Squirrels 3, Valentines 0

We wanted to end the year with a "bang" (the bang of a gun that is) & cook up some squirrel stew but once again, the squirrels got the memo & were in hiding when we arrived at Bull Creek Huntin' ground on New Years Eve morning.  One major difference for this trip is that we actually SAW one, one measly little squirrel running about.  In the past two years we have not even laid eyes upon them. We were beginning to think they were like Australian Drop Bears but were proven wrong when we saw one race up a tree.  I would like to thank Robby for naming this blog post on our way home from the hunt. He said, "Well, Squirrels 3, Valentines 0....but we know where you live!"

Charlotte was beyond excited for our trip as we really talked it up for the few days leading up to the big hunt.  We took a trip out to Bass Pro to get some camo shirts for the girls.  There were all sorts of girly looking half camo/half Bambi looking shirts with matching pink hats etc.  I was quite impressed that Char went straight for the classic camo Bass Pro hat & insisted that Elo have one too.  Daddy quickly obliged & we were soon at the checkout with camo shirts & hats for all three Valentine ladies.  We remembered last year that Charlotte jumped right into a puddle upon exiting the truck & soaked her shoes & pants so we decided to get some boots one pair size 8 & one pair size 10. I was in charge of getting the girls dressed before leaving while Rob loaded the car. Those stylish girls wanted to wear their skinny jeans & Charlotte could not leave the house without her necklaces on.  When it was time to put on the new boots I wrestled Eloise into a choke hold ; ) & got boots on her. She proceeded to walk all over the house falling every 5 steps. We started thinking, oh no, this is not going to go well on uneven muddy terrain! I heard Charlotte in the other room having a complete melt down as she tried to put on her boots. She could only get one on so I tried my hardest to get the other one on her foot but it wouldn't budge. I glanced at the bottom & saw an "8." Oops, wrong shoes on the wrong girl! So I took Elo's off, put the other pair on her & gave Char the ones that came off of Elo's feet. Eloise continued to fall & Charlotte continued to thrash on the floor. I was beginning to think I was not up for an outing with them.  I then sat down with Charlotte & grabbed both shoes & looked at the bottom. What do you know, one size 8 & one size 10! No wonder she was so frustrated & Eloise couldn't stay standing for more than 30 seconds! Chalk it up to one giant placenta brain. I got every foot in the right boot as I thought about doubling the amount of boots to put on in two more years. I was already tired just thinking about it! We made it through breakfast at Panera & to the hunting ground without any more crying.

Here are the littlest squirrel hunters or "sweel" hunters as Charlotte says.

Charlotte, who will be 3 & a half next week was in charge of looking for "sweels" through the binoculars.  Once we were out on the land she got to ride unstrapped which she loved.  Robby was saying things like "Charlotte, I need you to keep your eyes open" & "Be on the look out" which we had to further explain.  She would reply "Why? Why do I need to keep my eyes open?" & then close them & say "Look my eyes are closed!" Funny girl.  As most three year olds do, Charlotte loved having an important job & she took it very seriously. Char made us giggle every time she said "be-knock-ee-yahs." She was also good at reminding her noisy sister that we needed to be quiet so we don't scare the "sweels." 

And precious little Eloise, she just loves the great outdoors.  We parked, Rob & Char took off down a trail while Eloise & I picked a spot in the leaves to sit & play since my goal was to walk as little as possible. She was a collector of rocks & sticks.  Every time I turned around she had a mouth full of dirt...that's my girl! When you tell her to be quiet she puts her finger up to her mouth & says "shhh" & then she screams a loud shrill scream just for kicks.  Another reason we didn't see too many fluffy tails! This poor child had to wear the same diaper for about 6 hours straight since I forgot the bag I packed for the girls.  You can imagine how wet she was by the end. Thankfully that was all that was in there ; ) 

The two real hunters watching the only squirrel we saw.

This might be my favorite picture of the day. Eloise was SO happy to ride up high on that handsome hubby of mine. 

Charlotte was forced to walk alongside when she was denied her request of riding on my shoulders. I honestly can't even remember the last time I picked her up so a shoulder ride was completely out of the question!

We went over to Billy Lake which is our favorite lunch spot.  We ate in the back of the truck & looked out in the water for alligators while Charlotte gave us the usual warning that goes like this..."We have to be sooo careful or the crocodiles will scratch us & bite us!" She says the same thing about bears : ) It also doesn't matter how many times you tell her that alligators live in Florida, not crocodiles.

Lunch at 10:30 is always good for preventing grumpiness in all parties.  This area happened to be SUPER muddy.  Char was jumping over a puddle & did a belly flop into the mud. It coated her hands, shirt & jeans. She stood up & looked at us, we looked at her expecting another major freak out, & she kind of laughed. Wow! Look who is growing up!  She definitely wanted to be cleaned up quickly but there were no tears! Rob dipped the girls boots in the lake & then gave them a ride back to the truck before me moved onto our next game trail. 

Here I am will all my kiddos stacked on one another ; ) I have not held Eloise like this at all due to the vast amount of pressure it puts on my belly but I couldn't resist because it is the perfect spot for her. I just love Charlotte's smile in this picture too....nothing fake about it! 

We found a nice area to walk through off the last game trail we stopped at. There was a huge tree that had fallen down so the girls crawled right onto it, straddled like a "ho-see" & stayed put for a good 10 minutes while I rested. Charlotte was still searching for animals through the binoculars while Eloise was pointing & identifying the trees, grass & anything else she could name. 

We managed to get a mommy & daddy picture before loading up.  I have been so thankful for this man in the past couple weeks as we suffered the loss of a dog & are still riding that emotional roller coaster of weekly doctor appointments. He is steady, trusting in the Lord & encouraging me to do the same. He is patient, caring for the girls (who have been increasingly more challenging) while I rest. He is open & honest, leading us through some deep conversations as we have felt sad & joyful some times in the same moment.  He is present, being near to us, laughing, guiding, loving & protecting just as he promised to do over 8 years ago.  Praise the Lord for capturing this man's heart & making him who is is today. I am excited to see him raise some Valentine boys!

It was a great squirrel hunt for many reasons one of which is that we didn't get a squirrel.  I'm not sure it would have been the best time to experience the death of another animal : ) Charlotte is processing a lot right now! I can guarantee that if the lack of squirrels is due to our noise level, we can be sure that we won't see one for at least another 5 years.

I will end with a funny story.  I'm a little jealous of how easy it is for guys to "go potty" out in the woods.  Thanks to my current state, it was impossible to hold it until we could get back to an actual restroom so I just went for it.  Charlotte heard me say something to Robby about how hard it was to assume correct positioning with a giant pregnant belly & started asking "What did you do mommy?" I told her that I went potty & left it at that.  That wasn't enough for her ; ) I had to explain further, she was grinning & then asked if she could go potty in the woods too.  I said "sure, let's give it a try." She squatted & stood up & squatted & stood up about 5 times & then said she didn't have to go.  We hopped back in the truck & headed home. On the way she said, "Hey Mommy, when we get home I think I will just go tee-tee in the grass okay? Me & Bella can go tee-tee together." Hahaha....this girl was made for the outdoors!

Squirrel Hunt- January 2012
Squirrel Hunt- 2011