Cowboy Jake.

So, lately I've had a cowboy livin' in my house. When Jake was about 2 years old, I bought him a pair of black cowboy boots (as all good Texan moms would do- yes, KP, Nathanael should get his too). He wore those boots eeevvverywhere. I have video of him, with his stubby little legs crammed in these boots, a diaper and a Longhorns tshirt. It would make any redneck's heart melt into a puddle. He outgrew the boots, and soon we were on to a Superman fixation. That lasted about 2 years. That is a LONG time for a phase that involved having to pin a cape onto his outfit EVERY day. Also, he was Superman for Halloween two years in a row, but who's counting. ANYWAY.. fast foward to Christmas 2007. Jake is now 8 years old and Papa decides to buy him his first real cowboy hat (as pictured on the blog). He was so proud, and he still tells everyone that it's a man's size because his head is so big. I guess, for guys even at age 8, there is a need to just feel like a big dude. Well, I thought the hat was great. He even wore it proudly for a few months to friends' houses, errands.. and yes, even the gym a couple of times. Then the hat went on the shelf. Fast foward to....late March. Jake and I got invited to a rodeo birthday party.. a REAL rodeo. Obviously, the hat came back out.. this time, boots were bought (because "mom, cowboys don't wear tennis shoes to rodeos") and a lovely belt with a big, silver buckle. He was totally "cowboy'd up" for this event. He watched the rodeo, threw horseshoes, ate "meat" and kicked dirt and rocks around for the entire day. And let me tell ya, the inner cowboy swagger came out and never left (well, only when the boots and hat are on).

For the last month, he wants to wear the boots to school (except on P.E. day, of course) and church.. and any other place he feels like "cowboys are accepted." He continues to ask me all the ways he can show his "Texas Hospitality"to people in this "great state of Texas." He asks to eat "meat" (and only meat- oh, bread is okay too)..although, I've snuck in a couple of healthy foods and told him "hey, this is what cowboys eat" to get him to try some stuff.. yes, it has worked. The Cowboy Force is with me. AND.. he has decided we need to live on a ranch where he can build a barn. He scoffs at suburban/urban living every corner we pass that doesn't have a horse on it (which is pretty much the entire town) except maybe two corners. It's actually quite adorable; however, he may have to be an urban cowboy for awhile! So, we'll see how long this phase lasts.. so far, I've raised a T-REX (hehe, remember that one?), a Superman, a Darth Vader, an Obi Wan Kenobi (Stars Wars lasted awhile), a pirate, a Harry Potter, an Indiana Jones, a Spiderman, and any kind of explorer you can think of.. God love a boy with an imagination. Now, I've got my cowboy.

Treasure for the Week: My boy, diagnosed with dyslexia at age 6, reads for hours a week..he actually competes in the reading competitions at school! The after school teacher told me "hey, your kid is so cool.. he always has his nose in a book." How Good is Our God.