Ben's Trophy

We got the opportunity to spend a weekend at a lovely ranch in South Texas with the goal of turning Ben into a true deer hunter.  Things didn't look too promising with the rain from Hurricane Patricia working its way into Texas, but early on Sunday morning, Ben brought down his first deer with a beautiful shot.  Look at the excitement on our little hunter's face after he tracked it and found it on the ground.

 


 What a beauty!

 

 Ben was so proud to show it off to everyone at the ranch and we were so proud of him for a great shot and putting food on our table.

 

 The weather didn't put a damper on our fun, and we were still able to do a little fishing and spot all kinds of wildlife - lots of deer, turkey, quail, wild hogs, roadrunners, rabbits, and even a bobcat.  Alex and I sat in a stand together to watch the animals a few times and he was fascinated by the green jays.  (not my picture, but the birds were beautiful like this)

Of course, sometimes the animals get a little boring, so we had to look elsewhere for entertainment!

The boys made a few other catches to make our weekend complete!

October Fun

Alex got back on the football field grabbing flags with other 7-year olds.  He was extra excited to find out that Matt would be coaching his team this year.

 

 The games are so much fun to watch.  Some of the plays are really impressive and some are downright comical.

This guy caught a great pass during his first game and then he ran toward the wrong endzone!  I laughed until I cried :)

I loved watching this backyard practice with both boys.  Not sure why Ben felt that he'd be better without a shirt, but whatever works...

 Now that they're back in school, suddenly I have two bookworms and I love it!!  It's challenging keeping them stocked in books but I'm thankful for places to borrow or swap books nearby.

 

Ben already got to take a field trip to the district's outdoor learning center and I was happy to get to help out.  It was a really impressive classroom and I loved looking around at everything before the kids showed up.

After viewing all the stations, the kids got to listen to the director and meet the pet corn snake.

 

I can't remember ever watching Ben touch a snake before, but he liked this one and asked for a pet snake afterward.  Uh, no.

After a movie one afternoon, the kids and I checked out the new Gallery Furniture and I couldn't believe how much fun we had (without even looking at furniture!).  The monkey exhibit was very entertaining.

The main atrium has some gorgeous parrots, a cockatoo, and a toucan.

And who wouldn't love enormous chairs?

I think their favorite part was the giant mattress-trampoline.  Or the free Blue Bell.  Thanks for a good time, Mattress Mack!

Ben has gotten really good at his ripstick and lots of other kids are getting them as well.  Alex, always marching to the beat of his own drum, decided that he wants to learn to use his rollerblades.  He's doing great in the grass :)

 Sweet boys!  So impossible to get a good picture of them both.