Girls and Boys

Jamon has taken out the entire front yard to make a new one. So in the meantime my kids have a giant sand box. I was looking at this photo of Meredith playing with a truck and thought to myself that her wearing her brothers undershirt and playing with trucks in the dirt doesn't make her look any less than the pretty little girl that she is.



Nor does this picture of her brother wearing her dress make him look anything like a sweet little girl.




Or how about these high heels. What about now? Does he look a little girly now?

Update

Since I haven't found the time to work on my blog lately I thought I would fill you in on what's been going on.

1. We are moved into our house. We are still unpacking and it seems as though we will be for the rest of our lives but at least we are in the house and slowly but surely getting settled.

2. The kids and I are trying to enjoy the last of summer before we are trapped inside for the winter. I know we will have plenty of time to unpack boxes and wash windows once the colder weather sets in. So for now we have vowed to.....

Explore our new surroundings



Go on lots of picnics



Smile for the camera



Make big messes in the kitchen



And eat lots of watermelon while we still can

I'm Still Here

Today is the day I vow to blog once again. I have finally sat myself down in front of the computer and forced myself to post something. My life has been crazy busy for the past several months.
We have always wanted to move back to our hometown the hubs and I. But life has never allowed for such things. Then they started at new program at Jamons job that allows employees to work from home. One day Jamon decided to ask his boss if he could work from home if we lived two hours away. He called me on his lunch break and says to call our realtor and put the house up for sale. One month later here we are all closed and moved away. By away I mean into the house we were staying in on lake visits. I mean a little tiny 900 square foot house where the washer is in the garage and the dishwasher is non existent. Now don't go getting all jealous on me folks! If I told you it really isn't that bad it would be a lie. I didn't think it would be at first. But it's getting old. Hand washing dishes, a baby bed in the living room. You know the sort of things you wouldn't want to deal with on a daily basis. Luckily we have found a house that we love and hope to close on it sometime this month.
Anyway I have some recipes to post and some other tips.
My friend Amy asked me what she could do with a big bag of beans she bought and I am making a pot as we speak so hopefully I will have some bean insight in the next few days. Anything else you all have just been dying to hear my thoughts on? Feel free to let me know.

I need a photo to go with each post so I will leave you with this one.



These girls are what I miss the most about living in Edmond. I look at this picture all the time to remind myself of the huge impact each and every one of them have had on my life. What an amazing buch you see here. Each has been such a blessing in my life. And by the way we have 23 kids between us. Now that's a bunch of baby mamma isn't it?

My Day Friday

We have been busy working on our garden this week. We have plenty of potatoes now so that is a lovely treat. I miss my friend Julie who moved away. She would come over last summer and help me dig them out of the ground. Great help for me and a great learning experience for her. I think of her each time I am out there digging and just laugh about the conversations we would have during those times of me showing her how to be "country".

Meredith watches "her" tomato each day and lectures me about not picking it until it turns red. Last year she never could leave them alone long enough for even one to turn red.

Benjamon is not that interested in the garden so I don't have to worry that he may pick anything. As you can see his patience is wearing thin and he waits to be pushed on the swing while I am snapping photos.



That's about all that is going on with me and the mini Reids. I'll leave you with a photo of a Mandevilla that is in bloom on my back porch. Did I mention I love the spring?



Oh...and here is tiny Elvis sporting one of his sisters hand me down nightgowns and what appears to be showing some gang signs with his hands. I try to keep them out of baby gangs but it looks like he's gone behind my back and joined one.

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks today for all things in bloom this spring at the Reid house.......

Thankful for the beautiful flowers that are coming alive.



Even more thankful for the food that we will get to enjoy soon.



Mostly thankful for the sweet things that are blooming around here!

Wyatt Austin Reid

May I proudly present the newest addition to our family. Wyatt Austin Reid. Born March 24th. This picture was taken when he was six weeks old. He is seven weeks today. I keep posting pictures of the big kids without this little guy. He still likes to sleep a lot but I am sure it won't be long before he will be participating in the action photos.

My Day Friday (one day early)

Today was a good day. Today I knew what I was doing and why. There are so many days that I do not. So many days I say to myself, “why am I doing this?” Sometimes I wonder if I should go out and get a “real job”, are the kids being socialized enough, do they know everything they should know at this age, do they behave properly or are they completely out of control? So many times these thoughts run through my mind. Then today as I stood at my kitchen window and watched as my children held hands while enjoying a popsicle I cherished the moment and wished I could just stop time. I wished that they could be just as they were at that moment for the rest of my life. None of that other stuff mattered to me. I know that as they grow and learn there will be so many times that I wish I could just freeze the moment and today was just one of those times. I get so caught up in my life sometimes that I just forget to live. I forget to stop and really enjoy what is going on right in front of me. I forget that they won’t be this little precious age forever. They won’t always be right outside my kitchen window so I need to stop and be still and be thankful for the amazing gifts that the Lord has given me. And my prayer for them is that they will always be so close that it makes perfect sense to hold hands and eat popsicles.

My Day Friday

Not much going on around the Reid house today. I have been baking up a few things to freeze for us to have after baby Wyatt's arrival. During that time the kids were very busy enjoying the spring weather.
Meredith informed me that she had taken ill and was on her way out to the hospital to have her hair washed. I said, "wait, let me take your photo before you go." Her response...."Don't you dare, I look terrible!"


Benjamon and Lancelot have been very busy today chasing after a squirrel in the back yard. The latest strategy is that they wait on the side of the house in hiding until the squirrel comes out and they both coming running like crazy after the squirrel. Here they are watching the squirrel in the tree after they have once again been defeated.

Lancelot has been chasing squirrel for years but only recently found his partner. Wonder what either of them would do if they ever caught one? I suppose I would have to find a new recipe. (No she didn't!)

And lastly Benjamon would like to remind you that if life has you down perhaps you should just look at things from a different angle to the see the world in a whole new light.

My Day Friday

I ran into my friend Kinzie on Friday and she made the suggestion that I should do some updates on my life instead of just recipes. Nothing exciting ever happens around here really but I decided I would give it a try. Let me know if you want to hear about my life or say sister just stick to the cooking.

Went to Target to get a present for Hudson’s Birthday. Meredith asks when the party is. I tell her we won’t be able to go because Mommy has something else to do that day. She says “well I am really mad about that.” The little darling has learned the word mad and how to use it. We take the present to Buffy at the bank where I used to work because I know that on Fridays they have doughnuts and I am not above feeding my kids a doughnut buffet to replace lunch. We visit with Buffy for a while and her fiancee Jeff comes in to look at a car that Buffy would like to purchase. We all go outside to look at the car. Jeff and Buffy have a “discussion” over the vehicle. Jeff asks me if they are the most high maintenance people I know. I undoubtedly say yes. Buffy turns to Jeff and says, "hush up it’s not like she knows that many people." I laugh hysterically as I think in my head about how many people I know. I say goodbye to Buffy and go into the other bank where my safety deposit box is. Meredith has a lengthy conversation with my previous boss Cynthia which I only hear bits and pieces of because I am talking to other girls. I hear Meredith tell Cynthia that her favorite color is white (really Meredith white? Is that the best you got sister?) Then the discussion turns to snow angels and I stop listening. We say goodbye and head home. The kids play outside while I take photos of them and pretend to be a professional photographer. During nap time I attempt to paint my own toenails since I decided this could be the last time I could reach them. With some yoga type moves to get to my feet I finally get them painted but am exhausted afterward. After nap the kids are back outside. (FRUGAL TIP) We keep a trash can outside the back door and when I have large trash items I toss them in that instead of the inside trash can to save space in the trash bag hence using less trash bags. This works great except sometimes the kids like to rummage through that trash and play with the items they find. Today Meredith informs me that she has a birthday present for me. I see that she has put a giant rock in a box she found in the outside trash. Obviously she still has the birthday party that she is “mad” about on her mind.


Then after we play birthday party for a while she lays down in the grass and starts making snow angels. Wonder what Cynthia will say when she gets the bill for the grass stained shirt? Hmmm.

Now here is Benjamon trying to make a snow angel. He doesn't grasp exactly what it is he is trying to do but if sister does it then he must do it.


Then I go out front to check the mail. There is always a brown truck parked on the curb this time of day. I walk out and take a look inside the truck. Lord have mercy, the teenage neighbor girl is straddled over a boy with the steering wheel jabbed against her back. They also have her full size poodle in the truck with them. They both turn to look at me and I want to lift my shirt and shake my head at them as I show them my giant pregnant belly but my mind is still focused on the huge poodle and why on earth they have that dog in there. I come in and peek at them through the front window for a minute then decide to start dinner. We are having soup. My husband will surely come home and sweetly mention that it is a little warm outside for soup. I will then give him a huge lecture about how it’s not easy being a stay-at-home mom and he is lucky to get dinner at all.