"Open La Boca, Insert Los Pies!"

We go to the border to shop sometimes.

We USUALLY stay on the US side because that's where Super Wal-Mart is.

(If you ever want to be reminded of how blessed we are then just cross over to Mexico for a few minutes and when you come back, the border town suddenly looks mighty clean and upscale.)

Really.

There are a few things you can count on when shopping on the border:

1.) Most of the license plates will be from Mexico,

2.) You will know what it feels like to be a minority,

3.) Border Patrol will be parked outside and waiting for illegal border-crossers to come out of the trees and into the parking lot, and,

4.) Somebody will be walking around outside selling tamales in a freezer bag.

During our trip today we brought Ella, Hayden and Mia with us.  Before we opened the doors to get out, I suddenly thought of a potential "issue" and decided to address it with our young guests.  For some reason five-year olds have a fascination with foreign languages and I've noticed that THESE little ones are no exception.

"We are 20 yards away from Mexico," I started, "which means many people here today are going to be speaking Spanish."

"I know how to speak Spanish," piped Mia.  "I can say Hola!"

"I know how to speak Janapese (Japanese)," countered Hayden.  "I saw it on TV."

"That's great,"  I continued.  "Today, however we are NOT going to be speaking other languages, we are only going to be speaking English."  Then, I remembered my desire to be (and to help my family be) tri-lingual, so I smoothly followed that statement with, "Well, you can practice saying the words you KNOW in Spanish to people."  Just then I looked at Ben in the driver's seat and he flashed me a sudden look of panic.  "NEVERMIND!  Maybe we can practice a little at home before we use our Spanish in public."  Everyone seemed good with that.  (Whew;  That was when I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back for such an awesome recovery.)  "Okay, we are not going to pretend we speak any OTHER languages either, because unless we really DO speak that language we are being rude.  Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

My effort to avoid an embarrassing moment was in vain, however because I didn't notice the Bi-Lingual family standing outside as I started to open the car door, still pointing my head to the backseat and loudly proclaiming, "We are still in America, so we only speak English here."

(Ooops.)

And by the way (can I vent?):

I'm just a teensy bit irritated at the ONE lady who allegedly came through town yesterday and cleaned EVERY shelf of every store in Douglas out of Hand Sanitizer (from the gigantic bucket refills to the travel-size tubes).  Trust me: I checked!  If I get this Pig Flu coming from Mexico it's going to be because of HER!

My new motto this week will be "HOARDING SHOULD BE A CRIME!"

*Photo: www.worthpoint.com

(...since I didn't feel good about taking a picture of someone's plates in the parking lot and then plastering it on the internet.  THIS one was ALREADY plastered on the net.)

"...You Might Be A Redneck!" (part 2)

We found THIS parked down the road from the ranch over the weekend.

I don't know about YOU.....

...but if I see an old  rusty suburban (with missing doors) toting a spray-painted SALE sign duct taped to the side...

I turn RIGHT off the road and start looking for the yard sale!

"There just HAS to be some classy stuff THERE that I can't life without!"

I know what you're thinking:  You're going to do this next time you have a yard sale.

Well, STOP-IT!  I found the idea first!

*           *          *

Okay, but really...you have to admit that it HAS to stay in place better than those little signs on the sides of boxes.  Come to think of it:  you see it better, it won't blow away in the wind and nobody will want to steal it.  Hmmm.  Maybe there's something to this....

...Naah!

Wiggle Worm

Three months already!

Isn't it funny how babies just can't seem to sit still?

Over-flowing and glowing with life and energy, they spend their time practicing, wiggling and learning how to move their bodies.

It's cute and everything....

...but it makes it REALLY difficult to take a clear photograph!

oh well.

(I'll keep the blurry ones, too.)

I know I'm her mom and everything

and that my opinion is a bit bias,

but really.....

Doesn't this face belong on a Pottery Barn Kids Catalog?

Seriously.

The team of 5-year old miniature DBacks.

I have officially entered the soccer mom club...

Which has proven itself to be more entertaining than going to a movie...

Which works out since funds are short for everyone these days and (last time I checked) going to a movie costs, like, a thousand dollars!

(This is WAY more economical, with more lasting memories and better blog entries.)

Watching the 4 coaches teach 12 kids Tee-Ball reminded me of what it must feel like to try to herd a large group of kittens.  The good news is that Hayden WOULD have made it to second base, but when they told him to "keep running" he ran from 1st back to Home plate.  My PERSONAL favorite moment was when he walked up to bat while waving at and blowing kisses to all his "fans" in the bleachers.

So after his very first Tee-Ball game of his life, I thought I would pass along some words of wisdom to Hayden:

The bat is NOT a light sabre!

You are warming up for Tee-Ball, not golf!

Keep your eye on the ball (even when your hands are backwards)...

If you get bored, you can always start singing REO Speedwagon....."Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore!"

(I'm not kidding: this really IS what he was doing!)

Gr-Attitude

"We are about as happy as we make our minds up to be."

~Abraham Lincoln

It wasn't MY idea to move out of our beautiful home in the suburbs.  As I've mentioned before, the thought of relocating to an infested brick house on a farm in the middle of nowhere made me cry whenever I thought about it.

Every time my husband said it was going to be "an adventure" I wanted to punch him.  (I've realized lately, though that he didn't want to go either.  It was what we had to do at the time and HE was trying to have a positive attitude.)

Many people are interested and charmed by the "wild west" portrayed in old John Wayne movies.  I've never been.  In fact, I've always said that the southwest high-desert ranch was the very LAST place in the entire country that I would choose to live.

...and that's exactly where I was going.

The blog started as therapy; a way to recognize and focus on the beauty around me when I was feeling quite miserable and alone.  Despite being in an unfamiliar and scary situation, the blog encouraged me to LOOK for good stories to remember, to FIND opportunities to snap some pictures and to DISCOVER this "adventure" we were supposedly on.  Money became more scarce, local gossip became more cruel and untrue and times became more unsure.   Through most of it we have felt as though we were in the deepest, darkest and loneliest times of our lives.  (I'd LIKE to share some of THOSE experiences soon too.)

And then, the sun started to shine again.

Miracles started to happen and it now looks as though the darkest part will soon be behind us.

We had a new baby, too.

(An experience that scared me to death since we live over an hour from a hospital.  We did it, though and it worked out just fine.)

As we start to walk out into the sunshine, we can look at the darkness behind us and realize the blessings of our trials.  We are stronger than we thought, we have faced some of our deepest fears, we are able to endure longer than we ever thought possible and at the end of the day we know that we can do anything we DECIDE we can do.

*          *          *

I experienced something amazing recently when we had to run up to the old "stomping grounds" for a day:  I hated it.  I felt completely uncomfortable and crowded.  It shocked me to see how close the homes were.  I couldn't wait to leave.  I was taken-back by the realization that the streets and shopping venues that used to be so fun and familiar now seem so crowded and sterile (despite best efforts to warm up the surroundings with trees and landscaping).  "There's so much concrete and asphalt here," I heard myself say.

I couldn't wait to get back to the farm:

The huge sky,

The crisp clean air,

The space,

The sprouting green crops,

The peace,

The beauty.

I am learning a lesson in attitude:  The place that I hated so much has now become my home; the place where I feel at peace, calm and comfortable.

This week, during one of my journeys up the mountain with the dogs I noticed an amazing spring phenomenon.  The rocky trail was dotted by thousands of little yellow flowers starting to peek out into the sunshine.  Beautiful spring flowers thriving in conditions that (should) make it difficult to grow.

And maybe it IS more difficult to grow among the rocks, but they're doing it anyway.  It's not about just enduring, it's about enduring well...and I'm realizing now (more than ever) that THAT part is up to each of us.

Small and Simple (and sexy) Things

We took a family trip yesterday.....

...to Wal-Mart.

But considering you have to drive an hour to go ANYWHERE around here, we like to think of these excursions as opportunities to have a little family time.

Yesterday, though we had an extra little body tag along in the back seat.  Mia is Hayden's buddy: they are in the same Kindergarten class and they play every day after school.  Mia is the daughter of our farming partner and so she lives about two seconds away (literally) at the Ranch Headquarters.

I came to the realization last night that it is a little more complicated to keep TWO 5-year olds and a newborn occupied on an hour-long road trip than it is to only keep only one 5-year old and a newborn happy on an hour-long road trip.  This is what I have learned from my experience: Books work.  Snacks work.  Songs work.  Knock-knock jokes work REALLY well (but loose their charm quickly).  And when all else fails, car ride dance-offs work as well.

At one point, after a pause, we heard Mia pipe up with enthusiasm.

"Guys, seriously....I just saw something pop out of the sky!"

The next voice we heard belonged to Hayden,

"Was it Jesus?"

Which warmed my heart and reassured me that Sunday School and monday Family Nights ARE, in fact, getting through that busy little brain.

After a thoughtful Easter moment, "You sexy thing" came on the radio and we decided to have a dance-off.  I busted out the disco moves, Hayden started bouncing in his seat (arms waving in the air, shoulders and hips jiving in time) and Mia grooved her pistol-pointing hands back and forth between Hayden and Ella.  Ella just looked around with big blue eyes a shocked look on her face, as if to say, "How did I end up in this crazy family?"

"Sorry Sweets, you're stuck with us."

Planting a Garden....Farm Life-Style

Watering the spot for the future 1/4-acre family garden at the headquarters.  Those little storage tanks are for fuel (one diesel, one unleaded) because that's what you do in farm life: buy fuel in bulk and store it around the farm.

Well, it's spring time on the farm....

So it's time to grow something.

We've decided to have a big family garden this year...

It's about a quarter-acre.

I've learned that it is pretty handy to prep the ground for a family garden when you live on a farm.

This is what you do:

Step 1. Water the ground (it isn't city water, so it's free).

Step 2.  Hook the ripper up to the tractor.

Step 3.  Drive the tractor around the designated spot (it's doesn't take long).

Voila!

Ground is prepped and ready for rows.

Although THIS area has never been gardened before, so we uncovered a few surprises:

Some old rusty pipes...

Some sporting equipment...

And some old tree roots.

(yes, that's Ella being carried in my sling)

Luckily, I received more help from three-year old Erin...

Than I did from Tank...

No seriously, Tank, just relax.

Just CHILL, we've got it covered!