Give Thanks to The Lord For He is Good!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I was up early this morning, enjoying the peace and solitude of my Quiet Time, reflecting about all that I have to be thankful for. I came upon Psalm 136. The entire Psalm is one of Thanksgiving to God, because He is good, because He alone does great wonders, making the heavens and the earth, the waters that stretch across the earth, the lights that govern the day and the moon and stars that govern the night. He deserves our praise and Thanksgiving for all of the ways that He protects and provides for His people, for freeing us from bondage and leading us through deserts.

Today I give thanks to the "One who remembered us in our low estate and freed us from our enemies, and who gives food to every creature. I give thanks to the God of heaven." What I especially love about this Psalm is the response, "His love endures forever". That's the truth that I cling to every day, the thing that I am the most thankful for. It is what begins my journey to a million other things that I am so grateful for on this Thanksgiving day: my family, my husbands kisses and the laughter of my children, our health, our many wonderful friends, our jobs, the way of life that we enjoy in Wyoming, the beauty of God's creation that surrounds me. And I'm thankful for turkey and stuffing and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie!

I love thanksgiving for so many reasons, but especially because today makes us stop and ponder what we are thankful for and why. Our Pastor and his son just got back from a missions trip in Zimbabwe. They were there for two weeks, visiting family's in different "trusts" or villages. Each family that they visited was given a gift of water and cornmeal. Pastor Bob shared with us how grateful the people were for what is a seemingly simple gift. Bu this gift would go a long way in feeding these families and they didn't hesitate in sharing their meal with their guests! I think that we have gotten too accustomed to comfort, ease and plenty here in American, making it harder and harder to be thankful. So today I am finding myself thankful for our ability to share water and cornmeal with a starving country, and for people like Pastor Bob and Dylan, who are willing to to go and give to a poor and hungry people, and then come back and open our eyes to all that we have to be truly grateful for, and to consider that if we had a lot less, maybe our gratitude would be more. Take time and read Psalm 136 today, it will begin the journey to a thankful heart!

A Fall of Firsts

I love Fall!! I know that I wrote a few months ago about how much I love summer, and it's true, I do love summertime. I love all of the seasons, mainly I love the change of seasons, which means that Wyoming is the perfect state for me to live in! In my heart of hearts, though, Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the colors and the smells and the cool, crisp feel of Autumn. Now that Fall is almost over, I find myself reflecting over how many firsts we experienced in the last three months. There have been a lot of 'em!

The "first 1st" was Kade's birthday! He turned 1 on September 28th. What a celebration that was! To think that a year earlier my little man came into this world in a burst of energy! The doctor told Mike and I that it was the first time in the many years of delivering babies that one fought so hard to make his way out into the world!

For those of you who don't know our story; Mike, Hannah, and I waited and prayed for 9 1/2 years for this newest member of our family. He was a much anticipated baby! When people realize the 11 year span between our two kids, they give me a knowing smile and want to know if Kade was an accident. I love telling them that he was an amazing surprise, but in no way was he an accident! God knew exactly what He was doing making us wait for this answered prayer! At the beginning of my pregnancy we also had quite the scare when I had a cyst on my ovary that burst. Mike rushed me to the ER two days after we found out that I was finally pregnant. The doctor initially thought that I was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy and we were told that it wasn't a viable pregnancy. We were broken hearted. But rather than administering the medication that would terminate the pregnancy, the doctor on call (I refer to him as one of Kade's Angels!) chose to send me to Sheridan and my regular OB/GYN, where it was discovered that I had the cyst and it was not a tubal pregnancy. What cause for celebration that was! Struggling with infertility for all of those years was heartbreaking for both Mike and I, but it gave us the opportunity to choose to trust in God. My faith grew and was strengthened because of my heartbreak, not in spite of it. And that day when I finally held my baby boy in my arms was the end result of years of choosing trust over despair.

Kade's 1st birthday was a big event, complete with cupcakes and birthday hats and gifts. The thing that struck me the most, though was the fact that my little boy was surrounded by people who love him and who had spent years praying with us for this beautiful little boy! He was completely enveloped in love.

Other Firsts this Fall:

Hannah's first Jr. High Dance!

Kade's first haircut

Hannah's first hunt!!

12th Birthdays and Braving Slumber Parties

Hannah Mac turned 12 on August 29^th, and this birthday marked a first for me in the endeavors of motherhood; a slumber party involving 7 young girls ages 9 to 12.  Now let me precede this with the reasons why I have not attempted a slumber party up to this point: First of all, I am easily over-stimulated and our house is small, a one level ranch-style home, with Hannah’s room directly across from ours.  Imagining the amount of noise that a group of pre-teen girls can make is very frightening to me!  Second of all Mike and I like to sleep, and we are the early to bed type, I know what goes on at these slumber parties, and “slumber” isn’t high on the list of activities!  And last of all, what in the world do you do w/ a group of 4^th to 7^th grade girls to keep them entertained and all getting along?  I tell you slumber parties have always been on my list of most frightening experiences; I have always had the utmost respect & admiration for those moms who host slumber parties on a regular basis, but I am not one of them. 

     And then Hannah turned 12 and requested a slumber party; what choice did I have when this girl of mine, who rarely requests anything, specifically asked for a slumber party?  So I laid aside my fears and called my best friend Erika.  Erika is the Queen of kid parties of any kind, including those for pre-adolescent, giggly, emotional young girls; I needed her support as well as any and all ideas that she could give me!

     This ended up being a 24-hour birthday party, complete with a treasure hunt, a variety show, ice cream sundaes, and ending with a day at the lake.  I survived it, and more than that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t know how soon it’ll be before I’m ready for another one, but I think that I am now brave enough to try it again.

I planned on writing something sentimental and insightful about my little girl becoming another year older, and then I found a treasure as Hannah and I were looking through her 1^st Year Scrapbook.  It was an article that my mother wrote right after Hannah was born and right before my 26^th birthday for her column “At Home on the Range with Jody”.  It brought tears to my eyes and I thought that this would be appropriate to share with all of you now, 12 years later:

      “A New Grandma Reflects” by Jody White

     It seems like just yesterday that the doctor held you up for me to see and announced “It’s a girl”, or that I held you in my arms and rocked you while looking into those beautiful blue eyes and just loving you so much, thanking God that He had given you to us. 

     Jana, we remember your first tooth, and your first day of kindergarten.  Your father and I remember, along with your first tooth and kindergarten, your first pair of cowboy boots, and your first horse, very important rites of passage in the life of a ranch kid.  And we remember our reaction the night you told us you were asked on your very first date.  And all those subsequent nights after, that I stayed up waiting for you so we could talk.  I remember pigtails and toothless grins, proms, boyfriends, queen try-outs, victories and disappointments, and your high school graduation.  And your dad especially remembers that day when Mike asked for your hand in marriage.  What a sweet and old-fashioned thing to do.  And then a wedding; I especially remember when the pastor asked “And who gives this bride away?”  And your dad, with tears in his eyes, answered, “Her mother, her brothers and I do”.  A bittersweet time.  But in return we got a wonderful son-in-law and the knowledge that our daughter was going to be very well loved.  And loved not only by her husband but by his family too.

     And now as I look down at the little bundle in my arms and into bottomless blue eyes, very much like her mother’s, something indescribable wells up inside me.  Her tiny fingers wrap tightly around my own, and in that little gesture she wraps herself securely around my heart.

     Little Hannah, I hope you realize how well and how completely you are loved.  You are, shall I say very snugly wrapped in family.  From Grandmas and Grandpas, Great Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, Godparents, and of course your Mommy and Daddy, you are loved.  Even the little community you live in, where you have been nicknamed “Holy Hannah!!” has welcomed you with open arms.  I wonder how old you will be when either your Grandpa White or your Grandpa Fraley puts you on a horse to move cattle?

     You know I also think back to when your mother told me after reading the book “Mrs. Mike” for the third time, that someday she was going to be a Mrs. Mike.  And who would ever have thought that that’s exactly what would happen!  Amazing! I am also amazed as I watch your Grandpa kiss and fuss over you, or Joel and Coby scoop you up in their arms, feed and change you.  Are these my men??  What wonderful qualities you have brought out in them.  And it has given me a glimpse into what they might be as fathers.  Thank you for the sneak preview. 

     And to think I’m a Grandma.  A Grandma!!  Wow!  What an awesome responsibility.  And although your mother and I thought you were a “Hank” right up to delivery, we couldn’t be more tickled that you’re a Hannah!”

     

End of Summer Meanderings

          

  Camping in the Big Horns
Kade enjoying his first Smore!

Relaxin' on the mountain

Hangin' out at the Buffalo pool

Fishin' buddies

Kade's 1st Fly Fishing lesson

Well, it's time to get caught up on my meanderings, I'm a good month behind on a few things that I wanted to share!  First of all I can't believe that summer is officially over; it went so fast and furious, I wonder if I was truly able to enjoy it.  But I do have to say that I am ready for Fall; which is honestly my favorite time of the year, the colors, the smells, the cool, crisp air, hunting in the Big Horns and my birthday!  But before I am able to begin sharing the Fall happenings of the Fraley Four I suppose that I should finish w/ our summer activities!  

August was of course filled with fairs, and once that was over we had the start of school to look forward to.  It's always so bittersweet to see school begin, I know that I'm going to miss having Hannah with me all day, and yet I look forward to the routine that the school year brings.  People are always asking the standard "How was your summer" and I always answer with the typical "It was good but fast".  I have to ask myself, how was our summer, really; and I have to say that it was good.  We made good family memories, Kade's first camping trip, Hannah's first time away at church camp, lots of fishing and playing at the lake, time spent with family.  We may not have done as much traveling as we have done in years past, but we managed to have plenty of adventures right around here.

So now Hannah has started the 6th grade, that means Middle School.  Now I have to confess that a couple of years ago the idea of my little girl being in the junior high struck terror in my heart.  It just seems so much bigger, more part of the world, than the elementary; but she was ready and so was I!  She was the most excited about the fact that she actually gets her own locker this year, that was a very big deal.  Hannah asked that I take her to school that morning, but that I not take her into the school, and that I NOT take pictures at school!  I couldn't believe it, the traditional picture of Hannah standing in front of the school, the one that I have taken every year since she was in Kindergarten, I was not allowed to take.  On one hand it broke my heart, and on the other hand I appreciate seeing the maturity and independence that our little girl is gaining, at just the right pace.  One of my favorite sayings is: "The two greatest gifts that we can give to our children are roots and wings."  My Hannah Mac is growing wings.  So, I had to resign myself to pictures of her at the house the 1st day of school and then in front of her bus the following day!

        

The other event that I wanted to share was my "7th Annual First Day of School Coffee".  The year that Hannah started kindergarten I realized that I was going to need a good distraction in order to survive the emotions of that day; so I hosted a coffee for other mothers who also needed the distraction and support of sending their babies off to school.  The coffee is something that my friends have come to look forward to and expect each year.  This year I was struck by some of the things that us "Courageous Mommies" have faced over the years; decisions of whether or not to send our kids on or hold them back, fears of how our children will get along w/ their teachers and other classmates, some of us moms were sending our last child on to kindergarten and some of us were watching as they entered high school.  Some of these women have been coming since the beginning, and each year we end up missing some moms who have gone back to work, but there were also some new faces this year that added to all of the fun!  There were a few tears that morning, but mostly a lot of laughter and LOTs of caffeine!  Each year I wonder if I will host the coffee or not but  I am always so thankful that I've opened up my home to these precious women.  We Moms need one another in order to be courageous.  So I suppose that it looks like I will be hosting the "Annual First Day of School Coffee" for another 17 more years until Kade graduates!

 

     

  

The Courageous Fair Mommy

       I just survived the toughest two weeks of my year, County Fair followed immediately by State Fair.  I love fair time, both Johnson County Fair and the Wyoming State Fair; so many of my memories are wrapped up in these events.  Mike and I even spent our honeymoon at State Fair his first year as an Ag Teacher!  But fair time is not for the faint of heart, it really does require a whole lot of courage for us fair parents!  I have to say that since Hannah has been in 4-H I have learned something new each year, but I always manage to forget whatever I’ve learned by the time fair rolls around the next year!  This year was especially full of adventure with the addition of one busy little boy; I decided that we have either made Kade “fair tough” or “fair sour”! 

Here are my top 10 secrets to surviving as a Fair Mom:

1.)           We all have the potential of being a “fair mom” (including yours truly); as in the mom who is normally calm and level headed, but the minute her child enters the show ring she becomes a raving, ultra-competitive woman who can scare the most seasoned of judges w/ just a look.  We would all enjoy fair much more if we’d just cool it & support our kids, it’s about them and not us after all!

2.)          A fair mom should have a well stocked cooler full of drinks and healthy snacks, otherwise her kids will break her as they consume an innumerable amount of hamburgers, Indian tacos, funnel cakes, deep fried Snickers Bars & oreos (yes, they really do exist), lemonades and pops.

3.)          I have learned the importance of daily naps during fair in order to get adequate rest; this year this only involved Kade and I as Hannah has reached that age where she refuses to leave the fairgrounds for fear that she will miss something.

4.)          A Fair Mom w/ a younger child should have really good shoes and a heavy duty stroller that she doesn’t mind getting covered in dust and manure (I wore the tread off of the tires on my stroller this year!), and one w/ plenty of storage room at the bottom to carry all important fair essentials

5.)          A fair mom must remain calm when various problems arise, such as an empty pigpen w/ a wide-open gate on the morning of the pig show (we soon found “Choco Roco” in a pen at the wash rack, thank you to whoever found him!)

6.)          We must always remember that whatever show supplies we have invested in and taken to State Fair will almost certainly NOT make it back home with us!

7.)           It’s impossible to keep up w/ all of the laundry that a family can go through during a week of fair, so to make it easier, just let them wear the one pair of pants and t-shirt that they insist on wearing everyday, because as Hannah informed me, they’re just going to get dirty anyway.

8.)          For her own sanity, a fair mom needs to just accept the fact that her house, her vehicle and her camper is going to look and smell like a pig pen (or sheep or steer barn) until fair is over.

9.)          Little boys need to get down and crawl around, whether it be in the dirt, in the sawdust or in the pig pen.  And an experienced fair mom will know that whatever he puts into his mouth probably won’t kill him, it’ll just make for interesting diapers - it may have been my imagination, but Kade’s dirty diapers soon began to smell like pig manure, it could have been that I was just in the pig barn for far too long, but it also could have been what I caught him putting in his mouth several times, eeewwww!!!

10.)       No matter how many years we have livestock projects in 4-H, the night of the fat stock sale will always bring a flood of tears as we say goodbye, always.

         So, I’ve learned and I’ve relearned several lessons in being a fair parent; hopefully next year I’ll actually remember what all I’ve discovered. All in all it was a successful fair season; Hannah did really well w/ her pigs and the photos that she entered in the open class.  She won her first buckle and is already talking about whether or not she’s taking pigs or steers to fair next year; I for one am looking forward to not having chores for a little while and trying to get rid of the stench of pig poop that is almost impossible to remove from the bottoms of shoes!!!  

 

 

Hannah's buckle that she won in Intermediate showmanship

Kade just hangin' out at fair Hannah & her friend Misty on their float

Kade's outfit for the "Cutest Baby Contest" at Fair