Spring Break 2011 - Day 1

Spring Break has officially begun.  We headed out early this Monday morning and drove to the farm where Granny (my Mom) has recently acquired 2 horses for the pleasure of the grandchildren.  You may remember Kaylyn attending a birthday party almost 2 years ago and getting to ride and loving it so she was super excited to take a turn on Black Flash.

 Morgan was excited until the reality of sitting on the horse made her nervous.  She got on.

And immediately was asking to get down.

 Kaylyn couldn't stop the smile.

 She was trying to keep it in but her joy came out very quickly.  Aunt Robbie led her around the corral several times.

 Then Ian got a turn so Kaylyn hung onto the corral to watch.

 And wanted another turn.  This time on her own (in the corral).

 Morgan took off with Regan to play on the porch.

 After their turns on the horse, Ian and Kaylyn headed back to the house where Ian wanted to dress up as a soldier (using a riding helmet instead of a soldier's helmet).

 I even got on the gentle horse for a few minutes around the corral.  I haven't been on a horse since high school and didn't ride much then.

 I did ride a lot as a kid though, even showing horses from younger than Morgan's age to close to Kaylyn's age (lead-line class).

 Firefly is for more experienced riders - Robin is so far the only one in the family who has ventured on him.  After his turn with a saddle, he posed hoping for extra treats.

 Robin on Firefly.

 Matt rode Black Flash while Robin rode Firefly. They rode around the yard a few times and then headed out into the pasture.

 Here's my only picture of Ian.  I got a nice long video of him riding in the corral.  I just need to edit it to post.

Sunday Schedule

As January started, our church time switched to 11 am.  Instead of having frantic mornings, we were looking forward to relaxed mornings and arriving at church on time, without rushing out the door.  Week 1 was not successful.  Week 2 still not doing well. What's going on?  Why is that now that we have 2 more hours, we're still struggling to get out the door?  So last Sunday, Adam and I sat down and came up with a plan so that everyone could be ready, on time, without rushing or yelling (big goal, I know).  Then I misplaced the schedule so this morning I rewrote it as I remembered.  And then I had to rewrite again making one for the Sundays that Adam isn't here (like today).  BIG SUCCESS!  The girls and I were in the van and pulling out of the driveway at 10:40 am, which was our target time (so that we can be in the Chapel 10 minutes prior to Sacrament meeting as our leaders have encouraged).

So here's the schedule for when both of us are here:
                           Eden                            Adam                      Kaylyn                  Morgan
7:30 am     wake up/prayer/scriptures
8:15 am     Cats
8:30 am     shower/dress/hair/makeup
8:45 am                                             wake up girls               wake up                wake up
9:00 am                                            Make breakfast
9:15 am              <<<<<<<       Eat breakfast together ;>>>>>>>>>>
9:30 am     Clean up breakfast            Shower/Dress           Get dressed          Get dressed
9:45 am     Church bags/Start dinner
10:00 am   Help K with hair                Help M with teeth        Hair                    Brush teeth
10:15 am    Help M with hair              Help K with teeth        Brush teeth                Hair
10:25 am   Brush teeth                      Get scriptures          Get scriptures       Get scriptures
10:30 am        <<<<<<  Rise & Shine (Prayer/Pledge/Scripture)>>>>>>>
10:35 am       <<<<<<<<<<<<<  Coats on  - go to van  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
10:40 am      <<<<<<<<<<<     Leave for Church    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


And for Sundays when it's just me getting the girls ready:

7:30 am   Wake up/Prayer/Scriptures/Cats
8:15 am    Shower/Dress
9:00 am   Make Breakfast
9:15 am    Eat breakfast together
9:30 am    Clean up breakfast/Start dinner/Help K&M get dressed
9:45 am    Brush teeth
9:50 am    Help K with hair
10:00 am  help K with teeth
10:10 am  Help M with hair
10:20 am   Help M with teeth
10:25 am   Get scriptures/church bags ready
10:30 am   Rise & Shine
10:35 am   Coats on - go to van
10:40 am   Leave for Church


The big difference between the two is that there isn't much wiggle room on the days that Adam isn't here.  I padded the normal Sunday schedule with lots of wiggle room so that we never felt rushed and most likely would be able to have some "down time" throughout the morning.  You may also wonder about the Wake Up Girls at 8:45 am - sometimes they sleep in but not very often.  So this is the time that they HAVE to be awake by.  This morning, they were awake before 8 am.  So they got to watch a video while I showered and dressed (scripture video, of course).  We also turned on an instrumental hymns CD to help set the mood in our home.

June 2005 to January 2011 - It's Finally done!

In June 2005, I started a project to make a quilt for my baby girl, just 2 years old but getting ready to transition into a big girl bed.  What started out as this that month...

 became this in June 2009 (I actually had most of it pieced by the end of 2005 but it wasn't long enough and I had to add a few more rows - I got frustrated and put it aside for a few years ). This is the top of the quilt (no backing or batting or quilting done)

 By July 2009, I started quilting, with assistance from my shadow.

 But with the bulkiness of my quilting frame (it took up a good chunk of our living room), I finally had to switch to a hoop to finish up the quilting.  Then it got set aside again because I had to figure out the binding.  In Dec 2010, I went back to my friend, Janet, the expert who graciously shared the knowledge of her talent with me.  I made the binding; tried to square up my edges; sewed the binding onto the front and then blind-stitched it to the back. 
And here's the finished product - January 2011!
On top of my bed (it's that wide because I wanted it to hang down the sides of Kaylyn's twin bed as in the picture of just the top - little did I know she'd be in a top bunk with rails by the time she got it).

 The man behind the "curtain"/quilt is Adam holding it up for a picture.

 And the happy girl :)

Oh Chickadee

About a month ago, I went to wake up the girls and in the process, I made up a song to the tune "Oh Christmas Tree".

Oh Chickadee
Oh Chickadee
It's time for you to wake up!

Oh Chickadee
Oh chickadee
It's time for you to wake up!

Your beautiful smile
It makes me grin
Your shiny eyes
Give me a thrill

Oh Chickadee
Oh Chickadee
It's time for you to wake up!

Now sometimes the verse gets a little different since this is the first time I've tried to write it down and I tend to make it up each time.  But it generally involves seeing a little girl's beautiful eyes and smile.

This morning on the way home from taking Kaylyn to school, the radio is tuned to "The Christmas Station".  Oh Christmas Tree comes on - in an instrumental version.  And guess what happens?
Morgan:  "Mommy!!!  They're playing Oh Chickadee!"

She was very excited to hear their special song on the radio :)

Morgan is a Scarecrow

Morgan's Preschool had a scarecrow parade at the end of October.  I was counting Boxtops that day so I got to see her parade.

 The pink shirt is actually mine.  It was the only thing I could find that was close to being a scarecrow.

 Isn't her makeup adorable?!

Laura Ingalls Wilder House

The first Friday in November was a day off school.  We arranged ahead of time with Granny for a field trip and headed out to the Laura Ingalls Wilder House.

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the house and I didn't take many pictures outside but we had a great trip and the girls both came home with sunbonnets which will be perfect for Pioneer Day celebrations in July.

In the picture below, Granny is pointing out fossils in the rocks they used to build the fireplace.  Laura had them placed at this level so she could see them.  One thing we learned was Laura was short so she had a lot of things in the house made short, like the kitchen counters.

Although it wasn't Laura's favorite, my favorite of the two houses is still the Rock House (which I didn't get any pictures of).  But the parlor window seats in the farmhouse would totally be my favorite place to read a book and/or watch thunderstorms.

A sweet and strong Spirit

Kaylyn loves to read The Friend magazine, either the actual magazine or the Friend's website.  She is also reading the scriptures and striving to Choose the Right as we get closer and closer to her baptism in January.  The other night I went into her room to turn off her light and this is what I found...

She fell asleep reading the Book of Mormon.  Oh so sweet!  And by the way, she is cuddling the baby blanket I made for her when she was born (I actually finished it on the drive to the hospital to pick her up).  She still sleeps with it and is definitely a Mama's girl - even if at this moment, she is off to the symphony with her Daddy.