Missed

I see something not every day but on a pretty regular basis that makes me kind of sad. a freshly dug grave, a lawn chair, and an old man... usually with his feet propped up on the grave. I often wonder who it is he visits; a dearly loved wife who was lost tragically to something like cancer or old age; or an old hunting buddy that he's been friend with his whole life? regardless of who it is it's someone who he cares about dearly and is missed very much.
I wrote that a few weeks ago, I haven't seen the man in awhile until today. Its a little rainy this morning yet he sits beside the grave reading a book. What is he reading? A favorite book that belonged to the other person? Is he reading to himself or out loud? I've noticed he always has a book, was reading together one way they used to spend their time?
I haven't completely wrapped my mind around this. Does he miss this person that much, is there that huge of a void in his life and his heart? I do believe yes...
I can't imagine, I don't want to face that day...losing my best friend and love of my life...I don't know if i could cope...my heart goes out to this man. Sometimes i want to stop and talk to him, hear his story...but then I don't want to interrupt his time with his loved one.

Who cares

I'm trying to learn not to burden you with my problems, you've made it clear you don't want to hear them. Enough people burden you with their problems throughout the day, you just want to come home to a happy home. Why let little things bother me, you don't. Why should I care if you don't?
They may not be big problems to you, but they are something to me. I don't need you to fix it, I just need you to listen to me. I need to know that I matter enough to you that you'll give me a few minutes...but you don't and even though you keep telling me that isn't what your saying I hear, «I don't love you or care enough about you and your thoughts or feelings to listen or be concerned. My problems are more important, is that all you have to worry about?»
There will come a point when I'll stop telling you my thoughts, my feelings, my hopes, my dreams, my cares, my problems, my opinions; and when you ask why? I'm going to tell you because I never thought I mattered enough to share. When I did you didn't listen to what I had to say or you didn't care anyway...
I'm not mad or angry, just sad...sad that the one person God gave me to be my partner doesn't care enough about me to listen to me...if i were someone else you'd listen...
So I'm trying to figure out how to bottle it back up, that's what I did for so long, kept it all inside. I didn't share with anyone, keep it to yourself and you won't be hurt. Keep it to myself so I don't burden you, and then maybe we can all be happy. You keep telling me that I'm in a bad mood half the time you are around me...so I need to fix that, because my bad mood drives you to texting someone else because there is no conflict for you there...dive you away, not because I'm trying, but it doesn't seem to stop you...
Not sure I know how to fix me, I've never been the type to plaster fake similes on my face and pretend everything is ok, soak my toes in syrup and maybe I'll figure out how to do that...fixing meer seems to be the only answer because you don't seem to care enough to budge...fix me, please God fix me

Getting over it

I am very thankful for my four best friends, they are the constants in my life...three live way too far away and one is thankfully within screaming distance...they keep me grounded...even with a quick 10 minute phone call I feel better...they accept me for who I am, never make me apologize for it and well honestly if something comes out of my mouth they don't like they tell me about it right then lol...I don't believe in sugar coating things, I don't lie, and I don't apologize for who I am or what I say...I will apologize if you take it the wrong way, if I wanted to be ugly you'll surly know it...i don't have time for petty things in my life, not when I have a four year old who doesn't want to get dressed because his movie isn't over, moving to worry about, a husband to make breakfast for, animals to feed, gas and groceries to buy, a costume to worry about remembering...I don't have time for petty things in my life. I do realize what maybe small to me is large to someone else, but maybe they should analyze it before they get bent out of shape about it...something I'm trying to do myself...I have a house to clean and things to do, I do not care to be eaten up with things half the night and morning, because someone didn't like something I said, because I'm sure there are many things people say that I don't like, I just don't have time to tell them about it...

A few things learned

A few things I've learned...you praise God for the rain no matter if it's a few drops or a flood; and then you dance and play in it! You don't complain about the heat when you've experienced hotter; 90 degree days are better than 100 degrees any day...
Find the beauty in life

Missing you...

July 7, 2004...eight years since you made a decision that affected so many lives, I can still remember that dreadful phone call I got at work that night...I think about you often, but I've been thinking about you a lot more lately; situations in the lives of some loved ones have something to do with it...part of me hates you for taking your life. That shouldn't have been your decision to make. You left behind so many people that loved you. I wish you could have been stronger to fight your demons...
the rest of my heart hopes and prays you found the peace you were desperately searching for.
I can still see the firetruck carrying your casket to the cemetery your sister is buried in...I can still hear the tones ringing across radios in your honor...any time I hear tones my mind goes straight to you...
Your sense of humor was infectious, your laughter contagious and your friendship ever lasting. You could bring me out of a funk, with a wink and a grin...sing that goofy Gorillaz song or break out with something from Saliva... How I miss you.
..I pray your watching over your beautiful children protecting them, their guardian angel...
I hope you know that you are still loved and missed by many...

Friends versus disappointment

Find out who your friends are, find out who you can count on...find yourself in a time of need; a blown out tire, moving day...they're the ones who show up no questions asked, no bribing, no twisting of arms...even if they don't want to, they show up anyway...
Want to know who your friends are, want to know who cares...they're the ones who ask before you speak, who take your kid so you can go to work or have a day to yourself...they give you a hard time with a smile, they help you through the hard times with a smile...they keep your secrets, they know you as good as or better than your spouse...
Find out who your friend are, found out who my friends are...

Little boy

God blessed me with a little boy,
He knew I wasn't frilly and pink or into tutus
He blessed me with a little boy who is ruff and tuff and into cowboy boots
So while I should be raking old dead leaves and cleaning up the yard, we've found a bed of worms
so we are hunting them instead
God blessed me with a little boy,
no pink just blue with a little dirt mixed in too

"a bad day again"

If I knew how to answer you, I would; if I knew what you wanted me to say, I’d say it; if I knew how you wanted me to act, I’d be that way…but I don’t. I only know how to be me, and half the time I’m not really sure how to do that. I don’t know how you want me to act, I don’t know what you want me to do, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be to make you happy. We’ve been down this road before, seems like we come down it more and more often; it’s the same bumps and roadblocks, and it always comes back to I have a bad attitude, I’m negative, I don’t know how to not get upset when something doesn’t go right, full circle always brings it back to me. “Why can’t you talk about it, why can’t you explain, I’m trying to understand, but you don’t make it easy…” Because I don’t know what you want…how am I supposed to handle disappointment? With a smile? How am I supposed to react when something upsets me? With a smile? I’m not covered in syrup; I don’t know how to be sticky sweet. I don’t know how to smile even though I want to scream. I shut up and then I shut down, I get angry and I show it. It’s always the same, “I’m about fed up with your attitude…” what exactly are you going to do? And, what do you want me to do… Yes, I got disappointed over something this morning. Yes, I clamed up so I wouldn’t make a fuss…apparently that wasn’t good enough. Yes, something didn’t go your way this morning and I told you to figure it out and I hung up on you…yes, I didn’t answer you when you called me back. I figured you had an attitude, because I hung up on you and because you were irritated with what had just happened…I told you to figure it out, I had something to do. That did not give you an excuse to blow up on me the way you did…that did not give you the right, to cuss me the way you did, to say the ugly words you spewed at me…that did not give you the right. And then you tell me you apologized earlier for it, no you never actually apologized. And the longer you stood there and talked to me the more your apology started having conditions…if you lost signal, if something had happened and you couldn’t answer your phone, or if there was no signal and you never got my phone calls…I stopped you right there because I knew what was about to come out of your mouth…You know I hung up on you on purpose, and you know I didn’t answer your phone calls… but you kept talking…if those things happen, then I apologize for what I said to you. But…that’s always the word that fucks it all up…but, if none of that happened, then I don’t apologize for what I said…that’s all I needed to hear, and I walked inside. I’m done talking to you, I’m done…I don’t know how to answer you, I don’t know how to be the person you want me to be, I don’t know how to slap a smile on my face and pretend that I’m not hurt, or disappointed, or pissed off, I don’t know how to be someone else or something I’m not. You don’t want me around you when I’m in a bad mood, or having a bad day, or negative…maybe I should go all together. You want to understand, but there is SO much about me you can’t even begin to wrap your mind around…you don’t understand depression, nothing seems to ever upset you except of course me, you don’t understand… I’m to the point I don’t know who I am, I don’t know who I need to be, or want to be…

A morning person

I'm by far not a morning person. People that get up with the chickens and are all bubbly get on my nerves...mornings should not come before 10am...no I'm not a morning person to say the least. Anyone that knows me, knows I can't hardly function before 9:30-10 o'clock...but I sit here in my hammock swing, 6:36 am says my phone, drinking my first cup of coffee...watching the sun rise from the east, slowly creeping from behind the trees that are across the highway from me. This is the only time of day I know north, south, east, and west lol...the small pack of hound dogs I've collected chase each other through the dew covered grass as I  sit here watching the world drive by...its peaceful listening to the birds talk to each other so early in the morning ....the sun has finally crested the trees and I catch a quick glimpse of it before it quietly slips behind a cloud...the rest of my house is still asleep, unaware of anything but sweet sleepy dreams. The little bit I slept last night, I tossed, between coughing fits and my right leg going numb...so I sit here, not as a morning person but as someone with too much on her mind, a few things that don't truly have an business being in there, wishing my sinuses would ease up, thankful my leg and foot aren't numb...contemplating a second cup of coffee and settling for watering my garden first...maybe, just maybe I can hose away the things that trouble me...I  could do this morning person thing if it wasn't so early lol.

Reality

…I’m not ready for you. I need one more hour…one more hour listening to the bands play under the stars; one more hour sitting with my best friend talking and laughing; one more hour while the kids play baseball, ride bikes and make new friends; one more hour while the husbands do their thing; one more hour grilling and eating outside; one more hour listening to the preacher…I need one more hour watching lives be saved; one more hour watching the preacher wash away sins…I’m not ready for reality, I’m not ready for everything you have in store for me…I’m not ready for the laundry and the dirty dishes; I’m not ready for the stack of bills waiting to be tackled; I’m not ready…I’m not ready for reality

Up the tree

My husband and his childhood best friend embarked on a mission Easter Sunday to cut limbs down from the oak trees that hung over our friends’ parent’s house. Furious with my camera and zoom lens, because the lens is still broken, I was able to take some really good “still” photos, but unfortunately was unable to capture any limbs as they crashed to the ground. One of my favorites is of them both in the tree; our friend at the bottom and my husband towards the top of the tree with the chainsaw. Not sure how he was elected to use the chainsaw, but still fun to photograph.

I’ve been waiting on perfect timing to photograph this barn. It is one of my favorites in the area. There have been several morning that I drive by on the way to work and fuss cause I didn’t bring my camera. So I made a point to put my camera with my purse so I would remember it and for two days the weather was grey and dreary looking and so not my perfect setting… finally on the third day I was blessed with beautiful spring weather and no traffic, since the barn sits on a highly traveled highway. With its pecan tree in full glory this is what I saw. Of course I am never 100% satisfied with my photographs I believe I have my next venture with this barn roughly thought out…

Barn of yester-year

This is the barn that started my “barn daze”. I took this one back the end of July, it’s on the same road as the last barn, just a few miles apart. I’ve noticed that the cute little barns seem to be hidden away, if you are driving by most likely you’ll miss them. This one is tucked up amongst the trees. I was lucky enough to capture it in the sunlight the day I took these pictures; most of the time when I drive by it is covered in shade. The barn itself is a little on the plane side so I played with the coloring a little which gave it a more nostalgic look. I reduced the images so that they would upload faster to my blog, when I did I noticed the clouds in the next to last picture. The other pictures are clsoe ups to the barn, but the last picture I stepped back to include the fence so my focus whenever I've looked at this particular picture has been the fecne, but tonight I noticed the clouds in the background. Pretty neat.

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Peaking in

I pass this little barn just about every morning when I go to take care of the horses. From one direction it sneaks up on you, I’ve driven past it many times before I realized it was even there. There are a few breaks in the fence that is not grown over with vines. This particular opening makes you feel like you are peaking in on someone’s private moment. This is one of my favorite barns so far.

This second picture is of the same little barn, but I chose to focus on the fence that separated me from the little barn. I don’t believe I am done with this setting just yet. There are a couple other breaks in the fence that one can peak through and get another glimpse of the barn. One morning when I’m not in a hurry I’ll stop again.

Barn Daze

I’ve always said I’m from the south. But I’ve come to realize that there are two types of “south”. Both “south’s” enjoy mudding, four-wheeling, hanging out around a bon-fire during the fall/winter months, football, deer hunting… but, where I come from we are “Southern Bells” as my cousin calls me. And, I have to agree. We have plantations, not ranches; swamps, not bayous; it’s a mixture of country and city, not country and backwoods. Southern hospitality was born and raised on the coast of Charleston. There is a beauty all of its own here; historical plantations, the coast, downtown markets, the bridges, the parks… It’s every photographer’s ideal setting.
Now the second type of “south” is much different than the first. And Texas has the landscape to match those differences. It doesn’t have the same hospitality that Charleston is known for, but the friendliness in the air seems much more real and open. Very similar to its landscape, Texas is very open with rolling hills and filled with pastures of cows, horses and barns.
In case you were wondering where I was going with this, the last of those has caught my fancy. I love the livestock, don’t get me wrong I would photograph horses and cows all day… but there is something about the rustic looking barns that fill the country side. They are old. Some are falling down or may have holes in the roof, the wood is faded and rotten but they are still bold and beautiful. I try to stop as often as I can to capture these bold Texas landmarks.
As always I am inspired by an old high school friend, whose work I really love; and another old high school friend who seems to have started something and I am truly interested in seeing where it takes her; I want to share my “barn daze” with everyone. I'm sure it will be a treat for everyone including myself. I've been photographing some barns already, but I'm not completely satisfied with the outcomes. So I will be re-taking some of the shots very soon and then I will be sharing them.

Instructions

Instructions for digging a hole…A hole must be exactly three feet deep. The pole must be placed exactly in the middle of the hole. Only concrete may go back into the hole, no dirt is to fall back in. The three foot hole minus the diameter of the pole that is now directly in the center of the hole must be filled level with the ground with concrete. Dirt from the hole must be raked into a pile to be shoveled into a wheel barrel or a dump bucket on a tractor and then taken from the field and dumped on a dirt pile from other existing concrete holes.

I believe that if Ida, Louisiana is hotter than any surrounding area it would be because global warming is occurring on this 20 acre property that is full of concrete. I don’t know how many holes of been dug on this property, I’m not sure how many times they were dug and then pulled up and moved somewhere else…but these steps are to be followed E-V-E-R-Y single time!

Who does this you ask? Who uses two to three bags of concrete to make sure that an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, atomic bomb will not all occur at the same time over this 20 acres? Who goes to such extremes that if these disasters were to occur at the exact same time in the exact same place that the only thing still standing would be these poles??? Yes, someone does this. These are not the only things that this person does to maddening extremes. He has two lawn mowers, a push mower and two tractors. One lawn mower is slightly larger than the other. The push mower is to be used in the back yard and for trimming around the fence and under swings hanging from the oak tree in his yard. The smaller of the two riding lawn mowers is ONLY to be used in the front yard and nowhere else. The large of the riding lawnmower is to be used outside the fenced in yard and may only be used on a low to medium setting. Just because this is a commercial lawn mower does not mean you can go even close to top speed, you will burn up the engine. The smaller of the two tractors, that is not enclosed or air conditioned, may be used to bush hog the big fields only when the grass is too tall and will bog down the larger lawn mower. The air conditioned tractor may not be used for…just about anything. It is only to sit there in the barn and look pretty.

If your child leaves the room you must follow him at all times, he might hurt something. Children are not to have rulers, crayons, pens or pencils they might right on something or scratch wooden furniture. They may not touch anything outside of the kitchen while in the house other than carpet, they may break something. They are children, accidents happen, they don’t mean to but it happens. Children are not to play in the house or get loud. It is ok for them to break their necks in the house, just don’t scratch the furniture doing it.

Just because you know what you are doing, and you have done it a million times, you have done it professionally or you have done it in the show ring…does not mean you know what you are doing. If you are not a qualified expert with references, you don’t know anything and therefore are not a reliable source. You may not do what you have always done because you don’t know what you are doing.

Day care

I told myself that when he turned one he would start going to day care. I originally called the Methodist Day School, but they had a waiting list and the women I spoke to didn’t tell me that they did half days, she just told me that they had to go all week. And at the time I only wanted him to go a few days out of the week, not all week. BUT I would have settled with a few hours every day if I couldn’t have a few days. So I did not put him on the waiting list, which I regret. I decided a few weeks ago when I was job hunting that he was going to have to be put on a waiting list somewhere and job or not he needed to go. He needs to be able to play with other kids and start adjusting to a day care/school environment. And I need to breathe. I know that might sound awful, but there is no separation between he and I. 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have had one baby-sitter spend the day with him so I could have a me day a few weeks ago. Up until a few months ago I haven’t known anyone around here that I could leave him with. Every once in a while I leave him with his dad for a few hours. His Nanny isn’t “allowed” to watch him, but she did twice over the summer because she didn’t have her husband to tell her no and she freaked over the thought of him going to a baby-sitter. So other than that the last time I left him with someone was probably a year ago or before that, and that was his Grammy. It isn’t healthy to not have space, even if the space is from your own kids. It leads to resentments and frustrations, short tempers and melt downs. Yes, I made the decision that he would start day care.

Andrew started day care Wednesday, Kidz-a-palooza. He was supposed to start Monday but because of all the snow and ice we had they were closed for two days. Wednesday they opened at 10am because of the school delay from the winter weather. I brought him to his teacher, took his coat off and hung it up. I gave his teacher his bag of diapers, wipes, his blanket for nap time, and his cup. I talked with her for a few minutes, gave him hugs and kisses, and reassured him that I would be back soon. I told him that he was going to play with other kids and have fun. I left. Now, the day care used to be several stores in our downtown area so there are big windows in a few classrooms. One such window would be in Andrew’s classroom. I had parked two blocks away and had walked Andrew to day care that morning, because I was meeting his dad at the hardware store, so I had to walk past his classroom window to go back to the hardwood store. I was doing good until I heard him yell “Mommy”, then I fought tears back until I got to the hardware store. By then I had regained my composure, so I thought. I found Shane down an aisle. As soon as he looked at me I started tearing up and then crying. Two blocks and I missed my baby boy! We left the store and I drove past the day care to see if I could see inside, but the windows are tinted dark so you can’t just see into the building. I met my husband at Tractor Supply, we walked around and goofed off then we went to Wal-Mart. I broke down in there and then again later when I was on the phone with my mom.

When I went to pick Andrew up from the first day I parked in front of his class. He saw me walk past the window and yelled “Mommy” in his super-excited voice! Everyone in the building knew his mommy was there, because he yelled “Mommy, Mommy…get me Mommy” until I went to his classroom.

Day two…day two it was ok to be at school as long as Mommy was sitting on the floor playing, but he didn’t want me to leave. That day when I picked him up, he didn’t see me. He was laying under one of the tables in his class playing a little piano. He was pretty into it too. I called his name, but he didn’t hear me. His teacher got his attention and asked him what he was doing, and then I asked him what he was doing. He jumped up from the floor and ran to me sobbing my name!

Day three… today was awful! I pulled up to the building and turned off the car. Immediately he began crying and saying “no Mommy, no”. I carried him into the building. The last two days he had walked in, but not today. He clung like saran wrap. I didn’t have to hold him, he had his legs and arms wrapped around me I almost couldn’t pry him off. One of the teachers took him from me and turned him so he couldn’t see me leave. I was so shaken by him not wanting me to go that I carried his jacket off with me instead of leaving it in his classroom. All day I fought the urge to go get him. Was I traumatizing my son? Was I doing more harm than good? If I went to get him now then it would be worse the next time. One of the points of going to day care was so that he could get used to going, so that I could get things accomplished and possibly find a part time job during the day. If he doesn’t go now it will be worse later on when I try to leave him. Today when I picked him up I could hear him upset from the hallway. I stuck my head through the door and said “Why are you upset?” He got real quiet for a second so I repeated myself “what are you upset about?” He came running to me sobbing again. His teacher said he saw someone else leave a few minutes before I came up and he got upset because he wanted to go too. (Not with them, just me come get him).

Monday is a holiday so he will get to stay home with me, but Tuesday he goes back to day care. I’m hoping by the end of the week he will have become more adjusted. This day care isn’t the one I want him going to permanently. I still want him to go to the Methodist Day School; it is more of a preschool, then just a day care. So if he doesn’t adjust in a few weeks I won’t be upset about taking him out of there, unless I have found a job, which is going to be paying for day care! But for now I have to fight the urge to go get him. Everyone keeps saying he’ll adjust, it won’t be so hard in a few days, soon he’ll be running off without even saying bye…we’ll see.

Last night one of my dearest friends had a “cookie swap” at her house with some of the ladies from church. We were talking about how traditions don’t get passed down anymore, quilting is going out, sewing or making your own clothes is not as popular anymore, farming and gardening happen less and less, etc. There are several of us younger generations that would love to learn how to make quilts and I do hope that the older ladies at church will teach us…but this blog isn’t about that…

We also discussed how the youth of our church needed to be more involved in the on goings of church and the world around us. The children collect money that is used to make purchases for families in need, but the children do not do any of the shopping, the children do not take the purchases to the families; the adults do it. The children don’t help to feed the hungry or volunteer in soup kitchens, sit with the elderly, or learn to quilt, or garden or farm. Our farm lands are disappearing because our youth aren’t involved with old traditions.

God spoke to our visiting preacher, Paul, this morning. I had carried the conversation from last night over to mine and Shane’s conversation on the way to church this morning, and God heard that conversation and passed it on to Paul. Paul said that we as parents make sure that we get our children ready for the next game, the next practice or the next rodeo. We make sure they have all of the equipment they need to succeed, but how many of us can say that we are making sure that they are ready for their walk with God? How many of us parents are giving our children the right equipment, or are learning the right lessons to make sure they have a real, personal relationship with God?

I have a bunch of great ideas to pass along to our church and the youth groups there. I hope no one feels I’m stepping on any toes and I pray that God’s message can be shared through me to our youth. I pray that even as small of a church that we are that we as parents and role models can give our children the right tools to know God.

Santa Clause

Yes, there is a Santa Clause! I believed in him when I was a little girl, I even thought I saw him once. Then as I grew older I believed he was a created to teach children to believe in something that they could not see something that would teach them good-will to others and to give and not expect to receive. I thought he was a figment of someone’s imagination that had been passed down from one person to the next. It took becoming a mother to realize that indeed Santa Clause does exist.

Mr. and Mrs. Clause. They live not in the North Pole, but in our towns and communities. They walk around among us, work beside us, worship with us. They have hearts bigger then they themselves are. They love like no other and giving gives them more pleasure than anything else. I found a Santa Clause and the kindness that he bestowed upon my family reminded me what Christmas was all about.

I started forgetting my Christmas spirit about five years ago. I decorated the house and the yard, bought my Christmas presents, but the light wasn’t as bright that year. Then as the years have gone on the light in me slowly fizzled. I stopped decorating for Christmas all together. The first time we were living in Alabama and my Christmas stuff was all packed up, the next year I used the same excuse. But, that was Andrew’s first Christmas and I was upset because he wasn’t spending his first Christmas with my family. Shane’s parents can mess up the Holidays because of stupid stuff. It ended up being an ok Christmas, but my spirit wasn’t there. The next Christmas we were able to spend Christmas with my family, but Shane didn’t have a job and we were almost broke. We couldn’t spend the money we wanted to on Christmas, but with the help of my mom Santa still came. The light in Andrew’s face Christmas morning was priceless. I can still see the shock and smile on his face when he saw his Fire truck sitting in the living room. He didn’t even want to open the other presents, he just wanted to play in his truck. Every now and then he would get out seeing what I was unwrapping for him and then jump right back in the truck.

After I met Santa Clause last weekend, I forced myself to get into the Christmas spirit. It isn’t about me, it’s about the kids. It’s about wanting Andrew and Clay to grow up and remember how wonderful the holiday season is. The Christmas lights on houses, cookies, hot chocolate, picking out the perfect tree, and the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in the house. The light on their faces when they open their Christmas presents. For them I can find the Christmas spirit. I’ve decorated the inside of the house. Now we have to get a tree so that we can decorate it! We are spending Christmas in Texas this year, with Shane’s parents. So far they are in the Christmas spirit themselves; I can only pray it stays that way. I’m missing my family but I hope to see them soon.

If the Christmas spirit is fading in your life, remember it isn’t about you, it’s about those you love and who love you. If you give them the gift of the Christmas spirit it is sure to find its way back into your life.

How smart is that!

I'm amazed constantly at how smart children are! How they pick up on the smallest things. Andrew is very perceptive, he watches and learns, he copies and at times he even comes up with things on his own. Just a little while ago he was playing with his Little People Farm. While he was "feeding" a basket of eggs to some of the animals I hear "broke it". I asked what he broke and he showed me the eggs. So I laughed and said that he needed to cook them now. He jumped up from his place on the floor and ran to the kitchen. I followed him, he was digging in one of the kitchen drawers for things to "cook" with. So I handed him a small frying pan and a spatula and went back to what I was doing. After a few minutes I heard the oven door open and close, and then it slammed a second time. He came running back to the living room with his frying pan. What was he up to. Andrew picked up the eggs and pretended to put them in the pan again and then ran back to the kitchen. This time I followed him. He took the frying pan and put it into the oven, "get back" he told me. I always tell him to stay back when I am opening the oven door so he won't get burned. Then he started digging in my towel drawer, "Now what are you looking for?" "Hot, burn" he tells me and he pulls out an oven mitt from the drawer. He opens the oven door and using the mitt pulls the frying pan out of the oven. He is cooking and he is happy! Such an active imagination!
A few weeks ago I had our big shop vacuum in the living room, I had been cleaning the ceiling fan and the ceiling earlier in the day. Shane and I watched him trying to stack pieces of vacuum hose on top of each other. He couldn't reach the very top of what he was stacking so he drug the vacuum over to the couch, he then climbed up on the couch and placed the last piece that he couldn't reach from the floor.
We took the kids to Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas early this summer. At the end of the day we took our findings to an area that has a lot of diamond facts and exhibits, this is also where they tell you what you have found. In this area they have a wheel with a diamond edge cutting through a piece of granite in cased in a plexi-glass box. The wheel turns by someone turning a crank. Andrew watched Clay play with the wheel and crank for a little while. When Clay got bored and moved on Andrew tried to turn the crank, but he couldn't reach. The two employees for that area watched my son push his toy truck out of the way, drag a near-by chair over to the exhibit, climb on the chair and turn the crank. They were just as surprised as we were that he would think to do something like that.
It just goes to show how smart children are when given the chance to express themselves, no matter the age. It also shows that they are paying attention and absorbing everything that goes on around them.