The Great Pumpkin Patch

Out here in good old Nebraska there are farms and ranches everywhere you look. Its pretty obvious if you have driven across I-80. Corn and soybeans are pretty typical of what you will see, but there is a special farm just south of Lincoln. In a little town called Roca is a farm that grows alot of strawberries and pumpkins. Twice a year they open to the public. In the spring it's strawberry season, and in the fall it's (you guessed it) pumpkin season.



So last week we headed down south to the pumpkin patch. They really put a good show on. I have only been to the Roca farm in the spring and was very suprised at their fall setup. There is plenty to do for everyone. It is built as a small town for kids to explore and have fun. They have a few haunted houses, to fit the needs of all age groups. A petting zoo, slides and bikes to ride, a life sized game of Candyland, and lets not forget the hayrack ride. This picture of Karli and Teagan was from the hay ride, I think they had fun.



Teagan was so excited when she got home from school with Karli. The first thing she told me, as she jumped around the kitchen, was that we were going to the pumpkin patch. She could hardly wait to get going. Once we were there she wanted to see and do everything. Except the monster mash band, I think the mummy and skeleton freaked her out a little bit.

Her Grammy Schmidt gave her a pair of Halloween pajamas, she loves the shirt so much that she has to wear it every chance she gets.

Teagan with her mini pumpkin.

Happy Halloween everyone.

The End of Summer and a New Bed

It has been a great summer here in Lincoln, but we are glad the hot weather is gone( hopefully). We finished our summer with two birthdays, a trip to Denver, and a new bed for T.K.


Chilling at the train station before Karli's birthday dinner.

Mama opening a few presents.

We spent a week in Denver to attend an old friend's wedding. It was great to spent time with friends, we even got a day game in at Coors Field. Teagan had a great time, we only had to walked around the stadium a couple of times.

When we got home we celebrated Teagan's second birthday. As you can tell her theme was Dora the Explorer. She's quite the Dora fan.

Teagan has never liked to go to bed in her crib, so we made the transition to a big girl bed. People warned us that we should keep her in the crib as long as possible, but Teagan has been ready for a bed for awhile. She loves to snuggle up in the pillow. It has been the best thing for all of us. It is so easy to read a few books, get a kiss, say goodnight, and turn the light off.

What a Beautiful Day

Southeast Nebraska was blessed yesterday with one of those top 10 days of the year. Sunny, 70 degrees, and the most important no wind. Well maybe a little wind, but anything around 5mph is considered awesome. After a rainy week I had the day off and decided not to waste it. After the girls left for school I packed up the belly boat and headed out. I began my day by targeting monster bluegill and crappie, with plenty of success. They are always fun on a light fly rod. The water is still pretty cool, and the bass bite has been fairly slow. So I waited for the day to warm up before I went searching for those 20" Large mouths. So I headed for the west bank and hooked six in 15 minutes. I didn't find that 20", but they were all over 14". The biggest was a fat healthy 18.5". That big beauty bent my 4wt. fly rod straight to the surface of the water. After those fish I headed home, and spent the rest of the day with my favor baby girl. You guessed it we ended up playing outside all afternoon into the evening, 7:30 bedtime was not happening last night. She's paying for it now as she has been napping all afternoon. Got to love those afternoon naps.

Big boy of the day

Happy Mother's Day

To all the moms' out there I want to say, Thank You. Especially to my mom. I would not be half the man I am today if not for you. So here's to the salty veteran, and the new mom of 20 months. Love ya both so much.

Happy Halloween

Its been a great month for us here in Lincoln. The leaves have changed, and the nights have gotten much colder. One bad note, the Cornhuskers suck. Who loses to Iowa St. at home? Anyway here are some pictures of the last month.

We must get some quality time outdoors everyday now thanks to Teagan.

Her first snow suit.

J.J. got married

Now for Teagan's Halloween outfits

One last photo of the post party from J.J.'s wedding

Congratulations J.J.

Congratulations little sis. You guys are going to the State Tournament. Last night J.J.'s Westside team won a hard fought battle against East High, the number 1 seeded team in their district. East had beaten them in their first game of the season back in November. A good game plan and a few determined girls were not going to let that happen again. They came back from a 7 point deficit at halftime, and made their free throws at the end to earn a great victory. Job well done. Good Luck next week. We'll be there cheering you all on. Love ya.

Back To Florida

Wednesday was by far my favorite day. I woke up early grabbed my fishing gear, and headed to Bocca Chica Key. It was only a few short miles north of Key West. I was told to find the old U.S. Highway 1 and fish along the coast. It was a beautiful morning, I watched the sun rise as I put the old fly rod together. I love watching the sun come up over the ocean, its was truly a wonderful sight. I spent the next few hours wading the coast in search of anything that had some fins and a tail. Truth be told I didn't find much, but the experience was awesome all the same.

That afternoon we made plans to take a boat ride off the coast of Key West to some mangrove islands to do some kayaking and snorkeling. I was a little worried going on this excursion with a 5 month old, but was reassured if anything did happen we would race back to shore. As we left the key we were accompanied by a couple of dolphins, a rare sight from my understanding, Karli loved it. The first part of the trip was a guided kayak tour around a mangrove island. I stayed on board and feed Teagan while everyone else went on the tour. From what I was told it was a very interesting trip. The water is only 6 maybe 8 feet deep at its deepest, so you can see everything. They saw everything from nurse sharks to live conchs. After that we went snorkeling through a protected reef. The water was pretty chilly, but we swam around for 45-50 minutes. It was amazing. So many different species of fish to find as well as one nurse shark, an eel, huge lobsters, a couple of stingrays, and a disgusting sea cucumber. As the sun started to set we packed up and sailed for home. What a day, watched the sun rise on the flats and watched it set on the deck of a sailboat, what a beautiful day.

Thursday was yet another lazy relaxing day. We drove about an hour north to one of the few beaches in the keys. The beach was in the Bahia Honda State Park. This was Teagan's first time in the ocean, and she didn't like it at all. It was a great beach, but there was one small problem with it. There were Portuguese Man of War all over. I even got stung once taking Karli and Teagan's picture. Fortunately most of them were dead on the shore. After that we headed home, and then went out for diner.

Friday after the cold front came in and the rains left, we headed out to do some more sightseeing. Karli and I had not seen the southern most point yet so we had to do that first. It was nice, now I can say I've been there. Only 90 miles from Cuba. Then it was off to Hemingway's house. That guy had the life. Up every morning at 6 write until lunch or 600 words whatever came first. Then out to fish until sunset. Then out to his favorite watering hole. When he would eventually stumble home by way of the lighthouse located across the street from his house. This lighthouse was the main reason for purchasing his lovely home. I guess came in handy on a few occasions. The property was home to,if memory serves 43 cats. They are all descendants of a cat one of Hemingway's sons brought home, Snowball. Snowball had 6 toes. A 6 toed cat was good luck on a ship, so Hemingway kept and bread him. The new owners of the house have kept the tradition going, producing a few 6 toed cats on the way. The next day was spent traveling, and flying home. Another spectacular performance by Teagan. Can't wait to go back, just as long as there is more fishing involved.

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