D - Our Turn at the Fair

Yep, we went too. Way too much fried food was consumed, and way too much money was spent, but it's a fun family tradition. Here's a few pics from the big night out.

D - "I can't see the movie when you're in the way."

Mike just surprised us by stopping by the house this morning when he had a break between work activities. He snuck into our bedroom where the kids were lying in our bed watching tv. When Noah saw him, he took a sharp intake of breath, gave a HUGE smile and jumped up to hug him.

Katie, on the other hand, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, left her thumb in her mouth and kept watching tv. Not to be deterred, Mike laid down in front of her to give her a hug. In her deepest, gruffest morning voice she greeted him with the charming, Katie words: "I can't see the movie when you're in the way."

Did I ever mention that Noah is much like Mike and Katie much like me? Look out future men of America....you've got a handful with this one!

D - Lessons in Gross

There are some things that are gross enough that you would never dream of actually having to teach them to another person. It just seems so obvious that you would not do such things. For example, today at lunch Katie smashed Noah's banana with her bare foot and then started eating it. Seriously, I could hardly believe I had to utter the words, "We don't ever eat food we smash with our feet."

How about you? What are some of the grossest things you've ever found yourself explaining?

M - Holy Catfish, Batman!!!

Last night it took some coaxin'...but as always I caved and took the kiddos fishing. This time however, the little ones weren't content to fish in the pond right outside our backyard. We had to travel to another little pond (a.k.a. mudhole) in the neighborhood that no doubt held fish barely big enough to bite a hook. Nonetheless, mom needed a night off and I figured we'd have fun no matter what we did. Besides, a bad night of fishing is ALWAYS better than any night of TV so off we went to the 'mudhole'. I forgot to bring a bobber for Katie so the best I could do was tie on a big top water lure and make sure I did all the casting for her. In the first few minutes sure enough she pulled one in and all was right with the world. She was SO happy. I know no matter what it is that brings the joy for our little ones, not much warms our hearts more than seeing them experience pure joy.

While I was 'de-hooking' the little perch Noah was hooking into a fish of his own. The more his pole bent the more excited he (and I) became. I wish I had started the video sooner. He was really struggling to fight back against the thing at the other end of his line.

Noah's drag was set way to tight on his reel and the line he was using to fight that 'thing' was the cheap stuff that come on the cheap reel when we bought it at Walmart. Sure enough, the line SNAPPED!! Oh no! This is never a good thing. Fortunately, the fish was swimming sideways and the line floated on top of the water for a split second - just long enough for me to launch towards the water and grab it. I lost a shoe and got pretty muddy/wet in the process...but it was definitely worth it.

This all takes place around 9 seconds into the video. The screaming is hilarious. The rest of the video is mostly just audio but the excitement from the kids makes it worth listening to.

You can't imagine the concern in my little boy's life (and yes, mine too) when that line broke!!! Everybody knows that when you lose the line you lose the fish, right?! Well not this time by golly. I threw a shoe in the process of grabbing the line but fortunately if floated back to shore. As the fish continued to REALLY fight, I could only walk up and down the muddy shore with what little line was left and I had wrapped around my fist. When the fish decided to run, all I could do was lean as far as I could and pull back with just as much force as I thought I could to keep the line from breaking again (in case you didn't catch that detail but we had already proven the line wasn't strong enough for this fish!). Noah was of course screaming for me to "PULL IN THE FISH!!"..."DON'T LOSE HIM DADDY!!"..."HURRY, DAD!!" After the fish got a little tired I managed to turn him toward the shore on one of his runs and give him a little momentum to get about half-way out of the water. Sure enough the line broke again but at this point I could grab him pretty easily. Noah and Katie both (yep, me too) were ecstatic! As you can see from the pictures, this was a doggone nice fish. The two largest fish caught in 2007 in this family were both caught by Noah and both were caught using the smallest hooks I own. One was a 3.5lb bass and the other was this 6.5lb catfish. Both were weighed on a digital scale so no need commenting on the weight you doubters!

I called Uncle Neil who was kind enough to interrupt his dinner and drive a plastic tub to us. We really wanted to release the catfish in the much larger pond behind our house for future catchin'. We also need more big fish in that pond to control the perch and crappie population. We loaded up the catfish in the 1/4-full plastic tub (with lid!) and placed him in the back of the mini-van for the short drive to our house. I'm happy to report there was no catfish goo or smell in the van at the end of this adventure. Since I had a 'hand' in catching the big fish I took a little photo-op right before releasing him into the pond. What a fun night and I'm so glad, ONCE AGAIN, that I wasn't too tired to hang with the kids and enjoy some special time together. Can anyone say they've ever really regretted that decision? I didn't think so.

D - Too Tired to Move

So I'm sitting at the computer right now trying my best to think of things to do because I'm simply too tired to move. We had a sub teacher in my spin class today, and she's a toughie. I've been out of class for 30+ minutes now, and I still have little urge to stand - much less go clean my house like I'm supposed to be doing. So I guess I'll just bore you all with a post not really worth posting!

Maybe I'll just go buy something online......

D - A Grrrreat Cooker!

Apparently I don't have much to say these days. Here's some pics of Katie last week helping me fix pb&j's for lunch. She really loves to "help" me fix dinner. As she was working on these sandwiches she told me in her best Tony the Tiger voice that she is a Grrrreatt Cooker!

M - I Hope...by Paul Harvey

I've enjoyed this writing from Paul Harvey on numerous occasions over the years. Normally I'd read it when I accidentally came across it on my computer. Today is one of those days when I found it by accident. Now that we have a blog, it is something I'd like to share with those who may have never seen it.

If it means something to you, comment on it. I've seen a calf born as well as had my old dog put to sleep while her head laid motionless in my hands. Oddly enough, I'd say I'm better off for having seen and experienced both.
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I HOPE . . . by Paul Harvey

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids
that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes,
homemade ice-cream and meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

My cherished grandson, I hope you learn humility
by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and
wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car
when you are sixteen. I hope you have a job by then.

It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born
and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother.
And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,
but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's
scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a Disney movie
and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends
and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride I hope your
driver doesn't have to drop you two blocks away so you
won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches you to make
one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use those newfangled computers, I hope
you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get razzed by your friends when you have your
first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that
you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I hope you get sick when someone blows cigar smoke in
your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you don't like it.
And if a friend offers you dope or a joint,
I hope you realize he's not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa and go fishing with your uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and the joy of holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball
through the neighbor’s window and that she hugs you at
Christmas time when you give her a plaster of Paris mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

Written with a pen.
Paul Harvey

M - More snakeness and other wildlife

Noah and I ran across this not-so-little black rat snake last Saturday as it rested coiled up in a tree about 3 feet above Noah's head. I saw the snake as I was trying not to run Noah into a big spider web under the tree. As the front seat passenger, he often gets the brunt of the webs. It'll be even better as he gets taller and gets all of them for me!! It sure is funny to watch him get the body shivers when he hits one. He's a tough little dude though and is pretty accustomed to all manner of outdoor non-niceties. I really regretted, as I usually do, not having my real camera with me. We went back to the house to grab it and by the time we got back the snake had started his climb further up the tree. Some of this MIGHT have to do with the poke or two I gave him with my fishing pole. I was almost certain it was a water moccasin, which would be quite poisonous, but alas it was only a harmless rat snake. Rat snakes can grow quite large as adults are usually 3-6 feet. They also love trees and eaves of houses because it's close to other fare they enjoy...birds and eggs. This also brings them into many attics much to the chagrin of many homeowners.

I had to get up in the tree to get these next pictures but it was a real treat to watch him work his way through the branches. VERY impressive indeed. Nature is the perfect reminder of God's intelligent design and I consider it a privilege anytime I have a chance to interact with it first hand. Noah was a good boy and kept reminding me that it was not necessarily a good idea to be in a tree with a snake.

Due to a heavy rain in the prior two days, the water was still a bit murky and the fishing wasn't great. So we decided to set up a trot line for the first time this year. Our limb lines haven't really been producing much for us so we thought we'd go back to our old faithful technique. We baited it up with perch and earthworms and sure enough, Sunday morning we went out before church and found that we had caught a 2-pound mudcat (or yellow catfish). It was a nice one and we are always fairly thankful anytime we don't pull up a big snapping turtle. Catching a big turtle was fun at first but it just ain't easy to part the head from a big snapping turtle! And there's almost no way to rescue a nice stainless steel 4/0 hook from the throat of a big hard-shell beast. Not to mention, those dudes can be dangerous and as it turns out, I'm quite fond of the digits God gave me!! I'm not the least bit interested in losing any part of one to a turtle! We filleted the catfish right there on the boat and put the meat up in the freezer for later enjoyment.

We also came across a late-morning muskrat and followed him down the creek for a ways before he ducked under the moss and disappeared. View the picture at full zoom for more detail.

For years we have been observing the beavers in our pond. As noted before, we will co-exist peacefully until they start munching on the big trees. So far they have been very cooperative. We've seen as many as five beaver at one time swimming around at night. Nonetheless, last Saturday marked the second confirmed round of beaver babies which worries me a little. Once baby beaver get a little older, mom and dad kick them out of the house and they are left to find or build their own housing. Thus we've confirmed at least two other locations where they've taken up residence. I know it can't last because they won't always be so cooperative but for now it is still fun to watch and observe and occasionally interact (they've been known to swim into the side of the boat with a spotlight in their eyes at night!).

M - 12th Anniversary Celebration

As I type, I'm sitting at the IHOP downtown OKC by the ballpark listening to Johnny Cash's My Mother's Hymn Book. Every song is sung solo by Johnny Cash with only his acoustical guitar as accompaniment (it's pretty good if you like that sort of thing). This IHOP was a nice 6 block walk from our hotel. There isn't much happening in Bricktown at 0545hrs. Can you imagine? The temp outside was perfect for a walk and thankfully the two young non-gentlemen who felt the need to pepper their entire discussion with the f-word just left the booth next to me.

Dana and I celebrated our 12th Anniversary last night by eating at Nonna's restaurant (financing available!) and staying downtown at the Sheraton. I had big plans for the Skirvin Hotel but the bride tinkered too much with Priceline and ended up hijacking my secret plans! That's okay though. I'm generally very accepting of saving a few, or many, dollars wherever possible! Our anniversary is actually on July 1st but I was traveling for business during that time and this has been our first chance to do anything.

There really is a great feeling with taking time to get dressed up and spending a special evening together. It usually takes about 4 or 5 hours before I start missing the kiddos but it was admittedly nice not to have to wrestle a toothbrush into the mouth of a soon-to-be 3yr old. My mom spent the night at our house last night with Noah and Katie so that we could go out on our own. Thanks mom!!

As far as past anniversaries are concerned, my favorites have been our 5th Anniversary where we went on a guided fishing trip at Broken Bow Lake in Southeastern Oklahoma. It was the bride's idea!!! Don't give me a hard time about that, okay!? Besides the great fishing, highlights of that trip included both of us getting poison ivy and a raccoon scurrying all night in the walls of the little cabin we rented. Dana used to be quite the little fisherwoman, you know. Our cruise in January 2006 was for our anniversary also. We might take a cruise again in the future but it will definitely be during a warmer time of year and maybe a little longer than the 3-nighter we took last time. I might just never be good cruiser because I get a little restless 'couped' up on the ship. Relaxing is not necessarily a strength of mine but I'm trying!