God's grace, my boys and the river

Monday, August 1, 2011

Birthday on the farm, Part 2

After some ham sandwiches, chips and potato salad, we packed up and headed for some more fun in the water. Close by is a creek with some great areas to park, fish, play in the water, and just enjoy being outside. It's called Buffalo Ford, or sometimes it's called Bufford's Point, depending on who you ask. :)

My granny decided to enjoy it all from the tailgate of the truck. This is the face that she made when we saw our first snake. After that, she didn't move from this spot.

Here we are - doing a little bit of everything. Fishing, catching craw-dads, scooping up water, having fun.

Kennick was concentrating hard on his task. He filled up his bucket with his shovel.

Cash was busy trying to catch something, anything, in his net.

B was more interested in the rocks.

Karalee and Derek (Bubba and O) fished (nothing caught though).

Birthday girl

I don't think Cash caught any craw-dads, but Josh caught a bucket full. It's not because my lil' man didn't try though. "They're too fast, mommy!"

What started out as just playing with Aunt Kaffy and Kennick ...

turned into a water fight between Cash and Kathy! They loved getting each other wet!

Kennick just wanted to pour water from his bucket to Kathy's, but he got a good laugh out of it.

So much fun with family!

Looks like B had a lot of fun, too! :) Sweet boy.

After drying off, we headed back to Kathy's house for cake, ice cream, and some fireworks. What a perfect way to spend Independence Day!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Birthday on the farm

July 4th isn't just Independence Day for our family. It's a day that we celebrate a blessing in the form of a daughter, sister, wife, mother, granddaughter, niece and cousin. That blessing is my sister, and yes, July 4th is her birthday.

For those that don't know, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of 2009. Since then she's been through surgeries, chemo and radiation, and she is now cancer free. Every birthday for her is another year to be thankful for God's grace and healing on her. Every birthday is a celebration.

How did we celebrate this year? We went to the farm!

My aunt Kathy (Kaffy) has over 200 acres in Barren Co. On these acres is a spring that flows into a small stream that is perfect for the boys to play in. Give them some boots or water shoes, and they are set. Here's Cash and Grandad enjoying the cool water.

He enjoyed walking back and forth at first, but later he and Kennick (and B) were throwing rocks and kicking up their heels.

B was unsure at first and hung out with Grammy.

But it didn't take long for him to walk right in, sit down and start splashing.

Some of the rocks were slippery, but it was too much fun not to get right in.

Can you tell we had company? Yes, the cows enjoyed cooling off with a drink.

They also took a ride in O's boat around the pond. Dad had made Kathy and Johnny a duck house, and they used the boat to put it in place. The little boys, along with Heath and O, rowed around the pond just for fun.

Cousin Josh tried to catch supper. So did O and Bubba (Karalee).

Here they are paddling around the pond. See the duck house in the background?

Somehow Cash always migrates to O when it comes to fishing. Maybe he knows that O has fabulous fishing skills. :)

After awhile of not catching any fish though, these three boys decided to play in the stream some more.

Look who caught the first fish! Heath hooked this medium sized catfish, but threw it back. We were having ham sandwiches for supper!

Baseball and fireworks ... finally

On July 3rd, we met mom and dad at Bowling Green Ballpark for another ball game, and this time they were having a fireworks display after the game! We were excited, but it was a long game, it was super hot, and the boys were full of energy.

So what better to do than head to the grassy area in the outfield to sit and relax where the breeze was blowing and let the boys run around and have some added fun?!

Here they are having some male-bonding time with Heath.

Someone is going to be just like his daddy. :)

I tried to get a picture of Heath and the boys, but Cash and Baylen wouldn't cooperate. Looks like my dad either felt left out or was just being silly.

I'd say he was just being silly!

After a very long 12 innings and a loss, the fireworks began! Cash sat in Grandad's lap to enjoy them while Baylen slept in mine. What a fun night!

Our weekend ride

You hear of some people renting a convertible for the weekend. They put the top down, drive with the wind in their hair and let loose for a few days. Or sometimes you hear a couple renting a motorcycle for a relaxing weekend. Driving the back country roads, not a care in the world.

Us? We rent backhoes for our weekend ride.

Both boys were in awe of it, but one in particular. Cash wanted to know where that backhoe was at all times, and of course, he got a few rides on it, too.

Heath got a lot of work done while we had it here.

And Cash got the best possible weekend ride that he could ever imagine!

Concrete and fireworks

Only on this blog will you find a post about concrete and fireworks together.

July 1st was a very full day. After story time at the library, lunch and some errands in town, the boys and I came back to the house for nap time. Heath was able to get home early to pour the last of the concrete for our retaining wall around back. The boys were so excited to have a concrete truck at their house and were amazed at the sounds that it made.

I sometimes wonder about Heath. It's almost like he has this concrete truck radar. Before I can ever hear a truck, his ears seem to perk up, and he always says, "I'm starting to hear things." He's never wrong. Here's a picture of B watching Heath. He had just said those magical concrete words, and yes, within minutes a concrete truck pulled down the drive.

"Look, mama! There it is! A con-trete trut at my house!"

They had a time dodging the trees in the front yard to get to the retaining walls. The boys watched in amazement.

Getting the chutes ready...

Not your typical concrete finisher, but the best I know.

The boys loved watching it all happen. They got used to the noises, too. It was loud being so close, but they didn't seem to mind too much.

B did get a little bored after awhile and decided to sit on the front stoop.

After Heath finished pouring the wall, we packed up in the car and went to Moe's for supper. Moe's is, no doubt, one of our favorite places to eat, and both the boys eat really well there. After our bellies were full, we drove over to the Corvette Amphitheater for the music and fireworks. We were supposed to meet up with some friends for a great time. Little did we know that a very long line of traffic waited for us.

Lesson learned: It cost money to park and watch the fireworks at the amphitheater. We had no idea. I guess thinking back about it, it makes complete sense, but we hadn't been before and didn't know. We drove up and they were collecting money, and we had no cash. Panic! Heath was looking in the nooks and crannies of the car. I was searching the bottom of my purse for a faithful stranded dollar or two. All we came up with was five bucks. It costs $15.

While all this was going on in the front seat, Cash was overhearing the panic in our voices as we said, "We don't have any cash!" "Do you have cash?" "Is there any cash in the console?" He piped up from the back, "Yes, you do. I'm right here!" We had to compose ourselves to explain to the lady taking the money that we didn't have enough cash to get in. She looked at the long line of cars behind us, took the $5, and said, "Enjoy the fireworks." Shew ... close call!

Me with the boys and Laura, our small group friend

Cash would find the concrete toy that our friend brought for their kid to play with. It kept him busy until the fireworks started. He enjoyed watching the fireworks. He and Heath laid on their backs and watched them together on the blanket.

As for this guy, he found a few things to keep his attention until the fireworks started, and then he fell asleep in my lap. He always sleeps through fireworks!