Caramel Lake, Skateboarding and Haircuts

Lots of info this week. Going all the way back to the 4th of July (or the weekend following it)...We went to the lakehouse at Possum Kingdom when the water had a unique tinge to it. Most people love going to certain beaches b/c of how blue the water is. Possum Kingdom temps passers by with it's own siren call. For anyone that loves caramel, this lake is for you. With all of the recent downpours here in Texas, all of the orange sand has been washed down from the mountains into the lake turning it that silky hue. It didn't stop the kids from having a great time though. Dad took Jackson up to the lake the Monday before the 4th so we just had Ellie and Cooper and the lack of fighting between Ellie and Jackson made the house seem like a monk sanctuary. It was quite nice. And to follow-up from last week's posting, no eyes were shot out with the bb gun. I did bring it home and plan to thin out the "giant black bird" population in and around my backyard.

Hello cutie patootie! Ellie got the haircut she's been wanting for a very long time. In the picture above you can see her with her cousin and idol, Kennedy. Kennedy got her haircut short like this last year and Ellie has been asking us to get hers done like ever since. Now she has another reason to dress up, come downstairs and stand on her "stage" in front of the fireplace and do spins for us.

Meanwhile, Marmie and Pa-paw (Kiley's mom and step-dad for those out-of-town readers) came in town this weekend and they got Jackson a spiderman skateboard! Too cool. It took me back to my first two years of high school when I had long hair i draped over my eyes while riding around with my friends in neighborhoods being built looking for new pools with no water for us to thrash in. Independent trucks and Slimeball Wheels. No posers allowed!

Jackson put on the helmet, wrist pads, elbow pads and knee pads that came with the board then got on it only to have it shoot out from underneath him. He cried for a few moments then got up with a look on his face that a sheriff would get if he found out that Stink-Eye McGrall was back in town even though he told him to never show his face 'round these parts again. All the while Jackson was steaming off ripping pads off one by one leaving a trail of safety in his tracks. We finally got him back out there and riding it again and he enjoyed it. Even the falling part. I noticed that the wheels didn't turn very quickly so I broke out the WD-40 and gave the bearing a few squirts then noticed rust coming out of them. Hollis (pa-paw) pointed out that it was probably from the salt water it was exposed to while on the boat that came over from China where it was made. Then we chuckled at the expense of a bunch of chinamen in a small village that are paid very little to make cheap skateboards.

Also - for those keeping count, I've seen Transformers 3 times now.