Proud to Say I'm from Alabama

I just wish I could say that I voted there.

From the Nashville City Paper:

Alexander (Senator from TN) told his colleagues, "We've got to give the Secretary of Treasury enough money and enough authority to be able to buy all the junk in the middle of the economic highway and get if off the road and hope he is able to sell it for about what he paid for it, or at least to minimize our losses."

From an interview on CNBC:

"I believe the Senate will pass it overwhelmingly tonight," said Corker, a Republican [from Tennessee] who serves on the Senate banking Committee. Corker said in the interview that he was pleased with provisions for increased depositor insurance limits, adding he doesn't want to see any more measures added on.

From the Birmingham News (AL.com):

The two Republican senators from Alabama, Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, are expected to oppose the $700 billion bail out.

Kiddley-boos

Pictures. These are a few days old, but its the best I can do, okay.


Nahum with Pops



Timnah having a bad day



Elias smirking



Nahum. Hyper.



Photo of the kids, with everyone at attention...kind of.

Enjoy.

Tennessee Happenings

Hello, peoples. The TN branch of the Roberts family has been doing very well. Last week-end was incrediblt. If I could vote for a three day weekend every week, I would. Work gets done, kids get attention, books get read, people get naps...its great.

This weekend we will be ridding the farm of the two remaining goat kids. This will diminish the chores a little bit, but will also mean milking twice a day as opposed to just once a day.

Timnah was a little sick earlier this week so we took her to the Doctor. Just a virus, so everything is okay, its just not like Timnah to be lethargic even when she is not feeling good. While at the doc, we had a weigh-in for all the kiddies. If I remember correctly the run-down was Timnah 38½, Elias 30, and Nahum 12lbs, 10oz.

For our anniversary, Andrea bought me a dump-cart to pull behind our mower. Sounds silly, but I thought about one everytime I had to lug things down to the garden. Over the three day weekend I was able to squeeze in enough time to put the mower back together (the steering wheel was falling off), and also make use of the new toy (to help with barn clean-up).

Other than that, everything is just peachy. I'll have to post up some updated pictures of Nahum...she's getting big, and fast.

Happy Birthday Elias!

The big man is now two years old.

The celebration began last night with Aunt Amy and Uncle Scott having us over for dinner and some opening of presents. We'll seal the deal this weekend when Granna and Pops roll into town.

Nahum Photo Session #3

Andrea had a bit of a photo-shoot with Nahum Yesterday. Below are the results. Enjoy and have a good weekend.

    

On Going from Two to Three

It can be done, just ask anyone who has done it before...Mom, Dad.

What's funny is that two kids to one parent seems easier than three kids to two. Multiple dynamics going on here.

I think the hard part at this particular juncture, though, is the frailty of the newest addition. I've joked with Andrea about life with Nahum being like living with one arm tied in front of your back. But it is way harder than that, because it is more like living with one arm while juggling a glass ornament with the other. Everything is a potential hazard: stove, door jamb, other kids, counters, sharp objects, other kids...

So one parent tends to take Nahum and sit quietly while the other does the grunt work. The theory here is that this divides the battlefield, leaving one with a slam dunk -- holding a sleeping child -- while the other does what has been done for the past several months -- cook, clean, etc. while simultaneously monitoring the semi-autonomous activities of Timnah and Elias. But the older two, having little regard for our theories, exploit parental weakness where it can be found and their semi-autonomy creeps ever and ever closer to the other front. So the previous slam-dunk is now a dance of 3 to 1 odds. Being mindful to keep Timnah and Elias included in the "new" family arrangement and bonded with little Nahum, while trying desperately to prevent a fumble. The other parent is pretty much left just watching.

This is my perspective. What Andrea contends with while I am at work...I'll remain sympathetic, but I'd prefer not knowing first hand, at least not until the glass ornament has had a little more time to solidify.

Nahum Dawn

It is with great fanfare and much ado that Andrea and I announce the arrival of our latest, and out third...

Nahum Dawn Roberts

She was born on Saturday, July 19 at 6:14 am, in our home.

She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz, has brown hair, dark eyes, nice pink skin, and long fingers and toes. Of course she is gorgeous and beautiful. We were at a loss at first, but the consensus is turning out that she looks like Elias when he was a baby.

Her first name, aside from being the name of one of the minor prophets, can also translated from Hebrew as "comfort." In response to much questioning, we did actually choose her middle name before she was born early on a clear morning. Andrea and I enjoy naming our children, and we particularly enjoy choosing middle names that complement the first. Our comforter, the Lord, has come and is currently reigning as king, and he is coming again. We are eagerly awaiting the dawn when our comforter reappears in blazing glory.

Here is proud Elias enjoying his first peek at Nahum, whom he has nick-named "precious baby."


Here is Timnah who is very thrilled to have a little sister. Timnah is already good about sharing with the wee one.


Andrea is recovering well and the two of us are adjusting to life with three, currently aided by the much appreciated help of grandparents.

A first taste. A pleasant surprise.

I've had goat milk before, and the results were regrettable. Think of a large vat of milk (like you are used to) add to it a few bales of hay, and then let it steep in the hot sun for several hours. Strain out the straw and pour out a glass and take a swig. Enough said, I did not like it. I had it over a bowl of cereal once, and I about couldn't get through the whole of it.

So from the begining, I've been riding along with Andrea on the goat thing. She can have her milk, and as long as there is a gool old red cap in the fridge for me everyone gets along just fine.

Yesterday, I get a really excited phone call from my wife excited about how good our goat's milk tastes. We had just gotten together all the equipment we needed to do it right and safe. She saves me some. I get home, dinner time roles around, and I muster up the variety of courage it takes to down something you know is going to be bad.

But it was good. In fact: it was really good. Take the red cap vitamin D milk that us Roberts kiddos are used to, make it a little creamier and a bit sweeter. Good, good stuff.

But don't worry. I know we'll be having some visitors in the near future. We'll make sure we have some cow-juice for you in the fridge.

Finis

I need to go ahead and throw this out there, because after our third child is welcomed into the world it will become a "who cares."

So after a little over two years, one trip to the ER, and enough money to pay for another cradle (or two, probably), I have completed my first woodworking project, the cradle.

Be wowed and amazed and impressed.

Headaches for Breakfast

Child: "Mom, what's for breakfast?"
(crack! smash! [the sound of a head-butt])
Mom: "Not now. How about never?"
Child: "Aunty, can you spare me some leftovers?"
(bang! double-smash!)
Aunt: "No...I don't even like you"

Alas, the happy ending.

Our buckling goat, Bingham, was brought to a happy adopting home yesterday to a family that is going to bottle feed him. His mom, Kelly, nursed him for a few days, but then decided that brother, Boyd, could eat but that Bingham could not. Bingham's aunt, Kate, never really cared much for Bingham either. We had been keeping him nourished by putting Mom and Aunt on the milk stand and letting him take what he could get. Bingham's desperate attempts at eating were starting to disrupt nursing for everybody, because if Boyd or cousing, Hully, started nursing, Bingham played opportunist and caused Kelly and Kate to jump away.

We'll miss Bingham, because since he didn't get along well with either his mother or aunt, he was the most personable towards people. I think that the new arrangement will go well for everybody, though.