When Griffin was not quite a year old, I used a photographer out of West Plains for Easter pictures/cards because she was the daughter of a co-worker of mine at the cooperative. She had also taken maternity photos, and newborn pics for Griffin. Flash forward to crazy life with then 1 and now 2 children, we never drove to WP for pics, and instead got connected with Jamie Moore in Mtn. Grove which worked out great. I missed her Easter mini sessions this year, but when Mindy posted that she had a slot or 2 left I decided it was meant to be. These bunnies were a lot of fun. Cooper picked the big-eyed, kind of crazy one but he wrangled it just fine. The fluffy one that Griffin had was pretty calm. The boys loved holding them.
You never know how these are going to turn out. This needed posted regardless so that everyone can see what an angel of a teacher looks like. Griffin is quite a handful at times, so I was pretty nervous about his Kindergarten year. Mrs. Darter is a veteran teacher though and Griffin has really had a great experience with her. We are huge fans. I got an email from her this week: "It has been a pleasure to have Griffin in my class this year. He's a special young man and you should be very proud of him!" We certainly are!
This year was Griffin's very first Youth Season for spring turkeys. He and his Dad have put so much time and effort into being prepared. They've target practiced, they have scouted, they've worked on blinds, they've even sat in the hallway and practiced moving around slowly and aiming his shotgun. Turkey hunting is hard and Drew did not want him to have any shortcuts to make him think it was a sure deal. He's an anti-participation trophy kind of guy, and I respect that. Griffin laid all of his clothes out on Friday night, and because of that "he needed to sleep in our bed". Also, because he needed to be woken up early.
It was somewhere in the 5 o'clock hour Saturday morning when I heard them. Griffin was talking so loud and sounded like he had been up for hours. Very chipper, and not his normal zombie self before school. I laughed and got out of bed to get this photo of the mighty hunters.
There was a trace of snow on the ground, and Drew said it would be very surprising if the birds moved much. Despite the 20 degree temps, Griffin wanted to go. He made it a good 3 hours before needing a break. They came home, had a good breakfast, and went back to it. Besides a whispering problem, Griffin did really good. Drew was very impressed with him actually. They saw some turkeys but nothing close enough to take a shot. Sunday came and they went out again. Drew let Griffin decide whether he wanted to go or not, no pressure at all. The morning hunt was cut short due to Griffin feeling sick. They came home and got a nap in with a couple of lazy hours around the house. Cooper was also very puny that day, so he and I spent most of it in bed. The most exciting part came while I was making dinner. Drew sent me this picture with the caption, "about to get exciting".
It was a long wait and I was very anxious. Finally, 30 minutes later I got this picture.
I have never been happier or more proud of anything involving the death of an animal. I think Drew's heart was probably about to burst with pride. It was a really exciting hunt that led to Griffin having to get on Drew's lap, on his own knees across Drew's legs, and while Drew sat sideways, Griffin lined the gun up and had to take the shot all on his own. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. So much sport involved, so many good lessons about perseverance and working hard to achieve something. There are shortcuts that can be taken during youth season to ensure a kill, but they did not do any of them.
And Pa was very proud........
Little brother said "That's cool!"
It was a very special weekend! One to be remembered forever.
The Kindergarten class performed the "Three Piggy Opera" this week. I was able to attend the 10am showing and knew a little about what to expect that evening.
Drew and I are not showboaty type of people. We were blessed with a son who loves the spotlight. I'm proud of him, and it does not change our love in the slightest BUT these embarrassing moments that keep piling up make me a little nervous about what we might experience as he gets older! We knew he had a part, and I had heard him singing some of these songs around the house in the weeks leading up to the concert. Especially one night when I gave him a piggy back ride to bed and he sang, "Mommy is a big, fat, pig to eat......"
Colton, in the blue polo, is one of Griffin's best friends and is also the principal's son. The other "wolf" is Logan, and his parents had a home built by Eric Gettys right after ours. We've spent time with them outside of school functions and I see his mother quite a bit for PTO events. I hope these boys remain friends throughout their school years. Logan's mom sent me these much nicer quality photos from her camera.
And here are a couple more videos from the multiples times they came up to sing their parts:
We were finally able to do something this Easter that has been happening in our area for years. It's called Carry the Cross, and it consists of 100s of people lining the highways of our county with crosses on Good Friday. The opportunity arose this year just like Jesus from the grave. (That was a joke, but is also true. Just laugh.)
We had blankets, and snuggled because it was so cold. The boys picked up all kinds of random trash and had a good time. Lots of waves, honks, and even train horns. We spent the morning with Briley and Nichole and enjoyed it.
The next day, Aunt Cole dyed eggs with the boys. I'm really slacking in that department. Maybe next year!
We were happy to give Grandma Pat a break and host Easter lunch at our house after church.
Something very special about this year was that Aunt Shiloh came to visit and stayed the night.
