CHRISTMAS IN MARCH

Every since Samuel died I have been wanting a necklace to represent him. I just want something hanging close to my heart that makes me feel close to him in some way... probably sounds strange to some. It is funny the things that make me feel close to him. Greg and I have our "Samuel" blanket that our seminary friends sent to us, laying on our bed. Every night I snuggle up to Greg, under that blanket and it makes me somehow feel wrapped up in the love that I have for Samuel as his mother... it makes me feel close to him.

So I considered a necklace with his footprint on it, that the funeral home offered us. I thought about a birthstone necklace and other things... and then I found the perfect thing for me. Greg had said that whatever I found could be my Christmas present... I just needed to pick it out. I love taking pictures of my kids so I decided to have a necklace made by Shawna at http://www.fireflyphotojewelry.etsy.com/ Her prices were so good, compared to other photo jewelry sites that I have seen, that I decided to have a bracelet made also. She did a beautiful job and I absolutely love both pieces. All of the photos and charms are doubled sided. They are exactly what I wanted, and I love that I can have a little bit of Samuel close to me.

Today we went out to a members farm... they were sharing some of their recently slaughtered cow with us...they shared tons with us. We were just going to stop by and pick it up but we ended up staying for hours and had dinner with them. She is an amazing cook. They live out further in the country and have tons of chickens, cows, and bunnies. The kids were begging for a bunny. We will have to see on that one. Anna and Jo just sat and held them forever. It was pretty precious. They are going to set us up with eggs and an incubator to hatch chickens. The kids are so excited about that. It felt so good to be there. It was refreshing for me... I love that kind of life. The kids were kept so busy with the animals and the land... the fun and freedom of the country. It just seems slower paced to me and I love that.

COUNTRY LIVING:)

People who know me well will get a kick out of our life here in the country. I guess we really don't live that far in the country, but it feels and looks like country living and we like that.

The day we closed on our house here last June, our new neighbor introduced himself to us as we unpacked a carload before heading back to St. Louis. Our neighbor is a great guy, but one of the first things he said to us when he met us was, " I hope you like dogs." The crazy thing is, I have never liked dogs. I didn't tell him that of course.

Now I don't want to offend any of you dog lovers, my husband is one of you. I know most people like dogs or at least don't mind them. But when you grow up in a home where your mother is HIGHLY allergic to dogs there is no possibility of having a dog as a pet. I grew up in the suburbs, but strangely, having pets like a chicken, and many ducks that we hatched. I think we did end up with some mice when my oldest brother let hundreds of them go at school as a Senior prank... and my next oldest brother caught some and brought them home. I don't remember those mice lasting too long:)

Anyways, after seeing old family movies of me growing up Greg claims he knows why I don't like dogs. There was one movie where I am at the petting zoo feeding the goats. I was probably 4 years old. They were jumping all over me and I was crying hysterically. I know it is silly but I am just afraid of dogs, all dogs... Big, small, it doesn't matter. In my mind, all dogs have teeth, and all dogs can bite. I used to map out my runs, knowing where all of the neighborhood dogs were are and avoiding them at all costs, weaving up and down streets. Crazy, I know.

Well, back to our country living. The above picture shows what our home is like here. The neighbors 2 dogs like to hang out here during the day because there is a fair amount of action here with the kids. Doofus, as we like to call him, the black dog lives outside of the neighborhood but hangs out here everyday. And the newest hairy beast, Nigel, as the kids have affectionately named him, the big brown dog, joined the crew last week. He must have a home, but he hasn't left since he arrived last week. We even had a puppy that we think was dumped off near our home just before Christmas. We took him to a vet to try to find him a home. You would think one roamer might be it, but come on, 4-5 dogs in our yard... just hanging out on a daily basis?? It is crazy.

As crazy as this sounds, the dogs are actually growing on me... I never thought I would say that. They all trail me on my runs and it actually keeps me company. They are all really nice dogs, they don't jump on you or bark much. The best part is they aren't ours... the kids can play with them, but we don't have to feed or take care of them. And usually they go home at night:)

Kind of a random post... signing off and hitting the hay.

Loving my four kids here with me but missing my sweet Samuel in Heaven.

Sara