Never Say Goodbye

Never say goodbye

you and me and my best friends

hoping it would never end

Say goodbye, never say goodbye

holding on we've got to try, holding on to never, say goodbye.

OK, bonus to who can tell me where those lyrics are from.

A few tears were shed the evening they left, but just a few. And then last night, when the check arrived, there were none!

And Dustin's have gone to Gram's for the winter. There are no tears over getting up a bit later and not playing in ice cold water first thing in the morning!

One more day...

Just ONE more day, and then the fairs are OVER! 3 more hours in the car, maybe 4 more hours in the bleachers watching cows, a few more hours sitting in the barn people-watching, one more basket of fries, and then the end.

Thank GOODNESS!!!!

The suspense isn't even bothering me about whether or not the steers will sell. There's just no way to know. Sunday at 6, we will either load them, or say goodbye and pocket the cash.

It's weird. And I'm over it. I'm too tired to care!!!

**UPDATE**

Tracey commented she hoped the day turned out better....

It actually got worse, my second boy lost his shoes. The 2 players rode the bus back to the school, and the rest of us stopped by the house to leave off my husband's truck and ride together. I had him drop the elementary boy and I at that school, figured we'd get a head start, while he waited for the team to be dismissed at the Middle School.

I toured the entire school with Michael.

They never showed.

We finally walked to the Middle School. I greeted the principal in the foyer, and asked if he had seen my boys. We have small classes, Dustin's class at last count was 45. By that, I mean in his GRADE. So the principal knows each student well.

Anyway, he said he had seen them, and that Brian was in socks.

I ask several teachers, trying to narrow down where they went, but the one thing they all knew was my son had no shoes on. He's not supposed to wear cleats in the building, so this was not terribly alarming. Yet.

Michael and I chatted awhile with Brian's homeroom teacher, the wife of the Assistant Fire Chief. Remind me to tell you of the canvas painting of my husband in his uniform.

Anyway, we finally gave up, mind you, I had scanned the parking lots and NOT seen my car. We went outside to sit and wait. Side note: I was dumb and left my cell phone in the van. Or I could have called him.

He finally appears, with 3 boys in tow. Turns out he had gone to the school gym. And the soccer field where they had played. And finally our house, to get old shoes. I told him he should never, EVER go to all that trouble again. Brian could have done the open house in socks.

We're hoping they are on the bus, luckily it was THEIR bus they ride every day, so he should be able to ask easily enough.

BUT...

THEN my day got better. At night, we all have a family prayer, and then each of us hug and kiss goodnight. I don't make my boys kiss, but I DO make them hug. It has yielded VERY good results so far. Anyway, Zachary, the 3 yo, was the last to give me a hug. He gave me a big kiss, where his face is smushed on my cheek and he just waits before he smacks. Then, he wrapped his still-toddler-chubby arms around my neck, and he says, "I love you, Mommy... You da best mommy in da whole WOLD!!"


And don't you forget it, kid!!! ;-)

My kids have steers...

Well, still calves at this point, they will become steers... later.

Anyway, I realized the other night I haven't taken pics of them exercising them in our yard this year. So, without further adieu...


Please meet Jeff and Jimmy:



They are Holsteins, but we forgive them.

And Buzz and Woody:

I could pretend I was experimenting in low light, but really, I should have gone out earlier. Ah well.

I should also have taken pictures of Michael shooting baskets... maybe tonight!

Busy Weekend!

Saturday morning was a BUSY one! We already had plans to be up and about early (well, ok, Bill and Brian did), and when Bill looked out the window he saw that we had been EGGED. AGAIN!!

Cute little plastic Easter eggs with candy in them all around the driveway. Apparently our friendly neighborhood Easter bunny felt there was too much snow for the kids to climb over to put them on the lawn! And it was chilly out, a whopping 7 degrees, so it was nice that it only took a few minutes to gather them!

Zachary also decided the most effective way to open the plastic eggs was to throw them to the floor at full force!

After claiming a bit of candy as his own, Brian went to Clinton with Daddy and Uncle Kevin to get himself a pair of steers for his 4H project. While they were gone the other kids and I went to visit my Dad for a bit, intending to come home and clean house for pictures of our anticipated Easter egg hunt. Because taking pictures is the only reason one should clean one's house.

We arrived back about the same time that they arrived back at my in-law's. The steers are only a week old, and it is still winter here to spite the calendar, and our barn not only is not winterized (on purpose) but it has our wood in it still. So Kevin said he could make room in the barn at my in-law's house.

I brought the camera up, because the only reason to buy a pair of steers is to have something new to take pictures of. And they spent an hour or so "making room" in the barn. There is now officially NO MORE ROOM in the barn! There is nothing but steers at far as the eye can see.

I've never wanted a picture of the outside of the barn before, so please settle for this blurry one that was taken too late at night, and without flash to avoid glare. It's supposed to be a picture of the new and old tractor, but it happens to have the little bitty barn in it, too, in the back on the right.

An hour or so was spent making new stalls, and then the little critters (and I do mean LITTLE critters) were finally allowed to move in!

These are Dustin's. One of Kevin's pulling steers was asked to wait outside while the sawing and hammering was going on. This enabled Dustin's calves to wait in his stall, as theirs was revamped to make room for new friends!

What a cutie!!

Here you see Dustin's closest to the camera woman, then Brian's, and then in the back are Kevin's calves. The four big pulling steers line the opposite wall, with very little walking space left!

So, it's official, we are firmly entrenched in another year of 4H. I just hope the boys can handle it, especially Brian, he's already talking about bugs!!

Saturday night we decorated eggs, and toes, but my fingers are tired, I'll post about that later!