Barrett's Lullaby

When Barrett was a baby he had recurring ear infections. To be honest, I think it was one big one that never when away. He was on one antibiotic after the other and never seemed to get rid of fluid in his ears. This led to two sets of tubes and removing his adenoids.
He had this one set of footie pajamas with a matching blanket that were always my favorite. I think I went and bought the next size up when he grew out of the first set. They were blue and said "Little Buckaroo" on the breast. I think I like them so much because whenever he was fussy or not feeling well Bobby would say, "Go to sleep my little buckaroo, what's wrong with you?" as he held Barrett.
His phrase stuck in my mind and eventually led to writing Barrett's lullaby. I was asked to include the lyrics which are written below.

Go to sleep my little buckaroo.
May the western breeze be your lullaby.
And the lone coyote will serenade you,
as you dream 'neath a Texas sky.

Dream of Longhorns and yellow roses.
Dream of Mockingbirds and their songs.
Dream of the Alamo and your forefathers.
Who gave their lives to call Texas home.

A mother's prayers linger over you.
A mother's arms hold you tight.
Without a care, my little buckaroo,
Dream your dreams through the Texas night.

Our family is so steeped in Texas heritage and her history. My family's blood was spilled at the Alamo. Bobby's ancestor manned one of the Twin Sisters at San Jacinto. Through the combined history of our families Barrett, Prescott, and Patty can lay claim to being related to heroes, horse thieves, dirt farmers and millionaires. And it has all happened right here in the Lone Star State. I wrote the song as a nod to our heritage, that our children might not forget.

A side note about the lullaby. It does have a pretty and lilting tune. (If only I still played an instrument) For as pretty as it is, and the meaning behind it, Barrett is not a fan. He refuses to sit still and will talk through the whole thing. He loves songs at bedtime and will listen to this one...only if I skip the first line, "Go to sleep"

Finger Painting

Boy Style

A DAY AT THE BEACH

It was not quite warm enough to swim but we had a blast today at Galveston! A few years ago we spent a day playing on a portion of a beach where the concrete foundation of a once beach house held lots (and LOTS) of crab. We tried but couldn't find that spot again. Maybe next time. We went to one of the pocket parks and spent the afternoon collecting shells and playing in the sand. Barrett decided his mission at the beach was to do as much "diggering" as he could.

Prescott and Patty hunted for shells and found some really pretty pieces. Bobby found three pieces of a broken sand dollar that made the whole. Isn't that supposed to be good luck? Patty found a hermit crab who wasn't much of a hermit. He kept lunging out of his shell and snapping at Patty's fingers. We decided he might be better off back in the water if he couldn't play nicely with others.

When it was finally time to go home, Barrett had to be carried off the beach. (If you know Barrett, this comes as no surprise.) We were packed up and heading for the car; Barrett waved goodbye to us all, said, "I love you," and continued digging. He actually ran to a sympathetic couple in effort to stay out of reach of Mommy. Luckily the couple found the whole thing very funny. The good news is, I managed a decent work out from the whole thing. It turns out carrying a 40 pound boy up hill while he alternates going limp and struggling desperately to escape is good cardio.
This little adventure was a nice change of pace and a nice way to spend time together. So often we forget somewhere between homework and little league practice just how fast children grow up. What a nice little escape from the daily routine to stop and appreciate the people our kids are turning into.

Our Life...gone to the dogs...

So as most of you know...we have dogs....lots of dogs. No really, we have three labs but trust me...they can seem to multiply! We have two silver labs, Deuce and Lula, and a charcoal lab named Dixie.

Here is Deuce at training with the awesome Bryan Lee. Then there's Lula watching Barrett (off camera) in the park, and Dixie...well...doing what Dixie does...holding down the floor.

They are fun to have around and they are all really wonderful with the kids. Lou (Lula) is Barrett's buddy. She's the most aggressive of the three when it comes to dog to dog dealings but she's a mother hen when it comes to Barrett. When she's inside she and Rhett are either playing chase back and forth through the house or she can be found on the floor wherever he might happen to be, watching him play.

Lou's built on the more delicate side, Dixie is tall and big but can be picky about eating. Deuce is scheduled to be between 90 - 100 lbs and has never met a bowl (of anything) he didn't like. The amount of dog food we go through would send some into palpitations but we take it all in stride.

Deuce has been in retrieval training for a month now. We tried to time things so he would "miss" the girls when they went into season since we weren't ready for puppies. Hopefully in another six months we'll be ready to welcome babies into the house.

Our First Entry

Welcome to the Lentz cyber home! We hope this will serve as a way to keep all of the people we love up to date on all of the craziness that goes on within the four walls of our home.

Barrett and I were lucky enough to spend time with cousins Alexis, and Morgan, and Aunt Romi at the zoo last week. We all had a great time. Alexis is four and, bless her heart, has been passed up already by big Barrett. I'm afraid of what the pictures will look like 10 years from now! He followed her around like a puppy and still talks about brushing the goats with Alexis daily. Morgan was a little under the weather but was a real champ about being carted around. And, come on, how can you not love that face!

The difference in four and two is amazing! Barrett might be sturdier than his cousin but he is definitely still two. I have to remind myself of that and needed reminding by Antsy recently. (I really needed to hear it from someone else!) Although he looks older, he isn't. Expecting more than he's capable of giving is a recipe for disappointment and frustration. I can sit here now and type it out calmly because my little boy is sleeping like an angel upstairs. Ask me about it tomorrow when he hasn't napped....yet again....and you'll probably hear a different version.

He is growing fast, shedding the last remnants of baby and running headlong into the years of a rough and tumble little boy. We recently moved to a "big boy bed." Mommy held on to the containment of the baby bed as long as possible. We've also started potty training. We're by no means 100 percent but a pull up can last all day now. Today was actually a big milestone in the life of any male. Barrett discovered the joys of peeing outside. I think I'll leave the rest to your imagination. I'll just say there was a lot of giggling involved and playing with the waterhose outside has taken on a whole new meaning.