Agriculture Essay

We are obviously a family who loves agriculture. It is all Steve and I have ever known and it is what our children were surrounded with growing up. Our three sons have all continued to embrace the agriculture world and Megan loves it as well. From early on in her life, she never took a lot of interest in "girlie" things but preferred to play and work outdoors and to tag along after Steve and the boys. After high school, she chose to pursue a college education and will graduate in May from Penn State University with an Associates Degree in Ag Business. She is intending to work for our business Green 'N Grow Compost (the website is under construction--this is one of the first things Megan is going to do when she starts full-time employment with us) and Steve and I are delighted to have her on board. We know that she will bring some good suggestions and knowledge from her college courses that will enhance our company.

Last spring, Megan wrote an essay on "Why Agriculture is Important to Me," and submitted it to PennAg Industries Association in hopes of receiving a scholarship. She not only received the scholarship but her essay was chosen to be featured in the latest PennAg Journal. I thought it was well written (of course what else would a mother think?) and it shows her love of agriculture and how it has affected her life and how she hopes to be a part of it in the future. Here it is (click on it to enlarge):

 

Congratulations Megan!

Addition to Previous Post

In my previous post about Awstin, I said I would try to video his chuckle. Well, I tried today and had a little bit of success. It wasn't his best one, but it will have to do.

I tried to tempt him with the remote and this is what I got.



I also took some video of him in the walker. Steve was in the house and was encouraging him to run after him. Awstin turned the joke on him, because in the end, when Steve offers to pick him up, he whirls around as if to say, "now you chase me!" I just love seeing him get around in his walker-mobile.

More GRAND Time

In January, I wrote about the weekend that we kept Jay and Kristen's three children and shared some of the fun things that I enjoy about each child. I thought it was about time, I blogged a little bit about my other grandchild, Shawn and Melissa's son, Awstin.

 

Awstin is eight months old and absolutely adorable. I love(d) each and every age of my children and grandchildren, but there is something about that time when a baby is between six months and one year that is just plain down cuteness over and over again. I keep Awstin every Wednesday and this has quickly become a day that I look forward to. Melissa usually brings him into the house and sets him on the kitchen table in his car seat while she goes back to her vehicle for the diaper bag. He peers over the edge of his seat and gives me a big grin that just melts my heart. He kicks his legs and waves his arms excitedly as he waits for me to lift him out. I oblige and our day has begun.

 

Awstin is not crawling yet but he loves the walker and his little feet take him all over my kitchen when I put him in it. He has mastered going around the kitchen table and can expertly maneuver the walker to the open dishwasher where I purposely put toys or spatulas and other kitchen items for him to pick up and wave around importantly. He loves to sit in the basement and play with toys that I set there for him and the noisier the better. I have several that play tunes and make ridiculous sounds and if they are all blaring at the same time, he couldn't be happier. When he is delighted he gives this silly, little chuckle. I am going to have to try to record it sometime because it really needs to be saved to show to him some day. It will be interesting to see if he still laughs like that as he gets older. 

 

Probably the best way to describe Awstin is happy and contented. He is a joy to have around and I love listening to him jabber and squeal and to see his enthusiasm for life. It seems each week he masters something new and I am only too aware that he will soon be crawling, walking, talking and before you know it all grown up. But for now, I am just enjoying this little boy (and all of my grandchildren) and am so grateful for the privilege I have of being a grandparent. Here are some recent pictures that I took of Awstin.

 

Busy, little guy--spatula in one hand, other hand opening door, toy in mouth.



Peek-a-boo!

He is ecstatic if he gets a hold of the TV remote or a cell phone.

In the tractor buddy seat with Grandpa, helping to turn the compost.

 

 

Selfie

There is a strange phenomenon called the selfie that has become very popular on social media and the mobile web. A selfie is a picture of yourself taken by you and usually shared on any social networking website.

In all my previous 53 years, I don't think that I ever took a picture of myself. For one thing it was really hard to do. How do you turn a camera on yourself? But now with the SmartPhones you simply touch a button on your camera to make it front-facing and snap!--you have a picture of yourself.

The younger generation seems to be especially fond of selfies. If you scroll through a young adult's Facebook page you will see plenty of them. Sometimes they are extreme close-ups, others show part of an arm held straight outward and a few even feature standing in front of a bathroom mirror so they can get a full body shot of their reflection. No longer do you have to ask someone to take your picture!

I decided to Google why people take selfies and here is what I learned from About.com.

• To get attention from as many people as possible
• To get a self-esteem boost
• To show off
• To get a specific person's attention
• Boredom
• Because social media is fun

None of those reasons seemed appropriate for a middle-aged woman to use, however, I was kind of intrigued with this whole selfie idea and my birthday seemed like a fitting day to try to take one. I must have taken 20 pictures and deleted 18 of them. So, here on my 54th birthday I am sharing with you two selfies. I do not believe that I will be doing this again! There are some things that are better left to the younger generation.

Happy Birthday Kristen!

 

Today is my daughter-in-law Kristen's birthday. For the past year, I have been recognizing each person in my family on their birthday and writing a short blog about them. I started on March 15, 2013 with my birthday and almost a year later this completes the circle. I will not continue to do this every year, but I have really enjoyed expressing with written word the love that I have for each member of my family. So last but definitely not least here is my tribute to Kristen!

One never knows when a new member joins the family, how they will fit in, but with Kristen it was an easy adjustment. Her sparkling brown eyes crinkle at the corners when she laughs (which is often) and she is not shy about participating in any conversation or family event. She is an amazing cook and is always whipping up some delicious mouthwatering dish. Our family learned early on that if Kristen was making the meal we would not be disappointed.

Jay and Kristen married on June 11, 2005 and after a year or so of renting a nearby house, they purchased a mobile home and set it on a small section of our property at the top of our hill. They lived there for a few years before moving on to the farm where they are living now and one of my favorite memories from that time, was watching Kristen beautifully create her flower gardens. In fact, after seeing what an awesome job she did I asked her if I could pay her to do mine as well. She was agreeable and that was probably the only time in my life that I felt good about the way my landscaping looked.

Her creativity comes out in many ways: crafts, baking, scrapbooking, housekeeping, gardening  to name a few. She is not afraid to tackle any project and I am continually in awe of her energy and talent. She is a committed Christian and is very conscious of living a godly life and teaching her children to love Jesus.

Kristen is a wonderful mother. As three children arrived in a little over three years, Kristen welcomed each one so excitedly and as a treasured gift from God. She keeps the household running smoothly and is incredibly organized. She has so much patience and allows her children to "help" her in any way they can. She encourages them to try new things and shows them how to love life. Another thing she is adding to her plate this year is homeschooling and there is not a doubt in my mind that she will be fabulous at it.

Sometimes being a mother-in-law can be a difficult role, but Kristen has made it easy for me. She is sensitive, caring, loving and respectful and I enjoy spending time with her. As I said in my blog for Melissa, the one thing that a mother desires above all else is that her children are happy. Kristen makes Jay happy and I am incredibly thankful for their love for each other, their family, and for the Lord.

I am blessed to have Kristen Eileen (Charles) Lehman as my daughter-in-law. Happy birthday!

 

P.S. And just in case you didn't know my daughters-in-law are sisters! How cool is that?!?!

Little Ben

Recently on my Facebook wall there have been a number of friends who have shared a link to a blog written by a mother whose 4 year old son, Ben, is dying of a brain tumor. Losing a child has to be the most difficult, heart wrenching, emotional circumstance that a parent would ever have to endure. I simply cannot imagine what these parents are going through. Just reading her blog brings tears to my eyes. Here is the link.

 

The mother, Mindy, shares from her heart and it is special that she is allowing many others to ride along with her on this journey. I'm sure that writing is therapeutic to Mindy and I know that she receives encouragement from many who are supporting her and her husband through this, but what constantly comes through in her writing is her steadfast trust in God. Even if God takes Ben from them, she refuses to be bitter and her trust in God is unwavering. Would I be able to be as strong as her, when going through this dark valley of death? I'm not sure.

 

I only know a handful of people who have lost a small child. Thirty years ago, I had a close friend who had a stillborn little girl and I had several friends that had miscarriages but that is about the extent of my personal experience. My parents actually had a 2-month old baby boy die of pneumonia. His name was Paul and he was born in December of 1950. Mother never talked about it much but apparently Paul had a cold and fever and when they called the doctor on a Saturday, he told them that he thought it would be all right for them to wait to bring him in until Monday (they switched doctors after Paul's death). If I have my story right, my parents were up with him most of the night and his fever continued to spike. Sometime Sunday morning while my mother was holding him, he had a seizure and died in her arms. The one fear that Mother carried with her the rest of her life was that of a high fever. I remember that if I said I didn't feel good, it wasn't that big a deal, but the minute I got a fever, mother was anxious and worried and would constantly check it and if it got over 102 we were on our way to the doctor. Paul would have been 10 years older than me and I have often wondered what his personality would have been like and how the dynamics of my family would be different if he had not died as an infant.

 

Meanwhile, I have learned to love the Sauer family--Mindy and her husband Andy, little Ben and his twin brother Jack and younger sister Megan. My heart aches when I see the beautiful pictures and I read the words that Mindy writes. Ben is so precious and such a joy to this family. It seems unfathomable that this darling little boy will be taken from this wonderful family and I am praying along with many others for a miracle.