bull riders, a clown and a cowboy poet

February 20, 2010- In addition to cowboys and Indians, Pecos' current obsession is Professional Bull Riding (PBR). He's always enjoyed a rodeo but after watching a few episodes of PBR on tv he was hooked. He even has a toy bucking bull arena set that stays in his room. He plays with it EVERY day. And after watching an episode on tv he goes directly to his room to re-enact everything he just saw including riders, bull names, scores and injuries.

So you can imagine the excitement when back in November we purchased tickets to see it live in Arlington at Cowboy Stadium. We watched the PBR World Finals on tv which were broadcast from Las Vegas. And at every possible moment it was mentioned that they were in Las Vegas. When we told Pecos we were going to see the PBR he was so excited that we would be "going to Las Vegas!!" of course!

Turns out this event was only days after Pecos was released from the hospital following his accident. When he was released the doctors said it would be fine to take him to PBR and to just be sensible about how much we did....in other words, if he gets tired then call it quits.

Our good friends, the Walber's- and Pecos' best buddy Jace, were also planning to attend and were even able to get us all seats together as part of an invitation they had from RFD-TV. We somehow managed to get our vehicle into the parking lot that most of the PBR staff and riders were using. Within 10 minutes of arriving we saw J.B. Mauney who happens to be one of the top riders. J.B. was late for an appearance in the fan zone but was nice enough to pause for a photo. At that point Pecos was so excited I think we could have gone home and he would have been just fine with that. Following that thrill we started to make our way to the fan zone and en route saw Renato Nunes. Pecos says he's "the one who does the back flip". Pecos and Jace were both excited to see him.
Over in the fan zone we stood in line for a very long time hoping to meet another of Pecos' favorite riders- Kody Lostroh. But Kody had to leave for another appearance and we saw Brian Canter and Flint the clown instead. But that was okay, Pecos likes them too.

After that we made our way back to the parking lot before heading inside the stadium and ran into Skeeter Kingsolver. Now this rider is a recent favorite for Pecos. A few weeks before this PBR extravaganza in Arlington we were able to attend a smaller PBR event in San Antonio in conjunction with NCBA convention. It was at this event that Pecos took notice of Skeeter and then started paying more attention to him on the various PBR recordings we have. If the thrill of J.B. Mauney wasn't enough this one nearly sent him over the edge. Skeeter was such a nice guy and genuinely thankful that Pecos was such a big fan. He told Pecos he liked his bull riding belt buckle and told him he'd be riding Pinball Wizard in the first round....you've got it- now when Pecos plays PBR at home Skeeter always rides Pinball Wizard. I kind of think they have the same expression in this photo.

In addition to PBR, Pecos is a big fan of Red Stegall and his show "In the Bunkhouse" on RFD-TV. So imagine the joy when Pecos saw Red walking through the crowd over in the fan zone. Cowboy Stadium is unbelievable. I can't even describe it. But I can say the enormous HD-TV screen is as good as they say and then some. The biggest disappointment was the volume of the event- extremely LOUD. At first I thought it was just me in my old age but when stadium staff started walking the concourse area distributing ear plugs I knew I wasn't alone! Thank goodness they had them because I don't think Pecos would have been able to enjoy very much of the performance without them.

Needless to say, this experience at PBR was above and beyond for Pecos getting to meet so many of his heroes. I don't know if there is a fan zone to meet the riders at other PBR events. And of course Pecos will expect this level of interaction with the bull riders if we ever go again so maybe we should just end it on a good note and not attend any more!

the accident

February 16, 2010- As much as it pains me to remember the details of Pecos' accident, I've had so many people asking what exactly happened. And I've been told it helps to write about it so I suppose this could also serve as therapy for me.

On Tuesday the 16th, I picked Pecos up from school and we came home. It was a beautiful afternoon so we did some chores up at the house and decided to go down to the barn to feed the horses. The next day Pecos was supposed to be bringing Widow Maker to school for show and tell and our mission was not only to feed the horses but to brush Widow Maker and get her ready to go to school. So we got on the Kawasaki mule and headed down the hill. Our 3 big horses were eager for some grub and normally I put Pecos in the tack room of the trailer or tell him to stay on the mule until I get them all fed and stalled. But on this particular day I did neither and he was with me as I fed the first 2 and even helped me close and lock their gates. So we headed to feed bucket number three and he was right there next to me until I either started walking faster or he stopped for something- who knows. As soon as I realized he wasn't next to me I turned to find him and at that split second I heard an awful sound of the horse's hoof hitting his head and saw him get knocked a few feet sideways from it. It is a sight, sound and feeling that will haunt me the rest of my life. But thankfully (and to my surprise) there was no cut that was bleeding and he was not knocked out and didn't have a seizure or anything like that. His guardian angel was doing a good job that day.The impact was just above his left ear and behind his temple and began to swell quickly as you can imagine.

Pecos of course started crying, and forgetting any snippet of first aid knowledge that I've ever had, I scooped him up instead of thinking about any potential damage by moving him. Luckily I had my cell phone in my back pocket and immediately dialed the Harper volunteer fire dept so they could send the ambulance ASAP. I suppose I could have driven him to the hospital myself but at that point I was only thinking about holding him and not having to buckle him in his carseat or lay him in the back seat on the 30 mile trip to town. As I was waiting for the dispatcher to confirm our address and everything I layed Pecos on my lap in the mule and drove up to the house to get an ice pack for his head and grab my purse. Poor Pecos was still crying and confused and telling me he was sorry he got kicked.

We got the ice pack and my purse and I drove in my Expedition with Pecos laying on my lap down to the gate to wait for the ambulance. At that point I considered one last time to just drive him myself or at least meet the ambulance en route or at the fire station in Harper. What was probably only about 10 minutes for them to arrive seemed like an hour. While we were waiting Pecos calmed down a little and was asking me what we were doing so I explained the ambulance was coming with people to help him make his head feel better and take us to the hospital to see the doctor. He said no, he just wanted to go to Dr. Rick's. When the ambulance arrived they put him inside and layed him down and there were 5 or 6 people tending to him. All of this seemed to overwhelm Pecos a bit and he started to show some signs of shock. Of course my only experience with EMT care is what I see on tv and in movies so I expected a much more rapid assessment and immediate departure to the hospital in Fredericksburg or Kerrville. But the EMTs were doing their job and trying to get an accurate assessment before they decided where to go- at this point I asked "can we just get going?" The reply was "we're waiting for the hospital to let us know where they want us to take him- we may have to go to San Antonio". The reply from the Fredericksburg hospital was send him to University Hospital in SA where there is a trauma center that could treat him immediately if necessary. The concern was with his type of head trauma an initial head scan could indicate surgery would be needed to stop any internal bleeding and they could do surgery immediately in SA. Well, the fastest way to SA in clear weather for a 3-year old with head trauma is via helicopter. The helicopter arrived, landed at our gate and loaded up Pecos. They took one look at me being 5 months pregnant and said I would not be flying Air-Evac airlines that day (I was livid, but tried to remain calm for Pecos).

When Pecos heard I couldn't go with him in the helicopter I think he was more concerned about me not going than the pain in his head. My sweet baby asked if I would come get him at the hospital and then asked me to please wipe his tears. As I tried to hold back my own tears I told him to be brave and tough and I would get there as fast as I could. I can't even begin to explain the despair I felt watching them load Pecos into the helicopter and take off without me. It was possibly a worse feeling than seeing him get hurt in the first place. Clearly, it was the hardest thing I've had to endure as a mother. As soon as the helicopter lifted and cleared the road I said a quick prayer to protect Pecos and give me a clear and safe drive there. I have the rosary on CD in the car so I turned that on and left a trail of dust behind me, driving at speeds that should never be attempted under normal circumstances.

All this time Casey was in the depths of West Texas with no cell phone signal. I tried many times to reach him because I knew he would want to get to the hospital as fast as possible and the longer it took to reach him the later he would get there. {At some point I need to notify AT&T their coverage map is indeed wrong.} En route to SA I decided not to call our family until I got to the hospital and had a better idea the extent of the injury and how they would proceed with treatment. I was already in a panic and felt there was no need for anyone else to panic when I didn't have much to say other than he had a head injury and was being flown to SA. [So this is my semi-public apology to our parents for not calling right away.] When I was about 20 miles out of SA the flight nurse on the helicopter called me to say they had arrived safely, Pecos was being seen by the trauma team, they had removed him from the back board and neck brace and he was getting a full head scan. He assured me Pecos was alert, not crying and was informing the medical team he was a tough cowboy. A few minutes after that call ended Casey's phone received signal and he noticed the numerous missed calls from me. Thank God I had good news from the flight nurse to tell him and I was almost to the hospital. Now Casey was in panic mode and making his own speedy trip to SA from 6 hours away.

I only thought the panic couldn't get worse until I walked into that emergency waiting room. I thought I was on a movie set. There was everything from bleeding wounds to spaced out people and even some under police guard. On my way back to see Pecos there were people handcuffed to stretchers and others screaming; I was traumatized by it all but thank goodness Pecos was in a calmer and quieter area.

When I got to Pecos, he was calm, not crying and just waiting for me to get there. He had traveled with his security blanket (a burp cloth he's had since the day he was born), so he was clutching that, looking at a stuffed animal- a bull- they had given him and checking out all the equipment attached to his arms, chest and fingers. The first thing he said was he was so glad I came to get him. I can only imagine in his mind what he was thinking having flown without me, then the exam and head scan without me there and that maybe I was not coming at all. I pray he'll soon have no memory of any of this.

I spoke to one of the trauma doctors (after having to request to see him twice!) and he told me he'd seen the head scan and there was not a major fracture, no major visible internal bleeding and that the radiologist and neurosurgeons would take a look at it to give their assessment. That was miraculous news considering what had happened and the initial thoughts that he might need emergency surgery. The radiologist confirmed there was a minor skull fracture which would only heal with time and the neurologist saw there was minor internal bleeding that had formed a small bruise. Both of these are expected with head trauma but they are usually much more severe than what Pecos had. God was truly protecting him through it all. I finally had somewhat conclusive news to share with Casey and our family, but of course they were worried and got to SA as fast as possible (thankfully their arrival was after we were out of the pit of the ER).

Pecos was kept that night in pediatric ICU for observation. We saw the neurosurgeon at midnight and believe it or not Pecos was still awake and the doctor was able to do a full physical exam testing his strength, reflexes, speech and whatever else they do. The neuro doc was very pleased with the exam and started him on anti-seizure medicine as a precaution and said it was standard for all head trauma patients. The next morning we saw teams of neuro, pediatric and trauma docs and they all agreed Pecos was doing great and they'd move him out of ICU but keep him another night just for observation. They assured us there was not a specific concern to keep him there but just the need for overall observation and another physical neuro exam the following day just to be sure he was okay to leave and be so far away from medical treatment.

Pecos enjoyed himself in the playroom on the pediatric floor and charmed all the staff there. He never once complained that his head was hurting and just told us he was tough. I kept telling him it was okay if his head hurt but he never did say it.

Here he is ready to leave the hospital:He was released after two nights of observation with instructions to call and/or return if we noticed anything major like slurred speech or a seizure, etc. We were told it would take 6-8 weeks for the healing of both the fracture and the internal injury. So that means no rough playing, wrestling, climbing, etc. That has been the hardest part of it all- trying to keep him from just being a boy! His head doesn't hurt and the external scab/scar was hardly noticeable after a week. He just doesn't understand that he has an "owie" inside his head and he has to be careful. We are halfway through March and he asks me regularly if the owie inside his head is gone.

I cannot even begin to express the outpouring of prayers and support we received through it all. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends, family and community that love Pecos (and us) and showed so much concern. I thank God daily for protecting Pecos when I could not and know that He has big plans for him. Pecos has already taught me so much through this ordeal about strength, faith and love. THANK YOU to each and every one that called, sent cards, get well wishes and gifts, and messages to check on Pecos and offer support and prayers. We are truly blessed.

UPDATE: Pecos had his follow up visit last week (3/5) and the doctors said all looks good. After the healing period is over they don't expect any long term health effects from the injury. For those wondering about me and the pregnancy- yes, I had high blood pressure, stress and fatigue during all of this but when we got home from the hospital I saw my OB and she said all was okay, I just needed to rest. I've been back again for a regularly scheduled appointment and all is great, baby is at normal size, heart rate, etc. and scheduled to make his debut at the end of May.

happy valentine-mardi-saints gras

February 16, 2010- With three major events/holidays falling nearly within a week of one another it is no wonder Pecos was a little confused. He wasn't sure if he should celebrate the Saints Superbowl victory, play Cupid for Valentine's day or revel for Mardi Gras. So he did all three and this is the result. Let me also point out that for a couple of months leading up to the Superbowl many of my friends here had been asking why my half-native Louisiana son did not have a Saints jersey. I too did not know the answer to this so I checked with my suppliers in Louisiana and this is the t-shirt they sent. At the time a kid-sized Drew Brees jersey was hard to come by in the frenzy of Saints mania.

But nonetheless, our main supplier- and New Orleans residents, Auntie Em & Uncle Kris- came through and sent one in late February. As soon as Pecos opened it he put it on and wore it for the rest of the day.That same night Casey came home from a week-long trip to New Mexico and delivered Pecos some roadside souvenir stand Indian artifacts. So Pecos had to put those on as well. This photo seems to have Pecos confused once again: he's not sure if he should be a NO Saint or a KC Chief...or a Mardi Gras Indian celebrating the Saints Superbowl win.

ringman

January 22, 2010- Another monkey see, monkey do moment for Pecos. We attended the annual Texas Angus meetings, sales and banquet during the Fort Worth Stock Show. Casey served as ringman for the sales and an auction during the banquet. Pecos has always had an affinity for auctions- in fact, when he was a baby I would turn on RFD-TV when there was a Superior Livestock Auction and let the chant of the auctioneer put him to sleep....worked every time!

Well of course Pecos thinks Casey hung the moon and will mimic just about anything he does. Combine that with his love for auctions and you have the makings of a miniature ringman. During the auction at the banquet Casey got up to serve as ringman and Pecos was right there with him. He had to get his own program and pen so he could follow along and call out bids.
Needless to say, everyone got a good laugh out of it, including our good friend and auctioneer Jim Birdwell. But so many people were watching him that they weren't doing much bidding!

widow maker rides again

December 31, 2009- I guess instead of Widow Maker rides again it should be Pecos rides Widow Maker again. He's been having lots of fun riding his new pony. Today he brought me his chaps, boots, jacket and wild rag and said "I'm ready to ride my roping pony. Let's go pen some cows." The cows are actually our cats- a white one and a black one- which he calls his Charolais cow and his Angus cow.

The sunglasses were a last minute addition to the outfit as we walked out the door. She still looks a little on the heavy side but believe it or not she's lost about 15 pounds since her arrival here at the ranch. Casey says Pecos' riding style is a loose rein and a sharp spur. Pecos has asked to ride with his spurs but I don't think either one of them is ready for that yet.Here's another photo of our Top Hand.

naked cowboy

December 29, 2009- Pecos got a toy guitar from Oma & Opa for Christmas. I needed to vacuum the rug in his room so I set this horse up on his bed to get it out of the way. Next thing I know, Casey had finished giving Pecos his bath and then Pecos ran in the room naked, jumped on the horse and started playing the guitar.

Anyone need a singing naked cowboy for their next party?

christmas 2009

December 25, 2009- We had a great Christmas this year visiting family in Louisiana, then back home for Christmas day and spending the following week home working on all sorts of projects around the house.

Pecos had fun with MiMi and Paw Paw in Louisiana. The shop in the background is not the remnants of a hurricane. It is new construction on a shop for Paw Paw, which Pecos thinks will be his new play space. We'll see.

Pecos made cookies for Santa and insisted that Santa's milk be served in the boot mug from Germany. Santa left his boot prints in the fireplace ashes. Mighty big boots there, Santa.Number one on Pecos' list this year was a roping pony. And Santa delivered. This is the roping pony that Pecos named Widow Maker. This photo was from his first ride on a very cold Christmas day. Santa did good, but the postal service let him down on delivery of tack in time for Christmas. So we had to make due with whatever we could find to fit this pint-sized pony. After this ride Pecos dismounted and declared "I'm the World Champion!!"Then Casey decided since the pony's name is Widow Maker she ought to be ridden like a bronc. Did I marry Casey Tibbs or Casey Worrell? At times like these I'm not sure.Number two on Pecos' list this year was a boot shine machine. He got acquainted with such a machine on our trip to Germany. Two days after our return we took him to see Santa where he announced he wanted one for Christmas. And since Pecos was such a good boy this year he got just what he asked for. I think it is the first request from a 3-year old for a boot shiner that Santa has ever heard.Other Christmas fun was a gingerbread house that Pecos thought served much better as a 24-hour candy buffet than holiday décor.And a Happy Birthday cake for Jesus.We finished the holidays off with Worrell family Christmas on the 30th and Pecos now has enough toys and gear to get him through another year.

adiós tejas, hallo deutschland!

December 2-9, 2009- Our trip to Germany was fantastic and sort of quasi-National Lampoon's European vacation style. The logistics of getting there were challenging with a cancelled flight and a newly renovated Frankfurt airport that has the rental car counters hidden in the depths of an underground abyss. But once we worked through it we were on our way to sausage and sauerkraut.

Here's some highlights from our trip:

Which one is the nutcracker? Pecos enjoyed serving as navigator...good thing we had a GPS.
We were packed like sardines. If our rental car had a luggage rack we would have used it, but instead this is how we loaded up. We had to stop shopping because we were out of room.

We managed to find just barely enough snow to build this tiny snowman. Look very closely and you can see it.

Pecos with Oma and Opa on the train ride to see Neuschwanstein Castle. Riding on a train has been a lifelong dream for Pecos.

A photo of all of us with the castle way in the background. Pecos was sleeping and wouldn't wake up for the photo.

We ran into St. Nicholas at the Christmas Market in Munich. Pecos took the cookies from his angels but wasn't too sure about ole' Saint Nick.

These two were the only cowboys in Germany...go figure!It only took them 20 minutes on our first day to find a cow. Pecos wanted to know if he could rope it.

Since we couldn't get ESPN in Germany to watch the National Finals Rodeo, my two cowboys decided to demonstrate it for the locals. First on a pig.Then on a lion.The national snack of Germany- a pretzel. With a pretzel in one hand and a doughnut in the other Pecos fit right in with the locals.Casey couldn't resist the chance to participate in a local Christmas tradition- Gluhwein, a warm red wine served in a boot mug. It was disgusting and after this photo he tossed it out.

This is how Pecos spent the 10 hour overnight flight to Germany.

And this is how he spent it on the way home...not an overnight flight.

turkey day...and then some

November 26, 2009- Pecos had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We read books about it and tried to teach him about being thankful. At MOPS he had a craft with a turkey on it and his teachers wrote down the things he said he was thankful for on the feathers. Pecos was thankful for Momma, Daddy, Ice Cream, Cowboys and the PBR. All the talk of Pilgrims and Indians must have got him thinking because he asked me if there would be Indians at Oma's for Thanksgiving. I told him "only your dad and Uncle Duke."

Mimi and Paw Paw came to visit and spent some time spoiling Pecos. We went to the lighting of the German tower and Christmas tree at Marketplatz. We hope to see more of these towers next week while we are in Germany.Then we took in a horse carriage ride.

And what would Thanksgiving be without hunting? Paw Paw shot this nice 8-pointer.

a cowboy goes to the dentist

November 18, 2009- Cowboy Pecos was due for a dental exam and cleaning. I was not looking forward to it based on his last exam, if you could call it that, right before his
2nd birthday. We left that appointment with a paper that told us how many teeth to expect, barely a glance in his mouth and one unhappy cowboy. So it was time to find my little cowboy a new doc.

Leading up to this appointment we read the Berenstain Bears and Little Critter books on going to the dentist repeatedly for a week. Pecos' biggest concern what that he would have to wear a bib and he was 100% against it.

When we walked in there was a big horse to climb on in the waiting room. Things were looking up. And the hallways were painted with horses and the whole place was decked out in cowboy decor. Pecos was right at home.

Next up was x-rays and he aced those. Since he didn't have to wear a bib he was up for just about anything. And he was promised an extra special prize when we got home if he was a well-behaved buckaroo. He was a star and even let the dentist check all his teeth, clean them and paint on the fluoride. She said Pecos was so good she let him pick 2 prizes out of the prize box. Such a hard decision for Pecos but he picked rubber snakes! I couldn't believe it. Never in his short life has he ever shown an interest in bugs, lizards or snakes. Dirt- you bet, but never the creepy crawly things.

When we left the dentist Pecos said "I didn't have to wear a bib! And I had no cavities!" Next time he goes he'll see the hygienist and I think there will be a bib involved....hope he's over the anti-bib movement by then.

if the shirt fits

November 2009- Pecos and I went shopping recently and he insisted on this shirt. At first I thought I'd stick to my guns and not give in to his demands. The more I thought about it I realized, if the shirt fits, wear it!! Ok, so that is not exactly the cliché but I thought it sounded funny.That's right, Pecos is going to be a big brother. I'm due May 30th. Yes, I'm feeling fine and no, I haven't had morning sickness but I have battled bronchitis and a stomach bug. Yes, we were surprised and yes, we are thrilled. No, we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet but we do intend to find out. Does that cover it?

Two days after we informed Pecos of his big-brother-to-be status it was his turn to be the reporter for the day at school. Keep in mind Pecos is only at school two days a week so his turn to be reporter only comes up every 4 or 5 weeks. Of all days, it had to be his day. And this is what he reported. So there you have it, another ranch hand will be added to the gang and we wanted you to know!

P.S.- please don't send Pecos a cow for Christmas unless you also intend to send feed for it for life!

halloween derby

October 31, 2009- And they're off in the running of the Halloween derby! Well, not exactly, but that's what our little jockey thought. He's been anxiously awaiting the day he could wear this costume ever since the stick horse races on the 4th of July.

Pecos hit up the community Fall Festival to celebrate Halloween. He had a great time with this little bull fighter- his best buddy, Jace.After the event we hit up a few houses for trick or treating but Pecos started to feel bad- he's getting the crud I've had for the past week so I guess it is off to see the doctor on Monday. We ended the night early and put our tired little jockey to bed. Happy Halloween!!