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Greetings and thank you for stopping by. I had a page here with a whole lot of family pictures and stories about raising four sons in Southern Louisiana.
Unfortunately the Internet has become a dangerous place to post pictures. Because there are people who steal pictures from family sites and use them for purposes that I can't even imagine, I have decided to remove my family pictures from this page. This was a very hard decision for me because I am very proud of my family. But I would hate to have the pictures I posted cause problems for anyone in my family.
People used to enjoy so many things that are no longer acceptable. The good have to pay for what the bad have done. Our country and our lifestyles have changed, some things are for the better but many things are for the worse. I think the silent majority is paying everyday in small ways (such as my taking my family pictures off the internet) and we have no real control over what is going on. I believe this is happening not only in the United States but also in nearly every country in the World.
I pray it will get better - yes I do believe in miracles.
At this point I don't know what to do with this web site so I am just removing the pictures but leaving the stories. I hope you enjoy yourself here and if you would like to drop a line or post your opinion, please sign my guestbook. I truly thank you for stopping by.
God Bless America!
God Bless the World!
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Hello! Thank you for stopping by. Please allow me to introduce myself and my family to you. If you don't care to listen to the music, there is a control box at the bottom of the page so you can turn it off.
This page is the story of raising four sons in Southern Louisiana. I am sure that no matter where you live, raising a family is sometimes fun and sometimes hectic, but always worth it. Please relax and enjoy, you may go back in time to some of your own memories while you visit.
Riding down the Interstate we pass some pine trees that were just cut. I say "Oh, how lovely, it smells like Christmas time here" and he says "Funny, I was thinking it smelled like somebody just cleaned the commode." We are so very different. I have been married to the most wonderful man in the world since October 9, 1965. That is not to say we have never had problems, all couples do. But learning to deal with our differences and even laughing at how different we are is part of the bond that makes us one. We are like yin and yang, day and night, up and down. He is a night person, I am a morning person. Opposites attract for sure. But after 38 years of marriage, we have learned that it is OK to be different, to disagree and to see things from different views. We have learned that you can hate what somebody (anybody) does without hating that person. We do not stay together because we have to, we stay together because we choose to.
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FOUR SONS - ALL DIFFERENT!
Any parent of more than one child will tell you they all are different. I believe their differences were apparent to me even before they were born.
I did not plan to have a guest book, but I have had several people e-mail me and ask why I didn't have one so I am inserting one here. I hope somebody signs it.
Thanks.
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From this union of our marriage we have been blessed with four sons. They are all grown now, thank God, but people still sometimes ask me how I managed with four hectic (to say the least) little boys plus any stray kids that we picked up in the neighborhood. Truth is, I didn't really manage, I just followed my motherly instinct and developed a rather weird sense of humor. Little daily things like "Mom, he hit me back!" or "If you make me eat that, I'll throw it up" (I did make him eat it and, yes, he did throw it up.) Hearing a four and five year old arguing loudly in the bathroom, asking what they were fighting about only to hear one say "Mom, tell him that mine is bigger than his!" Oh my God!
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As teenagers, one broke his hand hitting his brother over the head. When one of them was 13, I wanted to put him in a barrel and feed him through a tube for a couple of years. That may seem harsh to someone who has never raised four sons, but being able to threaten him with that when he got difficult gave us both something to laugh about and it put things back into perspective. Humor is so important. When one son decided to collect every "girlie" magazine he could get his young teenage hands on, his brothers suddenly started spending a lot of time in his room. When they heard me coming, I would hear books flying and by the time I walked in they would be quietly reading Hot Rod magazines. They really thought I bought that act. But curiosity is a natural part of growing up and although I don't condone that stuff, I tried to understand that boys will be boys. Come to think of it, that son (now in his 30's) still likes to sneak a peek every once in a while at a "see a slut online" site. Guess he just has a fine appreciation for the artful form of the female body....
FIRST SON
Our first son was born when his Dad was in Viet Nam. He was a spoiled but happy baby and I loved every minute of it (although it was very lonely without my hubby around for the first four months.) As our first son grew he became more serious, taking every situation and analyzing it, figuring how to get ahead, saving every penny he earned, and always trying to earn more. He would think of chores and ask me how much they were worth. He never wasted his time or money. He planned, organized, accomplished and saved. He grew corn and watermelon which he sold on the side of the road. He also raised chickens and quail that he showed in the local fair and started restoring cars when he was only a teenager. He has always been a worker. He made friends easily but he was very choosy about who his friends were. His Grandmother told him the old saying "Show me your company and I'll tell you who you are." That really sunk in. His friends and family were really important to him, he seemed to have a maturity way beyond his years.
SECOND SON
The second one was the laid-back happy son. When they would pick up their toys every night, the oldest would come through with as much as his little arms could hold and this one would be behind him holding one toy between his two fingers. Needless to say they had a few discussions about that, but as near as I can remember, things never really changed. Money always burned a hole in number two son's pocket. He could not wait to go find something to buy. When he would run out of money, he would try to finagle his older brother's money, unsuccessfully of course. He had a lot of friends but being with his brothers seemed to matter more to him. He and his older brother were only thirteen months apart in age so they did everything together. In high school, some people did not think they were brothers because they always hung out together, people thought they were just best friends. Son number two always had an interest in cooking and when he was ten years old, he was cooking lagasna. I told him that he was a really good cook and he corrected me with "Mom, ladies are cooks, men are chefs." He was so much fun.
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THIRD SON
Son number three has always been the creative son. He loved to take things apart and put them back together. And he actually got them back together right. When he was born, my dad had just been forced into early retirement because he had been diagnosed with cancer (which was treated, cured and never returned, thank God.) Anyway, I could not have had a baby at a better time for Grandpa, who would come to my house every day. Sometimes I think being with his new grand baby gave him the inspiration to recover as well as he did. They had a very special bond. When his baby brother (our fourth son) was born, this son laid claim on him. It was his baby and visitors had to clear with him before they could go into the baby's room. As a teenager, he had girls calling on the phone asking for him all the time. He is quite handsome, it is a good thing he has a brain in his head and strong morals. He has always been talented and had a real interest in music. Now he plays a guitar and keyboard quite well.
FOURTH SON
Then there is the youngest son. The day before my Grandma passed away, she looked at me and said "You have four beautiful boys." I said "Grandma, I have three beautiful boys." She said "No, you have four beautiful boys, and the next one is going to be very special." Our youngest son was born ten months later in the same zodiac sign as Grandma. He is the one that we threw out most of the rules for and just enjoyed. By the time you go through this three times, number four was just instinct, no Dr. Spock or anything. He was nine years younger than his oldest brother but I don't think he was ever a baby. When he was only three, he had quite a collection of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars which are not even recommended for children that young. But he just blended right in. Once when I was pregnant for him we stopped and bought snow balls (a Southern summer treat.) My husband, without thinking, bought six, including one for his son who was not yet born! He was hard to wake in the morning, so I would start at his toes and sing "Itsy bitsy spider" as I worked up his little body. Now he has an incredible fear of spiders! Some things even a mother can screw up.
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As they grew the bond among them grew too. I think their favorite expression was "Don't tell Mom..." But the camaraderie grew and it was OK for them to fight with each other but don't let anyone else mess with any of them. They would gang up and defend each other. They are still that way today. Now they all laugh and relate to that show "Malcolm in the Middle." Somehow I can even see just a little of me in the mom on that show.
As adults I would like to say all the sibling rivalry is over.....yea right. The two oldest ones are building race cars so they can outrun each other at the track (at least that is legal and all I have to do is worry.) The youngest one just bought another project car. Thanks to their Dad, they all grew up working on cars and it is now a form of pleasure for them. That is one good thing about living in the country, they can store their project cars and parts cars in the back field, out of the way until they are ready for them.
FIRST SON WITH HIS PRECIOUS WIFE
Our oldest son now drives a big brown delivery truck. It is very hard work, long hours and stressful. He is so fortunate to have a sweet little wife who stands behind him and helps him all the way. I am sure that lightens his load. She is so sincere and real. She is a beautician which means she has to put up with a lot. She is patient and kind but she also knows how to stand up for herself. They are perfect for each other. I see them growing old together in my mind.
SECOND SON WITH HIS LOVELY LADY
Our second son is as happy now as he was when he was a little boy. He is so easy to get along with. He has become the family chef, you notice I did not say "cook." He can cook seafood and Cajun food out of this world. He has a very loving, caring friend that he is sharing his life with. After ten years together, they are as close as any two people can be. She is kind and generous, the type of lady who would go out of her way to help anyone who needed help. When you see them together, you just know they are right for each other.
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THIRD SON, THE FAMILY BACHELOR
The creative third son is really good on the computer. He is setting up a really dynamic web site at this time. He is the family bachelor, no lady in his life right now. That is the way he wants it to be. He is the one everyone calls on for help and he is really a big help to my husband and me. We depend on him for help with our little family business. He is so easy to get along with and always there to lean on. Every family needs a son like him.
FOURTH SON WITH HIS LITTLE WIFE
The youngest son recently married the most wonderful young lady. I told them at their wedding that if I could have custom made a girl for him to marry, I could not have done better than the one he found for himself. It is like they were put here to be together. He installs alarms and sound systems in vehicles for a major company. He is now the assistant manager and keeps quite busy but his little wife is inspiration for him to keep going and not complain (much.) They have big plans for the future and a lot of time ahead to do it all in.
FAMILY PRIDE
It is funny how we can see some of ourselves in each of our sons yet each is an individual and special. We could not be more proud of the family we have raised. This web site is about Bayou Spirit. To us, the Spirit of the Bayou is Family. Sometimes our sons' friends would say that visiting our house was like going to the Walton's, but when that show was popular we didn't have much time to watch television, so we did not get to enjoy the Walton's show very often. Anyway, our sons were not always easy but they were always worth it. And they always will be. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for the family we have. They pulled some natural boyhood stunts but they had a Dad who was a good role model and a Mom who survived in spite of it all. And with the Grace of God and a lot of humor we are happily
A FAMILY!
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"This Old House"
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web page designed and maintained by Bayou Spirit © 2001 - updated 2003