It's Christmas Time in Texas

It's Santa's Rodeo..we'd hang our boots for stockings but our feet would get too cold..so gather around the campfire and thank God for all your blessings..yippee ki-yi-yay get along little doggie, it's Christmas time in Texas :)

Did I mention it snowed? Yep..for about 2 hours it snowed. Hard. Of course it didn't stick because two days earlier it was 70+ degrees. We didn't let that ruin our good time :) Seth had to go on to school but Wyatt got to play in it. He played until his little baby hands were frozen and I forced him to come in. Good times though.

Cabin Camping in Oklahoma

I haven't blogged in a while. We've had Halloween, parties and camping trips since my last blog. Boooo me, right? The camping trip was the most recent. I had been feeling a bit closed in. I needed to get into some wide open spaces and fast. The boys needed to be able to get out and explore. We picked Beaver Bend, OK. While it was lovely, it was far. Too far. We've decided to do this more often but closer to home.

In Beaver Bend, we rented a cabin. It was beautiful. Very fancy. That's right..a fancy cabin. Not what we were looking for. Did I mention it was in a neighborhood? Yes..a fancy cabin with a HOA. Whatever dude. We complained and switched cabins the next day. The 2nd cabin wasn't as "nice." It was absolutely perfect. The boys explored. We built camp fires, poked things with sticks, had fun at a little festival...it was exactly what we needed. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Oktoberfest

Last weekend we enjoyed a family outing to Oktoberfest in Addison. In the past, it was always near 100 degrees. Last weekend it was in the 80s and perfect. The kids played in the fountains, watched a puppet show, did the chicken dance, watched me lose my new lens and win a carnival goldfish. Good times. Timmy the goldfish (or Oktoberfish as Rebecca named him) passed this morning. Good-bye Timmy.

It's a Bluesy Rainy kind of Evening

Seth creating...


Cider keeping a watchful eye...


Wyatt gives Cowboy a massage...


Cowboy and his boy...


Wyatt "Fingers" Whigham



It seems like monsoon season in Dallas. Seriously..it has rained every day for the past 7 days. We have had a few breaks in the rain over the past 48 hours but it is still raining on and off. My children normally go out to play in the rain but after the first few days of rainy play I had to start keeping them inside. I don't want them to kill what little grass will grow in the yard. Tonight we had a peaceful, laid back kinda evening. After dinner Seth decided to write a comic book, Wyatt played with the dogs and Scott entertained the whole family by playing some blues. A fitting end to a perfectly lovely (yet wet) day.

Cute Wyatt in Sept

I know, right? Freaking adorable!




I think this goes on my head...


That's better...


It's a pants off - dance off!



Yesterday was such a hot day. Wyatt and I bought a big, fat watermelon. As soon as we picked Seth up from school, we hung out outside and enjoyed what we hope to be..the last of the summer heat. Later Wyatt decided to wear Seth's backpack on his head and try to dance off his watermelon high.

Speechless

There has been such an uproar about President Obama speaking to "the youth" of America. I think it's a great idea..stay in school, work hard, do your best, etc. That is, I thought it was a great idea. Seth's school has decided to show the speech to all grades. Kindergarten?!? They sent home a form for me to sign if I decided not to allow Seth to watch it. It seems so harsh, so black and white. (No pun intended!) It's like me signing the form is making some sort of declaration...some political statement...some stance about the President's views, his party or maybe even him personally. Oh sure, maybe it's not really that big of a deal. Maybe most of the class will be sitting this one out. It just irritates me that instead of me signing a form showing that I want him to participate, I have to sign a form to deny him from participation. Will I run the risk of making myself look like an unbending right winged nut job? Will I look like I have a racial issue? Thank you for making me dwell on this all weekend! Ugh. As I said to a friend earlier, I think the President of the United States of America should have the right to use public school as a forum. It's really not that. It's simply that my dear 5 year old with ADHD lacks the ability to sit still and/or be quiet. He can't sit through a tv show without a certain amount of chatter and fidgeting. We go to Church. I do not bring Seth into the service with me because he will be disruptive. So instead, he goes to a service designed for a child. This is logical. Why do I have to feel guilt and worry over what is so obviously common sense?? The picture above was taken as Seth and Wyatt watched President Obama being sworn into office. I love this picture. I am proud of this picture and everything that it stands for. I love this country. I love having freedom and choice. I just don't like feeling like my back is against the wall. In the end, I have to go with my gut and do what I feel is best for my kid. He'll have to miss this one. You want my child to participate? Come in person and be prepared with puppets, magic tricks and balloon animals.

Sidewalk Chalk Painting

Thank you to my friend Nush for the idea of sidewalk chalk painting! The boys had a great time. This morning after reading her blog, Wyatt and I went to the Goodwill in search of a muffin tin. We didn't find one but did find a vegetable tray for .59, so we decided it was perfect. "We" being me. Wyatt didn't care either way. When we got home, I gathered up broken bits, chunks and scraps of sidewalk chalk and let them melt into water. Once Seth got home from school, we had a painting party :) Seth painted, Wyatt liked stirring but that's OK. Someone had to do it. Good times.