I am never able to look at bugs the same way. My Mom and nephew Benson love them... seriously, they LOVE bugs. Mom loves spiders and Benson loves scorpions. Actually, Benson loves all cool looking creatures. But, bugs are his favorite. He may be on a path to be an Entomologist. He knows the names of them all, before too long he will be spouting out scientific names to us. He LOVES Bug Wars - or Monster Bug Wars.... the show where they teach who is the coolest bug is and why. If his Mom and Dad would let him, he would keep every cool creatures he finds. He always has a new one to educate us about - I love the information he gives and he does it with such enthusiasm - real true excitement. I love that about him.
Benson is also very mild natured. Calm, polite, and very sensitive to others feelings. And, would ya look at those eyes!
This is hard to write. I have been thinking about it and planning it for a few months now. I am not quite sure how to condense all that I want to say; How to put into words the respect and pride that I have for my older brother. Nathan is my hero - I know that sounds lame. But, for everyone that knows him - they would understand why. He is a great role model. He is a wonderful grandson, son, brother, husband, and father. But, Nathan has more titles than just those. He is a Farmer, Road Commissioner, Small Business Owner, Truck driver, Excavator, Lions Club Member, Auctioneer, Raises Animals - pigs, cows, and chickens, Gardener, Writer (he is famous in our family for his entertaining Annual Christmas letter) - Just to name a few. The list could go on and on. He should have been named Jack, for Jack of all trades!
He is all of these wonderful things - and he does them with his whole heart. He is kind and sincere. He always remains positive no matter what the load is or how heavy it gets.
Nathan has always been all of these great things - but, when he was younger he also had a little wild side to him as well. A wild side that I admired when I was a teenager. I was his side kick. I got to hang out with him and all of his friends. We got a little rowdy on an occasion or two, times in my life that really go down in history for me as some of the best memories I have ever lived. Even on the nights when I wasn't in tow for Nathan's adventures, he woke me up when he got home to fill me in on his latest mischief. Those were the days. Wild and free - and completely stupid. We made it out, and have some great stories to tell. In those days it was all about nice cars and great tunes. When I hear the songs of my teenage days, I am taken back to driving around with my big brother and his friends (Chet, Andy, Gator, Keith, Steve ).
First, there was the family mini van. My parents were generous enough to let us drive a hand-me-down vehicle. It was an 85 Dodge Mini Van, white with wood panels. Boy oh boy, are there A LOT of stories that van could tell!! It was passed down to the oldest 3, so I was lucky enough to drive it as well (yah me). Then there was the 1987 Z28 Camero. I loved that car. Nathan loved that car! Then came the 1987 Formula Firebird - I found it for sale. I chased a guy down to get the selling price so I could pass it onto Nathan. In that car was Tom Petty and Free Falling, David Lee Murphy and Dust on the Bottle, and anything Eddie Rabbit and Steve Earl - on repeat. Then he bought a 1990 Dodge Ram. He LOVED that truck. With the Dodge came George Strait, Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie - and many others. To many to list. Here is are a few that make me think of Nate, and I smile every time:
Those times have long passed. Nathan has grown up. He has traded in the fast cars for a mini van. And, he couldn't be happier. He has 4 wonderful kids. He only stays up late if there is a sow farrowing pigs. But, a few things remain the same: love, determination, hard work and a great smile. And of course, good music - on repeat.
She LOVED her toads that were found in the flower bed at Grandma's house on Mother's Day. This also happened to be two days before she turned 4. These were the last days she would still be considered a 'toddler'. As of yesterday, she is 4. Next year at this time we will be talking to her about Kindergarten.
Where does time go? It seems like yesterday she was still in her Mama's belly. But, here she is - not yet school age, but no longer a toddler. I miss that - her toddler days. I know they aren't gone but slowly everyday she will get a little older. And, all that will be left will be memories of our 'use to be toddler'.
There are a few characteristics that really stand out about Macey. First is the obvious, she is adorable. Second, her completely stubborn nature. Our family jokes and teasers her - we egg her on to see her "as a matter of fact" attitude. Her Aunt Zie nicknamed her the "Brut". And, it fits. :) She is so head strong. She does everything on her terms.
But, her stubbornness is completely out weighed by her love and innocence. She has a smile that lights up a room. And a hug that warms your heart.
I was going to wait and post these tomorrow.... but, in typical Megan fashion, I am too excited not to share :) I had a perfect weekend of pictures - We had to delay a bit to wait for the dark clouds to pass but, I am so glad we did. I got two fantastic sessions in... and, they turned out just lovely. Check out Courtney'sSenior Smiles Session and below ... I can hardly find words to describe the UNBELIEVABLE cuteness you are about to experience... There are no words. With every image - I shook my head and smiled. THOSE EYES!! Seriously? - every image.
The funny part - The little adorable sweetie has been known to be difficult to get her picture taken... You would never know - she did just beautifully!
And the little fella - Well, I could have edited for days - every image was adorable. You will see what I mean... scroll and ENJOY! ;)
A decade ago, my niece McKenna Lyn was born. Now, she did not come into our lives until she was 3. My brother married her mom. McKenna and her brother Drew were the first little ones in our family. My other siblings hadn't had any children yet. Needless to say, Mckenna was not deprived of attention. :) We all fought to be the 'favorite aunt'.
As a little girl, McKenna was interesting. How many 3 / 4 year olds do you know that love to vacuum and fold laundry? Her room was always immaculate, and still is. Now, her bedroom has shifted some from the little girl pastel toddler room to hot pink and zebra print and posters of Justin Bieber, but still very tidy. She always astonished us by her memory. It is like an elephant. No joke. She remembers where, when, how ...and what you were wearing!
Within the past decade, all of my siblings have gone on to get married and have children. There are 8 more nieces / nephews. Attention is now divided in ten, so McKenna doesn't get the same attention she did when she was a little girl. She has shifted from being the baby to being the big girl, who is a big help. She helps Grandma organize book orders for school, helps her Mom wrangle and organize the boys in the house - they are out numbered 2 to 4. She helps to entertain and calm the chaos that the younger children cause during family gatherings.
McKenna is: intelligent, beautiful, crafty, trendy, and sensitive. She is transforming from the adorable little girl to a beautiful young lady - I can't wait to see what the next decade holds for McKenna.
Nick and Brayden Easter '10Well, I already did my sentimental post about my little brother growing up a few weeks ago while working on his Senior Portraits. But today is the official day, 18 years ago Nicholas James Knute was born... a big bundle of joy... and I mean big bundle... all 10lbs 4 oz of him!
Happy 18th Birthday to the baby of the family! Thank you for keeping us all young for a little longer. We are all excited to see what a wonderful life you will create!
Look at those eyes! It's hard, ya know, looking back. It's hard to think of the years that have gone past. I accidentally stumbled on a movie I made for LB for his birthday. I was at work and was trying to watch a video about arch welding (exciting stuff)! But, for some reason, the Lord decided I needed to stop for a minute and have some reflection time. And, he was right. Brayden and I have tough days... which I am sure is completely normal. He's 2 - enough said! He spends most days learning what his limits are. Be it, giving his independence a try or to see how far he can push his mama's patience. I often stop myself and say out loud to him,"You are lucky you're cute!" We have been getting along so wonderfully, lately. He is still a stinker but we are both so happy. This video - I will post if I can figure out how - It covers ultrasound pictures, belly bump (really big belly bumps) to tiny baby, to not so tiny baby, to toddler. All I can do is ask myself, "When did all of this happen? Where did my baby go?" Each passing day has me holding for dear life onto that little boy. I ask him daily if he can please just stop where he is at. I have been asking him since he was just a bump in my belly, "I will NEVER ask for anything from you in my entire life if you can just do one thing for me. Please, don't grow up. Stay perfect and tiny and with your mom FOREVER!"
It reminds me of a story I heard. A lady I worked with was visiting her daughters collage campus. The daughter said to her mom' "I think I want to live on campus, instead of commute." Then mom looks at her daughter nodding in agreement. "That's fine. Let's talk to your dad and start looking at 2 bedroom apartments." Daughter looks at her mom, confused. "Two bedroom?" Mom saying profoundly, "well yes. There has to be enough room for the both of us!" B and I will be having that same discussion some day. Where ever he goes, I will just go too! I can't wait to see how that works out!
So. As much as I ache, long, cry, beg, plead for him to stay little. I know deep down I am just as excited to see all of the things he will do. And, with each new event in his life I will pray for a freeze frame hoping to hold onto that moment for just a little longer. Those times in my life will keep me looking back at how far we have come and what a blessed life we have. How truly fortunate we are to have eachother and our family. We will keep moving forward with a semi-reluctant smile and looking back with tears in our eyes.
Another day, another birthday... but not just any birthday. Today is the 2nd birthday of my sweet niece, Maxine Lou.
I have learned that children can be angels - as long as their parents aren't around. Which, is usually the case with my nieces and nephews - LB included. However, it is hard for me to ever picture this angelic face ever act out! She is always so sweet.
Her and I have a special bond - at least I think so. In order to save on daycare costs and to have our trusted family watch our kids my sister, brother-in- law, and I did a lot of trading. All 3 of us had different work schedules so odds were one of us was always off. So, I was blessed to have this sweet girl in my house 2 or 3 days a week and LB would go over to their house a couple days a week as well. So, we all became very close. I have to admit, it wasn't a fair trade. LB can be a stinker AND he had total mom attachment issues. So I think he was a lot to take on. Which, was not the case with Max.
Maxine is happy. She is alittle like a chameleon. She can blend in anywhere and be completely content. LB, Max, and I would have so much fun. We would walk to the park, swim, dance, play at the farm, ect. It gave LB a sense of what it was like to have a sibling - which was good. It pushed him to have to share both toys and his mommy. That, of course, always went smoothly and there was never any hitting, screaming, or crying... ever ;) Maxine was there when LB said his first word. We were around to see Max go from crawling to walking to running. I got to know my adorable niece and also got to know my sister and brother-in-law on a different level as well. They are great parents. They have a real partnership. And, even though I am the older sister, they have been teaching me. I see what they have and I have set my standards higher because of it. They may not see it everyday in each other, but to us looking in - what they have is unique and special. Maxine (and now a new little brother too) are blessed for experiencing something so beautiful.
Here's to the not-so-terrible two's. Stay just as you are. Happy Birthday we all love you!
To see more photos of Maxine's big blue eyes and beautiful smile click here, here, here, and here.
Grandma & Brayden May '10 - Zie's GraduationWhere to start…? I decided that I would try to write one blog entry this year for each one of my family members on their birthdays. This entry will be hard to limit how much I say, but yet hard to find the words to say what I want as well. Today, on Valentines day, is also my Mom’s birthday. She too turns 54 (and she will probably disown me now that I have put her age out there for everyone to see).
As I mentioned last week in my Dad’s birthday post, My Mom stayed home with us as we were growing up. As kids, that didn’t stand out to us as anything significant – it was just how it was. We didn’t think about the home cooked hot meals on the table every night or the clean clothes to wear everyday. It was just how it was. Mom was always there. Looking back, now that I am a Mom, I now realize that those things DO NOT just happen. It is challenging to coordinate schedules everyday – especially when there is a family of 8 – Yes, I have 5 more siblings. Mom ran our household for 25 years effortlessly (at least that is how it looked to us). Dad, Mom, Mal - Brookfield Zoo summer '10
About 8 or 9 years ago, she decided to go back to work. Mom is a teacher. Again, something else that as kids we did not see the personal sacrifices that she gave up to stay home. Now, it is a blessing that she was able to - but, you should see what a wonderful teacher she is - and it is herpassion. So, when I say she sacrificed she really did. She chose one lifestyle over another. She put her other avenue of dreams on hold to persue what her and my dad thought was right for having a family. If you ask her now, she wouldn't have done it any other way. My mom LOVES teaching. She loves her students - even the stinkers (I think the stinkers are actually her favorite). She goes in early and stays late. Her eyes light up when she talks about her students. She is always searching out new ways to educate them to be sure they aren't bored and that they are learning to the best of their abilities. She encourages reading every chance she gets.Racer Drew and Grandma - Halloween '11
The baby of the famly is a senior this year and we were working on some words to have put into his year book. I teased my Mom, "you don't like mooshy gooshy words." She looked at me a little miffed, "Well, you all know I love you though, right?". I just smiled. I thought it was funny that she would even ask. "Of course we know." We know that she loves each of her six kids and each grandchild that comes along (She is up to 10). We know because it isn't in her words, it is in her actions. It is in her prideful smile. It is in every tear that falls, the happy and the sad ones. She feels with us. She has gone (and still goes) to every sporting event, since t-ball (times 6). She helps to celebrate every 'win' that each of us has in our life (times 6). She cries along with us when our hearts break (times 6). She enters 30 projects into the county fairs (times 6) because it raised money for our college funds. We had college funds (times 6). It was in every pair of shoes bought - and picked up (times 6). It is shown when She helps load up a car and drive 12 hours through a snow storm to help her determined-not-to-fail daughter move to Virginia. Then when things don't work out she drives 12 more hours there, and 12 hours back to move her home (thanks Mom). She listens (times 6). She gives advice (times 6). She worries (times 16). I could go on and on.Mom and Kim at Mal's baby shower - Feb '10
It is appropriate that we celebrate the holiday of love, on your birthday. You show us so much love. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for all the gifts you have given us - the values you instilled and the sacrifices you made. Thank you for dancing, singing, playing, chasing, laughing... times 6.
We love you (times 16 + Dad) - and will spend the rest of our lives showing you how much.
Zie's Graduation family picture - May '10
(this is an old picture - I am sure there a few Grandkids missing. The most recent family picture is of all of us at the beach on vacation. I already posted her age - I didn't want to push my luck and post one of her - the entire family - in our swimsuits)
This is a day early (better early than late). Our family has a lot of birthdays in February. To kick off the month on the 11th is my Dad’s birthday. This year he will be 54. It is hard for me to go back and see where the time has gone, I can only imagine how he feels. His children are grown, and he has grandkids that are growing too fast. I have a favorite story that I wanted to share, in honor of my Dad’s 54th birthday.
My mom stayed home with us and my dad farmed. Financially, it made things tight, but also made us grow up happy and humble. We didn’t want for anything, not really. I didn’t grow up with electronic games or MTV. I grew doing chores and raising animals to show at the local 4-H fair. We did not waste gas on unnecessary trips to town. We were no strangers to pulling weeds in the garden, walking beans, and detassling corn. We played kick the can and could run bare foot across gravel faster than anyone I knew! It doesn’t sound glamorous – but, I loved it, truly.
For my 10th birthday, it was like every other. Mom made dinner and cake and had my birthday presents wrapped. The card is always signed, “Love ya, Mom and Dad.” Dad was usually just as curious to see what gifts we received as we were. However, Dad made the decision to do things a little different for my 10th birthday. He asked me if I wanted to go to the store to see what we could find. We went to the only store Dad was really familiar with, Farm&Fleet. We made the 30 minute trip and got to the store. We did some looking around and my eyes caught the most magnificent light-washed jean jacket I had ever seen. $24.99 – ouch! We did NOT spend money like that. So, we decided to keep looking. After perusing for twenty minutes or so, Dad decided we should go back and check out that jean jacket again. I can still remember how I felt in that moment – I wanted that jacket, but did not want Dad to spend that money. I was excited and nervous. He said, “do you like it?” I replied, “yes, but its ok, that is a lot of money.” He shrugged and smiled. He picked the jacket off the rack. “Would this size fit? I tried it on and beamed, “yeah it fits.” “Well, lets go check out.” I am sure we walked out with other necessary items like oil and filters… And, I am pretty sure he crabbed a pack of twizzlers on the way to the cashier.
My Dad and I don’t always see eye to eye but I have grown an appreciation for his insights. I have learned through the years that he is a very kind and wise soul. Sometimes outspoken – And yes, I know where I get it from! I am so proud of the lessons he has taught me and continues to teach me. He loves to farm. I want that for myself – to do what I love, with a passion. He makes it look so easy. I often think he is one with the ground. He has risen early and stayed up late to get field work accomplished. Every minute counts when you have nice weather. Mother Nature can change her mood at the drop of a dime (typical woman). She can make or break an entire year’s crop. Dad, now better known as Grandpa – has a remarkable relationship with the grandkids. It’s hard to know who beams more – The little ones when they coming running through the door, or Grandpa scooping them up.
Dad, on your birthday and for everyday I forget to say it. Thank you for the blessing you have given our family. We are all proud of you – and we love you! Happy 54th Birthday – here’s to 54 more!
I am never able to look at bugs the same way. My Mom and nephew Benson love them... seriously, they LOVE bugs. Mom loves spiders and Benson loves scorpions. Actually, Benson loves all cool looking creatures. But, bugs are his favorite. He may be on a path to be an Entomologist. He knows the names of them all, before too long he will be spouting out scientific names to us. He LOVES Bug Wars - or Monster Bug Wars.... the show where they teach who is the coolest bug is and why. If his Mom and Dad would let him, he would keep every cool creatures he finds. He always has a new one to educate us about - I love the information he gives and he does it with such enthusiasm - real true excitement. I love that about him. 
