Mother Tucker

Mother’s Day . . . a day I attribute to my mother, not me.  I’ve been a mother only 3 years, and only to 2 children.  My mother has been a mother for 32 years, going on 33 years on June, and she’s been a fantastic mom to 7 kids, and one more added when she was a teenager; so 8 kids.  We’re all grown up and moved out now but she still takes up responsibility for us when we get in a pickle . . . more or less financially, anymore.  But her moral support and wisdom take the cake.  The older I get the more I’m aware of our similarities and quirks that mirror each others . . .  I’m sure I’m mirroring her more than the other way around . . .

That’s my momma on the left (obviously) and daddy and he’s holding Braxton, my nephew . . . and then Samuel is in my mom’s lap and Tobias is there too. This was July of last year, so a bit dated.

So my thoughts are with my mom today. Of course the card I bought was late being mailed so she won’t get until Tuesday or something but its the thought, right.  And I have a reputation to uphold here, you know.

I woke up this morning and my husband had beat me to the punch; getting the alert kiddos out of their cribs, feeding them, changing them, etc.  I went walk/jogging cuz I was feeling mighty guilty about the pizza I ate last night and I like to walk by myself . . . well, by myself with Bonko Byron

Yep, Bonko Byron . . . that would be the white streak of white off to your right.

Ah, it was a beautiful morning too . . . sunshine and all.  We went about 3 miles or so and came home.  My batteries a bit more charged.

Knowing Justin did have to put some hours in at work I didn’t want to bug him about going to the park or anything but it slipped anyway and he immediately agreed.  We packed Toby’s big wheel and the stroller and headed to Minto Brown Park . . . paved bike paths galore!!  Justin was teaching Tobias how to peddle the big wheel and when that got old . . . which, with a three year old, doesn’t take very long . . . played on the playground and then walked down to the dog park to let Bonko Byron run his energetic butt off. All with thick rain clouds intermixed with bright blue and sunshine . . . gorgeous and one of my favorite types of weather. Gotta compromise straight sunshine here in the Western bit of Oregon, eh.

You guessed it, I forgot my camera . . . again. But thats alright, I enjoyed myself so much that I would have forgotten it was there anyway.

Oh yeah, I got a card too . . . so funny . . . so Justin’s humor and it made it that much more special; and the one-of-a-kind Toby art drawn inside. Love it!

Words that describe how I feel about motherhood, in my severely limited experience:

*Love

*Fulfilling

*Protective

*Unconditional

*Sacrificial

*Overwhelming

*Challenging

*Commitment

*Insecure

*Secure

*Lonely

*Busy

*Tiring

*Worry

*Prayerful

*Hope

*Snuggle

Most of all I wanna be the best mom I can be to both my boys . . . as different as they are, I want them to come to their full potential; not in the world’s standards, but their full potential in what God has for them.  That their lives be full of the fruits of spirit because of their personal relationship with the one true God . . . spilling over into every part of their existence. And that they have confidence, not in and of themselves, but confidence in the one who ultimately created them and know His love and truth are secure no matter what happens in their natural world.

Again, this is July of 2007 . . . the boys were: Tobias 27 months and Samuel 10 months . . . give or take a few weeks. Oh yeah, and thats me, tanned from summer sun. Love that summer sun. I think Tobias was trying to get down and push Sam away at the same time; quite the feat.  And Sam was glaring or something at Tobias. hee hee . . . they were both squirming, I remember that.

So I have many friends and family that take on the same challenges, and more, in mothering their children . . . I want to wish you all a  Happy Mother’s Day and I hope your day was as full of peace and love!!

God Bless!

Since the purchase of our pooch, Byron, 3 years ago, dog parks have been an active part of our weekly . . . if not . . . daily lives.   He is, as you probably are already aware, a Parson Russell Terrier . . . also known as a Jack Russell (I’m not sure if “Russell” is spelled with 2 L’s or not, who cares).  Jacks are notoriously high energy, they were bred that way for fox hunting purposes.  We are the idiots that bought a high energy breed of dog but now he has wormed his spring-like self into the center of our hearts . . . so he’s stuck with us.

Since the big move to Salemland we had yet to find a loverly dog park to take our exercise deprived animal, to wear out him adequately.  No amount of walks or jogs can squelch the amazing resilience of his Jack energy. But dog parks take a little bit of it out of him, thankfully.

3 weeks ago we found one.  A dog park.  25 acres of leash-less abound! So many dogs, so many acres of green grass to romp, pee, and poop . . . but mostly romp.  And it is so spread out that I don’t mind the kiddos walking on the bark paths with us, instead of squashed in the stroller to watch the going ons.  So, in a fashion, its a dog and kid park.

And, thankfully, summer is slowing taking over, so the weather has been oh so nice!

Here are some pictures of the outing yesterday, late afternoon.  We’ve been multiple times but I managed to remember my camera . . . and I managed to remember to take pictures once we arrived.

Setting out for a walk around 25 acres of off-leash glory!!

Byron, Tobias and Samuel . . . in the lush scenery.

Tobias, growing up . . . so good looking. I’m not biased in any way though.

Samuel at the dog park. Didn’t have time to edit this one before the real live Samuel woke up from naptime.  And now that he’s sitting on me, fresh from a nap, I’m going. He’s good looking too, by the way.

I’m a bit of house-hermit but this weekend some good friends of ours invited us over . . . an overnighter, folks. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was in my early 20’s and definitely before chitlins. That doesn’t include my Momma’s house. I was a tad nervous of how the kids would do . . . Sam hadn’t traveled for an overnight trip since he was 3 or 4 months old. But, as usual, things went better than I expected . . . actually they went really really well. And, on top of that, we spent some well-needed and overdue time with some very good friends! I enjoyed myself immensely and found myself even more grateful and blessed (and humbled) to have such people as these on my short list of friends.

Then last night we went to church.  I cried (literally) for the time lost at my “home” . . . where I feel most at home . . . and I cried cuz the presence of God was so thick in the place.  The message edifying and convicting all at once. And I can’t wait to get back.  It was excellent to see all of my friends as well! If you didn’t know, my church (Life Bible), is over an hours drive right now; living in Salem while J does his school thing.  And with finances being so slim, getting down there but once every couple of months is a miracle the last 6 months or so.  But I just choose to trust God, even though I don’t completely understand why He has us in this season.

Here’s some pics, hopefully its cool with my friends if they are posted on me blog.

Mixture of families, since there was a birthday party going on for Chad and Ezra.  My hubby is on your far right. hot!

At the table after some awesome burritos, courtesy of Sarah and Linda. Again, mixture of families and my hubby is on your far right.

Playing with our dog, Byron.  It was still relatively warm out at 8pm. My husband is on your far right . . . I’m seeing a pattern forming.

Enjoying cake and ice cream.  Ezra wanted a pink cake . . . so the frosting was, indeed, pink. Very cute! He turned 3 years old.

So my pooch has decided that he needed pee on my floor . . . not once but 3 times in one week.  This is not ok . . . an occasional accident due to the negligence and absent-mindedness of the owner, thats understandable. Being outside to potty, coming inside and peeing in my floor within an hour and a half . . . all three times . . . not ok.

I was hot to trot, as they say, and the hubby received an email with some not-so-nice content about the dog he chose and how he needs a new home, etc.  Yeah, not a friendly email.  But the ‘hot-headedness’ wore off and I forgave, once again, the goofball of a dog known as Bye Bye (thanks to Tobias’ version of Byron).

Now, this is a 3 year old dog . . . well house trained since he’s resided in our home (wherever that may be) his entire life.  So, we’re gonna try getting out for walks, at least once a day . . . despite the weather. I’ve been hanging indoors, only going outside to let the boys romp about at the playground . . . doing my cardio indoors to Billy Blanks (thank you, K!) and the crazy Australian kickboxing lady.  Thats gonna have to change, I do believe . . . if we are to hang onto the dog I’ve come to tolerate and the boys adore.

I do love walking/jogging outdoors but I’m also routine oriented to a fault. Once I get started on a certain workout regime, thats what I do, day in and day out. So, with the weather turning cold/rainy once again, indoors win out.  Learn to be flexible . . . thats what I need, I suppose.  I’ll add it to the list of stuff to work on. Getting out and about will be easier as the weather gets nicer.

So, you can tell I’ve got many exciting things happening in my life right now. I’m talking about my dog peeing on the floor . . . can’t get anymore exciting than that!

God Bless!!

Before Byron, the crazy Jack Russell . . . there was Monti. He was a Neapolitan Mastiff (Italian Mastiff). I bought him cheap from a backyard breeder when I was 19 years old.  He went through so much with me . . . that span of time is where I changed the most and he was there.  He was unconditional in his love and devotion and I L.O.V.E.D that 140 lb mass of black hair and drool . . . more than I thought you could love a dog.  I did what I could for him . . . when his elbows went out in his back legs . . . surgery was required and my saddle was sold to cover it . . . he was only 2 years old at the time.  Pain meds were required periodically his whole life for arthritis and recurring bone an joint problems. I think there were a total of 3 surgeries in his short life span. But its pneumonia that took him out at 8 years old. That he contracted by coming to work with me at the animal shelter; hanging out in the office while I did paperwork. Kennel cough turned into pneumonia due to a compromised immune system.  When all the treatments the vet had up his sleeve didn’t work . . . I had to make the difficult but inevitable decision to put him down humanely. I sat with him, I cried a lot! I actually cried for weeks, with no warning, just burst into tears.  I had found out I was pregnant with Tobias a month before I lost my prized pet and my friend. Strange how life functions sometimes.

His ashes are still with me . . . hey, I never claimed I was sane. I’ve thought about spreading them at the dog park that we frequented  his entire life . . . where he would have killed and eaten the small, rat sized, dogs if he could only move fast enough . . . but quick was not one of his attributes. Thank goodness!  Unfortunatley some of the possums dumb enough to enter our backyard met their fate . . . thats what they get for playing dead . . . or being dumb, whatever. :)  I heard somewhere Opossums average life span is 1 year . . . hmmm . . . I don’t think that ‘playing dead’ thing is workin’ all that well.

I’ve already decided that a Mastiff of my own is in my future . . . as soon as we’re more settled (hopefully in our own home).  I’m debating on the English and another Neo . . . we’ll see, I’ve gotta few years to figure it out.

Here’s to Monti . . . the wonder dog!

Anybody keeping track of me and mine . . . we’re doing good . . . relatively speaking. It’ll be nice, when J finishes school, to have a regular income once again.  I need a outlet pretty bad, since my church is so far away and I don’t get down there much anymore . . . actually not at all.  But I come secondary, right now, to my boys and J . . . won’t always be that way, but for now it is.  So when we have 5$ for gas and he needs to get to school for the next week . . . guess what comes in second . . . my wanting to drive an hour, one way, to church . . . or even across town.  Same goes for keeping the electric on and phone/internet on.  And, no, I’m not the sole reason we have internet . . . J needs to have access when he’s home from school to be online.

Most days are great . . . flow easily within our schedule . . . and there are some days that are so long I want to poke my eyes out with a sharp stick . . .  gotta rely pretty heavily on the grace of God right now . . . as always.  I’m kidding about the poking my eyes out bit . . . thats gross.

So, today is a great day . . . I actually got in my running . . . which I mentioned earlier last week . . . “I’m going to run everyday, blah blah blah”. Very next day, it poured down rain, and continued to pour down rain for several days. The first clear day, I was out with my dog . . . felt great . . . got in over a mile.  Don’t laugh, its the first time I’ve jogged for reals in several years . . .  Today was my second run of the week and went about 3/4 of a mile . . . but I was pushing upwards of 70 lbs in a jogging stroller and had the crazy Jack on a leash. So I get bonus points for that, right? hee hee.  Total with walking the other day was about 3 1/2 miles . . . today was 2 miles total.  I still walk a lot. But I was reminded why I enjoyed the running bit so much . . .  it feels awesome; empowering in a way. I’ll keep with it . . . I think I’m falling in love with running once again.  And its challenging . . . gotta mention that.

Alright, I’m taking my dorky, tired self to bed now.  I’ve spent the last 3 hours . . . 3 HOURS . . . unthreading and literally picking these stinking letters off J’s practice turnout coat . . . my fingernails hurt. ugh. Now my legs, butt, sides, stomach muscles, toes, shoulders and fingernails hurt . . . all from jogging, except the fingernails.

God Bless and have a great rest of the week!!

ps, we get to go out for our anniversary!! A good friend offered to take our boys for us and I’m mighty mighty excited!! You know who you are  . . . THANK YOU, from the bottom of our pea pickin’ hearts!!

The dog, our dog, has always held a certain place in my heart . . . the place that reminds me he’s a giant pain in the butt. He’s not a bad dog, per say, but he’s obnoxious with a capital ‘O’. I tolerate and, at times, enjoy his presence but most of the time its just another responsibility that constantly needs my attention. And with two toddlers under 3 in the house . . . well, attention isn’t something in excess with Mother Tucker. But I’m good to him, he eats well (all too well), he gets walks (moreso than most dogs) and he has a bed fit for a king. At times I wanted to find him a different home, especially when I was breast-feeding Samuel and Tobias was running amok, what 2 years olds do and the dog was peeing on the floor inside the door because I had forgot in the mayhem of the morning to let him out. Totally not his fault but still annoying to me . . .

Now things are calming down around here. Samuel is weened, Tobias stills runs amok, but whatever . . . its cute, most of the time. But its much easier to remember to take the dog out and make sure he gets breakfast, etc. Actually physical activity is the biggest thing with Jacks in general.

I say all the above to bring it to the point of that I am happier everyday I did not end bbq the dog giving the dog away. For one reason . . . Tobias L.O.V.E.S his dog!! A bond I have not seen between human and animal . . . except with me and my last horse . . . in a long time. So, I will tolerate the many trips outdoors, the feeding and the cleaning, and ignore the intense and unnerving stares of the precious pooch Tobias is in love with . . . for Toby cuz the pics (slideshow, if it works) below tell it all

Tobias and Byron 3/08

Tobias performing a strangle-hold hug.  Byron soaks up the attention! 

Just Hangin’ out.  Tobias and Byron 3/08 

I did not leave the apartment property allllll day long today. Its been so nice and warm outside that we’ve gone on good walks everyday and I went grocery shopping and walked down the business district close by and . . .

Well, today was cold, cloudy . . . and cold. I believe the clouds managed to dump rain on us as well around 6pm. We played on the playground for approximately 20 minutes and the kids . . . yeah, you heard right . . . the kids wanted to come inside. Bleary, that sums up the day’s weather and therefor my existence in my apartment . . . nicknamed the human crate.

Byron, our darling pooch, sleeps in a crate at night. He prefers his crate since thats what we had to do when he was pup due to T being a baby (and Mother Tucker’s stress level). So I refer to our lovely (which I’m grateful for, mind you) apt. as the human crate . . . especially being car-less and such, I feel boxed up sometimes . . . a bit of crate fever (cabin fever, but I don’t live in a cozy little cabin with a wood-burning fireplace).

Byron was so bored he managed to squeeze out underneath the railing (a Houdini move) of our patio and ran off. He just did circles for about 20 minutes and then finally relented to coming inside. I’m glad nobody hit him driving through the parking lot! He also missed our routine walk, like the rest of us, apparently.

So, if anything I’ve become more excited for the warmth that promises to be shortly!

Alright thats all the nonsense I can muster for the evening.

God bless! . . . and have a great weekend!!

Um, its Byron’s nose . . . if you couldn’t tell.