Fun with Sawyer

Sawyer usually gets' a little snack after getting up from his nap each afternoon. It's often just a graham cracker or a few animal crackers with a cup of water or milk. On Wednesday I decided to spice things up a bit especially as I was getting ready to partake of a cup of tea that my Mother had brewed for us ladies who were sewing our brains out (for more information please go here)

I remember how much Sawyer had enjoyed having his own cup of tea last Sunday, so I thought it would be fun to see how he would relate to having a tea party! We invited "green bear"-who goes where ever Sawyer goes, got his tea pot all ready, prepared the crumpets (graham crackers), and found Sawyers' tea cup.

Green Bear was such a wonderful guest! He sat quietly and let Sawyer help him with his tea! Yes, Green Bear did have tea in his cup! Sawyer would hold the cup up to green bears nose and then he would take a drink out of it to make it look like green bear was actually drinking tea!

Sawyer tried to keep things neat and drank the spill out of his saucer!

Hmm... I think I can remember my Grandpa dunking! Wonder were this little guy gets it from!

Pouring out tea was Sawyer's Highlight of the tea!! He was very careful with it and didn't spill a drop!! That's pretty good for a two and a half year old!

I showed Sawyer how to clean up his dishes when we were done. He still doesn't grasp what soapy water is all about or even rinsing the dishes. We had fun though!

Im FREE!!!!!

Friends~ I do apologize for the lack of posts this past week. I've been in the middle of a writing project and have had re-prioritize what I do every day. Thankfully I sent the project off earlier this afternoon and am enjoying being "free at last"!

In the afternoons my Momma, our friend Thelma, and I have been working on a huge sewing project for a lady nearby. We're really enjoying the talks, laughter, and just plain fun that have resulted in our afternoons together! I didn't know sewing was relaxing when one did it as a group!

Sawyer has really started taking an interest in helping out without being asked. If he sees us unloading the dishwasher he runs over and pitches in until the job is done. His favorite aspect is the cups, he likes to dry them. In this picture the dishes are actually dirty that he's unloading, but Momma wasn't going to discourage him from helping!!

He's also turning into a real "Ham"!!! He's getting very goofy and can make the funniest faces!

We've been trying to cultivate a thirst for good wholesome movies (such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Wives & Daughters, etc...) in the boys for quite some time. However, Sawyer seems to be the only one who really is enjoying it!!!
Just so you know, our boys prefer to watch cowboy and war movies and some of them consider Jane Austen a real bore!

Sawyer seems to be the only boy who has a real taste for coffee!! Despite our warnings of "It will curl your hair!" he keeps asking for it!

I love drinking coffee with Sawyer! He's a real joy to have around and I can't imagine what life would be like with out him.
It's time for me to get the sewing machine warmed up so I must be going. Till next time..... which is hopefully sooner as opposed to later!

Just Because....

Sawyer is really turning into a little man! He's two and a half now and brings such delight to all of us. He is one of the "funnest" little men around and here are some pictures to prove it!

One of his favorite outside things to do is to play cars in the dirt. He'll sit there and make dump truck noises while rolling them over "hills" and through mud puddles! You have to watch him with the mud puddles as he LOVES to incessantly jump in them!

He is also fond of petting any animals that happen to be "petable" like our friend Billy the Kid pictured above! He's learning that you are to be nice and gentle with all of the "livestock".

As you can see, he is thoroughly enjoying being outside! When asked what he has done each day, he always tells you "ri dado. Ha to dado's" which translates into "ride tractor. Have two tractors" and then he'll launch into a "talk" about the tractors!! It's a hoot!!!

He has been trying on other peoples shoes this past week! Here he has Tristan's boots on (on the wrong feet too!) and Daddy is showing him how to tie them up.

It can get tricky wearing shoes that are many sizes to big for you!

"Ni boos Daddy!" means nice boots Daddy.
I tremble to think about what our life would be like if he wasn't a part of our family. He's truly a blessing from God!

Spring Time Quote

Sawyer and I took a little tramp around our "gardens" last Sunday afternoon, picking flowers to give to Momma. It was delightful outside with a light breeze blowing, the sun shining, and the flowers blooming!

Woodland Hyacinth

"It makes the heart swell with joy to see the buds and the flowers starting into life after long sleep.....

...and to hear the birds tune up once more at the opening of spring.

When Nature is trying to do her best in the way of growth, it is a real pleasure to take hold and help."

-The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1872

I like to meander around the place on Sundays picking some flowers for the house or my room. When I found this little tidbit from the Old Farmers Almanac (on my calendar!) I felt that it described how I feel during spring very well!!

What I Sometimes Find...

There are definite advantages of being the oldest in a family. I get to experience first hand the "antics" and the creative games that the younger ones come up with!!! All but two of my brothers are in the "teenage years" which makes life interesting at times!
Sayre and Sawyer on the other hand are twelve years old and two years old and keep us laughing all the time! Here are a few ideas of what I find in my room at least once a week.....

Where did the child go????
I walked into my room one evening and found Sawyer's clothes laid out on the bed just like he had been laying down and then had his body evaporate! I had to laugh!!!!!

The cat is not related to anything that Sayre and Sawyer come up with. However, I do find her sleeping in my drawers (she climbs in before I can get all of my laundry put away!) or sleeping ON TOP of the things I'm working on!

Normal play for Sayre and Sawyer!
On Monday Momma had to run an errand so the boys and I were left at home! I was busy cleaning the bathroom when I peek out to see what Sawyer is doing and I find Sayre "bundling him up" on my bed! As you can tell, his teddy bears are also included in their play!
Even though there is an age difference of ten years between S&S, they are still good buddies and incredible playmates for each other!

Another thing that I have been finding lately, are at least three of the five boys "crashing" on my bed around nine o'clock in the evening!!! I'm not sure what the draw is, but I can guarantee you that if one of them appears in my room, the others will soon follow!!!
I think I have some really neat and special brothers!

Just A Note

For the past week a cold has been making its' round in our family. Yesterday was my turn to feel awful and so, I made a nest to curl up in and went to grab my book. This is what I found on my return two minutes later!

"Ni-Ni Asseee"......
were the words that greeted me on my return! Sawyer had claimed my nest as his own (never mind the fact that he had gotten up from his nap half an hour before!) and he was to cute and innocent for me to "displace" him.
He plays "Ni-Ni" after each nap; he spreads his blanket out, grab the pillows off the sofa, lays down, and start "snoring"!

It's great fun having a two year old in the house!

Lessons From A Little Boy

Being the youngest of six must be a wonderful thing... People play with you, talk to you, carry you around, give you great tasting snacks, and everyone loves you! But it's neat to be on the other end of the spectrum; being the oldest of six, I get to watch the younger ones discover new and exciting things as they get older! I had never thought of this until I began to watch Sawyer learn and discover.

"Learning the proper use of a hammer"
I've learned that he watches, or listens to you, and then tries to re-create what you have just done. This tells me that I need to be careful of what I say and do, for I may be the older sister of a future leader. Am I teaching him good things?

"Using a seed pod as a gun"

As I watch my younger brothers get older, I see them beginning to become men and take dominion. Maybe it's through hunting and providing meat for our family. Maybe it's building an addition from scratch. Maybe it's clearing land filled with briars. Maybe it's feeding and taking care of rabbits, fish, cats, and dogs. They all begin to take responsibility for cetain things. Who am I to laugh at what they do? What am I encouraging them to be?

"Contemplation after the shot"
I'm learning that he will imitate anything he sees. What kinds of thoughts do we want to encourage? What kinds of books do we select for him to read? He is Gods' little boy and we want him to become Gods' child so we read books about Gods' love and care for us.

"We must always pick up that which we throw"
I'm learning that the best way to teach him is to include him in what I'm doing. He loves to help and will come running when he hears the word help! Picking up toys or straightening up the house can be a joint effort that is fun and rewarding!

"Being a helper"
I'm beginning to see that he too needs jobs that are "just his size". I need to encourage him to work. Maybe it's just picking up the toys, or maybe it can be putting trash in the trash can. Anything that will teach him responsibility and be fun at the same time.

"Hammie" is getting so big so fast. He'll only be small for a small remainder of time and we're going to have a blast with what's left! He's a big helper already with much more potential. He's a little boy through and through....... hammers, nails, and anything with four wheels are his delight!
For those of you who are wondering... No, his hair is not curly! He just really needs a hair cut!

Naptime with Sawyer

As Momma was leaving for the store not to long ago, she giggled out to me that......... "Sawyer has a library in his crib AND...... I think I smell something!" giggle, giggle, giggle! He had gone down for his nap about twenty minutes earlier and there were noises coming from the room that made one think that he wasn't very sleepy. So, being the adult that I am, I mentally prepared myself not to laugh, steeled my nerves against the odor that could possibly becoming from the room, grabbed the camera, and went to investigate!
Here's what I found!

Sissy, I needed something to pass the time in here!
His crib sits about a foot from a bookshelf and he has been known to pull all of the books off of any shelf he can reach!

Let's see what he was reading....

We like to start the educational process early here! He's trying to figure out how he needs to vote!

I can guarantee you that he chose this book because of it's bright and active cover!

He chose to read this book because he received five dollars from Grandma for his birthday, and he wants to spend it wisely!

Hmmm... I wonder if he will be this studious when he begins school?

All good and interesting things must come to an end, so Sayre picked up and put the books back together while I changed his diaper. Then he went BACK down for his "nappy". Look at that smile..... I wonder what he's up to now........ I think I need to go check on him!!!!

The Birthday Boy!

Saturday was Sawyers' second Birthday! My, how the past two years have flown by! They've been terrific years and I've learned allot just by having him around!! Such as, consistency is KEY!

Here he is with the horse that he got! It will make noises if you pull or squeeze it's ear and he likes that. I don't think he really sees the need to ride on a stick with a horse head on it yet. At least, it doesn't appear to be enjoyable to him!

Momma hit the nail on the head when she gave him a "John Deere Tractor set"!! He plays with it all the time! Let's see... there's a tractor, a sprayer, several various kinds of trailers, and a four wheeler and they all connect together (except that the four wheeler goes in a trailer). He is enthralled with it!!

"Hammie" is growing up so fast. He's looking more and more like a little boy and is interested in big boy things like hammers (which, interestingly enough, he calls Hammys'). Happy Birthday little guy! I'm so glad you're part of our family!