Longview vs North Little Rock and 3 weekends of some family fun

I have been trying to think of what to blog about..because all of this just seems normal. Then again, the entire blog is about our normal! So this post is not super exciting...but it is what we have been doing the past three weeks.  A whole lot of runs, wagon rides, short hikes, grilling, fort making, and playing. Kind of like a permanent camping vacation in the "country." I know what you are thinking..but you live your life on a permanent camping vacation... well the past few weeks have felt even more this way!

We went to the football game I mentioned in my last post. Let me just say it was HOT! The cool front had not made its way here yet. I think wrestling a 13 month old adds a whole new level to the sweating aspect of sitting in the stands watching a sporting event. It really raises the level of sweat! HA! No really, thank goodness we were able to move over a seat  because the person beside me was out of control.... Wyatt did really well during the game after we stripped him down to a onesie. He will actually pay attention to the commotion on the field and flirt with anyone around us. We decided after half time to move up to the top so he could sleep in the stroller. He never went to sleep, but it was nice to have a little airflow. We had a lot of fun at the game and had plans to go to a different towns homecoming football game next week. 

Sunday we spent some time at the park..even went down the slide for the first time! Daniel is all about letting his boy go for it!

The next Friday, the football game didn't happen. The sky opened up and we decided while on our way to duck out of the game. Wyatt also had (to this day) his best meltdown ever! HA! He will love me for that someday! Part of the meltdown could have been because we discovered that night that his feet had grown in a week and none of his shoes fit. So on Saturday we set out to find him a few pairs of shoes. This was the first time we had actually been shoe shopping for him. Um.. yeah that wasn't easy at all. Boy shoes are soooo hard to get on! In the past I had just picked up a pair here and there,  roughly knew what size he wore, and we always got lucky! Lesson learned on not letting him run out of shoes! HA!

This was also Daniel's birthday weekend. I had tentatively planned a camping trip but, with all the rain we decided against it. We grilled a nice dinner at home, hiked on Sunday, made and played with homemade play-dough for the first time, and camped in the living room. FYI**I will stick to buying the Play-Dough unless the kind you cook is easier than I think. I made the no cook kind and it was a little sticky. Wyatt had fun regardless. Daniel liked his birthday presents and was a happy camper with a few new Houndstooth shirts and a Hogs and Horns canvas! Happy Birthday Daniel! I love you!

The kiddo has also developed a love for playing with his cars. He loves to sit on the floor, push them around, and make a va-room noise. We think it is adorable! We celebrated another month passed on the 21st.  14 months! Can't believe it! He loves to feed himself and is talking all the time. He is also copying us in almost everything we do and tries to on what we say. We better be careful now! HA!

14 months!

 Last weekend, Wyatt wasn't feeling well.  We ended up at the doctors office on Monday. (After the fun task of finding a new doctor from the move.) We waited entirely to long (as in hours) and ultimately left with a virus and possible ear infection. He is feeling much better...but this week was a little tough on mama! I have said it before and I will say it again...I am not sure how all you other mama's do it with more than one sick kiddo. Bless you and your hard work!

Daniel has been hard at work trying to finish this class ahead of schedule. So far so good and I think he will be done this weekend. I am so proud of him in regards to his last class. Ahead of the game and great feedback from his mentor!!! Go Daniel Go! I truly admire him for going back after all these years..married, kiddo, working. He has inspired several of his friends to seriously think about going back to school regardless of the degree.  A few have even made the jump! I know this makes him proud and determined!   

We have a busy weekend! Can't wait to blog all about it!

The post you have been waiting on....

Ok get ready...we have been keeping the roads warm!

In August, we made the drive over to Oklahoma, to jump Hershey in the Claremore 2010 Dog Expo. My parents came up to cheer on their grand-dog and watch her win! Hershey placed 1^st and 2^nd in the Dock Dogs Big Air Junior Division with an ultimate best jump of 14,5”. She moved up this competition from the Novice to the Junior Division based on her distance. We are proud parents! We also met Melisse and her dog Yaska (both are amazing) a Malamute, the breed that won overall at the CynoSport World Championship last year. Team Yaska went all the way to win 1st place at the Dock Dogs Nationals. I know we will be seeing more of them at dock diving events in the future. We had a great weekend, are so glad we were able to see my parents, and get another win!! A summer of dock practice at the lake paid off!

The next week we dropped off our babies with R and R and headed to the airport to begin our vacation in Cabo! Jill and Jason were there to greet us at the resort when we arrived. We had an amazing week with a lot of relaxing on the beach, by the pool, making new friends, and catching up . The guys went deep sea fishing and caught 2 huge Marlins. They had a great time and still talk about it.

The resort, friends, and the fishing trip

Jill and Jay

The resort had an amazing view however, up close the landscape was outstanding. We all rented jet skis and went over to Lovers Beach, the Arch to see the sea lions, Lands End, and to view the Pacific Ocean side.

Jet ski's, Sea Lion up close, Lands End

Daniel and I also went zip lining at Wild Canyon and had a blast! It was quite intense with a lot of hiking and was totally different than any other zip lining I had done. I would totally do it again, but this place was the real deal!
We had an amazing trip and already want to go back. Jill and Jason thank you so much for asking us to take a trip with you...we loved every second of it!!! We are so lucky to have friends like you!

After a relaxing week we headed back on Saturday to pick up our babies from R and R’s. We stayed the rest of the weekend to hang out because we had not seen them in a while.

The babies "look" so sweet...

Before we left we decided to make our vacation a combo Anniversary and Daniel's birthday trip..but I couldn't let his birthday go by without a little celebration. A few days after we got home it was time to celebrate. Dinner was low key with chicken and dumpling followed by a fabulous cheesecake. It was the perfect end to an amazing trip! Happy Birthday D I love you!

We made another trip out the lake for one last fun weekend however,it was so cold and rainy we didn't even get in the water! So, we enjoyed it by visiting with the neighbors, catching up on some reading, and watching movies.

The next weekend packed up for Dallas to dog sit for R and R. We were also able to see my parents, Ben, Ann, and Connor as well as my grandparents. It was a busy visit but we had a blast!

Daniel and I were finally able to make it to the Texas Sate Fair! We have been talking about going for 5 years and have been out of state the last few. I do have to say its much bigger than any other state fair I have attended. We had a great time, but were exhausted within a few short hours. We went on a Baylor game weekend and it was packed! I still don't know how all the parents with little kids do it and last all day. I think that might be too much for me! HA! I am so glad we went and we want to try and make it back next year..just not on a game weekend!

Big Tex, Ferris Wheel, and the strip

Early October we headed to Austin for Aaron and Gretchen’s baby shower. Both of us were excited to be close enough that we were able to drive down for the weekend. We were pleasantly surprised as we got to see many friends that went to school with Daniel and most we had not seen since we started traveling. We used to see them all time when we lived in Austin. We are so happy for Gretchen and Aaron. They had little Leo a few weeks ago and from what Aaron tells Daniel having a newborn in the house is easy! While in town, were also able to see Daniel's family as well as Ben, Ann, and Connor. Daniel's mom had everyone over for a barbecue and we got in some good family time. Michelle also had little Jacob a few weeks ago and from the pictures he is a cutie! We stopped by Ben and Ann's house to hug on Connor and make a video for my parents. We enjoyed our trip and are happy we decided to head to Austin for the weekend.

The next weekend we headed back to Dallas for a memorial service for my grandfather. He had been sick for a while and as sad as loosing a family member is, we all know he had a good full life. The memorial service was very nice, my mother did a great job giving the eulogy, as well as my brother saying words. The house was packed for a reception at my grandmothers and that is exactly what she needed. We all know she has a great group of friends to surround her with love and support.

My dad and KoKo got some fun play time outside with Connor. Daniel also has a new buddy, Connor was helping him write a paper for school.

November 3 was our 3rd Anniversary (you know when I was supposed to blog HA!) Well this year was leather and apparently..two great minds think alike! ;) I again ordered the cake topper and as every year something happens. This year they made our chocolate chocolate cake, vanilla. The lady came out and said "How does this look, dear?" My response laughing" Um..well I think its supposed to be chocolate." She nearly died and ran into the back and 15 minutes later came out with the perfect topper! I thought it was funny and came home to get ready for dinner. So long story short blah, blah, blah, we come home from dinner and the precious babies had eaten the entire thing!!!!!!!!!! They were so excited to see us! I bet all jacked up on sugar..silly dogs! We could not believe they did not make a mess and we almost did not notice the cake box on the floor. Needless to say we were not happy! We still love them but geesh! Happy Anniversary Daniel here is to 57 more.. we'll be a young 88 and 94 ;)Lets see what else...I flew to AR to visit with the family before Thanksgiving. While in town I was able to attend little Jaxton's first birthday party and visit with several dear friends. Andrea did amazing job on the decorations, food, everything! Thank you guys for inviting me! Jaxton and Ashlynn are so cute and enjoyed visiting with everyone at the party!

Trips to AR are always packed and there are so many people we want to see. I was able to get together with Andrea, Shannon, Jennifer as well as, many family friends. Love you ladies and hope we can make it back soon so we can do it again!

Ben and Ann came in early in the week while the rest of the family arrived on Wednesday. Poor Daniel worked, drove in, and then had school work to do that night. We had a great Thanksgiving with both my dad and mom's family. This was the first year to have both sides together and we enjoyed getting to see everyone at once.

While in town, we helped my parents put up a few Christmas decorations as ours are in storage.(Daniel was just certain we would be back to Austin before the holidays..silly D) My dad and Daniel also made a trip to the preserve to quail hunt. They had a great time and I am glad they were able to go before we left town. This year Christmas shopping has been a task as I started out on behind the 8 ball. I have been frantically trying to get all the shopping done and at this moment I am 99.9% finished. That makes me happy! The Christmas cards are coming as well...I am waiting for them to arrive so I can send them out. Wowza someone needs to get on the ball! HA!

We also recently nailed down our next rotation. We are traveling to Oregon! From what I can tell the town is in a valley so it doesn't get super cold or super hot! We shall see! One big plus..lots of snowboarding resorts within an hour drive! ;) Daniel starts his rotation on January 19 so we will be heading out early on the 15th. Its a 3 day drive and obviously we have no room for issues...Please keep your fingers crossed!

Finally I guess I need to add the reason I have been neglecting the blog, shopping, etc. I have been a little "under the weather." Right around Thanksgiving my migraines came back full force and have been present almost every other day. Guess what?!? We are having little nugget in July! Yesterday (12-21-10) we had our first doctors appointment, everything is going great, and baby is growing on track. I will say I was not prepared for the migraine increase nor the actual unknown by doctors as far as migraines go with expectant mothers. I am actually further along than we previously thought and currently almost 11 weeks! So as my mom said today "Wow you are almost a third of the way done!" I responded "Wow, um... well yea I guess I am!" I don't know what I expected yesterday, but I really wasn't expecting to see a little baby on the screen or hear a heartbeat. So yes we are adding a little nugget to our full-time lifestyle of traveling on the road craziness! I think we are going to have many many stories of raising a baby on the road but its an adventure we are ready to tackle. We could not be more excited to share this news! I also have to add, I was overwhelmed with joy by all the comments and nice words we have heard from everyone! Thank you so much!!
I hope this post finds all of our friends and family in good health, good spirits, and living life to the fullest. Please leave a comment to let us know how you are doing. We miss talking to everyone!!!

We hope each of you has a safe and Merry Christmas!
Many Many Hugs!!!

Daniel and Melissa

Where does time go and why yes we DO have an award winning dog ;)

Where does time go? I mean seriously!?! It seems just like yesterday we were on our way to Omaha and I was carving a pumpkin for Halloween. The scenery this year is nothing like corn stalks, scarecrows, and pumpkins of last year! ;) Get ready for lots of pictures! We have been keeping up our normal schedule of traveling. Sine the last post we have been to the lake house, white water rafting, Dock Diving, made it through a hail storm to name a few.

We miss being close to the water so we headed to the lake house for Labor Day weekend. Jill and Jason were able to meet us and we loved being able to catch up with them! We don't get to see our friends often so when we do we treasure our time! We had an absolute blast, visited with the neightbors, played in the lake, and are so glad we made the dirve! J and J we miss you guys already!
The next weekend we stayed in EP and as always kept busy. One night we went to a local hang out to listen to Daniels co-workers band and they continued to impress. That same weekend Hershey became our award winning Dock Diving Dog! She was the 2nd place winner at the 2009 El Paso Dog Swim Splash Dog Jumping Contest. Yes folks it was a proud moment with her 12 foot jump! ;)
The next week was Daniel's birthday. On his actual birthday I made breakfast, healthy "cupcakes" and we went to dinner at his favorite-Texas Roadhouse. He got a lot of Longhorn Burnt Orange (my eyes, my eyes) and had a great birthday! I love you Daniel!
The next weekend I surprised Daniel (for his birthday) with a whitewater rafting trip in NM on the Rio Grande River. I had been whitewater rafting before but this was Daniel's first time. It was so much fun and a definite must for anyone in the area! Our amazing friends Laura, Anthony, and little Babs invited us to stay with them. They have a beautiful house in Albuquerque and were amazing hosts. We can't wait to come back!


Saturday after whitewater rafting we headed back to Albuquerque along the way we stopped at a winery to get Laura a special treat of handmade chocolates. The four of us had dinner at a local yummy restaurant and then ended the night watching the AR (what is the deal with our HOGS?) and TX games at the lively restaurant Saggios. Our doggies had a great time with Babs!! I still can't get over how much Chance and Babs look alike!


As luck would have it the New Mexico State Fair was hosting Dock Dogs this year. We decided early in the week to enter Hershey on Sunday. We were pretty confident due to her performance the weekend before in EP and we had spent the entire Labor Day weekend and all summer watching her jump off the dock! She didn't disappoint although this particular dock made her hesitate a little. We are working on a new technique in hope that she will continue to increase in distance off the dock. Drumroll..Hershey did it again! Second place Big Air, Dock Dogs in her division at the New Mexico Sate Fair! We were so proud of her. I am sure you can't tell by all the pictures!





Actual jump

We walked around the fair and rode a crazy ride that almost made Daniel well you know ;) We saw the farm animals, cars, tigers, and everything that happens at a state fair. I realized very quickly I had not been to a fair in several years.





Before leaving we had dinner at an amazing steak house and then hit the road. Laura and Anthony, thank you guys so much we had a wonderful time!!We can't wait to come back and hang out again! Get ready for the winter!

Last night we meet Freddy (who was in Livingston with us) for dinner while he is traveling through to his next location. We had a great time seeing you Freddy and hope we can catch up again soon!

Over the past few weeks I have decided at times I like being an adult and then other times I do not. Last week we experienced a major hail storm (70mph winds combined with golf ball size and larger) and found ourselves with both vehicles un-drivable as the front windows were completely busted out. This was not the first time I have endured hail damage this is just the first time it has affected everything in our lives. Our fifth wheel even has extensive damage with skylights busted through, all the exterior lights missing, etc. My vehicle was declared a complete loss so we are going to try the one car family for a few months. Apparently the hail was so bad the body shops are saying the cars look like they have been hit with machine guns. We are waiting to get our truck back and then in few weeks our 5th wheel goes in for repairs. Another hotel for us!

During all the hail excitement Daniel's rotation got extended until Jan! We are so excited to be here through the holidays as the thought of looking for a new location with a fifth wheel in the shop is stress we don't need!
Through all of the hail adventure I took a few days off of training for the 3 Day Walk but I am now back on schedule and can't believe it is coming up soon!

We miss all of you and hope things are going great with each of you!
Love Daniel and Melissa

PS I am dealing with a bad headache today so please disregard horrific grammar usage or misspellings. ;(