Churchill...

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy."

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

- Sir Winston Churchill

Flashback for the day....

I just had a funny ‘flashback’! Some people here at work were talking about not liking to change baby diapers.

I thought back to when Matthew was littler… Kenny (bless his heart) would watch Matthew while I worked some days.

I can remember a few phone calls in the beginning that went something like this…..

Me: Hello?

Kenny: What’s goin’ on?

Me: Just work, what’s up?

Kenny: Well, you better get your butt over here, your child is going to thebathroom.

Summary: That was Grandpa talk for, “I’m not doing the wiping, sooo…you better come now.”

Grandpa did after a few times start wiping his bottom for him.
Kenny and Matthew are both FUNNY!

Yes, Grandpa Nute….we MISS YOU!

Dear Mr. Obama...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Ted Nugent on the 2nd Ammendment...

"How To Dance In The Rain"

This was a forwarded email. One of the best I have seen in a while. It brought tears to my eyes and made me stop, think, and appreciate what I DO have.

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00am .

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctors appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. When I inquired about her health he told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

Long work trips with Daddy...

...sometimes require the need for some ear popping.

Matthew: "Dad, my ear won't pop."

minutes later....

Craig: "Matthew, did you get your ears to pop?"

Matthew: "Ya, they just needed some chewing."

FUN, FUN, FUN....

"Mom, c'mon...letsssssssss gooooooo!"

Matthew sitting outside the library with his bag of books and movies talking to Daddy on the phone...tellin' him all about it before we head back home.

Daddy's in Greenville, SC this week. He'll be home Friday around lunch time.

The next 3 pictures are of Matthew riding his bike home from the library.

Matthew has discovered that he LOVES to ride his bike.

We have been riding all throuh our neighborhood, to his school several times, and of course, to the library. From our house the library is about a half mile and we have enjoyed getting to go there very easily.

This evening, after work, the boys and I had a Godfather's Pizza dinner to celebrate my new job at the schools. After dinner, Michael and Nathaniel took Rusty & Zeus for a walk and Matthew and I headed to the library on our bikes to get library cards and check out some books.

It was fun!

THE GUTS OF THE HOME DEOPT...

After moving to Gillette, I needed a JOB!

I did a bit of "contract" work for a company who is doing server upgrades for the Home Depot.

I won't go into too much detail, but it involved 3 visits and 3 new servers.

Here's a "daunting" picture of what I was faced with... it says it ALL!

If it weren't for my WONDERFUL husband stepping to help me when the other Tech was a complete NO SHOW, it wouldn't have got done.

Thanks SWEETIE PIE!

G'ma Beth & G'pa Nute come to Wyoming for a visit!

Matthew started to feel bad the evening of his birthday. Fever, chills, body aches...we thought he had the flu. We took him to the doctor the next day to find he had a strep virus. No sore throat though, which was good.

Grandma Beth & Grandpa Nute came to visit us the weekend after Matthew's birthday. They helped us take VERY good care of our little man. Grandma snuggled up and read to Matthew...

Grandpa helped Daddy move the kitchen cabinet so our huge refrigerator would fit in the space and helped Daddy bring in our stove.

We had a nice dinner at Hardee's and a great breakfast at Village Inn...and lots of fun in between.

We love you and miss you Grandma Beth, Grandpa Nute & Grandma Katy.....

By the way....don't forget....Kathe is the "Master Macaroni Chef", and her vacuum is AWESOME! HAHA.

We didn't want them to leave!

HAPPY "7TH" BIRTHDAY MATTHEW CRAIG STEVENS!!!

June 11th, 2002 was one of the happiest days of our life. The day our Matthew Craig was born changed us forever.

Vibrant, fun, smart as a whip and full of energy...Matthew stole our hearts with his dark, enormous, round eyes and sweet demeanor.

Today, he is an amazing 7 year old who loves his brothers with all his heart and everyday worries about the impending "fall" when both his brothers will leave. Michael to NMSU and Nathaniel back to live the year in Las Cruces.

My favorite part of every weekday is coming home from work to Matthew, running to the door with open arms and a waiting bear hug.

I love you with all that I am Matthew and I am so thankful for each and every day I get to be with you!

A Fresh Start

On June 1, 2009, after a morning in court in Las Cruces, our family of 6 people, 2 dogs, 1 lizard, and 1 turtle left Deming, New Mexico and headed north for Gillette, Wyoming in a 4 vehicle caravan at approximately 4:00pm. Here's a "picture perfect" blog all about it.....

After leaving the house, we said 'goodbye' to GMK, Grandpa Nute and Grandma Beth...

Notice part of our "caravan" here and the most curious German Shepard in the truck... Oh, his nose just knew something was up!

Along the way, Rufus the Box Turtle and Grizz the Bearded Dragon were also most uncertain.

We stopped in Hatch to pick up Nathaniel who would be spending the summer with us in Wyoming. We had to wait about 30 minutes there for him.

Delay, delay, delay...this was our 2nd setback of the day!

A couple days before we left Deming, Craig had noticed his eye getting a bit red and irritated.
However, being a man on a mission, he refused to go to get it checked out.

We began our 1000 mile journey north. Unfortunately, day one of our journey would end abruptly when right around Socorro (2 1/2 hours from Deming), Craigs' eye would get far, far worse almost instantaneously.

After stopping several times along the road, we made it to Socorro (barely) and to the ER there. Really, really bad eye infection (let's just say.....PINK EYE)! BAD!

So, by the time we left the ER it was late. Too late to continue and we were absolutely BEAT!

So we spent the night in Socorro... Craig, myself, Nathaniel, Matthew, 2 dogs, a lizard and a turtle in one room and Michael and my Mother in another. Even though the dogs required 2 "outs" in the night-time, they were angels and very well behaved.

We woke up early the next morning and started again....

As we headed north, the scenery changed. It clouded up a bit and go quite a bit greener.

Michael did a great job on his first really long drive. He commandeered the Suburban through heavy rain, windy roads, a mountain pass, Denver traffic, and 2 lane highways like a pro. One always remembers their first "long haul"....

I was slow going most of the trip. Between pee breaks, food stops, doggie breaks, and hills that required slower driving for the very heavy trailer being pulled at the head of our caravan.... it seemed to take forever.

But...we persevered and after a long, bumpy (but fun, kinda) ride, we finally reached our new home. Gillette, Wyoming was green and overcast when we arrived. The boys got acclimated to their new surroundings very quickly as children do. Here they are in downstairs relaxing after the forever drive!

The weather was such a beautiful change that Craig decided to sit outside and relax...

Even our sweet doggies, Zeus and Rusty enjoyed the nice weather...until night, that is - when it got cold and poor, just shaved, Rusty was REALLY COLD! For the first week we were here, he shook and his teeth actually "chattered"!

Soon, though, G'pa Nute and G'ma Beth would visit us. Good ole G'pa knew just what to do for Rusty. He wrapped him up in a blanket each night he was here. It was really quite sweet!

The great part about living in a quiet neighborhood is getting to bike ride with the kids and take the dogs for walks without fear of being mauled by a large dog not fenced or leashed.....

We love our new home and hope you visit us very soon!

Michael A. Pratt - Graduation 2009

2009! Congratulations Michael!

We LOVE you!

Matthew's day with Ernesto!

Matthew had his best friend Ernesto stay over all day and overnight, too!
Oh, they had sooo much fun!
Matthew is a very lucky boy to have such a good friend!

Matthew received the Principals Award

On May 20th, Matthew received the Principal's Award.

Citizenship, good student, good attendance qualify you for this award.

It goes to only one student in each class!

YAY MATTHEW!

3 LITTLE ANGELS

Matthew, Ben & Maddie watching Bedtime Stories...

Hugs for big kids too...

Today Michael told me he needed a hug to make sure I still loved him.
A real hug.

Hmmm... maybe he's right. More hugs are needed; however, it's a hard age.
17 years old. They question everything you say, no matter how many times you have proven that what you say is probably right (CUZ YOU'VE BEEN THERE), and no matter how many times you "bail them out", and no matter all that, they still argue everything, don't listen, have to be begged for help, are messy, and ugh....

Yes, they need hugs, too. Someday, they'll realize that sometimes... what Mom's say is true!
"ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS."

So from a Mother of a teenager's perspective, well... yes, I'll give you a hug BUT for future reference...consider these "virtual hugs from Mom"....

I cleaned your room.

I cooked you dinner.

I waited up until 2:30am to make sure you were home safe.

I drove home after work to get your work shirt you forgot, delivered it to your school and then drove back home - all after a long days work.

I drove an hour (one way) to Las Cruces to pick you up from a Tennis match so you wouldn't be late to the dance.

I did your laundry, folded it and put it away for you.

I wake and prod you every morning to make sure you get up and off to school.

I come to have dinner at Dairy Queen some nights so I can see you on your break.

I love you always.....

A Borrowed Post... worth the read!

This post is "borrowed" from a friends friend.
http://richinsfam.blogspot.com/2008/11/election-day.html

For the Love of Football...

Gillette, Wyoming

Deming, New Mexico

Tooth Flicker????

Matt says he wants to flick his loose tooth right out of his mouth with his tongue and then catch it with his tongue..lol.

This will be his second lost tooth...

Zeus & Rusty...best puppies ever!

Handsome, handsome, handsome!

Funny, funny, funny...

My favorite line on King of Queens:

Doug & Carrie sell her hair to afford a cruise. After her haircut, Carrie gets carded buying beer and Doug says to Deacon, "...because she looks like a weird boyeee..."

Hmmmm....

Today when we got home from work/school Matthew said "Mom in the mornings you are in a good mood until Michael wakes up."

What to make of that? lol

Here's what I have come up with...MICHAEL IS VERY DIFFICULT IN THE MORNINGS and Matthew is easy.

Either way - it's kind of funny that he is so insightful.

Learning about butterflies in Mrs.Otero's first grade class...

Matthew just drew me a picture of a butterfly.
Then after signing and dating it...asked me if it was "symmetrical".

He said that his caterpillar is in a chrysalis and wiggles and that
means soon it will be a butterfly.

I asked him what type of butterfly it will be...
He knew...."a painted lady".

I asked him what the difference was between a cocoon and a chrysalis.
His response...I don't know, that wasn't in my book.
Sounds like a fun trip to Barnes and Noble is in our immediate future.

Earling Morning BRAWL...

This morning around 6am, my dog, Zeus (yes, the one from the last story) woke me with violent barking right under my bedroom window.

First of all, just yesterday evening, he got his junk stuck in the fence. You'd think he'd quit jumping it for a while...NO. This morning, I woke to violent barking - like he was attacking something. So I leaped out of bed and over to the window only to see him chasing what I thought was maybe a rooster.

I have never seen a rooster around our house, but you never know.

I watched a few seconds before opening the window to yell at him to stop and try and scare the "whatever it was" away with my voice. It didn't work - on either one. Then after maybe a minute or two of me yelling at them, I smelled it...

IT WAS A SKUNK!

Oh my lord, the smell instantaneously filled my room and soon the whole house. All before 7am! NOT COOL!

It then took me about 10 minutes in stinky anguish to wake Michael to go make sure it wasn't dead near the house (because if it was, we'd have to smell it for DAYS).

Zeus, our family greeter, is now scheduled for a bath. Hopefully I will have time tonight. He is a hard one to avoid being the "greeter" and all...

I wonder, "fence" incident yesterday, "skunk" incident today, whatever could be next???

LOL! Check back tomorrow to find out...

Cost: approx. $11.00 in air freshners/candles

Zeus, the Fence, and a trip to the Vet...

ZEUS & MATTEW AT THE VET TODAY...

Everyday when we get home, our beautiful, full of energy, loyal dog, Zeus jumps our fence to greet us. Sometimes, after our hellos, we let him walk through the house with us to get back to the backyard.

Today was like all the other days. Zeus jumped the fence with great ease and tremendous grace to greet us. We loved on him a bit and when we went in, he went to the side of the house to jump the fence into the backyard. Once in the house, Matthew and I heard what sounded like a dog fight outside.

We ran to the side of the house only to find Zeus half over the fence with his um... "STUFF", caught between the fence boards. The fence is 4' and the boards have maybe 5mm between them. Of course, Rusty, our other dog was barking and running in circles. When I finally realized (after about 5 seconds) that Zeus was "stuck by his stuff", I panicked and freaked out yelling, "OH MY GOD....ZEUS!"

I think this frightened the poor dog because he lurched forward and "unstuck" himself. This was not only traumatic for Zeus, but for Matthew and I, too. Just the thought of it makes us both cringe! OUR POOR PUPPY!

I called the Vet and rushed him there, too afraid to look at his wounded area myself. By the way, Matthew is right here proofing everything I type for accuracy. He says, Matthew wasn't afraid to look! For the record, you know!

Anyway, Zeus is OK. He had to be sedated in order for her to check the area thoroughly. He did well and got two treats. No splinters, just slight bleeding and an abrasion that should heal without issue.

The Vet informed us that "Dog getting his penis stuck between wooden fence slats while jumping over....A FIRST FOR HER!" I don't think Zeus will stop jumping the fence. Greeting us and guarding the front yard is, after all, a VERY important job.

Tonight, please say a prayer for our handsome and loyal companion. May he heal quickly and not be traumatized by the fence incident.

Cost: $69.00 vet bill

Good deeds should be reciprocated...

Tonight, Michael went to Wal-Mart after tennis practice. He thought about his little brother and bought him a game for the wii. It's called "Mini Desktop Racing".

When Michael handed it to Matthew, of course, Matthew was delighted. He then said to Michael, "Thanks Michael, that was nice of you to buy me a game. I'm going to tell Mom to buy you something!"

Cute, ha?

Later on, after playing the game (it was kinda hard), Matthew went to Michael and asked him, "Do you know what DESKTOP means?" Michael replied, "yes, why?" Matthew said, "It's really hard! It's little tiny cars racing on a desk. I keep getting pushed off the edge! You should have got me an easier game. But it was still nice of you to buy me it."

Matthew Legs...

Matthew sees the specialist again this month. We'll see how that goes. Today he had his x-rays for his upcoming appointment. I will post again after his appointment.

Friday Morning...

I had to open the gym today. 4am comes early! There were 4 people waiting for me here at 4:00. 2 more arrived before 4:15am.

UGH! Getting ooooold...lol!

So...I was at a meeting tonight for the Senior mother's dance. It's a tradition here in Deming where the mothers put on a dance for their Senior, and get a dance with them.

Well the last meeting we had so far just happened to be tonight. It went ok; however, funny thing... We're sitting there (10-15 of us) discussing the details of the dance (the where's, what's, when's etc) when the mom running the meeting looks at me and busts out with, "that gray hair is sticking straight up and it's bugging me!"

Ya, it was mine. My hair was pulled back in a pony and one was sticking straight up. So I told her, "Sheesh, pull it then!" lol

Oh getting old is a bugger, isn't it?? I pulled it when I got home and decided to share it with you all! Aren't you lucky?

DELICIOUS!

Craig was having a little snack just a few minutes ago. Some Doritos with some bean dip. Matthew was playing the wii with Michael and having a piece of toast himself, glanced over at Craig and asked... "Hey, what are you eating?". Craig said, "Some chips and dip." He asked Matthew if he'd like to try some. Matthew said ya and ate one. Before he was even done chewing, he busted out, "DAD YOU HAVE TO SHARE THAT WITH ME!"

Craig gave him a plate. Matthew ate a few and before going back to play with Michael said, "Michael, you have GOT to try this...it's DELICIOUS!"

We laughed. It was so funny to hear. Michael, of course, responded with... "Matthew, I am familiar with bean dip, but thanks!"

Several times after the above conversation, Matthew said to Craig again... "Dad, this is so delicious."

IT WAS A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Ready for Christmas morning!


Opening one gift Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning, Santa arrived with the last few gifts and the stockings are stuffed!

They picked their "spots" and are getting loaded up!

...and they're off...

Matthew got a cool Cowboys uniform, helmet and all from Grandpa and Grandma!
Nathaniel got a 22 from Dad and Kathe!

Stockings!

He's soooo ready now!
Matthew's favorite is FOOTBALL!

With Craig home for the holidays and all three boys with us this Christmas Day...
it was truly a wonderful time. We are blessed!

Truly and totally blessed!