Future X Games Champion

"I've decided that when I grow up I want to be an X Games Champion. I'll probably compete in some sort of offroad competition and I've been practicing all my tricks in preparation. I don't really like to ride my 4-wheeler properly anymore so I've come up with new ways to ride it."

"This is the standing ride. It is actually much more fun than sitting and I find that I steer much better while riding this way."

"One of my more crazy moves is the backwards ride. Mommy and Daddy aren't too fond of this one but I do it when they aren't looking."
"This is the sideways ride. It's not as fun as the others but I'm working on some new moves while riding in this position."
"And lastly, this is the belly ride. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to reach the button to make the 4-wheeler go but I'll get there."
"So there you have it. By the time I'm old enough to compete in the X Games I will have these moves perfected as well as many more. I guess I need to start working on sponsors now...anybody interested?"

More Preparation

Today we went grocery shopping for all the food for the big dove hunt next weekend. I have always said that the guys eat better at the lease than they do at home, and now I can show you what I mean.

Here are the briskets, beef ribs, and pork ribs.
And the hamburger patties (there are 36 here).
And the fajita meat.
And all the fixin's. Seriously, these boys don't live off hot dogs!
J decided to get all the meat ready to go so there is less work at the lease. I don't want to give away any of his secrets but injecting the briskets makes them GOOD!
After the briskets, he prepared the beef and pork ribs...yummy. And lastly, he wrapped them all up and placed them in the freezer.

I can't wait for these to be barbecued on the smoker at the lease! We are going to eat very well the whole time we are there. So now you know that you don't have to worry about the guys every weekend when they are at the lease. They are definitely not heating up a can of pork and beans over a campfire.

Pre-Season Party

We were invited to the James' house this evening for a Pre-Hunting Season Get Together. All of the guys on the lease and their families have never all gotten together for any reason. In fact, today was the first time I had even met some of them. We had so much fun!

The guys all got in the pool with the kids while the girls stayed in the shade or inside. Stetson had a blast, of course, but I'm worried about the Winter with him. What is he going to do without the ability to swim?
After swimming, the guys played "washers" and the kids played on the swing set. Stetson kept calling the fort area his house. He also jumped from the fort to the ground and slid down the slide on his belly...quite the daredevil.
Stetson and Carson became fast friends. It is amazing how children can meet and act like they've known each other for years..
This is Callie. She is the youngest little hunter (7 weeks) and spent most of the time inside with the ladies. She is such a good little girl.
Here are Evelyn, Carson and Stetson all swinging after dinner. J and Jason spent a lot of time pushing all three swings.

We all had such a good time and really appreciate the James family for hosting the party and for feeding us. We should definitely do this more often. Our husbands spend A LOT of time together at the lease and it is nice to put faces with names. Beginning next weekend, they will be together again. Happy Hunting Season!

Mark Your Calendars

My sister, Allison, found this race to be held on November 1, 2008 in the Dallas area. The specifics are still not determined, but we will be setting up a team and would love for you to join us. The race is called "Undy 5000 - A Brief Run to Fight Colon Cancer". I will be walking so don't feel like you have to run. Anyway, I will be sending out more details as they become available but you can click here for more information.

Super Glue?

So do you think it is possible to super glue shoes to a certain little boy's feet? Even though we got him new ones, he still feels the need to constantly take them off. I was thinking we could put super glue in them, or put rubberbands around them, or just let him go barefoot all the time...what do you think?

Of course I would never do any of the above mentioned things, but it sure is tempting! Hopefully this fascination will be over soon. So much for thinking I had it all figured out.

Gettin' Ready

Dove season begins September 1st, which is right around the corner. Daddy and Gramps were getting ready tonight by getting their shotguns out and preparing to clean them. Stetson has actually never seen a gun and asked what it was. Within two seconds (no exaggeration) Stetson clued in on what it was and went and got his. He was so excited to have something that Daddy and Gramps had.

"Look...I have a shotgun too!"
"So how am I supposed to clean this one? Does it come apart too?"
Stetson's popper is multi-functional. It has been called his weedeater, his edger, and now his other shotgun. I'm sure it has many other uses we haven't discovered yet.

The Light Finally Went Off

I do not claim to be a brilliant person by any means, but I thought I was pretty good at just having common sense about things. Not so in this case.

Stetson has been taking his shoes off at school and driving his teachers insane. One day last week his teacher told him that if he took his shoes off again that she would throw them away and Mommy would not be happy about that. Being the determined little boy that he is, he saved his teacher a step...he took his shoes off and threw them away for her.

I've been trying to figure out why he keeps taking them off. You know me...there is a reason for everything. Then finally on the way home from school today (after Stetson took his shoes off in the car) it hit me. We have been through this before and I completely forgot. Any idea where I am going with this?

HIS SHOES ARE TOO SMALL!

I'm so sorry Stetson that it took Mommy a week to come to her senses! Without even stopping at home, we went directly to the shoe store tonight. So now Stetson has shoes that fit and will most likely be keeping them on from now on.

Extreme Makeover

So it's not technically an extreme makeover, but it sure feels like it! J and I have been putting off lots of chores around the house but we finally bit the bullet and got them done. One of the biggest things we have procrastinated about is reorganizing items in the house. All of the baby items that Stetson has outgrown have been stored in his closet and the guest bedroom closet has been J's hunting closet since the day we moved in. Well...that all changed today. Stetson now has most of his toys in his closet, the baby stuff is in the guest room closet, and J's hunting stuff has moved to the garage and attic (sorry honey!). Of course to accomplish this, you have to make a huge mess and then clean it up. PLEASE know that we do NOT live like this!

Stetson's room during the process...
And after...

The guest bedroom during the process...
And after...
Our bedroom during the process...
And after...
The hallway during the process...

And after...
I didn't take a before picture, but this is what Stetson's playroom/the office looks like after we moved most of Stetson's toys to his closet.

Again, I didn't take a before picture but this is the garage after we moved J's hunting stuff to it and cleaned it up a bit.
It feels so much better to have this done! We also got our yard work completed, did laundry, and went grocery shopping. It's been a long day but probably one of the most productive ever. Whew...I'm tired! So much for J's relaxing weekend to celebrate having his deer blind completed (we all knew he couldn't sit around and do nothing anyway).

Caden's Party

Stetson is all about birthdays these days and, luckily, we were invited to Caden's first birthday party today. Stetson has been talking about it forever and was so excited that today was finally here.

He found a new friend in Lane, Caden's five year old cousin. They sat together and ate their hamburgers that Uncle T grilled, which were quite tasty.
Here's the birthday boy with his Mommy. He looks so grown up with his first big boy haircut.

Do you think anybody likes Caden? It's a shame that a boy doesn't get any presents on his birthday.
"Is it time for the party to start? I'm ready for cake and ice cream! I've got my party hat on and everything."

Doesn't Stetson look like a big boy sitting in his chair while Caden was opening his gifts?

I'd take this gift!
Cake time! Caden wasn't too sure about it at first. He isn't fond of things on his hands and kept trying to get the icing off.
But it didn't take him too long to catch on. That's the best his thumb has ever tasted!
"Cheese! Aren't I cute with icing on my face? Do you see that I got some on Daddy's chin? Like father, like son right?"
"I think I'll see what icing feels like in my ear." Mommy loved this move.

It's the new best buddies again. They played like they've known each other for years.
We were actually able to get all the kids together for a picture. The hats add that special touch.
Here is Caden's other cake. He actually had three but this is the one he blew the candle out on.
Caden was so good about sharing his new toys.
Besides hamburgers, cake, ice cream, and singing Happy Birthday, Stetson also LOVES to swim. This is a picture of the three Daddies with their boys (J and Stetson, Tim and Caden, and Scott and Lane).

And then there was Avery. I fell in love with this little girl!
We just can't keep Stetson off diving boards anymore.
Unfortunately, we had to leave when the party was over. Stetson would have stayed all night if we would have let him. Here he is in the car on the way home. Going.....going.....
GONE! He managed to keep his party hat on and his party favors in his hands though.
What a great party! We all had so much fun and are so thankful that we were invited. Thank you for everything and Happy 1st Birthday, Caden!!