Our Baby has a Baby

God has blessed Pop and I so abundantly with our "grandblessings'!  I feel especially blessed to have been present at the all births of of our grand babies (except our sweet lil adopted Q)...even when we were living 1300 miles from our family.  God just seemed to orchestrate everything and Bitty Princess' birth was no exception.  The waiting room was full of Bitty Princess' "fan club members" as they anxiously awaited her arrival.  Romeo's parents, Pop, and Pretty Princess' sisters were all there.

I was so impressed with our youngest "kids" as they awaited the arrival of their first baby.  They were very well prepared.  They asked intelligent questions of the medical staff and had their birth plan firmly in mind.  Things rarely go as planned for childbirth and as things came up, they readily made adjustments and maintained a calm, controlled attitude...but it wasn't just about their attitude...it was about who they are in life.  They did all they could do and then trusted God with everything else.

I think Pop and I have the most incredible sons (in-law) on the planet.  They love God, their wives and their children. To have witnessed them in action in labor and delivery is something I feel honored to have seen.  Romeo was incredibly tender and attentive to Pretty Princess.  He worked hard to do everything she needed.  He made sure she was covered and comfortable (as possible) when various tubes were moved, monitors adjusted, and procedures performed. He got her ice chips and whatever she asked for. He ran interference with staff and family. In general, he did everything in his power to be the protector and provider for his little family.  What an incredible blessing!

The labor and delivery was bathed in prayer and at one point, Pretty Princess was surrounded by waiting grandparents and family members praying for God to make the labor progress quickly.  Several times as Pretty Princess endured, Romeo prayed over her as he and I tried to do everything we could to help.  At one point when things seemed to be stalled, family members in the waiting room prayed for progress in the delivery as another waiting family sympathetically looked on.  One particularly sweet moment, as our Princess labored in pain, I watched with my heart nearly bursting as Pop tenderly laid his hand on her head and silently asked God to help her and Bitty Princess through the delivery.  The calm and peace that came with this quiet act seemed to fill the room.



It was a long, difficult labor that could have quickly led to a c-section but Pretty Princess powered through and Romeo supported her in every way.  Pretty Princess should probably be renamed "Warrior Princess"!  The end result is our beautiful, healthy "Bitty Princess" who is joyfully welcomed by the whole Four Sisters Farm Family.

That night Pop and I prepared for sleep after a long and hard day.  He wrapped his arms around me as relief washed over me.  I expressed that with each birth I have witnessed, I am reminded just how fragile life is and have to thank God for what He has done.  As Pop held me and tears of gratitude streamed down my face, he quietly lifted his voice to our Creator, "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen."

This grammy has so much to be thankful for. Thank You, God.

Welcome Bitty Princess

"Bitty Princess" - born to Romeo and Pretty Princess.
Welcome to the Four Sisters Farm family, little one!

Proverbs 17:6

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁶ Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
   and parents are the pride of their children.

Baby Bumps

Today we celebrated Pretty Princess and Romeo's sweet baby girl.  The little princess is due in January and we are all over the moon in love with her already.

We had so much fun planning and putting on this baby shower.  What an exciting time!  You should have seen all the pink.  It was like an ocean of pink!

We love you baby girl!

So...if you remember.  There are three pregnant sisters.  Rock Star is due in February with a baby boy and I (Farm Chick) am due in April.  We don't know yet if it is a boy or girl.

The only UNpregnant sister is DW.  She is perfectly happy to not be with child.  Here is the picture to prove it!

Here is the banter on facebook between the sisters in regards to this photo...

Rock Star: HAHA! The joke is on DW though because we all plan for her to babysit...a lot.
DW: Bring. It. On. The joke is back on you because I can send them home and sleep through the night! LOL
Rock Star:  I meant OVER-Night babysitting...Hee Hee.

Labor Day Weekend 2011

We took the term "Labor Day" literally here at Four Sisters Farm and had a weekend extravaganza of hard work! If you are a regular reader, you already know that we are working hard on a renovation of the main floor of the farm house.

Pop is the "man with the plan" and Doc, PhoJo, and Romeo gave up some rest and relaxation time to join us in more demolition. We are ever so grateful for their help!

Farm Chick at Heart, EJ, and the cowboys had some family plans for the weekend so they missed out on the "fun". They probably are not as tired and sore as the rest of us...we sure missed them!

Pretty Princess, DW and the Unconventional kids were out to Four Sisters Farm to join in where they could. There was some time for go kart rides and some hammock swinging for the kids (I think I spotted Romeo and Pretty Princess in the hammock once as well). DW, Doc, Pop, and I talked through some kitchen design ideas...I know it will all be great but it's still somewhat up in the air!

For the record, we had a few muscle strains, one injury to a finger with a power tool, a broken pickup window, and a power saw that gave up the ghost. We feel blessed that with all we've done, everyone's health is intact and the window and saw can be replaced. God is gracious!

Pretty Princess got in on a wild ride with me from a nearby Lowes where we hauled a new one piece shower to the farm...let's just say, the guys loading it didn't load it right...the wind was blowing hard and we had to drive about 18 or so miles. Picture a Grammy and a pregnant Princess working the ratchet straps over and adding more tie downs so the shower didn't become a sail on the way home. Pretty Princess kept an eye on things as we drove. We prayed, the shower stayed, and Pop was amazed and relieved when he saw that we made it in spite of the way it was loaded! (Sorry, no pictures of that episode!)

However, I did get some candid shots of some of the work...

Go away unwanted walls! Your outdated paneling and 1970s wallpaper

(hiding behind the cabinetry) will not be tolerated

(even if Ladybug likes the flowers on it). It has to go!

Goodbye old cabinets. You've served the house well but you are worn out and your doors no longer stay consistently closed. Thank you for your service. So long. Your more intact pieces will find new places of honor in the shed so you will be seeing more of Pop and less of me.

So long harvest gold bathtubs. Enough said!

We will keep working and posting progress reports. Stay tuned!

The Old Homestead

I am incredibly blessed to have both my mom and my dad still with us...pictured here with Pretty Princess and Romeo. They are in good health and I'm thankful they shared their hardy genetic makeup with their children, grandchildren, great grandkids, etc.

Earlier this month I was blessed to go to my childhood home for a reunion of sorts...only one brother and his wife were missing. Some of the next generation were there as well which added to the blessing. Pretty Princess, Romeo, The Unconventional Doctor's Wife, and The Unconventional Kids were all there!

There are many families who fuss and fight and refuse to be together and I count my blessings regularly! An extra treat was to have a special first cousin and her hubby there as well. Since her dad (my dad's brother) died some years ago, I hope we were able to give her a sense of connection to her Dad’s family while she was with us.

I am so thankful that Dad and Mom partnered to provide their family (and many others) with a stable and loving home. I know that doing so meant sacrifices on their part; but it has blessed so many. As Pop and I work on our “dream” here at Four Sisters Farm, our parents are the model we base many things on. We see the value of a homestead for our family and know that God gave us a home base with our parents in our old home town; and because of that, we had the luxury of moving our family to accomplish many goals and still have a model for our daughters of the value of putting down roots.

Ultimately, our roots are in our relationship with God…without Him there would be no good reason to place a high priority on family. Once again, I count my blessings.

It’s good stuff to have my children and grandchildren play in the same places I played as a child. It is awesome to watch them climb the same old cottonwood tree that their Great Uncle caught on fire with his "tree house fireplace" and their Great Aunt breaking her arm in that very creek bed and about my part in that. It is fun to retell the stories once again.

I loved being able to watch my niece pull out the yard games and play with the kids like we used to do with her and her cousins when we all gathered there.

I thank God for my Dad and Mom and for so many blessings that I lose count. It seems like we all say that we don’t often enough say “I love you.” Or “Thank you.” And I suppose that is true; but I try to make certain that they hear it from me often enough to have it echo in their minds and hearts when they think about me and about my family. I thank them on behalf of my family and our extended family who long for what they have created there with God as their foundation and love as their motivation.