Wildfires and a New Boat

At last the, search for our new family boat has ended! In a too good to be posting on Craigs list hurry, we all headed out to Hells Gate, Possum Kingdom to hopefully be first in line! High winds made driving the first hour quite hard and wild fires added a smoky smell, taste and haze to the air to the rest of the journey there. We arrived around 3:30p, and met two of the nicest more hosptiable people we've encountered in awhile. They opened their beautiful home to us and while Jay and Mr. Mitchell finished the dealings on our soon to be new boat, Mrs. Mitchell spent time reading to Elle, telling us stories of their adventures and letting Elle and Liam into their grandchilrens toys. The news reports of the near wild fires made their way to the TV several times.

We finally left a little after 5p with the deal sealed.

The smoke seemed even thicker now and as we headed towards Weatherford we passed several visible columns of smoke that appeared to be just over the hill we drove by. Seemed out of this world and impossible to catch in pictures, we attempted anyway. Here are some shots in the drive down from Hells Gate to Weatherford.

I think we'll have to name our new boat something like "Smoke on the Water" so we'll always remember our adventurous trip to the purchase.

Elle's First Catch

We made it to the Lake House this weekend for a much needed break. We expected the weather to be dreary, rainy and cool but were delightfully surprised with the beautiful sunshine and highs near 60. Jay and I went out on our own fishing Saturday and I caught some monster crappie.. it was great fun.

But the highlight of the weekend came on Sunday when our little Elle caught her first fish.

We were spending some quality Elle, Mom time together while Jay and his sister Dana were out on the boat and Uncie Eric got some quality Liam time up on the deck. Elle had already started to complain at me,

"Where are the fish?" "It's just not working." "The sun is blinding me."

Trying to keep her interested I said, "Just be patient, just believe you will catch a fish, stay positive it will happen and remember to wiggle your pole a little bit occasionally"...

Here is where I say thank you for the tip Mr. Marshall because her next series of complaints were as follows..

"Mom! This is just too heavy! Look now its stuck!... "

I realized the "heavy" was her little barbie pole nearly bent in half and the "stuck" was her fighting a fish attempting to escape from her hook. I quickly, calmly replied,

"No Elle you have a fish on, you need to reel it in!"

Our sweet little girl reacted and turned that reel with all her might holding tight to the rod! I finally assisted and lifted the fish out of the water. Realizing I was on the dock without my camera I called to Eric and Liam to bring the camera quick.

Elle was so happy and beaming from her catch, she quickly put her line back in the water and tried the Mr. Crappie tricks again. She immediately snagged her 2nd catch, a poor Blue Gill almost in the eye! I figure it still counted as a catch, so I snapped this photo too.

While in the house getting Liam down for a nap I asked Elle if she was ready for a nap too. Her reply was haste and stern as she stated, "No, I will not nap, I am going to go potty then I will fish more!"

What a wonderful weekend!

Trick or Treat and a Birthday

Halloween was soo much fun this year. Our little Liam refused to wear the Elmo hood on his costume at his Halloween party last Friday. Luckily he tooted a different horn on Sunday when we set out to Trick or Treat with our great neighbors and their 2 little ones Owen and Ally. After only the 2nd house he quickly understood what Halloween Trick or Treating was and did everything he could to keep up with his big Sister and Owen.

We couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, it was so much fun!

Jules and her best friend Kendra went off on their own for some big kid Trick or Treating. She’s just too big, but thankfully she made time to pose with her little siblings.

After all the candy fun, we gave our sweet dog Poppy his birthday cake. He joined us for Trick or Treating wearing his Nowitzki jersey. Unfortunately none of the pictures really show off his attire. Either way I think he enjoyed his 1st Birthday!

The Talented Julia

I came across this footage recently while editing some home videos. Julia has been known for her creativity since she could talk and these leave little room for doubt, the girls got talent! I am pretty sure she is going to be a little more than upset with me for posting these... but they're great! Enjoy!

Wee Wally Wampldine

Over 10 years ago I met a dog, the dog of all dogs, Sir William Wallace, aka Wally. If you know Jay, you most likely know Wally, the miniature schnauzer convinced he was a Great Dane.

My fondest memory of Wally came about 8 years ago. On my way passed Julia’s room one day, I paused to see what she was up to. There I found my little 4 year old hosting a tea party for a few stuffed friends and her guest of honor, Wally. She had dressed him in a bright pick feather scarf and he sat content and happy, waiting for the cookies she was sure to share with him. It was one of those moments when everything just stops, and all you feel is the sweetness around you. I quietly watched them play for at least another 2-3 minutes. Such joy!

I have to add that the pink feather scarf met an untimely end about a week later, when I returned from work to find it destroyed and feathers scatter throughout the place. Wally was not big on girly things. He was too tough for that!

Not among my fondest memories is the Canoeing Adventure of 2004. Myself, Jay, his sister Dana, brother in law Tom and Uncle Mark all set out on adventure down the Brazos. Our journey started out on a rather chilly, rainy Saturday morning. I had not prepared for rain and although it was not a down pour it was a steady drizzle. I made adjustments with my coat and hat and managed to keep myself rather dry, and warmer. That was until Wally decided to jump out of the canoe. My cat like reflexes quickly reacted as I leaned back, caught the handle on Wally’s life jacket and pulled him out of the water and into my lap. In doing so, I saved Wee Wally from the cool river water, and drenched myself in the process. We both huddled at the front of the canoe soaking wet and shivering for the next couple of hours. Quite the adventure!

The sweetest of memories happened almost 4 years ago when Jay and I brought our brand new baby girl Elle home. We had taken little Elle grocery shopping and like most newborns she was sound asleep in her car seat when we got home. I simply took her, car seat and all into the house, set her down in the living room and proceeded to help take the remainder of the groceries in. When we walked back into the living room no more than a minute later we found Wally, sitting right in front of her, guarding her. His usual stance was jumping and talking as schnauzers do to greet his Jay. Instead it seemed like he knew she was our little baby and was protecting her. Such a good boy!

Today we sent Wally on to Heaven. Seems like an ending to more than just his life. It is an ending to a wonderful chapter of our lives. He’s brought more joy, adventure and love than we could ever express. It’s just not the same without him and we miss him so.