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!

A Zoo Day and Fun Around the House

Yesterday, Lane and I were both off, so we decided to sleep in and then head to Tyler for a zoo day. I think that we are all really spoiled right now, since Dane will let us all sleep until around 9:45 on days we get to sleep in! I know that things will be changing very soon around here, so we are relishing our days like this now. Who knows, maybe Sydni will be a late sleeper, too! Wouldn't that be nice?

After we all got up and got ready, we headed first to Cracker Barrel for a nice brunch and then on to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. It was such a nice day outside, and we had a great time. I think that we had more fun this time, since this is the first time we've been that Dane really knew what all of the animals were - Thanks to our friend, Diego!

These are just a couple of pictures from last week of Dane and Spanky. They love each other, and I'm so glad that Dane has a fun, sweet dog to play with. Spanky was so dirty that day, but the pictures were still great, I thought. We especially like the one where Spanky is looking right at the camera.

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Joanna

*What was happening in my life 10 years ago--
1. I was finishing my first semester at A&M
2. I was getting ready to work at Camp Deer Run for the summer
3. I began work cleaning the house of an extreme hoarder - great job security because the house never actually got completely clean - there was always work to be done!
4. My brother was about to graduate from high school
5. I was still waiting on an engagement ring (I finally got it Oct. 3, 1998-he did a great job!)

*5 things on my To Do list today
1. Study for my Bible class lesson for tonight (I'm blogging because I'm procrastinating)
2. Go buy MORE milk (my boys love them some milk!)
3. Start on my stenciling project for Sydni's room - maybe.
4. Keep Dane from bothering my cat, C. John (that's a constant to-do)
5. Keep the house clean (I've kept everything caught up for almost a week now!)

*5 snacks I enjoy (not a fair question for a pregnant person)
1. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (that's my only pregnancy craving)
2. Mozzarella cheese sticks!
3. Oreo cookies with milk
4. Chocolate milk (doubles as my heartburn remedy-works like a dream and tastes great!)
5. Anything with cheese

*5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Give lots of money to Camp Deer Run
2. Start my own plant nursery business located on...
3. Buy about 100 acres with tons of pine trees and a lake and build a cozy house
4. Buy a 2nd home in Colorado
5. Honor Lane's billionaire plan to pay off any debts belonging to any of our family members

*5 bad habits
1. Biting my cuticles (but not my nails)
2. Losing my temper easily
3. Not using moisturizer regularly (my Grandmama would be very disappointed)
4. Going along with #3, sleeping in my makeup (Grandmama would really hate that one!)
5. Unfinished projects (mainly craft projects, like cross-stitching)-I just get bored easily

*8 places I've lived (I wanted to list them all)
1. Naples, TX (Feb. 1977-March 1978)
2. Daingerfield, TX (March 1978-August 1995)
3. Searcy, AR (August 1995-December 1997) (with summers at Camp Deer Run)
4. College Station, TX (January 1998-October 2000)
5. Plano, TX (October 2000-June 2001)
6. Wylie, TX (July 2001-July 2006)
7. White Oak, TX (August 2006-September 2006)
8. Kilgore, TX (October 2006-Present)

*10 jobs I've had (just wanted to list them all, too)
1. Babysitter
2. Bank teller
3. Dorm desk receptionist
4. Fast food worker at Chick-fil-A
5. Camp counselor
6. Housekeeper
7. A&M Bookstore student Accounting associate
8. Accountant
9. Part-time church secretary
10. Full-time mom!

*5 people I want to know more about - a.k.a. tag!
1. Lindsay (this will give her a new blog topic since she just started blogging)
2. Holly
3. Katy
4. Robyn
5. Rachel

Texas, Our Texas!

This afternoon, we were all working in the yard, mowing and trimming the hedges. We ran out of big trash bags, so Dane and I went to our local Home and Ranch store, Atwoods, to get some. While we were there, we saw some flags and flagpole sets, and we decided to get one. I have always wanted to hang a Texas flag at my house, and today was the day it happened.

Dane was very excited to stand by his state flag with pride and pose for a picture. We are all so proud to be Texans!

Dane and his Financial Assets!

These pictures are in front of the bank right before we went in.

Dane, filling out his new account paperwork.

Dane had another first today...As of around noon today, he now has his very own savings account!


The other day, I was cleaning out a closet, and I found his chicken bank (a piggy bank that's a little baby chick). Dane is really into coins and learning the difference between all of the different coins right now, so I told him that we would start collecting his coins and put them in his chicken bank. Then, when it's all full, we'll take it to the bank like we do Mommy and Daddy's money.


So, anyway, today was payday, and we went through the drive-thru window at the bank to make a deposit, and Dane says, "Where's my chicken bank?" So, I turned to the bank teller and asked her if they had a savings account for children and what the minimum deposit was. She said they did, and it was $25. I then turned to Dane and asked him if he would like his own bank account. I loved his reaction - he gasped and his eyes got really big and said "Yeah!"


After we drove away, I told him we would go home, and that we would look around the house and finish filling up his chicken bank and then head back up to the bank to open his account. I figured that since he was showing so much interest in the idea today, that I'd better jump at the chance to make it really fun for him!

So, we just "happened" upon a vase in the house that had tons of change. It was funny how we went right to it :) We put all of the coins in his chicken bank and completely filled it up. We decided to keep the dollar bills in the vase, so that he can use them to give to God at church. He agreed with that idea, since the dollar bills weren't fitting in his chicken bank very well.

At the bank, the teller counted the change in the coin counter, and it totalled $32.99! We were very pleased, and I told him that I would also write him a check for $25, since his great-granddad had written him a check for his first Christmas and we didn't have an account for Dane back then yet. The new accounts lady was so sweet and gave him a "My Bank Account" coloring book that we worked on while she processed all of our paperwork.

Dane really seemed to enjoy the entire process, except he did get a little upset when his chicken bank came back empty. He was OK, though, after the bank lady gave him a new penny and quarter to start his new collection with.

A great adventure for my little investor! Maybe he'll take after his mother and become an Accountant some day, too!

Go Mavs! / C. John's Latest Project

Dane and I were so excited that our 2008 Mavs Playoff tickets came in the mail this week! In the package, they had also included a very cool Mavs sweatband. Well, for some reason, they mailed the different tickets in two separate packages, so much to our delight, we now have, not one, but two Mavs sweatbands! So, we found this a great time to show our Mavs support and pride and take some pictures.

C. John, my nine year old cat and firstborn son, and I have been doing some research lately, and he has decided to take on the training of our 10 month old boxer puppy, Spanky. We have both noticed several ugly habits she has been forming, and we are going to try to mold her into a well behaved dog. As you can see, C. John has been reading up on some training secrets for boxers, and he is going to let me know what he finds out. I just like looking at the pictures - I've never been much of a reader! We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Baby Nursery Pictures/My Great Find at Canton

This past week, I have really worked hard to get all of our overflow stuff out of our guest room, so that it can be transformed into our little girl's room! I finally found a room arrangement that I like that will also allow me to keep the queen size bed in the room for guests, too. I still need to paint flowers on the wall and hang new blinds and curtains, but other than that, the nursery is getting pretty close to being done. My goal is to have everything done by the end of May so that I'll have the last month and a half to be in full-time miserable mode!! :)

My friend Kristina and I went with our kids to Canton today. It was the perfect day to go - the weather was wonderful! It was pretty crowded, but we managed, and the kids were great. Dane had a near meltdown toward the end, but I think that was mainly because he's a boy and was sick and tired of looking at iron sculptures and little girl clothes and accessories. I feel bad that I never ventured out to find the guns that I had told him were at Canton. He did get a pretty cool toy snake, so I think he'll be OK.

I found a booth that personalized bags, bibs and such, so I bought our little girl, Sydni, a bib with her name on it. I think it is so cute. I guess that means that Lane and I are becoming more certain about her name. If not, I'll have wasted $10! We're pretty sure her full name will be Sydni Lee Brown. We just like the name Sydni, and the name Lee is special on both sides of our families. Lane's maternal grandmother's name was Lee, and my maternal grandfather's middle name was Lee. Two amazing people to share the name with.

Happy Easter!

We have been very busy during this past week, and unfortunately, a little under the weather, too. Last Wednesday, Dane and I started coughing and then proceeded to lose all of our ability to keep our noses from running out of control. We think it's allergies, but it's still no fun.

Anyway, we just kept trudging on...Thursday, Lane and I took Dane to stay with my parents for a few days while we went to Dallas for LTC. I felt horrible leaving Dane while he didn't feel well, but I checked with his dr. before we left, and they told me what to give him to help him out some. Of course, I knew that he would have a great time with Granna and Pa, so that helped to reassure me some.

Lane served as the Coordinator for the Speech event at LTC again this year, so we had to be there a day earlier than the rest of our group, since he had a meeting first thing Friday morning. Everything went great this year at the convention, and our kids that came did a fantastic job and behaved themselves so well. We were really proud of all of them. They really are a great group of kids.

Saturday evening, I headed back to Mama and Daddy's house, and Lane went back to Kilgore with our group. I decided that, since we were planning to come to lunch with my family after church anyway, it would just be easier to spend the night there and go to church in Daingerfield. It was nice to see everybody there, too.

Saturday night dyeing eggs - What Fun!

Lane made it over in time for lunch Sunday, and soon after, our good friends Christopher and Angela and their boys, Chase & new little Drew, came on over just in time for the 2nd Annual 2nd Generation Bowers/Mays Easter Egg Hunt. Us Bowers kids grew up with both Christopher and Angela, and it has been so special to see all of our kids enjoy being friends just like we do! Of course, Chris and Angela and the boys also go to church with us in Kilgore, so Dane and Chase have really become best friends, along with Winter, who completes the Trio. They're just so goofy!

Of course, the Easter Bunny left Dane some great goodies, including this chocolate Dude da' Bunny and also his very first "Swanky", which is Slinky in 2 yr. old East Texan language.

A moms and kids shot after church (Didn't Robyn do a great job making Mary Nan's and Laura's Easter dresses?)

Walking around before Easter lunch

Just the boys talking things over

J.J. likes to end his conversations with a kiss. This is a little weird for Dane, since he really doesn't like to kiss anybody. I'm sure J.J. will grow out of this someday, but for now, it is sweet.

Just a swingin'

My sweet little man!

Mary Nan and Laura, of course, are seasoned egg hunters, and they did very well in the hunt. J.J. enjoys the end result of the hunt, the candy, but he often loses sight of the goal during the hunt. We kept finding his basket deserted. It was really funny. I was so excited with Dane's hunting skills this year. Being the competitive person that I am, I was so proud to see him find so many eggs! As we were hiding them, Lane and Christopher got kinda tired of it, and one of them, I think it was Christopher, just dumped about 15 eggs down on the ground in a big pile and put a box over them. We considered that stash to be the jackpot, and much to my pleasure, Dane was the one to discover them! Yea!!! I know I shouldn't be so competitive - I'll have to work on that so that all of the other sports parents won't hate me someday!


We had a good time, and most importantly, we got to spend time with our family and friends. Too bad Joe David and Stefany couldn't make it this year - maybe next year they'll be able to come with little Jed, who will soon join the Bowers family in May!

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend, too!