Out of the Mouths of Babes

Jeremey came home from work this week. He greeted all the kids with hellos, hugs and kisses. Then I got one. Natalie saw it and she smiled, laughed and said "now there's the love coming" She is also using very big words. Today it was all about "comprising" and last week it was "embarrassement". She also has a big story to tell about the "adult popsicles" that I made for myself and Maria. Well Miss Natalie says "they have alcohol in them. They are really good and I just love them" To my knowledge there are still 4 untouched in the freezer just like when I made them. I DID NOT GIVE HER ANY! She just has a very big imagination. We love her!

5K(ick) my Ass Project

So I stumbled across this blog and she has inspired me to start to get exercise again. She is much braver than I am and is posting picts of her rear on blog. If I was really brave I would put how much I weigh...but that would just be stupid and not brave. I will just post my shoes! The first morning I walked, I got rained on! And yet I continured.
This morning it was foggy and muggy. And yet I continued.
Is mother nature telling me to just stay home? We will see. I will let you know that I was inspired to run by my Shadow. I figure that if she can run 2.5 miles pregnant I could run about 8 blocks. Baby steps remember!

Drum roll please

EMALIE TOOK HER FIRST STEPS TONIGHT!!!!!

I know that the first two are sideways sorry about the crooked neck. And I know that 3 videos is excessive for just 2 steps at a time. There goes another "Last First"

What boys do

Charles, this one is for you. I am so happy to hear about such loyal viewers! Listen to that I have "viewers". While you were hard at work last evening in Wellington Zachery and Emalie headed over to Mimi and Papa's. I hope you get some good sleep today.

What boys do.....

They stand in the middle of flowers and smile pretty for their mama!

They hang on to their baby sisters who can't stand really well to "stand in the middle of flowers and smile pretty for their mama!"

They climb and then say "look at me, I high" Yes you are high Zachery, now can you get down?

They get dirty. And find water to wash their hands.

They are very proud! Just look at those clean hands!!! Now lets go take bath.

Plowing

Jeremey told me his favorite kind of farmwork is plowing. He likes it because he can see where he has been...and it means that the majority of the field work is done until planting. I love the smell of freshly tilled soil. Zachery, Emalie and I rode in his tractor last week. Zachery was so excited all day long and didn't take a nap just waiting to go to the farm. So we feed Jeremey (yes sometimes I do that) and hop in the tractor. Zachery doesn't make it one round before he falls asleep.
Here is the man hard at work. I am glad I am not the farmer, being married to one can be hard enough!

A Surprise for Sue

Yesterday I volunteered to work a concession stand at the swim meet. Sue was there watching Seth and she said she would look after Zachery too. I didn't know if you saw me take these picts. You two were so cute! Emalie was at Aunt B and Uncle Dick's house and Nana had the two big girls. Thank you to the "village" for taking care of the kids so that I could volunteer.

To pass the time Sue and Zachery played games. " Lay one on me right here."

"Here comes the kiss."

Chocolate chip cookies

I MADE Sue make chocolate chip cookies today. They were so yummy. Emalie really liked them too. Peek a boo, I don't see you.

Peek a boo chocolate chip goo! She had so much fun making a mess with the chocolate chips!

On a quick note, Little Miss waves hi and goodbye and blows kisses!!!! She is just so sweet and CUTE!!! She is thinking of walking more and more everyday. Just hasn't taken the big step yet!

Off to the Movies

Nana took Abbey with Molly and Natalie with Mia to see this movie:
They are very excited to go with Nana. Abbey got matching shirts for herself and the American Girl dolls. Abbey shared one with Natalie so she could match Mia. It was so sweet!

Nana with Natalie, Abbey and the American Girl dolls just before they left this afternoon.

Triplets

We added triplets to our growing family during harvest. Our cat Katrina had these two, plus a black one that is off playing. The kids have been so good not to touch them or play with them, until today that is. The 3 kittens got carried ALOT!!! We told the kids they couldn't touch them until they started to walk around or Katrina would move them. The kittens should keep them entertained the rest of the summer.

Zachery and his cat Cars. Poor cat this is how Zachery carries it!

Natalie's cat Elizabeth.

Abbey's cat Samantha.

Haircuts and watermelons

My mom needed a haircut so we set up the "beauty shop" outside. (why didn't I take any picts of the haircuts???) So after Mimi was done Abbey decided it would be ok to trim her bangs, then she said go ahead and cut my hair. How much I asked? Oh about this much. I think it was about 5-6 inches. But I think it looks so cute! Natalie was next and I asked her how much? She curled her hair up and said this much. "I will look like a boy, but not be a boy" Yeah, sorry sister that is not going to happen on my watch. Nat's hair is still about shoulder length. Then Mr. Zachery. He does not like his hair cut with scissors so we got the buzzer out. It was the first time for me to use buzzers on his hair. I don't think it looks to bad. Not as good as Maria or Mary, but it will do for now.

After the haircuts we ate watermelon outside!! Zachery and his cheesy smile.

Abbey and her bite of watermelon.

" Natalie, just look like this." Abbey was giving Natalie instructions so she followed them.

Abbey, Zachery and Natalie enjoying watermelon on Mimi and Papa's porch.

Caught in a trap

...and I can't get out, cause I love you too much baby! I only wish you could hear me singing the tune as I write this post. So believe I'm singing! Quietly...the kids are sleeping. Under our dining room table. (still only have 3 chairs recovered).

At Nana's house. Emalie has become quite the crawler and has mastered the stairs...so she thinks anyway. So we built a trap for her and the little darlin' just crawled right under the chair and then got stuck.

Look at me mom !
I couldn't help but put in the picts of our future cowgirl. Doesn't she match perfectly?

She is just so cute, but I am biased I know.

Emalie is in L-O-V-E

With her Daddy. Ever since he got done with harvest Emalie is all about her Daddy. She reaches for him (out of my arms) and wants to be with him whenever he is home. He came home to change his clothes yesterday, she laid eyes on him and that was it. They had to go together to the closet. LOVE i tell you, its LOVE. And then when he leaves her it breaks her little heart. Big tears and loud cries. She loves her Daddy. It's nice to know that the feeling is mutual! Emalie and Daddy getting ready for work this morning.

Trintiy is visiting

Trinity is here visiting us for Aunt Julie's 10 year class reunion. We have been having a good time with her around. Hey baby...want a ride?

If I can just get to her, but here, kiss my hand.

Kisses!

Peek a Boo

The Ides of July plus 1 day

From my TSA advisor, Mr. Wiechen I learned that the Ides of March was the 15th. So I am assuming that this holds true for every month. Hence the name of one of today's blogs. Here are some of my thoughts and happenings in This Graves Family:

• Where exactly did July go? It's half way over.
• For that matter where did 2008 go?
• I will celebrate my Last First-Emalie will be 1 next month (I have been having a lot of those Last/First Moments this year) Teeth, baby food, sleeping in our room, wave, crawl, standing for miliseconds...the list goes on!
• Couple birthdays around here, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Sandy, Russel and Audry and as Zachery put it "Big Baby Emily" (Farmer)
• 24 Karat Investment club...be warned I have thoughts brewing and they involve a new blog! But don't hold your breath to see it. It's only still brewing.
• Got to enjoy a fab night out with 24K for the monthly meeting...October to July is a long time to be away. It was nice to be back! Thanks for great food and DRINKS Donna and Mandy.
• I have pregnant women all around me and its not going to be me ever again (another one of those First/Last moments) Yes..I'm over that (well most days anyway!) So congrats to Aunt Julie, Aunt Nae, Lori, Sunny and Jessi who had Jillian!
• My sister Julie joined the blog world today!
• I am posting picts of some of the things we have done this month.
  

Did you know that stock tanks could be so much fun? Papa and Mimi have set theirs up.

Papa and Emalie just chillin' in the shade.

We went to the 104 running of the Anthony Downs. Never had we had to use blankets! Aunt B and Zachery are keeping each other warm.

Wind blown ladies at the races!

And last but not least my BELOVED Kodak V610...well it missed swim lessons, can not swim, does not like the water and now refuses to work. We were at Nana's when I layed it on a towel then picked up the towel to dry off. Grab your kleenex now....I have put it out to pasture...well the kids' toy room anyway. Jeremey graciously gave me his Cannon Elph...but I am still looking!

My 7 year itch

So I got a 7 year itch...Thankfully not in our marriage...but with my dinning room chairs. Seven years is a very long time for our poor chairs to outlast four kids. The kids have won, and the chairs have been recovered. Well 3 out of six so far...its a work in progress.
Got this fabric in early spring and it has been sitting around just waiting for me to find some time and attention. Hancock Fabrics ON SALE...and I had no idea how much to get so I got about six yards I think for like $6. Now I can recover them again in another 7 years. It is noteworthy to say that the new fabric is now covered with bath towels until I can get clear plastic covers!

Harvest 2008 is over!

It started June 12th and ended yesterday July 5th. It was a very bountiful harvest and we are very pleased. The guys worked SO MANY VERY LONG HOURS! They are very tired to say the least. We are having a steak cookout tonight to celebrate the end of harvest, then the guys have to go back to work on Monday to start the clean up of all the equipment. Before harvest started a storm blew threw and turned over one of our headers. Fortunately is wasn't damaged.

Clean combines ready to eat some wheat. We cut for 3 days in the mud with these machines, then it rained and they kept working on repairs and bought another red one. They are glad that they did because they would still be cutting if it hadn't been for that 4th machine. The last 5 days harvest ran pretty smooth without many mishaps.

This is one of those mishaps. It was extremely muddy for the majority of harvest!

This was one of the very big mishaps. An axle broke on the rear wheel assist. They had just put it on this harvest. So this machine was down for a day.

Natalie driving the grain cart with Grandpa Ray.

Jeremey with Emalie, Zachery and Abbey.

Be happy with this picture there will not be many more like it. I am allergic to wheat dust and haven't been out to ride a combine in about 4 years. When I had to go to the hospital to get a shot so that I could breathe. Guess where I went the evening that this picture was taken? Yep, the hospital to get some meds so I could breathe. Now they start and IV and the meds go in that way, but it took 3 pokes before they got it started. But we thank God that it is over and was productive and safe. Blessings to all who are still cutting!

Happy Blog Anniversary!

It is now official that I have been blogging for 1 year! I can't believe that time can honestly pass by so quickly. We have at least 12 subscribers to our family blog which excites me tremendously! Feel free to forward on our site to friends and family and encourage them to subscribetoo! I am really enjoying letting everyone in on "this graves family". I hope that you are enjoying it too!

It's Moving Day, It's Moving Day!

My brother Justy and sister in law Amby moved out of the Danville homestead to become official home owner in Riley. We will miss them dearly! We have enjoyed having them so close to us for 3 years. We are sad to see them go (although Justy and Dad are happy about the move). On an injury note, Aunt Sandy fell down the stairs and broke her leg! Feel better soon! I will give it to Sandy. Here she is with a broken leg and she didn't even act like it hurt that bad! You are a trooper!!!
Uncle Justy with Emalie, Mimi with Zachery, Aunty Amby, Uncle Dean, Aunt Sandy with Abbey and Natalie, Papa and me. I used a self timer on the camera so we could all get in the pict!

This is what we hope Justy and Amby look like in about 22 months! (A baby of their own) Hint Hint
And then in 9 years from now their family can look like this! Or they could just have 2 sets of twins and get it over with quicker!

Amby and Natalie before the U-Haul takes off. That night Natalie got Amby and Justy's wedding pict and put it in her room. She said she missed them already and wanted to "just look at them and remember them"