horse camp 2007

Meg had a wonderful week at horse camp. Here are pictures from the "Showdeo" they hold on the last day. At, gasp- 9:30 a.m. Which means we had to leave our house around 6 a.m. to get there in time. With 3 kids. And mom is not a morning person.

Here is Meg in great form, working the horse over some poles and then around a corner. She looked so good out there!


More great form...I was so proud of her

In an around some poles sticking up out of the ground. Important, because you never know when you will have to guide your horse, at a gallop..quickly in-between and around some poles stuck in concrete sticking up out of the ground...when you are out rustling cattle or what- not...

The girls work with one horse the entire week, this is China who was Meg's partner. They made a good team.

Meg had a great time, made some new friends, did a little archery, swimming and paint-balling. This is a Christian girl's camp (ain't no-way, no-how I would send her to a co-ed camp....) The camp counselors took really good care of the girls.

day at wild rivers...when the cat is away..

Today we spent the day at a local water park, something I have only done once with my children..my older children for that matter- the two 'littles' had never been. Today was "homeschool day" at the park and so we ventured out with Orange County Sitcom mom and her two kids. We really had a nice time, the sunscreen worked great..no horrible burns, and the day was warm but not miserable and the older girls were able to go off with OC mom's kids while I played with Demi and Amie.

I think I have almost arrived, in terms of enjoying my kids, enjoying some down-time and not being over-run by them. Almost. I didn't get to just sit and chat with OC mom, like I had imagined I would. I even brought a book with me to read...ha! Amie is still too little for me to not be right in there with her. She loved the wave pool, just loved it. I loved the fact they made the little kids wear life jackets for the wave pool, but I still had to be right there to haul her out when the waves got a little too big. Well, I am almost there. It was still relaxing, I wasn't chasing a runaway toddler around or anything, no diapers, no miserable missed naptimes.

It was a really good day, and I really enjoyed spending time with Demi and Amie.

Sky has been off on a week-long adventure to Washington State, and oh the adventures he's had! I'll have to post about it after he gets back, it will be better with photos, and dh is my tech guy-so no new uploads till he gets back.

The whole adventure story needs it's own song...something about 2 guys, a pet bunny, a u-haul, extreme mountain biking, extreme health foods, hunting accidents, and phone calls from sister's in law who somehow heard something and called to find out if he was dead..not to alarm me in the call-tho, she was just checking...
Yes, it needs a western song- I'm thinking...

Someone just end my misery...I am still faux-finishing my homeschool records. THAT.WERE.DUE.FRIDAY....as in last Friday. I've done little blogging because I should be working on records, but I have found all sorts of diversions to not work on them.
I'm ready to gouge my eyes out. okay, not quite. I'm ready to flop in my bed and loaf and pretend I don't have to do these. I cannot start enjoying my summer until I finish these. I have to finish these, my Educational advisor needs them. I have to finish these.
I. So. Have. To. Finish.

and yes, I'm blogging and not working on them right this very minute.
gotta go, bye...

new baby

Daddy's girl

My sister gave birth Friday afternoon, the baby's name is Madison. She has 2 brothers, Spencer and Evan. The baby is just beautiful, mom and dad happy, grandparents very excited. I took the hour drive to the hospital and back, blissfully alone. An hour in the car without being talked to..it's a rare treat. I do not like the hospital she delivers at tho, I must be thoroughly spoiled by the hospital I've always gone to, but it just seems wrong to be basically left alone so much, and to have to have family go and ask for help all the time. She had a c-section (I've had 2, so I remember how it was) and she came out nauseous, sweating...she sat up suddenly to throw up and got lectured and commanded not to move her bed up after pulling her stitches...but did any nurse look into medicine to help with it, or get her an ice pack?? That would be no. She kept complaining that she was hot, the sweat is dripping down her face and she tells them that the hotter she gets the more she will throw up. Nothing, nada. I had to go and get ice packs for her. She was itching from the morphine...said the same thing happened to her last time...no discussion about getting her something else that won't make her eyeballs itch. Growl... And to top it off, she couldn't get the baby to latch on, she's hot, trying not to throw up, hands shaking as she's holding baby, trying to nurse baby in an almost laying down position because they commanded her to not lift the bed..and she was all alone at that point. No one was checking on her, I was afraid to leave her. She needed a shield, they helped last time...but the lactation nurse was gone and they didn't think they had any around. Hello!! um, people giving birth all day here, a need to keep nursing supplies in stock doesn't come up??

working myself into a rant here. So, o.k. I do not recommend Riverside General Hospital for having a baby..in case I was vague here. lol. kind of... oh, and her room-mate stole her flowers!!

She was hoping to go home the next day if she could talk them into it. can't say I don't blame her!!

on a lighter note...

"Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"
-Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss

Baptism


Meg was baptized this Lord's day. I was privileged to pray with her when she was six years old, to ask the Lord Jesus to come into her heart and forgive her of her sins. Her daddy was privileged to baptize her this past Lord's day. She is such a blessing to us.

Hymn-"Do come"

Drink! A river pure and clear that's flowing from the throne;
Eat! The tree of life with fruits abundant, richly grown;
Look! No need of lamp nor sun nor moon to keep it bright, for
Here there is no night!

Do come, oh do come,
Says Spirit and the Bride:
Do come, oh, do come,
Let him that heareth, cry.
Do come, oh, do come,
Let him who thirsts and will
Take freely the water of life!

Christ, our river, Christ, our water, springing from within;
Christ, our tree, and Christ, the fruits, to be enjoyed therein,
Christ, our day, and Christ, our light, and Christ, our morning star:
Christ, our everything!....

The Bees in his bonnet

I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, or something like that... we love living in Orange County, and we love our house and neighborhood. But, deep down- Sky and I flirt with the idea of farming. We are farmer wanna-bes. Besides the hens, the ever growing and perfecting garden, and the worm farm...Sky has wanted to add apiarist to his list of farm-man skills. I persuaded him to put the brakes on that particular dream (the neighbors really would not have understood!), but not before he had done considerable research and had talked to a few members of a local apiarist club. Your eyebrows are probably climbing northward right now..but really, it's not such a way- out- there idea. Check out this recent article in the Orange County register by Cindy McNatt:

Saturday, May 19, 2007

The secret lives of beekeepers

Backyard apiarists tend to not want any buzz about their hobby.

go *here* to read the article

a really interesting, well-done article. And yes, they really don't want any "buzz" about the hobby...they kind of meet in secret, and keep their hives under the radar. Most of us here in Orange county aren't exactly zoned for bees.

we still flirt with the idea, once in awhile of moving to Washington State and making a killing in the honey business. Who knows?

Good stuff in the mail

I received my Family Fun magazine for June, and I just had to mention this, since we are immersed in all things dragon right now...page 93 has a medieval birthday party theme, and...the best part, directions on how to make a dragon cake. Really, really cute party idea, games and crafts directions. You can go *here* to see part of the article online.
I know what we will be doing this fall for Demi's birthday...

More on the dragon front, I just picked up My Father's dragon on audio at the library, so far it is really cute- Demi and Amie are enjoying it. Now I have to think of some kind of learning activity to go with it, just cuz that's how my brain works...not that I don't have enough to do already!....

And last, my Veritas Press catalog just arrived. O. The. Learning. Possibilities!
O. The. Learning. Bliss!! Even if you have a curriculum or a course of study already lined out, Veritas press has great books that will enhance any history period study -and just good, clean, thoughtful book fun, too.

That's all. I actually have lots of record keeping work I need to be doing...see you round the internet...

At the stables



Photos from Meg's riding lesson this week. She was so supremely happy with the horses. I wish she could do this more often.

Pictures:
*One should always be well-heeled

*getting to know you

* a girl and a horse