Gone fishin'

Hi, all! This is Sarah...I just didn't sign in under my "Sarah" name, but it's all good! I'm here to write about Asher's first ever fishing excursion. I was going to let Tim do it, but he's out with Asher somewhere in the great outdoors right now, and I'm home feeling TERRIBLE, but well enough to blog! I think I caught whatever Tim and Asher have had this last week! ANYWAY...

We began our journey to Jester Park yesterday afternoon and Asher immediately fell asleep in the car. I guess when you're 2, don't take a nap, and it's 4 in the afternoon, you just fall asleep wherever you can when you're not overstimulated. So we arrived at the park and it started to rain. Bummer. BUT, it was just a light drizzle AND because of it, no one else was fishing! Whoo-hoo! We woke up Asher who popped right up and wanted to cast a line...he was so excited. Did I mention he was excited??? It was awesome! Tim got Asher's fishin' pole all ready and cast it for him. We told Asher to stand real still and watch the bobber. Nothin' of course happened immediately, as Ash would have liked, but he was fishin'! Asher's doing his "I'm so excited to be fishing happy dance"

Tim was doing an entire different type of fishing where you cast out your bait and draw it back in towards you, enticing the fish, daring them to take a bite of the fake lil fish that really was a hook. Asher quickly decided he needed to fish like Daddy, as moving the line and pole must, of course, lead to catching a fish. The lil guy continued to swing his pole around, hitting whoever could possibly be close--oh, me, and reeling in his line at the same time, and swinging the pole back at the water, hitting the water. Smart fellow, figuring out the whole thing on his own. The thing is, Daddy had to keep throwing the line back out for the little fellow, as, oh, did I mention I don't have a fishing license...yet?

Well, time past, and much fun was had, but no fish were being caught...fish were nibbling at the bait, but not really taking it...but we knew it would come. We did catch a lot of the floating greens in the water. Asher decided he wanted to eat some cheesy crackers I had brought along, when, low and behold, his bobber started bobbing. Not only did it start to bob, it was dancing all over the water now. This is when I realized Tim was no where around...he had apparently gone for a little "walk in the woods". Asher didn't want to hold the line now, he was too excited, his hands too full of crackers, and what was I to do? I just yelled for Tim to come back...and yelled... and yelled, all the while "not" reeling in the fish, and "not" trying to bring it into the shore. Tim came running finally and pulled the little blue gill in for Asher. When I told Asher, "Look at the fish you caught!" He replied, "I didn't catch it, it's mommy's fish." I need to mention, Tim and I had tried to prepare the little guy in case a fish wasn't caught, but had also decided that any fish which had been caught would be considered "Asher's fish". Unfortunately, Asher did not agree with that conversation...the fish was "mommy's".

mommy's fish

About 20 minutes later, the sun was beginning to set, fish were jumping left and right in the water, nibbling on the hooks, but not really getting the hook "set", mosqitoes were descending, and we prayed and hoped Asher would catch a fish. Suddenly, as the lil guy held the pole, the bobber began to bob, wiggle, and it was soon completely under the water. Asher yelled for daddy, Tim began to reel in....Asher's first catch! A catfish! WHOO-HOO!! Not only had Asher caught a fish, but he caught the type of fish that he always talked about catching--his dream fish, the catfish! The boy was in little boy heaven--doing his happy dance, wanting, but not wanting to touch the fish, and continually insisting through the whole thing that we were going to throw it back--which we did, after a couple of pics.

Asher's catfish

As dark descended, Tim got a fish, but it was literally so big it broke his line and is now somewhere in the pond at Jester Park, swimming around with a hook and weight attached to itself, and we hope it survived to see today.

Asher's first fish