My boys

They found a mud puddle today. Joey who was clean told me Sonny fell in the mud. Nobig deal as long as he's not hurt. Two minutes later I poke my head into the yard where Joey and Sonny both look like walking mud pies. Their hair is caked, their shirts look like what I's imagine Harry the Dirty dog to look like after his adventure. You could make out eyes behind their faces of mud. Why oh why didn't I get that picture.

Joey was sent for two showers once the first one he forgot to wash his head and face. My bath tub after rinsing and washing Sonny looks like a sand box.

My boys are BOYS!!

Joey never stops thinking

My kid Joe has a natural talent for many things. Geometry is one of them. He's a sample of his work with Lego-Duplo blocks. He calls these Duplo people.

I think I may just have happiliy ever after Mary's way

I know I rant about how much I love my family. I really do and today was no exception. From the moment I woke up this morning to my happy baby kicking and cooing to sitting here on my sofa watching Sleeping Beauty with the kids, I love my family.

My happily ever after is in the mid-day. I took my three sons to the park. I even gave in and went to a park with sand (I hate sand) and let them bring their buckets and shovels. About twenty minutes after getting to the park and good and dirty Warren shows up. Sonny asks to run so we make our way over to the field equip with a football. I felt like I was in an ending of a movie or some commercial that makes you tear up on father's day. I watched my kids run through the field with dad tagging each other and huge smiles on their faces. I even played football for a while with them.

OK maybe not a traditional happily ever after but I am grateful to have a husband who is a great Dad that loves his kids and me. This is my happily ever after.

I just don't get it?

Three days ago I spotted a beautiful rooster on a so-so busy corner in my neighborhood. I tried to call animal control at that time but it was too early and it was really not an emergency. Today I saw the same rooster again. The poor guy appears to be loosing his luster. I will be the first to admit I am terrified of birds but I have a soft spot for chickens.

I called animal control again today. They don't go out for an animal unless it's injured or you already have it confined. As much as a have a soft spot for chickens I fear a flocking rooster. My fear is stronger now that I watched Cold Mountain on CMT the only channel we have. OK I'm nuts but there was a scene were the rooster was attacking Nicole Kidman's character really makes me think this rooster likes where he is and would take those talons of his and shred me. I was shredded by a rabbit about 17 years ago trying to do the right thing and learned that lesson well.

Back to the phone call.I asked if there is anyone I could call, the call-in line mentioned I could call the Sheriff for livestock. The woman told me they meant if a cow got out and was blocking a road.

Hear I am now worried about a rooster as if I had any room in my already child filled life to worry about anything else. What do I do? How do you catch a rooster? I thought about putting a wanted ad on craigslist.org hoping some 4H cowboy/girl could help this rooster then I thought about the 2nd rooster scene in Cold Mountain. Where some crazy co-star wandering working chick said she hated a flocking rooster walked over an pulled his head off. I would never forgive myself in my desire to save this animal if I red-flagged the guy for some nut job to come and pull his head off or fight him.

There has got to be some thing that can be done for this animal. I'm even worried about him not getting any food or another animal getting him. Somehow I thought animal control took in chickens. I swear I've seen photos for them near the volunteer desk at the shelter. They seem to take in everything else? It must be budget cuts!

The next Keith Haring

By Joey Aanestad-Lutz age 7

My brother

I have a brother who is eleven years older than me. He has issues with drugs and alcohol. For the most part I keep my distance from him pretty well. Yet my life is intertwined with his. I am raising his son. He is homeless and chooses the outer area of my neighborhood to live in. Not often and always totally unprepared I do run into him.

Today was no exception. Joey and I have been working hard on our garden a half a week now. Slowly finding out what we need. Today we needed a cage for our tomato plant we bought yesterday. My two year old was asleep and my husband home so we seized the moment to be able to run in and grab what we needed at the neighborhood Ace hardware. We got our cage, duct tape, and a much needed fly swatter after adding chicken manure to the garden. Out the door we walked right into my brother, Joey's biological father.

I can't smile when I him since he makes my blood boil knowing how much my Joey has been through and how much work he's done to grow into the great little boy he is now. Jonathan gets so proud to tell us Jimmy is graduating and he has only 10 tickets and Jimmy gave him one. Part of me is sad for Jimmy since I just talked to him the other day about what role Jonathan hasn't played in his life. Jonathan wants me to wait so I can meet his friend. Crap......... I can't stand to meet another tweaked out freak. I have to go, no I don't want to hug you, please don't cry. Why wont my car door open fast enough to load our stuff and run?

My brother make me feel things I can't even describe, nothing good and I wish after seeing him a shower or something would make the whole experience go away.
Now I just worry what running into Jonathan will do to my son Joey?

The Lutz farming family

Wednesday Joey got in my car and had all this information on growing sun flowers. I asked if he'd like to grow some.

Of coarse he did. We had two hours until Marysa got out of school so we stopped by Ace hardware and got two packs of seeds. One pack of sun flowers and one pack of Sugar Peas. We came home and got our ziplock bagies out and started wetting cotton and mixing them with seeds and taping the open baggies to our window. I took a Math and Science class for preschool aged kids a few years back and remembered doing it as one of our projects.

After picking up Marysa from school we started preparing our garden area in the back yard. We got raked grass cut grass away and pulled the rest out by hand, and took out the garden claw and turned soil. By the time dinner was ready the kids had the garden area off to a really good start.

Warren told me I needed chicken manure to finish getting the soil ready. We got that today. Pew! Thank good the garden store is right off the freeway and so is our house. The smell made my eyes water. Today some of our seeds started to spout as well.

I feel like a little kid full of excitement, starting this project with my kids is fun. I called my parents and my dad could remember growing a veggie garden with his Mom when he was in second grade. My dad is 73 years old telling me he remembers looking every day for the garden to start growing and when it did how excited he got. He told me his favorite part was growing baby carrots.

Next on our list is composting and a tomato cage, who knows maybe well get crazy and grow a bigger garden sometime in the side yard.