Weekend Ranching

A couple weekends ago we packed up the baby and headed down to Potosi, Missouri to Sayersbrook Bison Ranch.  Sayersbrook is a 1000+ acre ranch (that's over six square miles!) with 1100 bison, a massive lake for fishing and boating, off-road trails for 4-wheelers, obstacle courses for Hummers, a sporting clays station, a shooting training center, a pool, a hot tub, tennis courts and even a hole of golf.  The place is amazing and we are so lucky to call the Sayers family good friends.

   

Ryan and I have been spending summers at the Ranch since we started dating, nearly 10 years ago.  We've spent almost every Fourth of July here, a few New Years Eves, a couple Labor Days and plenty of other random weekends.  This was Mac's first trip to the Ranch and first time meeting his "honorary grandparents," Skip and Connie.  This was also my first time being at the ranch in October and I must say...I have never seen the place looking more spectacular!  The colors were beyond gorgeous, the bison were magnificent and the fish were biting!  All the makings of a perfect fall weekend.

We arrived in Potosi Saturday afternoon.  

Mac went on his first boat ride and got to do a little bass fishing with his dad.

He absolutely loved being out on the water.

However, it was a little too windy for him (and me), so we didn't stay out long.

Plus, it was naptime, so we headed back to the house/lodge and did a little exploring.

On Sunday morning, Mac insisted on paying a visit to the bison.

He drove the truck.

He's a pretty good driver, for someone who can't see over the steering wheel.

After a beautiful drive around the lake, (over the river and) through the woods...we found the bison.
Sayersbrook has over 1,000 bison!  This is just one of the many herds.
If you visit Sayersbrook, you can do a bison "tour" where you meet the herd and even get to feed them.
I've been on the tour and it's worth it.

Sayersbrook also sells bison meat.
Did you know that bison meat has more more protein than beef and less fat than fish or chicken?
And it's GOOOOOOD.

I think bison are pretty magnificent creatures.

I love listening to their grunts and snorts.

They're not stupid lazy cows - they're fast and strong and massive.

Best viewed from afar or from the safety of your vehicle.

Mac wanted to ride one of the bison (the little daredevil that he is) but we told him he had to wait until he could at least walk.  Instead we went back to the lake to do some fishing and chow down on a bison burger (or two or three).

He did a little goofing off with dad.

And some snuggling.

But he really just wanted to flirt with all the pretty girls.

He's such a ham.

Give him a little attention, and he really turns it on!

We call this the "Mac Show."

But of course, the highlight of the trip for Mac was hanging with Cita (or Grandma Connie). 

She has a brand new granddaughter, Josie, that's just a few months younger than Mac.  We all know that these two are going to be best friends growing up. I get so excited thinking about Mac and Josie having wonderful ranching adventures together in the upcoming years.  They are going to get into so much trouble!

Of course the weekend went by way too quickly and before we knew it, it was time to head back home.
Sads.

Thank you Connie and Skip for the wonderful weekend!
Thanks for feeding us and housing us and making us feel like part of the Sayers family.
We love you guys and can't wait to see you again (and meet Baby Josie) in a few weeks!

Baby Mac - 5 Months

Dear Baby Mac,

You are FIVE months old!  Wow.  I'm shocked that it's been FIVE months already - partly because I can't believe you've grown so much in five months and partly because I can't believe I kept a baby alive for five months!  I'm so proud of both of us!  

I wish I could stop time right now and keep you at this age forever.  Five months is an awesome age!  You are so happy and sweet and wonderful.  You're not yet moving around or crawling, so you stay where I put you (although you do roll quite a bit).  You're not yet sitting by yourself, so I get to hold you a lot.  You laugh at everything and think your dad and I are the funniest people alive, which won't last once the novelty wears off because we're not that funny.  You're talking and cooing, but you're not saying anything or asking me "WHY?" a million times a day.  And I know I'll love all of those stages too, there's just something so perfect about this one.  You love attention and usually don't mind being held by other people (although you do look for one of us and keep us in your sights).  You are such a people watcher and love being out and about.  You laugh at anything and everything and your smile is incredibly infectious...you make everyone around you happy.  It's just a magical age.

You are getting SO big these days.  At your four month pediatrician appointment you were just over 14 lbs and were 26 inches long.  That's the 25th percentile in weight and the 90th percentile in length.  Long and lean, my little green bean.  You're almost too long for 3-6 month clothing, although you have plenty of extra fabric around the middle.  But 6-9 month clothing is GIANT on you.  If we could just make the 3-6 month jammies a little longer...I'm tempted to cut holes in the feet so you can get a little more use out of them, but  I  always stop myself ("you might be a redneck if...").  Yeah, we're not going there. We started supplementing with formula this month, and I think it's helped you put on a few more pounds.  Every time I pick you up you're bigger.  In the looks department, I still think you look just like your daddy, which is fine by me because he's crazy handsome.  Your eyes are getting darker, so I think they'll be brown like his.  But your hair (what little you have) is coming in light!  And I absolutely love that!  I can just imagine a little brown-eyed blondie running around our house.  Eeeek!

As I mentioned before, we're doing Baby-Led Weaning with you and are really excited about it.  Your first taste of sweet potatoes did not go over well.  Neither did that little jar of prunes I picked up at Whole Foods.  Mashed potatoes off my plate really weren't your thing either.  I was totally fine with waiting for another month and starting you on real food, but just over the last week you've decided that you're ready NOW.  If it's on my plate, you want it.  So, you've now had carrots, zucchini, tortillas, cucumber slices, spinach, bananas, mangoes, waffles, pears and chicken - all straight off my plate (no more purees).  You love it all!  I think the cucumber slices are your favorite so far - they're like cold cool teething rings to you.  We let you have them whenever you want.  I'm so excited to see what else you'll have over the next month.

As for sleep, well, I guess it could be worse, but there's definitely room for improvement in this department.   You never sleep longer than 5 hours at a time, even though we know you can go longer.  You play hard and usually nap well during the day, so you go to bed rather easily when you're tired (most of the time).  You usually go to bed sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Then you wake up a couple hours later to eat.  You eat around 6-8 ounces and then usually pass right back out.  Then you're up again sometime between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. and need to eat AGAIN.  And after this bottle, you're awake and you  want to play.  We usually put you in your crib and you talk to yourself, squeal, laugh, coo and roll around for an hour or so.  Your daddy and I lay in bed (wide awake by this point), watch you on the monitor, listen to you and laugh.  Some of the time you put yourself back to sleep when you're ready, but sometimes I have to go in and rock you to sleep.  I  think you have trouble stopping yourself from moving.  Those arms and legs are going going going all the time and sometimes you just need to be held tight and then you finally relax and fall right asleep.  Maybe I shouldn't be rocking you to sleep so much, but I love it and I can't help myself.  I miss you all day long and as crazy as it sounds, I love our middle of the night snuggle sessions.  I love feeling your breath on my neck and smelling your head and wrapping my arms around your little body.  It's the most at peace I feel all day (even if it is in the middle of the night).  Yes, I could really use the sleep, but I will miss this.

(UPDATE: I wrote this a week ago and I'm over it.  I take it all back, I miss sleep more. Please go the eff to sleep.)

Oh my little Mac-a-doodle-doo, how is it possible that five months have come and gone so quickly?  It feels like you have been a part of my life forever.  You have changed everything for the better.  What in the world did I do before there was you in my life?  (Well, other than sleep through the night and fit into normal sized clothing.)  You really are the light of my life.  You're such a happy baby and an absolute joy to be around.  I am so lucky to be your mama.

Firsts:

• first night in a hotel
• first Rams football game
• first Cardinals baseball game
• first trip to the zoo
• first family photo session
• first trip to the bison ranch
• attending your first wedding
• first time being a groomsman
• first solid food experience

Likes: 

• people watching
• rolling
• standing
• music
• your Exersaucer
• touching/petting the dogs and cat
• listening to Daddy play the guitar
• singing
• kicking one leg (I think this is how you dance)
• sucking on the outside of Mommy's cold wine glass or Daddy's cold beer bottle
• the baby Bjorn
• flirting with the ladies
• cucumbers
• splashing in the bathtub
• drinking from a cup

Dislikes: 

• purees
• sleeping between 3:00 - 5:00 a.m.
• being in your car seat
• laying on your back during Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at Kindermusik (you cry every time)

Nicknames:

• Macaroni
• Mac-a-doodle-doo
• Macaroon
• Mac dog
• Big Mac
• Mister Mac
• Mac attack

Mac's Official Halloween Costume

In case you don't follow me on Twitter or Instagram, here are a couple quick pics of Mac's official first Halloween costume.  Get it?

I have to give credit to my husband for this idea.  

Mac was such a good sport about it all.  He loved it!  

Hope you all had a great evening too.  Only 364 days until next Halloween!