Interesting Story from our Local Newspaper

California man on eight-year journey to raise money for children’s causes

WEATHERFORD — A cowboy on horseback riding down the street isn’t all that unusual in Weatherford, Texas. When he’s from Chico, Calif., and he’s 7,000 miles into an eight-year journey, that’s a different story.Meet Ezra Cooley, a 28-year-old former entrepreneur who two years ago sold his business, packed up and hit the trail to raise money for children’s causes.“It was just what I was led to do,” Cooley said Tuesday during his trek through Weatherford. “I knew I wanted to help children. I visited with my dad about it, and the rest of my family, and they supported it, so here I am.”Here indeed. Ezra started his journey in April 2006, negotiating the snowfall of the Sierra Mountains near his home in California to head east ... to New York City. He rode his 7-year-old Arabian, Red, into New York last May, roped the Merrill Lynch bull on Wall Street, then rode down to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan,“I stayed with the New York City police department’s mounted squad,” Cooley said. “They were very nice and very helpful.”He’s traveled more than 7,000 miles in the past two years, and his current trek brought him from Missouri through Oklahoma and into Texas at Wichita Falls. He’s been staying with a friend, Jonathan Bartox, at his place between Weatherford and Mineral Wells during Easter.Now he’s headed to Fort Worth and Dallas, where there will be press conferences, meetings with Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) officials and appearances to make. It’s all in the name of calling attention to the need for donations to CMN.

Fun Day :)

Noah has loved Thomas the Tank Engine for a couple of years now! So this year we decided to take him to the Day Out with Thomas that came to Grapevine, TX. He got to ride on a train being supposedly pulled by Thomas. He was unbelievably excited. I mean majorly!!

We got our tickets 3 weeks ago in the mail and I gave him the ticket stub receipt (he thought it was the actual ticket). He has since then been sleeping with it under his pillow. Over the course of the 3 weeks he brought me the ticket several times to find out if it was getting closer. So Friday night I went to check on him before going to bed myself. It was so sweet he was asleep while holding onto his ticket. How sweet is that? Then Saturday morning we got up to get ready and go for our 9:15am train ride. He wouldn't even put his ticket down to get ready cause he didn't want to loose it.

Then afterwards we went to Chuck E Cheese and the Great American Cookie store! What more could a kid ask for? Noah said it was the best day of his life! He is so dramatic ... just like me!

HAPPY EASTER

We had a great Easter weekend. Yesterday the high was around 70 with sunny skies! It was a pretty day and we went to a community egg hunt at the Middle School. I told Noah it was a race and he took it very literal. When they called for the 4 year olds to hit the field he took of running. It was the funniest thing! He ended up getting 52 eggs by himself!!!

Noah not so happy about waiting his turn. Ethan in awe! Now Noah much happier...
Brotherly Love???
Poor Ethan - Don't worry he will get him back!

Today was much colder with a high only 56 and very windy. So we did a quick egg hunt in the backyard. We dyed eggs and hid them. It was wierd my mom not being here cause usually we do Easter at my moms. So it was my first time to boil & dye the eggs. I was surprised that our eggs did turn out good!! This morning we celebrated Easter by giving the kids blessing baskets and talking about the fact that Jesus is ALIVE! We went to the sunrise service at church which was really great. Noah came out of class with a craft. It had an Angel behind a stone that was proclaiming Jesus is Alive. I moved the stone and asked Noah what is the Angel saying. His reply, "Peek A Boo". I am not sure he got the point of the lesson!

We enjoyed Easter and enjoyed celebrating Jesus. I hope you guys did too.

Boys & Their TONKA Toys!!!

Noah & the Drilling Rig

Today we rode with Jason out to the job site to meet up with my dad for some work stuff!!! Anyways - Noah after several years of wanting too, got to "work" on the pipeline with PawPaw! He had so much fun which you can tell just by looking at his face in these pics!

PawPaw Mike, Noah & Ethan

Video of PawPaw & Noah working so hard!!

Will This Lunch End & Whose Kid Is This?

So, today after church we decided to go get some lunch at La Playa Maya (a Mexican rest. here in town). Sounded like a peaceful nice lunch right? Wrong! Noah was in a "I'm 4 and I will do what I want when I want" mood. He wanted Dominoes instead and had decided to be very adamant about his choice. We get to the restaurant, order our food, and the behavior problems begin. He acted terrible - one of those days when you just want to get done so you go!

He wouldn't drink his lemonade so we got him something else. Then the food came and he wouldn't eat it. He is an extremely ticky eater and doesn't like meat except chicken nuggets. So I ordered him a cheese taco and on a normal day - he would have ate it. Obviously today was not a normal day cause instead he decided to throw a fit. He went to the bathroom twice with Jason for a talk. It didn't help he still wouldn't eat and decided to just sit there and pout. Then for no reason and still to my surprise stuffed a napkin in his mouth. My thought is what in the world and who are you? What happened to my sweet little Noah? Then the lady sitting beside us looked at me and smiled as if she was saying, "I feel your pain". I said to her people warn you about terrible 2's but that isn't true it is more like terrible 4's! Somewhere around 3-4 they become their own little person with their own opinions and their own stubbornness to see those plans prevail!

We finally finished our meal and headed home. In the car we were driving back and I was talking to Noah about his behavior. He was explaining that the reason he acted like that was because he wanted to go to Dominoes instead. So I explained to him that in a family you don't always get your way and sometimes you have to do what the other people in the family want to do. I said in the end Mommy & Daddy are the boss and you are not. He said in a surprised voice, "I am not the boss?" I said no you are not and he said, "but I want to be the boss!" Jason & I tried hard not to laugh at his revelation. Jason then told him when he starts paying the bills he can be the boss! So then I realized...we sounded old...like parents or something!!!!

Anyways I am glad to report he did have great behavior the rest of the day. Thank you God for answered prayers and sanity!

Last Sunday 80 degrees --- today SNOW!!!!

Well, last Sunday it was between 75-80 degrees with bad thunderstorms that night. Then Monday night it snowed. We probably got about 1/2 inch - 1 inch. Then today it surprised everybody and snowed ALOT! It was so pretty coming down. It snowed probably 3-4 inches. Some of the snowflakes were the size of a quarter --- literally. I have never seen that much snow so quickly. Today was a nice surprise!!!

Yesterday I checked the weather --- they weren't saying anything about snow. Then last night they were saying a chance of snow but no accumulation. Then this morning they said it would snow tonight and 2-3 inches were possible. Then at 11am it started snowing so I checked again and they said 3-5 inches were possible. So it was a surprise to everyone!!!

God gave us a SNOW DAY and --- we played! We built a snowman, had a snowball fight, Noah made snow angels, and Noah & Jason slid down the hill in our backyard on an inflatable! We also drank hot chocolate to complete the perfect snow day :)

Ethan's Toy Box

We finally got Ethan a toy box (actually we got Noah a bigger one and gave Noah's old one to Ethan!) You wouldn't think he would really need one at 9 months old, but he does because he has a lot of Noah's old toys. So here he is very excited about his new toy box and checking out all the toys he didn't know he had! Now his closet is a very happening place!!!

Friends come to visit!!!

Friends --- My best friend Sandi Thrash and her mom (Pam) and her daughter (Mari Krista) came to visit from Union, MS for almost a week. We had an incredible time and did a lot of girlie things! Pam is a beautician so we got haircuts in my back yard and she fixed my hair everyday! I was looking good :) !! Jason even kept all the kids one day so we could go to Fort Worth and get massages & pedicures! So we definitely had a girlie week despite my two boys!!!

Noah did ask me one time why Mari Krista wore Princess dresses all the time. I told him because she needed a cowboy to come rescue her and he was the cowboy!!! Boys are sooo different!

We also took the kids one day to the historic stockyard district in Fort Worth where they saw a cattle drive of Texas Longhorns. They loved it and we did too!

Great trip --- I miss you guys already and I am ready for you to come back!