Bye Bye Lone Perk

So it has finally happened...I have been notified that next week we will be going back to working five days a week. Needless to say I am disappointed with this decision. Working four days a week and also working on Fridays when I needed to was awesome. But all good things come to an end I guess. This is happening just in time for our slow summer season too.....

Fishy Monday

It had been way too long since I took a day off to do some fishing. So, I called my friend Scott Bridgess who is a guide on Lake Texoma and booked a trip. Spring is supposed to be a good time for numbers of fish on Texoma, and that sounded like just what I needed. My friend Jimmy accompanied me on the trip - we were both in need of a day away from everything. Heading out:
Scott getting Jimmy geared up and showing him how to fish for stripers.

The day definitly went as planned....we boated at least 125 fish before 2:00 in the afternoon. We had fish on our first casts of the day, and it stayed pretty much that way the rest of the trip. It was rare to go more than 2-3 casts without hooking up with something. Admittidly, most of the fish were 3lbs and under, but we did land 3-4 that were bigger fish - 20"+. All the larger female fish are up in the creeks spawning, so no biggies this trip. There was alot of this today:

After we ran out of the live bait (shad) that Jimmy was using, he had to switch to the flyrod. He waggled line out like a pro, and caught another 25+ fish on the fly.

We kept a few of the gut hooked fish, and Scott cleaned them and fed Baron the Heron with some of the scraps. Life is easy when you are heron that lives near the guide boathouses on Texoma.

I almost forgot - it was just a bit windy today. There were 4 foot waves at one point during a run down the lake. It was a pretty fun ride. The video doesn't do it justice....

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Here in right field, it's important you know. You gotta know how to catch, you gotta know how to throw. That's why I'm here in right field, just watching the dandelions grow!

We had decided long ago that we needed to take Gavin to major league baseball games. Miranda and I both love watching baseball at the ballpark - no so much on TV though, it's just not the same. Spring is here in Texas, and the weather has been gorgeous lately. Who can complain when you are watching baseball in sunny 75 degree weather?

Gavin spent most of the game taking in everything around him. The food vendors were a constant point of entertainment. Gavin also spent a good portion of the game flirting with all the girls sitting around us. There were some "real" fans sitting around us too...yes, that is a "T" shaved and painted on that guy's head.

Gavin clapped as I was clapping a few times. He also took part in the ballpark tradition of snacking throughout the game. Ritz Bits and freeze dried apple pieces were selected instead of peanuts and popcorn. Our row was fairly empty too. So Gavin did what comes naturally, he walked up and down the row of seats making sure that each seat flopped back and forth when he pushed down on it.
We eventually had to reposition ourselves to contain the little explorer. I think that he was making the kid a few seats down nervous.
The happy family at the ballpark. Note the "Lttle Fries" baseball shirt on Gavin.We took a few walks with Gavin to keep him entertained. One walk resulted in a squishy Rangers baseball souviner after a trip to the gift shop. But as the game wore on, Gavin started getting tired. He was a trooper though....he made it till the bottom of the 8th inning before starting to attack and hug both of us (we have found that this is what he does when he gets tired...a little love-hate thing I guess).
The Rangers played a good game. We got to see a two run homer in the second inning (which scared G a little bit), and the Rangers pulled away in the 8th to easily win 8-4. It was a great day indeed.

Lots of Giggles

Spring Flowers

We were on the hunt yesterday for some spring flowers. Gavin said that he was up to the challenge. So, off we went with our trusty red wagon.

Uh, Dad I think we found them. Now get me out of this wagon.
Playing in the flowers is kinda fun.
Make that LOTS of fun!
What else is there around here?
Another great adventure with my trusty red wagon.

What He's Doing Now . . . April 10

Gavin is growing up so fast. Since I'm not doing the "month-day" posts, I thought I should document what he's up to these days.

His vocabulary includes Mama, Dada, dog, ball, num-num, this, and that. He can sign "all done" to let us know that he is full. Gavin jabbers all the time. He's learning the intonation of words. Sometimes it sounds like he says things like, "I want that one." He often does say "Dada?" with the question mark. He might know "mine", but if he does, I'm not going to encourage it.

We weighed Gavin tonight and he's at 21 lb. 2 oz. He continues to be a bit small, but I'm OK with that. He'll grow as he is supposed to. He's a picky eater, sometimes prefering to self-feed; others, opening his mouth for whatever is on a spoon. He loves yogurt and now eats an entire 6oz one for breakfast. He also loves carbs--Goldfish, CheezIts, Cheetos Puffed Corn, Cheerios--if it comes from a rattle-y bag, he will eat it. He's drinking milk from a sippy cup. I still take 2 bottles to school with him. I need to ask if they'll exclusively give him a sippy cup.

Gavin isn't walking, but he's close. He pulls up and walks along the sofa and ottoman. He is getting quite adept at pushing the walker toys. He crawls whereever he wants to go.

Being outside always makes Gavin happy. We spent most of the day outside today. While we did put a blanket down in the backyard, Gavin is quick to crawl to whereever he takes a notion. He picks Mason's balls up and trys to throw them. He giggles when Mason comes over to get a ball. Mason is becoming more comfortable with a mobile Gavin. Though, I still laugh at the fact that Mason gets up whenever he sees G coming his way.

Gavin has been taking a bath in the real bathtub for a while now. He's figured out that he can crawl around in the tub and that he can stand up. He's slipped a few times with the standing up, so I really wish he'd stick to crawling in the tub. He loves to play while I'm giving him his bath. Thursday night I had to laugh at him. He was playing with the big plastic cup that I use to rinse his hair. He had it filled about half-full with water. Before I could stop him, he turned the cup up to his mouth, pouring water in his mouth and up his nose. He quickly dropped the cup, crawled to the other end of the tub, then looked at me and started crying. He crawled over to the side and stood up for me to get him. I pulled a soaking boy out, chuckling that he crawled to the other end of the tub before deciding that he needed to cry. I also learned that I need to always keep the towel unfolded on my lap and ready to go should I need to pull him from the tub.

Gavin understands "no." About a month ago, he would make a terrible face and start crying when he was told no. Lately, we've been able to tell him no--like don't take all the books off the shelf or leave the plants alone--and he does exactly what we need him to.

Gavin can have quite the temper and can pitch a good fit when he doesn't get his way. Often the meltdown is caused by us not allowing him to have something he wants--cell phone, remote, sharp knife. Sometimes it's a diaper change that sets him off. Other times, we have no idea. Even Grandma Judy admitted that he can pitch a good fit and that she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't witnessed it herself when we were visiting in March.

When I picked G up from school yesterday, Miss Gina told me that Gavin and the other kids had been really playing together that day. Gavin was trying to get Owen to chase him. Eventually Paige joined in the fun. Then, Gavin disappeared; he was hiding behind the rocking chair. Later, Gavin and Carter were playing peek-a-boo: while Gavin was in the high chair having his snack, Carter was underneath him. The two of them were looking at each other and giggling. And, when I dropped Gavin off Friday morning, Miss Linda told me they had moved Gavin to a different crib because he and Carlos like to "talk" across the room when they're supposed to be napping. And, Miss Linda also told me this week that Gavin loves arts and crafts time. (Dave and I are fighting over who he gets it from. I love arts and crafts; Dave has the talent. So I guess we'll have to see how talented G is.) So, I need to get Gavin working on some projects at home. Jonas is doing a great job creating cards, maybe that can be Gavin's next art project.

Peter Cottontail Stopped Here

Last night Peter Cottontail stopped by to fill Gavin's Easter basket. We left it by the front door for easy access. This morning, Gavin was delighted to find it. He crawled over stopping a bit away so that he could point at it and say, "dat."

He peered a bit closer.

Then grabbed out Mama's Easter chick that her granny made her years ago . . .

. . . so that he could get to the grass inside.

Oh, there's a pinwheel. . .

Look at all this grass, Mama.

Mmmm. What's this? A carrot made of Reece's Pieces?

I think I'll take this.

The aftermath.

Edamame

First, let me say, I love a baby in overalls, especially short overalls. Today it was in the 80s, so when I got Gavin dressed after his morning nap, I put him in shorts for the first time this season. It's still cool in the mornings and overnight, but it's getting warm in the afternoons.

Now, on to edamame (that's ed-ah-mom-a, the fancy name for soybeans). Gavin took a long nap after our field trip to TJ Maxx. He slept until 6:40. I had decided that I would wake him up after Dave and I had dinner, if he didn't wake up while we were eating. Just as I finished my stirfry and headed on to the edamame, I heard him cry. I went up to get him, brought him down, and handed him to Dave so I could fix his dinner. Dave handed him a pod of edamame. Gavin popped it in his mouth, so Dave then shelled one so that Gavin could try it. He loved it. The boy won't eat green peas, but he'll eat edamame. Go figure. Can you tell G is glued to the game?

So while the boys watched the NCAA semifinal game between Butler and Michigan State, they ate edamame together.