A Horse is a Horse

I think I can honestly say I've never met a horse I didn't like.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to take a couple I've known out behind the barn and shoot them, but I still like them.  From the meanest, sassiest ponies, to the slowest, most unresponsive big plodding things, I seem to love them all.  What it really means is that I could almost (almost!) give up my need to ride in a certain style and just give in to any horsey experience I can get my hands on.  I really do love English riding and it's what I do best for sure.  Plus, those darn Western saddles still give me troubles (insert snickers from Cowboy Max as he watches me tack up his horses.)  But, Harriet and I have been spending some time lately at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch here in the wild wild west, and between the sweet horses and even sweeter people, we may have found another home away from home.

Back in January, I had a particularly dark moment when I started missing the horses SO much.  It had seemed like forever since I had been ON a horse and many months since I had even seen one.  That gets to be a lot for me.  I'm usually ok if I don't get to ride, as long as I can be around them in some way.    Coat it with a layer of jealousy watching David head out every Saturday morning to fill his passion for mountain biking, and I couldn't take it anymore.  I sent a desperate e-mail to Max and Michelle at Galloping Grace explaining my withdrawal symptoms from what seems to be a life-long addiction to equine contact.  I begged them to assign me any barn chore that would result in a trip to their ranch and at least pat a few necks and snuggle a few muzzles.  (Their ranch is closed all winter.)  They obliged and told me that I could come muck out paddocks and move fencing in a couple days when they would be there next.  Whew.  I felt better already, and after a couple hours work at the ranch I felt like a new woman and I gave them my papers to sign up as a volunteer.

I haven't been able to commit very much time to Galloping Grace (yet.)   They opened their riding season in May.  I knew May was going to be a killer month to find any extra time for volunteering, but I dug through the calendar and found 3 days that I could devote to the ranch.  It's a good reality check for me to realize that even if I could afford it, I could never devote enough time to my own horse at this stage of life.  And, as much as I would like to "live at the barn," that's not what the rest of my family would like - even the mini-riders.  But, I was able to help GGYR as a riding instructor for a few sessions and I'm looking forward to doing more this summer (although, our summer schedule is so PACKED with travels, I'm not going to be a ton of help there either.)  Still, any little bit helps me and I hope helps them.

I'm sure I've blogged about Galloping Grace before and what they do in their sessions.  Their philosophy of teaching kids to work, to be grateful, and to experience "pure joy" as they interact with the horses is so inspired.  They open up their website twice a month at midnight to book 2 weeks worth of sessions at a time.  If you wait until you wake up the next morning to sign up, you will find yourself out of luck.  The demand for kids who want to ride is huge.  Harriet has been extremely lucky to be able to participate in the sessions whenever I volunteer.  Why is it that you always get more than you give when it comes to things like this?  I feel like I will always be in their debt.  Having my own reasons for "needing" horses, at least it makes me extremely happy to be able to help provide riding experiences for others.

Anyway, on my last post, I asked the question... what will Harriet get up and get ready for - first thing in the morning without a fit?  Galloping Grace is the only answer I've seen this year.  She has had afternoon preschool and is rarely dressed before noon.  She hates leaving the house, she hates getting ready in the morning - even for things she likes.  The first morning we were set for a GGYR session, we had to be all ready BEFORE Grace got on the bus.  I was thinking I'd never be able to get out the door on time with Hattie in tow.  When I came out of my bedroom to start the day, she was already up, fully dressed, and ready to eat breakfast.  She may have inherited my sickness.  Here are a few pics of our May days at GGYR:

Cowboy Max explaining to the group about how much you really don't want to get kicked or stepped on...  Come on Max, that's all part of the experience!  If you haven't had a horse-shoe shaped bruise on your foot, you can't call yourself a rider!  They won't let the kids fall off either.  Bummer! (no, I totally understand that they would like to keep their insurance intact as well as the kids.)

riding Dollar:

Michelle, of GGYR, took these darling pics of Harriet one day and posted them on her blog.  Big sister was SO jealous.  Of course, GRACE thinks SHE should be the poster child for Galloping Grace!

To make things even sweeter (for me anyway), a friend of mine ended up with a trail-ride groupon she couldn't use, so I got to ride this month!!  Me- on a horse- without my kids.  Harriet couldn't wrap her head around it.  She kept asking - Mommy, YOU are going to RIDE, and I'm NOT???  How could that be possible?  I felt so guilty about it, but David kindly reminded me that he doesn't restrict his bike riding to that which he can do with the kids (no, he certainly doesn't.)  It didn't scratch all my riding itches, but it was a lovely morning along the Bosque on a little mare named Annabelle.  And, I kind of really needed the mental realignment it provided.

Thank you to all the horses in my life who have kept me from ending up in the nut-house.  Thanks to all the people who have helped me get my hands on a horse whenever possible.  Thanks to my family for putting up with me.  Thanks to David who doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to stinky laundry anymore.  His bike laundry is WAY worse than the barn clothes!

Miss Harriet Marie - Preschool Graduate

Harriet was not without a busy May either.  I've mentioned her pre-school before, and may have alluded to their over-the-top insaneness.  They really outdid themselves in May.  I think I stayed at her school every day to help for about 3 weeks and I did nothing compared to some parents.  The graduation ceremony was the topper for sure, complete with a class play about dinosaurs, mermaids, paleontologists, and sharks.

I was at school the day they started the preparations.  I was cleaning the room next door, when the teachers were asking the kids what part they would like to play.  They left it pretty open-ended, but just required sticking to the recent learning units on Oceans and Dinosaurs.  The boys all chose "paleontologist" or "shark" or "dinosaur."  EVERY single girl said "I want to be a mermaid", then, it came to Hattie near the end.  She said "I want to be a triceratops."  She was the only one who was specific about the kind of dinosaur and the only girl who didn't go for the mermaid.  Kind of radical for Hattie!  After she asked for the triceratops role, 2 fellow class-mates, a boy, and a girl, both changed their minds and asked if they could be triceratops with Harriet.  So, the class play was written around the triceratops family.  I thought that was pretty cool considering Hattie is the most over-looked, quiet, shy, never making waves, never taking on leadership, kind of student.

Here are some pics of the night.  I feel sorry for Harriet's teachers' friends and family.  They must have worked themselves to the bones making these costumes, and putting everything together for these kids.  The parents helped a lot too, but I know that hundreds of hours were farmed out to others.

Here she is with all her mermaid friends backstage:

look at the back of this costume too!

Saying her lines (they made up their own lines):  I am a triceratops.  I live on top of the sea.  I dance.

Singing "Believe in Yourself"... come on Hattie... believe in yourself!

 Harriet was given the "school girl" award for being such a good girl at school - following all the rules, doing everything exactly as asked, and loving each detail about school.

Way to go Harriet!  (by the way, she now prefers to be called Harriet over Hattie.)  Oh my gosh, I can't believe this little sweetie is all done with preschool!  Are we really heading to kindergarten?  Am I really putting this little munch on the bus next year with her sister?

Next up:  Broadway or Bust (aka Dance Recital)

Harriet has been taking ballet for a little over a year now.  We squeaked in at the end of the season last year after moving here and then put in a full year this year.  Apparently, that is all the dancing Hattie prefers to do.  She has been begging me since January (shortly AFTER I paid for the $$ recital costume) to quit dance.  I have been dragging her by her tutu to ballet class every week since.  She seems to hate going despite actually liking the class and having fun while she's in it.  In particular, she hates tights, hates dancing in front of other people, and hates practicing the same thing over and over.  Hmm... seems like ballet class might not be the ticket.  Still, I didn't want her to think that she can just quit something that she's committed to and we've invested in, so I told her that if she'd push through to the end of the year, she could quit after the recital.

So, she was REALLY excited for the recital.  to be over.  so she could quit.  What a horrible way to feel about something that you actually might like if you got over the little details.  Still, she's only 5 and I'm not going to force her and pay for something that is that upsetting to her any longer than necessary.  Sadly, for me, this may have been my last dance recital!  I have two darling little girls who both love music and dancing, and neither one will take dance lessons.  (well, NOW Grace would probably be interested in jazz or hip-hop, but please refer to her long list of other occupations for reasons she won't be signing up!)

I must say, even though I'm not a good dancer, I just love to watch dancing.  I can just hear my Grandma Pearlie coming out in me (as I cringe) - hoping for an offspring to delight me on the stage.  Sorry Grandma, none of us were ever in the Nutcracker, and it looks like no one ever will be!  Sigh, oh well.  Back to Harriet.  Look at this delicious little cutie!

I am still proud of my little monkey.  She did finish the year.  She even stopped complaining about it so much in the end.  She got ready for dress rehearsal and recital, and might have even been a tiny bit excited about the pretty costume, sparkly necklace, and fancy tiara.  She might have enjoyed curling her hair and putting on mascara and lipstick too.  The biggest victory of the weekend was that she went out on stage for both dress rehearsal and the show without crying.  I know she was so scared.  (Last year, they had to call me out of the audience and I had to stand on the stage during the recital and bring her back to my seat.)  But, she was brave, she went with her class, she danced (in microscopic movements, but she did them all), and she stayed backstage with the rest of the dancers.  They did a darling number to "I Feel Pretty" from Westside Story.

Getting carried out of Popejoy Hall at UNM by her Daddy... yay!  all done with dance!

One thing about Harriet.  She doesn't get sentimentally attached to things or places like Grace does.  So, I don't have to rip my heart out as I take her away from something she'll never go back to again.  With Grace, every good-bye, end of a season, end of a year, leaving this or that is just pure torture.  (She's still crying over a taco place that closed 5 months ago.)  I remember picking up Grace on her last day of preschool - heartbreaking beyond belief.  Guitar teacher moving away last fall - end of the world.  When I picked up Harriet on her last day at school, she was only upset that they didn't let her share her book and game with the rest of the class.  She didn't bat an eyelash as we walked out of the school that she truly did love.  She didn't care about leaving her dance studio either even though I might have had a tear or two.  I have to be honest that I have not figured out Harriet yet.  I have felt like I understood Grace to the core since she was born, but Harriet continues to surprise me and confuse me at every turn.  

So what DOES she like?  What really makes her excited?  What will she get ready for first thing in the morning without a fit?  Well... I hate to say it... but those ponies might be rearing their heads again.  I need to devote a post to Galloping Grace Youth Ranch and the little hobby Hattie and I have picked up together and squeezed into May as well.  Big sister is extremely jealous to say the least.

Grace Wraps Up Second Grade

Let's start with daughter #1.  Grace.  This girl has either learned or inherited a tad of her mommy's tendency to recognize the good in too many things and get involved in too much at once.  She has always been interested in such a variety of life, since she was a tiny baby.  There's no telling which direction she could end up heading.  This month, on top of her regular karate classes, guitar lessons, activity days at church, and school, she auditioned for and made the cut for the school talent show, went on 3 field trips (including a long grueling hike along the Bosque), and signed up for the school track and field meet.  All, requiring multiple extra long days at school, performances, extra chaperone duty from me, and a personal secretary to keep it all straight.

Here's her May photo gallery:
(For 8 years old, she's a pretty decent photographer.  She took these pictures during her Bosque field trip - a small sample of at least 100.  She was so tired afterward, she came back to school, put her head on her desk, and cried and was still crying when she came home!)

Track and Field:  Grace thinks she is the fastest runner.  Ever.  It may not be quite true, but who would want to convince her otherwise?  She was sure she would win the 50 meter dash last year in first grade.  She came in last in the heat (6th place.)  Still, it did not deter her.  She signed up again this year and practiced every single morning at the bus stop for weeks.  First, she started racing the bus down the street by herself, and now she has a huge flock of kids doing it with her.  They wait until the bus gets to the corner and then run down the sidewalk to the bus stop where their backpacks keep their places in line.
When the big day came to face the dash again, she was so bogged down in allergies she could barely breathe - not exactly in the best shape to run.  She also signed up for the soft-ball throw and the long jump.  When she started out the 50 meters, she was in last place.  My heart sunk - she was going to lose again.  But, in the last few meters, she kicked whatever she had left into high gear and came in 5th.  I think if she hadn't had the allergies, she would have done even better, but I was just so proud of her for even trying, for giving it 100% and being totally happy with the experience, and for just liking to do different things all the time.  She was still on cloud 9 about being a "runner" and is so proud of the ribbons.

All the kids from Grace's school (they compete against all the west-side schools):

 

And, then, the school talent show.  I was kind of surprised to find that you actually had to audition and that they only chose the best acts.  I thought we lived in this new homogeneous world where kids are never separated or tagged as being better than anyone else so that everyone can feel "above average" and no one has to admit that they might need to work on something.  I have to admit, it was kind of refreshing to think that you actually had to at least attempt to have a talent to be chosen and you had to be prepared and ready and not make too many mistakes - even if it meant Grace might not be chosen (thankfully, she was.)

It was kind of nerve-wracking actually.  They auditioned on Thursday and were given letters on Friday letting them know if they had made the cut.  Grace was SO happy when she got off the bus with that letter!  The other thing I'm totally impressed with - is that the school allowed our neighbor girl into the talent show with intentions to sing a very religious/spiritual song.   She's the daughter of a Baptist minister and sang a very lovely arrangement of a song about God.  I am all for freedom OF religion, but I get tired of turning that into freedom FROM religion and trying to pretend it doesn't exist.  I thought it was so cool that they allowed her to share her religion with her peers and she was very well received.  To me, it is no different than allowing kids to refuse to participate in school activities for religious reasons.  I feel like this school really supports the individuality of each kid as best they can.

Grace chose to play an R.E.M. song - The One I Love, on her guitar.  It was pretty awesome to watch her come out, get in a groove, and play the whole thing from memory.  I don't think her guitar teacher has plans for a recital, so I'm glad she got this chance to play and show what she's learned this year.  It was her first time playing on a stage and in front of so many people.  I can't believe how much she's learned since she started private lessons in November and how confident she is.  

What else... Grace has one more day of second grade.  Due to "snow" days used this year, the kids have one more half day of school next week.  I told her she didn't have to go.  True to Gracie form, she wants to go anyway.  We've definitely ended second grade on much better ground than we started and I can't wait for next year to see what she does with third grade!

Oh May Oh My!

I'm putting a disclaimer on this next series of entries...especially since I'm going to try to catch up all in one day.   If you hate Mormon Mommy blogs, then you can skip all these entries.  If you love reading about my kids and all they are up to, then May is for YOU!  (not that the past 30 entries have been about anyone else...)  I'm not going to apologize for always blogging about my kids.  (This IS their scrapbook after all.) Sure, I'd love to have time to explore other interesting topics like music, books, ideas, and current events.  But, that would require time to actually listen to music, read books, have a new idea, and watch the news!  I have not had time for any of the above this month.  (well, I did make room for the book-club book... still...)  I'm a stay at home mom.  I love it, even when it is busy, even when it drives me nuts, even when it seems I have failed.  I continue to choose it.  It's not like I couldn't wake up one day and decide otherwise.  I could.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm making that choice every day, but I do choose to make my daily activities revolve almost exclusively around my kids.  I know moms who work outside of the home put plenty of time in for their kids as well - I've lived that life too.  Let's just say I don't want to talk about the mid-life crisis I'm having as I face my baby going to kindergarten in less than 3 months.  So, instead, let's check out what we did with May!

My Mommy Day

So, the kiddos are on the "father/son" campout tonight with their daddy.  What, you didn't know I had 2 darling sons?  What can I say - we're trying to be progressive with our daughters.  Why should they miss out on camping with Dad just because they didn't get a Y chromosome?  Why should he have to stay home from camping just because he doesn't have a son?

I'm not going to lie - I had a really nice peaceful evening going to a quiet dinner and chick-flick movie with an awesome friend and I'm seriously looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning.  Netflix and I have a date, maybe two.  (minus those doggies who wake up at 6am and beg for breakfast!)

But, I really miss my girls when I'm not with them.  I especially miss putting them to bed.  Again, I'm not going to lie that I love it when they actually fall asleep too, but I really really hate it when I don't get to be the last one to see them for the day.  So, I'll postpone my Netflix date for just a minute and do something I've wanted to do all week:   post about the little darlings I am missing, and what they did for me on Mother's Day.

There is nothing quite as revealing as when someone interviews your child about you and writes it on paper for you to read.  Both the preschool and the church teachers seem to think this is funny and cute.  It is hilarious in some ways, endearing and poignant in others, but also kind of dreadful to know what your kids perceive that you do and think.

All About My Mommy:  (from Harriet)

This is my mommy:  (insert precious stick figure of me)
My Mommy's best friend is:  Adalynn's mom  (this is the person she sees me most often conversing with,  right?  We do see each other twice a day at the preschool among other things. She later told me she doesn't know who is my best friend.)
My Mommy's favorite place is:  the stores
If my Mommy won a lot of money, she would:  go to the store  (right?  really?  have I really failed to tell her about my horse farm dreams?  show her the furniture catalog, or the brochure for Hawaii? she was with us on the Jeep Rubicon test drive, right?)
My Mommy's favorite TV show is:  church shows (now this one is just insanely funny to me.  I couldn't figure out why she would say that, since 1- I never watch TV, except for That 70's Show before I go to bed and 2- never watch religious shows, ever.  But, then I realized that the only thing she had actually witnessed me watching in recent months was General Conference.)
My Mommy's favorite color is:  Green (yay!  She does know me!)
My Mommy loves me when:  I make her stuff.  (oh, and she makes the best stuff!)
My Mommy likes to:  work at home (insert stick figures of me and my laptop.  poor kid.)
My Mommy's favorite food is:  salad (well, maybe not my favorite, but I do like a yummy salad.)
I love my Mommy this much:  this much!  (insert hand-drawn square about 2"x2")

From Grace:

My Mom is    35   years old.
My Mom's favorite food is    filet mignon   (true that!  lucky for me David bought and made me said filet about 2 weeks ago and I talked about it for a good week.)
I like it when my Mom   lets me play video games.  (like she's ever been restricted?)
My Mom is the prettiest when   she is in her church clothes.  (I think she used to say when I am in my PJ's.  apparently it takes a little more fluffing to make myself look good these days.)
My Mom always says   "GRACE!!!!"   (whew, at least the church ladies don't know what I really say.)
My Mom is really good at     cooking  
My Mom is the best because   she is nice.

I love you Mom, from Grace.

I also got a set of coupons from Grace, including one FREE hug, expiring May 2012.  I guess the rest of them are going to cost me this year.

I love you my sweet girls.  I hope I'm a good Mom.

I posted this pic a while back on facebook, but I don't think I ever put it in the blog.  I think this is an appropriate place for it.

A Mad Tea Party!

One of Harriet's favorite books is Tea for Ruby.  For the longest time, I've wanted to do a Tea Party for her birthday and use the ideas in the book.  But about 3 months before turning 5, she and Grace discovered Alice in Wonderland for the first time.  They were hooked right away.  They love the old Disney version as well as the new Johnny Depp Version too.  What a great tea party in that story!  It was perfect for the birthday.

So, we've been planning, and planning, and planning.  I kept picking up things as I was out and about, including real china tea cups (from the thrift store for 99 cents each!), some paper lanterns,

white rabbit stuffed animals for party favors (again, 99 cents at a pre-Easter sale), etc...  The details just kept getting deeper.  We started doing it at the same time as we were planning for Grace's party at the beginning of March.  Grace's was elaborately planned too, and after the hordes (10 feels like hordes to me) of children left, I decided that we actually have MORE fun PLANNING than we do at the party.  The same can be said for Harriet's birthday.  We had such a great time planning and doing details, the party itself was almost an afterthought.  Sure, the kids all had a great time, and of course the party is important, but few if any of them noticed or cared about what we did.  I thought that would matter to me - that no one else cares about all our hard work and thoughtful detail, but I don't.  Harriet cared, and she and I (and Grace) had more fun putting it together than anything.

Here's a photo tour of our "MAD"ness.  Oh, and THANKS to Daddy for coming home from traveling in time for the party and for taking all the pictures.  It's rare that I'm in all the pics.
 
To quote the story: "Everyone here is MAD!"

To start off, I fell into the sewing trap again and made an Alice dress...

Drew up a Cheshire Cat for a "Pin the Smile on the Cheshire Cat game."

Made a rabbit hole out of a pop up tunnel and a paper tree.  Hattie was quite upset that most of her friends wouldn't go through it to get inside when they came to the party.  (oh, and that's Cheshire Cat Grace standing next to Hattie.)

(All the pictures of the kids crawling through it later have my butt in them so we won't be posting those.)

A little craft:

Grace and Hattie had the best time making signs to put up all over the house:

 

A little lunch (Hattie requested tuna sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, sliced cucumbers, and cubed cheese, along with pink "tea" = ginger ale with strawberry daiquiri mix)...

...complete with "Eat Me" and "Drink Me" labels.  We promised the kids that if they ate and drank the right amounts, they'd stay the same size.

 

Open a few presents:

And eat some cake!  Much much credit has to go to my friend, Sacha, who taught me how to do fondant in the first place, and actually spent an entire day at my house helping me create little things to put on this cake!

did you get all those angles?  this thing took a few days...

And, we finished up the party with a little croquet! 

A Very Merry (un) 5th birthday to my Harriet!