Mom's Mother's Day Present!!

Yeah... so I gave her the present today which was an altered book that I made. It was a fairy tale that I wrote about our family and then I customized a hardback book and sewed my pages into it. It was a lot of fun to do and I really enjoyed writing the story! She loved it! Brian prepared me the whole way out there so that if she wasn't ecstatic I wouldn't cry all the way home. It was A LOT of work but I was really proud of it once it was finished. So here is the fairy tale below and then I will post a video so you can see as I flip through each page.

It's a Love Story

There once was a boy who liked a girl,
And lucky for him she'd give up her world,
To be his wife to have and to hold,
And stay together forever until they were old.

So one day Keith Wayne got down on one knee,
And asked Kay Moore if his bride she would be.
They married in the year 1969,
And hung out together and had a good time.

Til they decided a family they really should be,
So in 1976 came a daughter, Kristi Lee.
A glorious addition to their happy life,
But boy did she bring to them plenty of strife.

A beautiful smile and those big blue eyes,
A handful of trouble it did not disguise.
They wanted to add to this bundle of joy,
Oh how they adored her but longed for a boy.

So guessing the second time was a charm,
In 1979 they bet the farm,
That a boy they would get but to their dismay,
Keri Elizabeth was born just after Christmas Day.

She was a treasure and a true gift from God.
So unlike her sister it was really quite odd.
So quiet and sweet and happy alone,
She could play with her toys all on her own.

With two girls so far they started to think,
How tired they were of all of the pink.
Prayers sent to heaven were answered the day,
In 1985, Kirk Wayne came their way.

His arrival had made their family complete,
But with three kids to chase they surely were beat.
They longed for the day they'd grow up and leave,
And be out in the world and succeed and achieve.

It didn't take long for the oldest to go,
And that she could do it, she surely would show.
She fell madly in love and started a life,
With Brian Christopher who took her to be his wife.
They thought they'd be happy just them two alone,
But God had a different plan for their home.

He gave them a surprise with a sweet baby boy,
And Hunter Wayne brought nothing but joy.
So sweet in his nature they wanted ten more,
All just like him for them to adore.

He walked and he talked and it happened so quick.
No longer a baby with red hair so thick.
They couldn’t imagine a love such as this,
How much he had filled up their life with pure bliss.

He grew up so quickly and needed a friend,
So Brandon Riley came along but that was the end.
He was a handful and boy, did he cry,
So dreams of a big family, they kissed them bye-bye.

He’d kicked in her tummy and nothing had changed.
The way that he tortured was truly deranged.
But it turned out to be just merely a stage,
An absolute sweetheart he became with more age.

Not only brothers but best friends they are.
Not one brighter or better but both shining stars.
So smart and handsome and pleasant and sweet,
To this family they are truly a treat.
There's lots of soccer and weekends are fun,
The only thing missing were cousins, a ton.

The middle child decided to leave.
To her parents she could no longer cleave.
She went to college and got really smart,
And along came Brian Wesley who stole her heart.

A perfect couple and love at first sight,
So much alike they never did fight.
They got married and decided to grow.
They lived near her parents, merely a stone's throw.

Quilting and coffee is their specialty,
And along came Catherine Ruth to bounce on their knee.
Precocious and cute and she'll love to read.
Bigger and stronger she grows like a weed.

Her face tells a story that’s easy to see.
Expressions of joy, sadness and glee.
Only time will tell if she'll be the one,
Or many will follow and bring lots of fun.

The golden boy sure did hang on for dear life
But did, in fact, find him a beautiful wife.
Michele Elizabeth was his match from the start,
And slowly but surely she won his heart.
As many wives do, she made him a man.
By giving him a daughter, his biggest fan.

This delightful angel so charming and pure,
They knew they would keep her forever, for sure.
She's sweet and she's loving Miss Addyson Lee,
And baby plus mommy plus daddy makes three.

This story's not over, there could be much more.
Another surprise could take them to four.
They're young and they're still just finding their way,
But together they'll do it, take it day-by-day.

It's not always a fairytale, this we all know.
But they always know they are never alone.
For when life throws a curve ball, as it often does.
There's someone to fetch it who's covered in fuzz.

Of course, the kids were replaced by a dog,
To keep them from being a bump on a log.
He keeps them busy with long walks each day.
The nest feels less empty in some simple way.

The family is bigger but better, most say.
The love is much stronger and grows day-by-day.
A rock you can lean on when life gets you down.
This incredible family is always around.
There's ups and there's downs but they'll never break,
All together forever, a family they make.

It's Coming Along...

The project is coming along and I know that the people who know what it is really want to see the progress and finished project. If you look at my last post you will see that my mom does read my blog so the post will go up on Tuesday with the finished product. It is coming along great and has been a lot of fun to do. I think she will really like it.

Brandon is playing in a soccer tournament this weekend as a guest so that should be interesting. He is playing up an age group in a competitive division so hopefully he goes out there and shines. The first game is tomorrow at 8:30 so that is a bit of a challenge. They will play 3 games tomorrow and then on Sunday if they make the playoffs. I am hoping for cooler weather!!

Still trying to get caught up from company so gotta get to laundry and packing mail...

A Nice Visit

We had a really nice visit with Brian's dad and gramma. They left yesterday around noon so we took the rest of the day to catch up with work and run errands, etc. I started working on my Mother's Day gift for my mom last night and was up til 4. I got on a roll and couldn't stop. It has been a lot of fun and I hope she likes it but I can't give any more hints in case she reads this. I will post it on Sunday. Wait for it...

Other than that not much is new. The boys had some friends sleepover last night since they have to go back to school tomorrow. We have enjoyed this nice taste of summer. They run out the door with their bikes around 9:30 in the morning and don't come back in until 9:30 at night. It seems like they pop in occasionally though because the contents of the pantry are dwindling.

Gotta get some work done today so more to come later...

He's Really 8!

He was so excited and so happy that everyone called to wish him a Happy Birthday. The cookie cake was a success and with some help from the neighborhood kids was gone in about 5 minutes. It was really good. He took his birthday money and went out and bought a new bike. Now he is upset that no one will come out with him at the crack of dawn to ride it.

We are having a nice visit with Brian's family even with the Swine Flu hysteria! The soccer games were cancelled today because of the wet conditions so it leaves us a free day to do whatever.

Little One's Birthday Eve

So close and yet still 24 hrs away! Little One is so excited about tomorrow he can barely stand it. After yesterday's transformational haircut I think he looks 8 now. Brian's dad and gramma come into town tonight so we are doing last minute things around the house to get ready. The haircuts took a big chunk of time yesterday and I will try and post the before and after pictures here soon. Last night I took the boys to Baskin Robbins for 31 cent scoops and we saw some friends there too. It was a nice treat especially since all I had was $2 in my purse!

The flight comes in this evening around 8 so we have to make beds and do some more laundry... Looking forward to a nice visit!

The Countdown

So Little One has started the countdown and couldn't be more excited. Of course, we gave him his present a few days ago which I bought while out of town. He still can't seem to contain himself. Yesterday he wrote a countdown in ink on his arm and each day is crossing off a number. I guess he needs the constant reminder. He says he is so excited because he will finally be a "tween". Of course his wish list for his birthday does not consist of anything that is even remotely affordable but what would you expect. He's the Little One and SPOILED ROTTEN!

So 3 days and counting...

Good to be Home!

We had a nice trip and can't complain about much of anything! We laughed A LOT! The trip up there took us up Hwy 69 which was back country and by the time we got to a major highway we could not even see because of all the DEAD BUGS on the windshield. These bugs were so big you could see them coming at you and then SPLAT! We had to stop to clean the bug guts off the window which was pretty gross.

We slept in the car on Wed night in a very well-lit parking garage with people talking all night. We must have been really tired because we both fell asleep almost instantly. Around 5:20am we got up and got in line at spot #23. We hung out around there most of the day and the sale opened at 4:00pm. We did pretty well and after grabbing a bite to eat we headed to KC. We spent the next day at the book stores and stayed in a hotel that night and made our way home yesterday.

The second I stepped in the house it was business as usual. Everyone was hungry and things needed to be done. I made my bed as soon as I got home and then started collecting laundry. Brian did a good job of making sure the house was not trashed when I got home so I was able to work last night. Today will consist of packing up the things that sold and putting everything else away.

It was a long trip and those turnpikes are brutal. SOOOO BORING!! But it was a fun trip and hopefully profitable.

Brian's dad and Gramma come on Thursday so we will get ready for that this week and Brandon's birthday is Friday, not that he will let us forget!