Mowing the lawn

Samuel loves to help daddy. He will "work" in the shop for hours blowing sawdust around with the air compressor, using the drill to make big holes in the piles of sawdust, hammer on anything and everything. He is daddy's little helper. Here is how he helps Daddy mow the lawn...tee he he.

No blankets or pillow required

My children can and will fall asleep anywhere. Lately Samuel has taken to going into the garage, opening the door to the avalanche by jumping up, hanging and pulling on the door until it opens and then spends hours playing in the car...He will also fall asleep in there.

Gracie's favorite place to sleep during the winter and this very cold spring is in front of the fireplace.

Today

Today I watched as Gracie ran across the schoolyard and into her classroom door. Normally, she wants me to walk her to the door, but today in a burst of confidence, she crossed the parking lot and playground by herself while I stayed behind and watched at the curb. She was wearing a simple white dress and her blue sweater. As she ran her red curls streamed behind her and shone in the bright sunlight. I felt so many emotions in an instant. Joy at watching her strong, young body run. Amazement that this beautiful, vibrant girl is here. She is mine, yet I am painfully aware that she doesn't belong to me...her physical presence in my daily life is fleeting and will all too soon be gone. She will grow up, move away...be gone.

I wish there was a way to package all of the memories I have of her (and all my children). Bottle them up, wrap them and protect them. Then someday in the distant future when I am old and they are grown, I could take them out and let them sit with me a while. When my children have children of their own, when their lives take them away from me for moments, days or weeks I will have the memories, perfectly intact and preserved, to remind me of the joy, the fun, the work...oh, they are work. I wish I could freeze time if only for an instant to really take them in, love them, adore them.

As Gracie neared her classroom door, she turned her head ever so slightly and peeked out of the corner of her eyes to make sure mommy was watching as promised. I was, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

Dam did it

Samuel is all boy and much to my frustration is into everything, everyday. In recent weeks, he has:

• flooded the downstairs bathroom by stuffing toilet paper into the sink and turning on the water.
  
• Painted the Hardwood floor brown
• Drank a bottle of licorice scented perfume (it didn't seem to bother him, so perhaps it also tasted licorice flavored, though I will not be taste testing it to find out)


• Threw all the marbles down the main stairs in our house


• Colored with marker on the outside of the house


• Let the hamster out of her cage (I maintain he was just trying to help)


• Colored with marker on the leather car seats (yes, the markers have been hidden)

The list could go on, but I have to hurry and write this so that I can go see what he is into as we speak. Every time I find something new that Samuel has done, I ask him, " oh,no who did this?"

He invariably replies "Dam did it, Dam did it." which makes me giggle so much that I can't be mad.

Dam did it, indeed.

Happy Birthday Andrew

Dear Andrew...

We love and miss you. Gracie asks almost daily when we can go back to Minnesota to see you. You are smart and funny and we are so glad you are part of our family. We can't wait to visit you again. Thanks for being a great cousin!

Love the Rankins

F.B.I's 10 most wanted is...

JAMES J. BULGER ( Mass Murder)

OSAMA BIN LADEN (Terrorist)

CHRISTIAN WILLIAM RANKIN (Unwitting accomplice)

Yes, It's true, my husband, the activist, was recently visited by the F.B.I. . Last week I opened the door to find an F.B.I. agent and the Boise Police Departments anti-terrorist officer on my doorstep. When they showed me their credentials and asked if my husband was home, I naively replied, "Is this about his brother?" (If you don't know why I would make that comment, ask, It's a good story in and of itself).

"No, this is about him." was the response.

"Uh, what did he do?" I questioned.

"Is Christian around, or should we go and visit him at his job?" the F.B.I agent calmly replied

"Uh, let me call him...Please, come in, sit down" I graciously requested. Truthfully if I had cookies and milk I would have requested that they join me in a plateful while I did my best to charm them out of hauling my sweetheart to the gaol where I had visions of him being starved and unmercilessly tortured.

Chris answered the phone quickly and cherrily. Here is a brief excerpt of our conversation:

Chris: (Singing) "Sweet violets, sweeter than all the roses..."

Me:"Uh, the F.B.I would like to speak with you. They're at our house. Where are you?"

Chris: "I'm right here, where are you?"

Me:"I'm serious.The F.B.I. would like to speak with you."

Chris: "Ha, Ha, Ha...(still laughing) What kind of F.B.I.?"

Me: Uh, I think it is the Federal Burea of Investigation"

Chris: (Silence)

Chris: "I'll be right there."

What was his crime you may wonder? Well, it seems my husband has a habit of signing documents without reading them. His friend handed him a document and asked it he was interested in peacefully participating in an effort for citizens to have more say in the government. Sounded good to Chris and he signed away...the actual document? Well it was a warrant sent to every governor in the U.S. asking them to swear an oath or step down in three days...the end result being that they would be detained or removed from office if they declined to do so...

The F.B.I. had come to our home to see if Chris was a terrorist.

Old Age

I got wrinkle cream for Christmas. Before you begin to wonder who in the world would buy someone wrinkle cream, just know I wanted it, asked Santa for it and ended up buying it myself. It is supposed to stimulate your cells to grow and replenish themselves. It takes three months to see the results and the aging reversal. Do you think it worked?
BeforeAfter