Author amykoehn

Apparently…

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…it is highly frowned upon by The Mister for me to exclaim while shopping in Pier 1, “Hey, babe?  Haven’t you always wanted a wooden salad bowl?  How about this one?”  I guess that’s somewhat embarrassing for a guy, especially when there is another man within ear shot who turns to see what wimpy guy wants a salad bowl. 

I tried to recover by mentioning saws and Lowes and other manly stuff, but apparently the damage was done. 

My apologies, Chief.  I wasn’t trying to confiscate your Man Card, I swear. 

And you’re right, those bowls weren’t the right ones, anyway.

The Vacation

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The boys (and a friend) came down a week later and met me at Dad’s for another week of vacation.  While the week was dubbed “Prank Week” by the two teens (think jalapenos in Mt. Dew and snakes in the Mister’s bed…) looking back, I’d have to say it was FUN WEEK!!

 There was the annual Bags Tournament.  

 Tate tried his hand at tubing.
 
 That boy could defy gravity! 
You think he’s going to end up in the lake here, but he keeps right on tubing!!
 
 The Mister didn’t want to be outdone. 
 Even I gave it a whirl.  A slower, gentler whirl.

 Then there was the show-off. 

 While this looks impressive, it should be noted that Flash’s attempt to stand on the tube, lasted, well, for a flash.  
This spelled trouble from the start.

  
 As if the two teenagers could cause trouble on a tube.
 
Papa made sure they got some air.

 The boys tried out kneeboarding.
 Even the Mister.
Every summer, Flash tries water skiing.

 He and the lake have spent a lot of time getting to know each other.

 But this year, we saw a new sight!  Flash up on skis grinning from ear to ear!
Way to go, Flash!
Next time, we sure hope Flash chooses to take a friend who can loosen up a bit more and have some fun.
 And I sure hope the Mister can just chillax while we’re there.

 Nothing beats a vacation on the lake!
Thanks, Dad and Judy for letting us crash (again) at your amazing place!  

Being an Aunt (Again)

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I realized recently I am about right in the middle of being too old to be a mom again, but too young to be a grandmother just yet.  The good news of that is, I am the perfect age to be an aunt!  With the birth of my newest nephew recently, I decided to head to Tennessee early to spend some time with the baby, my beautiful niece Adalene and my brother and his wife.  

 
Of course, there was an adorable baby, only a few days old. 

Amazingly precious.

 
Of course there was lots of holding by all the relatives.  
Including a proud Papa.
 
He’s adorable, isn’t he?
 
The Mister held a newborn for the first time in his life. 
He loved every minute of it.
The tiniest fingers.
 
 Precious Baby Garrett.
I expected to be helpful, to help with cooking, dishes, holding crying kids, changing diapers and anything else my sister-in-law needed during the first few days home from the hospital.  What I didn’t expect was to have the most amazing time being an aunt.  And while I was there to help with the baby, the truth of the matter is, I really loved being there with my soon-to-be-two niece.  
 

You can see how easy it would be to fall in love with this face.
 
And so I did. 

We played, we laughed, we learned new words and we bonded.

 See those dimples on her elbows?

 
Having a snack, Gretel style.
 Diana and Adalene figuring out what sound Baby Garrett’s nose makes.
 Even with a sleepy head look, she’s still adorable.
 Snuggling with Mom.

 We went to the store together. 
She can actually make the grocery store fun!

 Adalene and her mom hanging out on the front stoop blowing flowers together.
 The best part?  Hearing her say, “Amy” for the first (and hundredth) time!
(Oh, and “ciao!” and “down, up, milk, ball, puppy…”
Thank you Big Garrett and Diana for letting me crash your homecoming for a long week.  Thank you for letting me hold a baby, play with a toddler and to be an aunt to a far away niece and nephew for a little while!

Of Moments I Hope to Never Forget

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It is no small thing, when attending an information night for the college of your senior child’s choosing, to realize how special it is to never worry that he won’t get in, never worry that he won’t be academically ready for college-level classes, never worry that he won’t be college material.  It is no small thing to see the entrance requirements, knowing this school would be the hardest to get into, and know he exceeds them all.  
It is no small thing, looking at all the numbers and figures on the screen, taking into account the years of earning a substitute teacher’s pay to get your child qualified for eighty percent of tuition forgiveness, taking into account the sacrifices made along the way to get him academically eligible for a competitive school, to still be staring at dollar figures larger than you would like to see.
It is no small thing to talk, again, about the importance of a job, or scholarships, or grant money, and even talking about the back-up plan of student loans, to see your child’s face as he realizes, perhaps for the first time exactly the figures you’ve been talking about all this time.
It is no small thing, for a man, new to his role in this family, only months into being a parent in any capacity, to say with a catch in his throat, “Whatever it takes, Jacob, we will make this happen.  Whatever it takes, the money will be there.”  
It is no small thing at all for a grown man to realize how jealous he is of the opportunities available to this teenager that were never an option for him, and instead of feeling spiteful or bitter, offering to do everything possible to make sure that this teenage boy can seize any opportunity that comes his way.  Including attending the competitive university that he dreams of attending.
Being the mother of a child facing a world of opportunities and being the wife of a man who generously supports that boy is no small thing to be taken for granted.
Oh how I love the men in my life.

Fries with That?

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As we pulled up to the window to pay the cashier at the McDonald’s drive through, a grasshopper landed on the driver’s side of the windshield.  Before I even uttered a word, the cashier leaned out and exclaimed, “Good bait!”  She must have noted our surprised looks, as she continued on, “No, really!  You just hook them right through their spines!  The fish love ’em!”  

Um, yeah.  So a little advice with our nuggets.  Not quite what we expected, but that’s what we get for stopping for nuggets in No-Man’s Land Michigan!
Now, does anyone have a pole I can borrow?  

Beautifully Handcrafted

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Designed and crafted in Dad’s wood shop, given in love to celebrate our marriage, we are so honored to add this wine rack to our newly renovated dining room!  Thanks, Dad and Judy for such a beautiful gift!  

Garrett David Wilson

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Born this morning at 7:51am, 20″ long, 7.1lbs. Congratulations to my brother, the original Garrett, his beautiful and brave wife, Diana and the adorable big sister, Adalene!  We know that Grandma Jenny and Grandpa David blessed him before he left Heaven’s door and will watch over him his whole life through!

Worth Waiting For

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 He has this way…

…of making me laugh when I am on the verge of tears.
…of knowing just which night is the perfect night for him to take care of dinner.
…of listening as though he has nothing else he’d rather do.
…of playing with The Boy and yet still being a good step parent.
…of fixing things I thought you had to pay someone to fix.
…of making every household project end with a paint brush in my hand.
…of surprising me with his thoughtfulness.
…of making grocery shopping almost tolerable.
…of caring about my kids at school almost as much as I do.
…of playing Canasta that would make my father cringe but makes The Boy and I laugh.
…of sharing responsibilities with me like we’ve done it all our lives.
…of cooking that makes me wonder why I ever set foot in the kitchen at all.
…of finding jobs in the yard that “require” a tractor.
…of saying yes to my crazy, impulsive ideas and then making them work.
…of making the transition from bachelor to family man without regret.
…of looking the other way when the cashier rings up my sale at the greenhouse.
…of sharing his Jeep with The Boy, and giving the necessary parental lecture as well.
…of making my irrational fears be okay.
…of finding uses for a blow torch.
…of watching his favorite ball game muted so I can do grad work.
…of admitting when he was wrong without surrendering his Man Card.
…of making any food in the fridge a breakfast item.
…of hating the Yankees as much as I do.
…of routinely unclogging the bathroom drain even though it is my hair that plugged it.
…of introducing us to shows like “Duck Dynasty” and the new “Dallas”.
…of staying silent when I buy one.more.thing. for my classroom.
…of picking up dog poop, or emptying the dishwasher even though they are The Boy’s chores.
…of making an evening on the deck seem like paradise.
…of keeping rubber bands for my hair in the Jeep in case we put the top down.
…of making all of our dreams feel like genuine possibilities.
…of making me wonder how I survived all those years without DirectTV and a DVR.
…of making what was a spacious garage seem far too small for our vehicles, tools and toys.
…of making 3AM seem like a perfectly reasonable time to go to work every day.
…of making a vacation with my family sound like the best way to spend his time off.
…of adoring me that makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
…of making this marriage, and this life together well worth the wait.
Happy Six-Month Anniversary to MY Mister!!!  

Convicted

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My husband just got out of prison.

(Thought I would let that line sink in.)
He actually had to go there for work.  For a man whose job is usually quite uneventful, this was a whole new twist.  At first, we thought it was odd that they would allow inmates access to knives to slaughter cattle, but the more we thought about it, we figure murderers might be quite good at killing and carving.  In any case, The Mister is glad to be back on this side of the barbed wire.