Old Gas Truck & Photos

A couple weekends ago, the weather was nice.  Not bitter cold and full of snow like it is currently.  It was in the 50's but the wind was still blowing quite a bit.  We went to Keane's parents' cattle lot to cut some wood from a tree that had been cut down.  The kids played on and in an old gas truck of Donn's.  While we were there, we took a look in another old truck at some rod iron chairs that Keane's mom wanted us to look at.  Keane suggested that I look under a few old boards to see what we could find.  Now, this old truck has windows broken out of it, the back hatch has been left open, and sheep have been in and out of it, dragging out old toys for years.  But underneath a board was an little while box full of perfectly preserved old photos.  Photos of Keane's parents as teenagers, and of Keane's oldest siblings as babies.  We showed Donn the photos, took them home, put them into an album, and gave to Karen as a late birthday gift.  She loved it!  Some of the sweetest gifts were a couple Mother's Day cards made by her two oldest boys, Del and Dana.

I can't neglect to mention that Kaden shot a squirrel the other night, on January 26.  It was his second squirrel ever, but it is his very first kill on his very own.  Keane and Kaden sat in separate places (they could see each other), and squirrel hunted separately.  Kaden saw two squirrels, and was able to get a shot at one of them, bringing it home -- which is now in the freezer until we get some more.

6/52

a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014, and a thoughtful response from each...

Who do you think is really successful?  Why?

Kaden: Neil Armstrong, because he worked really hard in training and he finally was the first man on the moon.

Kylie: Duck Dynasty, because at first they didn't have any money but they didn't give up.  They didn't waste all their money.  They didn't spend all their money on things that were just wasteful.

5/52

a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014, and a thoughtful response from each...

What do you like most about your best friend?

Kaden: We are both on the same Basketball team and Football team (DB)

Kylie: She's Funny (RB)

Bonus: Kollin: We have a lot in Common (HC)

Bald Eagles and High Fives

Saturday morning, we woke up early (for a Saturday), picked up my brother (after Keane dealt with what should have been a simple task of changing a light bulb in the vehicle but turned into a nightmare after a hard-to-reach bolt had Loctite holding it together which would piss anyone off trying to change a simple light bulb), found a breakfast buffet that Keane and I had visited five years before, enjoyed breakfast, and then made our way to Clarksville to see (they averaged 220) bald eagles.


Now, it was cold and the wind was fierce, so we stood outside a tiny bit, but enjoyed watching the eagles from inside the vehicle the most.  Missouri has the second most bald eagles during the winter months, second to Alaska.  The eagles love coming to Missouri's rivers because the rivers up north are quite frozen.  They are such beautiful creatures.  We sat and froze through a live showing of a bald eagle (that's where I learned some of the aforementioned details about eagles, as well as the fact that they weigh 8 to 9 pounds, and their feathers weigh more than their carcass).


We made a deal - the first person to see a deer gets candy (Kaden, Keane, and I all saw and said "deer" at the same time but Kaden won), first person to see a turkey gets a soda (no turkeys were seen), and the first person to see a bald eagle gets a high five (I got a high five).  And then Kaden said a horse - but Keane said then that the first person to see a horse gets grounded...


It was a fun time.  We then bought everyone soda and candy to prevent naps on the way home, and road tripped back.

Cheers on a Friday Night

On Friday, Kylie cheered at the halftime of the high school boys' basketball game.  A small thing to be thankful for, but it was so nice for Kylie to give us something fun to do on a Friday night.  We didn't have time to go home before the game, so I French braided her hair (thanks Momma, for teaching me that one) in the car and used mousse to tame her wild hair because I thought I grabbed hair spray. 


It was fun to see her on the basketball court and watch her dance with her little hips and proudly yell her cheers.  I don't think that she'll do a whole lot of cheering as she grows up (she'd rather play basketball than anything else, she said), so I really enjoy every moment she spends cheering now.

4/32

a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014, and a thoughtful response from each...

What's the best thing about being a kid? 

Kaden: playing Sports

Kylie: having Fun with my family, not living in my own house, and not being old enough to be in boooorrrring work

And I Have Her Middle Name

Thirty-three years ago, on this very day, a beautiful woman left this earthly place we call "home." 


She was my dad's sister.  Exactly two weeks prior, my grandfather passed away.  And fourteen short days later, a 27-year-old Rhonda, not feeling well, laid down to take a nap, when a cluster of white blood cells hit her heart.  She never woke up.  She left a husband, two young sons, and a family that loved her more than their words and any amount of tears could ever express.


And I have her middle name.  I hold it close to my heart.  I never met my Aunt Rhonda, but I've heard story after story about her.  The photos that were captured are held dear to those who own them. 


I have been told that I resemble her, in both looks and personality.  My dad always saw a piece of his sister in his daughter, and I think that's something special.

The saying holds true: Only the good die young.  Rhonda had a sweet, sweet laughter.  She found humor in a lot of things, great and small.  She was very smart, and she was a dedicated wife, mother, and employee.  I wish I had my own stories of her to tell, but I take pride in possibly having some of her traits.