Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

This past Labor Day weekend, Peanut and I decided to break away from our normal routine and head out to my Aunt and Uncle's ranch to spend some time relaxing with family. We drove down with my dad and sister on Sunday morning (Justin wasn't with us...he was on his way to Austin to compete in his first Olympic triathlon - more on that later!) and after the necessary stop at Barnard St. Bakery in Glen Rose (where I may or may not have eaten 2 Truffle cookies - i.e. chocolate chip cookies with a brownie-chocolaty center and one sugar cookie), we made it to the ranch by lunch time. While we were only there for 24 hours, it was worth the drive. We were able to see my mom's cousin, Libby, and her husband, Scot, and their son, Ben, who just recently moved to Tyler from Kansas. Peanut enjoyed seeing his aunts and uncles on my mom's side, as well as hanging out with Aunt KiKi, Grammy Share, and my dad (whose grandparent name continues to change...) So without further ado...here are the pictures. :)

Here's a picture of Peanut and his absolutely, positively favorite toy - a set of Fisher Price blocks. I honestly don't know what we would do without them. My child could play with them for hours. And hours. Thankfully they travel well. When I realized that I wasn't being asked to bring any food, I sent an e-mail saying that I felt badly for not contributing. Aunt Ann wrote back and said not to worry. I was bringing the entertainment. Too true.

Peanut loves hanging out with his (insert grandpa name here). :) Grandpa Ron just doesn't sound right...then he was going to be Daddy Ron, but we decided that could be confusing (leave your name suggestion as a comment. :))

Reading on the porch with Aunt KiKi and Grandpa Ron.

P has pretty much mastered sitting up, but we decided not to test out that theory on the concrete porch. Thankfully, there were plenty of volunteers to make sure that he was okay. And in his hand is another one of his favorite toys. It has a suction cup on the bottom and serves as his entertainment on his highchair while I'm getting his breakfast or dinner ready. It plays a very nice classical tune whenever it is moved. Two things I know for sure: 1) baby toys do not come with one and off buttons and 2) toys that are activated by motion are probably not the best idea on long car rides...I'm sure that thing was making noise the entire drive out there. Thankfully, you just start to block things like that out after a while. :)

Hanging out on the porch with everybody. One day soon, P is going to LOVE being in those big rocking chairs...as my Aunt Jan pointed out, it'll be like Edith Ann on Sesame Street. :) And that's the truth...

A view towards the fish pond (or after this summer, is that the fish puddle?) from the porch.

"He's gone hog-wild!"
This is an actual feral hog that used to live on the land around the ranch. Don't feel too sorry for him...those things are NASTY and destroy the surrounding ecosystem because they eat everything in sight and are not native to Texas. I should also note that it is strategically located in the bathroom in the "Garage-Mahal." If you need something scared out of you... :)

Lookin' like a little man. P enjoyed hanging out with Scot.

Hey, where did everybody go!?

What's going on up there?

Playing with Aunt KiKi. We've really missed being with her since school started back up.

More reading with Aunt KiKi and Libby.

Libby has 4 fantastic kids of her own...P could sense that she is a super mom...and a super cook! As quoted by my Aunt Jan, "She walked into the kitchen with a stick of gum and some string and walked out with homemade peach cobbler, coleslaw, potato salad, a huge beautiful salad... do you know people who can do that? It was amazing."

PWE also loved hanging out with his Aunt Ann. She is the mom to my 2 wonderful cousins, and you can tell that P really likes being with her (and I think the feeling is mutual). :) We wished she lived closer!

While the guys were out dove hunting, the girls (and Peanut) were watching "Most Eligible Dallas." Makes you proud to be from Big D. Really, I was using it as a teaching tool to show my child what not to do. Case and point: one dude on the show said his mom taught him to "walk into a room and own it." Ugh. Who says that? Although, at the current moment, I believe my child might, indeed, walk (or at least be carried) into a room and own it. Sigh. You just can't fight it. The kid's a cutie.
Sunrise looking out from the barn. Why was I up to see the sun rise, you ask? The kid who owns the room woke me up at 5:30.

The barn a little after sunrise.

Doesn't he look like he's raring and ready to go? I think the 5:30 start time was catching up with him here...nothing like needing a nap at 7:15 AM.

Also, please note that my child is wearing a sweatshirt. In Texas. On Sept. 5. The day before it had been over 100. A cool front came through, and people were talking crazy and saying things like, "I'm cold." I think I honestly thought that I would never feel cold weather like that ever again. Unfortunately with that cold front came lots of wild fires all across the state because of the dry conditions, high winds, and low humidity.

Just a cool bird's nest that my Uncle Kevin found...

These little flowers popped up out of no where on Monday morning. My Aunt Jan mentioned that she had seen the little green shoots coming up the day before and watered them. It was like they were saying, "Ahhh...now this weather is more like it!"

We had such a wonderful time being out in God's creation and relaxing with our wonderful family. I am thankful for the cooler temperatures, spending time with those I love, and the opportunity to surround my sweet son with people who adore him. God is good.