Thursday, October 25, 2007

Neat Opportunity

For 3 Mondays in October a fellow homeschooler and friend offered to teach our group's children about horse care. My girls LOVE horses and we jumped right on this neat opportunity. The girls learned a lot. The boys were kind of restless and to entertain them I took them on a walk around the horse farm. The horses were beautiful and very friendly. It was a nice time for all.

Tony the Pony
Sweet Pea gets a chance to lead Tony around.




Brush-a-Brush
Boo take a turn brushing Tony. The girls really enjoyed the hands on learning.
(Boo is the one with the pony tail, turtleneck & jeans.)


Why.......Hello.
While the girls were up at the main barn learning E-boy, Bugs & I took a walk to visit the horses.



Gentle Giant
This horse was extremely friendly & gentle.




Looking On
Normally I would have let Bugs run around but he had not had a nap & was very tired.

New Friends



Pretty Cool!
This water trough was neat. I've never seen one like it before. The water continuously swirls around keeping it fresh. What a great idea!




School?
E-boy practices his reading by sounding out the words on the sign.


Picture Postcard
A photo taken as we walked down the lane.


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Slow Down!


What a busy week! E-boy had his last soccer practice & game of the season, Em had her last soccer practice the following night, a morning at the park to enjoy one of the last beautiful summer-like days, Ladies Bible study, errands, phone calls galore yesterday morning, cooking & delivering a meal for a sick friend, some school, church tonight, doctors appointments for the boys tomorrow & WIC, and the library tomorrow night. This is all after a whirlwind weekend visit with my brother, Darin. Whew! I still have a bunch of things to catch up on at home and more school to accomplish. How is it that things keep getting busier?

The Cousins Come to Town

In addition to our trip to Lancaster this summer to meet up & visit with family we had 2 rounds of company in late August & early September. First were Matt & Jenny and our sweet nieces. A week or so after that my cousin Laura, her husband Neil & their son. It was neat to see their little boy again as we hadn't seen him since he was 8-months old. What a big change! We had a good time & even got to visit with my Aunt Sharon too when we went for a cook-out at my parents' house. It was great to see all of them again & are thankful they were willing and able to make the long trip. Here are some pics of our visit.

Shak'in My Bootie
While waiting for our company to arrive the boys danced some of the time away.


Wooooo! Boogie, Boogie, Ooogie!

I Can Shake My Bootie Too!
You can't see it in a still photo but he is wiggling his little bum. Too cute!




Car Enthusiasts
The boys share their passion for cars.



Vrrooom, Daddy
I think that's what this game was called. Basically the boys used Neil as a human highway. Lol!




What Was That?!?!?




Hey, Good Looking!
Bugs gets a haircut & is looking good!



Captured!
I caught Dave & gave him a haircut too. Woo whoo!


Day #2
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary..........
How does your garden grow? I wandered over to the garden the next morning to take a few pics & check on things. I was thrilled by our Morning Glories this year.




Our Pumpkin (as of early September)


Soccer Time!


Outdoor Fun
Neil & Boo Bear scrimmage in the back yard.


Stop, Thief!
Bugs makes a run for it with my flip flop. Lol!



Crash!
Cars go everywhere with this little guy. Lol.


Cool Toy!
Grannie & Uncle Tim had this set up when we arrive. All the kids thought this was very cool.



Tummy Rub
Kitara gets a coveted belly rub from Sweet Pea.


Grilling
Grannie grills some chicken for everyone.

Time to Eat!


Table for Two
The boys thoroughly enjoyed their meal.


More Playtime




MOON!
Bugs is fascinated by the moon. Here he is in the middle of telling us, "Moon, Mommy". In the picture above that the cousins have a fun time playing in the sandbox.



The Daddys & E-boy Join In The Fun


Bugs Checks Out the Pond



Our Bug-a-Boo


Creativity
Look what we made!


Soccer!
Saturday morning we all went to Boo's soccer game. Boy, the other coach was annoying! She talked the ENTIRE game shouting out orders. No exaggeration. She yelled from the time it started until the second it ended. We all wanted to yell, "Would you let the kids play?" She ordered every, single move. Sheesh. I was so thankful Em's coach is NOT like that. He is a great guy AND a great coach.


Laura shows the kids some neat photos & a short movie.




Snuggle Time with Auntie Laura
E-boy was quite taken with his aunt. He is turning into a ladies' man. Lol!


Bugsy!


Buds
The boys shared lots of hugs the last day.


Blankie
Blankie & E-boy cuddle as they wait to say good-bye to the travelers.


Sweet Pea & Tinkerbelle
**************************************
***********************
It was a fun visit and so good to see everyone again. Thank you again, Laura & Neil for making that long trip and for all the help! Love you all!