One Sweet Daughter

Last Saturday, the 4th, was Leanne's sweet sixteenth birthday.

It was a busy day because I was helping get set up for the Winter Formal dance that night.  Leanne spent most of the day with her friends, Laura and Shaleah, and they were nice enough to make a cake for her!

Happy Birtday, Leanne! :)

Then the girls got ready for the dance...but more on that later.....

Wow~ my baby is sixteen- can that be? 

She was just born yesterday.  I remember it very well.  It was a cold night.  The labor started in the evening but when we called about 3 a.m. they told us to stay home as long as possible as they wouldn't call the on-call doc until after 6 a.m. 

Here's me just before getting into the van to go in, about 5:50 a.m. 

Bill wanted to know if he had time to take a shower.  I said "No! Does it LOOK like you have time to take a shower? NO!"  Thank God I said no.

Bill dropped me off at 6 a.m. at the ER doors and went to park.  When he came in they already had me upstairs to the birthing room.  The nurse gave me gown to put on and said she would be back to check me.  The moment I laid on the bed my water broke and I may have yelled something like, "HELP ME!"  The nurses came running.  They called the ER doctor.  He had never delivered a baby before- Bill said he was shaking like a leaf.  After two pushes Leanne popped out and said "I'm here!!! Ready or not!!".  It was 6:12 a.m.  Wow!  Bill told me, "It's a girl!"  I said, "Are you SURE?"  I cried.

I could be wrong but I am pretty sure she was the sweetest,

most adorable baby girl ever to be born on this earth. 

Her big brudders thought she was "gorgeous".

And then the parties started--

I can't imagine our family without Leanne, she is sugar and spice! 

She is adventurous, honest, creative, determined, athletic, ambitious. 

She is growing in her faith and self-confidence and discovering her strengths and passions. 

I am sooo thankful God blessed us with privilege/challenge of raising her!

Here's one of my favorite photos of Leanne.

She was busted after sneaking a kitten into her bed.

I didn't have the heart to get upset.  Kittens melt me too.

So Happy Sweet Sixteen, Leanne, I love you!!

~Mom

I'm Ba-ack!

Well kinda, sorta, maybe, we'll see.

It's before 8 am on Saturday....... Brian just left to go and take his ACT test and I am eating the truffles from the favor bag that I brought home from the Ladies Christmas Tea last night.  :)  I can eat truffles for breakfast if I want to, so there.  The house is quiet and the computer was available for once.  All three kids have had English Composition courses this semester so that makes for lots of computer time, especially since Landon's laptop was stolen a few weeks ago but I won't bring that up because it makes me grumpy. :(

Well, I have been a "lame" blogger, using one of Leanne's favorite words, since I haven't been on here since October.  Actually, I did write a post on Thanksgiving Day but didn't publish it yet.  For some reason the blogger photo uploader will not let me upload some photos, and rotates the ones that are portrait, it is soooooo frustrating, but let's not talk about that because it makes me grumpy.  But what fun is a scrapbook without photos???

The last six weeks or so have been a little stressful for me because of being short-handed in the billing department where I work after my co-worker left her position.  I have had to put in extra hours and be in the office every day instead of working from home.  The work load and pressure have brought me to tears a few times and caused some sleepless nights.  I have no idea how full-time working moms do this long term- and what is frustrating is that there is no energy left for what is most important, my husband, my kids, and friends, (and blogging?) not to mention getting a dinner meal made occasionally and keeping the dirty laundry from overtaking the whole house.  Makes a person grumpy.  And when mom ain't happy.....

I'm told that a decision will be made this next week and someone hired- then hopefully after a few weeks of training I can get back to my old schedule. Yay!

So anyway, I better get working on those mountains of laundry, pay some bills, decorate the tree, make a grocery list etcetera.

I like this photo that I took last summer of the huge, nasty thistle bush that looks daunting but quite beautiful against the soft, mellow background of the tall grass and pretty sky.  The one helps me to appreciate the other more, and so in life as well. 

Some stuff.

Well, I got out my turtlenecks.  It's time. 

The neighbors harvested the corn field. 

Now I feel rather exposed on the south side and it sends a shiver.

But it is still warmer than usual and I am not complaining.

 Cut down some dead trees for wood for the sauna

and Landon had a big bonfire with some friends.

My favorite shrubs are the barberry bushes with their

 variegated colors and bright red berries in the fall. So cool!

But why is it that some of  the most beautiful

things in life also have the biggest thorns?

Note to self: next time do not plant barberry bushes under the windows.

Some sweet roses for no apparent reason :)

Note to self: never need a reason, just say thank you.

Probably the last bike ride to town. 

I tagged along with Brian and friend Sarah and we biked

to the Dairy Queen and back.  Or most of the way back. 

We had Brian ride ahead to get the van because

 it was getting dark on us.

Note to self: leave earlier than 5 pm when biking to town and back.

 Cheering on Leanne at her last XC meet of the season!

 It's been a long but good week. 

Except for the skunks. 

And the keys being locked in the van.  R.J. locked us out!

Note to self: next time take the keys out when you leave the dog in the van.



Happy Trails.

Can hardly believe the awesome warm weather we are experiencing!

Handsome and I went for a bike/run on the trail near us.

He runs and I bike. Works for me.

Someone got a special message on the trail!

I love the variety of landscape; open fields, woods, ponds.

Why can't it just stay like this forever?

Moving Miss Amy

Last weekend a large number of Oakeses, including in-laws and out-laws and most of the grands and greats gathered at the farm for some heavy lifting and some reminiscing. We moved Bill's Grandmother, Amy, from her farmhouse where she has lived for 69 years (!) into a cozy little apartment down the road a ways.

Above is a photo of the Oakes farm taken in 1984
when the farming was still going strong.  Percy and Amy's house
is in the middle and the house in the upper left is where Bill grew up,

just a hop, skip and a jump away from Grandma's amazing
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,

which Bill claims no one will ever be able to duplicate.

There's a dike between the two houses now,

so it's over the dike and through the woods
to Grandmother's house we go.

Here's Amy sitting in her kitchen amidst the chaos of moving stuff out.

She was a good sport and cheerful as always.

Cousins!

Some of the group taking a break for lunch.

We are standing next to the Oak Tree

planted in memory of Percy after he passed away in 1989.

Getting ready to unload at the new apartment.

The guys hauled the stuff, the ladies put it away.

Trying out the new arrangement.

Here's Amy coming to see her new place all ready for her-

she seemed very pleased! Did I mention she is 92 years old?

Even though the weekend was about Amy,

there was another someone who got lots of attention.

Meet the youngest twig of the Oakes tree, Braedon Richard.

He's only 3 1/2 weeks old. He's about the sweetest thing ever.

So there are lots of changes happening within the Oakes clan!

Sometimes those changes are hard but we adjust and grow and hopefully learn to find balance in appreciating the memories of yesterday, making the most of today, and looking forward with hope and anticipation to tomorrow. 

We were able to bring a few things home with us from the farm including a couple more pieces of furniture
to an antique bedroom set that belonged to Bill's great Aunt,
a cute hat that Amy used to wear,
two tea cups and saucers,
and we also brought home with us..........

Bill's Great Grandparents.......... 

and more Great Grandparents........

and the Great-Great Grandparents too! 

I have no idea where they will all stay!