Tough Guy

Tough Guy

5.31.2011

Jed received a left-handed sucker punch in the middle of the night by a mosquito. Jed says he’s on the rebound though. He’s gonna knock that mosquito’s socks off if he tries another move like that again!

Thoughts on today:

While I was lathering my baby’s legs in sunscreen before we headed outside this afternoon, a thought occurred to me: “These are my baby’s little knees I’m putting sunscreen on. MY BABY! ”

It still sometimes seems surreal that I have a living, breathing, interactive, cute-as-all-get-out, little boy and that I am his mother. I’ve dreamed about these days for a long time and those days are here now. And you know what? Reality is waaay better!  It blows my mind.

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Apple Blossoms and Bron's Thesis

Apple Blossoms and Bron's Thesis

5.25.2011

Apple Blossoms

I love how spring melts into summer. The whole world erupts with green and every corner is budding with life. The days are warmer and longer. And when the sun stays out later, so do people. Lovers crowd the sidewalks, walking hand in hand. Children run up and down the street on their skateboards and bikes. (Oh, wait. That’s me!) And the ice cream vendors are busy handing out cones to a long line of customers who have come to enjoy a pleasant evening. All just seems right with the world.

This is what Chazy looked like last Saturday. I wanted to gobble it up and swallow it whole; keep it forever. It felt picture perfect.

   

The orchard was FILLED with these beautiful white blossoms!

On a not so picture perfect note, Bron has been working around the clock. He often works a regular morning down in the barn and then heads to his office to work on his thesis. He studies and writes. And then he comes home and studies and writes some more, until about 2:00AM or later. This has been his routine for two weeks now and he has two more to go if he wants to meet his deadline. Just watching him makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. He is miserable, but he is stubborn and determined. Bron is ready to get his thesis done and earn his Master’s Degree. He is ready to start his new job! I am so grateful that we have our next step figured out—it’s a great weight off all our shoulders. But in the mean time, Bron is concentrating on getting through these next few weeks.

Gorgeous sunflare!

I don’t know how he does it: live on five hours of sleep, work, and write a thesis. Research articles are—hands-down—the most BORING things on the planet to read. They are technical and nitty-gritty. I have no clue how Bron stays awake. I’ve checked Bron’s rough drafts over for correct grammar and sentence structure, and I can’t make it through without my eyelids feeling droopy or getting confused on where to put commas or not! I do now, however, know the difference between DIM (Days in Milk) and DMI (Dry Matter Intake) and what NEFAs (Non-esterified Fatty Acids) are. Whew!

I think this is a gorgeous picture of Anna!

Somehow though, through all this boringness, I am wide awake at night. My circadian rhythm is off; I can’t sleep well without my man in bed next to me. So I stay awake until midnight or even 1:00AM editing pictures and cleaning the kitchen and other random things. Thank goodness Jed takes a solid two hour nap during the day because I nap along with him. I think this entire family will feel much better when this thesis is all over and done.

Jed loves Anna.  Anna loves Jed.

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16

16

5.24.2011

Apple Blossoms

at the world's largest Mcintosh Orchard in the world!  (Or so the sign says.)

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Points

Points

5.22.2011

Farmer Jed watering the calves

We have one ongoing argument in our marriage.  It's about ice cream: chocolate vs. vanilla.  Bron prefers a vanilla based ice cream with chocolate or peanut butter swirled in it.  I, on the other hand, prefer chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate.  I just can't seem to get enough of the stuff!

So, during the early days of our marriage, we bought two cartons of ice cream--one for Bron and one for me.  Except there was one problem: I didn't stick to eating just my carton.  I snitched (okay, more than snitched) Bron's ice cream too.  Naturally, Bron's carton would empty first and only the chocolate ice cream would remain in the freezer.  Since Bron can't stand the chocolate stuff, this seemed unfair.  I tried several times to stay out of his vanilla ice cream carton, but just couldn't help myself.  Eventually, Bron put his foot down; I was no longer allowed to buy chocolate ice cream!

Well, as I was grocery shopping last week, I caved to Midnight Madness: chocolate ice cream with fudge swirls and white chocolate chunks.  As a peace offering, I also bought Bron a carton of vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups.  

And guess what happened?  I didn't touch a tablespoon.  And guess what else?  HIS carton reached the garbage bag first!  Nee-ner nee-ner!

One point for me!  (I totally did a little dance.) 

Then yesterday, I dressed Jed in shorts but decided he ought to have something on his feet.  I rummaged through his hoard of new and hand-me-down shoes and could only find two pairs in a size four: one pair for church and the other a cute pair of boots.  Boots would just look silly with shorts!  (Unless you're Flint Nelson, of course.  Haha)

Bron guffawed.  He couldn't believe that out of all those shoes, there was nothing that would fit.  He bet me that if he could find one pair, just ONE PAIR in a size four, I would have to buy him (not me--another story)something special the next time I went to town.  

Well, he found another pair... of boots!

One point for Bron!

I guess we're even now.  

This picture is for you, Grandpa Nelson!

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May Flowers

May Flowers

5.19.2011

May flowers are stunning

The more I think about moving back to Idaho, the more excited I get. All of my worries seem to fade away and all the positive aspects come into focus. One of my favorite thoughts is that because we will see family more often, we will get to use vacation time for adventures to the Redwood Forest, The Grand Canyon, and other amazing places that we want to visit. A home of our own is also in our near future, although the details about caring for the yard and decorating the inside overwhelm me. Oh well; I will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Folks are congratulating us (Bron) left and right. They often asked what I will do when we get out there. I reply that we will have a few more kids and I will be a stay-at-home mom until they are all in school. (At least that’s the plan.) Some people expect that answer and others are shocked; it’s a novelty to be a homemaker here. The more I think about my role as a mother at home, the more grateful I am for Bron and that he has worked and will continue to work very hard so that our children and I can have that opportunity. I am glad he supports the idea and wants our children to be raised by us—not by a full-time sitter. Many folks view a mother who stays at home with her kids a great sacrifice. I suppose it is a sacrifice, but I certainly don’t view it that way. I feel lucky!

Jed with our neighbor, Kohei

 

Why are such cute yellow flowers considered a weed?

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Jed Gush

Jed Gush

5.17.2011

Lots of pictures and a short story just because I am Jed's mom and I have to gush about him.  I can't get enough of this little man!  I think Jed's grandmas and I are the only people that will appreciate this post.  (These pictures are all from the past month or so.)

My new favorite picture of Jed.

He's watching a truck go by.

I am going to miss my crawler. 

Pouty face.  I think he done.

Visiting the calves!  Jed loves it when this little calf licks his toes.  So do I!

        

This face cracks me up!

It's no longer a politically correct school bus.  It's a livestock trailer!

I like watching Jed play.  It's really funny sometimes!

 

An episode of Baby Einstein is a great rainy day activity.  (Just one episode though.)

Jed is ready to walk!  Isn't he sooo handsome dressed in his Sunday best?

 A story about Jed:

I’m too lazy to get up and get ready before Jed wakes up in the mornings. So when I babysit Karina and she falls asleep, I hurry and hop in the shower. The house is baby proofed, but Jed prefers to hang out with me in the bathroom while I shower. He pulls the shower curtain aside and peeks his head in. His hair is almost always soaked, but he’s super cute.

Well, one day last week while I took a quick shower, Jed wasn’t performing his normal stunt. I peered out to see him having a riot unraveling the toilet paper roll. I smiled and thought, “No biggie. At least he’s entertained. I’ll just roll it back up when I get out.”

Not a minute later, I saw Jed’s head and a mischievous smile peep around the shower curtain. Suddenly, a wad of toilet paper hit the tub floor. Then Jed’s little hands tossed in some more. And more! Apparently, I needed something to play with while I showered. 

I couldn’t help laughing. It was funny! Jed just thought he was awesome.

I love my messy one year old.

Jed's favorite game before, during, and even after a bath.  Or just anytime at all.

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