Look! No more braces!!!

A Tale of a Dear, Sweet Sister

Since Sadie was born, I have been diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis. This was a relief because my joints hurt so badly that I made the doctor do a lupus test, which was of course negative. After that I just chalked the pain and sleepiness up to having a baby in my mid-thirties and being heavier. Then they did some thyroid testing and sent me to an endocrinologist, who said my thyroid has started the process of burning itself out, and that I need to do more tests, etc., but can't until I'm done breastfeeding.



At any rate, the last day Jenny was here, my joints were giving me fits. We ran some errands and I had to just go ahead and stop in at a CVS to get some Advil. I bought a little travel pack of 4 pills. Not knowing they were in two separate packs of 2, I accidentally threw 2 of them away in the nasty trash can outside of CVS. I got in the car and realized that I had tossed 2 of them. My joints hurt something awful, so I had planned on taking all 4 at once.



Not to worry...Jenny Sue to the rescue. My dear, sweet, clean freak sister dug in that filthy trash can and brought out my other packet of 2 pills. (In her kindness and determination to help me, I saw my mother.) It may seem like a small thing to you, but I know it was quite the sacrifice for her! And then she sat down in the front seat of the car and proceeded to rub Purrell all over herself. So here's to Jenny, my hero that day.



And here's to my other dear, sweet sister who really wants to stuff my childrens' stockings on Christmas. And here's to my dear, sweet mother who offered to be Santa Claus this year. And here's to my dear, sweet father who pays my husband to type his old microfilmed journals. And here's to my dear, sweet brother and his wife who were exceedingly generous to me on my birthday. And here's to my dear, sweet other brother and his wife who showed their love for me and for humanity by donating money, time, and talent to the Payne family. And here's to my other brother who, despite having Asperger's, unabashedly tells me he loves me and misses me, both of which I know to be true.

So here's to the spirit of the traditional Christmas Enslen Family Love Circle, which lives on everyday in thought and deed. Money and things are good, but love and family are better. I am indeed grateful for my goodly family and countless other blessings this Thanksgiving.

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." (Isaiah 44:3)

Dear Sadie,

You're almost eight months old, and here are some things you are doing:
You try to pull my glasses off everyday.
You know my name and you call out for me when I am walking away from you. You also know who your daddy is and you say "da-da" when you see him. You think he is the funnest person in the world. I guess your sisters and I do too.
You are rocking all the time these days, priming yourself for crawling. Sometimes you get to rockin' so fast, I just have to laugh at you.
You will no longer sleep in your own bed. You much prefer sleeping with me and daddy.
Your favorite things to do are play with Sibley or watch Skyler practice the flute.
You waved at me a couple of times this week.
You still won't eat vegetables.
You still won't nurse during the daytime.
You've started dancing and it is very cute and funny.
I've been sick for two weeks and you think I blow my nose just for your amusement.
I went to the doctor on Thursday and you tore the paper off the seat and ripped it to shreds. You tried to eat that paper and the copay receipt. And you threw Cheerios all over the room. You tore the exam room up in no time flat.
You're a light sleeper and you still won't cuddle.
You knead everything with your strong hands and fingernails, so you and I both stay scratched up all the time.

Nevermind. She LOVES grits!

Sadie's tricks...

The Kosher Cat

I found a couple of these delicious-looking lower halves of mice out back today. Hey, at least she's kosher.

Gritfast

Bryant has been typing my father's handwritten journals from the 70's. I'm very glad my father kept a journal. I've learned so much about my childhood from them that I otherwise never would have known. For example, when I was two years old I loved grits so much that I called breakfast "gritfast." And I have kept the tradition of "gritfast" with my girls...until now, that is. Skyler and Sibley both loved grits from the time they could eat solid food. I fed it to them in their high chairs. It really is a good baby food. And they still beg me to make them grits. And they always talk about how Grandaddy and Papa make good grits. Anyway, I made some grits one morning while Jenny was here, and Sadie wouldn't eat them. She spit them back out and turned up her nose. I took it kind of personal. I thought, we live so far away from my homeland and this is one of the few Southern things I can enjoy with my children out here, and this child doesn't even like 'em. So, I've decided that Sadie will probably make up for disliking grits by being extra Southern in other ways...like maybe she will play the banjo, or live in a dogtrot house, or make homemade scuppernong jelly. After all, I'm steeped in Southern-ness and I don't care for collard greens. I think everything will turn out okay.

Jenny Sue, we miss YOU!

Thank you Troy for letting us borrow your wife, and Isaac, Elsa, and Lucas for letting us borrow your Mama. We know you missed her so much, but we sure had a good time with her. We can't wait to see her, and the rest of you for that matter, again! And thanks to everyone who helped out the Stubbs while Jenny was gone.

Casa Grande National Monument

On Saturday, the six of us literally piled into the car and took a short drive to Casa Grande National Monument. It is the remnants of an old Hohokam Indian Village, probably built around 1200 or 1300 A.D. It was fun to think about how when they were building castles in Europe, they were building villages like these here in America. The Casa Grande was on a busy trading route, as evidenced in the archaeological findings there, like sea shells and other things that are indigenous to areas far away. It was a fun, beautiful day and we couldn't have had better company. We enjoyed the sights and hope you do too.

It looks like John Enslen was here!

Bryant was looking at one wall of the Casa Grande ruins and he suddenly said, "Look! Your dad's been here." We all looked, and sure enough there was J.E.E., just like daddy writes it. Of course, my daddy is an avid history lover and would never dream of carving his initials into a national monument. But it was a funny coincidence, and Bryant took a picture so that we could show him.

Bush Highway Pictures

We managed to squeeze in a quick Sunday drive before church. I drove us along the Bush Highway. Here's a picture.

Junior Ranger Sibley

Here's a picture of Sibley getting sworn in once again as Junior Ranger...this time at Casa Grande National Monument. Way to go Sibley!