And He Takes The Tractor Another Round….

We survived wheat season 2010!! Daniel had about forty acres planted this year, and he picked it and baled it all up in only two weeks (thanks to round bales!!). Although it was a very, veryyyy long two weeks to me and little man. We miss Daddy so much when he is not around. Five o’clock is our favorite time of the day:)

It was the last night Daniel was picking his wheat and it suddenly occurred to me that I had not taken a single picture of Thomas in his Daddy’s wheat!!

Have mercy!!! Where has my mind been???

So, at the last minute (and right around bed time!) Cassie and I ran out into the field to snap a few last minute pictures….Thomas gave me a few smirks but mostly just the “Mom, it’s my bedtime! Get me out of this field and get that camera out of my face!” So, the photo shoot was short lived. If it were up to me, it would go on for hours, possibly even days. Actually, I would love it if someone would just follow my family around and take pictures of us 24/7…my favorite part of photography is looking back on the photographs when the moments have all but faded from your memory…

…..until your eyes land on that photo taken on a day that you have long forgotten….

…and instantly you find the sides of your lips slightly curled up and a flood of memories from that day and that season of life with those loved ones fill your heart and soul and you are blessed all over again. Once the first time around when you lived in the moments captured by the photography and once again when you reflect back on the photo and appreciate everything that it represents….

Oh, how I love these hands. They represent so many things to me. They are strong and dependable. They are tender and compassionate. These hands were there holding mine when we were dating and first prayed together and when we said our wedding vows. They have prepared my dinners for me when I was sick and baited my hook on every single fishing trip. They have firmly grasped mine during an ultrasound when we were nervously waiting to find out the sex of our baby and occasionally they pinch my butt when I’m cooking in the kitchen. But that’s enough of that!! ;)

Thomas found the grain truck in the field and climbed on in like a big boy. His Daddy loves this picture of him.

We can’t decide if this face looks more like Daddy Tom or Pops (Carl)…..what’s your vote??

Daniel looks so down and out in this picture! Maybe it’s because this was his last field of wheat? Maybe it’s because I have my camera out again and he knows I’m about to make him pose for a photo session??

Keith is such a good friend to Daniel and an even better helper! We could never re-pay Keith for everything he has done over the years to help. We are truly thankful for friends like him!

Thomas and his Tootsie Pop (Cass). He is always amazed by her because she wears really big, gaudy jewelry that resembles many of Thomas’s toys.

Thomas was wondering if these “Carl E. Smith & Sons” people were hiring…I told him that I know a few people up there and could probably hook him up if he ever wanted a job;)

Here is Thomas and Sophie. Oh, how we love Sophie! Her nose and ears fit so well but safely in our mouth, and she never gets tired of being chewed on!

I’m not sure why Thomas isn’t wearing in clothes in these pictures. There have been a few days where he spits up so much and has already pooped on an outfit or two (and I get tired of seeing my laundry pile growing) so I just quit dressing him and leave him in his diaper!

“Ah! There are my toes again! Another favorite toy of mine because they never go away!”

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Father’s Day was special this year. We have my sister (Katie), her husband (Andrew), and the famous Mary Frances in town that weekend, so we spent the morning enjoying them before the headed back to South Georgia. Daniel and Andrew started off their first Father’s Day with cookie cakes, which Katie and I ended up eating most of! Then, the boys picked up to-go plates from Shirley’s and some dry-ice for the cooler full of breast milk that they were taking back home with them…but I can promise you that you don’t want to know any more about that!!!:) Later that day, Daniel received his other presents, which consisted of some new clothes and cards! Not a single member of our family forgot to get a card for Daddy on this Father’s Day….

Lady vowed to let Daniel “be the BIG DOG today” and wrote him a little note thanking him for always keeping her food fresh, her water bowl clean, throwing the ball for her, and throwing an extra piece of meat on the grill for her!

Thomas picked out this card himself, too.

He wrote his Daddy a message letting him know how much admiration he had him and how much it meant to him when he spent time with him. He further melted his Daddy’s heart by writing that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up!

And I couldn’t forget to contribute my love and admiration for Daniel as a father on Father’s Day! I found the most perfect (!!!) card for him. It was as if the author literally took the words right out of my heart.

“My partner is a man who is patient, optimistic, caring, and wise. His sense of humor holds me up when I can’t do it myself. I’m thankful for him….My friend is the only man with whom I can share my deepest secrets and know they’ll be safe…time with him is always good….I cherish him…”

No truer words have ever been spoken of you, Daniel! I love you, and Thomas is so blessed to have you as a father. I can’t wait to watch y’all become “buddies” over the years!

And of course Thomas didn’t forget to get his Papa Joe and Daddy Tom a card, too!

Thomas is starting to explore his Baby Einstein a little more. Today I put on Psalty’s Praise Songs as he played in it hoping to create a “jumping/party” atmosphere, but he was still ready to get out of it after about ten minutes.

And these pictures are for you, Mimi!! We know that you were concerned that T-bird couldn’t reach his toes because of his belly. He has learned to overcome his belly and enjoys playing with his ten toes very much!

Another reason, besides the wheat, that my blogging has been so non-existent lately is because of the garden! The vegetables are in, and I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen making baby food (see pics below) and putting up some vegetables for the winter! Let's hope Thomas likes yellow squash because he’s got a lot of it to eat!

Summer Time Smoothies

This is the scene at our house lately:

Daddy man handling the grill. Thomas observing from his bouncy seat. Momma inside making the vegetables and sides.

Lady supervising and waiting for her hand out hot off the grill. And yes, we grill an extra piece of meat for Lady every time. And she knows it’s there. And she knows it’s hers. And she waits patiently like a good girl.

Anyway, you have got to try these smoothies I’m about to tell you about! Not only are they delicious, but they are easy and nutritious! My sister, Katie, got me hooked on them. And by the way, I’ve heard rumors of her starting her own blog with accounts of what goes on around the Dove nest. And trust me, there is always something interesting going on around there. Does that excite you?? Unlimited access to pictures and videos of MayFray, Tuff, and Big Shelby?? What’s not to love!?! No worries, I’ll be sharing the web address as soon as I get it.

Back to the smoothies….please go make yourself one! I promise you won’t regret it! They’re good and good for you!

It’s easy! Just do this:

Get your food processor/chopper out (these are really thick smoothies, like ice cream, and the food processor/chopper works a lot better than the blender…trust me, I’ve tried both and the blender took me like twenty minutes).

Start here:

Add one carton of Activia Light Vanilla yogurt and a couple scoops of Cool Whip Free. Then, add your fruit! I usually put in one banana, some blueberries, and some frozen strawberries. Or you can use all fresh fruit. To each their own! Then, all you do it blend it together!

I like to put mine in the freezer for just a few minutes while I clean up my mess. This makes it even more frozen and even more yummy!

These smoothies are also a great way to get several servings of fruit in every day! And a good way to have a “treat” and still not blow your calories for the day! And what better time to gulp down a smoothie than the beginning of Summa-Time!!!

Oh yeah, I almost left out the most important step: Make sure your baby is sleeping soundly when you make it so you can actually sit down and enjoy it without having to make silly faces and sings “A-Boogitty-Boogitty-Boo!” or “Dance! Too much booty in your pants! Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance!” over and over to keep him entertained. And yes, I actually sing both of those to Thomas throughout the day, and he thinks I am hilarious!!

Speaking of baby Thomas, can you spy him on the monitor?? He’s there! In between the two pillows…Sleeping like a baby while I enjoy my smoothie. And on days where he screams the entire time I’m in the check-out line at Wal-Mart with a grocery cart FULL of groceries and I end up taking him out and “shh, shh, shh-ing” him in my arms to sleep while paying and loading all the groceries back into my cart (one handed!) by myself…this is what I do: come home, put him down for a nap, and make myself a smoothie.

Hallelujah for sleeping babies, smoothies, and summer-time!!

Making A House A Home

We are hardly ever here on Saturdays, and by “here” I mean both Newnan and our actual house.  Now that we have Thomas, we are trying to learn to have more hobbies and activities around home that we enjoy, instead of always running the roads like we did when we were single. It just changes things when you have a baby. It settles you down in a distinctive way that becomes very familiar and comfortable to you as a family. A lot of it is very natural. Since Thomas has become a part of our family, or should I say made us feel like a real family, we actually enjoy being around home more. For the first time, our house feels more like a home.  We are learning to take Saturdays as an opportunity to work around the house together doing various things such as work in the garden. We are learning to go for walks together with Thomas in the Spring evenings. We are learning to slow down and appreciate some quiet quality time together, just the three of us.

 

Speaking of slowing down, last Sunday Thomas and Daniel passed out in the recliner, and you can click  here to read about that!  In that post, I stated that there were “no pictures” to go with it, but of course, as soon as the “I don’t want to forget any of  these precious  moments” thought went through my head, and I quickly jumped up and began flashing pictures of my two snuggly lovies.  

And do you  think I stopped there? Do you think I was above taking a video of them, where I preceded to whisper Daniel’s name until he woke up…you know, just for fun….I couldn’t resist!

This Saturday, Daniel and I started working in our garden! Yes! We are attempting a garden. And I say “attempting” because sometimes I start something and then lose interest in it very quickly. But hopefully, this won’t be one of those things because it is something fun that me and D could enjoy doing together. And I really like the idea of  knowing exactly where my food is coming from and what chemicals have or have not been put on it! Both Daniel’s parents and his grandparents have gardens, and they are pro’s at growing good vegetables because they have been doing it for so long. Daniel’s Granddad has planted as many as 2,000 tomato plants in years before, but we’re not sure how many he is up to this year. Daniel says he knows for sure that he planted 400 the other day. Want some home grown maders?!?  Cute fact about my hubby: when he was 14, he spent all summer selling tomatoes from their garden at the tomato stand…is that adorable or what? I hope Thomas works the tomato stand one Summer!!  His Granddaddy also grows watermelons…and I think we are going to attempt some of our own! I’m not sure what all Daniel’s Daddy is growing in his garden this year except for some wonderful green beans! We ate more than our fair share of those last year! So, today Daniel and I picked out the perfect spot for our garden, plowed it, put out lime and fertilizer, and tilled it all in! Now, all we have to do is figure out exactly what we want to plant…any suggestions?!? We’re thinking maybe a few tomato plants, some watermelons, cantaloupe, and maybe some zipper peas?? And as you can imagine, I had the camera out the entire time to capture our progress.

I also snapped some pictures of all the pretty things blooming around us. This is the first time that I have ever really appreciate all the beauty  that Spring brings. Here are a few shots of what’s going on in our yard:

 

It’s Spring, and it’s beautiful outside.

 

 

 

 

Maybe we’ll have some grapes this year….maybe!

 

 

 

Or maybe our little peach buds will grow into a big, plump, juicy peach!

And I can promise you that I’ll be picking blueberries off this blueberry bush this Summer and making many blueberry cobbles with them.

Preparing the garden: Step 1: Making sure Thomas is settled-check! We moved his swing to the front porch when we thought we were going to put the garden in the front yard…

Preparing the garden: Step 2: D looking for the right spot for the garden

Still looking….

Preparing the garden: Step 3: Arguing with Amanda about why the garden can’t be right in front of the porch steps….

 

Preparing the garden: Step 4: Getting mad at Amanda for taking pictures instead of deciding where to put the garden….

 

Preparing the garden: Step 5: Finding the perfect spot, plowing it up, and then putting out the lime and fertilizer

Preparing the garden: Step 6: Tilling it all under

 

Preparing the garden: Step 7: Admiring your work

Preparing the garden: Step 8: Work on your farmer’s tan

Preparing the garden: Step 9: Stop and admire your baby’s cute toes!

 

“Oh, SNAP!” says Thomas.

 

 

     

 

Check out who is getting their hair back on the top of their head! Go, T, Go!!

  

Annnnnnnd he’s out! He slept most of the afternoon in his stroller while we worked in the garden.

 

Some more yard photos:

This is the dog you should “beware of”…..aren’t you scared??

 

Thomas taking a break from gardening and playing on his activity mat….

We tried the Bumbo again….and he actually liked it for a total of 30 seconds this time, which is a lot longer than he liked it last time!

 

As always, starts in laughter, ends in tears….

   

 

One final thought from this relaxing Saturday….are these not the most adorable rolls you have ever seen….love them and love him!!!!!