Thinking Out Loud

I have been blessed with a little time to catch up on my blog. I hope that I can get all my recent posts in this week & possibly next as things are moving fast here. I have a lot to catch up on!

I realized when I woke up at 3a.m. this morning how much there is to do! The moving van comes in 2 weeks! Yikes! I am so very grateful that Dave's new company provides this moving & packing service. I literally cannot imagine doing all this by myself. *gulp* I do have to pack everything for our 4-5 day road trip down to Tennessee & our temporary living hotel/apartment/cabin, (not sure where we are going to end up!), needs. I will be busy making lists today, picking up some needed items from the store, tackling our mountain of laundry, picking up Boo Bear a town or two away and other odds & ends. Time is already filling up fast. Yesterday was packed from literally dawn until well past dark. Tomorrow is when we find out about the Radon test results, (Please keep praying!), and Thursday is Boo Bear's birthday. Friday I will be going out of town for the weekend & then next week the movers come!

Please keep praying that the radon tests will be amazingly fantastic, that we can find a place to live in TN both temporary & long-term, and all our travel & packing plans come together. Thank you, friends!

Family

It happened that the weekend we were up at Nana's her baby brother, his wife & her nephew and his girlfriend were planning on stopping in for an afternoon visit. This time with my relatives was greatly cherished. I was even more thrilled that Sweet Pea could be there too and meet these special people. With everyone scattered around the country & having so many in the family it is very important to me to grab hold of the times we do have.

We spent the afternoon in Nana's living room chatting, laughing & swapping stories. It was a time I will always remember. I hope Sweet Pea will too.

My Great Uncle Elliot

(Nana's "baby" brother")

My Great Aunt Peggy (Sweet Pea's Great GREAT Aunt!) & Nana


2nd Cousin John

We had quite a few laughs over this fish. My cousin Graham had sent it to Nana from China & it is supposed to tell you your personality & such based on the way the fish reacts. It was funny seeing if everyone's predictions of one another came true.

Aunt Peggy's Turn

Brother & Sister

I hadn't seen Uncle Elliot since I was in high school & I had forgotten how much he & Nana look alike! There is no doubt they are brother & sister. They even share the same sense of humor and many mannerisms. Cool to see with my own eyes & heart.

Happy Birthday, Bug-a-Boo!

My baby is 3 years old! I know everyone says this but where has the time gone? He is no longer my baby but my little boy. I am a little sad but so very proud too. It was such fun watching him enjoy his special day. I will have more pictures to share later.........after all it's me right? Lol! But I wanted to share at least one before bed time arrives. Thank you to everyone who called or wrote and wished our special boy a happy birthday! He was grinning from ear to ear. =)

Kitten #2 joins the cozy nest

I don't know about you but I can't get enough of these sweet little kittens. =) Here are some pictures of Kitten #1 looking fluffy & then Kitten #1 & Kitten #2 together. Tinkerbelle has chosen to nurse & hide out under my bed with the kitten so it's often hard to get enough light for a good picture. We are hoping to transfer them soon to a cozy basket. We want to give the new mama some time to settle in first.

Mama going under the bed & Baby scooting out.

The kitten can't see yet & really cannot move much either. It is amazing how only after a couple hours after birth this little kitten can scoot around by propelling himself/herself with one front leg.



I'm sure their sense of smell must be very good as even though their eyes aren't open this little baby can usually find mama quite well.



Hard to see but if you look closely you can see one kitten's tail on the right & one to the far left.

Look at that little, bitty foot! Awwwww.........

The two snuggle together for warmth. Its hard to tell where one begins & the other ends. Lol!

Kitten #2 has a very different face than Kitten #2. Both are completely precious!

Another cozy position. Love the tail wrapped around siblings face. =)

This one looks just like mama, stripes & all.

More pictures to come later!

Happy Birthday, Kitten #1!

This has been an amazing afternoon & evening. Watching new life enter the world is.......well......beyond words. I was honored to see Tinkerbelle deliver her first kitten. Poor thing was so confused & in a lot of pain. She meowed & meowed and looked almost like she was chasing her tail. She did a tremendous job & she knew just what to do. Dave & I both watched amazed. We didn't want the kids to frighten her as she was nervous enough with this new experience. She was fine with Dave & I there. At first I was afraid the little kitten wasn't breathing but Tinkerbelle kept licking it and soon it meowed & moved. It looked like a little mouse and it's head looked huge for it's little, skinny body. Now it has fluffed up and looks like a little kitty. In fact, he/she looks just like Mama. Adorable!

Giving Birth

Delivering her very first baby.

What a good mama!

New little kitten

How tiny & precious!

Mama chews the umbilical cord.

Giving baby his/her first bath.

Look at how tiny baby's little feet are!

More TLC from Mama

See it's little legs & paws?

I am truly in awe of this amazing experience.

IT'S HAPPENING!!!!!!!

Tinkerbelle is having her kittens!!!!!!!! All I can say right now is................W-O-W!

Impending Motherhood

My kitty Tinkerbelle is going to have babies! She has been growing larger by the day. Last night she was sprawled on my bed & poor thing could hardly get comfortable. She is such a lovey pregnant kitty. She loves to cuddle and to have her chin scratched. I don't think it will be long now before we have some babies in our midst. =)

Beauty in the Granite State

Isn't this amazing? It was a large rock we saw down by the river.

This photo doesn't do this majestic butterfly justice. The blue dots are hardly showing up but were beautiful to see. We watched this amazing creature flit from flower to flower for some time. Fascinating!



These colors popped out from the tree. I don't think I have ever seen a red & green combined & this vivid. Absolutely gorgeous!

Mommy's Home!

Whenever I am away from my children for an extended amount of time I like to pick them up a little surprise. Sometimes it's a memento from where I've been and other times it's a little something that I know they'll like. This time during our visit to New Hampshire I picked up some things for the younger kids who had stayed behind at my Mom's house. I looked for mementos but didn't find any that fit the kids tastes or my budget. So instead I went to trusty Super Walmart. =) The kids were more than happy with their gifts and it was fun to see their surprise and smiles.


Bugs couldn't get the box open fast enough! He wanted that helicopter! Lol.


I think the whole neighborhood heard Elvis cheering when he received his Transformers DVD. And what a deal for Mama too at only $5!

For my Hannah Montana fan I couldn't resist buying her these buttons. She shrieked with delight just as I had hoped she would.

Sweet Pea helps Bugs get all the twisty ties off his new helicopter.

A happy boy!

Little Update & Weekend Preview

We are still in negotiations with the potential buyers. Things have grown a bit more complicated but we are hanging in there. We know that it is up to the buyers & up to God how things turn out. If these are not the people He has chosen we will still continue with our plans to move. Their decisions are not going to change our plans. We need to be together and though it will be a big challenge financially we are up to the challenge and will do what it takes to be reunited. Of course we are hoping for the best and that all will go smoothly and the house will be sold in the planned time frame.

In the meantime the kids & I are making preparations for the 2 birthdays we will be celebrating this weekend. Bugsy's birthday is this weekend and Boo's is next week. We will be celebrating both because Daddy will be home. Yay! We are planning some fun outings and fun things at home too. The forecast is for rain today, tomorrow & Sunday and that has changed our original plans a bit. We will still have fun we just have to be a little more creative. *wink* I am excited to celebrate and to take our minds off of the stress that has been hovering here the past few weeks. My stomach has been in knots over the house stuff & some outside relationship junk. It will be wonderful to relax, have fun and forget about all of this for a little while. Let's celebrate!

Cozy Kitty

Now that Elvis is older he is much gentler with the cats. Tinkerbelle is responding to him and now often chooses him as a cuddling spot. Elvis is tickled that Tinkerbelle loves him and coos & talks to her like she is his little baby. So funny & cute! Here are a few pics I snapped the other night at bedtime. I'm not sure who is happier with this Tinkerbelle or Elvis. =)

House Update

I know some of you might be wondering what is going on here with the house. They had the inspection yesterday & right now a Radon test is in progress. They will pick up the canisters tomorrow afternoon. They are also stopping by early tomorrow morning to check on wrapping the pipes b/c of asbestos. It is news to both Dave & I that there is anything but very trace amounts on the pipes. We only found out about this through the weatherization guy & he said they were of no health concern. I'm a little confused by this but if they want to get an estimate that is their choice. We won't be able to pay for any of these things & they have been informed of this by our Realtor. We are not trying to be difficult but honestly we are tapped out money-wise. Their "due date" for the 2nd deposit is September 28th at 5p.m. I'm praying I can stay busy & distracted so that date comes quickly. If they happen to back out for some reason the plans remain to move on our planned dates. We will just have to put the house back on the market and show it empty. It will be tougher of course if we don't sell but Dave & I have made up our minds that our family cannot take the strain of being in 2 different states any longer.

Thank you for your continued prayers. I will keep you posted as we hear any news. I know God has a plan in all of this and we continue to wait for it to be revealed.

Task Master

Yes, I am a task master. I made Sweet Pea work in her math book while we were at Nana's. I know with all that will be going on here in the next few weeks formal school time will be hard to capture. I want to make the moments we have count. And if we can get ahead all the better, right? She wasn't happy with me but I guess that's one of the things you have to deal with when you are the mom. She came around eventually and finished quite a few pages. Whew!

Coaxing a smile from Sweet Pea

Not too happy

Happy to get back to her book.

The Basin

While we were at Nana's Sweet Pea & I took time to go visit the Basin. The weather forecast was for sunshine but we woke up to clouds & temps in the 50s. There was a threat of rain so we hurried up and got on our way hoping to beat it.

A Blanket of Fog

On the bridge entering the basin.

Look at those trees!

Sweet Pea

The Basin

Isn't this wild? I'd love to hear what you see when you look at this.

Basin "Footprint"

Waterfall across from the Basin

It looked like little flakes or sprinkles on top.

Down the trail

Ta dah!

Can't........hold.......tree........much............longer!

Sweet Pea posing.

She was going to go further out on the tree but since it was raining the tree was slippery and we thought it would be too risky.

The roots were like steps.

A little gorge.

The river is absolutely gorgeous & the sound of running water soothing.

The underpass leading to the Basin.

It was raining by the time we hiked the last trail so we left a little early. We timed it just right b/c it started pouring on the drive back to Nana's. We were glad we got the chance to see all that gorgeous scenery and enjoy the peace of the forest & the river.