HAPPY EASTER!

Yesterday we took a little field trip and very conveniently there ended up being a big ol patch of bluebonnets, so by golly we were going to get into the Texas tradition of having our "picture made" in the bluebonnets. My hopes, which I knew were way too high, was that I would be able to get my very active, lively, expressive, strong 1 1/2 yr old to sit and say "cheese" while I snap some adorable memories to hang on my wall. Then reality checked in and, well, here's the results.....

Here the star is taking in the scenery...meanwhile I'm other the other side of the lens begging him..."JT, look at Mommy, come on look at mommy"

As I continue to plead with him, he still keeps strong with his selective hearing, points off in the distance and saying "boat, water"

Then he bolts, running from the perfect patch of bluebonnets and giggling all the way....He knew what I wanted and his strong will was screaming at him from the inside "run from her!".....little does he know that I'm super talented, I caught this one while I was running backwards. It turned out kinda how I in-visioned.... him smiling with bluebonnets nearish....I'll take it cause it's all I'm gonna get!

Bolting for the water and the new toy daddy bought him

Debating whether or not to go in. I kept telling him....brrr, cold, but you could see the gears just moving, questioning if mommy was fast enough to beat him to the water. We went to Joe Pool Lake yesterday to test drive the boat you see in the background. Yes, our list of BFF's just got a little longer because we ended up buying it. It's a Procraft fish and ski combo, but it's a little more fish and a little less ski than I'm used to. It's exactly what Travis wanted and I figure he'll probably be spending more time on it than me so what the heck, I'll won't fight this battle. Come to find out it was a wise choice. The "fishing" boats generally don't have the deep V-hauls that I prefer and with the shallow lakes in TX there not exactly ideal for getting up close to where the fish hang out because you can get stuck pretty easy. 

Helping daddy back the boat up. I could tell Travis was a little nervous cause he hadn't driven a boat for a while, but mostly because the water is so shallow for such a long distance off the shore (we're talking 3-5' for about 50 yards) that he didn't want to break anything before we had decided to purchase it.....that would be our luck, right?

I love this picture! He was seriously watching this other boat that was passing....I wish I could know what he's thinking!

While daddy was learning about the trolling motor and the foot pedals that accompany it, JT was getting in some drive time.....now he smiles!!!

Is it really my fault?

Ok, so I've started to notice that the clothes are getting a little snug these past few days and I'm getting a little frustrated by that. Every gal loves getting new clothes to dress up in, but NEVER do we like to get them because we've stepped up a few sizes...eek!

So here's the problem, my all time favorite food is Mexican! I seriously could just inhale it, that's how much I absolutely LOVE Mexican food, then add in the mere fact that I live in the best state in the Union for this overly indulged food and top it off that my awesome neighbor is from Mexico and brings something yummy over to my house at least twice a week....nail in the coffin folks!! What am I suppose to do, slam the door in her face?! No, Laura I can't eat your tacos because you, me Amiga, are single handily making me FAT....so rude and un-neighborly. I'm suppose to love my neighbor and when you tell a Hispanic lady that "no I don't want your food" well I might as well just tell her that she's the worst person in the world. Augh! I know I know, you're saying "well why don't you just throw it out after she brings it over" PEOPLE this is homemade Mexican food, you don't just "throw it out", you indulge, you savor, you linger, but then after those 5 seconds are up.....you inhale it! See my problem here? That, my friends, is why I need to move. I have the best neighbor in Ft Worth who treats me like a sister, loves on my baby and makes us feel like we're apart of their family, but since I have so self-control when it comes to her food, I'm sadly going to have to cut this friendship when we finally move. At least for the sake of my waist line.

OK, so on to the real reason you read this....the pics! Last weekend our sunday school class did an Easter Egg hunt with all the kids and it was so cute to watch all these little toddlers totting around these huge baskets picking up eggs that had been "hidden" on the lawn. We had an age span from 1 to 5 so we staggered the hunt to make it a little more fair. The littlest got to go outside first and start picking up the ones in plain sight, then after a few minutes we let the ones that could count go and they had a "quota" that they could get, then we turned loose the runners and hunters AKA the 5 year olds. I was impressed by the organization that we had, course we have some pretty organized moms in our class, (course, me not being one of them) so I wasn't at all surprised.

Here's some cute pics, but they're really tiny because I once again forgot my camera and Travis ended up taking these with his phone that he so lovingly calls the "poopberry". It's a blackberry that XTO has all their employees use and he was happy with it till I got an I-rene (what I lovingly call my awesome gadget, yes the much coveted I-phone) and now he just sees what a wonderful world it would be if XTO would not be such Apple haters!

So excited about his big find!

My 1st fishing trip!

What a fun and busy weekend we had, which I must say is well deserved after the several crappy ones we've endured...gotta take the good with the bad and I love taking a whole weekend of good!

On Saturday we took JT fishing for the first time and even though it didn't last but 2 hours he still had a great time and Travis and I were reminded just how much we love the great outdoors. So as soon as we get into another house and get rid the hole in the ground that we pour $ and water into (aka the pool) we've decided that we will once again be a boating family. I don't think you can own both, a pool and a boat, since both are high maintenance. As my family puts it...boats are a hole in the water in which you pour $ into.....well since we've had the experience of owning both, we can safely say that boats are more our speed. Now we just need to get a little more friendly with the folks we know that have pools ;-)

Helping daddy mow on Saturday morning....I get what he misses

It was so cute he would follow Travis back and forth

Sorry Kashuba's had to do it ;-).....Our friends Michael and Amanda stopped by after their sons soccer game down the street and Travis had yet to see the new wheels they were sporting. The look on his face when he saw the college softball stars pull up in a mini-van was priceless. I snapped a picture of Michael and Amanda laughing at Travis's response....which was "wow....never thought I would see y'all in a mini-van....so why didn't ya spring for the wood paneling?".....so funny!

JT taking a break from mowing to smile and wave at the Kashuba's in their mini-van

Later after the nap we headed to Lake Worth for some fishing with our friends...what a nice warm spring day...I think it was 83 when we got out on the water

all boy! when we started going fast across the water JT was all over it!! Check out that smile

Fishing with daddy

So this just goes round and round....cool!!! We didn't end up catching any fish with the boys, but Travis and Derrick went back out after Georgeanne and I took the boys home and they ended up catching some. Sure wish JT could have seen one be reeled in this trip....maybe next time

JT's little future hunting/fishing buddy, Austin. Their daddies do a lot of hunting and fishing together so you know they will be spending a lot of time getting their testosterone pumping

Mr Derrick let me help drive the boat...so cool!!

Austin using the radio as a climbing tool....that boy can crawl FAST!! He's 10 months old today!!

Me and my daddy

Future fishing buds.....I think each year we'll snap a photo of them side by side

Worst Week

And I'm not kidding about that either. JT and I recently went to Wyoming for a visit and all I can say is that I learned a very valuable lesson....never take the super structure loving toddler from home when he's not feeling well. Augh!! I promise I learned that one well!! 

JT screamed on the flight there, which I thought was just because his ears were popping and he wouldn't drink something to help....well a mere 36 hours later and a trip to the ER at 1 am in the middle of blizzard we discovered that he had two ear infections and one was "really bad" as the ER Dr said. Nice...mom of the year over here! The part that made it even worse was when he couldn't lay down to go to sleep (even though he was exhausted) from the pain he would be screaming, crying and pointing at the door saying "daddy, home". We would have gotten a flight out of there sooner but ANOTHER snow storm came through making travel impossible. So we toughed it out with antibiotics and made it to Saturday and was on the first flight we could get back to Texas and to "the daddy." 

I love snow, I love our family, I love seeing my friends BUT having to deal with a sick toddler who will not allow anyone to look at him (forget touching him) besides his mommy plus no sleep to boot....I was worn out! I'm too old for that! We plan on going back in June for Travis's cousins wedding and I know that it won't be as bad as this time...whew! I do have to admit that out of the 6 times I have flown to Wyoming with JT this was the 1st that we have had to deal with a sickness....so 1 out of 6 really is great odds. 

The 1st snow storm that blew thru...according to everyone I "came the wrong week", guess just 2 days before this picture was taken it was a high of 72 there.....figures!

Starting to through a fit.....little did I realize at this point that he had 2 ear infections going on. Oh and playing in the snow after he got to feeling better was not an option.....he hates snow now, not sure what happened because when we went there in October he loved it!!

A few hours after the antibiotics kicked in. Uncle Scott taught me this new game of peek-a-boo where you use your hands to hide your face, I always just used Bob the Blankie before

Boo! Ha! Ha!

I am so mad at myself for not getting my camera out and snapping some more pictures of JT with his cousins. He LOVED playing with them, especially the boys, Trenton and Mason (below)

Playing in the bathroom drawers at Meemee and Boppos

rocking on the fish at Miss Tara's

Having to learn how to share is hard work for a sick toddler.....yes that's him throwing a tantrum in the background.....but I am bound and determined he's going to learn how to share because my pet-peeve is a toddler who can't share because no one made them learn

Playing with my lady friends....Taelyn and Tawnee Dye.

I love my Uncle Scott....he's one of the few people I would let touch me

My favorite toy at Papa and Grandma's house....the wooden turtle....Grandma says it used to be my Aunt Tammy's when she was little

C'mon turtle....I loved dragging it all through the house

My grandma had surgery on her knee a few weeks ago so she was hobbling along on these metal things....guess my cousin, Sarah, calls them "grandma's pogo sticks"

Grandma helping me play with the dolly.....daddy doesn't like when I do this, but mommy thinks it's cute. My Aunt Tammy used to stick my daddy in this same high chair when he was a baby

My dad taught me this...carry it like it's dead then no one will make fun of you...that's how he packs mommy's purse

Beating on the drum with Papa

Suppose to be brushing my teeth but I got Meemee to splash a little with me...that bathroom was soaked when I was done

Dancing with Grandma Teresa before leaving for the airport

back home and happy....shooting Copper with my new gun, the flashlight

High in the sky....a future pilot here.....LOVES going super high and super fast...I want to vomit just watching it

So excited

Just noticed daddy is doing something without my direction....

Watcha doin daddy, need me to show you how? (Travis planted these around the pool equipment....FINALLY something to camouflage it

I should've took a video of this...he was just a jabberin about something and pointing at the bushes

Look at that left foot....he likes to lean on one leg when he's in great description about what he's talking to you about

Hi mom!

And then this morning I caught another site of Copper's arched enemy....Pulido the Possum...he lives in our backyard (where I've yet to discover) and torchores Copper every morning

Pulido will just sit up on the fence and stare at Copper for a good 20 mins...playing possum I presume