Doin' Guy Stuff

Keagan and Finn think their daddy hung the moon and is pretty much the coolest person ever. From his "mus-mash" (mustache) to his guns to his armpit hair, nothing beats hanging out with their dad. And I love that Josh reciprocates these feelings with his little men. Josh has two best friends in the making and he knows it! Whenever Josh pulls out a gun to clean, site, whatever, the boys immediately clamor around him to check it out. They are just itching to go do guy stuff and go hunting and fishing with their daddy. So the other day, we took the boys shooting. (YES! WE! I really enjoy shooting too...though I need lots and lots and lots of practice. Even Keagan will tell you...)

Keagan got his first gun for Christmas a while back and hasn't had a chance to shoot it. He was so excited to try it out. Of course, my camera was ready. There were a lot of lessons on gun safety for both boys prior to and during our stay at the gun range. And they both minded pretty well, and Keagan especially seemed to understand. 

Keagan LOVED it and was super proud of his first shot! He actually hit the target, and not too far from the bulls-eye! In fact, this first shot was not beginners luck; he hit the target 95% of the time. At one point he was shooting a specific part of the target (right of the bulls-eye) and when asked to point to the spot he was aiming at on another similar target, he pointed to the right of the bulls-eye!! We were floored...and he was super proud of himself. I think Josh saw some extra future deer antlers on a wall...

Here is Keagan's first shot!!!!

Next up was Finn's turn. He is still too little to "get it," but not to be over-looked he had to shoot too. Josh held the gun for him, lined it up with the target, then let Finn pull the trigger. This was good enough for him! I don't know if being a "lefty" makes a difference at this age, but I did note that in my pictures he pulled the trigger with his left hand! And he couldn't quite figure out how to hold it. Nevertheless, Finn was thrilled to swap shooting turns with Keagan! 

I just cannot get over that my big boy is big enough for this kind of thing. But I LOVED watching him!! And I got a kick out of his little serious face with scrunched up nose while he was lining up the target, and the way he critiqued himself after each shot. He wants to be just like his daddy (armpit hair and all!). One thing that I also love is the random stickers on his arm that he found in one of my Boden catalogs! Don't think his daddy would do that though...

Checking out their target!

This face!!!! 

 

11 & 12

11. On June 19th Josh and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. This is super hard for me to wrap my brain around, it really seems like just yesterday! We were lucky to be able to have a grown-up night, which spanned to the entire weekend, when Josh's parents took the boys for the weekend. I will say, this is the first time Keagan has ever said anything about going. He loves going to his Gama and Poppy's, but he really wanted to hang out with us and go to Nashville!

On our actual anniversary, we ate at Doe's in Paducah. And the waiter overheard us mention it was our anniversary so he surprised us with a turtle cheesecake and lit candles! So nice!! So I tried to get a selfie...Josh only gives me one chance...   After supper we went to a late movie to see Jurassic World.

12. The next day we slept in then headed to Nashville to meet Stacey and Jarrett, to celebrate both of our Anniversaries! They celebrated 12 years in July. We did a little shopping (though I don't recall actually buying anything! Disappointing mall visit) and then got ready and went to supper at Whiskey Kitchen and then walked around downtown, ending up at the Big Bang Piano Bar. Always a great time!!! Even better that it was spontaneous and easily planned!

Goofing off while waiting at the restaurant...love birds. :)

Oh I wanted a pair of boots so bad. They were Buy 1 - Get 2 Free! But the single pair was like $350!!!! No Bueno. 

A yummy breakfast at Puckett's the next morning before heading to get our kiddos!! Even though it was just a quick over-nighter in Nashville, we had a great time...ate good, slept good, and laughed a lot!

Happy Anniversaries, kids!!!

The "Daddy's Truck"

Once we were home from the boys birthday party, Gama and Poppy had a big gift for the boys. They had no clue what was in store for them!!  

A "daddy's truck" Power Wheels filled with Dinosaurs!!!! Does it get any better?!

 

They need a lot of practice!! They both were taking out our landscape and running into the rose bushes. 

The next day they were begging to haul something. So of course, Oscar was the heavy load. He's such a good dog, and the boys thought having Oscar in the bed of the truck was the best!

Jurassic Party!

This year I convinced Keagan and Finn to have a birthday party together. It was an easy task getting Finn on board for a joint party, but Keagan took a bit more convincing. And once I finally convinced them to have a joint party (I mean, Hello!?, they share the same friends...) I had to narrow down a theme. These boys have a lot of say in the type of party they want, and they start planing a year in advance. As in, we already narrowed down their 6th and 4th party themes for next year. After many turns and changes over many months, we settled on a Jurassic World party. The boys have seen all the Jurassic Park movies multiple times, including the recent Jurassic World at the drive-in, and are obsessed. So it was only fitting. And to make it super easy, we had the party at the bounce house. And let me tell you, it was a fun party!! We picked a Saturday in early July that was party between the boys actual birthdays.

I just love the way this invitation turned out. I saw the idea on Pinterest, and decided to put my photography and photoshop skills to work. When it was all said-and-done, Keagan asked me if a real T-rex was chasing him! This let me know I did my job.

At the last minute, I came up with dinosaur-themed food. It isn't the prettiest food table or even the best food, but I like the descriptions!
Fruits and Veggies = Herbivores.
Dino chickens on a stick = Carnivores.
Bugles = Dino Teeth.
Pretzels = Dino Bones.
Spicy Salsa (recipe courtesy of my Dad) = Dino Breath. (ha!)

The Cakes! This is what makes a party, to me. And Wal-Mart didn't disappoint. The boys got separate cakes, Keagan chose chocolate and Finn got white (he didn't know how to choose).

Love that the grown boys are listening to the girl tell the kids the rules of the bounce house!

Let the FUN begin!!!!!!

I am 100% certain this was a political discussion. :) 

Molly Parker was THRILLED for dino-chicken on a stick!! Her day was made.

Our 5-year old Birthday Boy! Hot and sweaty, and not thrilled we stopped his play for a picture!

Keagan and his friend Maeci from school. Keagan just thinks Maeci's the greatest thing since sliced bread. He loves all his friends, but he talks the most about her. I think because she played basketball with him one day at school. haha! 

Our 3-year old Birthday Boy!! Another little boy not thrilled about stopping his play to get a picture with mom and dad! 

My beautiful photographer! Stacey graciously took pictures of the whole party so I could focus on the party and my rambunctious boys, and she got great pictures!!! THANK YOU friend!!! I will repay the favor at Annie's party! ;)

Jessica came to the party!!!! It was so fun to see her and her little guy had a blast, too!

Cake Time!!  (my poor Keagan hasn't perfected the fake smile yet, and poor Finn refuses to smile..)

I really wanted to try and get a family picture and Ethan was standing nearby. This picture makes me laugh because he totally got up in our picture and cheesed! We went with it...looks like we have a third little boy! :) 

With their Gama and Poppy!! We actually got a "cheeeeese" from Finn!

Adults got in on the bounce-house "fun" with some jousting!! Stacey and Jarrett duked it out a bit while the kids ran elsewhere!

 Then it was Annie and Maeci's turn!

And then Keagan got a defenseless Hank!

Watch out!!! There's a Daddy in the bounce house!!

Gift time! One thing I didn't think about when I planned a joint party was the sheer volume of toys we would get. These boys are the luckiest little boys, their friends just outdid themselves and they boys were so gracious about each and every one of their presents. I was a proud mommy with the way the boys opened their presents and showed them off, then thanked each friend (with a little prompting). There was no fighting over presents, and no ugliness if one got something the other didn't, etc. And all the kids were so good and sat and watched and ooh'd and aah'd throughout. It was great. I hope this graciousness at birthday parties continues!!!

Keagan and Finn had a wonderful birthday party! We had a great turn-out with 18+ kiddos (not all pictured below AND not counting baby-babies). It is seriously moments like this, despite the stress of throwing a party, that I look around and am reminded of just how blessed our sweet family is. We have wonderful friends who care about our children, and our children have wonderful friends who love them. I know most people find the beauty of God in sunsets and mountain landscapes and season changes and I am no exception, but I saw the beauty of God in these babies and the innocent fun they were having that day.

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."
                                                      Psalm 127:3