2014/09/25

Lending a hand

Now that he's mobile and can get in to her stuff he drives her a little crazy but being a good big sister is still her number 1 priority...





2014/09/22

Run Norwoods, Run!

In my opinion and experience fun and run are two words that don't really go together. This is because they inevitably mean perspiration and desperation as I would willingly jump on any car, horse, bike, or person passing by for the sweet relief of rest.  A "fun run" though is a good family activity that we can all participate in and we all end up enjoying (after I catch my breath) so I signed us up for the Eskimo Joe's Juke Joint Jog.

Our preparation for the run began on a high note when we picked up our packets at Eskimo Joe's on Friday night and enjoyed some cheese fries.  Carb loading before a race is a must...


Denver can be as skeptical as he wants about our choice of pre-race carbohydrates but those who eat dirt shouldn't judge those who eat things that the dirt has actually been cleaned off of... and don't let that look fool you - he participated in bringing down Mount Sweet Pepper Bacon Cheese Fries.

Saturday morning came and it was a beautiful day to run.  


Philip warmed up by walking with a 25 pound weight on his shoulders.

 

We then lined up and got situated.  Had we been thinking we'd have corrected the guy's number to 829 and 1/2.


 Ready to run...or maybe not by the look on the kids faces...


But the gun fired and off we went ready or not.  Right before the race we ran into some friends of ours so when the race started Denver and Philip ran ahead with the oldest of our group while Annie and I jogged with the middle of the pack with her little friend which ended up motivating both of them to keep going.

Lucky for us Pistol Pete was there to cheer and encourage us on lest we hit the dreaded runner's wall on our one mile trek...

Annie did awesome - she ran more than 3/4 of the mile without slowing and finished strong.



Philip was equally impressive running nearly the whole way with Denver strapped to his chest who clearly loved every minute of it as evidenced by waving his hands and kicking his feet.


We were all handsomely rewarded with blue everyones-a-winner "participant" ribbons which is a step up from the green "I Also Ran" ribbon I was awarded many times at grade school track meets as a kid. (This way from a distance you can fool someone in to thinking you placed first - with a green ribbon that is not a possibility - not that a very young Autumn would have tried that.)

Afterward we headed to the Family Fun Zone where we were served a healthy post-race meal of hotdogs and bananas and there were all sorts of fun things for the kiddos to do.


Annie transformed herself in to a cat and enjoyed the bounce house while Denver worked the cones over...



 and practiced his basketball skills.



We then headed home where Philip and I had a brief burst of energy (or insanity) and did some much needed yard work.  While we did this Annie gathered berries (weeds) and Denver played in the dirt and I'm sure once again consumed some but as the saying goes "God made the dirt and the dirt don't hurt." 

However, a one mile run with a child on you does, as Philip's muscles can attest to a couple of days later...




2014/09/08

Game Day

So this weekend was Denver's inaugural football game. 
 

As you can tell he could barely contain his enthusiasm...or maybe that was me.

Anyway, as a general rule the temperature for the first home game is usually similar to that of the surface of the sun, but we got lucky this year and a nice cool front came through that morning.


With the cool front came rain so when we got to our parking spot we waited in the car for a few minutes until it slowed and then started our trek to the campus.



No fair weather fans here.

 

But really that statement is not true at all when it comes to the kids and I.  A little warm rain doesn't hold us back, however, frigid temperatures and snow will. Philip, on the other hand, follows the postman's creed of weather not being a factor to show his dedication and support of his Cowboys.

We were well-prepared though with rain boots, ponchos, and caps which is why the rain stopped about 30 minutes before kick-off and did not return.  Had we not been prepared more than likely it would've been a monsoon the whole game through - you're welcome to the other thousands of fans that were there.

Annie got situated and had her favorite game day treat - cotton candy.

 
Denver chose instead to snack on Philip's hoodie ties.


Like the majority of firsts Denver has experienced he smiled through it all and just seemed happy to be where all the action was.


But at 10 months old there's only so much action one can withstand (for Denver it was about 30 minutes) so he spent the first half through the halftime show doing this:


I will never ceased to be amazed by the sleeping habits of my children.  At home I can move a feather throw pillow on the couch and they wake up.  When we are out and about a cannon and guns (literally a cannon goes off every time the home team kicks off or scores and then Pistol Pete shoots his shotgun periodically throughout the game) are blowing up right beside them and they sleep through it.


By the end of the third quarter the win was pretty much secured so we felt our work was done and headed out (translation - 3 hours is a lot of time for two small children to be sitting in one place regardless of whether or not one of them napped through most of it, and the line for Hideaway Pizza starts forming in the fourth quarter).

Go Pokes!







2014/09/03

Closing the curtain on summer - cows, curls, and cuteness.

Labor Day weekend is considered the unofficial end of summer. Around our house though it kinda seems like summer ended two weeks ago when Annie started back to school and we started what will be our routine for the next nine months (our garden apparently did not get this memo as we still have tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, and sweet potatoes coming out of our ears).  However, we are always up for a long weekend so we were more than happy to celebrate Labor Day.

We headed out to Sayre on Friday afternoon.  We had rodeo plans and needed to get Denver a belt for his belt buckle that Papa had made so we stopped at Cavender's before picking Annie up.  We looked at and tried on multiple pairs of boots for him but apparently chubby baby feet aren't really designed for the traditional cowboy boot.  The only ones that wouldn't be a battle to get on were so big that when he walked he acted like he had cement blocks on his feet and had an exaggerated heel-toe gait.  Since he's only really been walking well for about a week I decided against throwing him a curve and we left the boots on the shelf.

 
After gathering Annie up from school we hit the road.  On our way stopped and brought chaos to Granddad and Grandmother's house for a couple of hours in Yukon and had a pleasant visit. We then hit Johnnie's in El Reno to introduce Denver to one of the finer culinary tastes in life - a coney with slaw.


He's a fan.

Saturday morning Denver, Brynn, and I went with Papa to check on the mama cows and their calves.  This was right up Denver's alley.  There was dirt, bumpy rides, and animals all of which he appreciates. He had fun riding in the pick-up but really enjoyed the all-terrain vehicle (named the Beast by Papa) and had no fear when it came to seeing the cattle up close.  Brynn was a helpful older cousin and taught him how you feed the calves and how to throw dirt clods. 

We then had a tea party and spent most of the afternoon inside because Labor Day weekend is only the unofficial end of summer.  Here in OK it is HOT HOT HOT and we still have a few weeks of stifling weather left.  

That evening we ventured outside to play on the trampoline, ride in the wagon, and listen to the coyotes howl.  We also got to see our Cowboys put up a good fight against the number 1 ranked team while we did our Sunday best prep which consisted of Annie's first round with sponge rollers.


Sunday brought church, dinner, and a nap for most (most not including myself as Denver scheduled his naps at times when everyone else was awake but was ready to play when all the others were resting).  We then ventured out with Papa again to check calves, water, and put out feed. 

While "helping" Papa out Annie was pleasantly shocked that she is no longer scared of the cattle, enjoyed riding along and driving the Beast, and had fun helping spread the feed out in the trough.  Brynn, clearly taking after her mother and being a natural-born teacher, showed us that checking water consisted of flinging some of it out of the tank and splashing in it to accurately ascertain that it is in fact water the cattle have to drink.  She also proved to us that when you are riding with Papa and driving it's not necessary to keep your hands on the wheel or even actually watch where you are going. 

On this venture out with Papa Denver got his first (and many more) taste of alfalfa pellets and much to my dismay seemed to enjoy them just as much as his coney with slaw (seriously he must have eaten 2 or 3 and bawled when I took I was taking them out of his hands and fishing them out of his mouth).  He also got to dip his feet in the water tank and was not happy he couldn't get all the way in.

Afterwards we got ready to go to the Elk City Rodeo.  Denver was cute as could be in his first pair of Wranglers and his new belt which in my opinion made him look like he was ready to leave home and had me once again thinking why-oh-why do babies have to grow up so quickly?


The girls put their sparkly boots on because that's what cowgirls do (according to Annie cowgirls also like cherry Sprites from Sonic too).

Man alive it was windy! They had to cancel the guy parachuting in because he probably would've ended up in Kansas the way it was blowing.  These are pictures before we had a layers of fine, red, dust and grit all over us which only added to the authenticity of the event.





Unlike the rest of us this was Denver's first rodeo so the bronc riding had him wide-eyed.  He seemed confused as to why someone would want to ride something that clearly wanted them off their back.


After a couple of events Dustin and Jenny took the kids to the ride the mini ferris wheel and mini horses and Annie, who is always shopping, found this item to complete her outfit and Nana agreed that she needed to have it.


Understated fashion is overrated - OBVIOUSLY.

The next morning while we packed up our stuff the little ones played outside with Nana.



In a mere two weeks this guy has really mastered walking and is all over the place now.  Don't fence him in.



Then it was time for this cowboy and cowgirl to ride away.  As you can see from Annie's expression saddling up and heading home was her least favorite part of the weekend.



Goodbye summer - we appreciate the lovely lingering days and sweet memories you've given us.  We'll wistfully wait for your return as we enjoy the beautiful seasons and moments that come between.
 






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