We have become a country song....

He watched the whole process with this kind of intensity....

Tate, Son & Son farm meeting

Take a little time to smell the geraniums...

...specifically, "International Harvester".

I always teased that we were the Chevy truck commercials. You know the ones. You sit in your nice clean living room watching the commercial where the truck drives through the middle of nowhere, bumping and chugging along splashing through all of the puddles. All the while, you are thinking to yourself, "Why would they make such a commercial?! No one really does that!" I am here to witness to you. I have done that. Well, not ME driving. Just me the passenger. And it wasn't even just for fun. It was for an actual purpose--getting to a campsite on someone's land, driving down the turn rows checking the crop, taking lunch to the field, etc. Not just the edge of the field. Right over all of the cotton stalks scraping the under side of your car through the middle of the field. Ok, so I HAVE done it.

But now, we are also on the radio.

Over the weekend, a 1460 International Combine was delivered to our place. My children are the sons (and daughter) of a 3rd generation farmer. Probably more than that, but sadly, I am not up on my husband's lineage. We will someday have two boys in the county 4H. We make alot of hay around here. Our almost 4 yr old already has a patch that he is responsible for and knows exactly what to do with. He just needs a little help from Dad running the equipment. ;) We help Dad move a lot of equipment and, on occasion, cause a traffic jam behind us, but generally always try to stay out of the way when possible. My husband is a hardworking, God fearing combine driver. My husband knows all the flaws that song possesses too. And tells me everytime the song comes on.....

So, whether you know it or not, the commercials and the songs really are based on real life. The creators of either may or may not know it, but these things do happen.

And, whether driving a truck, a tractor, a combine or a four wheeler, these are the very best things in life to experience.....

Picture post

I have really been taking alot more pictures lately than I normally would have done P.B. (pre-blog). Problem is, they don't automatically jump into the blog. So, I have decided to post many and explain as I go along. I seem to do that more often than not...

While we (minus Byron) were in Dallas for LTC, Kevin graciously took me to the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. Byron is named after my grandmother--Hurst is his middle name and my grandmother's maiden name. (Incidentally, my granddad always did call him Hurst. My grandmother never got to meet him.) Collin was discovered shortly after my granddad passed away and we named him Mac after my granddad (last name: McGowan). He worked for a trucking company for 35+ years before retiring. My sister told me after we had decided on Mac that is what the guys at the trucking company called my granddad all those years. I never knew that.....

We were there on Saturday, April 3. Their 63rd anniversary would have been Monday, April 5.

A little bit of manual labor.....

This was before all the rain started....

Byron decided to dig up the weeds. After he was done, he asked what a weed looked like...But he was prepared with his wagon and shovel, hoe and rake...

First taste of popsicle

Wondering how such a big guy can fit on such a little trike. I wondered the same thing myself....

He saw a nu nu (i.e. pacifier) under the kitchen table and walked all the way around trying to find a way in to get it....

He finally decided there was no other way but to dive right in under it...GOT IT!!!!

Kevin has always been big on the issue of the boys wearing caps. Byron needed one because he was so fair skinned. Collin just needs one to fit in but never cared for anything on his head. He finally decided he needed to be like the big boys! He got it off the peg in the hallway, put it on his head (kind of), and walked around with it on for a while. I had to take a picture to get proof!And, of course, Byron needed in on the picture too....

Happy Birthday, Collin Mac!!! (a few days late...)

My baby boy turned 1 year old on April 11. I cannot believe it has been a year since this precious child joined our family. He is so unique in so many ways. He is like his brother and sister, and yet so very different. He has his own look...most of the time. But on occasion, you can catch an exact replica of him in an old picture of a sibling. He has been a "textbook" child from the very beginning. If it says in any book that a child is suppose to do something, he is going to do it right on schedule. My other two struggled a bit eating and sleeping. Byron even had so much trouble eating, he had to return to the hospital after two weeks because he had lost so much weight and in turn was very jaundiced. Not this kid. He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz at birth. Just two short weeks later, he weighed in at an astounding 8 lbs 13 oz! For the most part, he is an excellent sleeper and always has been. After he was born, he was "singing"--that's what the nurse called it. Just a sweet little noise as he exhaled. He grew out of it all too soon, but the very night he turned one, he began to do it again. He was a surprise to our family, although we weren't trying to prevent him from existing. I worried through my entire pregnancy that I was pushing my luck by asking God for a third healthy baby. But that is exactly what God gave me. He laughs so easily. He LOVES to read books. He makes motor noises when he sees anything that might have a motor or wheels. He catches on to noises...any noises. He knows when his dad or I are in a room before he even sees us. He is very much a momma's boy, but is perfectly content to be left in someone else's care if done right (set him down to play and calmly walk out while he is distracted). He instinctively knows how to play with any toy. He crawled far earlier than my others (before 6 months), but was content to get around that way for quite a long time. But when he did decide to walk, that was the prefered method of transportation. He loves to be held most of the time, which I am quite aware that I did to him. He loves to snuggle. He kisses almost anyone. He observes big sister and big brother so intently. He catches on quick! He snorts like my granddad use to. He claps and fake cries (after learning it worked for brother). He needs love. He enjoys playing pat-a-cake. He says alot of words for his age--well, at least we understand some. He is already in awe of tractors. He loves animals of any kind. I could go on and on and there is so much more to him that I can't even think of right now. I love him so intensely it hurts. I hate to be away from him. I feel this way about all of my children. Even though there are some very tough days and the physical and verbal rewards are few and far between, if I could have them at home with me all the time, I would. He has completed our family and I thank God for this beautiful, wonderful, loving, fun, exciting, emotional, needy, independent, happy being every single day. Here are some of the pictures from the past year.

Day one (actually within the first hour I think)

two weeks
one month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

One year old