Sound > Noise

Some of my favorite sounds:

1. The belly-laughter that fills the living room when my guys are wrestling.
2. The half gulp - half cry noise my daughter makes when she finally latches on for a meal.
3. The words, "I love you, mama."
4. The funny little [[whistle-snort-sigh]] the puppy makes when she's sleeping.
5. The sounds of my sleeping house at 3 a.m. when I've just finished nursing the baby to back to dreamland.
6. Whispered pillow talk. The kind that says, "How was your day?" & "Goodnight, friend."
7. The croaking of frogs/rushing of Red Lodge Creek outside of my bedroom at night.

... & after a busy, noisy day like today I am pleased to be home soaking up a few of these sounds. The boys are [[in fact]] wrestling in the living room. The baby, who just finished eating, is passed out cold in her swing. The puppy is asleep in the chair with me & all is right in the world.

The cast of characters in my world is pretty great. And the plot just seems to get better each & every day.

This is my life. THIS IS MY LIFE. This. Is. My. Life.

I'm a spray tan girl. I'm a friend. I'm a niece and a cousin. I'm an auntie. I'm a distributor. I'm part of a social circle. I'm a member of a church. I'm several things ...

... but mostly I'm a wife & a mother. How incredible is that? When I look at the faces of these people I share my home with ... it hits me: this is my identity. This is what I was born to do. To love. To give. To share this journey with these little people & my partner.

What's great is that at the end of each day, none of the noise matters. The hustle & bustle of everyday life ... the garbage that filters through our world on a day to day basis [[VIA tv, internet, telephone, & even human contact]] ...  these things that sound like real life in an instant ... they suddenly don't compare to the sounds of real life.


So, no real point to this post I suppose. I'm just feeling incredibly blessed tonight & wanted to put that out into the world.

Goodnight for now.
xo - n

Cookies & Dogs

In the month following the baby's arrival we received several hot meals from neighbors and friends. It was -- hands down -- the best gift I have ever received. All of the meals were delicious & certainly appreciated but there was one that stood out. Well ... one part of one meal that stood out. That handsome devil, Tommy B, from down the road made us some no-bake cookies. They were delightful. I do not know how I have made it 29 years without ever tasting their yummy goodness. While it's true that I will be forever grateful to Tommy for making them for us it is also true that my ass grows a little larger each and every day. Not, not from the 6 little cookies he sent us. But from the batch after batch after batch of them I have made since he intriduced us to them.

(pic stolen from this site -- where you can also find the recipe)

*** I feel it's neccessary to note that although I started out by using this recipe I have often modified it by ading any combination of the following ingredients: coconut, craisins, raisins, M&M's, Rice Krispies, chopped nuts, and/or sunflower seeds (my favorite!). Pretty much any ol' junk in the cupboard can go in!

As I type this the snow is falling from the sky. 2 inches have stuck so far and it shows no sign of letting up. What a weird Memorial Day. (Or as one of my Facebook friends would say: 'Mamoriul Day'. Really?! Sheesh. )

The baby has finally learned to love her swing ... so she is swinging away watching the snow fall and listening to the puppy whine.

Yea ... the puppy. You see, we did eventually find our little Lolly Dog. Judging by the apparent broken leg & bnlood around the mouth we think he was hit by a car.

I empathize with anyone who loses a pet --- for so many people animals become a part of the family. We are no exception. My heart breaks everytime I imagine what that poor dog went through. We found his body in a place we had already looked for it. Which means that he spent a considerable amount of time suffering before he finally drug himself to his final resting place.

As sad of a deal as it was for us --- for Isaac in particular --- I am thankful for one thing. The dog went missing during the Luther Rush Hour. (AKA --- school had just gotten out.) He was last accounted for at about 3:10. By 3:50 when Isaac got off the bus --- he has already been hit. I am thankful that it happened before he got hime & not during the time when Isaac could have watched it happen.

We weren't going to get a new dog right away  --- but a friend of the family gifted us a puppy.  So, I guess we are a dog family once again.

Daisy. Crazy Daisy. Daisy Doo. Dippy Dog. Dippy Do. She has lots of names. Her teeth are sharp and her face is sweet. Isaac is in love. Now if only the little beast would stop chewing on the baby & her things. :)

Oh ... I had so much more to say today --- but little miss is crying and I can't stand the sound of it. I'm off to rock my baby.

I'll leave you with this little ditty in honor of our lost friend, Oliver. Miss you, buddy!

"He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
throughout the south
He spoke through tears of 15 years how his dog and him
traveled about
The dog up and died, he up and died
And after 20 years he still grieves.."

- Jerry Jeff Walker

Come home, Lolly-Dog.

 Our little dog, Oliver,  is missing.

It's been 24 hours since we last saw him & it has our household totally devastated.

Send lots of happy, positive thoughts our way.

We want our little boy's best friend back.

Missing from: Luther, MT
Any info please call: 860-1510 or 425-0755

6 weeks

AK is coming up on 6 weeks old. On one hand it feels like yesterday that we were welcoming our girl into the world. But on the other hand, she is already so much a part of our family that it feel like she's always been here.

She's perfect & brings so mch love into our lives. I love her little toes and her little ears. I love the way she stares at me when I feed her. I love the way she is hypnotized by her dad's singing. I love the way she is at peace when her big brother rocks her. Her breath on my neck, the little coo's that she has decided to start sharing with us, the strength in her tiny little hands when she wraps them around my finger. All of these things make me smile.

She's a good baby. In true girl style, she is a little high maintnence ... but I don't mind. Isaac was always content being passed around or to sit in his swing. She is quite the opposite. She loves her mama & she hates to be set down. But I don't mind ... I lose hours every day just staring at her sweet face.

There are a million stories Id like to share right now ... but typing with a baby in your arms is harder than I thought it would be. So here are some pictures of the past few weeks. Enjoy!