Our Weekend

Us girls went to the first horse show...ever! that the girls rode on Saturday. We took Sonic and Grimmie...the girls are hooked!

They each rode Sonic in 6 'speed' events. I walked beside 'lead line style', except for once when Adalynn busted Sonic into a trot, which evolved into a lope...out the arena gate. Thank goodness for the good soul that caught them on the way out! And Adalynn, while a bit scared for a moment, was soon ready to hop back up. My brave girl!

Sunday Sadie was dedicated at church. It was a very awesome and God-filled time at our church and home with close friends and family. 

May 23 to now...

I prefer to believe in 'God things' over coincidences myself, and the week after Memorial Day a God thing certainly happened! Over the course of time, especially since we've had the kids, I would occasionally google my old horse's registered name to see if anything came up. She was an awesome 1996 mare, rock solid, that I sold somewhere around 2003. She was a horse I compared other horses to, and let me tell ya, it's hard for them to measure up. I thought when we bought Mel that maybe we had found one, only to be disappointed again, as Mel is a bit hotter than I like for the kiddos.

But alas.

On Wednesday I googled her name and a Dreamhorse ad popped up. I couldn't believe it! Posted in April, no picture, but definitely her registered name and even the seller's name looked familiar. I yelled to T that I thought I found Sonic, and he responded that he would call. He does not appreciate my negotiating skills...which basically would have consisted of "I think you have my old horse and I want her back! Any price will be fine!". So, I'm sure groaning inwardly, he said he would call. And on Sunday that weekend we drove to pick her up. 

We are so ecstatic to have her back. The same owner had her that I had sold her to, and she had done well for them. I like to think Sonic remembers me, she turns her head and comes when I send out my trademark whistle.

K's Kindy Picture:

April to May 21...

All righty...here's some pictures in reverse chronological order ranging from April (at the bottom) when the kiddos new trampoline, a Christmas present, was initially setup to May 21, when lil Miss Sadie Elizabeth was born. 

The first 4 pictures are of Sadie, bless her lil heart. We love her!

A, showing off her chicken's (for the life of me I can't remember the hen's name right now) egg. She is an easter egger, and A likes to claim all of her eggs for herself :).

A reading to her siblings. She's an awesome reader, and reads vivaciously to anyone who will listen.

A's field day at school.

And the new trampoline. The kids love this thing, I never knew how much joy and laughter it would bring!

Double shot - A and K and jumping, and in the background you can see J and T chasing each other on their respective tractors. It was quite hilarious. (yes, all safety precautions were taken!)

Now to catch up the rest of the way....

March/April Random, maybe a 'lil late

Before you even waste your breath asking, no, there has been no little arrival yet. The doc said that next Wednesday is her deadline, if she doesn't come before, so we are hoping and praying that she decides to come on her own before then.

In the meantime, here are some recent-ish pics, in reverse chronological order (I think).

*The animals (how many and what kind are there?) are excited to be on pasture.

Unfortunately, this same day I took a video of Melody standing up, gimping horribly. Took her to the vet, and it appears that she has injured her Suspensory Ligament somehow. So she is on rest for a while, and getting the Princess Treatment to her legs twice a day. 

*Confession: Adalynn and I played hooky from church a week and a half ago and worked Grimmie and Susie. Adalynn did an awesome job with Susie, and I am so proud of how she is working with her to communicate better.

Grimmie, on the other hand, NEEDS A JOB. He's a hot mess right now!

*J turned 2 on April 30. Here he is with his (I think) favorite birthday present. He rocks it in high gear.

K and I cuddled with him on his birthday for a while. I love this picture of him. Makes me smile!

*Slimer the bottle calf arrived sometime around the middle of April. He is hilarious, if not a bit too friendly at times. He enjoys long walks (leashless), milk, and is growing his taste buds for fine grass (not of the opiate variety).

*Trav and I have had a day or 2 to work around the farm sans kiddos, which has been a blessing. We have gutted the barn from winter messes and it is currently on my garden, awaiting tillage. We've also moved the big pig into the woods, and now further into the woods, where she is rooting, hanging out, and hopefully growing piglets (we're 90% sure!) for an August delivery. T is her favorite.

*Easter morning:

We did finally make it into church clothes:

And then to Opa and Oma's for lunch, then Papa and Nana's for dinner. Good times.

There are more, but I don't have the energy to search through and upload right now. But yes, we are still around. Sometime soon maybe we will have a 4th addition to our family. Sometime soon we will add one more bottle calf. And T is done with his Tactic Team training, which is a blessing that it went well and that he is home on weekends now! More later, I think...

February Random...

Like Daddy, Like Son...it's where J wants to be 24/7...

Susie-Q

Are we on-the-go too much? Given J's desire to put shoes, coat, and hat on every single morning, even on my days off, I'd say so...(and yes, he always 'forgets' the pants, socks, and other appropriate outside-of-the-home attire. All boy!)

The girls have been a big help around the FarM and with baby J when T's gone for training.

1st ever school Roller Skating party. The girls were impressed. J would like to express his desire to be included in the action next time. He's not a bench sitter.

Came in the girls' room to this note one random day in Feb. A had transcribed for K:

Mama-made skirts.

They are growing up!

This, I guess, could go in March as A wrote this yesterday. But I think it probably pretty well sums up yesterday, the day before, the month before, and likely the next few months until I give birth. Sorry kiddos, I'm trying.

A, after her first 4-H function. Love that there's still a little girl inside of her big girl pants.

I know a lot of people are getting sick of the amount of snow that we have gotten. Unless you have farm animals, you may not think of the environmental implications of the snow height.

Such as farm animals.

What do they do when the fence is grounded?

Is that a cow in my yard?

Why yes, it is!

And in my back yard too? How could I be so lucky?

And pig, couldn't stay out of the action and had to come up to the house looking for food. Her poor 30" tall fence is literally buried under the snow. She stayed in it for a while still, but the cows showed her the 'free' way to live, and she could contain herself no longer.

And why is it that they always get out when T is gone for training? Yes, this pregnant woman loves to lumber after the 400# piggie to lure her back to her enclosure.

Not gonna lie, Flopsie had to wait for T to come home. Sorry T, but thank you, very much.

We did learn that she knows her name. And that if she starts to wander down the driveway toward the road, you can call her name and whistle and she'll come thundering back down the driveway to the barn. And the sight of a 400# pig responding to her name, grunting as she waddles runs down our snowy driveway made me laugh, I'm not gonna lie. Actually, just the image of it in my mind still makes me chuckle. She is the one being right now that doesn't make me feel large as a barge. And for that, she has a special place in my heart.