The Orchard Team Huddle

Those of you that know me well know that I love a good sale.  I browse over the Sunday paper looking for coupons and store ads.  I love looking through the weekly grocery ads on Tuesday, arming myself with all of the information I need for a thrilling trip to the grocery store on Wednesday.  So, imagine my giddiness when that one guy from the Tampa Bay Rays stole a base in the World Series earning all of America a free taco from Taco Bell! The boys and I had fun with this last year.  As soon as they got home from school, we headed to Taco Bell for our free taco.  Then, on the way to football practice, I drove Douglas and his friends through the drive up for their free taco.  Unfortunately, we were stuck in the drive up line way too long and had to leave without our taco!  I vowed to not let this dampen my expectations for a great experience this year. I had every good intention.  We talked about it on Monday night.  Then, the day just...

Mason and I get lots of time to be together each day. We have several little rituals we do, one of them being to stop and look in a mirror whenever we pass one. He will often smile and talk to the cute little boy he sees. The other day as we were looking in the entryway mirror I realized he was not talking to me or himself but to the scarecrow sitting on the table! I wonder when he will figure out his conversations are very one-sided. Until then.. BFF !

I really don't care for... *Dog poop. Who does, really? *Toy packaging. Why does it take so long to get to the darn toy? *Lateness. *Onions. *Last minute. *Stepping in wet spots with stocking feet. (Okay, so my Grandma used to say "stocking"):) *Whining *Empty rolls of toilet paper left for me to change. Am I really the only one that can handle that job? *Playing charades. *Scary movies. *Eating outdoors. I prefer to eat bug-free. I love... *My family. *Dark chocolate. * Scrapbooking . *A clean house. *Tulips and roses. *Gummy Coke Bottles. *Laying out-the feel of the warm sun on my skin. *Freshly laundered sheets. *Cross-stitching. *Yard work. (I know my yard doesn't look like it this year but give me a break!) *Reading a good book that you can't put down. *Sitting by the fireplace. *Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. I am a girl of all seasons! *Sister Settlers. *Friday nig...

Two apple trees in Grandma & Grandpa's backyard... A good sturdy ladder... A swing hanging from a limb... A whole lot of sunshine... Cousins and your aunt... Mix it all together with a stop at the "blue and white" park on your way home and you have the recipe for a PERFECT FALL DAY!

I am not certain why but I really had a good week last week. Maybe I am finally accepting of the fact that at this time in my life my house will not be as clean as I would like and my scrapbooks will collect dust. I can't measure my day according to how much I have accomplished. Or, maybe it is because I ditched my normal walking partners, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban for the Prophet and the 12 Apostles. I believe that had a lot to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE walking with Kenny and Keith but adding that extra spirituality to my day gave me a different perspective. Whatever the reason, here are some of the things that brought me a lot of joy this past week... 1. Stockton's basketball game. He has so much energy and is so good at it! 2. Watching Douglas take some extra swings just before his game on Friday so that he can hit like he knows he can. I LOVE watching him play baseball and I even enjoyed 3 really cold games this week. One of them was from the car ...

The minute school gets out my phone starts ringing. We are so blessed to have an abundance of 8-yr.-old boys in our neighborhood and I am so grateful they all get along so well. We rarely have just one friend over at a time. The other day they kept showing up and I couldn't help but grab my camera when I saw this! There they sat, Stockton, Cooper, Chandler and Josh, DS in hand, giving Pokemon advice and cheering each other on. "Does anyone know the best defense against...", "It will be a miracle if I beat this trainer...", "Hey guys, my pokemon is evolving into a ...". It has been awhile since I was a kid but I seem to remember playing house with our dolls, cops and robbers in Amy Nelson's tree house (it was Amy Miller back then and they were our best friends! Her older brother even taught us the international police code, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf....)making up our own game shows, Steal the Flag and Risk. What a different ...

Mason just turned 4 months old yesterday and he has changed so much just in the last month. These are some of the things he can do: * Grab toys when we dangle them in front of him. He has even cranked his neck and picked up a toy laying next to him. He almost rolls over but not quite yet. * Eat rice cereal, bananas, squash, and sweet potatoes. He just tried pears this week. * Sleep through the night with an occasional wake up here and there. He does not sleep very well during the day though! * Arches his back to avoid being put in his car seat. * Spit. * Sit up in his exersaucer . * Kick the keyboard shelf in while I am typing on the computer. So much for holding him on my lap and getting things done! * Grunts to inform you he wants to be picked up. He keeps doing it and if you don't get the hint, he fake cries while he stares at you! * Smiles all the time. I couldn't ask for a happier baby! He makes everyone around him smile! He is truly ...

So, today was conference Sunday and my family has come to expect and look forward to homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. My Mason alarm went off at 6:20 so I decided to get going. I started to mix the dough and found myself making a triple batch. That is WAY more than my family needs so I thought it would be fun to take rolls to someone else as well. When the boys awoke we discussed the families that we could share our rolls with. I did get an "Are you sure there is going to be enough for us?" This took me back to my childhood. My mom was always making homemade rolls or cinnamon rolls or bread and she would always take some to another family. We would get frustrated because we felt like that meant less for us but somehow we always had enough. After going through our long list of possible recipients, we agreed on two families and Russell loaded up the boys and delivered the rolls. I am so grateful my mom taught me how to cook but she didn't realize she was teaching me...

It is hard to believe it has been 6 years since Lincoln was born. I always wondered what it would feel like to finally be holding a baby as I marked this anniversary. I have to say that having Mason really has made me miss Lincoln more. I have thought about him a lot since Mason was born. I think I miss the fact that I was not able to feed him and watch him grow and have him smile at me. I know that those things will come and I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that our family will be together forever. I will see Lincoln again and he will be alive and I will get the opportunity to raise him and know him as my other children. What a wonderful blessing! Right after we had this experience with Lincoln, I decided to make him a baby book and record all of my thoughts and feelings. I am so glad I did this. Our family will never be the same and we learned so much. I would like to share with you, my family and friends who were so supportive, some of the the things I record...