Okay, finally….sorry it’s taken me a while. School is back and I’ve been a little busy trying to get all my libraries open for the year. While Wade sits to watch a scary movie on TV I thought I could get this done and try to ignore the TV. I’ll probably still have bad dreams but anyway here’s how it went down…
Caleb and Colten left for Clovis on Thursday. Wade and I had to work on Friday so we didn’t get to see their practice on Friday afternoon. Caleb called and said that Colten had practiced his backflip and he felt really good about it and was ready to go. I would give you more detail but that is about all Caleb said about it. Of course it’s just a typical every day event for Caleb but Wade and I still haven’t gotten that comfortable with it so it is still a big deal to us.
Wade and I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Clovis. Brent (a friend from Wade’s work) and his girlfriend (Kristen) went with us. We got to Clovis around 3:00 or so. We called the boys to try to meet up with them but they were at an autograph session at a McDonald’s across town. We went and found our hotel. Charles and Butch caught up with us there and we all got signed in. We had to stay at a different hotel from the boys because the one the boys were at was all booked up. But it was only a couple of blocks up the road. Charles and Butch went into town and we waited for the boys to meet us. Once they showed up we found a restaurant/bar where I could have a drink and the boys could play some pool and just “chill” before the show. (We all have our own ways of preparing for a show!)

It finally came time for us to go to the stadium. There were motorcycles and quads everywhere. The fair was going on just up from the stadium and it looked like it was going to be a pretty big crowd. Caleb went to the promoter and tried to convince him to pay a little extra and he would flip as well as Colten. It would be the first ever “double flipper” show. The promoter declined so it looked like Colten would be the highlight of the show! The races began and so we just had to hang out and wait. While Brent, Kristen and I found a place in the stands, Wade went to meet up with Charles and Butch. (Just a FYI – Wade is now asleep in his recliner and I have changed the TV to “America’s Got Talent” so maybe I won’t have bad dreams unless they have some really bad contestants tonight!HA!) Anyway, back to the story….The boys were down at the pickup getting ready so I decided to go check on them. I was walking along the way when a pickup came up behind me and what do ya know – it was MarySue trying to find a place to park. I didn’t even know she was going to be there! We got her settled and then headed back to the stands. In just a few minutes Wade had found Wes, Whitney, Caden and Maddie and brought them up to the stands to us. Now I had a “comfort group” around me while I anxiously waited for the boys to do their thing. I’m pretty sure they were even more anxious than I was but at least we all had each other.

Here’s Maddie enjoying the show!
Finally the boys came out to do their part of the show. They immediately threw out some of their biggest tricks. It really is amazing to watch the two of them together. The announcer was doing a great job of engaging the audience. Then Caleb went to the announcer and started talking up Colten to the crowd. He explained how Colten had been practicing this backflip for over a year, had crashed it more than once and had been scheduled to perform it several times and still had never done it before a crowd. This was his moment and this was the crowd that would experience the first Colten flip. I watched Colten come towards the ramp in the stand up position. Like I’ve explained before, when he is coming toward the ramp in the stand up position, you know he’s got the flip on his mind. He did one straight jump for assurance. I expected at least one more straight jump before he actually pulled the flip but there it was – he went up the ramp, he pulled back and around he went. I was videotaping but I didn’t get a very good view and I’m sure the screaming on the playback is a little distracting. I would like to say it was some crazy person standing next to me that was doing the screaming but I have to be honest, it was me. It wasn’t a scream of fear by any means, it was a scream of pure delight! Colten landed the flip perfectly and I was so extremely proud of him at that moment!

The announcer interviewing the boys after the flip.
We had been waiting for this moment for so long and it finally happened! Thank God! And I mean Thank God! I believe that what the boys do is a gift from God! And I do thank Him every time! Fortunately there were others who videotaped and then shared….you can see at….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p23amRA2Bb4
So now we can breathe a little easier…until the next time that is! I was so glad that Grandmother and Grandaddy, MarySue, Whitney and her family were there. It means a lot to all of us that we have a great family who support us. I believe that support is a huge component of the boys’ success!

After the show the boys signed autographs and someone wanted their picture with their 9 day old baby. I think the boys were a little bit surprised by this one!
We all made our way back home on Sunday. Colten’s birthday was Monday and then on Tuesday, they left for France. I’ll try to write up a little about that trip in a couple of days (they have since come back and told me a few details – I could share more if they would just take me with them everywhere they go!)
Be sure to watch for the “double flipper” show …I’m sure it’s coming soon!