Weekends are for these things....

Miri was allowed to have her first every play date ever a few weeks ago. So it was high time for Aleaha's turn, naturally. She asked if she could have one of her best friends over, so Liam and his sister Livia (with whom Aleaha rides back from school each day) came over for a couple of hours. Fortunately we had a nice day, so the kids did a mix of outdoor and indoor things.  First, they burned a little energy and played some 4-up frisbee. 

Then it was snack time.

Aleaha and Liam showed each other a few tricks on the Wii....Aleaha learned something new from Liam in Super Mario Brothers, and she taught him a few dance moves...

Miri must be going through a growth spurt, because her weekend naps were long and marvelous.

Daddy mowed around the place for hours and hours, and it looks lovely. (seems like he's about to back in to the pond here, but all was well)

MammaLlama looks like Nessie out in the pasture sometimes.

The boys enjoy free play time (uh, I mean, "let's eat" time).

Found this shot on the camera - these are the raisin bran muffins we made. I think Aleaha was practicing for her cooking blog -- someday, she's sure to have one!

Getting Ahead of Herself

Guess who!

Garage Concert

We procured a piano, but we haven't had the chance to put it into the livingroom yet. So the girls have given us concerts in the garage.

Pasture Perfect

It's done!!! We finally finished the big project and reveled in their release last night. Daddy took this great shot from up on the top of the hill. Happy boys were frolicking, rolling, and definitely eating.

Arby was the first to go out, followed by Shorty, who, as predicted, went about 3 feet out the gate and dropped his head to eat. He's a smarty - why walk all the way up the hill when there's perfectly great grass right there?!?

The snakes have begun to sun themselves. This guy (girl?) was enormous and very slow, likely because there are rodents filling its belly? About two-thirds of it was out of the hole. This thing was really long.

Kaden & Miri

Miri has the most darling friend at school. Their teacher snapped this shot out on the playground one day, several years ago, when they were toddlers. Reminded us of a Hallmark card.

And they are still great friends today. We certainly aren't itching to pair her off with anyone, but this fine little boy is pretty special.

Miri says

Miri, as she runs off to the bathroom just as we are getting the waffle batter ready on Saturday morning:

"Mommy, you know better than to stir without me!"

Building Fence

We spent all weekend -- nearly all waking hours -- building the fence for the hillside pasture. It's just about wire-ready! We are looking foward to seeing this project done and watching the animals graze away. We want happy, healthy critters (and a little less of a hay bill, please!).

The first of the post holes goes in. Daddy signals something really important to Mommy. (Uh, anyone have any idea what that might mean? She should probably know so she can help him better....) 

Up near the top, where the gate posts go in, we encountered some big rocks. It was critical to get those posts in exactly the right distance apart. After getting the first hole placed, the second post hole was impossible. So we had to move the whole (hole?) thing. Grrr... It was challenging to avoid the buried power lines and rocks while putting the fence where it needed to go.

 Miri started out the morning wearing this darling little skirt. As Mommy left for the field, Miri was instructed to "put jeans on". This is what resulted.It turned out sort of handy, though, because over the entire pature, it was really easy to see where she was, in her safety-day-glo skirt.

There was plenty of rolling around in the grass. These are good moments!

Aleaha came prepared with snacks for Miri, while Daddy works hard pounding posts in the background.  

The girls were MIA for a little while, but were soon spotted "building fence" in the ditch.

Sisters

We were out planning the next fencing project, and the girls paused for a pic....

...and then they went to work cleaning out the horse trailer. All their idea!

 

Aleaha, home and around town

When Aleaha comes home from school each afternoon, she generally calls or emails Mommy to check in. She might watch a little TV, but most of the time she's keeping busy by checking out things in the shop with the work crew. One day, Miri and I came home and found her curled up on the couch, catching a few Zzzzzs. 

She had a great conference session at school (where she had to lead us through her portolio of work, and after 40 mins of presentation and reading and such, we finally had to move on!). Afterwards, we stopped for a frozen yogurt treat.

Miri, at school

Miri's school recently held an open-house style event at Circle Time (when the kids sit down to have a story read to them).

Here they are having a very well-organized, well-mannered afternoon snack. They serve themselves family style. Each child is provided with the chance to pour his or her own drink, serve with the tongs, etc.,. which is great practice, of course. (Those teachers are SO patient.) It's also a great reminder about how much it helps to set expectations for the children.... They really can do a lot - they understand the flow of the day, the importance of helping and having a role, and of being a part of a group.

Here is Miri and her friend, Kate. They had made "sandwiches" and were playing House.

Easter

We enjoyed the visit to our friends' backyard for the annual Egg Hunt. There were way too many eggs and too much candy involved, as happens every year. But the mimosas made up for that, thankfully.

Miri is still a bit tentative about the whole prospect. Maybe she realizes that good colorful things don't normally just lay around for the picking? And her mother has finally drilled into her head that you generally are not allowed to eat something that you picked up off the ground.

The girls divvy up their loot. 

The weather was amazing, and under the pergola of the back deck we all soaked in the sunshine.

Happy kid.

This year we added a new twist -- an egg race! Line up on the deck, spoon in hand, gently holding an egg. Race around the barn and back....

Careful....careful.....

Don't let it drop!

Hurry-hurry -- get back to the starting point!

SPLAT! (proof they were not hard-boiled)

Tired kiddo on the way home.

Later that day, we colored eggs at home...

...and had Gramma Patty out for Easter Dinner. A fine day it was!

Dirt vs Grass

The horses have a pasture they can enjoy on weekend days, where they can roll and eat and buck and run and generally enjoy being out of the muddy paddock that's been their home for the last 5 months. The llama and the goats didn't have this. They do have a spot they've created to soak up the sun, but that's not the same as munching on REAL grass. Until....

....I spied how easy it would be to throw up some tape and make a nice area adjacent to the pond and their existing paddock. I put them into their new place, and they were immediately heads-down!

Meanwhile, the girls do what all kids should relish doing -- playing in the dirt! They made all sorts of lovely things, like pies and cakes and tarts and soup and all things delicious. Dried leaves, fresh grass, a gardening tool, and imagination make great ingredients for a great time.

A Few of My Favorite Things

While watching The Sound of Music one day (for the 805th time), Miri was inspired to change her clothes, put on her ballet shoes, and really study it all closely.