Shaving Daddy's Beard and Visiting the Museum

So every year during the winter, Jonathan grows a beard for hunting season. A few months ago, when hunting season had wrapped up, Jonathan decided it was time to lose the beard for a few months. I personally really like the bearded look, but I also like change back to Jonathan's spring and summer face. Anyway, Jonathan told Holt that he could help him shave his beard. Holt walked straight into the Bathroom picked up the razor and grabbed Jonathan by the chin he looked at him with the most earnest eyes and said, "Don't worry Daddy, this won't hurt a bit." I almost died. Below are the photos of the shearing.

A few months ago, Holt and I went up to the Tunica Riverpark Museum to meet a very dear friend in town for the weekend. Mrs. Bourke was the librarian at my High School and like a second Mom to me too. She and Mike moved from Memphis about a year ago, but were in Tunica for a poker event of some sort. This was the perfect excuse for Holt and me to load up and take a daytrip to the Riverpark. It was great and inexpensive. I really hope we can go back sometime this summer or in the Fall when it is still warm. Holt had a great time looking at the animals and watching the fish in the aquarium. His favorite part was going down in the diving bell. He is still convinced we went underwater in a submarine. Anyway, I thought I would include a few pictures from our trip to the museum. I only wish I had gotten one with Mrs. Bourke. Next time, for sure.

Holt playing with the truck Mrs. Bourke brought him. She knows the way to a kids heart.

Holt's New Room

After a few months of ebay purchases, searching for a toy box big enough for all (most) of Holt's toys, letting Holt pick out the room color and one long night of Jonathan hurling not nice words at inanimate objects Holt's new room is finished. He is really getting good at picking up his toys and putting them in their right places.

Holt was a big helper that night. I am still trying to figure out why the guys hung those maps so high. The purpose was to help Holt learn his geography not just pretty up the walls. Eventually we will get around to moving them down some.

Jonathan stained the toy box for Holt while we were in Texas. Holt's Farm Equipment took up too much room we are going to need to get him a shop.

You say your not from Texas

We did get to watch the Rodeo, but the little ones were too tired to stay awake for the music portion. Holt did love the part where they caught those cows with the ropes and wrestled them. Perhaps the most fun Holt had was running down the ramps at Reliant Stadium. The whole time Catherine was toting a sleeping (why is dead weight so heavy) Irene.

Sunday was a fun day. We went to Church and heard a great sermon and then went to lunch where Holt decided he was scared to slide down a slide about 1/8th the size of the one he slid down the day before. After lunch we went to a great park in Katy where Holt played his first few holes of Putt-putt golf and raced Irene around the pond.

He was one tired kid. While Holt was napping Irene said one of the funniest things ever, she told me that dreams really do come true; that if you work really hard and try really hard one day you can become a farmer. When we asked her what little girls could do she told us that girls don't have dreams. I thought it was hilarious.

Monday we headed for home, sad that our trip was over, but so happy to have had such a fun and exciting time. We left with so many fun memories. Rob's cooking was great (he would argue otherwise, but we loved it), Holt's crying jags when we had to be in the car more than 15 minutes, giggling with Catherine for a whole weekend.

While we were waiting for our plane in the airport, a man sat down across from us. Holt looked at his brief case and said look Mama the Cubs. Sure enough there was a business card showing through a window on his brief case that had the Cubs logo on it. Turns out he was a scout headed to Batesville to check out a kid playing for South Panola. Jonathan was so proud when I told him that story.

On the plane ride home, Holt told me that when he grew up he wanted to be a cowboy who flies airplanes. Then when we got ready to deplane he ran up to the cockpit stuck his head in and said "great job captain!" Great job indeed; what a great time.

A Trip to the Lonestar State

It has been well over a month since any updates, but I should have plenty up today. First off, in early March Holt and I went to visit my Cousin Catherine and her beautiful family out in Katy, Texas. While just getting to see my lovely cousin and her daughters (husband too) would have been exciting enough, the anticipation was enhanced because we were going to get to go to the Rodeo. Not just any Rodeo Mind you, the Houston Rodeo, the biggest and the best. Holt asked me every day for almost a month if we were going to Texas that day. The day finally came and we were on our way.

The plane ride over was great. Holt was hilarious the whole flight. When we got on the plane I asked if he was going to see cowboys and cowgirls. He was very adamant about the fact that there were no cowgirls only cowboys. I still don't think he is convinced that there are cowgirls even though we watched them in the barrel races. He did point out that only boys tackled the bulls. I love to see Holt and his cousin Irene together, especially when they first see each other they run, hug, jump around, squeal and then do a lot of talking in tongues.

That Saturday was the Rodeo/ fair. The following photos are just a taste of the fun we had, riding rides (thanks to Catherine who braved the ten story slide, Ferris wheel and spinning dinosaurs), eating fair food - funnel cakes, turkey legs and corndogs, and watching pig races, including Swifty the swimming pig (almost as awesome as pilgrim the walking dog).

Germs!
Holt is still convinces he rode a donkey at the Rodeo

What's not to love about a stagecoach filled with tiny vicious dogsPoor Catherine got stuck taking the kiddos on all the rides, apparently pregnant women can't ride rides.Yummy grease drenched batter topped with confectioners sugar, whoever created such a treat was genius. Irene's Dad's only request was that she eat a funnel cake - She happily obliged.