Redneck "Swimming"!

For the last week or so, I have been placing a small pool beside our front porch in order for the boys to play with the water hose and splash in the water (Owen calls this watery event "watering mommas flowers" and usually my flowers do see a bit of the water that is expelled by the hose). The main purpose of this activity is to cool off and have lots of fun doing it! This can hardly be referred to as going swimming or poolside lounging, but the boys enjoy any amount of water on a hot summer day! I actually purchased a large above ground swimming pool when they put them on clearance at Wal-mart this year, but we will have to wait until next year to set it up and enjoy it's cool refreshing waters. Until then, the boys certainly don't complain about their "swimming pool" out by the front porch (a.k.a. two ring blow up version as seen in pictures). Owen even enjoys "jumping" in and demonstrating his version of the back stroke in these sometimes crowded waters. The pool may not be big, but it supplies plenty of fun and laughter for both Owen and Clay (and mommy too, though I have, thus far, refrained from "jumping" in). Both of the boys seem to have been born part water bug! Owen has been practicing his water hose spraying skills this summer and is proud to perform his newly acquired "fireman" trick to passers by (this is very technical and involves placing his finger into the flow of water to cause the water to spray "real high and so berry far"!). We try to fit some water fun into our schedule after lunch (and no, I don't make them wait 30 minutes before diving in!) and before nap time. I have even been known to take the soap outside and give them their daily "bath" before they come inside to rest. Yeah, go ahead and say it...between our "swimming pool" and outdoor bathing, we could probably be considered the biggest rednecks on our block! But, you also must admit...these are two very adorable rednecks!

28 years and counting...Happy Birthday Zach!

Starting tomorrow, September 25th, my wonderful husband will be 28 years young! I like to take the opportunity to point out to him that for 2 whole months he is 2 years older than his fabulous young bride...(he is always gracious enough to humor me).

Last Saturday night (9.22.07) we were treated by Larry and MaryKay (a.k.a. Bud & Honey) to Zach's birthday dinner, cake and presents. Zach chose the Beehive restaurant for dinner (very yummy!).



MaryKay prepared a scrumptious Red Velvet cake with Cool-whip icing for the birthday boy's dessert (Zach doesn't acknowledge there are any other flavors). Owen helped daddy blow out ALL of his candles...

The birthday boy and all three (hee! hee!) of his sons enjoyed helping their daddy devour the sweet confection (Owen and Clay first had to surrender their shirts, of course) which added to the birthday merriment.
















Zach's gift this year from his parents was a gift card to Sierra Trading Post. He can always find a great deal from that company.


Happy Birthday and happy deal hunting, Zach!

New Heights of Adventure

Our family recently attended a birthday party for a three year old friend from church. The host family had set up a large bouncy water slide in their backyard.

Clay immediately took to this new experience, though he was a bit small in comparison to the other participants.


I am also very proud to report that my cautious little Owen was quick to try this activity as well, even though it forced him to go to new heights of bravery and trust. The boys both had a blast! And needless to say, did not want the fun to end. I truly believe they would have continued to crawl up and slide down until the sun set that evening! What fun!

Big Boy Table

Recently, Clay has begun joining Owen at the "BIG BOY" table for breakfast and lunch. He believes himself to be very BIG stuff because of this new treat. Owen is thrilled to have his buddy move out of the highchair. Surprisingly, they are very well behaved and do allow each other to eat (amongst a lot of giggling and silliness, of course!).

I would like to add as a side note that my sweet second born asked for a fork of his own a while back. Upon receiving this shiny new object he proceeded to use it as if had used one a million times before (the photo shows proof). Way to go "BIG" boy, Clay!

"Daddy, read books me!"

I always read books to the boys at nap time.
But, although they enjoy our time together, it pales in comparison to their book reading time with daddy in the evening. We both do all of the voices. We both do cool sound effects. But, somehow a book read by daddy is always an exciting and enthralling experience. I certainly don't mind being upstaged. These two (almost three) boys are very blessed to have a wonderfully patient daddy who values their reading time together and treasures the memories made just before bed time.

It's time for the West Texas Fair & Rodeo y'all!

Family traditions...well, this has become one for ours. Abilene is the proud yearly host of the West Texas Fair and Rodeo. Yes sir'ee, every September we Knight's get gussied up and head on over to them there fair grounds to survey the cattle, rustle up some grub and enjoy some bronc ridin'!

Okay, so maybe it's more like this: We pet and feed animals that we don't normally see (like: cows, donkeys, goats, chickens, etc.), spend way too much money on kiddie rides (because hey, the fair only happens once a year!), try to eat every yummy fried or sugary food on this planet (also astronomically priced!) and enjoy the true cowboy sport of rodeo as if it were the most magical thing we've ever witnessed (real cowboys on real horses!).

Bud and Honey (a.k.a. Zach's parent's) met us there last night (9.13.07) and we immediately set off on an agenda filled adventure. First, the petting zoo...


The boys were both smitten by the petting zoo this year. Clay (always the fearless one) took to the animals immediately and started feeding them by hand,





while Owen (cautiously waiting to see if Clay's fingers would be removed by the animals) finally warmed up and thoroughly enjoy the experience. We will probably go back again tomorrow to take in more of this activity.




Second, the "Pork Chop Revue". A very silly live pig show, which for adults was insultingly cheesy, but for a two year old, nothing less than enthralling entertainment!


Third, 1 carnival game. The boys both enjoyed playing the "Duck Pluck" game. It takes an amazing amount of skill and accuracy to pluck a rubber duck from a swirling pool of water and everyone is a winner...


Fourth, 1 carnival ride. Clay had his sights set on the flying elephants before the petting zoo and during the "Pork Chop Revue", so the flying elephants were the obvious choice...



Zach rode with Clay and Honey rode with Owen. (I must confess to being a little disappointed when I saw the rides sign had a picture of a pregnant woman with a BIG "no sign" across it, but then again, someone has to take pictures, right?! I mean, you know those kiddie carnival rides...they can get kinda crazy and send a woman straight into labor!)

Fifth, it was time to focus on the true meaning of our yearly Fair outing, the FOOD. Our menu consisted of roasted corn, sausage on a stick, philly cheesesteak, jumbo corndog, Aggie fries (made by the local Aggie club), water, tea, coke, funnel cake, fried coke and cotton candy...Yum. I love Fair fare! (Notice there are no pictures of this activity. Mainly because we were all too busy savoring every calorie filled bite!)

Sixth, we're off to the Rodeo! Owen has watched a bit of bull riding on t.v., so this activity was eagerly anticipated. We got there early so as not to miss a good friend, Marysa Treviso, open the event by singing the National anthem.


And from that moment on it was action packed excitement! This is where the awe of "real cowboys on real horses" enters into our evening.






We stayed for the bronco riding and steer wrestling, but the boys (and their mommy and daddy) were tired out before the bull riders took to the arena.





Our thought: there's always next year...







Until then, we have enough memories (and indigestion) to last throughout the year.

"Butet Head & Doggle Man"

We have a new breed of

superhero's at our house!

Evil-doers BEWARE!



These new hero's are
easily identified by
their unusual choice
in deflective
shielding and armor...




as well as their
minuscule stature.
(there is a height
maximum of 3 ft.)



It is not unusual to catch glimpses of these amazing creatures throughout our home on any given day. It's nice to know I am being watched over and well protected!

Mary's Palateria...

If you are a resident of Abilene, Texas then you will not need to read any further than the title above to understand the sweet goodness of which I will be raving about throughout this post.

Mary's Palateria...


Mmmm...where do I begin?! This little local "hole in the wall" has carved out a special place in the hearts of our family. As you all should know by now, we are ice cream fanatics! And this yum-factory certainly caters to our whims. The ice cream is locally made and delicious, with offerings that range from traditional (strawberry, cookies & cream, butter pecan etc.) to the unique (limon, cheese, mango, etc.). They also offer the most amazing fresh fruit drinks I have ever tasted, with flavors like: lime, strawberry, cantaloupe and watermelon (with real fruit pieces leftover from the juicing process!).

We truly enjoy their scrumptious offerings, but couple them with friendly hometown service and VERY affordable prices and you get an enjoyable family outing that won't break the bank (which, for this growing family, is a treasured find!)

Our latest outing to Mary's was just a few days ago. We loaded up in our car after dinner and together enjoyed satisfying our sweet tooth. Bud and Honey met us there (that's them with the boys in the first photo). I'm sure their main motivation was getting to see their grandkids, but they also find it hard to pass up a yummy treat from Mary's.

September Eleventh

We signed up this year for the Boy Scouts to place an American flag in our yard (and the yard of each of our rental properties) on every national holiday. Today, September 11th, is the first holiday to arrive since we entered into this contract. It was wonderful to open our front door this morning and catch a glimpse of Old Glory gently waving in the brisk wind. A pungent reminder of what our dear country has come through and what we are still faced with today. We are proud to be Americans. To enjoy the many freedoms we so often take for granted. We pray for the health and safety of all the brave men and women who daily put their lives on the line, so we can contently stand in the doorway of our comfortable home,
enjoying the gentle breeze as it blows past a sacred and humbling piece of fabric.


Note: This morning at 9:am when I took my walk the temp. was only 65 degrees!
It wasn't until around 2:pm that it started to warm up.

Just wait until your father gets home!

When daddy arrived home from his "man vacation" this past Saturday (9.8.07) he came bearing gifts for all. He is a very thoughtful gift-giver and each present was hand picked for it's appropriateness. The boys were so glad daddy was home that having daddy give them a surprise on top of all the excitement was almost more than their two little hearts could comprehend!

Owen got a BINGO game and
a John Deere t-shirt...

Owen has learned the value of "big boy" things and was thrilled to have his new BINGO game (we have played it every day since). Also, he absolutely LOVES tractors (and any kind of machinery for that matter), so he proudly accepted his new t-shirt, which I told him he could not wear until after it was washed (I got it washed today, laundry day, he certainly hadn't let me forget that he was waiting "patiently" for it!).

Clay got a wooden xylophone and
his very own Carhart ball cap...

Clay took to his xylophone immediately, what could be better than something you hammer on to make music?! And the hat...well, I know I have mentioned before that Clay does indeed LOVE hats and this is just a further illustration (he has worn it every day since!). I make him take it off for meal times and nap times, but he watches (like a hawk) where I place it and doesn't let me forget he needs it back on his head afterwards.

"Man Vacation"

Zach has just returned from a week long "man vacation" in Colorado. (He left 9.2.07 and returned 9.8.07.) I have been trying to get him to take this time off for about three years now, but the "right time" just hasn't seemed to come around. I think Zach was finally convinced that with a wife, three kids, four rental properties and operating his own business that the "right time" was probably never going to come.

So, with a bit of nudging from me and a lot of encouragement from his dad (a.k.a. Larry/Bud) Zach decided to head off to the Rocky Mountains for a little rest and relaxation. The "agenda" was very simple: Fishing, Camping, Eating and Sleeping. No paperwork, cell phone calls, scheduling, cleaning up other peoples messes or problems! He had strict instructions to spend quality time in the great outdoors!

A close family friend Andrew Avery met up with Zach and accompanied him on this get away, so Andrew is who you will see in most of the pictures. :) They drove Andrew's truck and pulled our camper, I think their campsite looks pretty comfortable!

I am very excited to report that the entire trip was a huge success! Zach is now home and returning to the "real world", but my hope is that his rejuvenating time in the mountains will carry him through until the next "man vacation".

Zach works so hard to provide for our family! He is constantly dealing with stress, pressure, deadlines, etc., so I can stay at home with our precious boys and not only our needs will be met, but many of our wants as well. He has had an unusual year filled with several periods of illness. I could tell that his daily responsibilities were really beginning to wear him down, so to see him revitalized is a huge blessing!

I would like to say THANK YOU to my sweet father-in-law for stepping up and taking over during Zach's absence! This trip would NOT have taken place if it were not for him!

"I taught a BIG Sark!"

Last Saturday night (Labor Day weekend) Owen went on an adventure with Daddy and "Bud". A family friend has a yearly get together on his family's hunting/fishing land and invites father's and sons out to enjoy time together. It is a wonderful event filled with hunting, fishing, exploring and eating in God's beautifully created outdoors! The Knight boys chose to participate in some fishing before enjoying (what I have been told were) some amazing campfire vittles.

Upon their return home Owen proudly announced that he had "taught a BIG sark!" (Translation: Caught a BIG shark!) I always like to give my son the benefit of the doubt, but my better judgment was telling me there was something "fishy" about his BIG "fish story". I immediately looked to Zach for a better explanation of what our oldest son had fished out of a west Texas "tank". Zach chuckled as he helped Owen tell every detail of the "BIG sark" episode. Turns out that a catfish can indeed be easily mistaken for your common shark because of it's smooth skin. He wasn't mistaken about the "BIG" part (if you compare it to the stature of a 2 yr. old), he reeled in this "BIG sark" all by himself...

The story gets even better from there... Owen proudly expressed his braveness through the account of touching (with his own hand) every fish that was caught! Here he is touching the "BIG sark"...


After telling his own "fish story", Owen promptly went into telling about daddy's catch of the day, which he described (while holding his index fingers about 2 inches apart) as an "itty-bitty fish". I looked to Zach for confirmation and Zach sheepishly admitted these were very accurate details. See for yourself...


Zach also admitted that he couldn't even claim he had caught this "itty-bitty fish" because the hook didn't even go into the fish's mouth! The "itty-bitty fish" had just been naively nibbling on Zach's bait when Zach decided to reel in his line. He supposed that he reeled so quickly that the tiny unsuspecting fish was too stunned to let go of the bait and came flying onto the dock! Owen, ever so bravely, touched the scales of the "itty-bitty fish" before it was released back into the "safety" of the tank to be caught another day (hopefully after a growth spurt!)...

Another wonderful memory made and shared by 3 generations of Knight men (Thanks Bud for taking the pictures!). I know the "itty-bitty fish" luring daddy is looking forward to many more outdoor adventures with his very brave, "sark" catching son!

Middle Name Meme

I was tagged by my sweet friend Angela to complete this
Middle Name Meme...
I have never before felt so blessed to have a short
middle name, but I do have 2 N's!

Here are the rules:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

Meagan Anne Knight

A- Alyssa: The name of my older sister (she is 4 years older) & Ashley: The name of my little sister (in-law) :) Delana is the name of my other sis-in-law, but that really has nothing to do with the letter A...

N- Nathan: The name of my older brother (he is 5 years older) & Toby is my younger brother (5 years younger), but once again, not really relevant to this particular letter.

N- Names: As long as we are heading in this direction I will let you know that we indeed have NOT yet chosen a first or middle name for our little "Sweet Bun", but we are 100% sure the last name will be Knight! :)

E- Entertaining: this word can go two ways...1. I love to have people in our home, throw parties and plan events & 2. Simply put, this word describes my every day life as a mom!

I would love to pass this on to:
A- Alyssa @ Our Changing Lives
N- Nathan (& Delana) @ The Gilbert Household
N- MaryKay @ days & Knight's
E- Kelly @ MacDonald's farm