Stuff and Things

There's something about Miri...


Our silly girls.


Miri, showing off her rock-n-roll genes, inherited from Daddy.


Aleaha demo's the new digs for the pigs.


They are already lovin' it. They took to rooting right away.



Horsie-lovin' girl + New purple manure fork = Great backyard helper!


The horses were grazing in the yard when it started to rain pretty hard. So they smartly looked for a place to get out of it. Jake took refuge under a tarp (strung redneck style under our master bedroom deck), next to the 4-wheeler.


Curious Chloe, looking in the window.


Just thought this was interesting -- see the vine wound around the tree?

This is why we call her "Miri-Yell"

Her older sister is sometimes not so thrilled at the competition for attention....

Lawnmower Gone Green

On the left, we have "Aleaha's Area", a taped-off section of the yard where the horses are not allowed to eat. On the right, their favorite place to eat. (Notice the prevalence of clover -- hence, their desire to eat there.) But they obey the rope and eat just right up to it.


Same angle, but above the tape.


Horses on one side, kids on other.


Such good lawnmowers. I love those big beasts.

Getting her to eat her eggs

Aleaha was a great eater as a baby, and then she entered the preschool stage and got picky. It's sometimes a challenge to get good food down her, at least in the quantities we as parents consider sufficient for growth and development.

But this morning, it was easy to get her to eat 2 eggs plus a biscuit. We had soft-boiled eggs, and we did all the pomp required....little special egg cups, special spoons, special cut-the-top-off-the-egg gizmos. Plus we made drop biscuits and she got to put on her own jelly from a tiny jelly jar. Peaceful breakfast, at last. And she actually ate all the eggs and didn't have room for the biscuit and jam. Anyone with a 3-going-on-4-year old knows that that almost never happens. They fill up on the starch and then somehow can't seem to eat their protein.

Visiting the Racetrack

Daddy was at Woodburn for the drags this weekend. Here's the crew getting him ready in the staging lanes. It takes a team to do this work, for sure! That's Gary and his wife Jeanie (loyal umbrella-holder), and Scott checking the tires. (Uh, and when we say "checking the tires"....we don't mean like a Sager. Just want to be clear about that.)


Miss Miri was very social when we first arrived.


Doing her E.T. trick with Daddy.


Cuties.


Miri enjoyed the chance to give her toes a little sun.


She was pretty huggy to mommy most of the time, though.


Love that Bob stroller. Miri is under the blanket asleep, and Aleaha sits in the front area. And you know, you see a lot of things at the track, but her track style is special -- a little more Kentucky Derby than Drags. That's a horse lunchbox...


...and horse necklace and horse sweatshirt.


Sleeping through dragracing? You know you're tired when you can sleep through that.

Do they come in half-sizes?

Daddy was racing this weekend, so Mommy was making less quantity of breakfast than. Making a half-batch of pancakes called for using a half-egg. Ah, but in this household, we do occasionally have such a thing. The current inventory includes about 3 sizes -- .5, 1.0, and 1.5.



So, yes, we have half-sizes.

If you're curious, the little egg used in the half-batch of pancakes did not contain a yolk. My theory is that it's from a chicken who's just coming off a molting period. Worked out great for us!

Happy Mother's Day!

Daddy gave Mommy a superior Mother's Day present -- the gift of time! He stayed home with the girls on Saturday so she could go on a long trail ride on her horse, Jake. It was AWESOME!! Jake did great, Mommy got some much-needed horsie time, and the girls were very good for Daddy. (Hey, maybe this can become a regular thing!)


Getting ready to go.


The best view ever - just on top of a horse. (Oh, the scenery was good too!)

More Weekend Workin'

Aleaha and Miri were up just a little too early on Saturday morning. Ugh.


Striking a tough-girl pose.


Miri loooooooves to ride on her car!


But she can be sweet and cute and mellow, too.


Miri loves to stand and get a little work done in the kitchen.


Last summer we built a shed for wood and the tractor. We invited the horses up to eat the grass, and what do they do....stand around in the stall where the tractor usually is. Crazy horses.


Aleaha petting a chicken.


We built a new, larger pigpen to hold more hogs. They'll be coming to live with us very soon!


Entertaining the kid while getting work done.