Hodge-Podge Post

Every child has his "security" item. For Dallas it is Teddy a stuffed bear. Teddy was a gift from a friend when Dallas was born. Here is a picture of when Dallas first became attached to Teddy...
...and he has been chewing on him ever since. These days, Dallas loves to carry Teddy around in his mouth. The poor bear has been through a lot...he has no stuffing left in his mid-section!
But...it makes Dallas happy, and that's what matters most.

Alright, I'm a little embarrassed to put this next picture on the blog, but Doug is making me. He was so proud that he was able to get Dallas to do this...
Yep, my kid is going to be the bully giving all the other kids in school wedgies!

Now, from orneryness to sweetness...
It is so much fun playing dress-up with her :)

Yesterday, I went to start the truck and I found these tracks on the porch!!!
Yes, they are deer tracks...on my porch, by my backdoor!

Finally...someone's in the kitchen with Momma...
Dallas wanted to help make breakfast. He's a very good mixer.

Until next time...

It's Never too late for a First...

Last night, on our way home from VBS, we decided to take a different route from our usual one. The variation we have taken before, but it had been a while. Anywho...this route consists of more gravel and it was beginning to get foggy. Well...getting to the point of the story: That stupid deer did not look before deciding to cross the road! It hit Lily (my car) on the passenger side, right at the front tire. It was the first time I have ever been hit by a deer!

Thankfully, Doug was able to maintain complete control of the car; no one was hurt; and the deer was able to run away. As far as Lily...there really isn't too much visible damage, but the front passenger door doesn't open at the time of this post. You'll notice a ding in front of the wheel and behind the wheel. I just hope it doesn't cost too much to repair.

Other than that...VBS is going great. Our VBS theme is "Marvelous Mystery: The Mass Comes Alive". We had a blast the first night. The weather was awesome and we were able to do our game outside. We had a mystery hunt and all the kids loved! Last night we talked about how the Mass is a gift, so we gave (pinned) our hearts to Jesus in a "pin the tail on the donkey style"! Tonight we are talking about the Mass is a celebration, so the kiddos are going to get dressed-up for the party and either pop balloons or if the weather is dry, toss water balloons! I'm sure it will be another fun evening.

Until next time...

Fishing Trip

It was such a beautiful day yesterday that Doug decided to take Dallas fishing. I think they had a great time - even though they didn't catch any fish.

The only other "person" that was at the lake

Until next time...

Unexpected Visitors and Best Friends

On Friday evening, Doug and I had two visitors come over. We were not really expecting anyone, and I did not have the house in "company condition." They decided not to stay very long after meeting the dogs, but they did enjoy a quick bit to eat. I was able to get a few pictures before they left...

These were taken from the front room looking into our front and side yard.



You can't really tell (because my photography skills weren't in sync that day), but they were both young bucks.



As far as best friends go...I think this says it all...

Only true friends would allow one to put his feet in the other's face!

Dallas just thought it was the funniest thing and just kept kicking at Charlie's face. Charlie is actually super soft right now {because I gave him and Fred a bath yesterday}, so it must have felt good on Dallas' feet.

Finally, I wanted to show how much progress Dallas is making with his neck. We are still visiting the therapist once a month and doing extra exercises at home. I have also taken Dallas to my chiropractor for some small adjustments. In the past week, Dallas has made leaps and bounds by voluntarily turning his head to left AND keeping it there!


I hope you all had a great weekend. We have been getting lots and lots of rain - again. On Thursday night, we received about 2 1/2 inches; Friday afternoon, another inch or more, and another 1 1/2 inches last night. When Doug comes home from work, he has to hose off his jeans because they are completely covered in mud!

Well, I had better get back to my laundry.

Until next time...

Sunny Sunday...

and still no Buckwheat! Sorry to be disappointing all of you by not sharing any new news. We are trying to be patient, but it is becoming harder and harder. Here's the latest picture...

Week 41

In other news for today: Doug and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at church sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Doug is a member, so he also got to help serve while I sat and visited! We had pancakes, sausage, ham, and eggs. It was super delicious! After church, we took the boys for a walk. Although the sunshine was pretty deceiving (the wind was still chilly), it was still nice to get outside and move.

Tonight was also our night to bowl. Our partners didn't make it this weekend and the team we were bowling against was also missing a person; therefore, it went very fast! I was pretty satisfied with my scores (especially being over 9 months pregnant!). I hit my average for 2 of the 3 games. Doug says it is bad that I'm bowling better/more consistent than him.

Lastly, the deer have started to appear more often around the house. We went about a week and a half without seeing them (which is pretty unusual). I guess they are enjoying the sunshine we have been having. I snapped a few pictures from the kitchen window...yes, they were that close to the house!

Until next time...

Roof - Days 4 and 5 of Work

So...the roof...progress is being made, but slower than I expected. Doug and I were hoping that the project would be completed when we got back from our Thanksgiving trip, but it was not. Luckily, they did work one day and finished the west side of house, which they started before Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures...

A reminder of what it was before...


...What it looks like now!


Here's a close up...the boards are there to help the workers
keep their footing...they will be removed at a later date.

Monday, when I arrived home for lunch, they were back to work on the north and east side of the house that face the road. It was then that I learned the slats on one side have rotted and need to be replaced. (What else can they find under all those layers of shingles?) Here are some pictures of the progress made on Monday.

The before...sorry, not the best picture.


Charlie (the main roofer) and his crew at work.


Some close-ups of the bare slats.
The rotted boards are the ones at the bottom of this section.


The other side

I was disappointed that the workers were not back today...my roof is still open as you see in the pictures. We are suppose to get some rain and snow tomorrow. I hope they will be back tomorrow before it (the rain and snow) comes and get these sections covered!

On another note...yesterday afternoon I took a peak out the window to see all these pheasants in the field by the house! Where is a gun when you need it? I think there were about 15 hens and roosters in all.

Tonight when I got home from town, there were a dozen deer in the field behind the house, and 2 more in the waterway running through the field to the side. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't work out so well. Quite the nature center around here!

Until next time...