What we want our kids to KNOW.

This time of year many parents, myself included, work with our kids to ensure they are not completely stressed out and overwhelmed with the state testing and everyday life in general. We do what we can to calm their nerves and reassure them that they know their stuff, they'll do better next time, and to hang in there. But, at the end of the day, what do we REALLY want them to KNOW?

Trent and I REALLY want Ben and Haddie to KNOW that they can do anything, and they come from people who know how to get things done (in the good times and the bad times). 

We want them to KNOW that their Grandad Woodrow loved refinishing furniture with their Granny Tyson.

We want them to KNOW their Granny Hughes used to sew clothes and quilts to keep her family warm. We want them to KNOW how much their Ninna used to sew for the exact same reason.

We want them to KNOW how much their Ninna loved cooking for those around her (especially red beans and cornbread), and how much their Great Grandmother, Lois King, loved saving her recipes.

We want them to KNOW how their PaPa Roberts could look at an old crock and find a new use, and how he loved making old things new.

We want them to KNOW how much fun their Poppy was. How he loved to play Pinochle and dominoes. We want them to KNOW how much joy he took in "The Game".

 We want them to know the incredible knack for detail their Gramz has.

We want them to know how much their PaPaw Tyson loved performing at Cowboy Symposiums, how much he loved Hank the Cowdog, and how much he loved his border collies.

We want them to KNOW how hard their Pa worked as a journeyman/lineman. We want them to KNOW the many hours he worked without sleep to provide for us.

For those that don't know, these are old electrical insulators that used to be put on poles.

When times get tough, and they begin to doubt themselves, we want them to know that they can handle anything! It's in their blood!! They can make it through the lean times with faith and hard work. They can enjoy all the little things life has to offer through fellowship with family and friends. Sometimes it takes looking back before you can see your future. I know as I look at these things daily, that WE can make it through anything because we have what is most important. We have faith, family and friends. After all, as you can see from the things we surround ourselves with, we learned from the best. No matter what life throws at you, step back and enjoy the Simple Things in Life.

Spring Break

Well, we boring Tysons didn't do anything for Spring Break. We decided to have ourselves a Staycation! We got some deep cleaning done the first part of the week and the traditional trip to the dentist in, but all-in-all, we were lazy. And I LOVED every minute of it.

That's right! We were lazy. No "activities" from Pinterest were planned, no special meals were cooked, we were just a family. No stress, no planning, just spur of the moment decisions. I've caught flack before for not planning things with my kids. My children don't have to be entertained every minute of the day! We do things together, sure, but my job is not to make sure my children have every waking minute planned for them. They have learned to entertain themselves (AND NOT WITH VIDEO GAMES AND TV)! Ben and Haddie love to play with Legos, so there was a lot of time building. There were NERF wars, there were board games played, and Tinker Toys! They still love Tinker Toys!!!

Don't get me wrong, if you are the planning parent that is great, but please don't judge me because I choose to throw my kids outside with nothing planned at all except them being outside! I want my kids to continue to use their imaginations. I want them to learn to entertain themselves in constructive ways, and in my opinion, telling them what those ways are going to be defeats the purpose! We spend a lot of time together as a family, but my kids love to play with their toys by themselves. They don't have to have a device or a TV or a video game to keep them entertained.

Here's just a glimpse of our Staycation! Always remember to take time and enjoy the Simple Things in Life!

Haddie and I went to a beautiful wedding for a sweet sweet girl!

Ben working on his marksmanship.

Never to be outdone by Brother! She loves her Daisy!!

Add in a hoof pickin' lesson.

"Hey, Dad! I got this!!"

Honey Badger and Whoop Ass!

One of the things I struggle with most as a mom is not butting in to all of my kids' problems. Believe me, when my little guy came home angry and upset today because two kids have been talking about him behind his back, it was all I could do not to come uncorked. My knee jerk reaction was to go all honey badger on the kids and their parents. Now, is that a good resolution to the problem? Probably not, but that doesn't mean I don't want to open a can of whoop ass.

So, after I calmed down we talked about what he could learn from this. I really wanted him to work through the problem. As much as I want to, I WILL NOT be the helicopter parent that solves all my kids' problems for them. We walked through the issue. He explained that anyone who talks about him behind his back isn't really a friend. We discussed that most people behave this way because they feel badly about themselves, and making others miserable is just their way of making them feel better about themselves. He asked if it was ok to just walk away and not talk to the boys at all. Of course that's OK!

I decided to take it a step further and ask him what he's learned from this experience. He said, "Mom, I am going to make sure that if any of my friends talk about someone that I'm going to ask them to stop. That's just not right." What a kid I've got.

We've had our ups and downs with Ben. He is different than your average kid, and he is starting to realize it. We constantly talk to Ben and Haddie about accepting others for their differences. When Ben doesn't receive that same acceptance he wants to know why. That's a hard answer. Again, my horrible voice in my head responds with, "Because their parents are douche canoes", but that really isn't going to get us anywhere. In fact, I'm sure it would raise more questions than answers!!! Instead we reinforce that God makes all people different, and that God made him perfectly in His own image. What others say doesn't matter because the Creator of All loves him and accepts him for who he is.

Being different sucks. There's no way around that. But I pray that I can teach him to embrace his differences and use those differences to make a change in the world. He is who he is because the Great I Am created him uniquely, and it is my duty to foster his growth and love for his God and himself. I just pray Jesus would help me reign in the honey badger!!!

A Starting Point

I was trying to decide where I need to start with this blog. Do I pick up with our lives now, or do I go ALL the way back to the beginning of US? Lucky you, I decided to start with the beginning of us.

Trent and I have a relationship that is decades in the making. As a sweet little 9 year-old girl just starting out with 4-H and stock showing, I bought my first show lamb from an awkward glasses wearing 11 year old boy. Yes, he had cooties! How could we have known 27 years ago that we would be happily married with two wonderful kids?! Yes, we were high school sweethearts. Awwww....

When Trent began his masters work at WTAMU, we were given the opportunity to live in a house at the WT Horse Center with no rent or utilities. What a perfect time to get married, right!? And that's just what we did.

 Finishing college we began our careers. Me teaching junior high English and Trent working in the cattle industry. After five years of marriage we welcomed our son Benjamin into our world.

Life was forever changed. Three short years later, Haddie joined the family and we were complete.

 There is never a dull moment with these two. I can't imagine life without them.

 Careers have changed. I'm still in education and Trent is now a senior loan officer. Fourteen years after our wedding day, we built our dream house. I had always heard that if your marriage can survive building a house, it can survive anything. No truer words have ever been spoken. But, we made it! Look, we're even smiling (Kind of....Trent never smiles in pictures)!!

Our kids are developing their own unique personalities, and Trent and I are doing everything we can to foster their interests and talents. Benjamin is completely dedicated to karate and has since earned his orange belt since this picture.

Haddie is growing in to her own style and personality. She tells it like it is and is one of the most honest from the heart kids ever. Word of caution, though. If you don't want to know the truth, you don't need to ask Haddie! It's my prayer that she continues down this path as the awkward years approach.

As they grow, they have their ups and downs. But in the end, there is a little love there....

Our little family bleeds maroon and white. We are Buffs for Life!!

I love sitting here in my living room looking out our big picture window and watching our horses buck and play. I love going outside at night with my kids and looking up and seeing all the stars. I enjoy sitting by our pond on summer evenings reading a good book.

In case you haven't noticed, we love our simple simple life!