Weekend with the Wilsons/Our First Family Campout!

I'm playing a little catch-up on this post. Over Mother's Day weekend, we met my best friend, Andrea, and her family in Houston. Joe, her husband, is a professional bodybuilder (all natural, no steroids), and he had a body building show near Houston the day before Mother's Day. He did really well, and ended up winning 3rd place in the pro division and winning his first cash prize! We had never been to a body building show, so it was quite the new experience, especially for Dane. It seems as though he really connected with the whole deal, and he has been showcasing his muscles for us ever since. He really has his poses down good! It was really great to get to spend some time with Andrea again. We try to get together once a year, and I'm so glad it all worked out for us this year again. Her kids, Reed and Elliot, are so sweet, and Dane really got along well with them, especially Reed. That's probably a good thing, since he has been betrothed to her since the day we found out he was going to be a boy! It would be a shame if he didn't like his own future wife!

Dane, Reed and Elliot

Dane - showing off his muscles

Lane caught Dane sleeping in this position - probably dreaming about his muscles!

This past Friday, Lane and I decided that we would take Dane camping for the first time. I had really meant for us to go a little sooner before it decided to become summer in Texas! We decided to go Friday morning, so it was a pretty impromptu trip. We decided to go to this really great camping place near Daingerfield that doesn't charge for tent camping. It happens to be on my parents' land, and it really worked out great since we were able to string extension cords from their house out to our tent for our fan. As we were setting up our sleeping bags, Dane and I looked out the window and saw Lane coming down the hill with my mom's little lighted Christmas trees that she puts on her front porch at Christmas. We used them as our lights outside our tent while we hung out before bedtime! A big thanks to my parents for all of the supplies they provided for our poorly planned out first camping trip. Here's a list of the borrowed items: an air mattress, extension cords, electricity, sheets and pillow for Lane (he forgot his sleeping bag and pillow), shower, toilet, kitchen for breakfast, trash bag, great company from the host family, a great big open view of the sky to watch the International Space Station go by, and for the finale, a complimentary Dairy Queen lunch before we left! So, if any of you are looking for a friendly, affordable and comfortable campsite, I'm sure my parents would love to have you! We really thought that we would end up in the house to sleep if Dane didn't want to stay in the tent, but he really was in the "roughin' " it mood, and he slept in the tent all night until about 7:30 Saturday morning. We were able to build a little fire and roast marshmallows before bedtime, too. I, on the other hand, decided to head on to the house around 6:00 and lounged on the couch and visited with Daddy until the boys came up for breakfast. It was really fun, and I can't wait to do it again in the fall once it starts to cool back down. As a side note, we discovered a must-have item for any camping trip with kids - Glow sticks! They give off just the right amount of light in the tent so the kids don't get scared! 15 glow sticks for $1.00 at Target - you can't beat that!

Setting up camp and visiting with our gracious hosts - We loved the cozy atmosphere the Christmas trees provided!

Enjoying a refreshing Capri Sun before bedtime

Lane and Daddy building a campfire

Roasting marshmallows

This is my new favorite picture of Dane - he was actually panicking because he had too many marshmallows in his mouth, but he was kind enough to wait for me to take his picture before spitting it all out!

Sleeping hard

I can't believe he stayed in the tent all night! Notice the Cars theme we chose...Cars sleeping bag, blanket and pajamas. It never hurts to be completely coordinated!

More Jed Pictures

I just wanted to update everybody about sweet little Jed. They were able to go home Saturday morning, so of course, more pictures needed to be taken. He is really such a good baby, and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the great parents he has and the peace of mind and assurance that he feels from them.

Mama, Daddy and I hung around just long enough for them to get home and get unloaded. Thankfully, we followed them back because Jed had been holding out until then to let me get the picture I had really been wanting to get the most...his feet (well, foot). There's nothing sweeter than a newborn baby's hands and feet, I think. I was also able to get a really good family picture of the newly expanded Bowers family in their home for the first time.

Enjoy the pictures!

Father & Son

The Happy Family!

It always feels better to have a good cry!

A great family photo at their house

Jed Bowers is finally here!

Well, the newest addition to the Bowers family is finally here! Jed Wyatt Bowers made his grand debut into this world at around 3:00 a.m. this morning (May 15). Stefany was great, so I'm told, and her labor lasted around 12 hours. Jed weighs 5 lbs. 10.2 oz. and measures 18 1/2 inches long. He's very strong and wiry and very, very sweet! Oh, yeah, and intelligent, too! He and his mom are both doing great, and we're all just so happy that he's here! I'll try to get a good family photo of Joe David, Stefany and Jed together, and I'll add it to this post later.

The proud grandparents!

Bonding with his favorite aunt! I guess Robyn, Jennifer and Alyson may all disagree, but I feel very confident in my declaration!

Happy Birthday to our Wonderful Cat!

Nine wonderful years ago, my sister-in-law's cat, Pascal, gave birth to four kittens, and one of them was my C. John. It was an exciting day for us all, and I instantly fell in love with the biggest, fluffiest kitten of the litter. Pascal had a teenage pregnancy, so, of course, I wanted to do everything I could to help her out. So, adopting one of her sons was a pleasure and the least I could have done. I'm happy to say that Pascal is also still alive and is doing well in her new home near College Station.

Lane and I got C. John the summer before we got married, so he's been through it all with us. There was only a few months after September 11, 2001, that C. John was missing, and other than that, we've stuck together. I have helped him over these past four years, as he has fought and struggled with Feline Urinary Tract Disease, a condition that nearly took his life before we caught it. Thankfully, his condition is easily managed with the right food. He has done marvelously with his diet change and has continued to bring our family joy!

Dane and I thought that it would be fun to have a birthday party for C. John today, so since Granna (my mom) was coming to watch Dane while I went to the dr., she was so nice and made a birthday cake. Dane picked out a cake mix with sprinkles in it, and we used whipped cream and crushed oreo cookies for the frosting. I carved on Dane's 2 yr. birthday candle and made it into what kinda resembled a 9. We used left over party plates and half-eaten boxed Neopolitan ice cream, and whalla! - we had ourselves a party! To make the party even more fun, Dane's friend, Winter, came by for a couple of hours to play while her mom went to the dr., so she got to help us celebrate. We even talked Lane into coming home for a while for the party. I think the cake and ice cream part had more to do with his coming home, rather than his desire to celebrate a cat's birthday, though. We'll take what we can get, though!

Dane, trying to give C. John his present

For those of you who are not quite sure, we do not normally have birthday parties for our pets. I just happened to remember that C. John was born on May 1, and I thought that it would make a fun day for Dane, and it did. We have had a great time. I'm not really so sure if C. John even cares about all of the time and effort Dane, my mom and I put into his special day. He mainly just wanted to go back and finish his afternoon nap! Some thanks!