Using Restaurant Manners

When we were kids, my parents used to impress upon us the importance of using our "restaurant manners" on those rare occasions we ate out. We have been doing the same roughly once a week with Aleaha, and although there is room for improvement, she is advancing along nicely. At least for the casual places! :) Here she is enjoying the deep-fried, cinnamon-and-jam-coated, whipped-cream-topped dessert chips from Ixtapa.



And here she is with Dad deciding on her Chinese order with "that book" (menu). Note the Let 'er Buck sweatshirt -- something she wears at least once a week. Of course, after this meal, it was "in the yaaandry" for some time.

An Even Shorter Update

Found on the digital camera. From last week.

A Short Update

Love this look. That's chocolate cake batter, my friends. Miss A was very helpful with the making, cleaning up, and eating of her dad's birthday cake this weekend. (Reminds me of when my sister Kelly and I used to take chocolate chips, melt them slightly, and use them like lipstick -- a little goth-looking perhaps, but yummy!)

She was all dressed up in her very metro black-and-white-with-shiny-boots outfit the other day for a pizza lunch in Portland .(Dad's Pro Nostalgia Drag class had a meeting there, so we all schlepped up. No need to remind us next time that we WON'T attempt to drive 2 hours to eat pizza during the all-important part of the day we know as Nap Time!)

It was the annual Harvest Lunch gathering at her daycare center last Friday. Whilst every other child had a large plate of great Thanksgiving fare (kudos, Chef Heather!!), our child dined on ...what's that? ... ah yes, Chex Mix. (And, although she won't appreciate me mentioning this in the future, her father and I are stunned at how it appears she metabolizes nutrients and calories from the air. How else could she consume so little but still grow and have such, um, quantity and frequency of "output"?)

Aleaha plants a big one on Daddy during the lunch. Then she begs us to take her home with us!! ;) It's a little hard to have the routine changed in the middle of the day -- and leaving after eating was sort of traumatic that day.

Enjoying Fall

Things have slowed down finally, now that the rain has come. Barn is full of hay, gutters are checked, everything is tarped, and we're getting the last of the apples off the trees. We just have to get used to settling into the darkness. We really don't like the wind that winter brings, but the rain doesn't bother us so much. You just plan to be soggy for about 7 months.

Not much happening lately, and that's just fine. We can use the rest! We've been enjoying a few trips now and then to casual restaurants, and here is Miss A enjoying her first cup of Chinese tea at Blue Sky. She really liked it, and it helped motivate her to use her restaurant manners.But wait, how much caffeine is there in Oolong tea??




Here she is enjoying a fall ride on Blackie:




We took a walk yesterday at Bald Hill. Aleaha brought Brownie along for the stroll. Brownie is her go-to horse for most excursions. He does everything but sleep with her, at which time we bring in Chocolate, a soft horsie. Brownie is not really soft and would not be so cuddly in bed. You know how it is -- it's easy to collect multiple horses and use them for different purposes!




On the way back from our walk, about a mile from the "pip-up" (pick-up), Aleaha wanted to walk alongside me instead of be pushed in the Bob. I was walking at a pretty good pace, and Aleaha ran the whole way, which made for a good restful night! (Hmmm -- can you say "hot-walker"??) She agreed to stop for a quick photo, but then she was off again at a run.





Last night we got out the train set and she had fun putting it together and being the engineer. She insisted on wearing her "goggles" (sunglasses with a velcro strap) on her head like a headband. Whatever. The girl makes her own fashion decisions. For the most part.

Ah, finally figured this posting thing out.

OK, I had been posting each photo as its own post. Not necessary. I think I get it now.....

Here is Chris playing logger with the tractor. We had a widowmaker (hate that phrase!) tree that needed to come down on our terms, not on our fence in a windstorm. Where is Miss A? Asleep safely in her bed at this time.




Here is Aleaha enjoying an apple from Howie's house (Holly). She ate about 3 of them while standing right there. When she saw me post this picture, she asked for more, of course. Then she wanted to know where her Bucking Horse shirt is. (Laundry, of course. She wears that thing twice a week!)



When we visited the pumpkin patch, she was frustrated that we couldn't find a purple pumpkin. We cruise the aisles at Target, and what does she spy? Yes, a purple pumpkin. Here she is sleeping on the way home from that trip avec purple pumpkin and Brownie, her horse.



Speaking of horse, Mommy got to take advantage of the fantastic weather on Sunday and go for a ride. Here is Jake at the top of Bald Hill. He was working up a sweat! (I actually got off and hiked part of it myself, much to his appreciation. My bum really needed the exercise!)



Here is one happy and confident little rider atop her purple saddle. Thank you, Aunt Peg! (See how curly Jake is getting? We might have a doozy of a winter!)



On Sunday morning we carved the pumpkins into Jack-o-Lanterns, and that night we put them on the porch and lit the candles. Aleaha says they are "vewwy dooey (scary) a night, but not a daytime, Mom."

Took some convincing to get her in this tunnel. She doesn't exactly looked thrilled, eh?

Woohoo - she got to go by herself this year!

Back for 2008, Aleaha gets ready for another ride on the Muddy Creek Maze Moo-Train!

She's two, but that's not too old to snuggle in for a nappette on Daddy.

Aleaha -- disguised as Jumper -- watches a little "BB" (TV).

It's a little hard to see this, but this is Miss A wearing her "How-ween tostume". It's supposed to be a little kid riding a horse (hence the extra, dangling legs appearing to be in stirrups). But she doesn't want to be someone riding a horse, she wants to be a horse.

And just like a little wild filly who has never been saddled, it took weeks to get her to warm up to actually wearing this giddy-up. The first time she had it on, she got cinched up a little too tight, and has been shy/spooked about it. We had to hang this thing in the living room and discuss it for two weeks. Talk about desensitization (sacking out?)! Finally, she was willing to try it again. And then what happened? You parents know this one -- we can hardly get her out of it! She's worn it each night. Pretty funny to see how she sits in her swing and manages all that extra horseflesh. Oh, and she named him "Jumper".

Wait until she realizes what happens when you wear your costume and say "Trick-or-Treat". Can you say One Trick Pony??

There are something like 12 toddlers in this photo. Are these teachers brave people or what? We sooooo appreciate you, Teacher Sylvia and Teacher Ashley!! (Also pictured, Teacher Cherish from Aleaha's previous classroom) Aleaha is the one with the telephone pole coming out of the top of her head. Alternatively, look for the purple kid. That'd be her.

Our favorite rooster!! ;) (And if you only could see how true this has become... our chickens actually think Chris is their, um, Special Guy. It's hilarious.)

We three went to the Heavenly Harvest pumpkin patch and farmer's market this week with Aleaha's school.

We went to our friend Jim's birthday party, and Aleaha wore her new purple dress and fancy tights. She was stylin' (and not shy about it)!

Wearing Dad's hat.

And J is for Jake.

C is for Chloe.

That's my little Barn Goddess! "No, no, Mom! My do it!!" And do I argue with that?? Nooooo!

Spiffy pulls Aleaha (and Mom) up the hill. Good dog!

OK, I know this is Aleaha's Blog and she's not in this picture, but I can't resist putting up a picture of my Marlboro Man -- er, I mean, my Gorton's Fisherman-Meets-Marlboro-Man. As a bday present to me, Chris arranged for Aleaha's favorite Child Care Professional (Tami, aka T-T) to stay with her so we could go riding. Rain-schmain... who cares?! We went riding, snug and dry in our dusters. Chris's is neon orange, which is good for safety's sake, of course. Or when you need to be tracked by any orbiting satellite.

Aleaha has these sparkly silver shoes -- those and one of her "rucking horse" (bucking horse) shirts, and it turned her into a Dancing Queen. She looks like she's ready to prance down the street in the Dress UP Parade, huh? Yeah, uh, she's the dance team for the Yellow Jacket Road Horse Prancers. Or something like that.

Give a girl bubblewrap, and what do you think will happen??

No Mom. I stir it. (waffle batter)

Yook Mom! Purple ice cream!!!

We spent the day at the beach -- a great anniversary of 7 years!

The girl has to work for her dinner 'round these parts.

Testing out my new PURPLE saddle from Aunt Peg!