Down on the farm

Scottie has a friend from school whom he has spent a lot of time with. Play dates, Webkinz, more play dates, bike rides . . . Through their friendship, her mom, Sandra, and I have become friends. (Yes, Scott's friend is a girl. He doesn't have any guy friends. Just girls.) Anyway, this friend has a blog with ideas for things to do in the summer based on the alphabet.

Today was H day, and Sandra had a friend who knew someone who would let a group of people ride a few of their horses. My kids don't really enjoy going to a whole bunch of different things during the summer (neither do I), but this is one thing I wanted to do. B was feeling a little off this morning, so I packed up Scott & Gavin and we headed out with the rest of the group.

When we got there, Mandy taught the kids a little bit about horses and let them pet one of the horses, DH, while Melanie saddled the three horses we would be able to ride. They were all older horses - averaging about 19 years old - so they were slow and gentle enough for the older kids to ride with no one pulling on the guide rope.


Scott & Gavin petting DH


Listening while Mandy taught them about horses


Scottie on his first ride on DH. . .


. . . and after! He was stoked!


Gavin riding Dancer . . .


. . . and after! See how excited he was?

Scott & Gavin each went once with someone leading their mount around the pasture and when they had dismounted, their faces were just glowing. It was so cute. They were both able to go several more times - once with each other, a couple of times with me, and a couple of times by themselves. I even went a couple of times by myself, and I was in heaven.

(Out of the group that came, we were the very last ones to leave, and it was very reluctantly. I could have stayed there riding all day long.)

At one point, after boosting the kids up on the horses a few times, and helping to keep the horses steady while they were mounting, they could see I was familiar with and comfortable around horses, so they asked if I wanted to lead the boys around. That was so fun to see their beaming faces up close and to lead the horses around.


Leading DH with Gavin on his back

When I was younger, I would go riding several times a year with my cousin, Wendy and I've always had a love of horses. In fact, that was a dream of mine - to marry a rancher and have lots of horses. (But, to be honest, I'm glad I didn't marry a rancher, because I don't like to get up early.) I've missed it, though, so I'm so grateful for this opportunity to go ride with my boys, however short it was.


Mom & Gavin going for a ride

Brandon says I look good on a horse! I have to agree. :)


Mom & Scott heading out for a ride


Gavin & Scott on DH

They were kind of fighting over who would hold the reins. Scott won out in the end while Gavin held onto the saddle horn.


Scott going solo

Ever since we came home, he's been repeating what one of the owners there said: "You're a natural."


Scott riding around the pasture by himself

I still want to have several horses at some point in my life and call them mine. Brandon wants some too. We have yet in our 11 1/2 years of marriage been able to go riding with just the two of us. I hope to be able to go sometime soon, and someday be able to fulfill this dream of mine to own my own horses. And go riding with Brandon & the boys whenever we want.

Cuddling

Last night I was SO tired. (It might possibly be because of the fact that Connor seems to think that 7:00 is the new 9:00 in the morning. And that the boys bedtime has been pushed back to a little later in the evening. Resulting in Brandon & I staying up later so we can have some quiet time. And, did I mention Connor getting up earlier? But, that's just a hypothesis.)

I was seriously ready to go to bed by 8:30. I was dragging, and my eyes were so tired that when I closed them I couldn't decide if they hurt or were relieved to be closed.

So, I put Connor to bed, then laid down on the couch downstairs while the other boys finished a game they were playing and got ready for bed. Then B came and laid with me while we waited for the other boys so we could read scriptures.

But, I don't think we ever read scriptures. I fell asleep. With the lamp on. (For those that know me, that's a big deal. I don't sleep with any sort of light on. I have to have it dark when I sleep. So, that just goes to show how tired I was.) And B was right next to me. Reminded me of when he was a baby and I would bring him into bed with me and we'd fall asleep.

Brandon left us there for a couple of hours before he came and took a picture of us. Which woke me up. And, then I left B there and went to my own bed with my arms still warm from where he was cuddled up next to me.



I love you, my B

Cookies for sale . . .

So, on Wednesday, Scottie came up to me and asked if he could make some Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies. All by himself. He's made them before with my help, so I gave him a hug and told him to go for it. I was in the living room working on the computer and I could hear him working away in the kitchen, just kind of singing to himself. Other than showing him which one was the baking soda and where I keep the vanilla, he did it all himself.

He mixed them up, then I showed him how much dough to put down for each cookie and away he went. I kept Connor away from the oven while Scott put them in and took them out, and he did it all by himself. I tasted the dough before he cooked them, and again when some were cooked and somewhat cool (Hey! I'm the Mom - I'm supposed to do that!). They were REALLY good.

Once they were cool, he ran outside and proceeded to sell them to the neighbor kids that were in our backyard. 25 cents for the big ones and 15 cents for the little ones. After that, he wanted to set up a stand in our front yard so neighbors would come over and buy some from him. I discouraged him from that - it was really windy and nobody was out and about.


As he started going door to door, the neighbor kids ran up again to buy more cookies from him. They were that good!

So, he loaded the cookies up in our wagon and went door-to-door selling them! He was ecstatic when a woman in the neighborhood bought eight cookies. "She gave me TWO dollars, Mom!" It was SO cute, and he made almost $6.00!




"Would you like to buy some cookies?"


Goin' about his business!

Way to go, Scottie bug! Love you.

(Oh, and if you'd like to buy some cookies, I'm sure Scottie would be happy to make some for you.)

Nursing

Two weeks ago, my baby turned 18 months old. Two weeks ago, I stopped nursing him. Two weeks ago, after I put my baby to bed, I sobbed while my husband held me in his arms and told me it would be okay.

Each baby has been nursed a little bit longer than his previous sibling. Not a conscious act - it just happened that way based on circumstances in our lives at that particular time. I was completely comfortable nursing my baby at 18 months. Just once a day, in the evening right before bedtime. It was our wind-down time. (Occasionally, if he had a really rough time in church, I'd nurse him just to help him get through the final hour of sacrament meeting.)

Please excuse me here while I reminisce and become emotional . . .

Nursing was rough for us at first. He nursed right after birth like a champ, and nursed so often that I finally had to ask a nurse to feed him a bottle during our hospital stay because the colostrum just wasn't enough for him. Plus, I was sore. A few days later, my milk came in with a vengeance. I was so full and hard that he couldn't nurse, and found his meals more frequently coming from a bottle.

I was heartbroken. I'm that woman that absolutely loves nursing. I love the pull of their lips, the pouts and the sighs and the grunts as my babies nurse. I love watching them, and catching their eye and having them pull off just long enough to give me a milky grin, then it's right back down to business.

Listening to Connor cry in the dr.'s office after his circumcision was so painful. I was rock hard, and he was hungry and needed comfort and I couldn't give him any milk. He couldn't latch on. I cried right along with him. I asked Brandon for a blessing when we got home, but still ended up giving him a bottle. After the boys were in bed, I was desperate, so turned to Google to see if I could find some answers.

I did, and I was able to nurse him again. It was an answer to prayers, and I have thanked my Heavenly Father so many times for that wonderful gift. The answer to my question of how to get him to nurse just leapt off the screen, and I cried again.

Then, a few months later, he got a bad diaper rash. Then his whole body broke out into a rash. We visited the dr. (not our normal doctor) who told us to wash his body with Head and Shoulders shampoo. That his skin was just really dry and the shampoo would help. It didn't.

We went back to our normal doctor who prescribed us several creams, and some strong hydrocortisone ointment to put on him daily. It helped. Until we ran out of cream and then the rash came back. It got to the point where his skin was literally peeling off his body. We went back to the dr. and I asked for allergy testing. They denied it, saying that they didn't do allergy testing in infants that young. I didn't care. At that point, I demanded it, and they finally complied.

Four weeks later (after many, many phone calls to the allergist) we learned he was allergic to dairy. I immediately cut out all dairy from my diet, and within a few weeks he was better.

Because of his allergies, I took my eating seriously. I made sure I didn't eat dairy, and if I did it was in tiny amounts, and never back to back. His is not what they consider a severe allergy, so if it's cooked into items such as breads or cookies, he does fine. However, if he touches milk he breaks out into a rash and blisters.

For over a year, I nursed him without eating chocolate or dairy. I loved it, but gradually comments started filtering in. Things like, "Aren't you done yet?" Or, "He's over a year, isn't he? Why are you still nursing?" Or, "I couldn't do it. I'd just want my body back." The thing is, these people didn't understand how much we both loved it. At times, I got really frustrated with these (well meaning) people, and I'd turn to Brandon and ask his opinion. He was always 100% supportive of me nursing for however long I wanted.

I finally decided that 18 months was probably the time, even though I didn't want to stop. That day came, and I was super emotional. I nursed him twice that day - once in the morning and then again right before bed. I laid him down, then went back downstairs with Brandon and fell into his arms just sobbing.

I finally realized why I was so emotional. He wasn't a baby anymore. He's possibly (probably, if you ask Brandon) our last one, so it was somewhat hard for me to know that I might have just nursed for the very last time. (Plus, he's not typically a cuddler, so that was my time to cuddle with him.)

I've struggled in the two weeks since then. (I'm crying right now as I type this.) There have been many times where I just want to sit down with him and nurse him. He's missed it too, I can tell. When he's stressed or tired, he'll pull at my shirt. It takes everything I've got not to give in and nurse him. I have to keep reminding myself that it wouldn't be healthy for him right now, since I have introduced dairy back into my diet. But, still, I miss it, even though I know it's fine to stop. He's old enough, and I feel blessed to have been able to nurse him at all.

I guess this long, rambling post is just to remind me about our journey. I can't believe he's 18 months old already. It went by too fast. He's supposed to still be a little baby - not a toddler. I'm going to blink tomorrow and he'll be ten, and going into 5th grade, and I'm going to feel old and be sad. So, I'm going to try to cherish this time I have with him and love him when he's still little.

Rio

Meet Rio, the newest member of our family. We've finally given up hope that Lady will ever come back. I think. Anyway, I told Brandon that if Lady wasn't back by springtime that we'd be getting a new kitten.

So, one morning, I was on the computer checking my email and just had a thought to look at ksl.com for some kittens. The picture of her and her siblings was the first one to pop up. There was one that looked a lot like Lady, one that looked a lot like Sly, and then this little girl. I called and made arrangements to come look at the kittens that afternoon.

I immediately fell in love with this little girl. The boys each had a kitten that they liked, but in the end I won out. She was only 9 weeks old when we got her the week before Mother's Day. (We're being really careful that this doesn't happen this time.)

We brought her home, and while we were eating dinner that night, we tossed around a whole bunch of names. Kiki (really easy for Connor to say - he already says it), Padfoot, Harry Potter, Hermione, Crookshanks (see where this is headed?), Dumbledore . . . Some others that were just plain silly, and some that some of us agreed on, but others didn't. We had narrowed it down to a couple, when I just said, "What about Rio?" We were all silent for a minute to let that sink in, then one by one, everybody said, "I like Rio."

So, meet Rio.


You can see how small she is compared to Brandon's hand


Sly's not so sure about Rio

Even a few weeks later, Sly still doesn't like her


Sly's a monster compared to her



And, as you can see, Connor is smitten with her. He tries to find her all the time. She's getting pretty good at avoiding him. :)

Pinewood Derby

We didn't realize the pinewood derby was drawing close until the night before the cars were due. Um, shoot. Brandon had class that night, too, so I took the boys over to the church and asked for an extension until Saturday before the race. They were good enough to allow that.

So, Friday after school, and Saturday morning, the boys got to work sketching and cutting and painting their cars. Brandon took them over to be weighed and get ready for the race. The boys were super excited, and they each came in first a couple of times, and second several times each. A super fun event for my cute little scouts.


"Yes, B got first!"


"Scott's came in first!"

Easter picture overload

We had a great Easter this year (although, truth be told, the boys were much more excited to go jump on the trampoline than they were to color eggs. So, I did most of the eggs by myself.) My sister-in-law, Dazee, invited us over to their house for a BBQ and Easter egg hunt for all the kids, and games for everybody.

The kids had a blast running their eggs on a spoon down to one end of the yard and back. Some tried to do it fast, hoping that even if they did drop the egg, they were far enough ahead that they could still catch up if they had to start over. Others (like my Gavin) took it slow and steady. I don't think he dropped his at all, but he also came in last place. (Not that we told him - we just kept cheering him on!)


All lined up, ready to go


And they're off!


"Go, Toady, Go!"

After the kids games, came the hunt. We let the little kids hunt first (3 and under), then the big kids got to go. Connor didn't really get the idea of picking up the eggs and putting them in his basket. He was more fascinated with the bubbles and dog.


"Ready, set . . ."


"Look, Mom! A doggy!"


"And a bubble!"

Big kids turn:


"Ready, Set . . ."


" . . . Go!!"


"Hmm - where could those eggs be?"


I found one!


S-t-r-e-t-c-h . . .

Once the kids finished their hunt, they played with their loot while the adults played their games. Brandon & I won the first game, and should have won the second game but for some competitiveness in his brothers and their spouses. :) All right, we got competitive too. But, it was lots of fun.


Playing with cousins


Grandma had fun swinging bubbles around


B had fun trying to pop them

I'm so glad to live close to most of Brandon's brothers and to get together with them and play games, talk, and have fun. But, one of his brothers is moving his family away from us to be closer to his work. We're so sad they're leaving, but hopefully this just gives us an excuse to make lots of summer trips up to see them.










My five guys . . .


. . . and me!

Conference Picture & Crafty Blocks

My in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, so the kids and their spouses decided to make a little gift for them. Pictures were found, a block painted, letters applied, ribbon tied, and this is what we ended up with:


Back when they were first dating


40 years together

Have I mentioned how much I love my in-laws? I'm convinced I've got the best in-laws in the world. I'm truly blessed to have married into such a wonderful family, and I love every single one of them.

Our ward did a Super Saturday a couple of months ago, and I decided to make some temple blocks for my boys. The original design had a bow tied around the right side of the picture, but I didn't think that would fly with my boys. So, I thought about maybe getting a big button, threading some thread through it, then gluing it on, but vetoed that idea pretty quick. They're growing up, after all.

So, I thought about it while I was painting and sanding and decided to put their picture on their individual block. I also found a picture of the temple that I liked better (they all wanted the Logan temple), so I printed that out in a sepia color and modge-podged it onto the block. Then, I found some rectangle squares (hah! Rectangle Squares) at Michael's, painted and sanded those to match the blocks, then printed off pictures of each of the boys. I glued the pictures onto the rectangles, then glued them onto the temple block.



I love how they turned out, and so do the boys. They sat on my table in various stages of completion for almost a week, and the boys were so excited when they came home from school to see their completed blocks. I'm excited that they are so excited, and that they have a reminder of the temple and forever families and their goal to go to the temple someday.


Gavin - he wanted "Families are Forever" on his block


B wanted "I'm Going There Someday"


Scott wanted "Families are Forever"


Connor wanted, "I'm Going There Someday"

Okay, Connor didn't really decide what he wanted, 'cause he can't tell me what he wants. I chose for him to make it even.

And, this is what B drew while we were all downstairs listening to General Conference. We think it's pretty cool! Good job, B.