A Spot of Tea

Caidrie's first tea party, of MANY, with her sisters!

The girls taught her all the important components of a successful tea party! For example... that pouring tea through a funnel is the ONLY way to have it!

We're nothing but proper around here, can ya tell?! :)

Birthday Ride

Auntie Jer called a couple of weeks ago and said she had a fabulous idea for Alia's birthday gift this year! She wanted to keep it a surprise and I tell ya... 

... were the girls ever shocked!

When asked what the surprise was... neither of them could even speak! Finally Larren was able to spit out  "HORSEY!" ... while Alia just stood there in amazement!

She couldn't wait to be back in the saddle again and wasted no time in getting familiar with a new horse!

Of course... sister see, sister do, right?!

Larren enjoyed "leading" Cooper just as much as riding him, I think!

Time for a "sister's spin!"

Then Auntie Jer asked the girls if Daddy should go for a ride too! The only rule... no rear mounts or trick riding! :)

Cooper was rewarded with lots of long fresh grass to eat between rides! 

Yeah, that's right... uh... um... we didn't mow because we knew Cooper was coming! That's our story and we're sticking to it!! :)

Larren was especially affectionate with her thank you's to Cooper! She tried a kiss on the nose but Cooper thought a hug was sufficient enough! :)

All too soon it was time for Cooper to be led (by many willing volunteers... the poor guy!) back to the trailer for his continued journey to the valley!

After one (or two, or three!) last goodbye's he was off!

And no sooner had Auntie Jer left... when a new horse & cowgirl appeared!

Their wooden stick horse, complete with string halter, has been lead around the house ever since! :)

** Thanks again Auntie Jer! This was a FANTASTIC birthday gift, indeed! **

It's No Secret That I'd Like A Dishwasher...

... you may remember me mentioning that a time or two, right?! Believe me, it's the first item on the "must have in our new house" list! Until then... I'll continue to do dishes 3-4 times a day and will continue to solicit help from my unsuspecting children!

Thankfully this child in particular is on the tall side of things!

See that? Pretty much able to take over dish washing duties, I'd say!

But then I remember that she's still three...

... and apparently three year olds have other things on their minds.

Like snacking on bubbles! Ah well... guess we'll try again next year!

Rice Cereal...

... any one?

Just Move Out the Expedition...

... and watch the garage come to life before your eyes!! 

The girls "discovered" a whole new play area this week! They are quite familiar with the garage (they like working right along side of Daddy!) but it has become quite the play place here recently!

 They went "camping".... imagine that! :) Do you think they're hinting at something?!

At first they relaxed... then it was time to get to business!

There was mowing to be done...

... and TONS of camping gear to be moved!

After a couple of laps they found the perfect spot and their campsite was set up in no time...

... much to Daddy's surprise when he opened the garage door that evening!! 

Pweach Biwinie

Some kids whine and cry when they have to wash their hands... not these gals of mine! I'm the mom saying "Seriously, girls... washing your hands six times in 30 minutes is a bit excessive!" But it has to do with this here soap flavor of the month!

"Pweach Biwinie" as Larren likes to call it!

If hand washing were a competitive sport than we'd surely have some Olympic qualifiers under our roof!

Caidrie's First Time in the High Chair...

... she's ecstatic, can ya tell?! :)

Oh... What a Day...

Who am I kidding?! "Oh... what a last couple of months..." would be more like it. *sigh* This parenting stuff it hard. Really hard. If anyone tells you it's a piece of cake or a walk in the park than they are either flat out lying... or they forget what it was like when their kids were little. 

Today I yelled more than I would have liked to, cleaned up more spills than I can count, regret some of the decisions I made, had one of those "Oh Lord Jesus THANK YOU for protecting my baby" moments when Larren pushed Caidrie off the (tall) bed, did a small mountain climb with the number of times I hiked up our stairs, kissed owies, dried tears, broke up fights... I'll be honest... I'm quite glad to have all three girlies sleeping!

On days (months!) like these I'm so thankful for (and NEED!) those little "oh I don't want to forget this" moments... and this here is a fine example!

One of the shades on Larren's sunglasses popped out, so we took out the other one and donned them her "smarty pants glasses". She loves 'em! And the fact that she consistently wears them upside down is even better!

Every time I see her in them I can't help but smile and vow to lighten up a little bit! :)

Larren is super smart... she's got a servant's heart and LOVES to help however she can... she notices how people are feeling and knows just when to give them a hug... she's got her daddy's mechanical mind... she loves to curl up on our laps with a good book... she watches every move her older sister makes and wants to be just like her... she is the most stubborn and the absolute sweetest girl, all rolled up into one! 

But sadly, Larren is the one that I tend to conflict with the most. Maybe it's the fact that we had a bit of a rough start and haven't quite recovered, or that she's two years old and pushing all the limits, or that she's difficult and so am I... I don't know. But I do know that I can't settle for "oh well, it is what it is". Because where the relationship is, isn't good enough. 

She deserves more cuddles. More one on one time. More grace. More smiles. More I-am-so-glad the Lord-made-you-just-the-way-you-are's. 

And if I don't start today, in all it's craziness and frustration, than I won't start. I will only be inviting regret to come in... and frankly, regret's not welcome. 

So, I am praising God that...

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; 
His mercies begin afresh each morning."
(Lamentations3:22 & 23)

Tomorrow is a new day... oh, thank you Jesus that tomorrow is a new day!!!

Can Ya Tell...

... that she's the youngest of three girls? Necklaces - apparently they are a necessity and not just an accessory around these parts!

A "Camping" We Will Go

My girls have a WONDERFUL imagination! I love it... at least once a week we are on a train trip (I'm not sure why, but it's always to Winnipeg!), attending a ballet recital, or going on some sort of adventure! 

On this particular day... it was a camping excursion! As the girls were "hiking" downstairs, I set up their camp chairs and surprised them with an indoor version of a bonfire!

We had a picnic lunch... 

... followed by roasted marshmallows for dessert!

Alia was a true camper indeed! She had about 8 layers on for the event... one can never be too prepared,  right?

After the camp fire the girls settled into their tent for a nice snooze...

I'll let you guess if they actually slept or not! :)

Whether it's New Technology....

... or good ole' fashioned chores...

... they both result in two happy kids and one happy mama!