Charlton, Marcus and Krang

In my previous post, I wrote a little about the boys.  This post is about our youngest son Marcus, and our Oldest son Charlton.

                                                           and about THIS action figure.....

A LONG time ago.... our oldest son Charlton, saved his allowance and bought a most coveted action figure.  KRANG.... In fact, it was very VERY hard to find. I remember looking and LOOKING as my son patiently went through NEARLY  every single action figure in the store until he found him.  KRANG..... He was so excited.

In fact, all the guys were excited.  They loved playing with those things, and they were happy their brother found just the one he wanted.

Chuck was between 10 and 11 and Marcus was 6.   This is when they went to Public School, and there was ALL this TRADING that would go on.  Everybody traded things. It was fun and it was cool.

Well, one morning, Marcus was so excited about Chuck's Krang, he decided to take it to school to show his friends. He KNEW he shouldn't take his brother's things.  But, he did it.  He didn't PLAN to trade it.... but he got caught up in the moment, and by NOON, he had traded Chuck's precious toy for another action figure that was not NEARLY as cool... and by 3:00, he had traded the other action figure for a tooth brush and tooth paste!  YES! SOMEBODY ACTUALLY brought a tooth brush and tooth paste to school, and Marcus was the unfortunate and GUILTY recipient.....
I'm sure he walked home from school with much trepidation. 

I distinctly remember Charlton coming down stairs after school and saying, "Mom, I can't find Krang!" "I know I left him on my bed and he is gone!" 

I asked everybody, "Anybody seen Chuck's Krang?" 
And the guilty little Marcus with great aligator tears said, 'I know what happened."
"I took him to school to share.... and then I traded him."
Charlton said, "YOU WHAT? YOU TRADED HIM? FOR WHAT?"

And that is when pitiful little Marcus held up the tooth brush and tooth paste.....
"YOU TRADED MY KRANG FOR A TOOTH BRUSH AND TOOTH PASTE???"

Charlton was in great disbelief!  Marcus was mournful.

We had a long talk with him, and he had to pay for the Krang.  But Charlton never did get another one, because they stopped making him for awhile. 
Chuck forgave Marcus, and Marcus learned a very good lesson about peer pressure and taking things that don't belong to you!

So, FAST FORWARD..... 23 years. 
Last week we were joking about Krang on Facebook.  And Marcus, who is now a married man and a CPA was thinking about how Chuck never got his Krang back.  So he went on EBAY and FOUND one in the original package, the right year and everything, and he bought it for his brother and had it  sent  to him.  He said there was no note. He wanted to see if Chuck would know who it was from. :)
I love how the guys truly love and care for each other.

The package arrived today.  I got a call from Charlton.... "Mom, do you have ANY idea who would be sending me a KRANG?" 
"A what?"
"Remember that Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle?"  "I think I had him at one time."

Oh, that.....
"Do you remember what happened to him?"

He said, no, not really! 
That is SO FUNNY! Because both Marcus and I did. :)

So I refreshed his memory a little as he died laughing.  So he called his brother. 

I am sure they had a wonderful talk tonight over something that happened very long ago that was not so pleasant at the time, yet is humorous now.  Marcus said, "Restitution at last!" :)

Tim, Chuck, Marcus and Jodie. :)

Some final thoughts:

I think sometimes kids just do things and they don't really know why.  They just don't think that deeply.  They think like kids and do things on a whim.
Marcus remembered this event very much, and I'm glad that he felt loved and not rejected. 
How  we respond  when our children do wrong will have long lasting effects upon them.
I'm so proud of my guys. :)

The events of the past with the boys and watching them grow up, has definitely had an effect on how I view things with the girls.  I don't think I'm as uptight or fearful as I was when I was younger.
The boys experienced much trauma when they were younger too, and they were all adopted by Mike after we married.
It has been an honor to be their mother. I don't deserve them; any of them.  But GOD has blessed us tremendously with each one of our children, boys and girls. :)
The boys taught me so very much about love and life.... and the girls continue to teach me. 
Loving life today...... 

A Blast From the Past

 Yes, this is us.... but something is very different.  We are YOUNGER than 2 of our boys are right now, AND all those kids are BOYS!  Yep.... Our boys. :)  I don't write often enough about the guys....they are after all, grown and married with kids of their own.  This was JUST NOT THAT LONG AGO! But OH MY how life has changed!

 Timothy is on the left, Joseph on the right and Charlton and Marcus in the middle.

 Here are  a couple of laundry baskets full of boys.

And here they are again.  4 peas in a pod. :) Pictures were just not that easy to get with real film and moving boys. :)  There were no redos. You took a picture and it was  huge guess if it turned out or not. :)

The boys were close in age. Not quite as close as the girls as that would have been physically impossible since none of them are twins. :)  There are 4  years and 9 months between the 4 of them.
We had a wonderful time raising these guys, so much so, that we are doing it all over again except there are dresses, high heels and barbies in our house now. None of those would have been found in our home before.  At least not in a kid size :)

If you go to my side bar.... 3 of the kids wives blog.  One is our youngest son's wife Ivy.  "The life of Little Eunice".  Then there is our son Tim's wife, Emily.  "God's mercy displayed".  BTW- Ivy and Emily are sisters AND sisters in law.   Which means, Tim and Marc are brothers AND brothers in law.  I think that makes the kids double cousins or something like that. :)
Then there is Joe's wife Becca.  She has 2 blogs.  Rebecca's Art, and "It's Not Easy Being Green".
Chuck and Jodie don't blog right now....
I adore each and every one of my boys and daughters in law.  And between all of them, if OLIVIA EVER decides to make an entrance, we have 10 grand children. :)

All of this is leading up to my next post.  It is about our oldest son Charlton, and our youngest son Marcus, and something that happened a long time ago.... It was restored today. :)

Stay tuned.

Painting The Goat Barn

Anna and Alli got busy today..... :)

Erika Is Up....

She has managed to get herself up on crutches and taking a few careful steps.

Things are healing!
Ok, now that I have typed this.... I looked out the window and saw THIS! :)

 She walked out there on her crutches!

 

Mommy And Alli Sitting in a Tree

 Or.... that is BETWEEN two trees. :)

I think everybody likes the hammock.  It is a great place to talk.  Somebody took our picture from inside the house.... I was preparing Miss Alli for what was going to happen last night.
You know what happened???
MIKE AND I WENT ON A DATE! :)
 We went to see Monumental. 
The girls had a wonderful time while we were gone. They were allowed to watch a Bonanza Video.
I forgot how fun Bonanza used to be. :)
When we returned home, all was well and our sweeties managed VERY WELL! :)
Thanks girls! We had fun. :)

Guess Who's Getting New Legs Made!!!

YES SHE IS! :)  The next step to walking again. :)

Waiting to see Dr. Herring

 Camera wars!

 Down to prosthetics to be casted

 Casts done by Dwight!
The first part of having prosthetics made is casting the leg.  They do this very quickly and then cut the casts off so they can make a mold.  If I remember, we will take the camera in two weeks and take pictures what the process looks like.

 Dwight and a very happy Erika. :)

The Weekend

Anna Dogsat Miss Madeline. :)

 Anna and Daddy enjoying the morning.

A beautiful Sunday Night Sunset

We had such a wonderful weekend.  Erika and I went on a mama daughter shopping trip, the little girls played and Played and PLAYED! 
The weather was perfect in the upper 70's and lower 80's.  After church we went out to eat and the 2 littles decided to spend SOME of their allowance at a local carnival.  I didn't think it was a wise use of their money, but it IS their money.    When we got home, they decided to work on creating their own carnival.  Oh the notes they took! LOL  We'll see if it comes to fruition. :)

URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED FOR KATYA

There was wonderful news yesterday, and today things have been very VERY hard.  Katya's pain is out of control and her oxygen levels are not doing well. The Dr's are there now trying to figure out what to do next.
Please PLEASE pray for this precious little girl and her family.

Such WONDERFUL News About Katya!

I am so happy to see Katya's picture! She looks like an angel! Please continue to pray for Hope Anne's family, especially Katya! 

The Past Returns To The Present

Many, MANY years ago, we were soooo poooor!  You may ask, "How poor were you?"  Well, not third world country poor. We had running water and flushing toilets.... but we were POOR.  I could not afford to buy cleanser or cleaning supplies, so I learned how to use Baking Soda. 
I used it for everything, including laundry, dishes, and cleaning the bath tub. 
I was really happy when we were able to purchase those well advertised "cleaning supplies", that in reality just don't work that well. 

FAST forward 33 years. 

A month or so ago, I was reading Sarah Kovak's blog.  She is on my side bar of favorite blogs to read. :)
Sarah is a wife and mom and also has the same condition as Erika; arthrogryposis.  Her blog is delightful to read.

She is becoming more back to nature and guess what?  She gave instructions for using baking soda for shampoo!  And the conditioner?  "Apple Cider Vinegar!"  I have used distilled vinegar before, for cleaning floors,  but not apple cider vinegar for rinsing hair!

One of the challenges around here is with Miss Alli's tangles. She has the most tangliest hair I have ever seen!  I think it is too dry, and then gets oily and the combination is a disaster with tears and frustration that follow.
I decided maybe the shampoo was drying her hair too much.  So we agreed to try Sarah's recipe for shampoo and rinse.
It was fun doing an "accidental science experiment" at the same time.  We added 2 TLB of baking soda into a cup of warm water and stirred it well.  We wet Alli's hair and then poured the solution onto her hair and washed it as we would if we were lathering a shampoo.  We rinsed, and then added 2 TLB of apple cider vinegar and a cup of warm water in the cup.  ( our accidental experiment was that there was still some baking soda in there, so it got real foamy. :)  )    We poured the baking soda on her hair and let it sit for a minute then rinsed. 
Her hair was much easier to comb out.  It lasted for 2 days and it was time to wash again.  The SECOND TIME, her hair responded even more! This time, there were hardly ANY tangles and in the morning it was MUCH less tangly than normal.

I think my theory that her hair was drying out thus causing her to produce more oil, which was a bad combination was correct.  She is happy and I am happy and it is REALLY CHEAP!

I tried it on myself this a.m. and I am loving the results.  So, NO MORE EXPENSIVE or CHEAP shampoos around here. We will be using soda and vinegar from now on!
Another great use for baking soda is for teeth cleaning.

By the way, we buy the 13.5 LB bag of baking soda for  $6.68!  YES SIX DOLLARS and SIXTY EIGHT CENTS!   The vinegar is more expensive at around 4 dollars.

Sarah also has a face cleanser recipe on her blog.  We are going to try that too, as some of the girls are really getting into face cleansers. :)

And now, the past has returned. I have decided to start using baking soda for cleaning products BY CHOICE.   I forgot how well it cleaned. :)
I have returned to my "hippydom".... now to get an organic garden going again. :)

Sarah's Dr. Visit

Sarah and I headed to Scottish Rite this a.m. EARLY. :)   

She had a great visit with the team of doctors and therapists.
One thing she has been concerned about, is that her left leg thigh muscle is not as developed as her right leg.  She wants it to get stronger.
So the Doctor called in P.T. and they gave her some exercises to do for the next 3 months.

 She was also accepted into a research study on how amputees walk. :)  The goal is to map on a computer gait so that they can develop better ways to help kids walk well.  Sarah does not have a limp and she is a great candidate because she walks so well.  

We were sent downstairs to Orthotics and Prosthetics so they could add about 1 1/2 cm to her leg because she is getting TALLER! :)     She is also thinking about a "high heel" foot. She is, after all going to be 13 in June. :)   They told her to pick out some high heels and the height she will want, and then we will work on it. :) 
I have a very excited little girl. :)

Truman Shepherd Minich

I just love this little guy.  I MISS him too!  But oh my, holding him and looking at him is like holding his daddy all over again. :)    I can't wait until Joe, Becca, Sam and Truman come home to Texas.... :)
SOON, VERY SOON!

Sweet Readers

We have so many sweet readers; I wish we all lived closer together! 
Today we received a sweet little package in the mail from De. :) Thank you so much for thinking about us and especially praying for us!

And here is a Thank you from the girlies.  (Erika is standing for the first time, but without feet)
Take one:

Take two:

I should have had them say Miss De..... :)

Guess Who is Going to be ONE SOON!!!!

ILSE JOY!  Isn't she just precious! :)  And very VERY soon, she won't be the youngest grand child.  Her cousin Olivia is about to make a grand entrance any day! :)

Anna's Beating Heart

We made goo... and then Anna turned hers into a beating heart. :)

Our Day

Today was a day...a normal day, an average day, a Wonderful, Normal, average DAY! :)
I cannot tell you how important the 1 year mark was for Miss Alli.  It seems to have given her a new calm that we have never seen.

She KNOWS she belongs. She KNOWS she is home. She KNOWS we love her AND she LOVES us.

Normal, uneventful, average, is LOVELY and GOOD! :)

It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY!
I think it might be time for Green Eggs and Ham! :)

Katya is Alive!

Praise the Lord, Katya is out of surgery and she is alive!  It was THAT DANGEROUS of a surgery.  Follow Hope Anne's Blog "Bringing Katya Home" on my side bar for more information.

Praising the Lord with the Deucks. :)

Katya is IN SURGERY With Dr. Carson

Please keep Hope Anne and Katya, and all the rest of their family in your prayers... Katya is IN surgery right now.

You can click on the above sentence and get to Hope Anne's blog. 
Here is her latest update:

Booby Traps

Dr Carson just called. He said, "We are still operating. Katya is tolerating it AMAZINGLY well! There are a lot of booby traps in there, so keep the prayers coming." I said, "We are taking a roll and you have prayers coming in from all over the world!" He said, "Tell them, Keep those prayers coming!"

Praying for wonderful results.

Science Lesson

We are studying anatomy and physiology this year in Science.  Chapter 8 is all about the heart and how it works.
I think the book is great and the ideas are great, but I wanted to give the girls a little more understanding on how the heart pumps and what it looks like.

 We found a great science RAP song on youtube.
Then I wanted them to see a real heart beating....and I found a few videos of surgery. I'll spare you...
I didn't expect them to show a surgeon cutting somebody open and show it ALL.....
Everybody was glued, but I lost one of my students! LOL

 

I don't know if she likes science anymore.  :) 

Revisiting The Bill of Rights

Since we are in an election year, I decided to work with the girls again on Government and understanding our form of Gov't. 
Four years ago I tried this, and this is what the girls said about the bill of rights:



I asked the girlies: What does it mean, "You have the right to own, keep and bear arms?"

The answers:

You have the right to have babies with arms! (bear)
You have the right to keep your arms. Nobody can take them away.
If somebody cuts your arms off, you can own them by keeping them.
If your arms don't have hair; it is ok, you can keep them.

Here are a few more rights:

The right to petition for grievances in Fair and Honest Judgement:
"To tell the judge what you think of him."
I means you can go to the judge and they will be unjust.

The right to privacy in homes:
The condition of being out of the sight and hearing of all other people.
IT means that you want to be left alone.

The right to free speech and press:
You can say what you want to say
It means the right to speak free without getting pressed.

The right to freedom from arbitrary government regulation and control:
You can do whatever you want.


The right to bargain for goods and services in a free market:
To be able to get what you want at the store.

The right to trial by jury and innocent until proven guilty means:
You get together with them and tell them if you are guilty or not.



hmmmmm. we have much work to do. :)
LOL

So four years later, they are a little more grown up. :)  And we are really learning about how the gov't. works.
Here is Sarah reciting the Preamble and the first 10 of the bill of rights. :)