Lately

Cowboy Cowen and baby Eli. They look nothing alike. Amazing. Eli and Miriam, however, look very much alike. Genetics are so much more fascinating when it relates to your own children.

It's okay, Eli!! I promise he's not going to drop you. I know. I was there.

Yesterday (Tues), was a great day. Cowen and I went on a lengthy outing while Lindsay Ann watched my other three children (thanks Lindsay Ann!). First we went and had Cowen's pics taken at Target. That went fabulously. Cowen cooperated and smiled some really natural smiles. Yeah. Then we shopped for cowboy gear. Basically, Cowen only wears long pants with belt loops for his belt and long-sleeved shirts--preferably those with buttons or snaps. He's my only child with clothes preferences, but there's no point in trying to dissuade him. The boy likes to wear what he likes to wear.

This is one of his new outfits. He's wearing size 5 jeans. FIVE!! He looks too big. I protest. Besides that, he's wearing slim (nobody looking at Cowen in real life would think he would wear slim jeans) which makes finding jeans for him much more difficult than it otherwise would be. Have regular jeans gotten wider or somehting?

Regardless of my own inner angst about shopping and my son getting way too big, I do have to admit he looks pretty darn cute.

After Target we went to JCPenney to try and find some church clothes (the boy grew like crazy over the summer and his church clothes were getting a bit iffy). The lady there was super nice and scrounged around in the back for a white shirt. That's one nice thing about Cowen being so big--at least it is easier to find white church shirts.

Then we ate at Red Robin, which was super fun. There is a full-size carousel horse in one corner of the restaurant, so I made sure we sat there. Then, right behind us was a large picture of John Wayne with one hand on his pistol and the other holding onto a rifle. Cowen was ecstatic. Also on the wall was a picture of a playing card king, with the head at both ends of the card. Cowen was convinced that this was the rightful owner and rider of the carousel horse and he spent most of his lunch figuring out how a man with a head at both ends rides a horse. That's a real quandary, right there.

Cowen also spent his lunch hour charming the waitress. Every time she brought us anything, Cowen would say "thank you" or "thanks" in that cute speech-challenged way he has. When we left she said that he was the most "precious" child she'd ever served in the restaurant. Yes, yes--he's hard to resist.

After Red Robin we went to Payless for church shoes and then Reams for a snap-up shirt, which we didn't get because they are outrageously priced. Sorry Cowboy.

I think Cowen had a good time, despite the fact that all we did was shop. That's definitely a let-down when greater things are anticipated. When I first told him I was taking him on a date, he said, "To buy me a horse?"

No, son, but I'm glad you know how to dream big.

Miriam and Cowen's melted crayon art.

The weed garden. Grr.

In other news, on Monday I went to Mom's and we bottled chicken. So now I have a little meat in my food storage that won't go bad if the electricity goes out. I have no idea when I will use such an item, but it somehow makes me feel good knowing it's there. On Monday night we had a "wrestle with dad" FHE, so that's what we did for an hour--wrestled with dad. It was pretty awesome--even when Timothy got carried away and tried to tickle me.