbye. So per his usual, Caleb begins to ask questions about where the boy is going and why the parents are doing what they are doing. When I tell him the boy is leaving for college, he of course asks "What's qwalidge?" I explain to him that it is somewhere you go to learn. After we discuss it for a minute I can sense a bit of apprehension in him and he asks, "Well, will you go with me?" Ohhhh, be still my heart.... I am not prepared to answer this- what do I say? So, as I have always thought, be honest and truthful. I reply, "Well, I can come and visit you." To which Caleb replies, "I don't want to go to qwalidge." I try to gently tell him that it is okay if he doesn't want to go, but that college is a good thing and that it's a fun thing to do and that he doesn't need to worry about it as you don't go to college until you are older. He then replies, "I don't ever want to go to college, I don't ever want to leave." I again try to reassure him and he says, "College is far away and I don't want to go far away." At this point I try to explain that not all colleges are far away, that he could in fact go to Vanderbilt (something my sister would no doubt fully support) which is right by where Daddy works and so we could see him all the time. I ask him if he knows what happened to me when I went away to college. When he asks, "What?" I reply, "I met your daddy at college and we fell in love." He seems a little bit reassured and asks if they have beds at college. He also asks if the dog is going with the boy to college. I explain that yes there are beds and no dogs are not allowed. We then finish the book and my mind is wondering, in 15 years, will you still be wanting me to go to college with you? I have to laugh, he probably won't even want me to go to orientation with him! He'll probably be unable to contain himself at the opportunity to fly from the roost! Then again, if he's still not wanting to go- what will my role be then? Hmmmmmmmm. For sure no one ever said parenting was easy. How thankful I am for my precious boy. I cannot believe he is 3! Each day brings new challenges, but also new and amazing joys. Thank you Lord for your gift- may I remember to cherish it!!!