My Little Squires

During our time in Dallas we have had the opportunity to visit some local attractions we otherwise would not have a chance to visit. After our afternoon at the Fort Worth Stockyards we headed to some nice air conditioned supper at Medieval Times. The boys were super excited to watch some real Knights in action.

Visiting Old Fort Worth, TX

So on Saturday we decided to do some adventuring in the area we are currently calling "home" for a couple of weeks. We loaded up the boys and headed to the Fort Worth Stockyards to take in some cowboys, BBQ and a cow or two.

From where we parked we ended up walking across the "cat walk" over the old stalls/pens of the stockyards...it appears that they have not been in real use for some time now. Once to the other side we were great with some Texas Longhorns....including one that was saddled up and looking for some buckaroos to climb on up.

Branson, MO

So on our way to Texas for J's training we decided to stop overnight on Saturday in Branson Missouri for a mini vacation. We got up and loaded early so we could be down to the Dixie Stampede by 1:30, so that we could walk the barn to see the horses and also to watch the pre-show entertainment.

Unfortunately I was unable to get any pictures during this stop of our adventures, but found plenty on the Internet if you would like more information on this attraction 

During the show they serve you a meal...to eat sans utensils. Yes, including a whole chicken to tear apart with your bare hands. I would say the flaky apple turnover is the best part personally. During the show they transition into several different vignettes of old time lifestyles. Meanwhile the whole show it is a battle between the North and the South, but at the end we are reminded that we are united under one flag once more.

 After watching the afternoon show we decided to hit up an arcade/track that was super close to our hotel. J and the older two boys raced while N napped and also got a quick game of laser tag in before he woke up...I worked on my Skee Ball skills...not too bad if I say so myself ;)

Head On Up

Today we will tour the upstairs layout of the O4/O5 4 bedroom (2263 sq feet) in Shilo West that we were offered at Scott AFB. Yesterday you got to see the lower level and yard space of the house, today we head upstairs. But before we do I would like to say how nice this housing area is and how friendly those that we have ran into are. We are truly blessed that we are once again moving into such new and nice housing that will more then accommodate our family. When we received orders to Scott we really looked into buying or renting off base, but after considering some of the convenience of living on base and being able to move right in we decided to give on base a try first.

So head on up the stairs and start the tour ;)

House Sneak Peak-First Floor

So at the end of June we got an email from the Scott AFB privatized housing offering us a house. During our PCS/leave we drove to Scott and dropped off the trailer and my van before renting a pull camper from Outdoor Recreation (holy crazy good deal!!) and then heading up to MN. We had the chance to swing by the house that they said could be ours...however, after talking to them once more we found out that it would not fit into our timeline with the training J would be doing in Dallas.

Up North Fourth

So after spending time down in southern Minnesota it was time to take the trip north to see J's side of the family. The boys always have fun building with Grandma's collection of Lego's, apparently hers are super cool ;)

On the fourth we went out to a local lake, Cedar Lake, that has a wonderful beach. A nice sandy, shallow, bath water warm, and non-sea weedy lake. Lots of people had the same idea, but there was more then enough water to go around ;)

It had been two years since the cousins all had the chance to play together, but they got along just fine.

Really didn't take too many pictures, we were just to busy enjoying spending some time with family.

Fantastic Pre-Fourth

So during our PCS we squeezed in some leave to visit family in Minnesota. First up we pulled into my parents farm to spend some quality time with my parents, siblings, nephews/niece, and even some extended family. I helped my mom send out invites to her side of the family for a Saturday family reunion. Her side of the family has spread like wild flowers across the US, and we were able to have some as far as Florida and Missouri swing through that we haven't seen in years...like 15+ years.

Some of the cousins all grown up.

The kids beat the heat having a water fight.

Had fun running around on four wheelers. dirt bikes and go carts....which by the way, why didn't we have cool stuff to play with when we were growing up?

We cooled off with punch slush, doctored up for the adults ;)

We stayed cool (well as cool as 90+ can really be) in the shade and playing Kubb.

The kids jumped on the trampoline all day and long into the night....creating a wonderful light show.

The "big" boys also put on a show of their own for us to watch.

After the big stuff was done we broke out the sparklers for the little ones.

It proved to be a fun day, which usually ends the same way every year...with everyone exhausted and even sleeping in (maybe) the next morning.

Challenger Soccer Camp 2012

So one of the last events we participated in before leaving Travis AFB was the Challenger Soccer camp. This is M's 4th year attending and N was even old enough to participate with his big brothers this year.

Meeting the coaches and going over the week activities. There were only two coaches this year and 35+ kids, the coaches had their hands full, but managed it just fine. We were blessed to spend a little extra time with the two coaches since our good friends were hosting N's coach at their house. We took them to tour the KC10, went to the base pool, and helped put together a BBQ/bonfire to show them some true American past times.

N's camp went from 9-1030 during the 5 day camp.

J and M's camp lasted from 9-12 for the five days.

I love this picture of J, trying so hard to be brave when the ball is coming straight for his face.

On Friday at the very end they announced that M's team had won the "World Cup", it was his first year being on the winning team.

My little soccer stars with their coaches.

Now go hit the showers boys!