Little Worthy Turns Ten!

Unbelievable that this Little Man is ten. I can't believe it. He will always be my baby, and watching him grow up is definitely bitter sweet.

Some of Worthy's favorite things right now are Spongebob, Star Wars Legos on the x-box, Goosebump books, his sisters, macaroni and cheese, and anything with sugar in it.

Worthy has some special gifts. He is tender-hearted, and will do almost anything to make sure everyone else is happy. I worry about this a lot, since he is constantly compromising for his sister, but what a sweet little guy. He has gift for Brittish accents, and he loves to make people laugh. He tells me he loves me EVERY DAY, sometimes several times a day, which I count among my favorite things. Our animals love him. He is learning responsibility by taking care of them. I have caught Tuxi licking his bald head while he sleeps several times. Salty? I don't know. But creepy and cute at the same time.

We celebrated the special day by skyping with Morgan before school started. Morgan and Kate had hatched a plan, and Kate knew just where to find the hidden gift that the two of them had purchased before Morgan left. Worthy loves Morgan soooooo much, so that was a nice way to start the day.

During the school day I took cupcakes to Worthy's class, and he got to pass them out and pick which kids would lead the group in "Happy Birthday". Of course that was a thrill! I'm always amazed at what will make a ten-year-old happy! It was fun to hang out in his class for a minute. I don't often get to do that.

Worthy got a new bike for his birthday! I don't have any photos of it, but it's shnazzy.

That evening we went out to eat at Old Tymer with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Winston to celebrate. The staff there brought Little Worthy his own birthday cake and we sang to him, but before he could finish it he had snuggled into Grandma Kathy and fallen fast asleep. Too much birthday, apparently!

Happy birthday, Little Worthy!

The Giant-Peak-From-Design-Hell Is History!

Most of you know I have a love/hate relationship with our home.

I love it because it is where my family is. I love it because it is where my two youngest were babies, and I love it because I watched my eldest grow into a young lady within its walls. I love it because it is ours. I love it because we have worked hard on it over the years, our love sweat and tears evident in a finished basement and paint on the walls. I love it because we have great plans for it, and if I close my eyes I can envision it the way it will be when we have tweaked it just so.

And I hate it. I hate that it has one bathroom. I hate that the landlord who owned it before we bought it treated it like a slummy rental. We have spent our years here complaining about (and fixing) faulty wiring, paper-thin walls, and all-around crappy workmanship. There are so many things we would like to fix about this place, we have often been paralyzed, not quite knowing how or where to start.


But the thing I hate the most? The Giant-Peak-From-Design-Hell! How in the world someone once thought this peak at the top of our house was a good idea is beyond all comprehension. But they did, and we have lived with the horrible thing for years.

Worthy says he thinks it has power and it sucks all of the negative energy out of the surrounding neighborhood and town, depositing it in a black cloud above our house. But we all know he reads too many comic books.

Well . . . THE PEAK IS GONE!!!!!! Worthy and a crew of capable, hard-working friends and family members (and the much appreciated expertise of Clayton) have spent the past week replacing the The Giant-Peak-From-Design-Hell with a respectable, gorgeous new gable. And the old, sad gray roofing has been replaced with a lovely new roof!!!

We have a busy week ahead of us (The Homestead and then the Red Rock Relay—I’ll be posting about those events later), so we are not yet able to finish. But I am posting progress pictures for Morgan and all of you, anyway.

Next we will be adding the trim and the siding to the front of the new gable (it will be white and vertical) and adding a new covered porch to the left and front of the new gable. And . . . A NEW, GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL DOOR! I can’t wait to post pictures of the final product, because then it will be finished. But I am thrilled with the progress so far.




The kids were quite sure their Dads and Grandpas were on the roof for the sole purpose of letting them have a good time outside, playing and laughing into the night.

Thanks Worthy! And thanks Clay, Tim, Dad, Dad, James, and Britt. We could not have dreamed of doing this without you, and we are at your beck and call whenever you need extra hands for a project of your own.

Here You Go, Moog!

We spent a few hours at the dam the other day after school. It's beginning to feel like fall, so we are feeling desperate to enjoy summer while we can! Kate, Worthy and Bear had fun collecting sticks, rocks and other treasures. They never even got in the water but they had a fabulous time.

There you, go, Moog!

Yes, it's been over a year since I posted. I've been a big, giant slacker.

Morgan is in Belgium, and she has brought it to my attention that I need to update our lives for her. My problem is that I'm always trying to find fabulous things to write about, so I never get around to writing. Having her so far away has made me realize that it's the little things that matter. I want to know the mundane details about her life over there. She wants to know about the little details of home.

SO. I committed to update our blog weekly. So Morgan, here you go. This is the first of many. We look forward to learning about your life as well.