Wonderful Weekend

I took these pictures fairly early this morning before Addie had time to get dirty. I took them just to verify that Addie does start the day clean and usually with a hairbow. Doesn't usually last past lunch though. Last night I scrubbed every inch of her with her scrubby in the shower. Getting dirt off that's adhered to the skin with dried watermelon juice is HARD to get off! Getting the hay out of her hair was even harder.

See?? We DO start the day looking adorable!

This weekend Ali Grace started driving the gator around on her own without an adult. I've not decided if this is a good thing or not. 

The two of them took off by themselves to feed the show goats.  

Addie is doing kung fu on the horses to keep them out of the goat feed on the back of the gator since it's toxic for horses. She finally gave up on the kung fu and just decided to sit in the goat feed bucket and wait on her sister.

Addie's goats are coming around... Ali's are still crazy wild.

The farm crew worked today since it IS wheat season. Addie and Ali found a way to play on the straw trailer in between loads..

Ali Grace helped Nanny pick squash and zucchini this morning too. For as much as Addie loves animals, Ali Grace loves plants. She's always loved a garden. I really think it goes back to her really early years when she stayed with Miss Cindy and Mr. Jimmy while we lived in Effingham County. I came home many days to find Ali helping Mr Jimmy dig potatoes. She's loved gardening ever since. When we first moved here, I remember Nanny digging potatoes and Ali SHRIEKING every time a potato would make it's way to the surface of the soil. 

And as much as they love animals and plants, I love a grill and about anything on it. Of course we never eat ribs without talking about my cousin Meredith. When Mere was little she gnawed ribs down to the bone with no front teeth. Today Addie reminded us all of her since Addie is missing her front teeth too- just like Mere was back then.

We went ahead and grilled out today since there's a tropical storm coming in some time tomorrow. The ribs were wonderful and the epic fail homemade ice cream froze overnight and was heavenly in a red solo cup today!

Even the horses know it's a holiday...  

and it was a good one. Addie headed home for a nap with a Pepsi in her hand and her belly full.

'Cause that's how she rolls....

Summer Starts with a New Cole Cousin!

With post-planning and retesting, I haven't had a chance to start my summer break yet, but now that school's out for the girls, summer break has started around here! The girls have enjoyed staying up late and sleeping late (not past 8 of course). That's against the law in our house.    :) We don't have anything planned for the weekend other than relaxing and firing up the grill. I am thrilled about that!  I have a class for the next two weeks. Kind of a downer, but I keep thinking "beach money" in the back of my mind! The girls are excited about the coming weeks. They are going with their Gran to the Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center and to VBS at Red Hill Baptist. Ali Grace has a week of 4-H camp coming up as well! We have a jam packed summer ahead!  

And this week we added the newest Cole Cousin to the brood... a super cute Swede like her daddy and her sweet sister Anneli...  Welcome to the world Elin Emma!! Congratulations Julie, Goran and Anneli. Elin is just precious! 

A Day in the Dirt

If the Cooper cousins have as much fun in the POOL as they have had playing in the dirt dug OUT from the hole to put it in, it will have been well worth the expense. 

They played all day, but now they've showered in strawberry soap and it's all good.  

My daddy and my brother solved a few of the world's problems....

and drove the kids around the farm more than a few times...

and we had a great weekend. 

School's Out!

Here's my sweet redheads on the LAST day of school this year.

Addie had a hard time getting going even though it was the last day! She played SO hard the last few days at school and I think it caught up with her by Friday morning. I think Roxy wanted her to stay home too! 

Saturday morning, Poppy wanted to cook breakfast for us. That's one of our favorite things about summer break. No bedtimes, alarm clocks or rushing around. There's time for a good country breakfast at The Ponderosa! 

I snapped this picture of "Addie-tude" Saturday morning on our way over to breakfast. She is mad because I had the nerve to be upset about shoes being left all over the house. 

Ali was all smiles...

And so was Addie once she got a bowl of Poppy's grits...

After breakfast, she rode with Poppy and fed all the horses, cows, goats, and chickens... in a dress of course.

And then Colten, our favorite Ninja showed up...

We had a great evening. Mama went to a graduation dinner for a former student out at Hanging Rocks and so my brother and I sat around shooting the breeze and slicing onions for dinner.  Daddy grilled steaks and we fried Vidalia onion rings that were heavenly. 

Addie approved.

Mother's Day on the Ponderosa

Wow. It's been three weeks. A LOT can happen in three weeks. Let's see... I've wrapped up my year as the county chairman for our Jefferson County Relay for Life event, I've lost 4 pounds(15 pounds total!). Ali Grace attended her 4-H banquet and got an award for her mini-booth at the fair and for poultry judging. Addie lost 2 library books, won the Random Acts of Kindness award for her class and played in the mud a total of 673 times. Seriously. I'm not far off in that calculation. We've made a routine of feeding the show goats every evening and the girls are excited about their new 4-H projects.  The girls and I spent the day on Saturday at the Buzzard Blast in Louisville (few things are better than a small town festival!) Pete and I have also started to make preparations for our weeklong Altamaha Adventure, where we will kayak 108 miles down the Ohoopee and Altamaha Rivers with some very good friends. To say that I am looking forward to it would be an understatement. It's my reward to myself for losing 20 pounds. I still have 5 pounds to go, and I intend to get there before we hit that river! 

Ali Grace and Addie Belle had a great time going up in the air on the Jefferson Energy truck
at the Buzzard Blast (May 12, 2012)

Addie enjoying her cotton candy at the Buzzard Blast (May 12, 2012)

We are winding the school year down. All of us, although in 3 different school systems, are entering our final week of school. The girls are just giddy. They have made some serious summer plans which include beach trips with both grandmothers, vacation bible school, and sitting by the pool all summer. I cannot wait for summer because I LOVE to stay up late and sleep in. Of course, all who know me well know that sleeping in for me means waking up about 7:30am! I am so pumped about living on "summer time". 

Fast forward to today... Look at these sweet smiles. Ali's shirt is stained and Addie's dress is too small, but they were nothing short of precious when they brought me my Mother's Day gifts. I love impatiens. Actually I love any flowers that make my summer porch look pretty. 

I am just in love with this girl's snaggle tooth smile. 

Ali Grace has done a lot of growing up this year. At first, I have to admit that I was a little freaked out. Now though, I am really learning to enjoy the young lady she's becoming. Her blue eyes are just beautiful and I am so proud of all she has done this year.  

On this Mother's Day, I would like to ask for prayers for one mother in particular, Kristin Burns, whose son Tyler is struggling with Epilepsy at MCG. How often we take healthy babies for granted! I know recently I've made it a point to not sweat the small stuff when it comes to the children. I haven't freaked over the beads that are covering my screened porch floor right now or that Addie has ruined almost every article of clothing she owns by rolling around on the red dirt playground at school or playing in the mud here on the farm- how blessed I am that my girls have each other and that they are  healthy enough to play together. I am totally over the fact that the kids have legs with scratches, bruises, insect bites, cuts and scrapes. How blessed I am that they love the outdoors like their Mama! I counted my blessings one by one when I awoke a few days ago to find Addie's feet in my ribs, Ali stretched out across my legs, my husband snoring in my ear and a chihuahua sleeping across my neck.  In the famous words of Addie Belle Bennett "I'm not making this stuff up. I just have a really great life!".  The truth is, all of us have a really great life if we really focus on what matters most. I know I love my family to the moon and back and everything else is just "small stuff". 

The Day in Plains

It's quite unfortunate that when you get older, you only see your extended family at funerals. I love the town of Plains. My Great Aunt Virginia died this past Friday. I typed "passed away" instead of died, but I remember the pastor at her funeral today saying that it annoyed Aunt Virginia when people said that. So there. Aunt Virginia died.  I rode with Mama and Daddy down to Plains for the funeral. Although it was a sad occasion, Aunt Virginia lived a long and full life. So it's hard to be sad really. I think her house was the most beautiful house in Plains.  My Daddy remodeled it when I was just a wee one.

I was happy to see President Carter and Rosalyn at Aunt Virginia's funeral. President Carter and Aunt Virginia went to high school together and their families were good friends growing up. I was able to shake the President's hand. I don't care who you are, it will give you chills to say "It's nice to meet you, Mr. President". Please don't inject your politics here because A) It would show a lack of class and B) I don't really care. Anyway, I thought it was too funny that President Carter told my daddy today that he and Aunt Virginia used to be sweethearts. I don't think the former First Lady thought that was particularly funny. She shot him a look and walked off! Classic. I'm glad they made the effort to come, just as they did to Uncle Frank's funeral a few years ago.  It was good to see the Secret Service actually protecting a former president rather than what many of them are in the news for right now! 

While we were in Plains, I took some pictures that I've wanted to take for some time. 

When Jimmy Carter announced his campaign for President, I was just a tiny baby. My daddy was holding me in the crowd right outside this train station. Jimmy Carter reached out into the crowd and rubbed my head and said he'd heard it was good luck to rub a redheaded baby's head. Mama has that picture in a box somewhere!

Plains is the cutest little town. Mama and I went through a few antique shops while we were there. We visited Aunt Christine and had lunch with Daddy's cousin, Jaqueline. 

It was a long day but a good walk down memory lane. Hopefully it won't take another death in the family for me to get back there. Going to try to talk Pete and the girls into a couple nights at the Plains Inn this summer!  

Girls and Their Goats

No. I did not allow Addie to wear this skirt and boots to school today. She did wear the skirt. Look how dirty it is and we haven't even been to feed the goats yet! This dirt is just from school today!

Both grandpas and Uncle Ernie thought it would be a brilliant idea to get the grandchildren goats to show at the Georgia National Fair in Perry in October. It's amusing to me what grandparents insist grandchildren need. Anyway, these aren't just any old goats. They're SHOW GOATS! Saying that really makes me laugh. Anyhow, Uncle Ernie came down and helped Poppy put a shelter up and the farm crew built a nice fence for the goats. The girls fed up this afternoon. So far so good. 

Ali is the goat whisperer. The goats don't cut the fool around her.

Feeding the goats. In boots. And a skirt. With a bow in her hair. That's my kinda kid.