Oh SHOOT!

*Okay, so I’ve had this blog post sitting as a draft for the last three days, I think it’s finally time to finish it up, don’t you?!

Here are a few before and after pictures for you before I get to the meat of this post.

             BEFORE                                         AFTER

                                           BEFORE                                            AFTERI have so much fun playing around in Photoshop and finally getting some pictures that I am semi in love. Although the ‘afters’ aren’t professional by any means, I actually kind of like them. I mean it’s all about personal taste

It was Easter weekend this past weekend and that meant a ‘trip’ back home. Who doesn’t enjoy those?! It had been quite a while since we had gone home (well Ayden and I that is) and stayed over night at Jay’s parent’s house. What can I say, it’s definitely been a busy semester around here and the time just seems to fly by!

The weekends aren’t any less busy, especially when we go home. Our hours are pretty booked up while we are home and there isn’t much room to deviate from the original plan, although Jay tends to find time to do that here and there. This weekend was no exception. We were up and going at 8am Saturday morning for Ayden’s first soccer game of the season and moving and grooving until we got home at 8:30pm Sunday night. We live the ‘on the go’ life while we are gone.

Overall, it was a good weekend. We thought that Ayden’s first soccer game might be cancelled because it was raining slightly on Saturday morning, but they still had it. Ayden did good, although I think that he needs to be a little more aggressive with the ball. The Y offers skills practice on Monday nights and I think that we may try and hit a few of those up because I think he could benefit from those, and they are free so that is always good!

Ayden had another first this week (me as well) and that is shooting a gun. Jay’s brother, Steven, had his pellet gun out and Jay thought it might be a good idea for Ayden to try it out, especially since he is going to be try out a bb gun this summer at his cub scouts camp. Either way, I think my six year old is WAY too young to be shooting a gun, but if he was going to try it anyways, I couldn’t pass up a good photo op, right?!

Here are just a few pictures of Jay helping Ayden with the pellet gun.Jay telling Ayden all about the different parts of the gun (I got the same ‘lecture’ before I shot it). And no, neither of them are wearing ear protection, although I do have to say that a pellet gun does not have much noise associated with it so I wasn’t too worried. Yes, I know, I’m a bad future audiologist.

Ayden had SO much fun shooting at the little squirrel target that he didn’t want to stop to come in and eat supper. UGH! What has my future hubby turned my precious six year old into. (Apparently we teach them how to shoot young here in Wisconsin?!) Anyways, there was never a point where Ayden held the gun by himself or was by himself shooting it. Jay was ALWAYS sitting right next to him helping him hold the gun and teaching him about gun safety. (Sidenote: I do not plan on letting my precious Ayden shoot anything other than this for a LONG time and we had a LONG talk with him about gun safety.) It was a fun thing for him to do at this age WITH his daddy.

I did shoot the pellet gun like twice and hit the tiny squirrel once, but not in the center so it didn’t fall over. Boo! After the boys were done playing with the little gun, it was time to move on to the big guns. I had told Jay a few weeks ago that I had wanted to shoot a gun at least once just to say that I had done it. Little did I know that he would get so excited about it and want me to do it right away.

Jay’s brother had two 20 gauge shells left for his shot gun and they both thought that that one would probably not kick me back on my butt with the recoil and that I should start out with that one. Okie dokie, if you say so! We got some clay pigeons out, went out into the field and had at it. I have to say that it was quite the experience and I would like to try it again at some point (although probably not anytime soon). It definitely recoiled into the shoulder pretty good and was super loud. Naughty future audiologist again wearing no ear protection! But it wasn’t for lack of looking! Jay and his brother scoured the house for some ear plugs and couldn’t find any. And unfortunately I didn’t have any in my purse. I did only shoot it twice, but its no excuse, I know.

Here is a picture of me after I took my two shots (and I missed the clay pigeon each time, although Jay said I was close on the second one). At least I can say I did it now, right?!It was nice to get my camera out again after a while. I hadn’t had it out in probably over a month so I enjoyed it. That and I got to get it out the next day as well for my mom’s Mother’s Day gift. Here is one of the pictures from that outing (obviously I didn’t take it because I’m in it) and my lover boy has that stupid scrunched up look on his face, ugh! Oh well, I really like how it turned out!Okay, time to post this before I get sidetracked again and leave it as a draft for another umpteen days.

CIAO! LOVE ME!