Andy's a Farmer

Warning! This video is not for the faint of heart or anyone who opposes goat birth control. We recently went to Alabama to visit my family and Dad wasted no time in taking advantage of an extra pair of hands on the farm. An innocent walk to the barn turned into quite an experience for one little goat and Andy. If you wondering just exactly what is going on, here is the background. You only have one fertile male in a herd of goats, anymore than that and they would try to kill each other in a testosterone induced battle. So, if you don't give away all the males born to the herd you have to castrate them by banding their your know whats. The process involves a rubber band (specially made for this purpose) and something sort of like reverse tweezers that you use to place it. As you can see it is a two person job. For Andy this is just one of the many joys of marrying a girl from Alabama.

It wasn't all work, we had plenty of time to play and enjoy spending time with friends and family.

This is for my friend April, who even though she has three children (the youngest is less than a month old) and wasn't feeling well, had Edward and me over for lunch. It was a treat to see her and our friend Angie and her son Charlie. April has asked several times about Edward's room and finally here are the pictures. The things I like about this room are the bed linens which I proudly sewed myself and the rocking chair that Andy refinished. The crib that was given to us by Scott and Debbie and the changing table my parents bought. The bookshelf was in Andy's grandomther's house and we painted it to match the room. The pictures on the wall came from Andy's parents house and everything is tied together with love. I really had no true vision of what the room would turn out to be but I am pleased and think it is a comfy little place to hang out in. Edward must agree because he has slept there since he was two weeks old. We are slowly filling the bookshelves with old classics and new favorites. I have yet to make it through the Giving Tree without crying. Andy enjoys reading from his childhood favorite, the Disney illustrated version of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit. I have spent hours in the rocking chair staring at his initials on the wall, I am counting the polk a dots on the F. A funny thing about this room is that it's previous inhabitant, known to us as Teddy (it was written on the wall) was actually named Edward. I think this room sums up everything we love about our house. It is old and has lots of character, it is furnished in a combination of new, old and hand-me-down and it is small but in a cozy way that makes you want to be there. And one last thing, in the winter, on a clear day, it is the only room in the house with a mountain view.

Thanks Edward,

for making me a Mom. It's only been two months and we are still figuring things out but I think we make a pretty good team. Already I can tell what your different cries mean. I will do any silly thing I can think of to make you smile. Thanks to you I get to stand up in church this morning when the preacher calls on all the mothers and proudly claim you as my son. I love every little thing about you- your eyes that are blue like your Dad's, your toes that curl up like mine and your sweet personality that is blooming everyday.

I am blessed to be sharing this day with another first time mom, Geraldine and her beautiful boy Gus. We are both honored to be in Alabama with my mom and grandmother, two amazing women who have given us great examples of what it means to be a mom. May we follow in their footsteps. Happy mother's day!

Two Months

We have been running around getting ready to go to Alabama so I am little behind but Edward turned two months old on Tuesday. We celebrated by going to the doctor and getting shots. He was very brave and only turned a shade of eggplant for a few seconds before regaining his composure. He proudly wore his Snoopy band-aids to show off his battle scars. I was anxoius that seeing him cry would upset me but he handled it so well that in the end all I could do was laugh about his purple face. He is smiling, laughing and trying his best to tell us what is on his mind. It has been two months of loving, learning and leaning on each other as our family grows up. I could go on but you can watch the video and hear it in Edwards own "words".

Not Really

I almost had to pinch him to make him cry, I couldn't resist. Edward's soon to be Uncle Chris gave him this onesie as a present in the hospital and thankfully, most of the time, he does not live up to the definition. I am sure everyone thinks their baby is the best and sweetest but deep down I know mine REALLY is.