Do Chickens Tw....eet? Of course they do!

From my previous post....chickens....do they say tw....eet, tw....eet? Maybe if it was a schizophrenic chicken that though it was a bird, or maybe if it was a crossbred chicken/bird which would make it a chird or a bicken. What do you think???

Okay....so apparently I'm not the only one who cracks herself up in this family! B-Nut was telling me jokes in the car yesterday....I'm going to share a few with you now! Get ready to laugh yourself into oblivion....well just HUMOR ME, OKAY???


B-Nut: Why did the kitchen, I mean chicken, cross the kitchen????
Me: Why?
B-Nut: Tw....eet, Tw...eet (pronounced to....eat, to....eat)! Trust me when I say, this sounds fab when you have a southern accent to accompany the tw....eet, tw....eet!
Are you laughing hysterically yet? I thought so!!! Whew!!! Catch your breath and get ready for the next one!!!


B-Nut: Why did the cow cross the road?
Me: Why?
B-Nut: Because it went to the MOOOOVIES!!!!
Hot Diggity Dog....I know that one has you in stitches!!!


B-Nut: What did the cat say when it hurt its tongue?
Me: What?
B-Nut: It said ME...OW! ME....OW!
Slappin' your knees you're laughing so hard, aren't ya?


Get ready, this next one was completely made up by B-Nut herself....
B-Nut: Why am I so sweet?
Me: Why?
B-Nut: Because I give hugs and kisses!
AHHHHH....now that's just plain sweet, sweet as pie! You should see the sugar dripping off of her!

8 Things

I was tagged several weeks ago by Elyse whom I am blessed to know personally, as well, as through blogging. I kept meaning to post but kept getting distracted or forgetting. When I saw that she had 8 Things Part 2 posted, I decided I should probably post my 8 Things part 1. If you participate, mention who tagged you and then tag 8 of your bloggy friends. Okay so I'm not officially following the rules, because I am not tagging anyone; but if you want to play along....please feel free to do so. Then you can share with me, so I can read your 8 Things! Thanks and have a grand day!

8 things I look forward to:

**SUMMER, Time at the pool, Church, Bible Study, VBS, Having my children all home, My anniversary, Did I say SUMMER?**

8 things I did yesterday:

**Went to Six Flags, Ate at Schlotzskys, Ate at Chili's, Had a date with Bryna Mae, Celebrated Callahan's birthday, Made some cute clipboards, Picked up the house, Read The Bible**

8 things I wish I could do:

**Cure Cancer, Absolve Hunger, Teach everyone in the universe about Jesus, Implement World Peace, Have twins...or at least another baby or two, See my dad again, Meet NPayne's dad**

8 shows I watch:

Most all of these are tivo'd, and I watch them late at night....if I get a minute...

**So You Think You Can Dance, Hi-5 (kid show), Criminal Minds, CSI, HGTV (lots on there), Gospel Channel, Style Network, Ranger games**

10 Years Ago....THE BEST DAY OF 1999!!!!

On May 28th, 1999....NPayne and I welcomed our 2nd child into this world. Our one and only prince lent to us by Our Heavenly Father. Our lives would, once again, be forever changed. There would be challenges and struggles which we never envisioned, but there would also be so much love and gratitude that I can't possibly ever explain it. Callahan Leigh Payne was born at 12:30 pm weighing in at 9 pounds 13 ounces with a HUGE head.....believe me I know! I remember the first time I saw him, I said..."He looks like he's 3 months old!" And he did! He was a beautiful Irish looking boy that stole my heart forever. I never knew how one child and his differences, his special needs, could make my heart swell with so many different emotions. I never expected to long for so much from him and to be rewarded so extremely by his mere presence. Callahan was a planned pregnancy, and I was so excited when I discovered I was pregnant. I remember having Addi call and leave a message for her daddy.....she was 18 months old. I said, "Hi Honey, Addi wants to tell you something..." Then she said, "We're getting a baby!" I had to prompt her by holding up a baby doll, but she said it right on que. From the beginning of my pregnancy, I just assumed that Cal was a girl(because we just don't have a lot of boys in our family)....even though I felt completely different with him in my belly than I did with Addi. I was so sick and plain exhausted while pregnant with Addi, but with Cal....not so much....I actually felt great....besides being HUGE! I mean huge, you know the kind of huge where people ask you if you're having twins? You know the kind of huge, where people say "Wow You're So BIG" when you tell them you're not due for 2 more months? That kind of huge. I never took offense to it and was every so proud of my HUGE belly, because I LOVED being pregnant! He was my hardest delivery, because he was....well....HUGE; and I had him a la natural....that was by choice! Let me tell you it was HARD....but I pushed through it....LITERALLY (geez I crack myself up sometimes); because I knew what I was going to receive was completely worth it....And it was! Through everything he is worth it!

I love how my baby boy was so attached to his binky....so much so that when we finally weaned him from it....he would suck his tongue when he got tired (he still does that today)! We would leave 6 or 7 binkies in his crib at night, so that when he woke up and couldn't find one....there was always another right there for back up. He was the only one of our five to use a binky, and boy was he attached!!!

I love that my boy was a pure buttercup.....I called him "MY HUNK OF LOVE"! I love how fat he was, and that he weighed 30 pounds by the time he was one....YES one! Of course he still weighed 30 pounds at two, three and four as well! He's finally almost up to 60 pounds now, and he's nearly ten!

I love how he LOVED his stuffed alligator, that we named Zack!

I love how he has always looked like his daddy!

I love his soulful eyes and how they sparkle!!!

I love that when he smiles....his whole face smiles. I love his hearty giggle!

I love that he was tow headed just like I was when I was a little girl.

I love that he is a gentle soul and a perfect brother in a house full of sisters!

I love the little man that he is growing into, and I love the fact that he is finally realizing what it means when I tell him I LOVE HIM!

I love how protective he is of Elliot, and how she is the only one in the whole house who he will willingly kiss with his lips! I love how he likes to make silly faces at her, just so he can hear her giggle. I love how he will say, "Oh Elliot, Are you okay?" when he sees that she's sad.

I love how he will play with Bryna and invite her into very "unchartered territory" of his very organized room which is completely full of trains and tracks. Cal is VERY particular about his stuff....especially his trains and how they are all set up just so. When he invites her into play with him, it's glorious. I love how he will tickle her feet, because he loves to make her giggle. I love to hear him say her name...."BRYNA MAE!"

I love how he depends on Drew and knows how he can trust her to look out for him, and I love how he looks out for her too. I love that because of Cal's differences, she is a much more accepting and nurturing little girl. I love how Drew explained having a brother with autism when she was recently asked by another child...."Is it weird?"....and she answered with,"No, his brain just works differently than ours! He's a nice brother!" I love how she looks out for him, and he knows....really knows....that she loves him!

I love how Addison has always been able to persuade Cal to do things that I couldn't without a battle...brush his hair, brush his teeth to name a few. I love that he constantly tells Addison things that he finds fascinating...."Addi, I saw the train crossing the tracks while we were driving to Walmart!" "Addi, I saw the trash truck picking up the trash!" I love that she always acknowledges and answers his statement even if he has said it 10 times. I love that she has always been at school with Cal....until this year, and that she was always able to calm him if he needed calming. I love that she never minded being called out of class when he needed her, and I love that he knew she was always there for him. I love that she has researched autism, written about it, held fundraisers for a cure....all for the love of her brother. I love that Cal would rather sit on the swing with Addi or ride his bike with Addi than do just about anything else. I love that he will let her tuck him in at night! He trusts her!

I love that he desires his quiet time and really loves being alone but is learning to enjoy time with his whole family!

I love that he is fascinated by any sort of transportation and the joy he gets out of watching something doing its intended job or purpose....a mailman bringing the mail, a trash truck picking up trash, a train hauling passengers. I love that he was made the official "attendance clerk" at his school this year, because they knew how much pleasure he gets out of picking up and delivering "mail". I love that he will excitedly shout...."DELIVERY" when he sees a brown UPS truck, or shout "TRUCKS CARRY CARS" when he sees a truck hauling cars.

I love that he gets the most pleasure out of simple things, and how he enjoys a simple life. I love that he LOVES the ocean and would gladly go there every day if possible. I love that he loves sitting outside and just watching cars go by, and I love that he swings endlessly on our homemade tree swing. I love that he still has one training wheel on his bike....even though he doesn't need it....because he has figured out how to use it like a kickstand when he is just sitting on it.

I love that he can play the piano fairly well and has never had a lesson. I love that he has the best memory of anyone I know and can look at a calendar once and know what day a particular date fell on a year before. I love that he can create all sorts of cool stuff using things we have at home. I love that he doesn't understand peer pressure, and I love that he doesn't care what people think....it might be because he doesn't know any different, but it's a good thing to not feel the pressure to be something you aren't. I love that he refers to himself as "Callahan" when he's telling you something he did. I love that he often speaks with a British accent for no apparent reason other than he wants to. I love that he is the KING of Sound Effects....I mean really, you need a sound effect; call Callahan!

Cal has a wonderful and very individual relationship with all of his sisters. I think he sees Christ often in the actions of his sisters towards him. I don't know if he knows who God is. I don't know if he understands the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I would simply say that I would guess he doesn't. I do know that Callahan will go to heaven thanks to the Grace of our God!

Cal loves his daddy. He is his happiest when he is with his daddy. It doesn't matter what they are doing as long as they are doing it together. NPayne is the best daddy in the world for Cal. When Cal was born, we never imagined that he would have Fragile X and Autism. I'll be completely honest. It's not what you envision when you have a child, it's not what you wish for him. But NPayne often reminds me that it could have been worse......and he is so right....there are so many other people who face much sadder, more challenging and just indescribably hard situations. NPayne and Cal....they are a match made in heaven. God has a plan.....I believe that NPayne was in training all of his life to be a father to a special needs child, because he was not always accepted by his peers, he was often an outcast, he had a hard childhood, he was often bullied and teased because of extenuating circumstances. NPayne's father died when he was a baby, so he grew up without a father; a father he always longed for. And although he never knew what it was like to have a dad, he knew what it was like to NOT have a dad.

I love what I have learned by being his mother....Don't take anything for granted. Be grateful for what you have. Enjoy the simple things. Unconditional love. The grace of God. The pleasure of watching my girls love their brother, and the pleasure of watching my boy love his sisters. I still struggle with the guilt of passing along Fragile X to my boy, but I can say without one doubt.....that I have NEVER EVER EVER regretted birthing him. The challenges we have faced have been tough....some much more so than others, but the rewards....the blessings we have received outweigh the challenges 100 fold. As far as my son goes, I have experienced heartbreak several times....times where I felt like my heart was literally broken in tiny pieces....when he was initially diagnosed, when he has been physically bullied, when he has been uncertain and has had a meltdown where I was unable to help him calm down, when he has been teased, when adults have said hurtful things; BUT I have also experienced great joy....when he kissed me on the lips (he was prompted but he did it), when he wrote his name for the first time, when he didn't wipe my kiss off his cheek, when we successfully went to a restaurant that was not part of his routine, when he wrote "I LOVE YOU MOM" on a piece of notebook paper, when he holds my hand, when he smiles at me, when he joins us at the dinner table, when he stopped sleeping with his shoes on, when he happily goes to school, when he started to make friends, when he calls the maintenance man at our church, Juan, "Grandpa". Every night Cal follows a very strict routine for bedtime....it entails of many things that have to be accomplished before he will actually get in his bed....it's the exact same routine every night. Once he's in his bed, he will say the following prayer....

"Dear God,
Thank you for this day,
Thank you for our Family and Friends,
Thank you for our Teachers,
Thank you for Jesus,
Amen."

God has a plan....we don't always know what it is, but it will be revealed! I know that Cal was part of God's plan for this family....that I know without a doubt....and for that part of His plan, I am so extremely grateful! We love you Cal! We love seeing you grow! We love seeing you learn! We love seeing you try new things! We love learning from you! We love that you are our son and brother! So to honor Cal on his birthday and to continue on to Cal's bedtime prayer....we would lovingly say, " Dear God,Thank you for Cal!"

Wordful Wednesday

I LOVE HATS!!!!! This is a hat that I will never ever every give away....
.....except maybe to her daughter!!!!

For more Wordful Wednesday, visit Angie's blog.

IF YOU GIVE A GIRL A CAMERA....

She will try to do a trick for you...
....she will continue to fall down in front of the camera while trying to do a trick for you

....she will flip flop all over the floor while continuing to fall down in front of the camera while trying to do a trick for you

....she will then turn around another way while flip flopping all over the floor while continuing to fall down in front of the camera while trying to do a trick for you.

....she will then finally get in position for the trick she is doing for you while turning around another way while flip flopping all over the floor while continuing to fall down in front of the camera while trying to do a trick for you.

She will then proclaim...."TA DA"....if you give a girl a camera!

Imagine A Catchy Little Tune....If You Will!

"4,4,4 is the number I LOVE....but 2, 2, 2 is the number I want....BUT 1,1,1 is the best number of all!!!! It's about to beep!!! Here it goes....." Then it does beep, and she sings "BEEP, BEEP, BEEP" in rhythm with the oven timer.
By the way, I have no idea what happened to number 3 in her song!!

Sunday Sermon Summary

I've gotten behind on my Sunday Sermon Summaries and haven't posted one in a while. Today's post will be sort of a summary of several Sundays, including some lessons from my Sunday School class.
In Sunday School, we recently talked about being content...which by definition means being happy with where you are or what you have. Today we talked about busyness...which really needs no clarification except that today I learned that busyness can be an addiction, a drug, if you allow it to. Last Sunday in church, Cindy, our wonderful associate pastor preached a sermon on "Seasons in Life"! I had every intention of posting a summary of her sermon last week, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around all that she said in a "summary" type fashion. Then today I started thinking about how all of these things can relate, and how at this time in my life....they do relate! Let's start at the beginning....
Being content....I always love talking about this with my children, because they know what this means (at least the ones who are old enough and able to understand do)! We talk a lot, in our house, about being grateful what you have....being thankful for your blessings....embracing your circumstances....loving others, serving others, and just being kind. We have started serving in many different ways with our children as well. One day when Drew, who is now 8, was about 5....we were sitting at the table having lunch after church. I remember this like it happened today while we were having lunch....someone was complaining about something...probably what we were eating, and Drew quickly responded with "You need to be content!" That is exactly what came out of her mouth. I smiled ever so proud, thinking to myself, that she really has been listening to me....when she then gave the complete definition of what it means to be content. WOW!!!! I really am a good parent (pat myself on the back), and then she proceeded to tell me that she learned all about that in Sunday School that morning...my back patting ceased as I realized that it wasn't just because of what I had been telling her about being content, and I listened to her explain all about being content....by the way we talked about PRIDE last Sunday....ooops! Honestly I do know that NPayne and I always encouraging our children to be content definitely has an impact, but I was really happy that she had really remembered what she had learned in Sunday School. To this day, she is the child who will remind me often that I need to be grateful and content. She will kindly say something like..."well at least we have a car to put gas in"....when I am complaining about the cost of gas. I am so thankful for this! I decided a long time ago to make a conscious effort to be grateful and not complain....example of this would be instead of thinking/saying "I can't stand doing dishes"....I would think/say "I am so grateful that we have dishes to clean which means we have food to eat!" I know it may sound a little trivial, but I also apply it to bigger things in my life as well. I'm not saying that I don't complain, whine, moan and groan; becauses I definitely do! What I am saying is that I make an effort not to do these things and to really appreciate every little thing in my life....every little thing! When we talked about being content a few weeks ago, I remember thinking to myself....everyone in this Sunday School room should be content....really we should all be grateful....what do we have to complain about? Of course I have no idea what everyone's personal lives entail....I was basing that thought on the pure fact of the blessing of living in the USA, of having homes to live in, of having food to eat, of having families to love and to love us, of having a growing relationship with God, of having this church home. As I thought more and more about this I realized that I do find myself in a season of not being content....right now....this very minute....and it's mainly due to the busyness of life! Then today in Sunday School we talked about busyness, and although the things you might be involved in are all good things, too many things can certainly put a strain on a person....ahem....God, are You trying to tell me something? We watched a Rob Bell video....if you have never heard of Rob Bell....he is an amazing and very poignant speaker/pastor! In the video, Rob talked about how busyness was an addiction, a drug and although the drug could be for good things, it can get in the way of relationship with Jesus. To hear His will, you have to be still...you have to have time to be with Jesus! Sure there are seasons in life where busyness is part of your life....illness in your family, job change, school, etc.; but Rob emphasized how you need to break away from the drug of busyness, the constant busyness....make time for your family, for your friends, for your God! Last week, Cindy preached about seasons in life, and I realized then that I'm in a season....a season that I love and that I am not too crazy about all at once. My children are all getting old enough to participate in extra curricular activities. Next year I will have 4 of my 5 in school all day long 5 days/week which means the only time I have with them is in the afternoons after homework and activities and on the weekends after activities. I am naturally just not a fan of busyness anyway....I mean truly it exhausts me. We just finished a very busy time of year for us....soccer, piano, dance (about to finish up), band, kindermusik, girl scouts...now all of these things are good things to be involved in; but truly I get overwhelmed during this season....it's like Christmas for me which is another season that is exhausting and overwhelming for me. I love Christmas and the celebration of Christ's birth, but all the stuff that goes along with it....honestly I could do without! I do try, my darndest, to arrange most of their after school activities on one or two days; so that we are not going somewhere every single afternoon....but those are the afternoons/evenings when we don't eat together as a family, we don't have free time to just play, we don't get to just stop and smell the roses! I completely believe in having a well rounded child and that school is important....but I believe it is more important to have family time, to learn to do for others, to just being a kid, to experience and grow in Christ as a family as well as on your own, to take time to stop and smell the roses....that's when I am content! I have really been feeling called to eliminate all extra curricular activities....except church related ones (like Bible Study and choir)....for one season and see the impact that it has on our family! I think it would be wonderful, but at the same time....I know they love playing soccer, dancing, playing piano, etc. And as society has it, it seems as if you take time off; you get left behind! It's a tough thing that we blessed Americans are faced with....being still! But we have to remember that being still is a blessing as well....our young children don't have to work the farm all summer, or beg on the streets, or worry about paying for medicine for the family. Our young children don't have to supplement the family income....they do have the opportunity to just be kids, to be still, to enjoy their health and their youth! That is such a blessing that many of us choose to ignore. It's a blessing that I am going to try to take full advantage of this summer....being still....being very still!

The Girl With The Gusto!!!

GUSTO: noun, a hearty or keen enjoyment....in action or speech in general!

Synonyms for GUSTO: enthusiasm, delight, relish, zest, spirit, ferver!

Meet Bryna Mae Payne...she's 5 years old and full of GUSTO!

I went to Bryna's "FUN IN THE SUN" day at school last Friday! The children get to do all sorts of games that involve water and getting soaking wet! We....as their parents....slather them in sunscreen, put on their swim suits and go and enjoy our children's enjoyment and enthusiasm for getting soaking wet....and we take about a million pictures too!

While I was there, I was informed by the playground teacher at B's school, that Bryna's class was fairly competitive; but that Bryna was always the cheerleader. She cheers her classmates on....win or lose! Bryna is not in the least bit competitive, so she cheers instead!....You may think this is positive or negative....that's your opinion. My opinion is that it's very positive! The reason she's not competitive isn't because she doesn't try or doesn't care, but it's because she truly plays, competes, whatever you want to call it for the PURE FUN OF THE GAME! She delights in the experience....and if she happens to win....fabulous....if she loses, OH WELL....she had a great time playing. I have always been aware of the "non competitive" trait in Bryna, and honestly I never thought much about it; because I too am not a competitive person. That's just how we roll. Then Friday at "FUN IN THE SUN" day, her teacher....Ms. Peggy....said something along these lines to me....I hope she never loses her GUSTO for life or the pure joy she finds in just the experience. Ms. Peggy recently told me in our parent/teacher conference how Bryna is truly full of joy and embraces everything she does with such a zest for life. I thought about that a lot and although I wasn't surprised by it, and was in fact very happy to hear it, I realized that I really didn't realize how full of GUSTO our little girl is! It makes me so happy to think of Bryna being full of GUSTO, and I wish I could say the same about myself....sure I'm a happy person; but do I embrace everything with a joyful heart....do I do everything with a zest for life? Unfortunately I don't, but I'm hoping having all this GUSTO around our house will rub off on me! Bring on the GUSTO!!

I LOVE YOU MY LITTLE GUSTO GIRL!! Your joyful heart touches the lives of so many including your mama!

Guess where I took these 2 little ladies today????

Need a hint....

Does this help you figure it out??
How about this??

Figured it out yet?

Still don't know????

You mean their cute little gingham shirts and cowgirl boots didn't clue you in??

Need another hint???

Bryna Mae, Elliot and I went to our friend....Ryan's....3rd birthday party. It was a farm party complete with a petting farm, pony rides and a rooster that cock-a-doodle-dood OVER and OVER and OVER again! We had a grand time! Happy Birthday RYAN!