Home On the Range - Josh got a Turkey

The good wife that I am, I am going to blog about Josh's trip to South Dakota for a turkey hunting trip that he took at the end of April. The bad wife that I am thought I already did this. Actually, I was certain I already did it. And Josh has been patiently waiting for his moment in the sun since April! He nudged me gently the other day and I was like, "Um. I did that. Didn't you read it?"  Well, I didn't.

So, the good wife is putting together His blog now. And I am very proud that he got to go on this trip. His great uncle won this trip and long-story-short, invited Josh to go. All they had to pay for was a rental car! He was gone 3 nights and both he and his uncle got a turkey on the first full day of their hunt so then they were able to go do some sight-seeing!

A view from the hunting spot in the Black Hills of South Dakota. (check out the speck of the moon. super pretty)

Check out the mountain grade that the guys had to hike. No one can say that hunters are lazy!

Uncle Johnny with his turkey. (called Merriam turkeys)

Then Josh got his Turkey.

A random turkey strutting (look! I am learning the lingo!) around the hunting lodge. Guess he knew he wasn't "fair game" and so he was showing off. Kinda of a Nanny Nanny Boo Boo type strut, I think.

Sight-seeing. This is Devil's Tower in Wyoming. This is pretty much a big rock. It is the nations first natural monument, the core of a volcano that was exposed after millions of years of erosion from a surrounding river and the weather. It is 865 feet tall and is part of many Native American legends.

Josh said it just seemed like the world was flat when they were driving in Eastern Wyoming, once they left the Black Hills.

Look closely! It's Mount Rushmore.

Oh. Just a buffalo. Random. Wild.

And some sort of deer. Oh wait. I was just corrected: these are antelope. As in "Home Home on the Range. Where the deer and the antelope play..."   (p.s. there seldom is heard a discouraging word. and the skies are not cloudy all day)

A very narrow one-lane tunnel. He drove through it.

I would like to say that I am not just a good wife, but a fantastic one, and that turkey is mounted and displayed in our living room or above our bed. But it is not (and because I am only a good wife, it will never be)...it isn't even mounted. I do know that it is safely stored in a deep freeze for the future. But! I do hope that he gets it mounted so we can hang it up in a less noticeable place in our house...because I am pretty proud of him and excited that he had this opportunity. 

camera phone binge-and-purge

There's gotta be a good place for all my camera phone pics to go...and FB isn't it all the time. So, while some of these have been on FaceBook, some have not. But I love them and so I am putting them here for "safekeeping" in hopes that they will one day make it to a hardbound blog book...fingers crossed!

Mighty big shoes to fill!!

Brothers watching Planes together...I am quite certain that they started being mean to each other shortly after this was taken.  But these are glimpses of occasional brotherly love...

My first bouquet from Keagan. I wish they had lasted longer...I loved them!

Keagan realizing what happens when you sleep on your hand which has a stamp on it!! (he thinks it's cool now...but hopefully this will save him embarrassment in college!)

Gah they can be sweet.

Keagan and Finn got into my home health stuff...and Keagan promptly sang the Doc McStuffins song! 

 Growing too fast...

There are more than one ways to skin a cat...

Finn taking Poppy on a walk after his back surgery.

Boys will be boys...

We went to Lexington one weekend before Keagan's birthday and got to spend some time with a bunch of friends. While there we ate lunch and shopped around town with my friend Stephanie who treated Keagan to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. I am fairly certain that boy was in heaven. Pure heaven. 

And then because nothing can be easy, Finn HAD to have one too...so a quick Wal-Mart run later, I had two ninja turtles running around. One who was teething and demanded having something in his mouth at all times.

A bunch-o-babies in a bathtub! We had some friends over recently and the kids played HARD outside...and they all needed baths BAD...so we tossed them all into the bath and added some color pellets for added fun! Super cute!

Helping Aunt Pat push water around..and get it to drain. AKA playing in a giant rain puddle!

The boys' new babysitter, Ms. Brittney, made them playdoh and, let me tell you, it was HOURS of entertainment!!! They ask for it all the time. But I "do not know" the "secret" recipe. ;)

Snuggles with my baby. He is growing too fast.

Hanging out with daddy in the hammock.

Can you say Dennis the Menace????

 Um, Keagan, you might be a bit big for that buddy!

Summertime backyard fun. 

Keagan got creative and made a "water slide"

At Keagan's 4-year well child visit. It was horrible. I tried to take his picture, and this is what he gave me. Then he finally sat still for me, but had to have the phone...and he took a ton of selfies, which are pretty funny. And then he got shots. He knew what this was about so he was super difficult to console. The nurse asked if I could hold him during the process, to which I responded "Of Course!" Famous last words. He had the first shot in his arm. The second shot in his thigh...and when the nurse when to give him that one, she poked him and he flipped out. He broke free from me and grabbed the needle (still in his leg!) and scraped it across his thigh. Then he had to be re-poked. I was ticked. I was embarrassed. He was screaming. It was plain awful...  Daddy is going the next time.

Painting with a paintbrush...they loved this!

Potty training baby #2 has sort-of begun. He has peed a couple times...and he has pooped once! But it has been mainly initiated by me. I don't think he's quite ready, but when he acts interested we try! And, while he will hate me one day for this picture, it was too cute not to post!

Another selfie-session. Keagan learned how to add sunglasses to his picture!! I don't know how he did it, but when I went back to look at pics I found this. So I am gonna have to ask him how in the world he did this!!!

Doing manly-man stuff..

 

Happy Independence Day!!  Fireworks and red-white-and-blue outfits!

This boy LOVES a magna-doodle. He will lay like this for 30 minutes and just draw and draw...unless his brother comes and bugs him. 

Look Ma, No hands!! (fresh-picked sweet corn, courtesy of US! This was the boys' first "farming" experience.)

My water baby. Keagan loves to swim! 

My less-than-helpful but oh-so-adorable yard boys. Check out what they are watering...weeds and MY watering can! HA!

Finn's first movie in the theater: How to Train your Dragon 2.  He did really well! Surprised us. But then we took him to see Planes-Fire and Rescue and that was pretty much a wash.

What our mornings typically look like...

Ms. Brittney is a sucker!!! She puts Finn down for a nap in his bed every day...and every day he sleeps about an hour then wakes and falls asleep on her! And she eats it up! I cannot tell a lie...I would, too. (I may or may not be jealous! haha!)

We have started something new: spend-the-nights. We decided to let the boys sleep together the other night. I put a sleeping bag down on the ground for Keagan and Finn slept in the bed. He has only slept in a crib so I wasn't sure how that part would go. Actually, I wasn't sure how any of it would go. They played hard for several hours but didn't fight...and we let them just enjoy each other. At about 11pm we check on them and this is what we found:

The boys slept in later than normal the next morning and then played a little before coming into our room to get us. It was a win-win situation and they really enjoyed themselves! And I didn't have to wake up with them or anything.

I was so excited about our first spend-the-night I decided to let them try again. It didn't go as well, and ended with Finn back in his bed! But when I checked on them before I went to sleep, this is what I saw. We will try again later...but I lost a lot of sleep that night!! So it will be a while.

Finn loves his Poppy. Finn loves Elmo. Finn loves the hardhat. Does life get any better??

Ms. Brittney took the boys swimming one day, she snapped this pic of Keagan! So funny. He was just a-chillin.

 

The boys enjoying some time with Aunt Jenny...right after this pic was taken Finley fell asleep! And he slept all the way home from Owensboro (ah-mazing!) and then all night!!!

I found these on Josh's phone...super cute.