grad school.

Heading off to swim at the university's pool.

Daddy and Ethan ready for a Father/Son night out together.

Helping Daddy with yard work.

"Just plain playing."

Meanwhile back at the barnyard. . . oops, I mean, subdivision, I think I need to make something perfectly clear - - -

certain rooster (Ahem)

whom I would rather not know exists. The reasons for this are:

1. He makes an unfathomable amount of noise in this neighborhood - enough noise that the houses across the street do not appreciate his presence. I try to respect my neighbors by not doing offensive things or producing obnoxious noises. Not so with the rooster owners, but I will not go into details!

2. As far as I know, it is unlawful for this rooster to be living where it is, and I do believe we should be law-abiding citizens. Were I living in the country, I would have no excuse to complain about the nuisance.

So, never fear, dear readers, I am not trying to eliminate the population of roosters.

I rest my case. :-)

None of the above. It was a good old tree that had just taken a tumble right across the road. Come on, Tree! Couldn't you have fallen the other way?!

Thankfully Charlie the Chain Saw Carrier came to the rescue! It was hilarious, but it is what I love about rural America. It is where everyone is your friend and neighbor, and some people carry chain saws in their vehicles. :-) I am pretty useless I guess. If you were in a pinch I might be able to give you a lawn chair, a few napkins from the glove compartment and maybe a salt packet or two. I don't even have a flashlight in my vehicle, let alone a chain saw! In no time it was out of the way, and life went on as planned. Georgie, here we come. Thanks, Charlie. It is people like you that keep America running!

from this secluded spot in the mountains of Georgia.

And who couldn't relax with a bed such as this

and a morning devotional spot like this?!

Being with some of the people you love the most,
spending hours of uninterrupted family time,
surrounded by God's fingertips. . .

My brother-in-law, Tracy, sent these brilliant home remedies, and I just had to pass on the wisdom! :-)

When choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will remove itself instantly.

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold as you chop.

A mouse trap placed on the top of your alarm clock will prevent you from hitting the snooze button and falling back to sleep.

You only need two things in life - WD 40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and should, use WD 40. If it does move and shouldn't, use duct tape.

"The first person to be honored this evening is none other than my wonderful husband, Troy." (Clapping, clapping) "His biggest reward tonight is a rather un-nauseated wife!

Thank you, Troy, for always being so understanding and never expecting anything but whining from me during the first twenty weeks of this pregnancy. You were so caring and willing to pick up more of my load. I do not recall you complaining about this new dilemma that was thrown at you."
"You never griped when the kitchen looked like this, and you had to get a search and rescue team to find clean items."
"You never moaned when the laundry room resembled a rummage sale. You willingly dug through the piles to find your clean clothes.

Thanks for making my sneezausea easier to handle."

"The evening wouldn't be complete without mentioning two special boys who suddenly lost their fun-loving, energetic, hard working mama to some gal who spent most of her time in a horizontal position moaning about her belly and head.

The younger was. . .pretty good, although he took advantage of the situation at times. He regained his good standing by putting on puppet shows and other forms of entertainment for his mommy. (The shows were usually in 'French' and had to be interpreted.) Ethan was very sweet about telling me that he was sorry I was sick.

I couldn't have asked for a better seven year old! He jumped right "up to the plate" and tirelessly helped with chores and watched his little brother. Yes, he was so watchful he would even report each time Ethan burped with his mouth open! :-) Seth would watch Ethan in the morning so I could sleep in, make breakfast for both of them, take care of snacks, keep Ethan entertained and help with lots of household chores! I never worried about Ethan with a good big brother like Seth. You are awesome, Buddy." "My dear friend and neighbor, Kim. Where do I start? Having been through some very rough pregnancies herself, Kim was a wonderful ear in which to whine. She understood every bout of nausea! She also offered babysitting services and brought me food on occasion. Thanks, Kim, you are a godsend."
"And we must mention Angie! Doesn't she just look like a fun person?! Being a nurse, she was very faithful with the 'Have you found a doctor question?.' Angie was also thoughtful with phone calls to check and see how I was faring. What a sweet gal. I will always be indebted to the one who introduced me to true nausea medicine that actually works! Thanks for everything, Angie."
"Last of all I would like to mention my dear Mother who due to distance could not be here tonight. She endured every anti-nausea rant I had to spout, the numerous "why do I have to be nauseated?' lines, the tears, the frustrations, the helplessness. . . She is a patient woman. "

"To my cyber friends and family who visited 'the castle' - thanks for all the kind words and prayers. Your comments always helped to cheer me and were a bright spot in a very nauseated world."

"Thank you again for attending! I appreciate your time. Help yourselves to the refreshments provided in the back. Since my appetite is at stake, I chose the menu. Please enjoy the peanut butter crackers, dill pickles, cookie dough, cheese slices and strawberries. Have a pleasant night!"

The day has arrived! August 1, 2007 marked the beginning of another school year for us. Seth has entered the Second Grade, and Ethan is doing a bit of Preschool work. It seems early, but Seth ended school around May 4th. I told him that I wanted to get many days accomplished before the baby was born. He was so excited to start!

My little scholars studying away. . . I love watching them work and learn! These are some of those moments I will always treasure.
Poor Ethan. . . He seemed a bit lost when he was finished and suddenly had to entertain himself without his brother. Those two usually play for hours together, so it will be an adjustment for him.