Hunting and then some...

I just realized that our Ranch blog has turned into Jones' blog!  So lets change it up a bit:)

We had our first large group of hunter's come out this week for a very successful hunt!  11 to be exact plus 5 guides.  All the guys were great, very nice and a pleasure to be around!  We hope they come back!  I was very busy cooking and catering to them and got in on some of the action!  Kristen came down to stay with us to tend to Jones while I was back and forth from our house and the lodge.  I just assumed I would make breakfast at a certain time, be done, cook dinner at a certain time and be done.  It didn't quite go that way.  I started breakfast each morning around 9:30. A few hunters would come in want breakfast then head out to see their animals being cleaned and meat being packed in their coolers.  Another group would come in, I would cook for them, they would head out to see their animal being cleaned and meat being packed in their coolers, then the guides would come in wanting to eat.  Then I would have to clean up and sometime in the middle of all that I would have to run home and feed Jones. I would get home about 12:30, feed Jones, head to the lodge to do laundry, head home to feed Jones, chill out for an hour and head back over to the lodge to start dinner at 7:30, head home at 8:30, feed Jones and put him to bed, head back to lodge to feed round one of hunters at 9:15, feed another group at 10:00 and finally sit down with the guides at about 10:30 to eat, clean the kitchen, set out donuts, cereals, bowls etc, for early hunters in the morning, home at 12:30, bed by 1:00! Then somewhere in the middle of all that taking pictures..Whooo, I am tired!

All the hunters were very impressed with all the facilities and all the guides did a great job!  At the end of the hunt they were pros at cleaning an animal!

All the guys had exciting hunts and meat packed in their coolers to last a year!

They were supposed to stay till Sunday but got everything they came to get and left yesterday (Friday) We were exhausted yesterday and was in bed by 9.  This has not ever happened! Ever!  It was so nice!

 I definitely spent more time at the lodge helping than I planned on but had a great time.  I couldn't have done all this without Kristen!  Jones had a great time with her and whined anytime she left the room!  He even gave her a couple of explosions up his back that she had to change! lol.  He has been looking around the house for her today and even crawling to her room a couple of times:(

All-in-all it was a great few days at O Bar Ranch!

I am left now with 17 sets of sheets to wash, 17 beds to make, a lodge to clean, upstairs and down, and a house of my own to clean that I have neglected this week.  All this can wait till Monday!

Not so normal day....

Today has been a weird day.  We got home a couple of days ago from our 3rd trip in 1 month to Texas.  It's always nice to go in and visit and see everybody but always nice to come back home.  We were out and about alot in Texas and I needed something to get J's attention when he would get fussy.  I downloaded a baby Einstein app on my phone and he LOVES it!

When we pulled up to our house Jones squealed he was so excited.  When we came inside he started staring and pointing at all his toys and grunting.  It usually takes a good week to get things back on schedule and rest up from the long travel days.  I have been on the verge of exhaustion running around like a chicken with my head cut off plus having to deal with the pain of shingles.....again!  Not fun!  This morning I needed to get a lot of things done.

Clean house

Clean house

Clean house

I went to bed last night dreading today..........

I woke up this morning ready to go!

Got a lot done plus cleaned up a huge poop explosion!

J man got a little stopped up over the past week.  He has had a lot of starches and bread and those do not do a tummy good!  I have nursed and nursed him since we got home and he is all cleaned out now!

We are going to have a busy busy month.  We have our first big group of hunters coming at the end of next month.  Around 13!  Cody has been getting things organized with scheduling and getting things set up on the ranch, etc and I have been trying to get new recipe's together and make a list of all I will need to feed these boys!  J has been helping with the scouting!

I have found several recipes over the last few days and this morning while flipping through the channels I came across a reality TV show about Dallas Elite.......Gimme' a break!  Why do people have to make Texas look so bad......anyways in my annoyance I flipped over to the food network channel to get some more recipes and a new show was on called The Pioneer Woman.  I have heard about her for awhile but never looked her up.  It was refreshing to watch after watching the Texas Elite show....barf!  She is my new go to girl for quick "on the ranch" recipe's to feed an army!  Love her!

8 months

Sweet Baby Jones, where has the time gone?

You will be 8 months tomorrow.  We will be in the car all day traveling back to East Texas

You are effortlessly happy all day long

You have to much to see and learn, to nap during the day

You sleep 12 hours straight at night

Still loving mommy milk

Your favorite food is squash and potatoes only the the homemade fresh stuff:)

You love your sippy cup with water, although you prefer to chew on it more than drink from it

You have 6 teeth and I can feel 2 more working there way....slow down!

You would prefer to chew on mommy's Iphone and Daddy's TV remote over all your beautiful colorful toys

You never meet a stranger. 

You want to take off and crawl so bad.  Somedays I think you can but you prefer to tease us

You say DaDa all day long.  I say to say momma and you laugh.  I think you said, "No" one day!

Your sleeping in your crib now.  I think you miss sleeping in your bassinet but enjoy the new freedom of a lot more room now!

You are very hot natured like your daddy

You 'talk' all day long.  Im sure you know exactly what you're saying..I don't:)

18 days....

We just got home from an 18 day world wind.  It seemed like we were gone a lot longer than that.  It is amazing how dirty your house can get when your away and Cody even did all the laundry and the dishes before I got home!  We drove about 1800 miles, only one breakdown( from Jones) and he had a good reason.  We had a busy, fun filled 3 weeks which included:  Wylie, Edgewood, Van, San Antonio, back to Van, Edgewood then Wylie, Dallas, Allen and Frisco!  We had lunch with old friends, cousins we have never met, Aunts I haven't seen in forever!  I have found my new love......IKEA and Chuy's!  I met up with a few of my old OG friends at the new IKEA in Frisco and it was AWESOME!  There I realized I need to get a new GPS CD for my car because roads weren't even showing up.  We did lots of shopping!  Stopped in Gainsville at the outlets on our way in and on our way out!  Made a pit stop at the Terrell outlets with Grammy!  and hit up a few children stores in Ardmore,OK waiting for Cody to meet back up with us for the ride home!  and found JBear two stinker shirts while in Texas!!!!

Went swimming and LOVED it!

Got to feed a mini horse!......almost got bit by a mini horse:)

Tried to talk Jackson into liking Jones....Sadie is sold!

Played in Nannie and Daddo's sprinklers

Hung out with my favorite cousin Hannah!

Uncle josh and Jones got to help Cody at the Expo in SA!

Jones somehow managed to pick up his daddy's and friends old school gang sign!

When I got home I cleaned out Jones' closet.  Everything he had was either way small or the stuff that fit was winter clothes.  I took everything off hangers and put in storage bins and hung up all the clothes he racked up while we were gone and now his closet is full again.....little stinker! 
Since we were away from Cody 90% of our getaway, we were on the phone a lot.  I said Daddy to Jones about a million times and Cody talked to him on the phone a million times.  By the end of our trip Jones was saying DaDa!  He missed him so much!

It was so good to get back.  Still trying to get the house in order and cleaned.  Our room looks so empty now. We moved Jones into his room on Monday night.  I finally just moved everything out of our room.  His rocker, pack n' play, put up his bassinet, humidifier and all his goodies to his room. He was way more ready than me.  He did really good, better than me.  When I first put him in his crib I think he was a little shocked that this was not what usually happens and started crying and was bright eyed and didn't want to go back down.  I let him swing for a little bit till he got drowsy and tried again.  It only took 3 tries and he was out!  The next night 2 and last night he went down the first time!  Although he woke up at 4:45 ready for the day this morning.....No Bueno!  This momma is tired!  The first night he was out of our room I woke up about 20 times and confused on where I was.....and looked at his video monitor about 50 times!  Which is weird because I'm not one of those paranoid moms that constantly worries!

Trying to get ready for round two on Tuesday.........

It has been so easy traveling with Jones because he had been sleeping in a bassinet that fold up easy and was very light to carry.  Now I'm gonna have to tote his HUGE pack n' play with us.  I was not thinking when I registered for that gigantchuwon of a thing!  I might need to invest in a smaller one and sale this one!