Rebekah’s 46th Birthday SPECIAL

Today we dote on the beautiful one. In this family, we really take birthdays seriously. We really enjoy them. We really take it as a day to really just go all out on them. Come here and you mount up for the sausage. Mama's breakfast of champions, sausage links. Get in, putting away dishes, making it fun. Okay, what's your plan today? It's your birthday.

I'm gonna make strawberry jam.

Okay. How old are you gonna be? 46. Oh, welcome to the club. Halfway to 92. What's your plan for Mama today?

I'm gonna bake her a cake in the morning.

Okay.

And in the afternoon, I'm gonna pick flowers and hang them up, and then I'm gonna wrap the presents.

That's fantastic. What's your plan for Mama today? What'd you get her?

I'm just gonna give her a letter.

A coupon. A coupon for what? A coupon for what? Peace and quiet?

Yeah.

You're all mine now. What?

That's Mama's surprise.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Mama's surprise.

You have a surprise for her?

No, Mama's surprise.

We've got surprises for her.

I wanna see.

What are you getting her?

I just got a Jeep radio.

A Jeep radio? Yeah, you're gonna get her a Jeep radio.

A Jeep radio where we take a picture.

Okay, you're gonna have to show me. We're gonna take a picture of something?

I drive a Jeep and you take a picture.

Oh, you're gonna drive your Jeep, we're gonna take a picture for her birthday. Okay, let's do it. He is mine. Today because it is Mama's birthday. Very special.

It's right there.

Don't push, push.

You think I need to change out of these pants?

Big boy.

It's been a month or two. So you're gonna drive this and I'm gonna take a picture. Okay, and that's Mama's birthday present. Okay, are you want to give it to her now or wait till the night at the presents? Okay, well let's get her breakfast going, then we'll print that out and give it to her. I can't do Hinley's gift right now because she's on the computer, so we'll have to do that later. You're gonna let me— you ready to go? I hear the boys. Hope they didn't move the sheep. What we'll do is we'll let Mike over and the moms that are in ill condition, meaning to wean them, And that should help them gain condition. They're giving everything to their babies. They need to give everything to their babies inside that are hopefully in there growing. What are you getting for your mom? I don't know, looks like lily nuts.

Lily nuts?

Okay, you sound like a typical guy. What do you think your mom for Mother's Day? A flower. A flower and a plant. I don't know, plant in a pot.

Okay.

How are we gonna get to use an ico without getting everybody else over? What? Okay, we'll just slowly cut them out. Okay, now if, if a ewe has a good condition, we don't really have to cut her out. Just so you know, it's about to be a bi-hating disaster. Yeah, it is. Oh, should we just go get a, uh, should we go get some pig panels and put everybody in it and then easily separate everybody? How's the lid? Hey, if this works for a few days, let's build another lid for the other one. Wow, you're doing great! This is going great. You get to use— oh, it's like they're like, and now Ike has them. The wither wasn't cutting it for company. You think we got all the ones that need it over? Hey, did we remember to set the— we remember we forgot to put up the calf Yesterday evening. All right, now they're gonna be bond like bleeding like crazy for about 3 or 4 days. Okay, look at the difference. Moms are just in heaven. The lambs are like, what? What? New calf is now keeping up with her on her 24/7. It's been a couple of weeks for us to get a meal. We've got separate She's out, she's out there. So we'll separate the calf tonight and then we'll get the morning milk. There it is, see her? And then Strawberry will have her all day long. See her? Yeah. Okay, go see if we can print out your gift for Mom and then let's get the kitchen presentable and start on this Carrabba's copycat. Special treat tonight, our favorite sweet tea, the Old North State Sweet Tea. That's the old name for North Carolina, and it's got a North Carolina image, but this tea is from Sri Lanka, and the company's address is in Tennessee. What is this? Rebecca, Rebecca, she is coming through for you, babe. You go up to Grandpa's?

No, I just went over to the cabin.

Sweet tea.

They have mixed colors.

Frosting strawberries on your birthday.

Yeah, this is, this is the life.

Living the dream. Somebody else is excited. You excited? A little kink and our ministering to the beautiful one today. Both of our dishwashers are— Did you do more or the same this time?

No, I did more. I did double.

Pouch comes in handy.

Not a sponsor for Duluth, but you can hold about 2 dozen eggs in there.

Oh my gosh. Steeped our tea. And not a sponsor for honey, but you can fit about 2 cups of honey in that. We do a half a cup of honey for every bag of tea. Half a cup of honey, a bag of tea is a half a gallon. So we're gonna make 2 gallons and we'll drink it easy in 2 days, 2 meals. Where did you get these?

At Grandpa's house.

Dang, look at that shell of a bug. See that?

Ew.

BT is done, going in the fridge. Little man's got something he wants to show me, something.

Open your eyes.

Open my eyes. Oh, you fixed the shoes!

Annie!

All right, you and Annie fixed the shoes. It looks so good out here. I got her a birthday present.

You and Annie?

Why aren't you a gentleman?

Why? That's blue.

Taking a break outside.

I didn't intend to. To, but I came out here and it's like—

this is her love language, is affection and talking. That one. Yeah, the boys have it looking good.

Feet in the ground, feet on the ground, and strawberry jam cooking. Oh, I gotta go.

I know, I do too. I gotta cut up the chicken. Let's see what the boys are doing. It's coming at 3 if y'all can't figure it out. We're gonna pressure wash our machines but can't get the pressure washer started. Beated egg whites.

Yep.

How's the cake going? It's good. Oh, smell that spice nut. Is that what you made? Spice nut? Why'd you end up going with spice nut over, uh, chocolate?

Well, we've had chocolate a lot lately.

Is it okay?

I mean, for decorating it is, but for the actual like piping it's not, which is fine.

Okay, so you're gonna apply it and then put it back in the fridge so it doesn't all droop, right?

Yeah.

Are these all the gifts?

Well, I was—

Oh look. Okay. Printing out his picture we took this morning. Oh, they're coming out nice. Nice. That's a nice gift. She wanted to go check out the cabin, folks. Moving right along, just past electrical rough-in inspection. What are you wanting to see up there today?

That window. That, that done.

Jonah's aspirational future home on farm. Yes, let's hope that comes to fruition.

Come and stand.

The chimney was right there. I know, making it all dark and dingy on the south side. A lot of times people don't think about that when they're building a house. They don't think about the placement of the sun. Why would you put a chimney on the south side?

Honestly, this whole house should have been—

oh yeah, it should have been oriented this way, oriented wrong, so that you could have all your living areas along through there. We did as best as we could. The short end is this way, so living room, kitchen, bedrooms in the back. So if you're laying out a new house or shopping for one, get your living areas south sunny side and your sleeping areas in the north side. It'll make all the difference. So we put the triangle windows in there, skylights, but no skylights in the bedroom. You want it dark in the bedroom, right? I think he's about to blow out another window, Rebecca, before we came. All right, it's time to get on this chicken parmesan, burn it up cooking show. Okay, tallow going in. What you working on now?

I'm working on decorating. I'm just gonna cut these walnuts so I have something to put on top of the cake. And then we also have this stuff where I'm gonna be like, if it's not too— like, it might be a little bit too runny.

And we're frying. These are turning out fantastic. Look at our fried pieces, they're so good. Mozzarella cheese on top, homegrown tomatoes.

Sauce.

How's that, Rebecca?

Oh, you do it the opposite way.

Oops. Well, that's why I'm asking. Is that enough? Am I doing enough?

Yeah, yeah, you don't want too much.

Oh, ready?

Yeah, just let's get it in the oven.

Behind you. Here you go. Is that going to be enough?

Yes.

Sweet tea going down. It's time. Rebecca, how'd we do? How'd we do?

I think we did fabulous.

Is it Carrabba's Eat Your Heart Out?

It is, it's so good. The only thing we don't have that Carrabba's does have is that bread.

The bread, and that white dip.

But we don't need that.

I kind of forgot about it. I feel like it got a little dry. You want to get it right just when the cheese melts and be done.

It does, it won't be dry.

All right. Kind of hard to dry out our chicken. But there you go. You ready? You know it's Mom's birthday? Is it also your birthday? Yes. Okay, good. You've learned this. Ooh, I'm glad you got yours because you are MVP helping me.

I used to have to make all my food on my birthday. Now I don't have to do that anymore.

Yeah, I've been working hard coordinating a visit for a possible horse.

Oh, I thought you were talking about—

to look out on Thursday. Yeah, she's got two. We're gonna get you one too.

You're funny.

Although this one you could ride, it'd be big enough. Have you tried it yet? Y'all don't even ever need to go to Praba's ever. We deliver it homegrown. Annie would say that's decadent. Okay, you going with smallest to largest?

I guess so.

Who's that from? Big Daddy?

I'm gonna say that this is from Annie. Oh, she gave me a date!

Oh, the child care!

This birthday card is redeemable for an evening out. Whoa, with your other half, child care provided. Celebrating lifting up— oh, thank you, Annie!

Big Daddy's gonna give us a weekend.

Thanks, Dad.

May you grant your heart's desires and fulfill all your plans. Psalms 24.

And a whole weekend away.

Happy 46th birthday, love, Dad.

Wait, you got to guess what these are. Who's this from?

This is Gideon's.

Oh, I don't know what it is.

Maybe this is obedience in a card. Ooh, he says no more.

2x that.

I was thinking about that.

You weren't sure you could commit to that?

Mama, this is from me.

Just 1 hour. How about just 1 hour?

Open like that. Okay. Free babysitting.

Oh, that's—

For Henry?

Thank you.

That's good. Oh.

Oh.

What is it?

Hair gel, which I actually had in there for you guys.

Oh, that's funny. I got that. I helped him with that.

But I'll use some of it too.

We went into this, what was saved in the Amazon cart. Well, I guess you guys got her hair gel for yourself. I thought I was being clever helping them out. Remember that birthday when they were little and they just wrapped up all the stuff in the house? Fair.

Epic life. Permaculture chickens.

Here you go.

No. Star and a Lego person.

That was—

oh, look inside.

Look.

Airbrush. And 4.

It's a bracelet.

Oh, it's a bracelet. It's a bracelet. Fancy dancy wrap job. Together. Nail polish. I'm sorry, milk cow. I love you guys. Thank you. And I got an eye roll. Cuz now—

look at him looking at you.

Cuz now I have mature skin, and so you, you're not allowed to— you're not allowed to rub it in. Oh, a hair dryer! Yeah, the one I needed because my old one keeps going.

You pulled the trigger on this, didn't you?

No, you did.

All right, I put it in the car. I told you you're gonna be spoiled rotten.

You know what this is?

I do know what this is. Did you see it come in?

But I told you I wanted it.

All right, well, I tried to get it and wrap it before you saw it. What's so special about it?

It's a new purse. Um, well, I researched what I wanted and this is what I wanted. And these are all things that I wanted to buy myself, but I haven't because you don't never spend on yourself. I know, I don't ever spend money, but I want— I needed a new purse because my other one, the, the handle's ripped.

Are you finally getting a new purse?

I've had that purse since like 2018, so I can have a spot for my chapstick in here. Came with a snack. And I can put my snacks in here and they won't get lost. Oh wow, wow, I like this. Oh yes, I want to have plants and stuff all over my porches, but I haven't Oh, he got me a new pair of these, which I need because my other ones floated away in the hurricane because I keep them— I used to keep them in my greenhouse. And then look at that, I didn't know we could grow those here. I guess I never thought about it. Sweet peas, sunflowers, awesome. Thank you, Jonah. He knows his mother well.

That was that day you were tracking us and I had to tell you to stop tracking us. We were gonna give you a birthday present away because I said, why'd you go there?

Because I was thinking I just needed something for the farm, and then you were like, stop tracking me. And I was like, we could have just said I was looking—

not where I was going next.

Well, you could have said stop tracking me.

Did you track me?

No, I didn't.

Okay, so you have no idea where we got these?

Oh, more pots and plants! I like this. And a geranium. These are geraniums, right? Yes, they are. Oh, awesome!

Are these cool gifts, Henry? Yeah. You want to go set them up? Go put them on the porch.

We'll go put them on the porch.

This looks nice. Put them on the trays.

Well, we got to pot them up. Okay.

Happy birthday, Mama!

Happy birthday, Mama!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

Happy birthday, dear Mama! Happy birthday, Mama! Happy birthday, Mama!

Did you get it in one blow?

I think I had a little section and it pulled out of my mouth.

He got real tired.

He just likes the icing.

Why don't we just save icing for him?

There's icing in the fridge.

Next time let's just give him the icing. Well, let's give him something.

He is eating a little bit of cake, but—

What's your birthday wish?

For the whole— I think it's the same as, um, Recovery. We just keep recovering.

It's time for birthday blessings. We're gonna go youngest to oldest so that nobody can steal anybody's comments. What do you like about Mom?

The boobies.

What'd he say?

Say it again. Boobies.

What'd he say? Boobies.

Do you like that I cuddle you at night?

Yeah. Do I like that? Do you like getting cuddled? And cuddled in the morning.

Sleeping with me? Sleeping right next to me. Yes. Do you like the food I make?

She's a good mom and she likes to cook and she lets me sleep in her room.

Oh, she's a nurturing mother, isn't she?

Mom is a good mama because she always buys me the stuff I need and she, and she plans vet appointments farrier and all that stuff.

Yeah, it's fun to be around. She buys me things when I need them, and she's a good mother. She takes care of us, makes sure we have everything we need, and she cooks delicious gluten-free. You are smart as— or sharp as a tack. I can't even get that saying right. Smart as a tack. So that's why we count on you. Oftentimes you'll get us incredibly focused, like with your word, your one word for the Thank you, Lily. Your one word for the year, recovery. That's kept us super focused when we get to start thinking about doing other things. We run it through that and it helps us. Even at 46, now you're taking more control of your health than I've ever seen. And now you're— you, for the longest time, you tried to get a fitness program lifting weights and stuff. It was so long in coming, I thought, I don't know if this is ever gonna happen. But you stuck with it and you finally found something that works for you, and you're on it, and you don't miss it for nothing. And you're a good example to these kids and everyone because you're investing in your health and you're saying it's not too late. And you're already aiming to live to be 100 years old, and you're positive about it, and you believe that, and And I think that's a good example to all of us. And that may be why the boys are training now. Lily. And even Lily just started.

I think Gideon's been trying.

Which is one of the most important things you can do for your health.

It is one of the most important things you can do. If I could do it, I would have started in my 20s at least, if not in my teens.

Definitely. But as quick as you've shaped up, it's a testimony to the body and the response to it.

Well, I did that.

It's never too late.

Back. In '21 and '22 I was working out. Then when that ended, I struggled for almost 2 years to find something that worked. But I did. I found something that worked.

Well, I don't think your mom and I ever thought this would have all happened, but it has.

Or both.

We never envisioned that.

Yeah. She was going to marry a banker and live on the Intracoastal.

Yeah.

But somehow all that changed.

I fell in love with a farmer.

And we just learned to accept what came. Your mom was so much into horses and showing horses, and had I not gone out there and accepted that, none of this would ever happen. That had to be part of it with her. She just wasn't— if I wasn't going to be part of it, then I wasn't going to be part of her. So I, you know, I think about, about that. So I mean, and maybe those genes were passed down, I think, you know, the— of that kind of life, which was very different. Yeah, you know, city girls don't don't normally wind up on a farm.

They can, they can.

It's a big change, but it's, it's unusual. Yeah, it would be more of an exception. But your mother, she liked this. Yeah, you know, so maybe that's the way it had to be.

Yeah. That first night when we were married, you were scared to death. Because it was so dark. It was so dark, there were no lights.

We turned out the lights. I think it was pitch black. You cannot see your hand in front of your face.

Did we have to do a nightlight?

I think we turned on the closet light. You tolerated it.

You've come a long way.

Now I'm like, why do the neighbors have their lights on? I mean, it's a half a mile down the street and I can see a little glint of it.

Hey, we remembered. Yeah, you guys ready to go put this calf up? Yep, so we get milk in the morning. I guess got no idea. Okay, herd mom and calf over and then herd mom back. These sheep are bleating like crazy. Bleating, not bleeding. Wait, you're gonna have to get the mom too, aren't you? Okay, see, get your mom. Here we go, here we go. Mom and sheep. Mom and mom and calf. All right, all right, do not run into the fence. All right, good. First time calf separating. Will it hold? We'll see, tomorrow will tell. See you then. Happy day.