Memorial Day Weekend: Shooting

I had promised Julie a long, long time ago that Derek would take her shooting and we were running out of time. Several members of our family and friends express their second amendment rights, so she has been eager to give it a try! Derek loaded up his guns (yes, plural... did you read that crazy internet stalker dude!? Don't mess with this house.) and we headed out in to the middle of nowhere to spend the afternoons shooting. If it gives you any idea of how far in the middle of nowhere we were, Jackson was counting barns to pass the time.

Here are some pics!

She's excited!

 

Introduction to Gun Safety 101

Getting the gun ready to shoot

BAM! Julie was awesome. She shot the three targets all in a row and then did it again so we could get it on video! 

I also got all of my targets in a row! And then I called it a day.

Mom and Dad both shot too.

 "Cover your ears Jackson!" ... and this is what he did.

Julie also got to shoot the AK47, which she got the target on the first try from 70 yards! 

And lastly, the rifle

This is the Pepsi can she demolished! (also a little snake, but that was gross so I didn't take a picture)

We all had a good time. Who knew Julie was going to be such a good shot?? Don't want to get in a gun fight with her!

Memorial Day Weekend: Camping

Our Memorial Day weekend was jammed packed full of fun! So much fun, and so many pictures that I have to divide it into a few different posts. Tonight's post will be about camping!!

First, we had to put up the tent! 

Jackson was the crew leader

Hhmm.... that's not quite how it works! 

Once he figured it out how the poles, he was a big help!

 There was a big fallen down tree behind out campsite so Jackson and I went to climb and explore!

Grammy stopped by and here and Jackson went "fishing" in the puddles of water.

It's a nifty fishing rod, isn't it?

Julie found this awesome stick. First, we chuckled because it looked like the middle finger. And then she thought it looked like an L, and then she figured it could be used as a nose picker too! It was used as a Derek-poker once too... before he snapped it! Ugh!

Jackson "helped" with dinner... by helped, I mean, made more work for me, but he got to be involved.

Aunt Laura visited too!

Roasting marshmallows 

Jackson likes his well done!

 Belle enjoyed chillin' in her little area! She loves the outdoors.

Two goofballs

Hanging out by the fire!

Jackson LOVED his headlamp!

He got super hyper with it on. His face may not look all that rambunctious, but check out the sock in the air. He was throwing it around the tent.

Julie enjoyed some nice Belle cuddles by the fire.

The next morning, we woke up to find that the raccoons enjoyed all of our capri suns. They opened the cooler, took them out, and left them scattered all around. But hey, at least they closed the lid!

Jackson was a big help when it was time to pack up!

And he helped load up the car!

Jackson seemed to enjoy himself. If you were to ask you about camping he would mention that we built a fire, had hot dogs and marshmallows, and that he shared a bed with Julie. He really enjoyed being outside and having the freedom to roam. Belle did really well too! We had a pack-and-play type thing, but she ended up in the bed with us. Jackson woke up with the sun, like 6:15ish, and talked non-stop for like thirty minutes until we all got up because we'd given up on getting any more sleep. 

We had a great time camping. The weather was cool, but that beats super hot any day. I would like to have been able to stay longer, but the scheduling just didn't work. Hopefully we will be able to take another trip sometime this summer!

They loved her first

Well, Julie flew home yesterday. Doesn't it seem like she just got here!? The good-bye was pretty teary, but I managed myself pretty well... Until I came home at the end of the day to an empty house. Ugh. It's been awful! I've been in a complete bummed out mood for the past two day; it's almost as bad (if not worse) than a bad breakup. If I had my way, I would spend the next week on the couch watching the Gilmore Girls eating chocolate ice cream!! It doesn't help that Derek is on active duty this week. Not just because it makes me extra lonely, but there's no one to tell me to stop eating fudge pops.

I am forcing myself to think happy thoughts, so I am sharing some of my favorite pics from the past year.

Jackson is wearing Julie's basketball uniform and shoes!

I stole this next pic from her mom's facebook page, but it was too cute not to share! Look how happy her dad is to see her. This has taken the sting away a little bit. She's back with her family and they have missed her so much! Seriously, do you just feel the happiness from this picture?!?!

This has been a ridiculously busy time. Like, too busy to blog! *GASP* So many updates coming soon, once Derek manages to put the keys back on my laptop. Yes, again. I get bonus points for making this blog post happen with half of my letters missing.

We are off to St. Louis tomorrow for my nephew's second birthday! It's also our 5th wedding anniversary tomorrow, but Derek's got a date with the army, so I will just celebrate with our cute little third anniversary present!

The past two weeks

Camping. Firearms. Packing. Library activities. Royals Baseball. Birthday parties. Going away party. More packing. Late night movies. Doctor visits. Vacation Bible School. A week of Active Duty. Surprise project for Julie. Updates (and pictures) coming soon!

Julie flies out tomorrow. :(

Two little Monkeys

Two very clean (and very cute) little monkeys at that!