SPRING FLOWERS!?

I love spring flowers, but with them come an inner struggle. The boys love picking them. They are so happy each and every time they bring me one. It seems they pick all the blooms and step on the rest. Even though each flower delivery is bittersweet, I try to remind myself that they're just flowers. I am sure one day, when I look at my yard full of blooms, I will miss the days when the boys picked them.
We have talked a little about saving some of the flowers for me to enjoy outside. And they have learned that once you pick the flowers they will die quicker. Cade has equated that information with the flowers need for dirt. He now brings me flowers & little handfuls of dirt! He wants the flowers and the dirt inside the vase. So if you come to my house and see a vase full of floating dirt and stemless blooms, you will know why. It's because my little boys love me.

An AMAZING story!

Today my mom and her sister, Evelyn, came to visit. They ended up telling their moose hunting story to the boys. Here is the abbreviated version:

They flew into an isolated lake [it didn't even have a name] and were dropped off for a week. On day one, while they were making camp, my mom was chopping on a tree to make improvised tent poles. Apparently the moose heard that noise and, assuming it was another moose, came to them. They told of how they shot it; they both got it in their sights and counted aloud, "one, two, three" and then both shot. They did this twice before it dropped. Then they had to walk 45 minutes, around the lake, to get to it. When they approached the moose they developed another plan: my aunt would shoot it again to ensure the death and my mom would take a picture of her doing so. Just as they got ready, about 10 feet from the moose, it jumped up. My aunt shot it behind the ear and my mom captured an amazing picture. Next they had to gut it, cut it up [with a chainsaw lubricated with Crisco oil], and hang it, a process that took many days. When the pilot returned he was so impressed by what these two women could do he named the lake Two Sisters!

Hearing them tell the story together was a lot of fun. When they reached the end, Zane said, "I feel like I'm going to cry." When asked why, he replied, "That was an amazing story!"

A few weeks ago the boys and I went to see my sister. They live on about 40 acres and we were outside exploring. Zane got tangled up in the berry briers and wanted help. Being that he was up on a muddy hill and I didn't have on the right shoes, I told him that he could do it by himself. Luke told him, "She doesn't want to be a country lady!"

I think it was the same day that I was teasing the boys and told them that I was not going to feed them lunch. Zane responded, "Snot! It's a booger of a problem!" [He borrowed that line from a song.]

Oh, the questions...

"What is that?" asks Cade.
"It's salt & pepper," respond I.
"Where did you get it?"asks Cade.
"From the cabinet," respond I.
"Where did you get it?" Cade asks again.
"From the store," respond I, hoping that Cade now has the answer he seeks.
"What did you get from the store?" says Zane, deciding that he know wants to be part of the conversation.
"The salt & pepper," respond I.
"Which cabinet?" Luke wants to know; however, no response is given from the tired I.
"I know! A cabinet we cannot reach," Luke concludes.

Recently Luke asked, "How do daddies help girls make babies?"
My answer: God has a special way.
To which Luke responded, "It could be that Jesus has a magic remote control."

Luke also asked recently, "Do butterflies go potty?"

Cory through the eyes of our children.

1. What is something dad always says to you?
Zane (age 7): A tackling word. It's like 'Oh Yeah'.
Luke (age 5): Seems like he always says don't get out of bed.
Cade (age 3): Go in yours room.

2. What makes dad happy?
Zane: To squish us.
Luke: Me.
Cade: Me hugging him.

3. What makes dad sad?
Zane: To kill us.
Luke: If I burned all of the Pepsi.
Cade: Me no hugging him.

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
Zane: Tickling us.
Luke: When he tickles me.
Cade: From tickling me.

5. What was your dad like as a child?
Zane: Indian.
Luke: Me.
Cade: Bars. 'Cause us love bars. [Granola bars]

6. How old is your dad?
Zane: What is it again?
Luke: How old? 45?
Cade: Me think 5-8.

7. How tall is your dad?
Zane: I have no idea.
Luke: I don't know.
Cade: 8 points.

8. What is his favorite thing to do?
Zane: Go on bike rides.
Luke: Play with me.
Cade: Go look at houses with you [mom].

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Zane: Do work.
Luke: He goes and does a date with mom.
Cade: Go to the store with you [mom].

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Zane: The strongest person in the whole wide world.
Luke: I don't know.
Cade: No me know.

11. What is your dad really good at?
Zane: Basket....no. Football.
Luke: Making pancakes.
Cade: Cutting trees [as he stares out the window].

12. What is your dad not very good at?
Zane: Knowing if we're squished. He doesn't think we're squished when we are squished.
Luke: Dad isn't very good at making babies.
Cade: Climbing trees [as he continues staring out the window].

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Zane: Build houses.
Luke: He builds houses. That is what his job is.
Cade: Work on a house.

14. What is your dad's favorite food?
Zane: This is an easy one. It's tacos.
Luke: Salad and hamburgers, tacos. That is all.
Cade: 'Tatoes.

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Zane: Because he is so much fun and he makes everything seem fun.
Luke: When he makes pancakes. Yum! I want pancakes right now!
Cade: He at our house.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Zane: Strong man!
Luke: A kid one that we could watch and that mommy could watch.
Cade: Spiderweb.

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Zane: Play football. Go out.
Luke: I go in the pickup with him. Sometimes I go to his work site with him.
Cade: Go to a store.

18. How are you and your dad the same?
Zane: We have two eyes, two hands, five fingers, two eyes, two nostrils, one body and two legs. Two feet and five toes.
Luke: We're people. He is a person and I am a person.
Cade: 'Cause me have the same hair as him. Just a little bit.

19. How are you and your dad different?
Zane: He's bigger than me. Almost everything about him is bigger than me.
Luke: He likes salad and I don't. And I like...what does I like and he doesn't? I don't know.
Cade: 'Cause us have not the same eyeballs.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?
Zane: Because he's nice to me.
Luke: When he hugs me and kisses me and says that he loves me. I thought that you knowed that? Didn't know that you didn't.
Cade: 'Cause he loves me. 'Cause dad told me.

21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
Zane: Nothing. He just loves her so much.
Luke: That he is her husband.
Cade: Making dinner.

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Zane: To go on drives when mom is in a store.
Luke: I don't know. Robins. [Red Robin Restaurant]
Cade: To the Steve's house. [Steve Cornelius]