Two Kinds of Kids

Friday I asked Nathan if he wanted to go see the kids…

he thought that was the silliest thing EVER!

Field of Flowers

Horse Crazy

Lindsay and Lulu at WWRC. 

For anyone who doesn’t know what is behind Lindsay’s love for horses, you are not alone.  I’m not even quite sure when or how this occurred and I’ve been with her every day of her young life.  I did not buy her “My Little Pony” sets to play with, though they did make it into her collection eventually.  I didn’t read lots of books to her about horses.  While I like all animals I certainly did not encourage her in this direction initially or specifically.  In fact, there wasn’t even time.  One of the first things she ever said to me before the age of 18 months besides “May I have more juice please” (yes, she spoke that clearly from a very early age and this statement from a “baby” about knocked the socks off of a friend of mine) was “Mom, I love horses”.  In fact, that’s why she herself loves running fast and carrots are her favorite food to eat; because that is just what the horses like.  Honestly I think she was born with a  love for this magnificent creature.  For her second birthday I bought her a set of tiny Mares and Foals.  They came in a bucket that had a tiny stable for a lid along with a tiny hairbrush, feeding buckets, and water pump.  She loved this set immediately, carrying those little horses in her small fists 24 hours a day.  I always found one particular one curled up in a loose grip when I would check on her in her crib at night.  (She still has this set, tucked away now).  She went on her first pony ride for her second birthday when she was FINALLY old enough.  It felt like she’d waited an eternity for this experience.  That summer when she was two we spent many late mornings picnic-ing on a blanket just outside of the horses pasture at a nearby farm and Lindsay would watch the horses for hours.  She was fascinated with everything about them.  At home she would saddle up her imaginary horse by placing a washcloth or one of the quilt blocks I was done sewing on the arm of the couch to go for a ride.  I got her a stick horse after that and she rode it constantly on her excursions, even caring for it with feeding and grooming.  When she was four she was invited to a birthday party at the farm which she was seriously looking forward to with more anticipation than normal.  I found her cleaning up the backyard that afternoon when she informed me that she might not need a ride home from the party that evening.  I asked her how she was going to come home and she told me that they might be giving her a horse for a prize at the birthday party since it was at the farm so she was just going to ride him home and she hoped it was a white one but any horse would be just fine.  She was in fact cleaning out a place for him in our backyard “just in case”.  I spoke to her about the probability of that happening.  She said “I know but … just in case”.  In Kindergarten she had a little project about what she wanted to be when she grew up.  She wrote that she wanted to take care of horses.  When her teacher questioned her about where she would be able to work or how she thought she might have a job like that someday she said “I’m going to work at Parky’s Farm, Silly!”  As if there was any question!!!  Her Kindergarten teacher, a couple years later, went to a real rodeo in Texas and thinking of Lindsay brought her a large stuffed horse with the name of the rodeo embroidered on the animal.  Her teacher, it turned out, loved horses too.  Another teacher that Lindsay never had offered up her daughter’s outgrown riding helmet to Lindsay.  She read all kinds of books, non-fiction AND fiction, about horses and could spout off all kinds of facts with her knowledge base.  She filled her bed with stuffed animal horses, one time counting them to beyond 45.  There are many more now and as she grows I’m not sure there is much room left for her!  But they’re still there.    Eventually Lindsay said she “needed” to learn how to ride a horse.  After all, “how will I get a job with horses if I don’t have any experience with them?”  One problem was that she was too short.  All the time she measured herself and when she was tall enough stated that she didn’t want birthday presents wrapped in paper that year.  She wanted to ride a horse.  If that was the only thing that happened for her birthday that was what she wanted.  So we found a reasonable price on horse camp; about what we would normally spend for her entire birthday… the most hours for the least amount of money and presented her with an envelope as her only birthday present on the day she turned 10.  I figured that actual experience with the horses would drive Lindsay one of two ways.  After mucking the stalls she might decide horses weren’t really for her… or she might just love this animal even more.  It didn’t take Lindsay long to decide that she never wanted another wrapped birthday present again.  Living in a small home, Lindsay doesn’t have a great deal of space for personal items.  She doesn’t need a lot of clothes since she has hand-me-downs along with generous grandparents.  So an “experience” seems like a good thing for us as parents to put her birthday money into for Lindsay.  And it’s easy to shop for, too.  One visit on the internet to sign up and we’re done!  Plus when we see how much she loves being with the horses we know this was the right gift for her, without a doubt.  I love that she enjoys something so good, natural, athletic and wholesome.

I will post pics of Lindsay’s horse show, soon.

Horsing Around

“I want to ride horses too”, Nathan wishes as he tries walking across the room in his big sister’s boots!

Goodbye

Sometimes the really wonderful and happy parts of life are sad too… like when you have a good friend and it’s time to say goodbye permanently.  June seems to bring goodbyes with it every year.

Kaitlyn and Addie have been friends for a year since her family moved in nearby.  They have seen each other mostly at church each week.

Kaitlyn had a chance to have Addie come over before she moves to Utah.  They had so much fun drawing chalk pictures of Rapunzel, practicing at the hula-hoop, swinging and laughing together one last time.

Tristan was somehow just as thrilled to have one of Kaitlyn’s friends come over to play.  I was surprised at his enthusiasm but as he showed off just a little bit a couple of times I suddenly had visions of my life with them ten years from now!!!  I remember that with my brothers.  Oh dear!

The girls played very nicely together with games like Bingo and Duck Duck 123.  They went upstairs.  They ran downstairs.  They were very busy.

Then they informed me they were going on an adventure and they would be camping.  They grabbed their back packs running out the back door and all was quiet in the house.  I went out back to find this big white lump in the middle of the yard.  “Knock!  Knock!”

They were in their tent eating hot dogs, checking out their first aid kit and having a great time.  We moved inside from the heat and had a real meal to fill their tummies with peanut butter and strawberry jam on home made bread. 

After lunch they moved back outside to play Hullabaloo with Tristan until Addie’s Mom came to pick her up.  Both girls knew that this would be the last time they see each other.  They talked about it and then gave each other a hug as they said goodbye.  They had so much fun together and I regret not having Kaitlyn’s friends over more often.  Life during the school year gets pretty hectic for me and that’s my excuse if it is one.

Addie isn’t the only friend that Kaitlyn is saying goodbye to this year.  Her other friend Penelope is moving to Texas in July.  We wanted to have her come over as well.  These girls have been friends for two years (that’s half their lives) since Penelope moved here, also nearby us, and Kaitlyn loves to sit right next to her each week at church in class.  I always hear about it when that doesn’t happen. 

The girls got busy playing Caribou until they started talking about having a tea party.  They came and found me in the basement looking for flour.  “What can we have for a tea party, Mom”?  I heard.  I gave them a choice of muffins or cookies.  Then I gave them a choice of peanut butter or chocolate.  The “Chocolate Softies” won out and both girls donned aprons as they prepared to help with the baking.  Penelope volunteered to crack the egg and she took that egg to the bowl like a pro!  No shells this time.  She told me that sometimes she gets “cracks” in the bowl and has to pick them out.  I thought that was so cute and funny.  She was proud of herself this time.

While they waited for cookies to bake and cool they watched a couple of minutes of Sesame Street but there was way too much to do to sit for long.  Shortly they went upstairs to find some baby dolls and adventure packs to bring to tea.  Kaitlyn had a compass wrapped around her arm to figure out which way to go.

The ground was sort of wet so they set out their blanket for tea up on the deck.  They carefully poured water from the china tea set and enjoyed a couple of cookies each… before lunch.  I was afraid they wouldn’t have time for their “tea” if I made them wait.  Penelope told Kaitlyn that “cookies are a special treat and not for a snack”.  I told her she was right.  They loved the cookies and I told Penelope that she could take some of them home.  After all, she helped to make them.  She looked forward to sharing them with her parents… and maybe her baby sister too.

More adventures outside before lunch time, where Kaitlyn said she had to sit right next to Penelope.  (Surprise)

Kaitlyn is lucky to have such nice little girls for friends.  Good friends are wonderful… Good friends are hard to find!  We will miss both Addie and Penelope as they move on to new adventures in new and exciting places.

Sweet Summertime

Strawberry Shortcake… it’s what’s for dinner.

Happy Summer!

Dad’s Day

Sunday was Father’s Day, a day to recognize and honor all of the Fathers in our lives.  I haven’t spent a Father’s Day with my own Dad in many years now, which is sad.  In fact, he rarely gets a card from me ON TIME any more; still the case.  But I find that I think of my Dad all the time, and I wonder in how many ways we are shaped and affected by our Dads (and Moms too for that matter).  It’s little things I say sometimes that I am surprised to hear come out of my mouth; for I sound just like my Dad or Mom on occasion.  And perhaps some of those things came from his parents and maybe some of those things even came from his parent’s parents and carry down.  Sometimes I do things for reasons that come back to me as things my parents did or at least taught me to do.  Sometimes I enjoy things because I enjoyed them with my parent, once upon a time, and now my children are enjoying those things too.  Sometimes I share life lessons with my own kids now that are stories told to me by my Dad or are about my Dad…  like one day recently when I caught one of my kids “smoking” gold fish crackers… because it is cool!!!  And that child is dead set on never smoking now all because I told them Pop’s story.  I hope it’s a cure!  I know my Dad set a great example for me in many ways and I hope he had a great Father’s Day.  My children also have their own Dad to make memories with, who teaches them life lessons and supports them with all of the practical every day needs that they have.  I helped my children celebrate their Dad.  He is a good Dad and that was what I was looking for years before children came along.

Rick was asked what he wanted for Father’s Day.  He said that the best gift he could have would be a good meal with his family.  I looked at him questioningly… he gets that almost every single day except when he works late in the Fall and comes home to warm his plate and eat alone… but it’s one of those things that you don’t understand until you’re older.  I never understood how “not arguing” was a good Mother’s Day present, for example, and now I do.  Simple is better, you learn.  I don’t have any pics but for dinner we had green beans, buttered rolls and “guilt free” (no cream) Alfredo with chicken… granting the wish of a good family meal… after playing the hilarious game of “Scribblish”.  That might be the best Cranium game yet.

For the “biggest kid around” as his card stated, we gave him a wall plaque about families. 

Before taking an evening walk, Nathan patiently waited while I threw together a quick dessert.  Rick LOVES cookie sundaes at UNO’s and once or twice a year we stop in on our way home from the Stake Center and share one after the adult session of Conference on Saturday night.  I decided to see if I could re-create this treat, also known as “Pizzookies”.  I took chocolate chip cookie dough and put a layer of dough on the bottom of ungreased ramekins.  Baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes until the edges looked done and the center was not quite done.  Then I took them out of the oven, let them cool for five minutes and placed a scoop of ice cream in the center of each followed by a drizzle of homemade chocolate sauce which I still had in my fridge.  Except for no whipped cream (which the restaurant adds) these yummies had exactly the same taste as the cookie dessert at the restaurant.  Plus it was about $7 dollars cheaper. 

Cookie Sundae Cup; aka “Pizzookies”.  YUM!  Happy Father’s Day!

First Dance

Haley attended her first dance on Friday Night at Youth Conference after a long day of working on an outdoor service project.  Her second dance was Saturday Night.  Dancing every dance and meeting lots of new people, both were a blast! 

She said “this was the best weekend of my life”.

Farm Fresh Mornings

From the past week:

Is there a better way to start the day???

Climbing through hay and finding a treasure…

Lying in wait for the chickens and then chasing them around the yard.  Finding rocks and stuffing them in your pockets.

Chasing geese every which way, here and there and everywhere!

Peaceful ponds with fish and turtles.  Shades of wild flowers.  Tasting ripe, sun-warmed strawberries out of the field. 

Windmills and water pumps.    Visiting busy buzzing bees making honey in their hives.

Sweet and curious girl and boy.  Summer Breezes.

Goats and ducks and squealing pigs and turkeys and soft lop eared bunnies.

Playgrounds all to yourself with great heights to investigate and twirly slides for the ride back down to earth.

Climbing and sliding, chasing and calling.

 

Imagination!

And a drive home, all by 9:30 a.m.