Our trip across Texas

Thursday Payton and I loaded up my car with everything it seems in the house but the kitchen sink and set off down the road.  We traveled through many small towns and saw many sights.   Payton and I had the privilege of seeing a camel in a pasture.  I also spotted this sign as I drove, it made me laugh.. these type things are only in tiny East Texas "Redneck" towns. : )

Notice their sign reads Licker instead of Liquor. Lovely spelling folks.

Freebirds World Burrito is where we stopped for lunch in Aggieland, College Station, Texas. Payton had a steak fajita quesadilla and a taco, I sampled the fajita tacos as well.  It was so yummy!! Payton was entertained for a long time looking at all of things people had sculpted out of their foil burrito wrappers.  All I can say is people are really talented! Payton loved "bird free" and couldn't wait to go back again.    After a good 30-45 minutes, we were on the road again.

We drove another five hours or so before we arrived at the house where we would stay for five days.  It felt so good to step out of that car and see a sweet smiling face.  It was even better to see Payton so excited to be there.  We had a pepperoni pizza for dinner and called it a night.

The next day Payton and I just enjoyed the morning together.  Later on Payton was invited to go swimming with the neighbor's children.  They had a big time trying to outdo each other with stunts into the pool.  Payton would run about 30 feet, then basically do a flip into the pool.  It was scary to watch, thinking he could break an arm or leg, but really cool at the same time.

 

Payton's feet are sticking up out of the pool :)

  I'm happy to report none of the kids ages 4,6 and 6 were injured in the fun. : )  We then visited a tank of blue crabs.  Payton had great fun trying to scoop them up with a dip net, to get a better look and holding one that had it's pinchers removed.  Later on, we got Payton dried off and we went to see Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.

The movie was super cute.  Payton really liked the lion, for the time being, his name has slipped my  mind.  He really liked when Manny, Sid and the lion took over the pirates ship and I'm sure much much more.

Saturday we loaded up and headed to the beach for the day.  We arrived on the beach about 10:45/11:00am.  We stopped to buy bait so that we could fish.  Apparently this stop was well worth it.  We had so much fun catching the 10 or more Whiting we brought home to eat.  We spent all day playing in the waves and fishing. Payton found his first hermit crab and marveled at how little it was.  We spent the next hour and a half looking for more and looking at the differences in their shells.  This trip was so greatly needed.  I was truly happy and couldn't have been more relaxed.  Around 4:00 we had finally been in the sun long enough and headed home for some time out of the sun.

He couldn't wait to go fishing!

 

Sunday was spent mostly indoors until the late afternoon when we went fishing on the local jetties.  Payton cast the first line and was the first to catch a fish.  He caught a 21 inch Speckled Trout! 

 Everyone was so incredibly proud of him!  I think this would have made his day... he had no clue what else was to come.  In the next couple of hours , we caught another big Speckled Trout as well as are you ready for this?  We caught 4, let me repeat myself, 4 Black tip sharks!!  Payton caught one on his new fishing pole he had just gotten for his birthday! Each of these sharks were at least 3 feet in length.  It was really neat to be that close to a shark, to see one up close and in person.  Payton can't wait to tell his friends, although he thinks they won't believe him.  At least we have the pictures to prove it! 

Our whole trip was awesome!  I can't wait to do it again before long!  Hope you all have a great week!

Summertime

Watch "Kenny Chesney - Summertime" on YouTube

My son and I began our summer trip yesterday. This is what summer is all about. A nice drive with your baby, listening to the road, the radio and the sound of my six year old chattering away.

It's great. I have sure loved the sense of peace and relaxation this trip has brought to me, just in the last 24hrs.

Totally not wanting this to end!

Happy weekend everyone!

A Monster of a Party

Payton turned six in the first week of July.  We held his birthday party on the lake the weekend after. This year he decided he wanted to have a Monster Truck themed party.  Payton and his papa often play Monster Jam Urban Assault on his PlayStation2.  He knows each truck by name.

We had so much fun!

He had a monster truck cake:

Texas heat combined with Payton sticking his finger in the buttercream caused a slight crack in the cake.

     The wind blew so hard that day.

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We chose Crush drinks in Orange, Strawberry and Grape for party drinks , since Monster Trucks CRUSH cars.We also wrapped checkered flag Duck Tape around water bottles. 

This little boy loved licking the frosting off the wheels of the monster truck that once sat on his cake.

 All the kids munching on yummy

 Chocolate Cake with chocolate filling.

The Monster Truck tire floaties.

 

 Of course I had to try one out. :)

Everyone had fun in the lake trying to do their best tricks.

Payton's Uncle Cody was first to do a flip off of my dad's shoulders.

Then it was Aunt Jackie's turn.

Followed by Papa.

 

And after everyone else was done..

 momma tried it... this is my splash. :)

We all had a go on the slip and slide too!

We wanted Jake to be included in the party, so when it was over, we sent him one of Payton's balloons.

    The sunset on party day was beautiful. 

 It was a great way to  end a great day

 with close friends and family. <3

  

Currently

I am feeling the need to blog today, but don't really know what to blog over... so i'm stealing the currently blog from my mother.

Attempting to:  Since yesterday, I have been attempting to understand why the gunman in Colorado would shoot so many innocent people and kill 12 people including small children.  Our world is so violent.  I hate it.  I hate having to be afraid for our lives when we go places. 

Excited About:  I am super excited about the trip Payton and I are going on at the end of the week.  There is a beach with sun and sand in our future, along with fishing and relaxation.  This week needs to hurry by.

Listening to: I am listening to Tom and Jerry on Cartoon Network.  Payton is in love with Tom and Jerry and the Looney Toons... it's all we watch during the day. :)

Hating:  That so many good friends of mine are in great pain and have more to bear right now than most are dealt in a lifetime.

Looking forward to:  I am looking forward to graduating in the Fall.  It has been a goal of mine for far too long now.  It's finally in my reach.

Reading:  I just finished Heaven is for Real not long ago.  I am now reading thanks to my good friend Lynsey, who is also a baby loss mommy, I will Carry You, by Angie Smith.  Angie is the wife of lead singer for the Christian group, Selah.  It is a great , heartfelt book about her feelings and walk with the Lord as she finds out her daughter is "incompatible with life" and continues her pregnancy knowing her daughter will pass away.

Stumbled Upon:
I stumbled upon this on Pinterest the other day, and thought it was pretty funny, hope it makes you laugh a little.

   

 

Watching:  Lately I have been watching lots of Snake and Alligator shows on Tv with Payton.  We have been watching Swamp Wars in between Tom and Jerry episodes, also Swamp People and Gator Boys.  It's pretty interesting, and some days you actually learn something.  Payton knows all of the venomous snakes in the south now, I'm quite certain.

 

Spending Time:  I am currently spending a lot of time in prayer.  I am also spending time talking to those I love and care for, making sure I am there for them when they need me the most.

 

Hope you have a great Saturday afternoon!

Sometimes & Always

Sometimes: I want to go buy myself something nice. Always: I end up getting something for my son and nothing for me. Sometimes : I don't drive my car for a week Always: I'm glad to be in it again. :) I'm sure it misses me. Sometimes : I feel like wearing make-up Always: there's at least one item I can't find, like mascara. Link up at Mackey Madness today and share what you think Sometimes and Always. :)

Sometimes and Always Link Up

Today, I am trying something new.

I am linking my blog to Megan's at Mackey Madness.  :)

Sometimes:  I want to be the beautiful mother with nice clean shoes, tan legs and beautifully done hair.

Always:   Life gets in the way... my shoes sometimes mirror my time spent with my son in the chicken pen and outdoors at our rural country home, my legs show the time spent indoors with him and my hair is in a ponytail.

Sometimes:   I wish for things I don't have and think I need or deserve.

Always:   I am grateful for my family, my home and my God.

Sometimes: I want to be the person that has someone to rely on for help when I need it or a good conversation.

Always: I love being the person who is there for other people and ready to lend a helping hand or an ear to listen.

Hope you all have a Great Tuesday!

Payton's Birthday

Saturday the 7th was my eldest son Payton's SIXTH birthday. 

This is so very hard for me to believe.  Time flies by so quickly.  It has already been six years since I brought home that tiny 6 pound boy wearing preemie clothes.

  Now he weighs close to 90 pounds.

Payton has been looking forward to his birthday since January.  

Since June he has been counting down the days.  He would ask me at least every other day if after that day it would be his birthday.  

Friday morning started out just like any other, Payton came and woke me up and we sat on the couch watching his favorite show the Looney Tunes.  I got a phone call that changed our weekend.  We were going to have company!

Payton and I waited patiently all day long.  I finally convinced him we needed to go into town to run some errands.  He had no clue his mommy was surprising him.  We dropped by Fed-Ex place and returned my book I had used for Environmental Biology, then we ran by the carwash and attempted to wash my car... I covered it in soap, then the time ran out and the change machine wouldn't take my dollars.  So we loaded up and went to the other car wash in town.  That one wouldn't take my dollars either.  So, my car still has soap on it.  : )


After a quick trip to Wal-Mart after that, and we could finally go meet our company. We had so much fun! We went to the park and played ball with Payton's t-ball bat and a spare ball from my car.  
We walked about a mile in the 94 degree heat. We admired the pond Payton had found on a previous trip to the park with his papa.  Eventually we got TOO hot and raced back to my car.


We took our guest back to their hotel and went home.  


Payton got to go shopping after this for his first birthday present.


He chose a Badge City Remote Controlled Police Car.

HE LOVES IT! 

 Payton wants to be a policeman sooo bad when he grows up.  


Saturday started about the same as Friday.  We woke up and watched a couple of cartoons.  Our guest came to the house and after a while we decided we should spend Payton's birthday at the Lake.  We packed little to nothing, just fishing poles and chairs and headed to the lake.


We stopped to buy some worms for great fishing at the local "corner store".  This place has been in business since I was a little girl.  I remember going in this tiny little gas station on our county road with my dad to buy minnows and such.  It was great to get to take my son there to buy worms to take him fishing.


We stopped by the boat ramp to check fishing conditions and decided another place a couple of miles away would be better.  


We drove down the winding lake roads I love so much and found the perfect place to stop.


We had a great day there! We stayed from about noon until 6:30 that night.  We cast fishing lines, we swam, Payton saw another little boy who plays on his t-ball team and they played several games.  We built sand castles... we RELAXED.


It was perfect.  At the end of the night we left this portion of the lake and drove back to the place we had originally looked at. 


Payton caught about 10-15 fish.


Payton has never caught that many fish at one time. 


He insisted on eating them.  Tiny little Perch and brim about 4 inches long.  He wanted to grill them!


Soooo.... we put them in the cooler and brought them home to grill.


We grilled out with the family.  We ate well on porkchops, salad, watermelon, cornbread, corn on the cob and of course chocolate birthday cake hand baked by Payton's mimi. <3

By the end of the night we were all worn out but smiling.  : )


Happy Birthday baby boy!!


I can't wait for your  Monster truck party this weekend at the lake!
Momma loves you!