The kids, of course, had a ball. Katie had spent the previous days making decorations for her party, so there were construction paper Bobs and Larrys and cards and letters and even a 6' length of paper chain she had made. The kids loved all of the presents and Sam handled things amazingly well, I thought, being the only one not opening anything.

I said the kids loved the gifts. That's not entirely true. My Mom figured a cowboy can't have too many guns, so she got Joe a new set of cap guns with a holster, a new badge, and 2,000 caps for the guns. (Yeah, you read that right--2.000.) Joe, although possessing an abundance of guns, has never used any with caps before. (I stash them in a drawer and let him use the guns capless -- to cut back on at least a little of the chaos around here.) Well, he was very excited about his new cowboy stuff...

...until I loaded the caps into his gun and fired a few shots. Cowboy Joe quickly transformed into a yellowbellied sissy. He went screaming and crying out of the room and absolutely refused to come back. I finally ordered him to get back in the living room. He slowly peeked around the corner and then promptly disappeared amid sobs upon seeing the gun still in my hand. I should clarify. The gun was dangling loosely upside down between by thumb and index finger. No matter, it was still in my hand and therefore was surely going to go off again. I made Joe come and sit next to me on the couch while I tried to talk some sense into him. I called Mom and Dad to be sure they could share in the joyous moments they had caused. Dad laughed heartily, but then instructed me to remove the caps and give the poor kid the gun. "Tell him he's just a little cowboy now, and when he gets to be a little bit bigger cowboy and he thinks he's ready for them, you can put the caps back in for him." Pitiful. But I just wasn't up to the battle of making him shoot the thing with the caps. Joe's smile quickly returned once he'd heard Granddaddy's instructions. He agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Mom. Then when I'm older--like 15 or something--I'll be ready for the caps." I tried to encourage him that it might not take quite so long, maybe he'd be ready sooner than that. "Yeah. Maybe when I'm 14 like Jacob, hu?" Ha! As tramatized as he was, it may actually take that long after all!!!

Then there's Katie. She got her very first journal from Sister Tammy. She is sooooooo excited! This is what it says so far:

FEB. 13

I HAD A BITHDAY TODAY I HAD CAKE IT WAS A STRAWBERRY CAKE IT WAS GOOD AND VERY SWEET I GOT A NEW BOOK THE TOW NEW BOOKS WERR FOR MY LEAP PAD TOY AND I GOT TO BLOW THE CANDOWLES OWT I TERND 6 TODAY MY BROTHER HAD A BITHDAY TODAY TO HE TERND 5 TODAY AND HE GOT A GUN AND HE IS SCARED OF IT NOW IM GOWING TO BED AND WENN I FALL ASLEEP I WELL DREEM ABOUT WATT I WELL DO TOMOROW AND HAVE FUN GOOD NIGHT

FEB. 14

I WENT TO A VALENTINS PARTY AND HAD A SNAK AND LUNCH THEN I PLAYD GAMES WETH MY NEW FRINS THEN I WENT TO REST AND HAD A DRINK THEN I WENT AND PLAYD GAMES AGEN THEN I HAD ANOETHR SNAK THEN I PLAYD I GOT A NICE BITHDAY CROWN FROM THE LIBREY THEN I WENT HOME AND HAD A NAP I WOKE UP AT 1:00 THEN I HAD DINNER AND A BATH POGOMOS AND I WENT TO BED.

FEB. 15TH

I WENT TO SISTER TAMMY'S HOUSE TODAY AND I WACHT A MOKEY SHOW THE SHOW WAS FUNNY AND THE PAPA GURELU WAS RELY BIG AND STANLEY WAS THE BEST HE IS SKARD OF THINGS HE IS SKARD OF A LITTE BABY CAT HE IS SO FUNNY I LAVE AND LAVE AND LAVE AND THAR AR BAD MEN IN THIS SHOW THAT EYT OTHER PEPLE. GOOD BY.

Ha! Could you die?! My 6 year old is keeping a journal!!! Yes, yes, I know--we've got some serious work to do in the spelling and punctuation departments. Still, it's amazing to me that she's actually doing this! Crazy. And to clarify that last entry, the kids stayed with Sister Tammy yesterday while I went running all over Odessa and Midland (it was sooooooo great!!!) and she let the kids watch Africa Screams--you know, the old black and white Abbott and Costello movie. That's the monkey ("mokey") show she was talking about. Last night Joe went running up to James to tell him all about his day. "We watched a show at Sister Tammy's house with a bunch of bad people who were eek [naked] and wore jewelry and they ate people!" James swung around and said, "What in the world have my kids been watching?!?!?" Ha!

Okay, I gotta get. I've rambled far too long, as usual. I will leave you with a picture of Sam, since he didn't show up in the birthday shots earlier.