The Jillian 500

The caution flag was raised!

Jillian let off the "brakes," hit the gas full speed and began walking at my mom's house over the holiday.

Food persuaded Jillian to walk. Mom, Laci and I were sitting in the living room enjoying some oatmeal raisin cookies and chatting. Jillian was fussing for a piece of cookie, so Mom just held some out to her as she kept talking, not intentionally trying to get her to walk.

Jillian walked a step and stood between me and my mom and waited patiently until we finally noticed she was standing on her own! She then gave a grin and walked a couple more steps to mom and took her piece of cookie.

Confidence does wonders. Once Jillian realized SHE was in control of walking she cruised everywhere, slowly taking more and more steps each "trip."

Jillian walked the latest out of all four children, at 16 months old! Madalynn was 15 1/2 months when she walked, Dawson was 14 1/2 months, and Justis was 14 months. I remember PRAYING that the Lord would cause Madalynn to walk before Justis was born. She began walking only two weeks prior to Justis's birth. All of our children learned to walk in Kansas, Travis pointed out!

Madalynn, Santa's Helper

"You can get me one of these for Christmas this year," Madalynn said as she pulled a couple of advertisement clippings out of her backpack today.

I stopped rinsing dishes and stepped over to get an up-close look at what she had.

Two neatly cut pictures of Hannah Montana dolls were on the table side by side.

"I don't think they would cost too much money," she said. "This one said, 19, and that one said it was 10." One of the clippings advertised a Hannah Montana doll for $19.98, the other Hanna Montana doll was 10% off.

Almost sure my sister or my mom helped her clip some things she liked out of the paper, I asked her, "Madalynn, did Grandma or Aunt Laci help you pick some things and cut them out."

"No. I did it myself. I kind of like this one, because it has a purse, but this one is good, too, because it looks like it has more stuff. I'll leave these right here on the counter so you can see what to buy me on Christmas Eve. I would like either one. You choose." Then she walked away.

Madalynn is about as up front about things as I am most of the time, so I was not surprised she had her gift request in photo form with options. Santa's guesswork is done! :)

Oh, if any of you are wondering why she brought the clippings to me, instead of sending them to Santa Claus, she knows St. Nick is dead!? She matter-of-factly told the kids and I, "Santa doesn't bring our presents, our parents do. St. Nicholas was real and he did give gifts to kids, but he died. Now mommies and daddies give Santa presents."

Thanksgiving, The Chadd Family Way!

I finally realized, at age 21 or so (when my family expanded), that not every family celebrates Thanksgiving with the same foods or traditions! This year we had a Chadd family Thanksgiving in Ulysses at my parent's house.

Mouth watering, Travis sat down at the table for his first Thanksgiving meal with my family about six years or so ago. I will never forget that day, and neither will my mom or Travis. All the delicious things my mom had made were passed around the table, and Travis politely took some of everything. Mom had prepared the "traditional" Thanksgiving dishes, or so she and the rest of us thought, because those are the only dishes we'd ever eaten for Thanksgiving.

Travis finally said in a concerned voice, "Marsha, I think this apple salad might be fermented or something." Mom, making sure she had prepared it right, took a bite of the apple salad to ensure all was well before the rest of us ate some. We all watched as she ate some and said, "Well, it tastes okay to me." She then started laughing, realizing Travis was tasting the vinegar-based dressing on the salad. Travis was embarrassed, but the rest of us just laughed and laughed.

Even stranger was the fact that Travis had never eaten egg noodles for Thanksgiving!? Mom offered him another helping, and when he declined she asked, "You don't like noodles?" Travis explained later that he liked noodles, but was accustomed to mashed potatoes and gravy, instead.

Travis and Mom still joke about that first Thanksgiving together, but she now makes noodles AND mashed potatoes and gravy. Travis eats the apple salad now without blinking an eye.

Chadd family Thanksgiving includes hunting and the Thanksgiving meal, of course. Here's what WE had for Thanksgiving this year:

Turkey

Noodles

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Broccoli/Bacon/Cheese Salad

Rolls

Crock Pot Creamed Corn

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Fluff Salad

Pumpkin Pie

Banana Dream Pie

Sex in a Pan

Mom worked hard planning and coordinating the meal. She, Laci and I followed and prepared the family recipes, Jeff cut the Turkey, Travis and Dad helped with clean-up, and the kids ate to their little hearts' content.

The twelve of us don't all fit around the dining table, so the five oldest grandkids sat at a fold-out camp table in the living room (with a plastic tablecloth underneath them, of course!). My sister, cousins and I all ate at the same sort of camp table at Thanksgivings at my grandparent's house growing up.

We thanked God for all He has blessed us with and enjoyed the fellowship of family. And, no, Travis and I didn't announce another pregnancy at this year's meal! ;)

Snowflakes!

God sent us an early Christmas present this year, SNOW!

Preparing my children for the likely possibility of not seeing snow this winter (because we now live in Louisiana) was a bummer. Sledding and building snowmen are staple winter activities in Kansas because of the snowy winter weather. Their hopeful hearts must have prevented their ears from hearing they may not see snow this winter, however. No matter how many times I would tell them, they would say something like, "On Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa Davis will come to Louisiana and it will snow and Santa will visit!"

I knew Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Chadd's house would be their only chance for seeing snow, unless God decides to defy weather and make it snow in Ponchatoula.

God knows the hearts of every one of us, and I believe that includes the desires of my children and husband to experience snow this season!

I was thrilled on Wednesday when I opened the door to see snow spitting through the air. I announced to the kids and Travis that it was snowing and they came running and giggling. The snow didn't fall long Wednesday, but we were all so happy God made it snow, we didn't care how much fell.

God always puts the icing on the cake however, and goes one step further than we can ever imagine.

BIG snowflakes started flying out of the sky this morning around 10:00! There's a trace-1" on the ground right now, and it keeps snowing on and off. The kids will not only get to see snow this Thanksgiving, they will get to bundle up and go play in it, too!

Thanks, God! Even though summer is my favorite season (I'm fine with 80 degrees in November), I am so thankful it snowed while we're here!

Hunting Buddies

Hunting is one of Travis's favorite hobbies! A lifetime hunting license for the state of Kansas is one thing Travis purchased before we moved to Louisiana. I'm sure he will get his money's worth and more out of the license. He's already been busy using it. Travis has lots of hunting buddies and got to hunt with quite a few of them this year.

My dad, Tony, and my dad's friends are the ultimate pheasant hunting guides for southwestern Kansas. Travis and my brother-in-law, Jeff Brown, look forward to hunting in Ulysses over the holiday season with them every year. The pheasants are usually plentiful, and the hunting is free since my dad and his friends know the right people. They often hunt from shortly after sun-up until sun-down! They did exactly that one of the days of our trip already.

Doug Kirk is one of Travis's hunting buddies whom lives in Wichita, KS. They like to hunt everything together, but especially ducks! Travis drove to Wichita Sunday night and so they could both be positioned in their duck blind near Cheney Lake before sun-up (when the ducks start flying)! He stopped in and saw his friend Aaron Wallace at work before eating supper with his parents and returning home Monday night.

Justis and Dawson got in on the hunting Tuesday, before it got cold. Travis and Dad took them out to walk a field Tuesday morning and came home around noon with two pheasants. ALL the boys had a blast!

Dad, Travis and Jeff went hunting Wednesday all day and are out again today trying to get their pheasant limit.

Travis hasn't yet figured out all of the seasons and animals to be hunted in Louisiana. It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, before he's out in his waders in the swamp hunting whatever hunters in Louisiana hunt!

The Trip from Ponchatoula, LA to Ulysses, KS

The road trip began about 2:15 p.m. Friday, November 16. We arrived in Ulysses at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17, 16 hours and 1,011 miles later!

Four animated kids six years old and under and two equally animated adults is an interesting mix to throw into a 16-hour minivan ride! God kept us sane and safe for the trip, however.

We immediately had a 1 1/2 hour setback at the start of our trip. We were rerouted (along with thousands of other drivers) immediately after crossing the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge. A huge natural gas leak had forced closed I-12 from Baton Rouge clear to Lafayette, Lousisiana. We crawled on the alernate route (Highway 190) for over 45 miles. Thankfully we were still in good spirits since we were only in the first several hours of the trip.

We drove 500 miles (8 hours) to Denton, Texas and stayed in a Motel 8 for the night. We woke up Saturday and drove the remaining 500 miles.

A few observations.

#1 No one observes the speed limit in Louisiana. The minute I crossed over the Texas border, drivers generally observed the speed limit within about 5 mph and continued to do so through Oklahoma and Kansas!

#2 Every bridge through Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma has a "Caution, Bridge May Ice in Cold Weather" sign. I always thought this information was a given. Kansas either doesn't have enough money for these signs or assumes (like I do) that when it's cold, drivers know how to slow down to cross a bridge (or at least stop breaking and accellerating) so they don't go flying off.

#3 Oklahoma has some of the nicest four-lane highways going from nowhere to nowhere that I've ever seen!

#4 Louisiana has alligator farms, Kansas has wind farms.

#5 A Texas road sign alluded to mountains!? Everyone knows everything is bigger in Texas, but does that make hills mountains?

#6 Cow manure smells good if you're used to the smell of feed lots. Dawson squeeled in delight and said, "I smell stinkin' cows!" when we passed our first roadside feed lot in Oklahoma. The rest of the kids welcomed the smell as a sign we were getting close to "home."

#7 The person who invented portable DVDs needs to be awarded the Nobel Peace prize. Who cares about nuclear energy. If my family is entertained long enough to make a 16-hour trip bearable, the prize needs to go to the maker of the portable DVD player!

#8 Separating the two squabblers BEFORE the beginning of the trip saved our sanity and eardrums.

#9 I brake too abruptly and Travis tailgates.

#10 The sixteen-hour drive was worth every minute!

Frosty Thanksgiving Forecast

Travis and the kids started rejoicing tonight when I told them the forecast calls for snow in Kansas for Thanksgiving!

Travis loves the cold weather and snow is essential for the children, because they like to go sledding and build snowmen. I like the weather here in Louisiana. I've always been a summer girl. I am certainly willing to endure the cooler climate to see my family, though. Funny to point out, is that 80 degrees is forecast for Ponchatoula on Thanksgiving Day, but it's only supposed to get to 37 degrees in Ulysses, with snow showers! What a difference a 16-hour drive makes in the weather!

Ulysses, KS, my hometown, is where we'll be spending Thanksgiving this year. We will gather at my parent's house and meet my sister Laci and her husband Jeff, along with their children, Chadd and Cole.

The countdown to go to Grandpa and Grandma's house has been going for about three weeks now. Dawson has cried every time we've gotten in the car these last two weeks, because we were running an errand and NOT on the way to Kansas! We're going to get out the portable DVD players and head out Friday afternoon.

Travis can't wait to go pheasant hunting! He's not been hunting since we've been here, mainly because their hunting seasons are completely different down here. People also hunt some different animals in Louisiana, too.

I'm looking forward to spending time with my parents, spending time with Laci and her family, enjoying my mom's cooking, AND eating authentic Mexican food! Mom and Dad have put LOTS of effort into rearranging their house to accommodate my family and my sis's (10 extra people!). I can't wait to see what they've done!

Travis's parents, his sisters Holly and Rebecca, and Rebecca's husband, Seth, will all graciously be making the trek to Ponchatoula for Christmas. The kids have a countdown going for Christmas already, too. I think they are more excited for the visit from family than for a visit from "Santa." (Quick funny. Madalynn told me that St. Nick died and now kids' parents fill in for Santa. I asked her not to spoil it for anyone else and keep the info. to herself! ;))

"Buckin' Bull, Baby! Buckin Bull!"

Dawson was a real cowboy Sunday night at our church's fall festival. He had to be a real cowboy in his mind, because he got to ride on a real horse!

A chili cook off, apple bobbing, turkey bowling, pony rides and a hay ride were only some of the things available for us to do at the festival on top of enjoying the company of our friends.

I want to thank my friend Tiffany for providing the pictures for this blog, as I didn't take the camera along. Thanks so much!

Madalynn ran around with her good friend Karlie the whole night. The blue cotton candy stuck to the tip of her nose and melted to the perimeter of her mouth was evidence that she frequented the cotton candy machine!

Jillian walked around with Travis and screamed every time the tractor lurched while she sat on my lap during the hay ride.

Justis jumped and jumped on the moonwalks and got a kick out of sitting right in the front of the hay ride trailer, where he could see the big tractor wheels.

Dawson relished his pony ride. All of the kids really enjoyed riding the horses, but Dawson proved his excitement when he squealed, "Buckin' bull, Baby! Buckin' bull!" during the middle of his ride. I laughed so hard! His expression was uncharacteristically bold, considering Dawson is a easy talker and a lover. We do watch PBR (Professional Bull Riding) often at our house and enjoy rodeos. Buckin' bull or no buckin' bull, he knew he was riding tall in the saddle just like the real cowboys he's seen do the same!

Justis's Moment of Glory

Justis never ceases to amaze and surprise me. With no hint of fear, he managed to climb an live oak tree bough from the ground to about 4 feet or so above Travis's head at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans when we attended the Swamp Festival!

A short note about "live oaks." I learned what a live oak is when we visited Destrehan Plantation with the kids and my parents. Logically, as my mother pointed out, the opposite of a live oak is a dead oak! Why do people call them live oaks?Ernie, our tour guide, graciously looked beyond our lack of southern knowledge and explained that a live oak is one that never goes into dormancy for winter. They hold their leaves (evergreen) and continue growing all winter long. They drop all their leaves in a week's time in early spring, and sprout new leaves in about a week!

The age of the particular live oak that Justis climbed was over 200 years and counting! The bough he climbed had grown into the ground, making an excellent place to start climbing.

Without hesitation Justis left Dawson and Madalynn to contemplate whether they wanted to climb and was halfway up the tree before Travis and I realized he was making the trek.

Horror came over me (mom instinct), when I saw him halfway up. Thankfully my horror kept my mouth shut long enough for Travis to signal me to chill out and get back. Obviously this was a male "strength" or "pride" thing, AND a daddy/son thing. I wasn't about to ruin the moment. I zipped it and stepped back onto the sidewalk to cheer him on with one eye opened and one eye closed. Dawson and Maddie were quickly by my side watching in awe and cheering as their brave and heroic brother conquered the live oak!

Justis didn't even need Travis's help, who had stepped up to "spot" in case of a slip or fall. Travis only had to help him make it down from the top. The older boys climbing behind him were ever-so-respectful and patient in allowing him his moment of glory.

Justis was humble, but excited for his achievement. We were all so excited we could be there with him to encourage him and celebrate with him!

Peculiar "Art"

Read this blog before reading the one right below it titled, "Madalynn, Design Consultant."

Visitors who enter via Highway 154 on the west side of Mullinville, Kansas have no choice but to notice a bunch of "kinetic art." That's what the builder of the hundreds of tacky signs lining his field calls them, anyway.

Visiting drivers or passersby slow down, stop, take pictures and fuss over these "sculptures." They finally made a pull-off so slowing and stopping cars wouldn't cause an accident!

The majority of the locals, however, detest the signs and view the hodge-podge as a bunch of junk on top of poles that clutter up their pretty little town. The "artist" of the sculptures, M.T. Liggett, is much better known by locals for his mischeif and potitical (or anti-political, you might call them) views, wich he freely shares through his art and his mouth! An eye witness told me the story of the day he got kicked out of the local cafe for mouthing off, only to drive round and round the cafe in his little truck giving people the bird!

For a laugh, here is the link to an article about M.T. Liggett with his art AND pictures!

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/sights/sightstory.php?tip_AttrId=%3D11212

Madalynn, Design Consultant

gaudy (gô′dē):
adjective
bright and showy, but lacking in good taste; cheaply brilliant and ornate

This blog won't make sense to you unless you are familiar with the little town of Mullinville, Kansas, the town where my Grandma and Grandpa Rader live. Read the above blog first for explanation.

The kids and I took a drive this afternoon to rush deliver our registration for next semester's home school co-op. Our 40-mile drive up to Folsum, LA, where the head of co-op lives, was beautiful. I drove on small, winding highways most of the way there, and the kids enjoyed the scenery just as much as I did.

Coming around a curve near our destination, I saw a yard FULL of something. I couldn't quite tell what, because I was still about 1/2 mile away, at least. I slowed down a bit when we passed, to gawk.

A yard was chock full of every tacky Christmas and Thanksgiving yard ornament money could buy!

I chuckled, "Wow. Did you see that, Madalynn?" I said, knowing she's always an eager ear when I want to gab.

"Yeah. It was kind of....kind of... Well, it was kind of pretty maybe?"

I said, "Well, someone thinks it's pretty, but it's kind of gaudy."

"Gaudy? What does that mean, Mom?"

"Well, it's kind of like when something is too flashy or too much. You know, like if you have too many pretty things in one spot, or if you arrange decorations unattractively. You can make pretty things look gaudy by having too many of them. Usually a few pretty things in one place look better than a lots of them all in one place."

"Ohhhhh. You mean like, you know, the town where Great-Grandma and Grandpa Rader live? Where all of those signs are?"

She nailed it on the head. "THAT'S gaudy, Madalynn."

The Spicy Two-Step

The six of us went to Swamp Fest at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans last Sunday and we discovered there is more than one way to do the two-step!

Swamp Fest is a festival held annually at the zoo when vendors set up tents and there are special zoo exhibits and activities offered. NO Cajun festival would be complete without music and brew, so there were bands and beer vendors there, too!

Animals and music are enough to entertain our family. The kids got to pet a porcupine and animals in the petting zoo. Madalynn (without flinching) and Justis (very bravely) petted a snake. We took in several of the zoo exhibits before wandering into the food and cultural activities.

Dawson needed to get his boogie on! He shook his tush (and therefore his whole body), and he couldn't stop moving to the distant sounds of a band playing. We didn't even have to lead the kids to the band. They just followed the music and there we were, right in front of a stage.

A good ol' Cajun Grandpa with his fiddle, loud shirt, cowboy boots, and a straw hat, stood front and center on stage. His teenage granddaughter accompanied him with her fiddle, while the band (complete with a real bass) played behind them. Grandpa and granddaughter were singing in French, to boot!

Couples of all ages were gettin' down on the grass in front of the stage doing the most interesting pair dancing we'd ever seen. Cajun music and culture just lends itself to dancing, so the kids were already gyrating to the music as we all looked on from the sidewalk. Travis and I looked quizzically at the dancers, wondering what dance they were doing. We finally realized, after several minutes of looking on, that they were simply doing the two-step (as we Kansans know it)! They were adding in so many of their freestyle moves to the two-step, it took us a minute to figure out. Their version of the two step was fun to watch and (gauging from the dancers' excitement) fun to do and these people were great at it! Obviously, it's just the way a two-step is done down here. I now call it the Spicy Two-Step.

Madalynn and Travis wasted no time in stepping onto the "dance floor." Their two-step was decidedly Kansan, but they had just as much fun, nonetheless. I told the boys about the instruments the band was playing and what language they were singing in, while we watched Travis and Madalynn from the sidewalk. Dawson has got "the moves," and music, quite literally, just moves him. He was dying to get out and dance, so Travis took Daws out for a spin, too!

Jillian, Madalynn and I all got our chance to Dance near the big stage to the music of a band called Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters. Travis and the boys relaxed on the grass and Madalynn, Jillian and I went to the concrete slab in front of the stage and free styled it! Normally, I would NEVER feel comfortable "free styling it," but Cajun music just begs for dancing AND nobody in Louisiana cares what your dancing looks like (especially after some of them have had a few too many). Louisiana is certainly a hodge-podge of ideas and cultures, so nothing surprises the people here, they expect "different." Thank goodness, because my free styling is quite "different," to say the least! ;)

Madalynn LOOKED like she was full-blooded Cajun when she danced solo. I can't explain to you the style of dancing down here, but Madalynn picked it up quite quickly, threw all caution to the wind and twirled and moved like I've never seen her go before!

Bud is one of Travis's employees who's nearing retirement, and he and his wife, Sunny, spend almost every weekend going to Louisiana festivals. Sunny told Travis their favorite thing to do and, many times the reason for going in the first place, is to listen and dance to the music. I understand their passion now!

It's HER party and she'll cry if she wants to!

Jillian insists on doing things on her own terms, and it's starting to worry me! She is somehow convinced every day is HER party, therefore everyone should do what SHE wants!

She's so passionate. She's passionate about feeling great and is the most loving and pleasant child when she's in a good mood. She's sour and angry with a passion and is a handful to deal with when she's in a bad mood. Then there are the emotions in-between happy and angry. Sad, scared, nervous, shy, ornery, anxious...all with passion!

Jillian doesn't hand out kisses. She'll never kiss any of us when we ask, but instead turns her head to the side as if to say, "You're going to have to work for it." She will surprise us, though, with random kisses when she's feeling passionate about kissing.

Walking is another thing that must happen on Jillian's terms. We watch her cruise around the furniture, letting go every once-in-a-while to step over and grab another support. Do you think she'll practice walking from me to Travis? Not a chance. She won't even let us lead her around by the arm. We try to stand her up and she stubbornly (with a dramatic angry head shake "no" and a slap of her hand on the ground) sits down and refuses to move.

She gives me the angry eyebrows and swats her hand in the air or swats my face every time I pick her up! She'll hold out her arms for me, then I'll pick her up and she swats my face and gives me the angry look and shakes her head, "no." Despite the fact that I have met her swats to my face with a swat on the butt, she still does it!

Jillian's scream can bust eardrums. EVERYONE looks when Jillian is unhappy, because you can't not hear the shrill scream.

I caught the tantrum pictured above at Tickfaw State Park. She was trying to grab the camera as I was taking pictures. I told her no several times and she kept doing it, so I put sat her on the ground. I need not explain anymore. The pictures say it all.

God has definitely given us a challenge in raising Miss Jillian. We have to be up for it, because we have no other choice and would want her to be no one's child but ours. God has quite a sense of humor, too. I know my parents and Travis's parents are reading this and laughing, because "stubborn," "willful" and "handful" are all words that described the two of us as children!

Clown, Duck Hunter, Tin Man and Mouse

I think the kids are finally back down to earth after their Halloween candy high and the excitement of trick-or-treating.

Today was halfway "normal" (relative term around my house), so that must mean tomorrow will be 100% normal, right? (I need you all just to nod at the computer and say, "Yes, of course tomorrow will be 100% normal, Jae," for my own sanity and reassurance, okay?!)

We had a blast at Calvary Christian Center in Hammond Halloween night. Read the cute story about Justis below for more details on what we did.

Mascot Madness

With all of the kids running around in ghoul, ghost and goblin costumes on Halloween night, the last thing you would suspect your child to be afraid of is a friendly-looking dog mascot at a church trick-or-treat outreach!

Calvary Christian Center in Hammond, only a short 10 minute drive, held a trick-or-treat outreach where we took our kids Halloween night. Playing games, eating hot dogs, getting candy, jumping on the inflatable "rides," and getting to ride on a fire truck thrilled the kids. Travis and I also had a great time just enjoying the kids and sharing in the fun with them.

Bravery has not always been an easy thing for Justis, especially on Halloween. Last year in Hugoton he stayed in the van with me where he felt secure, while Travis took Rylee (my cousin's daughter), Madalynn and Dawson door-to-door. He wouldn't even come out of his room to see the costumes of children he knew that came to our home while I was passing out candy.

I studied Justis closely upon arriving at Calvary Christian Center this year to see how he was feeling about the children in disguise. Friendly costumes were requested at the church we went to, but a few people still came dressed in scary masks. Justis wasn't phased by the spooky things, until he saw it.

We were standing in line for a fire truck ride when Justis spotted it. A happy-faced dog mascot was making rounds at the party hugging, high-fiving, and getting pictures taken with kids. I was watching the mascot interact with some other kids when Justis caught my eye. He spotted the dog.

*********

A quick history on Justis and mascots is in order here.

"Darrel the Barrel," the mascot from our "Construction Zone" vacation Bible school at our church in Hutchinson when he was just three, was terrifying to Justis. He was so scared that Travis, his teachers and I would all peek into the hallway before moving Justis out to his next station. The reason we did this is the first night he laid eyes on Darrel, Justis made a break for it and was out the door in the busy parking lot and running toward a nearby field before we even had time to realize why he had fled! Darrel even made a point NOT to visit the auditorium when Justis was there.

Then there's the friendly Ulysses Tiger mascot in my hometown of Ulysses, KS. We've had several run-ins with Tiger and Justis, and none of them have been pretty. Justis, in his first run-in with Tiger, was leisurely walking with my dad around the corner of the bleachers at the football game to find a seat. Justis met Tiger at the corner and Tiger bent down to get a hand-shake. Justis, again, fled. He turned and high-tailed it toward the concession stand, where I was standing and talking to a friend, while my dad watched in surprise and Justis's reaction. He didn't watch any football that night, only Tiger. We sat at the end of the stands where Tiger didn't venture often so Justis wouldn't escape while WE were watching the game!

Now back to the story of this Halloween's mascot madness....

**********

His face told the story.

"I have to do something a big boy would do, after all I AM five years old, and I can't let on that I'm scared," he said to himself as wiped off his initial face of panic and put on a stoic, "I don't care" kind of look.

He then looked for Daddy. "There's Daddy," his eyes seemed to say, "so I at least have enough time to make a plan." He stood still, but reached out and grabbed the inside of Travis's leg for safety.

Travis looked at him, and then looked at me. We both gave each other knowing looks. Justis didn't want an embarrassing fuss made, so we would pretend like we saw nothing. He was so concerned about a mascot attack that he didn't even notice me watching him.

Time was running out for Justis because the mascot was coming closer. His eyes were panicking and his mind racing while he tried to keep a straight face. Then he realized. A manly and brave answer to his problem was right on top of his head!

He looked around and SLOWLY pulled Travis's ADM camouflage hat, part of his costume, over his eyes and pressed his face against Travis's leg.

The dog, as far as Justis was concerned, was gone as long as the cap was covering his eyes and he pretended to just be "resting." He was just "resting," too, as long as we were concerned, because his fragile pride was on the line!

Justis deserves credit for his bravery. He kept it together the second time the dog came around. He, of course, was prepared with his "out," but he almost decided to flee when a 3-year-old screamed at the mascot in horror. Apparently Justis isn't the only child more afraid of mascots than monsters!