So Why Has It Been So Long?!!?

The past month has flown by on me. Let me see if I can summarize all that's been happening....

March held several trips to Albany for Wayne to see specialists at Albany Medical Center. At the end of the month he underwent kidney cancer surgery. Mom J. and Dan drove a van up from GA and flew back to GA two days after Wayne's surgery. Wayne came home the same day they left. He's steadily recovering and the surgeon believes that the cancer was isolated to the one area and was successfully removed. Wayne goes back for his post-op check next week.

As I try to remember what else has taken place, all I can think of is 'normal' stuff, but I know there was some additional craziness mixed in. Work, dental appointments, vet runs (the dog has a bad back so now he and Wayne can feel each other's pain!), trying to schedule the alpaca shearing (the 28th of this month!), college breaks, 5 additional college students spending the night in order to attend a men's conference the next day, a head cold that has made its way through the family, a crashed computer, a workers' comp hearing--another delay until July 1st for the judge to rule, and on it goes.

So...because our computer has crashed we're limited to the e-mails we can send (our address book was lost in the crash) and we're learning what we can and can't do with the current computer (an older model that doesn't have ports for some of the accessories). That's why there's no pictures with this posting...hopefully, we'll get that fixed soon.

Even in the craziness of the past month we have so-o-o much to be thankful for. I can't imagine how we would have gotten through the past few weeks without the prayers and care of our family and friends. Each day when I can spend time with my husband over a cup of coffee I thank God for the technology and skilled technicians that found the cancer before it spread and for all the people involved with the surgery. When we discover a stick of butter on the window sill of the boy's room and ask why and receive the response, "I was making butterflies", we thank God for allowing us to see things through the eyes of a child. When our 5 year old comes to me and asks me to "fix it" as he points to the pocket of his jeans where I discover a broken egg, I laugh and thank God for a little boy who is eager to help with the farm chores. When I'm tired and dealing with a fibromyalgia flare-up and my husband tells me that I'm to take the day off and sleep as much as I can, I thank God for a caring husband...and for the sleep I catch up on. Yes, the past month has been very intense, but on looking back, I'm reminded of the old hymn "Count Your Blessings" and the load is lightened as "I name them one by one." and I'll encourage our readers to "Count your many blessings and see what God has done!"

Mid-March Happenings

I finally got around to downloading some pictures that we've taken over the past couple of weeks. The days are getting longer and warmer. The trampoline is back in service--Yeah! That item has been worth its weight in gold for using up excess energy in 2 little boys. Don't they look angelic dressed up for church?


Basketball, bike riding, and dog walking and NO snow!
A former co-worker gave me his mother's yarn swift. It's a neat antique one that folds up nicely. When one of my other co-workers saw it she said it had to be something to use with yarn production or it was a torture device! It sure makes winding skeins of yarn into balls a lot easier!
This is one of our 'winter roosters' which was supposed to be a winter meal. The roosters did not fill out as quickly as we had hoped so now they are going to be spring/summer meals...

Maybe they heard that they were going to end up on the table, and decided to get a jump on us!

Fashionable Feet

One of the benefits of going to so many doctor appointments is the time to sit and knit without feeling guilty for not doing stuff around the house. Last week's 2nd appointment in Albany resulted in a finished pair of socks...
I had to share this picture of our Yankee soldier with his fashionable lion slippers...(Yes, the hall walls are a project we hope to have done this year!)

Snoozing and...Spots!

Wayne caught the 2 boys in a quiet moment...We had to get a picture of the 2 dogs keeping each other company on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's great to see that Brittany ( a family member for 10+ years) has welcomed the newest member so well that they hang out together during their naps.

Now, most of you probably know that Jonathan loves anything to do with firemen, fire stations, fire trucks, and yes, even fire dogs. He has been calling our two dogs "fire dogs" for quite awhile, but today he tried to make Captain more 'official'. If you look closely you can see black spots drawn on Captain's newly clipped back! Thankfully, they were made with a water-based marker..."Fireman Jonathan's" marker has been confiscated!

Creativity on Sunday

Matt had a few of his friends over Sunday and they worked on making puppets for a movie that they want to film. 'Thought I'd share some of the pics. We told Chris that this picture would get on the blog so here it is!

Another busy day...

Last week the weather was almost balmy compared to the 9 degrees of this a.m. Twilight was showing signs of feeling the cold so we needed to help her get warm...an old sweatshirt was just the trick. Here Marc and Rachael are putting on her new duds while Little Creek tries to figure out what they are doing to his mother.
Farmer Marc and his goats.

Because it's been so cold the boys haven't been able to get outside and burn off energy. Dad came to the rescue by hooking up a rope for them to swing on in the mudroom.

Rachael has wanted her hair cut so today she got a new hairstyle...
Tomorrow if all goes as planned I'll be tackling Captain for another trim. Arthur needs some grooming as well. I should get quite a supply of angora for spinning since his winter coat is nice and full.

Activity...or in some cases no activity

With February comes the yearly pruning of the fruit trees. We have 2 very old apple trees which we've enjoyed fruit from, but they were not pruned before we bought the house. We've been slowly working on them each year. Matthew decided the other day that it was time to "do the deed" so he climbed up with the chainsaw and took out a few of the branches. The goats and rabbits have enjoyed nibbling on pieces of the branches. Katelyn used the bigger branches to work on a fort she's building on the remains of "Mt. Jackson", which is getting smaller with each sunny day.

Jonathan has been busy being a fireman and reminding us to 'stop, drop, and roll' and 'do not play with matches!' The other day he decided to take a break on the kitchen floor before he went off to remind his siblings of other important fire safety rules.

Ian is slowly recovering from his bout with the cold and we got this picture of him and Captain the other day. This is to prove that Captain does not play favorites and likes to catch a nap with each family member. He loves to race around in the morning and have us "wrestle" with him...of course this always ends with a good ear scratch which puts his stubby little tail into hyper wag. Occasionally he and Brittany have a contest to see who can get the tennis ball first when someone rolls it across the floor. He is gracious and lets her win a few times.