Holding hands going to the out house..

Growing up in rural Mississippi in the early 1900's four sisters learned a lesson that stands the test of time. Even dementia can't strip the bonds that were forged on their trips to the outhouse.

Gently waking your sister up and asking, no begging, her to bear the darkness with you. Grasping hands and tip-toeing through the grass. Feet wet as you make your way up the path. Secrets told, fights mended, promises made on the trail.

Going with your sister because you knew you might need her to go with you next.



Some 80 years later and I've heard it said that they still grab each others hand and go to the outhouse/bathroom. Their memories faded, their hair gray, and yet when all together they grasp each others hands. It's just a habit. The years have gone, their minds almost, but their hands are familiar. Always familiar

The common bond never broken.

No longer young and silly but none the less miles and years couldn't break the habit that was formed. Holding hands. Such a simple gesture of friendship, safeness from the darkness.

Still remembered after all these years.

Their trips to the outhouse no longer made together but their hands have held each others during wars and weddings and oh the many babies and funerals. Hands held as they buried their dad and then their mom. Under blankets against the coldness of the world.



It's the simple day to day things that we do over and over that will be remembered by our children.



So many of our children are never taught to take that journey with their brothers or sisters to the outhouse.

We make it easy now. No more roughing it, no more cold nights, no more grabbing each others hands in the dark.



Our older children are sheltered from the burden of their little siblings because they need a childhood after all and if I made them help then they would have to grow up way too fast and that just wouldn't be fair.



I don't believe that was the attitude of mamaw's day. I believe older kids were taught that you helped with the chores and the crops and yes, the babies. The lines were not blurred as they are today.



Today most of us don't have crops and we don't have outhouses. Our family sizes reflect a size that we can handle. We are no longer dependent on anyone, not even God.



I often hear"I can't handle two much less 8, you must be a saint." I can assure you the latter is not true. But what is true is that Taylor, Tucker, and Cooper share an attitude that we're all in this together. They make bottles. They wipe noses. They prepare food. They garden and feed animals and hang out clothes. They wash clothes. They protect. They teach. They love...........They comfort.....



Is this an event in their life? No, it's just their life. They don't think what they're doing is something special, they're just doing what's been taught.



Just like in the 1900's they are just making their way to the outhouse and they have hands that make their journey something to remember.

You know you have boys when..

A $5.00 bag of apples keeps them busy for 3 hours...

The View At My House Is Breathtaking

Keepin' it real on the farm

The moments I capture with our camera just happen to be the moments I'm not covered up with sad faces, runny noses and weird bathroom rollings.

So in all fairness I thought I'd share some of the not so perfect moments in our life.

My boys get too rough and my girls well they're delicate. I still say the same thing 100 times a day and I wonder often if anyone ever listens to me.

My boys argue over whose going to be buzz light-year. I'm serious I have to put people to bed for this one..."I'm buzz" no "I'm buzz" "you're always buzz" etc....

I look around and think to myself "this is not happening."

There is world hunger and my boys are fighting over who's going to be stinkin' buzz.

In between the tattle telling and

hurt feelings, I attempt to do school.

Some days the yellow school bus taunts me from afar as I wonder how in the world I can do this for another 20 years. :)

One of my sons still pees in my friends yards (quite unexpectedly I assure you) I often times see it coming and try to stop the little black behind from being exposed but I don't get there fast enough..Oops, I didn't say black, I meant cream...

Our trips to walmart, I have to admit, are sometimes embarrassing when they pile out of the big red van and I realize Channie doesn't have panties on under her long dress. (this has only happened once...ok, twice)

Jo has shoes but they're two different kind and wrong feet.

You get the picture and it's not pretty.

This is where I'll stop and look at the rest of them and say "Do I have to tell you guys to breathe? shoes and panties are important..... ok, when we get stares in here remember I can't think of everything. Your gonna have to step up. This will be a good lesson for all of us in the humility department." shewww you've just got to hear one of my world famous mama speeches...But I wouldn't try this one, it doesn't seem to work most days.....

So just keeping it real over here...I could go on but my children's reputation is at stake..

I'm just saying the ole farm has her days but I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.....

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

The Christmas Dress

I saw the dress a week earlier and loved it. It was black and cream with a beaded middle

The best part was that it came with an American girl doll dress that matched it.

I couldn't justify buying this dress for Channie because it was $20.00 and all of our money is going toward paying our adoption off, so funds are alittle tight.

When I went by the window again a week later the same dress caught my attention. I reasoned it probably wouldn't even fit her. So I took it out to the van and tried it on her and it fit so perfect.

That's when Tucker (who has his own money from cutting his grandmothers grass) spoke up and handed me a $20 bill and said "Mom, I want to buy Channie her Christmas dress."

My first response was to say "no Tuck that's your money, wait and buy yourself something."

Why as parents do we discourage giving? This was something Tucker doesn't normally do because he is usually saving to buy something for himself.

So I said "Are you sure?"

He said "Yes, that's a beautiful dress and Channie will look so pretty in it."

From the back-seat Channie said "oh Tucker, thank you bubba."

What if I would have let him miss out on the feeling of giving away something and knowing that Channie could not give anything back to him except for her love. Is this not the lessons that are best learned from home and hearth?

I truly think he wanted me to be able to see Channie in that dress.

I don't think a 14 year old boy thinks alot about his little sisters wardrobe, but I think any boy worth his weight cares about his mamma's desires even if it's a silly Christmas dress.

He didn't want me to have to put it back....

So when we came home and Channie tried on her dress again and put Rosie in her new dress, she twirled and danced and asked Tucker

"do I look like a princess?" and his reply

"You always do".....

Lets raise the roof

Our dear friends the Bailey's opened their spacious barn to family and lots of us friends for a night of square dancing and fellowship.

Lee girls

The food was GREAT! Grass fed beef. Can't get a burger like that just anywhere.

Some of the
Pritchett ladies enjoying the food.

Some of our own home grown talent

Abby playing the role

Two very dear friends, Kathy and Kelly

The guys taking a break

Lillian and Elizabeth

The West girls

Jeff and Kathy

The girls waiting on a dance

It was crisp and cool and lots of fun sharing the night with friends.
Thanks Mike and Alison for being so hospitable.

We love you guys!

The Race!

We all wore ribbons in honor of our son William. Our friends and family in the cold and rain there to run with us. Gosh have you ever looked around and saw all your friends around and thought I'm so blessed to have this group of people in my life. To have this group of people in my children's life. Thanks guys for coming out and just being supportive. We love ya! Dear Friends

Coop came in 4th place for his age group 0-14

Family from Mississippi

Go Darby!

All down hill from here!

WhoooHooo Sam!

Time to rest!

Thanks again to all of our friends and can't wait for the jingle bell run coming up!

On Taylor's hand

Taylor was cleaning the kitchen when I noticed it. A verse on the palm of her hand.

She looked embarrassed when I gently turned her hand over and read the following:

Show me the way I should go

For to you I lift my soul

rescue me from my enemies

I will hide myself in you.

Psalm 143

Does homeschooling your children give them a nice easy road with no bumps?

Does it shelter them from all trouble and heart-ache?

So many people have said to me "you can't shelter them from the realities of the "real" world by homeschooling them."

They have to face the big bad world sometime.

Our kids are more sheltered than if they went to public school but

they still have to learn that we live in a fallen, sinful world and heartache and misunderstandings cross their path just as easily at home.

Friends still say things that hurt.

Family are not always supportive.

Strangers still ask alot of questions.

Your heart still gets broken.

Feelings get hurt.

Feeling misunderstood.

Always feeling as though your going against the grain.

Home-schooling will not keep your kids from learning the lessons that this fallen world

has to offer

but...

You will be there whispering in their ear to keep moving forward. Don't stop.

Don't get caught up in the things of this world.

These are all lessons you have to learn but they don't define you.

Christ already has.

Josie Claire and Ellie Cate sunning.

O My Saviour,

Help me.

I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb;

I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights;

I am pained by my graceless heart,

my prayerless days, my poverty of love, my sloth in the heavenly race, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me: take the scales from my eyes,

grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.

Make it my chiefest joy to study thee, meditate on thee, and gaze on thee.

Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be more decision in my character,

more vigour in my purposes, more elevation in my life,

more fervour in my devotion, and more constancy in my zeal.

~Puritan Prayer

Lessons from the Farm

Work as though someone is always watching you.

Gathering eggs is a job that is fun in the summer time,
but when it's cold outside the walk to the chicken coop is a little longer.
The coldness that you feel when you step out in the briskness of the newly found fall chills you to the bone and you want to turn right around and go back to what is safe and warm.
The reward at the end of your walk is fresh farm raised eggs, but you gotta get there first.
The walk is always the hardest part isn't it?
The reward is great but the walk can be difficult.
Deciding to home-school when your parents and friends think you just might have lost your mind. Having more children when the whole world screams don't do it.
Choosing to give away your stuff so that others might be blessed.
Choosing to love and forgive even though you don't really feel like it.

It's all about the walk.

This morning the girls were up at two and again at three, five and six....
The walk to their room was long but I reminded myself that the reward will far out weigh the inconvenience of not getting a full night of sleep.
I had to choose right then in the darkness what my attitude would be.
I choose to gather these blessings in my arms and sing sweet words of love, and I am glad that this is my job.

Channie has to be pushed in the morning to gather her eggs but when she gets there
and pulls out her treasure she's glad it's her job!

I don't want to be found having a bad attitude on the road the Lord has me walking.

I want to be found joyful and content, boldly walking, giving Thanks always!

5-K news!!

Alright everyone, the 5K is this Saturday (the 24th)!!!
It starts at 8:00am at the GYM in Oneonta.
I would recommend you getting there at 7:30 though, just to get registered and all.
It is $25.00 a family.
We are asking everyone to wear bright yellow t-shirts so we will all look like a team.
If you have any questions leave a comment and I will email you.
Hope to see you there!!!!

-Robin

Putting on my work boots

Grabbing the only thing I could find in the dark, my favorite jeans, slipping them on and tip-toeing out of the room, where my sweet husband lay asleep after doing the 3:ooam feeding of the twins.
I had forgotten how quiet the house can be.
The rooster has not even made his morning call and here I am wide awake and drinking my 2nd cup of coffee.
Everyone has adjusted remarkably well.
The girls fit in as easily as any of them have fit when we bring them home.
Their ears getting used to all the noise and laughter and their eyes gazing up at me when I feed them.
Their crying stops when I pick them up and nestle them close to my chest, they know I'll come.
The day almost ready to wake up and I go to my Father and ask for guidance and direction for this day.
I want my words to be kind and gentle.
I want my arms to be full.
I want my thoughts to be about others not myself.

I know I'll have to put on my work boots today. Scott will be going back to work, yet I'm up for a little work this is what I'm here for. Time like these:)

The sun is throwing his covers off. The rooster rehearsing his song "this is the day the Lord has made so let us rejoice and be glad in it".

Meeting the girls birth-mom and sister

The drive was long. My mind racing with what I would say to a woman who just gave me these two precious little girls. We will also get to meet Josie Claire and Ellie Cate's full sister (picture above) so we could get to see what the girls may look like when they grow up.

The first time I see her I think "she is beautiful." She is tall 5'8 and you can't even tell she just had twins. She and I hug and she turns her focus on the girls. She keeps saying "they're beautiful." We spend the next three hours swapping girls and stories or her life and ours.

She lost her mom a few years ago and I could still hear the sadness in her voice when she talked about how things would be different if she was still here.

We talked about how the girls were doing and she was so happy that they had gained some weight.

She could even tell them apart the moment she saw them.

I loved being able to meet her and to reassure her that we would love and cherish these miracles.

Little MiMi as she is affectionately called by her mom looked so much like the girls.

She showed me baby pictures of MiMi when she was born and oh my, same hair and little button nose. She had perfectly braided hair and L told me she would show me how to do the girls hair when they got about 8 months old. We saw pictures of the girls birth father and they had his fair complexion as did MiMi. He was tall 6'4.

We talked about the next time we would see each other and promised to keep in touch.

I want to be able to keep lines of communication open between us for years to come.

This is and will be the biggest gift I can give my girls. No wondering in the future, they will always know who their birth-mom is.

When we left I was mentally and physically wiped out. This was a huge day in our life and I have tons of pictures to look back on. I forgot to ask L if I could post them so in respect of her and MiMi I thought I'd only post a few until I could ask her.