Adventures on the Beverly Ranch

Bunch of old Videos uploaded

2011-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

A whole bunch of old videos I just uploaded:
All of them Sammy is probably about 1yo. Mavster =3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8lRERJx-GI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjjW12Tkfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbMH2os1cxs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSbYTq2EWVg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W08X3Me5WRc

Here's a pic too:

Extended Beverly Family Goals...

2010-11-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

The 7 of us Beverly's in Bastrop County (Cliff, Dodie, Amanda, Liz, Harlan, Christopher, and Samantha), are going to be trying to SET and ACHIEVE some goals...

Here are some of our ideas:

Park Cleanup - pick up trash and clean up a park in Bastrop County, Texas
Board Game Design - finish our board game design and "make it" out of wood/etc.
Custom Mailbox - design & build custom mailboxes for both our families
Overnight Boat Trip - rent and sleep overnight on a boat together
Write and Make a Movie - about ... tbd.
Write and sing a song together

We're going to do #1 this Sunday! And we're thinking hard about #2.

Make your own goals!!!!

Bedtime thoughts...

2010-11-10T19:33:00.001-08:00

CMav before bed tonight, "Why does cereal float towards other cereal in your bowl?" Me (after contemplation) "The cereal absorbs milk and so the milk is always going towards the cereal. Does that make sense?" CMav: "Well, that only explains half of it. I guess I'll ask Google in the morning."

Where it all began...

2010-07-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

I just found this photo on my parent's computer and had to share - look at those youngsters! :)

I saw this photo in a flash of a screensaver - and for a moment couldn't believe what I was seeing. :)

Enjoy!

Hiking Mt. Cardigan

2010-07-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

What a great hike!

Views from the top were amazing!

Mountain Laurel with my Dad - in an unlikely spot near the summit!

Yes, it was very windy at the top!

Dad had to retrieve Jackson's hat! :)

Everyone at the top hiding by a windbreak...

Fixing a shoe - with beautiful views!

Rest time on the way up!

Miley was an amazing trooper! Only 3 1/2 years old!

The boys leading the way...

A piece of the Appalachian Trail

2010-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

A granite bench near the top of the ski slopes at Dartmouth

We could hear falcons calling over this ridge - it is a cliff straight down on the other side of the fence!

Still crazy in love - after 11 years of marriage! :)

Fun hike - and very close to the edge here!

Maybe a little too close to the edge :)

Group photo after lunch at the Trapper John Shelter

Sammie & Mama at the Trapper John Shelter

Grandpa Mike & the Mavster

Cutiepie Sammie!

A "soft" rock at the perfect height!

Going down the ski trail.

Sammie's Open House

2010-04-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

Sammie had her singing debut at the Open House for her preschool last week. They were adorable! They sang "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" and "The Lord's Army".

Can't miss her. :) 2nd row, 2nd from this end. So cute! :)

Reading & Peanut Butter

2010-04-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Christopher is doing a great job reading - we learned with hooked on phonics last summer, and he has been ahead of the curve all year. His teacher just recently began testing her readers so they can begin checking out books from the library, and CMav tested at a 2nd grade level! So now we are bringing home books almost every night to read, and he takes a computerized reading comprehension test about the book, and on we go! It is a wonderful opportunity for him and I am so thankful that he is so excited to be reading books as fast as he can get his hands on them! YAY! :)

Sammie and I have started in to the phonics books again - she is constantly comparing herself to Christopher and wants to read as well as he does. I told her she will be as good a reader when she is in kindergarten (no doubt!) but she insists that she needs to get it done NOW. :) I will support that! She is reading 3 letter words and short 8-page books using "a" and "i" right now! :)

For most of the school year, Christopher has requested bologna in his lunch - no bread, just the bologna (and string cheese). About a week ago, he started complaining that the bologna tasted funny. We opened 2 more packs, and he still said that they tasted funny. So last night, I asked him, "how about a peanut butter sandwich?" and he said, "Sure!" So with some disbelief, I went ahead and put a sandwich in his lunch today. He has never liked sandwiches - I keep trying and he has always declined or said it tasted icky. But today, he ate EVERY BITE of that peanut better sandwich! Crazy! I'm so relieved to have a main "protein" in his lunch I know that he will eat again. Whew!

Thanks for reading my silly ramblings. I'm so proud of the kiddos and having so much fun being involved in their schooling.

Yearly Goal achieved... We've found a game (several) we ALL like to play together.

2010-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! One of our goals for the family can be crossed off.

We now have 3 games now that we all enjoy playing together:

LIFE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Life
Carcassonne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne_(board_game)
Sorry! Sliders: http://www.unclesgames.com/product_info.php?ref=3&products_id=12525&affiliate_banner_id=1

Unfortunately, Samantha is JUST a bit too young for Settlers of Catan (or else THAT would be our favorite)... but I'm very glad we all found games we ALL like to play together.

Harlan

Another great day at Sherwood Forest Faire!

2010-03-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

We met some classmates from school at the faire!

Then put them all on the swing together! :)

And collected some urchins from the trees :)

CMav got to be the "Brave Prince" in a skit...

And nearly had his head cut off! :)

Sammie helped sell pretzels before the birds of prey show.

And Mama & Papa had a great time! :)

The faire we went to is called "Sherwood Forest Faire" and this is it's inaugural season. It is amazing how well it is put together and how much they have accomplished in a few short months. It is certainly here to stay - and that's great news for the whole family! Especially since it is only minutes from our house! :)

Adorable videos!

2010-03-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

Christopher is about to lose one of his top front teeth! :)

Sammie making a silly video because her brother got to do one. :)

LOL!

Wildflowers

2010-03-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Sammie and I had a wonderful morning at home riding Arthur and studying the wildflowers in our yard and all the buds on the pecan trees.

At the beginning of the ride.

Grinning after trotting up to the top of the back of the tank. :)

Sammie closing her eyes and feeling the ride! :)

Wildflowers in the yard. (Okay, this really just means we need to mow this weekend. :) )

She is just so cute!

More horsey stuff on my other blog here: Adventures in Re-Riding

Enjoy!

Sherwood Forest Faire

2010-03-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

Ready to start the day! :)

Dancing with the music!

Harlan getting a good puff in and looking quite handsome! :)

Sword training!

Sammie as the "Adorable Princess" ... "Awwwwwww!" :)

Renaissance Festival Season about to begin...

2010-02-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

Among the many reasons to love Texas is our abundance of Renaissance Festivals.

This year, we plan to do the whole circuit (as many times as we can afford).

We invite you to join us, any weekend, any Faire, just let us know in advance so we can be sure to be there together.

The circuit starts in 2 weeks with Sherwood Forest Faire (Just a few miles from our house): http://www.sherwoodforestfaire.com/

Then, continues with Scarbourough (Our favorite)
http://www.scarboroughrenfest.com/.

Here is a complete list:
http://www.thebards.net/txrenfaires.shtml

Event	Location	Dates	Period/Theme
Central Texas Renaissance Faire	Dale, TX	Feb 6 - 21, 2010	Medieval/Renaissance
Four Winds Renaissance Faire	Troup, TX (near Tyler)	Mar 6 - Apr 25, 2010	Three Musketeers
Sherwood Forest Faire	McDade, TX	Feb 27 - Apr 4, 2010	Medieval, Richard the Lion Hearted circa 1192
Scarborough Renaissance Faire	Waxahachie, TX (near Dallas)	Apr 10 - May 31, 2010	English Renaissance Henry VIII circa 1534
Texas Pirate Festival	Hillsboro, TX (near Dallas)	May 1-2, 2010	Renaissance and Medieval Faire
Middlefaire	Hillsboro, TX (near Dallas)	Sept 18 - Oct 3, 2010	Renaissance and Medieval Faire
Texas Renaissance Festival	Plantersville, TX (near Houston)	Oct 10 - Nov 29 , 2009	English Renaissance Henry VIII circa 1540
Central Texas Renaissance Faire	Dale, TX	Nov 13 - 21, 2010	Medieval/Renaissance
Madrigal Dinner	Austin, TX	Nov 18 - 21, 2009	Renaissance
Dickens on the Strand	Galveston, TX	Dec 5 - 6, 2009	Victorian Christmas in London circa 1840
Enchanted Forest Renaissance Faire	Ingleside, TX	Dec 12 - 13, 2009	Renaissance

We will try to see them all!

Harlan

A cold beginning to 2010, and an Adorable Pony!

2010-01-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, it has officially been pretty cold here in TX! We got down into the teens several nights last week - and getting water to the horses is an issue down here! Usually, we Texans don't bother with heated buckets as it is so rare that the temps drop below freezing (and when they do, it is usually for a matter of a few hours). Everyone here has done well - I have an old tank heater that has been with me from VA that kept my trough de-iced, and we have a large pond that did not freeze. Also, I trucked fresh warm water out to the horses every morning, and made hot mashes (beet pulp/senior) for Sweetie and Arthur.

Those two are both doing great - I'm so pleased with their body condition and attitude this winter. I find it hard to believe that Arthur is now 26 and Sweetie will officially be 23 on Feb. 7! She has been with me for 20 years now! That is just amazing to me. She's been with me through all of life's major changes. I'm so glad that I am able to provide the retirement for her that she deserves.

This weekend, "Mr. Bear" visited us from Christopher's class, and Mr. Bear insisted on meeting the horses, so we took him out to the barn, and tacked up Arthur, and Christopher rode around with Mr. Bear in his lap. :) It was so cute! Christopher can steer pretty well (so long as Arthur isn't being onery about the gate) and I let him walk on his own most of the time. Then he came up behind me once and said he had asked Arthur to go faster. He was just speed-walking, but I wondered if he was ready to trot. I asked Christopher if he wanted to try going faster and he enthusiastically said, "Yeah!" so I jogged along Arthur until he broke into a trot - it was so cute. Christopher bounced around quite a bit but hung on there. Arthur was a good pony and put up with the beginner attempt at sitting a trot. :) They were adorable! Afterwards, Christopher exclaimed, "I'm Level 2 in riding now!" :) It was his first time trotting, and he was so proud! Momma was, too! I think the experience was a great one, and I look forward to more lessons with Christopher!

Christmas Photos

2009-12-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

PRESENTS! "Pre-Sorting"

"Post-Sorting" LOL! Now that Christopher is reading - he sorted every single present into piles while we finished breakfast. :) We kind of knew what he was up to but couldn't bear to stop him. :)

Harlan delighted & surprised by the Foozball table from his parents! :)

Mandy loved her HD DVD player! Yay!

Sammie delighted about her Tinkerbelle costume!

Here is Sammie being all pretty & proper and then not able to hold in her excitement another second! :)

Getting ready to go to work! Christopher got his very own real tool set - (minus anything sharp!). He put it on his Santa list!

Sammie loved her jewelry and ballerina music box! Look closely at her expression - this is her new "look" when she is very proud and excited on the inside - and trying not to show it too much - we saw this expression several times on Christmas! :)

"Just what I wanted!" Christopher loves his big lego set from Nana & Gpa Mike - we put it together a few hours later!

Harlan was so excited about the Beatles Rock Band! Look for family "concerts" coming soon! :)

Cliff loved his new boom box/mp3 player - he was just like a teenager getting their first radio - tons of smiles and listening to it most of the afternoon! :)

So Happy! He pretend fainted after this photo was taken. He wanted something remote control, and boy, did he get it! :)

Nothing like a new Carhartt to keep you warm and cozy! My old one is nearly 10 years old, so this was quite a treat! Thanks, Mom! :)

What a Wonderful Christmas!

2009-12-26T15:48:00.001-08:00

Wow! We had such a wonderful Christmas! Harlan and I did not get any surprise gifts for each other - instead invested in upgrading my computer so we could pass parts down to Dodie, whose computer was having regular breakdowns. It worked out great! We normally sponsor a family, but this year instead we "sponsored" a good friend of Harlan's and drove him (and his belongings) all the way to Phoenix! A 2000+ mile round trip.

Somehow, even though we attempted to not spoil each other too much, I still feel so blessed and loved and spoiled by all of my family. I guess I'm easy to buy for when you can guarantee I will love anything with horses on it! :)

And the kids, oh, my, are so spoiled yet again. I don't know how it happens every year. We always think we are cutting back, and then we forget that we have two wonderful sets of grandparents intent on making sure the kids are duly spoiled. :) They succeeded yet again, and we have been playing with everything for two days straight and still have toys we need to play with.

The Play-Doh has maximized its entertainment value and it is time for me to help clean up. :) More later! Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Christmas Eve at Grandma's

2009-12-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

Enjoying the fire!

Early Gifts from Nana & Gpa Mike

2009-12-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Dressing the Tree

2009-12-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful meal with family this year! Although the turkey was big enough that we had plenty extra for unexpected visitors, we made the most of it with lots of leftovers! :)

Flu Shots

2009-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 2 weeks since both Christopher and Samantha got the intranasal version of the seasonal flu vaccine. They both had a low grade (99) fever for a few days followed by a few sniffles here and there, but it didn't slow them down a bit. Both kids should have immunity at this point.

Now there is the swine flu vaccine, and I am still contemplating it. I wonder if that was actually the cough/fever they had about a month ago and they are already past it - the pediatrician has said that they have seen tons of swine flu this month - and every child with the flu has tested positive for the swine flu... So I know it is going around locally. I have not heard anything about our school yet - a few kids have been out sick, but I have not heard any mention of the flu for sure.

One of the horse rescue members that I waved to at the Expo this weekend has just tested positive for the swine flu - here's hoping that my time spent in the farrowing barn at Va Tech somehow made me immune to it. :) (Farrowing = pigs giving birth). I crinkle up my nose just at the thought of it! :)

New look/feel for Adventures on the Beverly Ranch

2009-09-24T07:57:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, Liz and I updated the look and feel of the Adventures on the Beverly Ranch.

Hope you like the new look, and please do comment.

We're going to try to keep this Blog going and up to date. What an awesome way to record our life and our Children's life as we journey mortality together.

Harlan

Quotes of the Day - Sept. 22

2009-09-22T20:39:00.002-07:00

"Momma, are we still on earth?" - Sammie

"Texas sure is small!" - Sammie who then went on to say, "New Hampshire is bigger than Texas!" I attempted to correct her, but I'm not sure she believed me. :)

"God had a plan for me when he made me... have to PEE!" - Christopher - after we stopped on the way home from school at a gas station - he was excited that we got some ice cream sandwiches and was sure it was divine intervention! I was expecting something more profound, but this was the best answer ever!

"Mommy, you smell like strawberries." - Christopher, when I laid down in bed with him to help him fall asleep. The strange news is that I ate an avocado/swiss burger with jalapenos for dinner. :)

Sammie's Birthday

2009-09-22T20:39:00.001-07:00

Silly faces!

Her princess crown that kept sliding down!

Can't wait to open presents!

Opening presents...

Loving her bed tent!

New Hampshire Trip - July 2009

2009-09-22T20:38:00.002-07:00

At the Flume Gorge:

In the Wolf Cave!

Christopher & Grandpa Mike

Papa & Sammie in the Boulder Garden

MT WASHINGTON

Sammie & Christopher say "please don't take us on a crazy rocky trail!" :)

Momma thinks, "Hey, this will be no problem"

Papa says, "Liz, are you sure about this?"

Little did we know...

There were a few rocks...

Okay, a lot of rocks!

The views were amazing!

The mountains were huge!

I don't think this one needs any explanation. :)

Sammie says, "Only ONE more step!"

One final smile - before we head back UP the mountain! :)

All in all, it was an amazing experience. A few more rocks than expected, a little longer than we planned, but it was just incredible. A wonderful adventure!

More Florida Photos

2009-09-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

Floridat Trip - June 09 - Family!

2009-08-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Cousins!

Grandpa - prepare for battle!

Fun at the Park

Cousins!

Hang on!

Florida Trip - June 09 - Hollywood Studios

2009-08-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Mandy, Christopher, Liz, Sammie, and Rebekah

Honey I shrunk the Kids...

That's one big dog nose!

Riding an ant...

Resting with Papa.

Our "Navigator!"

Jabba finally locked up Harlan! :)

Waiting for Ariel ... and posing!

Fun family day!

Florida Trip - June 09 - Gatorland

2009-08-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Baby Alligator!

Crazy Momma taking a chance with life!

As Corey put it, who has the biggest mouth? CMav? The Gator? Or Liz? :) (Careful how you answer that! :) )

Okay, this takes a special amount of lack of common sense to do. Or Talent... the same guy was in all of the gator shows we saw, wearing different costumes.

Harlan on his way to take a chance with life - feeding gators during breeding season! Notice the guy with the pole, saying, "Don't go past this line unless you want to be eaten."

Harlan... stepping across that line briefly... :)

Nothing like getting wet on a hot day!

Chartreuse

2009-06-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

The kids have made some pretty amazing pictures with markers the last couple of days, and as always, there is some clean-up required. The first day there were a few drawings on Sammie's thigh... (I had taken a phone call - geepers!)

Last night I asked Christopher to pick up the "greenish" marker on the floor (it was a light green) and Christopher quickly corrected me, "MOM, it's CHARTREUSE." He was right. Where did he learn that? :)

On another note, we just got back from a fabulous Disney/FL vacation and will post photos as soon as I can get the camera from Harlan's backpack! :)

Oh, one more thing - Christopher went in for his Kindergarten Readiness Assessment on Weds., and they asked him to write down both his first and last name. Now, he knows his first name well, but I had not yet asked him to write his last name. He actually sounded it out and wrote it down - phonetically correct. :) Pretty amazing! Something to perfect this summer!

Blogs from the past....

2009-05-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Thought everyone would enjoy reading these blogs from late 2005 - early 2006. Yahoo 360 is shutting down (not that I've used it since then) and I pulled these posts from what was there. Really cute to read! :) Pictures up later, I hope!

TITLE: Wondrous Gifts Behind the Couch....
DATE: 02/24/2006 12:32:20
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Ah, as so many parents may know and are already smiling about favorite things seemed lost forever that suddenly reappear after moving furniture... hehe... This morning, Christopher asked me to get a "fish" that was behind the couch - he saw it, knew where it was, and asked me to get it for him - it was one of his (now Samantha's) teething rings. We can only assume he wants it because it is no longer his... but way back in the corner I found his automated Percy! You know, that little green train from Thomas the Tank Engine. Now, this toy is not necessarily his parent's favorite as it has a wonderful clicking noise that it makes when it is on and runs into something and can't go any further. In fact, I know a few times that Percy mysteriously disappeared on purpose. But the excitement and gleam on Christopher's face when he saw what I found was priceless. Oh, and I managed to find it just before nap time, so he was anxious to play with his long lost friend. So, I gave him about 15 min to play with Percy (and his auto Thomas) before naptime - and his favorite thing to do is to set them up facing each other in a pushing struggle to see who is stronger - and then BOTH of them make that wondrous clicking noise. In order to get him to nap today, I allowed him to take them to bed - and explained that if I heard either of them, I would come take them away. I did have to go in there once already - but only once - to tell him to turn it off or I would take it. He got the message... it did turn on again once, but only for a few seconds. I don't know whether by accident or testing to see how fast I could run... lol. And I heard him call in dismay that he had dropped one out of his crib a few minutes ago - but he's quiet now, so I'll let him be.

Samantha right this minute is again sleeping soundly in her own bed - ahhh! How awesome! I admit that after our last good days with this, we had a few bad days, and I have been using the swing for her to sleep in as it has been a more reliable method. But it is time for her to be sleeping on her own soon, so it's time to work on sleeping in her own bed again. So far, so good today. She has already slept there for an hour earlier this morning, and again, she has been down for about 30 minutes now. :) Yay!

Papa has been putting Samantha on the floor a lot lately (Mama following suit) and she is really starting to move! She'll roll all the way over both ways now, and on her belly, she is known for doing a 360, and just this week has started pushing up all the way on her hands/arms, and also getting up on one of her knees and pushing around a bit (not both hands and knees at the same time, but one or the other). I can hardly believe she will be mobile soon! YIKES! :) The fun is just beginning! And she has really started talking/babbling a lot - making the "Ma ma" sound over and over and cooing in the cutest little voice you've ever heard. Her favorite time to talk is when I lay her down to change a diaper - maybe it is a built in defense to cover up the smell of the diaper... hehe. Nah, like me, her diaper's don't stink. LOL! :)

As for me, I have finally started volunteering for the horse rescue again. (I am confident enough getting around with both kiddos to feel comfortable doing it). It has been great to meet a few other horse people in the area. No - no other horses on the property (yet). Not for a while anyways. I've gotta get more consistent about working with my own before I dare allow another one here. Oh, and then the topic of selling one of them comes up again, and I'm just not ready for that yet. So for now, I'll find other avenues for volunteering. I just mailed out 20 flyers for an upcoming horse show for them. And maybe, soon, I'll be able to haul a few horses with my BIG ASS TRUCK!!! (B.A.T. for short) :) LOL!

Love to all! Liz

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 09/07/2006 06:55:17
Your horse people freinds were cool LIZ! And you are very involved now, with an added horse in your pasture! It's been 7 months since your last update. Looking forward to hearing more!
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TITLE: Cell Phones
DATE: 02/10/2006 12:18:12
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Well, I guess it takes losing access to your cell phone to realize how attached to the darn things we are. I remember when I first decided I needed one - up in Oregon, my horse was colicking, and there wasn't a phone in the barn... now, I feel naked leaving the house without acell phone. I feel safer knowing I have it. And then I wonder, was the world actually safer BEFORE cell phones - before everyone started driving with them attached to their ears?

Let's see... I have driven over my cell phone, one time it fell out of my pocket outside and my horse stepped on it, and most recently, my phone won't charge - bending the wire in obscure ways finally stopped working. Sadly, it's worse than that. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new phone (as we are planning to change service and will get new phones then) so I got one cheap off ebay. Looked like a great deal. Anyways... it is an OLD model, doesn't hold it's charge long, and only works if it is > 1/2 way charged. So when it's done, it simply cuts out in the midst of a call without warning. Sad part, no returns, and it does do what they said (charges and works).

What I have learned: 1) when buying anything on ebay, check into the seller's other sales. If they are only selling old cell phones and weapon coating, whatever you purchase will smell like an ash tray. 2) use a cell phone cover when you are a mom that might have fluids spill onto the phone (after opening up the latest one, we found that perhaps soda or something spilled into my phone - this is known because my husband TASTED the gook and said it doesn't taste like battery acid-lol) 3)it is a good idea to keep your land line around no matter how little you use it, there will always come a time when you need it.

Well, another phone is on the way thanks to family member that changed service. Hopefully, that will solve all my problems. HAH! Cell phone-related, that is. :)

Naptime for the momma - more later.

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TITLE: Equestrian Serenity
DATE: 01/30/2006 12:26:38
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Yesterday was the first time in literally over a year that I have ridden one of my Horses! Last January I had just gotten Penny and Rocky started (again) when I found out I was pregnant with Samantha and grounded myself (okay, I confess to one brief ride around the house last March, but that was really it - and it was a pony ride on Sweetie (yes, Harlan held on to her while he walked me around the house ONE time). I guess it's important to be safe, and as much as it meant to me at the time, I'm not sure I really would call that "riding". )

The weather was so perfect yesterday and I immediately knew that I wanted to ride, and with Grandparents here and my husband as well, I knew that it was my best chance. And there was not a second's hesitation that I wanted to ride Sweetie. My first horse. My most entrusted companion. My serenity. She was glad to have me catch her, and enjoyed every moment of grooming and even opened up her mouth wide for the bit without any prompting from me... she was relaxed and content and happy to please. We walked around and then I trotted for as long as my legs would let me post - until they felt like jelly. (Which wasn't very long, yet, but I will improve). She even let me put Christopher in front of me and walked super carefully and slowly while he was up there with me. It was again as though she could read my mind - she knows me so well, and every movement she did exactly as I asked with the slightest touch, if there even was one. Riding always brings me such peace. As I was riding her I wondered how I ever needed another horse - she has done so much for me over the years. Has it really been 16 years of wondrous rides?

I dismounted with renewed ambition. Ambitions to ride more, be the best wife and mom that I can. My spirit was flying again. It was wonderful.

Love to all, Liz

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TITLE: It's Potty Time!
DATE: 01/30/2006 12:09:27
STATUS: publish
BODY:

It seems that Christopher is officially ready for some serious potty training.... he has been peeing on the potty every night at bath time for several months, but has not been interested in it during the daytime. I will confess, that with caring for Samantha, I haven't been super interested in it either, but now that she's able to handle life on the floor or in her bed or in the saucer for a few minutes, I'm ready to stop changing Christopher's enormously dirty diapers. :) Do all moms reach that point? Samantha is so little and still so cute and adorable even when she poops all up her back, but, Christopher, well, it's reached that point where I'm ready to do what is necessary to stop changing his diapers. Lol... anyways... I've come to the conclusion that I'm not beyond bribing him to get the potty thing down. His most favorite treats are M&M's... so, the other day, after naptime, his diapie was still dry and I asked him if he'd like to go pee pee on the potty... he (as most 2 year olds are prone to do) gave me an emphatic "NO!".... then comes the bribing - I told him that if he did, he could have some M&M's... and his tune suddenly changes , "OKAY! M&M's" so off we went, and he went and he got his M&M's!! Yay! Then came the weekend and with a different routine, 2 parents enjoying relaxing, we didn't work on it this weekend. This morning (an hour or so after changing the morning DIRTY diaper), Christopher said "I'm wet" ... so I checked him to find he's completely dry - and Mommy Intelligence kicks in and I realized I've only moments to get him on the potty before it would be too late, so I ask him if he wants to go - and He DID! And he got more M&M's.... and then a few hours later (I had to go) and he came with me and went AGAIN!!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, That is TWO times in one day and the day has barely just begun!!! WOW! So, I need to stock up on my M&M's as the few remaining from Christmas are nearly gone.

We also had a ton of fun this morning outside in the beautiful Texas weather - no jacket required... and we fed the critters and went on the swingset - Samantha is finally big enough to sit up in the baby swing, so she enjoyed it, too! All three of us were swinging together. (Papa enjoyed this particular experience this weekend, too). After lunch while Samantha was still napping in the (indoor) swing, Christopher and I played with some State trivia fun (by Highlights) and he was completely enthralled. Yes, the info is a little advanced, but he loves being involved with it and although he doesn't understand everything (we were looking at a map of Texas that has the major highways on it and he is convinced that the areas that are busy with roads in the cities are all called San Antonio or Dallas... hehe... but we'll get it worked out.) So, if you ask him what country we live in he'll answer "United States!" and if you ask him what the capital of Texas is he'll tell you "Austin!" I'll have to invest in a globe and a good map of the whole US for him soon...

Random thoughts: Honey, what would you think about investing in some solar panels at some point? I don't know exactly how (in)efficient they are, but it would be something I would be proud of. (Okay, so I was inspired by Bob the Builder, but seriously - I have always been interested in it)

LOL... on that note, Love to all, and I have another blog to write!

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TITLE: "One more Kiss?"
DATE: 01/23/2006 11:51:49
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Okay, this Samantha-taking-a-nap-in-her-own-bed thing is AWESOME!!! It feels so good to be able to set her down for a few minutes and let her sleep on her own. I can hardly believe she's doing it again! I'm so proud!

Christopher is such a ham - last night I made the (good) mistake of kissing him goodnight and then I requested "one more kiss?" which he didn't care to oblige me with at that moment, but as soon as I laid him down in his bed he jumped back up at the edge of his crib and asked "One more Kiss?" HOW CUTE! Which I was absolutely thrilled to give him, and he laid back down and then jumped back up "One more Kiss?" and again I cannot deny him, and then it became a game, but I was enjoying myself far to much to make him lay down until finally, 7 or 8 kisses later, I explain in a firm voice, "Okay, this really is the last one - no more kisses after this one - you have to go to bed" which worked, thank goodness! And somehow he remembers it again today at naptime (as he remembers EVERYTHING that works to get him another second or two before he has to sleep) *sigh*... so funny - so precious.

This morning I took my NEW BIG ASS TRUCK in to get the gooseneck hitch installed, which I was expecting to take only an hour or so per my previous experience with my last truck. However, I was quickly notified that it would take 3-4 hours at least because they have to "lift up the whole bed of the truck" to install it in the newer models. (????) And of course, the gentleman at the counter said that he knew I had my kids and would I like them to drive me home and pick me up? And I asked - I live in McDade - it takes 1/2 hour to get there from here? And he said, really, Ma'am, it's NO problem. Ahah - he wasn't doing it just for me, he was also considering all of the other customers that might come into contact with my wild 2 year old who probably had the patience for one hour but not 3 or 4 (especially considering it would go into his lunch & naptime)... so I gladly accepted and here I am with BOTH of the kids napping at the same time. HOW COOL IS THAT!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!! I am so happy!

Love to all, Liz

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TITLE: Sleeping in the Rain
DATE: 01/22/2006 18:49:04
STATUS: publish
BODY:

If you can believe it, I just set Samantha down in her own bed for a nap!!! This is after she already took a 1 1/2 hour nap earlier today - BY HERSELF - in her own bed! Oh, it's so exciting! She's growing up so fast. *sigh* It has been a bit of a struggle all this time to get her to fall asleep on her own. The only way I am successful at setting her down asleep is when I wear her in the sling and then set her down in the swing... she always would wake up if I laid her down flat. But after much practice and trying, she finally has let me put her down in her own bed (after falling asleep in the sling) and she is staying asleep! Oh, Yay! I may actually get a few more chances to blog, or go outside if Harlan is home, or whatever. What a wondrous day!

It finally has been raining all day!!! It is sooo needed! The grass is just starting to peek through ( Mid January??) and if it doesn't freeze, maybe we will get some grass out in the field early to make up for the lack of rain this past fall. We just had a great evening with Cliff, Dodie, and Amanda, and Harlan and I just got our butts officially kicked playing hand and foot. Actually, it was worse than that. They handed our butts to us.. :) lol. But it is still a fun game! Some times your luck is better than others! Nothing like 3 red 3's in your foot to ruin the game, tho. (aka - BAD). *sigh*

I'm going to try and sneak outside to feed the horses while Harlan is playing trains with Mav and Samantha is SLEEPING IN HER BED!!!! :)

Love to all, Liz

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TITLE: Entry for January 21, 2006
DATE: 01/21/2006 05:53:07
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Good morning! I'm typing this with CHRISTOPHER in my lap - we are watching Thomas the Tank Engine - on PBS (not one of the many videos we have.) I take that back - it just ended and he asked, "More Thomas?" Samantha is still sleeping in bed with her Papa. :) She slept by herself in the bed for a whole 2 hours after I got up yesterday! How crazy is that? I actually went in and woke her up - I couldn't stand it anymore. :)

Thursday night, as I said goodnight to Christopher, he replied, "I love you, Babydoll". Has to make you smile. And last night during my goodnight, I love you, sleep tight, monologue, I also told him I knew he could fall asleep because he was such a big boy... and as I left, I heard him pretend sleeping/snoring "ahhh - shew... ahhh-schew". How adorable! Well, I guess he is just making up for being such a pill on Thursday at Samantha's Dr. appt. Quite the temper tantrum there he had. But, it is partly due to us trying to decrease his milk intake so that he will eat more regular food, and that process was making him a bit cranky to start with... but much better now. He's been doing a great job eating for the last day or so. I don't know if the process is harder on him or on us. :) But now that we're past the initial stage, everything is paying off.

Samantha is in a "look at ME" stage. She loves her exersaucer, but really loves it when you watch her. The other m orning when Harlan was watching her so I could get ready, he put her in it and closed his eyes to "rest" and she would start to get frustrated, then when he would open his eyes and look at her, she would open her eyes wide and SMILE as big as she could, and this routine went on and off a few times... she watches everything and just wants you to pay attention to HER. Well, as cute as she is, how can you resist?

Christopher is still a crazy train boy. I hear "go play trains, please!" about 20 times a day, it seems. Maybe more. And yesterday he put all of his trains on the floor and then started lining them up underneath his play rug saying "night night" to all of them. Now, I have to remember that there are still a few there so I don't step on them in the middle of the night. :)

Well, it's time for breakfast. Harlan is up and Samantha is STILL sleeping in bed AGAIN!! I don't know what to do with myself. :)

Love to all, Liz

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TITLE: "Oh, crap"
DATE: 01/11/2006 08:44:54
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Guess who said that this morning? Hah, you guessed it. This morning while C. Mav and I were playing trains, he stood some track up on end and it fell over and he said "Oh, crap". Oh, geez. Now, that's not my normal choice of words - (thank goodness I have been able to say them quietly enough under my breath so he's not saying THOSE yet...) OH, Mandy.... where are you????? Lol... Don't worry too much, he only said it twice and then it changed to "Uh, oh". But it was funny - although I didn't let him know I was laughing. He's been quite the character of late. Last night he played with Samantha's babydoll and grabbed it's hands and played "pattycake" with it. Too cute.

Outside, he loves to carry the hose around to water the dogs and the horses every day. Yes, he makes a bit of a mess, but it is worth it. He actually does it really well (keeps the water flowing into the bucket) so long as it is his job, rather than trying to pull it out when Mommy does it. He loves his rides in the wheelbarrow after putting out hay the way that my Grandpa used to give me rides through his garden in his wheelbarrow when I was young. Speaking of that, I hope to have a garden this year for the first time in a few years (the babies have kept me pretty busy lately). Sure hope we get some rain soon.

And the BIG news is my BIG ASS TRUCK!!! Lol! I finally have the monster truck of my dreams - a huge F350 (1 ton) dually quad cab. Oh, I am in love. It has sooo much POWER. *VROOOM* *VROOOM*. But driving it is such a pleasure that I just set it on cruise at the speed limit and sit back and enjoy. No hurry to get anywhere now. :) Well, unless the kids are screaming, of course. But even then it does have a good sound system... lol.... So picture me with my cowboy hat wearing my carthart jacket in a big ass truck driving down the road - oh, with the kids in the HUGE back seat with room to spare. Plenty of room to sit in the back row and nurse Samantha comfortably. Oh, and if you were watching... yes, that was me climbing over the front seat yesterday (to get to the drivers seat after nursing) because I had the child proof locks turned on that side by mistake. *rolling eyes*. Fixed that problem. Oh, and although the guys at the hay store were impressed by my truck, I'm sure they laughed at me when I hit the alarm button instead of the unlock button to tend to the kiddos... lol. ANYWAYS... my first day of driving it was fantastic and I can't wait to get back on the road.

Hope all is well with everyone. Love, Liz

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TITLE: Special Moments
DATE: 01/02/2006 20:28:47
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Well, first of all, Happy New Year! We had a wondrous holiday season with TWO sets of Grandparents here to spoil the kids and I've never seen a gift exchange like it :). Madness. Fun. Joy.

Yesterday morning, Christopher joined me to throw hay to the horses again... Penny is always the first done and comes over to check us out.. possibly because Christopher loves to feed the horses carrots over the fence, but I like to think it is just Penny's connection to C. Mav. Anyways, I turned around just in time to see Christopher leaning forward to kiss Penny's nose, and Penny stood there patiently with her ears forward enjoying the attention. Where was my camera??? AAAck. In that brief second thoughts of where Penny came from and how starved she was when she came to the rescue and how far she has come since then flashed through my mind - it was wonderful.

All weekend, for the first time since she was born, Samantha has been a Papa's girl. She has been so happy to be in his arms, fallen asleep on him, and even craned her head back to look at him while nursing! It's so good to see them together. She has come alive so much in the last few weeks since taking her off the pheno. She reaches and grabs for things, and is constantly wanting to touch things and I think even taste them, too, now. And today I had her in the sling while playing with Christopher on the swing set. We all climbed up into the fort to play, and then I followed him down the slide... and it was only after my feet hit the ground that I realized I had just gone down the slide while nursing!!! Lol... man, am I dexterous or what? :)

Tonight, for the first time, Christopher read a book to himself OUT LOUD. As you know, we've been reading "Are You My Mother" to him at naptime, and he wanted to read it tonight - brought it to Harlan on the couch but didn't want him to read it - instead, he proceeded to open the book himself, UPSIDE DOWN, no less, and flip through the pages, and out loud he read - some pages seemed word for word what was on them. And using the same inflections that I use when I read it to him - it was so adorable that it brought me to tears (I confess, but whether Harlan confesses to as much, we'll see). :)

I also "played trains" for quite some time this evening, and at bed time he wanted to sleep with not just 1 or even 2 trains, but 3!! This is after not asking for any yesterday. So, somewhere in his bed are Thomas, Emily, and James. I was about to say that I wonder if he bumps into them at night and they wake him up, but last night he didn't have any and was up at 5:30 and 6:00 am, so that's not it. Man, let the boy have his trains!! :)

Love to all, Liz

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 01/03/2006 12:20:15
The trains didn't help though, he was up at 5:30 and 6:30 again today... i feel bad for my Lizzy!, at least she got to bed at a decent hour!

As for crying. Me? Never! :) I'm tough as nails.

Harlan
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 01/16/2006 08:10:16
While playing trains with Christopher in his bedroom, I was confused when I asked him "Where is Emily?" and he answered "In the blankets!"

Now I know what he was talking about! He is one smart cookie! (Oh, and sorry for the "Oh crap" influence I have on your son. I'll try to keep my exclamations G rated!)

-Mandy
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TITLE: Goose & Santa
DATE: 12/19/2005 11:43:50
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Hey, All. Well, yesterday, Gooose, our 7 mo old draft cross, got his front feet trimmed for the first time. He is already taller than our full-grown quarterhorse - he is huge! Thank goodness he is a smart boy and not mean. I neglected to mention to my farrier that I was hoping to try and do this yesterday - and he didn't have his usual "cocktail" (sedative) that he would use on such a big youngster... I sure made my farrier work for his money! Goose danced around quite a bit, unsure of what was going on, but by the time we got to the second hoof, he was much better, and even relaxed and stood still for most of it. It was a great learning experience - for both of us. Reminded me that I need to let my farrier know in advance about any changes. He likes coming out to my place because my other 4 are pretty easy trims (and I am a nice person compared to most of the crazy horsewomen he has worked for). Penny has been a little nervous since she had shoes on for a while (she didn't like the nails being put in) and has been a bit timid about it even though she's just getting trimmed. But my other 3 are old pros at getting their feet done. Even Rocky got a gold star yesterday for being so good! (He and my farrier have a special connection -well... Rocky can sometimes be a bit of an idiot - not in a mean way, he just gets bored and loses his attention... and my farrier always comments on him). Anyways, even though Goose was a little handful at first, my farrier still complimented him on how smart he is and how he's not mean at all, just young. I am relieved to have done it as in the last few weeks, Goose's front hooves have gotten too long on the inside and it was making him walk funny - so it's really important for the youngsters to have their feet level as they mature to make sure that the bone structure can grow straight. I have GOT to get out and play with Goose more! I actually do get to scratch him a bit when I go and put hay out, but I still haven't had a long period of time to really work with him or any of the horses yet. I will. And Harlan has been willing, it's just that Samantha tends to wake up and want me before I really get going. She's becoming more predictable with her nap times and they are lasting longer, so I think it won't be too long before I'm back in the saddle.

We had a great time playing Hand and Foot with Cliff & Dodie this weekend - both on Friday night and yesterday. It's a card game - lots of fun. It's so nice to have family so close. It really makes a difference.

Christopher got to meet Santa for the first time on Saturday night at the McDade Historical Society Christmas dinner. It was neat to meet some of our neighbors. Christopher jumped out of Santa's lap as fast as he could, but after Santa gave him a little gift bag, he changed his mind and decided that Santa was okay after all (but still not going near his lap). Samantha decided it was time to nurse at that moment, so she'll have to wait until next year. (*whew*) She sure looked cute in her little Christmas dress. It's so much fun to dress her up on occasion. She also wore tights and and even shoes, too, for the first time. And she certainly had many admirers.

Christopher has figured out how to sneak in a little more time in my lap before naptime - he asks me to read his two favorits "Are you my Mother" and "Green Eggs and Ham" out on the couch now, and then grabs another book on his way to his bedroom and asks me to read another one to him in the rocking chair in his room. I guess I am a bit of a softie, but I can't bring myself to refuse him a book - it's a learning experience and he loves it and I never want that to change. And I do limit the number of books - after "10 apples up on top" he asked for "Green Eggs and Ham" AGAIN, and I explained that we had already read it. It's important to Christopher now to tell him what is going to happen in advance so he has a few minutes to prepare. And the blanket routine is still the same... and EVERY time he asks "another blanket?" when I am done and I just smile and gently tell him he has enough and will be plenty warm - that's all it takes. But he has even started to repeat what I say for each blanket - especially if I take too long to say it or say anything different. It's just so wonderful.

Samantha is becoming more and more alert as we are able to lower her phenobarbital level. And she is willing to spend longer and longer times in Grandma's lap and in Papa's lap which is a nice break for Mama. :) She's had quite a few long conversations with them lately. And she even fell asleep in Papa's arms for the first time since she was born on Saturday. He was quite proud. :)

Love to all, Elizabeth

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 12/20/2005 08:11:53
Great dialogue Liz. Reading this kind of thing makes me Jealous I'm not a stay-at-home dad!

- Your Hubby.
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TITLE: Dishes
DATE: 12/16/2005 12:05:53
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Continuing with his desire to help, I have started letting Christopher help with the dishes... which is tons of fun, but pretty wet and messy. :) He likes to be in charge of where the water sprays - and wants it on "his" side of the sink and so we play a little game with me using it to wash dishes and then he grabs it back, back and forth we go. But even more fun for him was to grab the end of the faucet and make water go everywhere... he was sooo soaked last night... water ran down his arms down his belly and soaked his whole shirt. But hey, if he finds pleasure in doing the dishes with Mama, I'm not going to try and change that!! It makes them more fun for me to do, too, watching him play. It is a bit more time consuming, but worth it! I just put on some good music (Norah Jones and Sting of late) and go with the flow... hahaha...

It's hard to decide where to draw the line with healthy eating and the holidays - there are just so many holiday traditions that involve sugar. I have come to the conclusion that holidays don't happen all the time and it is much more important to enjoy every aspect of the holidays (including the full tummies) to the fullest. I have plans to make gingerbread houses with Christopher (using graham crackers) and some Christmas cookies. I was going through my Grandma's cookbook that she gave to me as a wedding gift (the most precious gift of all, I must say - esp. with all of her little notes everywhere) looking for a sugar cookie recipe to make Christmas cookies... and I couldn't find one titled "sugar cookies" ... so I had to do my diligence, and then I found it... "Mike's cookies" - apparently she always used the recipe that MY DAD found in a magazine when he was FIVE years old (note made on recipe to that extent)... how special is that!!?? And now I'm going to make them with MY son, using cookie cutters given to us from his other great grandma!! *sigh*. You couldn't take that experience away from me for anything - sugar or no sugar, it's just too special and important!!

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TITLE: Beef Stew...
DATE: 12/15/2005 12:30:03
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Honey, if you start eating your beef stew tonight and find a few pieces missing off a piece of carrot, onion, or potato, just know your little man had a few bites, and then put it all in the pot, of course! :) He was such a big help putting everything into the pot, and then taking bites as he went, and putting it in the pot - too cute. He wants to help with EVERYTHING I do. I love it and involve him in everything. I put lotion on my feet, and he wanted some on his... I put my socks on right afterwords, he wanted them on his.... etc... He helped with hay again today, even if it was picking up some from one pile and moving it to another, he's just so happy to help. It's so wonderful. And so long as it is HIS idea, (especially if it is anything I'm cooking) he eats pretty darn well - at least as I'm cooking it. But this raw onion/potato thing cracks me up. "MMMmmm" he says after every bite - like it is absolutely delicious. I don't know how he does the onion thing, but whatever works for him.

Today, Samantha has really started giggling at me. HOW CUTE!!!! I talk back to her and she apparently finds it hilarious and giggles with the biggest toothless smile I've ever seen. She's just so precious.

Time for MY nap again..:) love, Liz

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 12/15/2005 14:42:57
Yah, beef stew! Wish I could come home early , that sounds great!!

Harlan
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
DATE: 01/17/2006 12:09:16
Then Liz let us take home the leftover stew! We didn't know about this little adventure while making it, but we would have gladly eaten it anyway! After all, I would eat anything after Christopher! I don't mind!
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TITLE: Entry for December 14, 2005
DATE: 12/14/2005 10:51:08
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Last night as I said goodnight to my son and walked out the door, he said, "Sleep Tight Babydoll." ??? I didn't realize I had been calling him babydoll - but I'm sure it came from me. Then he ended up waking up at 4 am and not getting back to sleep until almost 5, and then up again at 5:30 so we just got up for the day - put him down for his nap early today - noon - he was so tired. Poor thing.

Earlier, we went outside and fed the horses, and I took him with me to throw the hay - he wants to be involved in everything. He found a curry comb that had been left out in the field and picked it up and walked right over to Penny and started brushing her without any prompting from me - how adorable! It has been a while since we have done that due to the new addition to our family, but I guess I don't have any excuses now. Right after feed time when I throw hay is a great time for that as the horses are all relaxed and calm.

Well, I'm off to take a nap, too. A nursing mom with a toddler needs more than 5 hours of sleep a day - and I had only 6 hours the night before (my own bad - last minute online shopping). *yawn* See yall soon!

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TITLE: Musings about children...
DATE: 12/13/2005 11:30:18
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Last night as I was waiting for Harlan to give Christopher his bath, Sammie was talking and talking up a storm - and she wanted to see what was going on around her, including Monday Night Football. So I turned her around in my lap and held her so she could push up with her legs and stand up - and she kept talking! Suddenly, she let out a LOUD scream of delight - the loudest she's ever "talked". (She has good lungs for crying when she's not happy, but she had never used them while "talking" before.) And she went on for a few seconds more and then another LOUD scream of delight - was it the Ref with his black and white stripes or what? She did it 3 or 4 times before I passed her off to Harlan so I could put Christopher to bed.

Speaking of Christopher - I just put him down for his nap. That ice storm started something new for him. He FINALLY loves blankets! Up until now, he insisted on kicking them off as soon as you put them on him. I even had a few laid down underneath him hoping to keep him warm and for the last few months he would even pull every single blanket out of his bed and throw them on the floor before he would fall asleep. The night of the ice storm when it was making strange noises and hitting his window, he was afraid of the noises - he even said, "kitty cat outside?" So I asked Harlan to take him outside and show him the ice so he could understand what it was... well, it was a bit chilly outside, as you would expect during an ice storm, of course, and he came back in shivering a bit. I rocked him to warm him up, and then laid him down in his bare bed. I couldn't leave without at least trying to put a blanket on him... So I told him how special he was and we put his super Texas Star quilt on him (thank you, Stephanie) and his Pooh quilt (thank you, Nancy) and told him how they would keep him nice and warm. He thought it was neat, and asked, "More blankets?" How do you resist that? So I went in his mini-wardrobe and pulled out another blanket - with animals on it from my child hood. I told him how it was mine when I was a little girl. "Another blanket?" *sigh* So I told him okay, one more, and pulled out a faded yellow kittycat blanket that Grandma made for me and told him how special it was to Mommy and it would keep him very warm. "Another blanket?" I figured that4 blankies was enough and told him that was all I had. And he slept soundly that night - until 8am even! Snuggled up under all of those blankies - the cutest thing ever. Okay, besides his little sister anyways. They're equal there. And since then, every night and nap time we play the blankie game - and it's important for me to tell him how special each one is. What a routine!

Oh, and now before naptimes (we started this yesterday when he was having trouble sleeping) he requests that I read him "Where is My Mother?" and "Green Eggs and Ham". He loves both of them so much. And it helps him calm down and get ready to sleep. What's funny to me is that I probably read them with exactly the same inflections that my Mom and Dad used when they read them to me when I was a child - and they are still just as fun for me to read as an adult.

Love to all, Liz

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TITLE: Entry for December 12, 2005
DATE: 12/13/2005 06:39:13
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Samantha is 3 months old today and with that we got some wonderful news: her follow-up MRI, CT scan, and EEG were all completely normal!!! What relief. Just a reminder of how blessed and thankful we are to have her in our lives.

Yesterday Grandpa helped Papa put up some christmas lights - they look so beautiful as they glow at night. And they bring even more of a festive spirit to our home. We are so excited to have so much family here this holiday season to celebrate with us!!!

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TITLE: Entry for December 10, 2005
DATE: 12/10/2005 18:05:18
STATUS: publish
BODY:

Even the best laid plans....

Today we decided to get out of the house and go to town to play at Central Market to wear C. Mav out so that we could go see the movie Narnia as a family. We had planned it specifically to wear him out at Central Market so that he would fall asleep on the way to the movies and sleep in Papa's arms during the movie. Samantha is still nursing, so I was not concerned about her at the movie. We had a great lunch and C. Mav had a fantastic time running around with bunches of kids his age and older on a playground. He looked EXHAUSTED... on to the ride to the movies, the perfectly timed bottle of milk, and ... *poof* our plans were foiled. No, he didn't fall asleep (we even drove around extra time with hopes). So we went in to the movie and it started and he started wiggling and wanting to walk around and see everything and was a little nervous (movie starts off with war-time scenes of WWII) and nothing Harlan tried helped. (I had Samantha in my lap, and offered to hold him as well, but C. Mav wouldn't have it longer than a few seconds). So left the theatre before the movie was going on for 5 minutes (maybe 10?), got raindate tickets, and went to the mall to buy our last few xmas gifts and he was a rascal there as well. Now over-tired, he was tugging on us, trying to pull away from our hands, not walking (preferring to lay on the floor a few times).. *sigh* He finally fell asleep about 6:30 pm on the way home tonight, and went straight to bed as soon as we got home - so we were able to eat our dinner in peace and spend some quality time together. Even Samantha gave us a few minutes when she slept in her swing for about 1/2 hour.

LESSON: C. Mav MUST have his nap at the normal time no matter what our plans are. :)

LESSON 2: Let C. Mav spend some fun time with his Grandparents while Mama & Papa go to the movies, at least for the next year or two

So we had a wonderful day... and then total chaos. :) Life with kids - always keeps you guessing.

Love to all! Elizabeth

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TITLE: Entry for December 09, 2005
DATE: 12/09/2005 13:11:55
STATUS: publish
BODY:

So we got some ice down here in TX - unusual to get any, much less this early in the season. Ice makes for great learng fun, tho. It's so precious to see Christopher explore. He grabbed right on to an icicle and walked around with it proudly with no care for how red his hands were turning from the cold. New word of the day: icicle.

Ice also brings new sounds to his life - from the falling freezing rain hitting his window last night to the loud scraping and crashing as it melts and slides off the roof. It's such a joy to help him explore the world. I love being a mom.

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TITLE: Entry for December 03, 2005
DATE: 12/03/2005 07:28:00
STATUS: publish
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Today, Christopher (2) tried to feed Samantha (2months) water and raisins... it was cute but scary!!!
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Christopher's Pre-School Graduation

2009-05-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I know it's only preschool, but still... there's something about "Pomp and Circumstance" that makes any Mom teary-eyed.

Graduates... oh, my!

My attempt at taking a picture of Christopher as he walked in - and instead getting the best hug in the world! :)

Yeah, he knows he's cool. :)

Christopher getting his diploma and the award for "Best Vocabulary." We are so proud!!!

Another proud moment! :) He's so cute!

The graduates! And yes, it was casual - their last day of school was also a swim day! :)

Sneaking a peak at the diploma!

With Papa at the reception - CMav was way too into that cookie to worry about pictures! :)

Okay, so I admit to being teary-eyed at his Pre-School graduation - I wonder what it will be like for Kindergarten, 6th Grade, 8th Grade, and High School graduations! :) Goodness gracious! I did not expect to be so emotional! :)

Sammie & Arthur

2009-05-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sammie had a fantastic time riding Arthur yesterday!

She was much more interested in steering than usual - at 3yo, you can't blame her for just wanting a pony ride. But yesterday she wanted to do more "by herself" - and Arthur is the most wonderful 25yo pony in the world! :)

Sammie leading Arthur to have his photo taken - and Arthur being the best behaved pony on the planet! :)

Sammie's classic "I'm having a good time but don't you dare say how good I'm doing" look.

Sammie's slow motion "reining" move (where they make the horse go around in circles as fast as they can).

Here, Sammie has just turned Arthur away from the gate by herself (no small feat!)

And of course, a video of the cutiepies:

Pool Adventures

2009-05-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at the amount of fun our kids have in a tiny kiddie pool. I guess it's just the water - but they love it! :)

It finally came out!

2009-05-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Christopher's tooth finally came out on Saturday at the Renaissance Festival! Quite suddenly it seemed, at the end of the Birds of Prey show. He was asleep when we got home, but I had promised to put his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy just in case.

The next morning, he woke up and I told him that I had put his tooth under his pillow just like he asked. He very determinedly said, "Well, let's go look. If my tooth is still there, then the Tooth Fairy is NOT real." Hehe... hard not to smile at that! Of course the Tooth Fairy came through!

He got $2 for his first tooth, and so far, grandparents have commented, "Oh, well I thought for sure that a quarter would do" - but it was his FIRST tooth...

Here are a few more pics from the Ren Fest:

CMav aiming intently at the target!

Sammie with some speed! :)

The local Ent... surprised us all!

Still "hanging by a thread"

2009-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

So we are still waiting for Christopher's first tooth to fall out. I just put him to bed and he came back out to let me know that his tooth "box" had fallen behind his bed - from underneath his pillow. I looked in his mouth just to be sure he still had his tooth, and said, "Well, it's a good thing it fell so we don't confuse the Tooth Fairy." Christopher looked at me curiously - confused to what I was saying. I said, "Well, you wouldn't want to put the empty box under your pillow..." - but he was still confused, so I said, "I guess the Tooth Fairy knows you haven't lost your tooth yet."

Christopher replied, "Don't worry, Momma. The Tooth Fairy knows where all the teeth are - she's had lots of practice." :)

I had to agree. :)

Quotes of the Day...

2009-04-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Christopher when he woke up this morning:

"My tooth is as loose as the wind!" It is his first loose tooth, bottom right, and the adult tooth just broke through the skin behind it this morning. And he also noticed that his other bottom tooth is loose, too! The one is at a very strange angle now being pushed forward by the adult tooth. Won't be long now!

And after my attempt at cooking Mahi Mahi for the first time, Harlan said,

"It tastes like edible cardboard." HAH! Oh, well. It was different at least. But I had to agree, not my best creation. Next time I will start with fresh fish instead of frozen for sure. Maybe that was the whole problem.

Special congrats to Paul & Rachael and welcome baby Jules Eli! We look forward to meeting him! He is so precious!

Open House

2009-04-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Every year, the kid's preschool has an open house where the older kids perform, and we get to watch a slideshow of photos taken all year. It was a lot of fun again this year!

We had a nice dinner at PeiWei first, though:

CMav eating with chopsticks!

Waiting for the performance to start - Sammie and her best friend in school, Courtney.

CMav waiting - excitedly!

Sammie hamming it up!

CMav on stage - hamming it up - where did they learn this head tilt thingy? :)

Sammie, exhausted after the long day, eating one of Grandma's famous stovetop cookies. "Don't even think about it!" :)

And the adventure didn't stop there - we were all packed up in the truck and ready to go home, and the truck wouldn't start.... ah, well. At least Harlan wasn't too far away and came to help keep me company while AAA came. The truck made it home, but I don't know whether it will start today or not - about to find out! Wish me luck!

Easter!!!

2009-04-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dressing up at Grandma's after dyeing eggs.

Sammie screaming "NO!" as she hid under the table to get away from the crazy picture-taking Momma! :)

Sammie REALLY not wanting her picture taken!

And now CMav gets in on the NO's! :)

My final torture picture - I just couldn't help myself. They were so cute! But I think at this point they were having fun anyways. :)

Before the local Easter Egg Hunt

Easter morning egg hunt.

Barely awake and shaking with excitement!

Pink Lollipops!

After the cascarones (see the confetti everywhere?)

Lollipops are the BEST!

What a handsome fellow! :)

Camping in our Back Yard!

2009-04-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

We have FIRE! :)

Our setup.

Watching the flames burn.

Cooking Hotdogs

CMav was hungry!!

Safe games & tent.

The dogs loved camping, too!

The chili was super delicious... ahem... pardon me!

My Prince & Princess

2009-04-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

The kids were so cute dressing up, I had to take photos! Just look at all the silly cute faces!

Texas Weather

2009-03-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, it started storming about 6pm - and after getting the horses in (it was dinnertime anyways), I checked the weather to find that we had a tornado watch! More reading found that there was severe hail in W. Austin - lots and lots of hail damage on cars, etc. - it looked like it had snowed in some places. Radar showed a bad cell of heavy storming headed our general direction, although probably would hit just north of us, but just in case, the kids and I cleared out the closet under the stairs:

I have to say - that pic just breaks my heart. They weren't really that scared - and a few seconds later were making silly faces. We talked about the weather, watched it on the computer, let them control the view, etc. And by the time the storm got here, the worst was north of us and the storm cell had dissipated.

Before we knew it, the sun was back out and we saw this:

Hey, looks to me like the end of the rainbow is at my house :)

And the other end of the rainbow was out in the field where the horses normally are. If you don't get the analogy yet, I truly consider our family & home our own personal pot of gold :).

It was a great learning experience for the kiddos and we talked about safety, 911, etc. And now I'm so thankful that both kiddos are safe and sound, asleep in their beds. (Ooops, actually, Sammie is asleep in my bed... :) ) Don't tell! :)

March Adventures

2009-03-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I have not updated this blog yet this month! Apologies!

Here are some adorable photos to make up for it! :)

Two flyers! I have a photo just like this but taken 2 years ago - I'll have to dig it up! :)

Papa teaching the kiddos how to play chess!

Dodie's Birthday helpers.

Austin Kite Festival

CMav flying a kite.

Sammie petting our new foster horse, "Arwen."

Being Fancy!

2009-02-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

We have been reading a story titled "Fancy Nancy" for bedtime several times this week, and this morning when I called the kids to head out to the truck for school and they were dressed Fancy!

What cutiepies!

Just too cute for words...

I have a few more cute photos to share:

Sammie riding Sweetie! Can you believe Sweetie is now 22?! I have had her for 19 years! Oh, my! :) She was such a good girl, and don't worry, look closely and you can see I had a lunge line attached to the bit - and all we did was a short pony ride. Sammie was so proud!

Christopher & Sammie playing Prince & Princess. I'm so glad they roleplay so well together!

Pretend Wedding

2009-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

It is an annual tradition at Christopher & Sammie's Preschool to have a "Pretend Wedding" where all the boys dress in suits and the girls dress in bridesmaid dresses, and they pick a pretend bride & groom & flower girl & ring bearer. The kids know that no one is really getting married, but they all march down the aisle and the Pastor talks to all the kids about weddings, marriages, and promises, and they all take vows that when they grow up and get married that they will keep their promises to their husband/wife. It was Christopher's year to participate, and he was a groomsman.

Dodie was able to join us, and after dropping CMav off at his classroom early, we went out to take Sammie to the playground where her class meets in the morning. Except, actually, Sammie took Dodie to the playground:

Sammie pushing Dodie to the playground.

Enjoying the special treat of Grandma at school!

Grandma & Sammie smiling!

CMav all decked out!

CMav with the bridesmaid he walked down the aisle - his class has a 2:1 ratio of boys:girls. :)

CMav walking down the aisle.

All the boys listening closely to the pastor. This lasted about 30 seconds. Soon the chaos erupted:

Well, it wasn't really that bad. The boys wanted to see their parents. Christopher waved and reached his arms out to give a long distance hug. While the Pastor was talking about promises, Christopher was looking at the ceiling counting light fixtures and wooden beams. :) And when the Pastor started talking about rings and how some have gems on them, some don't, Christopher announced, "Or sometimes they have a diamond on them!" Everyone laughed and the Pastor said that when he grows up he can make that decision himself. All the boys took their "vows" first, replying "yes" that they would keep their promises to their wife when they grow up. And when the Pastor began talking to the girls, and asked them if they would keep their promises to their husband, Christopher replied much louder than before, "YES!". And again everyone laughed. It was adorable.

Afterwards, we were invited for cake and punch reception.

CMav at the table with cake!

There's always something special about Grandma's hugs.

Telling Grandma all about the wedding.

Another adorable pic. :)

This was my first year to see the wedding, and I liked the Pastor so much I'm going to ask if he does services regularly - he was just wonderful with the kids and so honest and clear about things - I haven't heard anyone talk/preach like that except for Ed, and he's up in NH so you can imagine how often I get to hear him :). (Our wedding was the best!) Anyways, it was a wonderful morning, and in 2 years it will be Sammie's turn to be in the pretend wedding! :)

Bike Riding and other fun!

2009-01-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Nana and Grandpa Mike came down for a week to visit while Harlan was out of town and we had lots of fun! I'm just getting the photos up and embarrassed that I didn't get more photos with the Grandparents! Yikes! I'll have to do better.

Grandpa Mike got to play more than work this time :) but one of his jobs was replacing the inner tube in Sammie's brand new bike (don't know how it went flat so fast). So we got the kids out for a bike ride and had a blast! We first rode at home, down our gravel driveway and out on our gravel road. A little too bumpy for everyone, so we did take the bikes over to Grandma's house and rode on a real sidewalk! Both kids really got the hang of riding - CMav already was doing it on the gravel road easily. But on the flat surface, Sammie really got the hang of it and was finally doing it by herself after a few times up and down the road. Oh, and CMav - you had to run to keep up with him. Thankfully, we had another set of Grandparents there to help take turns with the running! :)

Sammie on her bike at the ranch.

CMav really got the hang of pedaling and riding!

Grandpa Mike giving Sammie a helping hand!

Christopher's "Contraption" - he got a few wrapping paper tubes hooked together so he could roll marbles down the tube into a dog bowl - he set this up (and thought of it) completely by himself. Grandpa Mike dubbed it a "Contraption" and CMav was very proud!

Sammie and her cutie pie ponytails. We don't usually get to see those on camera - they don't last very long before she pulls them out. But when they are there, they are adorable!

We also got to visit Lisa while my parents were here - and somehow, both kids were absolute angels at Lisa's house! They played well, and ate well, and even tried new food (Chinese!) without complaining! I don't know who replaced my kids with angels while we were there, but it sure was nice! :)

Sammie and Laney playing dollies.

Sammie and her other favorite pony (you do remember the photo of Cliff like this, don't you?) :) Sammie will take any opportunity she can to catch a Grandpa on the floor and hops right on!

Another of Christopher's creations!

Lastly, Dad talked to me about the Dark Sky Initiative: http://www.darksky.org/ And how our blaring security light kindof went against that - since the light went both up and down. Well, while he was at our house, he used his magic powers to make the bulb in our security light go bad... so we were forced to call the electric company to fix it. I mentioned the Dark Sky Initiative to the lady on the phone and she thought I was nuts. But when they made the repairs, low and behold, they replaced it with this:

Way to use your powers for good, Dad! :)

Corpus Christi part 3

2009-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

On day 3, the kids woke us up early to go fishing with Papa - and look what we caught!

It's Sammie's first fish! A tiny little perch had the hook caught in its' lip - and we were able to throw it back easily without any harm done. The kids also saw a dolphin swim by just beyond the dock they were fishing from. Sammie was the only one to catch anything, but CMav and Papa had tons of bites! In fact, the fish ate every single crawfish they put on the hooks. They were just too little to get caught. But it made for a very fun morning before we went to the USS Lexington! A WWII naval aircraft carrier.

Nothing like a little power under your seat... :)

Papa is pointing the way!

Climbing the ladder-like stairway on a deck tour.

Future Blue Angels F-18 pilot? :)

Papa in the brig! And CMav took this photo! Great job! :)

I think this pic speaks for itself :)

Papa in the barber's chair.

Papa and CMav in a Navy Seal transport that "does not exist."

We even got up on the flight deck, but it was raining so we didn't get the camera out. I'll always remember how high above the ocean we were, and running from airplane wing to airplane wing for cover from the rain! :)

Such a fun vacation!

Corpus Christi part 2

2009-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

The next morning we woke up at our (kids') leisure and went to the State Aquarium.

Sea Otters.

Sea Turtles. Harlan was very afraid. :)

Dolphins.

Inside the Aquarium.

And don't forget the man-eating sea turtle... painting! :)

We had a great morning, and then went back to the B&B to relax and enjoy more vacation!

Corpus Christi part 1

2009-01-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Harlan has been able to stay home for almost two weeks! So before we all went crazy, we decided it would be fun to go on a mini-vacation for a few days down to Corpus Christi - here is day one at the beach! :)

Family on the beach.

Silly Momma pointing at the crab we can all clearly see. :)

CMav just barely wet, enjoying the water.

Definitely having fun!

Yup! Nothing better than racing the waves! :)

CMav chasing seagulls - how cool!

Sammie and Momma playing in the sand.

Papa and CMav building a sand castle.

Sammie wave running.

Momma snuggling with Sammie to keep her warm.

Yup - now he's soaked. Luckily, I had his swim trunks... in the car! Oh, well.. :)

Just a few seconds later we were all warm and dry in the car on our way back to our apartment-like B&B.

Christmas Morning

2009-01-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Yay! Bikes!

Papa prepared for the morning's festivities.

Papa describing each figurine to Christopher

Opening gifts and webcamming with Nana & Grandpa Mike!

Clyde stops buy before breakfast is ready with gifts for the kids.

Cliff & Mandy enjoying the merriment!

Dodie & Cliff opening presents.

Mandy realizing she was going to have to open yet another layer of presents to get to her gift! (OOoooo! I'm a stinker! :) )

Momma's special gift from Papa.

CMav's first marble/blocks creation!

Sammie enjoying her My Little Pony carousel (poor thing was sick all day).

CMav's creation he made by himself!

Christmas Eve at Grandma's House

2009-01-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

Snugglin with Momma opening presents.

Cool new sword!

Opening a job for Momma! :)

Yep, this will keep Momma busy for a few hours! :)

Wrestling game fun.

Papa gets in on the fun!

Momma gets some assistance from Grandpa...

Grandpa decides it's way more fun to play with Christopher... :)

Not sure if her new kitchen will ever be put together, Sammie decides to take a nap with Grandma. :) (Sammie also started to get feverish that night)

Christopher is pretty sure it will be a while longer...

Finally - it's Playtime! :)

Christmas Jammies!

Sammie's Jammies!

Two weeks later...

2008-12-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

(Christmas photos to come!)

So it was about 2 weeks ago that I wrote about how frustrated I was to be sick! I wish I could say we are all healthy now, but at least we are on our way! Christopher, Sammie and I got over Strep Throat, but Harlan had to take heavier antibiotics to get over it. He's finally well, and then I had to take CMav to the Dr. on Monday - and was dx with a mild Bronchitis - 24 hours later after starting antibiotics and he's feeling much better. But then poor Sammie came down with a fever Christmas Eve, and all day on Christmas, her temp stayed above 101.5 - while on meds. Called the Dr. first thing on Friday only to find out they were closed, but after a sleepless night from coughing and a fever above 104, I wasn't taking any chances so we went to the Children's Hospital, where a chest Xray showed a small amount of pneumonia starting in her right lung. Poor thing! They gave her a shot at the hospital of Rocephin, then we started her on Zithromax today. I wish it tasted better - neither of my kids have been impressed with the flavor. Today Sammie was much better, but still keeping a temp of about 100 without meds, but normal with meds.

I just got back from checking on her - she's actually sleeping in her own bed tonight! We'll see if it lasts, but she is there tonight. And even with me under the blankets with her, her temperature is normal right now. :)

Here's to good health!

The Season for Giving

2008-12-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we continued our annual family tradition of adopting a family for the holidays - and getting gifts for a local needy family for Christmas. Rather than spending a lot on gifts for each other, we spend it on a family that really needs it. Yesterday was no exception - the family needed us more than we could imagine.

We start off this adventure by receiving a list of family members and "wants" - a short list of "clothes" and sizes, a general "toys" for the child. No specifics. And you don't meet the people or know anything else about them until you deliver the presents, so you have to do your best! This year it was a family with a 2 year old son.

We made sure to get everything on their "list", plus a few other things. We talk to the kids about shopping for a little boy that probably doesn't have any toys and might not get any for Christmas if we didn't buy them for him. We haven't quite gotten to the point where the kids are wiling to donate their old toys, but this year, Christopher did offer to use some of his own money - so long as he had enough to still buy a set of figurines left over. :)

I called to schedule the "dropoff" time in advance.

When we arrived, we drove up to an older single wide mobile home, and the Mom was watching for us and came out to greet us. She was very humble and kind, and nervous. I told her not to be, that we were just so happy to help. She invited us in, "It's small but we do our best." Their living area was only about 1/4 of the mobile home - about 12x12, and everything was packed away neatly in its own little space, and in that area they had a bathroom, a bed, a card table, a couple of folding chairs, a small cooking area, a bunk bed, and a small area they made their closet. Her son was napping on the bed, and she had made some fresh flan for us - it was delicious. She also gave us a can of nice hot cocoa - it is absolutely delicious, too, and each time I have some (twice already!) I think of them.

Kids in general are so dang honest. Christopher was full of embarrassing observations, "See Mom, they do have a few toys" "Wow, it's so small in here" "My house is full of toys" which Papa quickly responded, "Well, that's because it's such a mess." Christopher and Sammie both danced and giggled to try and get the young 2yo to laugh, but he just stared in amazement and wasn't sure what these two crazy kids were doing. (he also spoke mostly spanish)

Anyways, it was a great experience. I'm so glad to know we got all of them warm winter coats, and the toys we picked out for the boy were all things that he would be interested in for years, like playdoh, megabloks, hotwheels cars, and a Thomas the train with a little track. Oh, and that cute dumptruck that makes a noise when you drive it. Part of me wants to go back again and take them heavy winter blankets - but you just never know what they might need - you only have the list of things they filled out to go by.

The parents were very humble and so grateful - and I was surprised by their hospitality. It just felt SO GOOD. I don't need anything else for Christmas - I've already received the best gift I can think of. And I'm reminded of the things that really matter - family, being together, and enjoying each other. If you have that, nothing else really matters - you can make the rest work. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Christmas Tree '08

2008-12-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mandy & Cliff performing at Christmas by the Tracks in Elgin

Kids staying warm on Grandma's lap.

Kids in a model train by the tracks.

On the hay ride to get the tree!

Hay ride opposing view :)

Momma got to cut the tree this year since Papa wasn't feeling well - the kids helped hold up the branches!

Success!

Oh wait - and for those of you not paying attention, it was actually Papa that cut down the tree! :)

Thanksgiving 08

2008-12-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Justin, Ryan, Sammie, CMav, and Sarah watch a movie after the Thanksgiving Feast.

Family Thanksgiving Night (notice the open windows behind us - it was nearly 80 degrees that day!

Look at those eyes!

What a cutie!

Mandy enjoying the holiday!

Cliff looking far too serious. :)

Okay, who let Mandy have the scissors?

Dodie had a great day, too!

Can't believe we didn't take any pictures of SEAN! I swear he was there! Really! :)

We had a great Thanksgiving, Beverly style (actually, it is Sutherland style with a twist :)) I don't know why but I have certain things that I have to cook exactly a certain way so that they taste just like they did every year growing up. Turkey (with Pepperidge Farm dressing), Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Relish, Homemade Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Grandma's Apple Pie.. mmmmmmmmm I am learning, however, that I have new favorites from the Beverly side of the family that I also insist upon - like Stovetop Cookies! Mmmmmmmmmm! :)

Sick!!!

2008-12-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

AARRGH! I hate being sick! I wish I had more exciting things to blog about (actually, I will in a minute) but I am just so tired of being sick right now I have to let it out. :) Starting with CMav last Weds, we have all but Sammie been diagnosed with Strep Throat - and all 4 of us are on Amoxicillin as we speak. But to add insult to injury - I have been on meds for 5 days and am no longer contagious, but now I have a cold that must be a virus (obviously) and have a REALLY sore throat to go along with it. And the weather here in Texas is freezing! It is SO cold outside - windy and in the 30's oh my. (I'm sure y'all up north are rolling your eyes, but for us Texans it is COLD!) The one bright note is I'm so happy I have a barn for my horses to stay warm in on these cold nights (especially last night when it was SLEETING at our place! :) The one place I saw little piles of sleet this morning was no other than on the old manure piles I have been creating since we put up the barn. I thought manure is supposed to be warm? Well, I know it is a foot down or so, but before I gross you out any further I'll stop there. :) Love to all!

Little Monkeys

2008-11-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

I brought the kids home a little early from preschool because Sammie had a low grade fever at school. But by the time we got home, it was gone and the kids went bananas! I mean, they turned into little monkeys and started climbing trees! The pecan trees in our yard are just perfect. But you tell me, does it get any cuter than this????

I know it's a lot of photos - but I can't help myself. Each expression is so unique and precious. Enjoy the blessings! I know what I am thankful for! :)

A wonderful day at the Renaissance Festival!

2008-11-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, we had a great time!

Sammie as Cinderella!

Opposites - Grumpy and Happy!

On the swing!

Momma's "hair flip" :)

The big swing with Momma, Cmav, Sammie and Cliff.

Papa making sure the beverages were still fresh while we waited for the Birds of Prey

The owl turning back to look at Harlan to see if he could have some. Sadly, he was on a training line and not able to share in the merriment :).

Uh, remind me to behave! :) lol

Yes, we allowed this - our 3yo daughter loves the bungee!

Here's CMav - he wasn't quite as excited as Sammie, but he liked it, too! He said he'd do it again when he was older - like 10 or so.. :)

Watching the belly dancers (we have great video of CMav dancing along!)

The fireworks finale was totally worth waiting for!

Overall, our best trip yet. Everyone had a blast, and as we got into the car to go home, Christopher announced that the Renaissance Festival is his very favorite place to go ever!

Halloween!!!

2008-11-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Samantha, Margaret, & Christopher (Margaret is the kids' best friend from playgroup)

Another cute photo of the kiddos.

After their school's fall festival day.

Harlan as Indiana Jones :)

Family pumpkin carving

CMav's jackolantern

Sammie's "Sleeping Beauty" pumpkin - it is the first time I have used a pattern from the internet for a pumpkin - not bad! Looked even better in person!

Christopher's 5th Birthday!

2008-10-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Christopher turned 5 today! Although we will be having the "official" party on Friday with family, he is aware enough of the date that you can't pass it by him what day his birthday is, so we had a special day. Harlan stayed home until almost noon to celebrate (since he would be late tonight) and we had fun opening a few presents!

Waiting!!!!

The Roboraptor in Action!

Cool! New Giant Dragon Figurine!

Spinning the Globe!

Dinosaur cake - after breakfast! :)

Watching Lord of the Rings - notice that ALL of the toys/animals are watching the movie, too! Crazy kids! :)

Octoberfest!

2008-10-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

Today Sammie, CMav and I went to the Christmas Tree farm - for pumpkins! We had a great time picking out our pumpkins, decorating small pumpkins, riding on a hay ride, playing in the park, and overall enjoying the gorgeous fall weather here in Texas!

Pumpkins!

Decorating faces & hair on the pumpkins.

Sammie & her pumpkin with Pink hair! :)

Sammie & CMav on the playscape posing so cute!

Texas Ren Fest Fun

2008-10-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sammie as Cinderella and Momma in the swing

CMav the Ninja

Momma all decked out in her fest gear.

Harlan's new pipe! Handmade from wood, and it worked! Harlan looked like Gandalf as he puffed smoke (not inhaling, of course! :) )

Harlan and his cousin, Sean

We all had a wonderful day! This was the first time that the kids were really excited about going to the Festival! We told the kids to go to sleep as fast as they could so that we could leave early in the morning - and at 6am, bleary-eyed Christopher woke up and said, "I got up as soon as I could!" We trekked out about 7:15am and got there around 9:30. We had a lot of compliments on our costumes, and how cute the kids were! Sammie loves her Cinderella costume (you'll see it again for Halloween) and CMav likes his Ninja costume, too. He wore it for well over an hour - which for him in a costume is a record! He even wore his mask for a while! :) They were so cute. I guess we were having too much fun to remember to take more photos. :)

Weekend Family Rides

2008-10-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Harlan on Charlie

Arthur in the barn.

CMav on Arthur for a lesson.

Sammie on Arthur for her turn.

Dodie enjoying watching.

Cliff & his sister, Madge.

House Divided! :)

2008-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that our house is divided when it comes to politics. So much so that at times, we have to say "no politics tonight" so that we can both relax and enjoy the evening. We both believe strongly in our party's platform, and we both strongly dislike the opposing party. And yet, we love each other deeply, and when it comes right down to it, we have the same dreams and beliefs and hopes for our family.

What brings me to this is I am FINALLY reading Obama's "Audacity of Hope." The way he looks at America - that we are all one nation, we all have the same basic hopes for liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No matter our political persuasion, we want our kids to get a great education, we want our families safe, to have a good job, be able to retire with dignity, etc.

Of late I have found myself reading left-leaning blogs, and although they are filled with good, up-to-date information, they also have a very negative tone towards conservatives. I have found myself at times feeling sharply negative about the topics as well. While reading The Audacity of Hope, I find myself doing some self-realization that I, too, have been guilty of painting the opposing party as "idiots" or otherwise. But I don't want to be part of that problem anymore. I want our nation to work together as a whole to move forward, for everyone's best interest. No matter our political beliefs, we are all human beings, hoping to do the best we can, survive, and help others, etc. This is most evident in our marriage, where we have opposing political beliefs, but love each other intensely and share the same dreams. We have been working together for nearly 10 years to make a family, and do the best we can. Why can't politics be that way?

Well, take the time to read The Audacity of Hope, and you'll gain an understanding of why things are the way we are - the historical aspects of what has made partisanship so divided. It didn't used to be that way. I hope that we can all work together to bring the respect back between the parties and move forward as one nation. And I'm making it my goal to stop being so negative, and understand where the other side is coming from. I'm going to let the change start with me, and although it's not an immediate route to the government, I am one of the people.

So there is my ideology for the day. Good reading. And it's not all about democratic views - it is about a different way of thinking about how a government could (and should) work, for ALL of the people!

A Thousand Words and A Million Dollars

2008-09-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sammie riding Arthur, a picture worth a thousand words, and a pony worth a million dollars. :)

CMav on Arthur, another picture that speaks for itself.

My farrier was out today to trim our horse's feet, and I asked his thoughts on Arthur, our foster horse, a 23 yr old pony that we know nothing about, but has a great personality, has been awesome with the kids, and acts like he knows a lot. My farrier offered to hop on him bareback for me today, in a halter, and Arthur turned out to be very well mannered and schooled, and quite the easy ride for him. So this evening, we tacked him up and I gave mini-lessons to both CMav and Sammie.

Arthur knew exactly what his job was. He stayed glued to me while the kids were up, and followed me. And yet, when I asked CMav to steer, Arthur was quick to respond to him and even turned away from me at Christopher's request. Not to mention how good he is with the kids on the ground - Sammie can lead him by herself (with me close by) and he is very careful around the kids and watches their every step. He didn't even think of doing anything bad. A pony like this is worth their weight in gold.

Anyways, I am absolutely delighted, and we have some family discussions to do, but I suspect he has found his forever home. :)

Oh, and lastly, giving lessons on Arthur will be way better than what we tried the other night:

Lol! (Yes, that's the kids riding double on Cliff! Another mount worth his weight in gold for his patience and love!)

Follow Up Appointment

2008-09-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

CMav Saturday morning at the hospital at breakfast feeling much better!

We took Christopher to the pediatrician today as a follow up for this weekend's adventure at the hospital, and he appeared completely healthy and normal. They even re-did his CBC and his white count was back down to 6k, smack dab in the middle of normal. The blood culture results were negative. So, no one really knows what made Christopher so sick, but whatever it was, his pedi said, "His body was very efficient at getting rid of it." :) Harlan would appreciate that :) (One of his values is efficiency :) )

And yes, I managed not to mention in my last blog that throughout this whole ordeal that my wonderful DH, Harlan, has been overseas, probably pulling his hair out. For a man that runs a company and likes to be able to control a situation, this must have been very difficult for him. Not to mention that both kids melt his heart with a wave of their finger. :) We kept up with him the whole time, but I know how hard it was for him to be so far away when one of the kids was going through a rough patch. Good to know he has a tough wife that can take care of the situation when he's out of town! (And a wife that has excellent mothering instincts, if I do say so myself - I'm so glad that I pushed to get to the Dr. on Friday!) But I'd put money on it that if CMav hadn't been improving on Saturday that Harlan was prepared to change flights and fly home early.

Anyways, it's another adventure on the Beverly Ranch, and we're all so thankful to be well again!

Hospital Trip with Christopher

2008-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I woke up and felt sick... and then came to see that Christopher's cold seemed a little worse when I woke up. But he didn't have a fever. I debated on whether I should take him to school or not, and then chose not to based upon the combination of my dizziness and him seeming not quite right. He wanted to lay in his bed, and his eyes were watering awfully. By noon he had vomited 3 times and his temperature had risen to 103.8! I was on the phone to my pediatrician who initially told me they were "booked" and could not take him, but after some pressuring and reiterating the seriousness of his symptoms they gave in and said, "if you can bring him in Right Now, we'll see him." There was nothing obvious causing everything, but on his CBC his white count was 25.5K - quite out of the normal range. Protocol for such a high fever and high white cell count is to do a chest xray and blood culture, but by the time I would have them done (after 5 on a Friday) the results would be far away and there wouldn't be a good way to have a Dr. keep tabs on him over the weekend. So they chose to send us to Children's Hospital in Austin. Thankfully my MIL, Dodie, was available and willing to watch Sammie while I took Christopher to the hospital. He was very lethargic and could barely stand up, and completely out of it. We arrived at the hospital around 4pm, and were seen by a Dr. probably around 6-7pm. They drew blood and put in an IV - and it wasn't long before we knew that his white cell count had jumped to 44K - and the Dr. was obviously worried what could be causing it - his chest and belly xrays were completely normal. I asked Christopher if he remembered coming with me to get xrays of Sammie's head, and he didn't, but he remembered that conversation the rest of our hospital say and every time a dr. or nurse mentioned xrays he asked THEM if THEY remembered Sammie getting her head xrayed. :) Everyone was very polite, but somewhat confused by his question. :) Once he had the IV in, the first med he got was Zophram for his vomiting that had increased to about every 30-60 minutes minimum. He wasn't holding down water and was obviously dehydrated. They bolused him with 2x 300ml boluses of saline, and started him on a "big gun" antibiotic called Rocephin. He had not been able to keep any tylenol/ibuprophen down at home, and so we had taken the "alternate entrance" for some tylenol at the pedi's office about 2:30. His fever started to break in the ER about 6-7 pm. While receiving fluids, Christopher fell asleep on the "bed" in the ER laying on my chest, with my legs wrapped around him. There's nothing more precious than holding your baby asleep on your chest. Even if they are almost 5! They always seem so much younger when they're sick. It was declared to us about 8:30 that due to his high white count and no idea what was causing it they were going to keep us overnight, but we didn't get into our own room until 10:30. It was after 12:30 before we had a chance to rest between the nurse, resident, and intern asking me questions, getting more tylenol the icky way, etc. Of course it was 2-2:30am when he got more meds - to make a higher total dose of the Rocephin (75 mg/kg instead of just 50 mg/kg). CMav slept through that dose, thank goodness, and woke up bright and early at 7am. :) And he was much brighter! Amazingly so. He immediately wanted to get out of bed on his own and go to the bathroom by himself. And we ordered breakfast - he ate some cinnamon toast crunch cereal, drank a pint of milk, and had a few bites of a banana. And then he wanted to get dressed, and we went together to get my breakfast in the cafeteria, where we ate outside on a patio by a waterfall. He was feeling great - posing silly for camera phone photos and singing and dancing (literally!) The rest of the day was more of the same - all feeling much better and improving all around. We walked around different areas of the hospital and explored, and got some gifts at the gift shop for Christopher and Sammie to play with. Cliff, Dodie, and Sammie arrived about noon and although Sammie was happy to see me, she still was a little hesitant about wanting to be with me. She eventually warmed up and was very well behaved by the time Cliff & Dodie left about 2. We saw the Dr. again around 3:30 and said he saw no reason to keep us there - Christopher obviously was feeling better, had not had a fever since last night, eating/drinking, etc. He said he hated to not know what the diagnoses was, but sometimes that's just how it goes. We got one more dose of Rocephin before we left and we finally got out of the hospital at 5:30pm. We'll see our regular Pedi and possibly get more antibiotics if the blood culture shows anything by then (still negative by the time we left, they watch them for 48 hrs).

I am exhausted. I cam home and immediately let down and my body just relaxed... And I am reminded how precious our little ones are and so thankful that Christopher is well! What a day. So glad to be home. G'night all :)

Christopher's Prayer

2008-09-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite places to be is outside on our porch swing, and I noticed the horses nearby in the pasture so went outside to watch them for a bit, and to get the kids outside to play. It wasn't long before Christopher came up and sat down beside me. And I mentioned how beautiful the horses are, and talked about how dark Sweetie is getting as she's beginning to get her winter coat. Christopher said, "And Aurora is getting beautiful, too". I gently reminded him that Aurora is in heaven now with Kelsey, and he said, "Oh, yeah." And then he turned away from me on the swing and put his hands together, closed his eyes and said, "Dear God, thank you for taking such good care of the animals." Almost with tears in my eyes, I said "Amen." He asked, "Wasn't that a nice thing to say?" With all my heart I agreed.

A Very Long 24 Hrs

2008-09-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

The last 24 hours seem like a whole weekend to me. Hurricane Ike arrived in Houston last night, and we had tropical storm winds here early this morning. Thankfully, we are all safe and sound. We also have a couple evacuees staying here that we know through the rescue. I am so glad they decided to evacuate their home that is south of Houston in the direct path of Ike.

I still find it hard to believe that it was just yesterday that I took the kids to school while waiting for the storm to come. The clouds when I left Austin yesterday were the strangest I've ever seen - like there were two layers. The lower layer was normal puffy white clouds, and the upper layer was a high level of thick haze. We even celebrated Sammie's 3rd birthday last night! The winds started picking up about 8pm yesterday, and continually got faster throughout the night. The anxiety made it hard to sleep, but I did get a few hours. The kids slept soundly so that helped. But the dogs were a little crazy since we have 5 extra dogs here right now. :)

I brought the horses in about 10pm last night, and let them out about 11 am this morning when it was clear that things had peaked and we would only see things slow down for the afternoon.

Both kids did great through the whole thing - we have been honest and calm about the storm, and they seemed not to be concerned at all. Of course, CMav said that nothing could hurt our house because it is made of bricks :).

Evening Adventures at the Ranch

2008-09-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Papa and Sammie

Christopher

Sammie - check out the beautiful sunset!

If you look closely, you can see me riding Sweetie - this was about 2 minutes before I fell off. :) LOL. Don't worry, the sand is nice and soft! I got right back on and rode more.

First Horse Show in 13 years!

2008-09-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

Simon and I had a great day - we ended up with three 3rds, a 4th and a 5th. Not to shabby for the first time out in so long! I feel great about the accomplishment of getting out there and showing! :) More at My Horsey Blog.

Adorable Sammie

2008-09-07T09:23:00.001-07:00

Too cute not to post! :)

Drive In Movie!

2008-09-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

The setup.

Fire in the background :).

Enjoying the movie.

I hear that it is an old tradition for the Beverly Family to squeeze as many people in one car as they could to go to a Drive-In movie up in Ohio. It has long been Harlan's dream to recreate that for his family, and I have to say, it turned out pretty dang awesome!

Our "old" bigscreen projection TV worked great in our garage and we had added ambiance with the fire and s'mores! Cliff cooked old fashioned pop corn on the stove and we all had a great time! I'm so glad we get to continue the tradition! :)

Family visit

2008-08-20T19:34:00.001-07:00

My parents, and Corey and Jackson and Miley all arrived today! They got here a little after 2pm, and the kids were all so happy to see each other! Christopher and Jackson play together so well, and so do Sammie and Miley! I will have to get some pics to post. Everyone was impressed with the new barn, and so happy for us. I went and got our new foster pony up for the kids to groom, and he was so well behaved for everyone. We found out today that he is 23! (Not 5! I knew he was older, but didn't know how old!) No wonder he's so laid back - he's had 23 years of experience to teach him a lot. It's always such a shame when they go through a time of neglect - it makes me think of Black Beauty and all the different owners he had, good and bad. I'm so glad we're able to provide "Arthur" with a loving home. I expect that he has been ridden plenty, and if so, we will most likely adopt him. He would have the next 5-10 years to teach the kids, and then be able to retire here on our farm.

After spending some time in the barn, we had hamburgers on the grill, of course. Our favorite way to begin a visit with Grandpa Mike is always to ask him for some of his famous burgers! Delicious! They filled all the empty bellies up, so much so that Grandpa Mike retired for bed after the meal. I can't blame him, though, he'd been up since 3am or so. He'll be up early tomorrow morning to help watch the kiddos so I can ride.

Now that the kids each have their own rooms, we don't really have a guest room downstairs anymore. So Mom and Dad are staying upstairs, and I am letting Corey and Miley stay in my bed (Harlan is overseas for business), and Jackson is sleeping in Christopher's bed. CMav was, too, but he wouldn't let Jackson get to sleep, so now he's sound asleep on the couch next to me. I'll probably crash here or on the futon in a bit. I have my riding clothes laid out for tomorrow morning! Sleep tight!

Barn's Done!!!!

2008-08-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

He's So Cute!

2008-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sammie took one look at the pony and shouted, "he's so CUTE!" She has helped me groom him a few times already, and the pony is just so laid back and wonderful. (Name yet to be determined - we're still in discussion about it). Christopher even wanted to help, too, so everyone has been involved, and the pony just loves the attention. He pins his ears a little at the dogs and then looks over at the kids and perks his ears forward to see what they're doing. He even walked right up to Sammie when she went to greet him across a fenceline.

I got to see him trot today, too. Wow - he is really a cute mover! He looks so humble since he's so thin, but he is getting cuter by the moment! The kids are itching to ride him, but we do need to wait probably about a month before we do that. He needs to gain about 50-100 lbs or so before they hop on. It is hard to wait to find out how much he knows! Because it has to be quite a bit, in my opinion. YAY!

I feel very blessed that we found him - we were looking for exactly this kind of pony for the kids - hadn't found anything on craigslist or otherwise, and look what just jumped into our laps...

Barn progress, day 2

2008-08-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

Yup, they got the roof on! Wow!

The neverending day of madness...

2008-08-12T20:31:00.001-07:00

Wow. What a day! The barn arrived at 8:00 this morning, and then we watched for a while and waited to make sure the big rig would get out of our gate without having to take down any fence (it did!). The we went to the grocery. On my way home, my farrier called to see if I would be available this afternoon... I explained about Aurora's appointment at 3pm, but he said he would be able to be done before then. So I unloaded groceries, fed the kids, and then my farrier called to say he was on his way. Got all the horses up about 1:30, then helped with the trims. The vet showed up at 3pm, right on time (dang it), as did Harlan (bless him for being there for me and the kids) and everything went smoothly with Aurora. I think I might have sat down for a few minutes, when I got a call that I would be receiving my new foster horse (a cute pony!) tonight instead of tomorrow. So after making dinner, eating, running around through the BARN, giving the kids a bath, putting them to bed, the pony arrived about 9:30 tonight. I am POOPED. :) What a crazy day!

Here are some photos of the barn and the pony:

Yes, they accomplished all of this in one day! They had 6 workers plus 2 foremen, and wow - amazing!

Front of barn, hay area and 2 stalls on the right side, tack room and 3 stalls on the left side.

Sammie is always so cute!

Okay, yes, I'm proud! And Excited!

What a handsome man!

Looking up...

New foster pony!

He's going to be such a cutie!

All for now! Goodnight!!!!

A day of Great Happiness and Great Sadness

2008-08-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

The happy news: Look at what arrived today! The barn is finally here and they are working on it!

And this is how far they got on it in just a few hours! OMG... I am going crazy.

The sad news: today we are saying goodbye to Aurora. Her constant lameness has finally taken it's toll, and she has started hanging out by herself without the herd. If she's doing that, she's no longer happy. Also, she is favoring her LH significantly now, cocking that hip almost all the time when she is standing still. It has been a tough decision, but also a clear one. I first thought of the possibility of putting her down about 8 years ago when she was so lame on a small property in Elgin. The property was small enough that she didn't have to travel far for food and she was very stiff and often lame. Our 23 acre ranch has been such a godsend for her - the constant movement over such a large area has given her 8 more years of happiness with our family. Her degenerative ligament disease (DSLD - see http://dsldequine.info/) has taken its toll, and it will only progress until something catastrophic might happen. I don't ever want her to be in that situation - I have heard stories of older horses lame in one leg, and the good leg gives out and then they go down and can't get back up. That would be such a tragedy for a prey animal to be consumed with fear for the last hours of their life. Instead, today, the vet will help her cross over peacefully and with dignity. Aurora has always been good with shots... dang it... *sniff* and she loves her treats, and I will love her and give her as many treats as she can eat until it is over.

This is a great picture of Aurora with Harlan and Christopher, about a month before Sammie was born. Until a few years ago, Aurora was always who we trusted to give our guests a safe ride on. And most importantly, she taught Harlan how to ride (even if she could be stubborn sometimes :) ) We will all miss her so much.

Sammie and Penny

2008-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sammie riding Penny at the Bigfoot party. Penny was such a sweet girl, and Sammie loves riding!

The best part of this picture is I can clearly see that there is less of me there! :) Yay for getting in shape!

Watching the Cement Truck

2008-08-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

CMav on the fence to get a better view!

Supervising...

Back Yard Supervisors

Barn Foundation

2008-08-06T10:26:00.001-07:00

They're pouring the cement for the foundation today! And it looks like the barn should be here in a week at the latest! It will take about a week to put up, and then... *doing happy dance* oh, I can hardly wait!

Here are some more foundation photos for those of you into that sort of thing (Dad :) )

Three stalls and a tack room on the left, 2 stalls and hay storage on the right.

Rebar ...

First load of cement for aisleway, waiting for second load... :)

Barn Building!

2008-08-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

The first two loads of dirt for the barn "pad."

The first two loads - flat!

More dirt...

The pad taking shape.

The herd checking out their new "work" area. :)

Loads 7 & 8 for the pad site, load 1 for the ring.

More to come tomorrow!

Lena Lost & Found

2008-07-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is Lena, our 9yo yellow lab that we got in Oregon about a week after we moved into our apartment out there. She is the most affectionate, loving, sweet dog I know (second only to Kelsey, of course, RIP). It's been two weeks now since she was lost... and found.

Oh, and what makes it such a big deal is that Lena is completely blind from Progressive Retinal Atrophy (there is no treatment or cure). She normally stays in the fenceline, and we all watch out for her. But on that fateful day, I took the kids out to get Penny for a pony ride, and although I didn't let Lena out the gate, she found a hole in the fence by following the sound of our other dogs. It was 2 hours before I realized what had happened. We spent about an hour with Penny, and then rested an hour before going to the grocery store, when I realized Lena wasn't barking at the truck as I was leaving.

I must've run through the house half a dozen times calling for her, an looking all around the yard. Then we hopped in the truck and drove through the field hollering for her at least 3 times, went down the neighbor's driveway calling for her, with no luck. How could a blind dog get so far? We do live on 23 acres, so there is plenty of room on our property for her to wander around on before getting lost. How could a blind dog get so far in just 2 hours? She'd always found her way back before, but her sight wasn't completely gone before, either.

I'm not sure there's much that is more heartbreaking than 4yo Christopher and 2yo Sammie calling to Lena out the windows of the truck, singing to her that "it will be okay, Lena, just come home, we miss you." Both kids were so worried, it was hard to stay calm and tell them everything would be okay, and that Lena would come home. And they never gave up, and kept pushing to go back this way or that.

Dismayed and with my voice giving out, I sat down for a few minutes, and then got an itching feeling that if we just drove around the country "block" that maybe we would find her along the road somewhere. So we went around to the other side of our property (and those that adjoin behind us) and as we were driving I noticed a driveway that parallels the power lines that go next to our property - and said out loud to the kids, "that driveway goes back towards our house, maybe we should go down there." But I hesitated and drove by the first time. The second time, Christopher said, "Mom, we HAVE to go down there!" So we did. And we found Lena, surrounded by about 30 black angus cattle. I called to Lena, and she crawled a step towards me, and the cattle moved, fascinated by this blind dog, and then Lena cowered and crawled backwards. The feet of that many cattle moving were too much for her to sort out and she just couldn't figure it out. So I laid down on the ground and rolled under the barbedwire fence to go get her. Lena was so glad to "see" me, but still terrified, and she trotted towards the sound of the truck forcefully with me at her side. As we were jogging, I noticed why she was so anxious - the cattle were following us just a few steps behind! Finally, we got to the fence, and I had to push Lena's head down under the barbed wire, and then up into the truck she went and we loved her and received lots of tail wags and kisses. It was such a relief to find her, and I'm so thankful that Christopher knew exactly where she was. :)

Sammie the Gardener

2008-07-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Old Friends!

2008-07-27T13:34:00.001-07:00

Urania has been my best friend since 7th grade. She lives in Arizona now, and although a year or two pass between each time we get to see each other, it is always as though not a day has passed. We pick up right where we left off, sharing stories and supporting each other in our lives. It was so good to see her and Jeff and Ofelia again! We will have to plan a trip to the Grand Canyon and stop by for a visit at her place next time!

Mud Man

2008-07-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

You can see how we celebrate the rain down here in Texas! The kids go outside and immediately jump into the muddy dog holes and go digging! I changed their clothes at least 3 times that day. :) And they always get hosed off outside before they can come back in for a bath!!

Clarks Trading Post

2008-07-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Scram, you old Goat!

Screaming in the covered bridge!

More screaming!

End of the day by the bears. Does anyone look tired to you? :)

The Basin Trail

2008-07-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Finally at the top of the Basin trail at the second waterfall. We all made it!

Grandpa Mike - the Hiker!

Tired Christopher...

What most of the trail was like...

Sammie laying down to wash her hands off in the water.

S'Mores!!!

2008-07-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Mike and Momma "jibber-jabbering"

A well deserved S'More!

Sammie and the fire she and CMav helped build. We did get 2 cords of firewood, but the fire lasted even longer thanks to all of the trips to the edge of the woods for more kindling - and a few small logs!

On top of Cannon Mountain

2008-07-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

Don't look down! Not too far from the edge of the rock is a sheer drop! The view, as always, is amazing!

Yes, Sammie is actually sound asleep in this photo. We wore her out on the way down - she was very cranky. But after the nap, she was bright and cheerful and climbing and you got in trouble for trying to help her! What a change!

Christopher and Grandpa Mike had a great time together - they were hiking buddies, and it was so fun to see them working together!

Going to Cannon Mountain

2008-07-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Christopher said, "Wake me up when we get there."

Princess Sammie in the "Queen's" chair. We all miss Great Grammy so much.

CMav sitting next to Momma.

Ready to go hiking! Grandpa Mike came prepared for everyone!

Family Hiking!

Kids Day Out

2008-07-09T16:01:00.001-07:00

NH Trip 078, originally uploaded by prsuasv.

Sammie enjoying the view.

On Saturday everyone was there, so we took the kids up on the Green Mountain railway and then to the Science Museum. We had to drag the kids away kicking and screaming - but we bribed them with ice cream to make it easier. :) Back at Nana's we had lobster rolls and steak for dinner, oh my! It was delicious!

Not dry anymore

2008-07-09T15:54:00.001-07:00

NH Trip 067, originally uploaded by prsuasv.

At the reunion, all the kids went down to the pond to go fishing, and it wasn't long before they were all soaking wet!

July 4th

2008-07-09T15:52:00.001-07:00

NH Trip 006, originally uploaded by prsuasv.

After arriving late on the 3rd, and going almost straight to bed, we sure had an adventure-filled 4th! It began with the dedication of a memorial that Dad helped with - and this photo is of us girls trying to keep the kids quiet and out of trouble. But for us Texas folks, it sure was cold in the shade!

After the dedication, we walked down town Plainfield and watched the parade! Nana was in it with her Bone Builders group, and Uncle Abe was the Grand Marshall up on a float at the beginning of the parade! It was really cool. Christopher and Jackson loved all the candy!

Back to Nana's and Grandpa Mike's house for the Read Family Reunion - delicious food and lots of familiar faces.

And then, Harlan and I took off for our Anniversary evening - 9 years! Our first night without kids! We went to Boston and stayed on the 11th floor of a hotel, and the Fireworks were amazing! (Ahem.. *cough*) We are always so thankful for anyone willing to watch the kids for a while... We had a tapas feast for dinner, followed by watching the Boston Pops on TV and the fireworks out our hotel window. It was really spectacular.

Best. Vacation. Ever.

2008-07-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

We just got back from 4 days (6 nights) in New Hampshire visiting Nana & Grandpa Mike - and boy, are we exhausted! We had the most wonderful vacation exploring the outdoors, hiking, and more hiking, and spending time with family. It was truly wonderful, and we are so glad we all got to spend it together with family!

Why we love ren fests. (Reniassance Festivals)

2008-07-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

The picture at the top of this Blog is an illustration of why we love Ren Fests. This is the Scarborough Ren Fest 2008, and we went 3 days this year. Yes, we love it. The Kids Love it… and it aligns well with our family mission. The kids learn about history, how things are made, how the world was... and social etiquite. We also get to be outdoors and enjoy each others company, and exploring new areas of the park. Yes, I like the swords & weapons… Liz & Sammy like the horses, and C-Mav likes the rides! We all love the food. So, what is there not to like? Sometimes, the heat! But we’ll be going to 2 more ren fests this year, and generally we go to 3 per year! Come join us sometime!

Harlan

The Wind Beneath its Wings

2008-06-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

Last week at about 10pm we began our nightly ritual of watching Battlestar Gallactica (the new version) on DVD, and I heard a strange rattling/thumping sound on the window, combined with very noisy birds for the middle of the night. I turned on the light on the porch to see a young barn swallow clinging to the windowsill - just below it's nest. From it's beak color, it was only a day or so from flying. It's parents were chirping and flying and squawking to try to convince it to fly.

"It's a baby bird!" I said. Thinking...

Harlan said, "Don't worry, the dogs will get it."

I paused midstep for a moment in confusion, sat down on the edge of the couch, then immediately got up again. "Don't touch it!" he said. I said I was going to put it back in it's nest, with gloves. I ran to the truck where I keep my leather work gloves, hoping that I would get to the bird before the dogs did. I ran back and Harlan had come out to "watch" - and help. It was easy to pick up the bird - it seemed disoriented from the light inside/dark outside and was obviously scared. Harlan moved a porch chair under the nest and I climbed up to put the bird back in it's nest. I gently opened my hands hoping it would walk into it's nest, and suddenly, it took off flying for the first time. Like magic there was silence as the parent birds took off to join it's baby in its first flight.

And finally, there was peace in my heart, knowing I had most likely saved the baby bird's life.

Hot Days=Video Games.

2008-06-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wii Bowling Rocks!!!

And I'm the champion, as usual! I hit 210 in Wii Bowling.

Nothing beats a hot day like the whole extended family (Me, Liz, C-Mav, Sammy, Dodie, Cliff, and Mandie), sitting in front of the LCD-TV (55"), and play Wii!!!!

As usual, I won. Both games. Wii Bowling, and Zelda Link's Adventures (where you shoot at the screen!)

Sweeeeeetttt!

Oh, and Liz, my beautiful wife, made us a snack of Pickles, Cream Cheese, and Beef! (Beef/Pickle Rollup).

Here is the recipe:

Buy uber-thin beef... in the package.
Cream Cheese
Sweet or Dill Pickles (uber Small).

Then spread cream cheese on beef... add pickle... roll it up.

Enjoy!

We did (as well as some Remy Martin VSOP Cognac)... (not for the kids!)

Game on, hot days, fun!

Adventures on the Beverly Ranch

Bunch of old Videos uploaded

Extended Beverly Family Goals...

Bedtime thoughts...

Where it all began...

Hiking Mt. Cardigan

A piece of the Appalachian Trail

Sammie's Open House

Reading & Peanut Butter

Yearly Goal achieved... We've found a game (several) we ALL like to play together.

Another great day at Sherwood Forest Faire!

Adorable videos!

Wildflowers

Sherwood Forest Faire

Renaissance Festival Season about to begin...

Texas Renaissance Festivals & Medieval Faires

A cold beginning to 2010, and an Adorable Pony!

Christmas Photos

What a Wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve at Grandma's

Early Gifts from Nana & Gpa Mike

Dressing the Tree

Thanksgiving 2009

Flu Shots

New look/feel for Adventures on the Beverly Ranch

Quotes of the Day - Sept. 22

Sammie's Birthday

New Hampshire Trip - July 2009

More Florida Photos

Floridat Trip - June 09 - Family!

Florida Trip - June 09 - Hollywood Studios

Florida Trip - June 09 - Gatorland

Chartreuse

Blogs from the past....

Christopher's Pre-School Graduation

Sammie & Arthur

Pool Adventures

It finally came out!

Still "hanging by a thread"

Quotes of the Day...

Open House

Easter!!!

Camping in our Back Yard!

My Prince & Princess

Texas Weather

March Adventures

Being Fancy!

Pretend Wedding

Bike Riding and other fun!

Corpus Christi part 3

Corpus Christi part 2

Corpus Christi part 1

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve at Grandma's House

Two weeks later...

The Season for Giving

Christmas Tree '08

Thanksgiving 08

Sick!!!

Little Monkeys

A wonderful day at the Renaissance Festival!

Halloween!!!

Christopher's 5th Birthday!

Octoberfest!

Texas Ren Fest Fun

Weekend Family Rides

House Divided! :)

A Thousand Words and A Million Dollars

Follow Up Appointment

Hospital Trip with Christopher

Christopher's Prayer

A Very Long 24 Hrs

Evening Adventures at the Ranch

First Horse Show in 13 years!

Adorable Sammie

Drive In Movie!

Family visit

Barn's Done!!!!

He's So Cute!

Barn progress, day 2