So Sassy!!!

These are our miniature horses, Crystal and Sassy. We've had them a little over 2 years (they lived at G/G Nelson's until we had a place for them). They roam the backyard and look forward to having the kids bring them an occasional carrot or apple.
A couple weeks ago one of our pieces of pigwire fell down and Sassy got out. (Sassy is slightly shorter than Crystal, so apparently Crystal couldn't make it under.) Sassy didn't go far--she was just on the other side, but unfortunately we were needing to leave and couldn't leave this situation the way it was. Kaybree was a HUGE help. After we fixed the pigwire (hence the red rope holding it in place), she lured Sassy back in with an apple while I held the gate and kept Crystal in. I might have been there for hours if it weren't for the help of my little Kabes!!!

Peter and the Wolf

In February, Emmee & I went on her 3rd Grade Field Trip to Peter and the Wolf. It was a fun event, and I was in charge of six little sweeties. (Some other moms weren't so lucky!) The bus rides consisted of lots of those hand-clapping rhyme-thingy's that you do with your BFF (classic 3rd grade!), and of course TONS of giggles! On the way back to the school one of the girls commented that it would have been better if it was a movie. I took the opportunity to explain that Peter and the Wolf was designed to allow the audience to use imagination to picture the events of the story. I then attempted to have a teaching moment and ask each girl about her interpretation of the story. I asked Emmee what color hair her Peter had. She said it was brown with a white tail. After a brief moment of picturing a rebellious little kid with a bleached, braided ponytail, running through the woods with a gun, and wondering what in the world would cause Emmee to imagine Peter that way, we finally figured out that she thought the whole time that this story was about Peter Cottontail--yes, the bunny!!! =) I almost fell off the bus seat laughing!
Well, so much for teaching moments and encouraging kids to use their imaginations! Maybe imagination doesn't exist in our world anymore... BUT... we still had fun!!!

Arrow of Light

Spencer recently earned his Arrow of Light award, which is the highest award a cub scout can earn. (Yes, he's now in 11 yr old scouts--I admit I'm behind on my blogging...) Anyway, Spencer got to have an arrow painted on his head by Dad (Mom had the all-important job of holding up his bangs), and he was honored in front of the other cub scouts for all his efforts. He really worked hard to finish up his requirements for his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light. Way to go, Spencer!!!

Dr. Dad

Rob taught the "fishing" merit badge to his scouts a few weeks ago, and told me after he cleaned up his tackle box that he was pretty sure he had lost one of his hooks. A couple days later, sure enough, Spencer went running through the family room and suddenly started jumping and yelling, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" When I said, "Oh, yeah--Dad lost one of his fishing hooks," Spencer smiled and said, "Well, I guess I found it!" (Amazingly, he was still able to keep his sense of humor.)
He hung out on the couch til Rob got home to help us deal with the situation. Unfortunately, fish hooks can only go one direction... so Rob broke the news to Spencer that the hook would have to be pushed the rest of the way through. Chase was very sympathetic--and very interested--as he watched Spencer's bravery. No picture could really do justice to what Spencer had to endure (if you click on this picture and look closely at Spencer's face, it will give you a small glimpse, though). I started to offer some advice from my experiences in labor (relax... breathe in deep... breathe out slowly...) but then I just decided to shut up. =) Spencer has again shown us that he is one tough kid!!!