Jacqueline's School Concert, Getting Ready for Christmas!!

It's been a while since I last wrote, and a lot of fun things have happened!
First was Jacqueline's school Christmas concert! She did so well and had a blast singing!. I sent her to school that day with her hair all in braids and went there before the concert started to get her in her dress and do her hair! She sang three songs, I cant post them here, they are too large. (Bummer!! I was hoping it would work) They are on my facebook page if you haven't seen them. Mom, Anneke, and Kevin were able to make it and watch her sing! Jacqueline made the whole gym laugh!! In the second song, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, she was grooving and really getting into the song, it was funny!

*******Update****** Put the videos on youtube

First song, Jacqueline is in the black dress, hair down and a bow in her hair. Second from the tops left side!

Second song!

Last song. Sorry for all the coughing and moving around!

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A few days later I helped Nathan, Sandy and Kevin trail the cows home (to Nathan and Sandy's place). The cows were about 3 miles from our house and we trailed them 15 miles, well we didn't make it the 15 miles. The cows moved so slow and it was dusk when we stopped and we were about 3 miles from Nathan and Sandy's place.  I left early to be home before the kids got off the bus and then an hour or so later Kevin came home. It was fun, but boring at the same time (only because we crawled, turtle speed) It took almost 2 hours to get the cows in front of our house, well it didn't help that one cow was 'oh so wonderful' and wouldn't cross the bridge. Kevin and Nathan were on four wheelers and chased her around for like 10 minutes before she gave up and crossed the bridge.  Nathan said that last year the cows would not cross the bridge at all, and this year Kevin had an idea, have the tractor and processor in front and put hay out on the bridge. Worked like a charm! Sandy was in the lead with the tractor (she also had Bo) and then all the cows Kevin, Nathan and Bandit pushing and moving the cows and I was the caboose in a truck with Liz!

Getting the cows to head out!

On the road home they go!

Almost to our house!

There it is!

Bandit working the cows! He did a great job! Just a few kinks to work on!

Decorating for Christmas is always fun! We always put up the tree and decorate the tree together as a family. I do the rest of the house a few days later! It was kinda nice this year, I got the rest of the house decorated while the kids were at school and did it in one day!

Nathaniel decorating the tree!

Jacqueline decorating the tree!

All done!

Bella is fascinated with the lights, and the ornaments! She hasn't knocked any to the ground but she sure plays with them on the tree. 

Shadow could care less about the ornaments and lights, she likes it as a napping spot! Well, she did until I wrapped the gifts and put them under the tree!

I promised Jacqueline one day after school that we could make cookies together! We did and it was fun! I did all the measuring and she turned the beaters on and off.  I showed her how to roll the cookies and did one tray, and she rolled the rest! She was pretty proud of herself for rolling the cookies and was so happy when Kevin got home so she could show him!

I had Jacqueline sift the dry ingredients, she thought that was cool!

Making sure the bowl spins! 

Pausing to lick the spoon and making sure it is good!

Jacqueline's rolled cookies! Fingers were licked after each cookie was rolled!

Ginger Molasses Cookies!!! Yummy!!!!

Last Tuesday, Jacqueline had a pajama party at school and they watched The Polar Express and had a great day!! She loved it! On Friday, they decorated gingerbread cookies! She was beyond excited to show us her cookies that she decorated and she shared with us and was just beaming and grinning from ear to ear when we tried her cookies and told her how good they were!! They were good!! Today and is Nathaniel's turn to have a pajama party and movie at school.  He didn't want to wear his pajamas to school, so he took a blanket instead!  Tomorrow is the kids last day of school of the year and the start of out Christmas vacation.  I'm not sure how well that will go. They are excited for Christmas but after that I think that there will be tears because there is not school.  We had a few tears in the mornings and before they went to bed during Thanksgiving! But we are going to keep them busy! 

Next week is busy!! I am making cookies and a few other goodies on Monday (at least just the cookie dough) for the New Years Eve party with the Church. Setting up on Tuesday and Wednesday and then party later that night!! It is going to be fun!! They are bringing in sand and having beach volleyball, bingo, ping-pong, bouncy houses, and 4-person joust! I am hoping to take pictures to show you! 

I hope everyone has as very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Favorite time of the year!

The last few weeks have been fun and the next few weeks to come are going to be fun too! It is my favorite time of the year, too!!
Remember the turkey in the previous post that Jacqueline had to disguise, well, we all worked together and dressed up the turkey. He looks funny and cute and Jacqueline was/is so proud of it.

She really had a blast decorating him!

 In one week Jacqueline lost her top 2 front teeth!! 

Both kids are doing really well in school.  And loving it!! Jacqueline went to her first birthday party (without me or Nathaniel)! It was one of her friends at school, one that she talks about a lot! Dropping her off was a little hard, I was almost in tears! I stayed in the car with Nathaniel (he cried when Jacqueline got out of the car) and she walked around the front of the car, saw another classmate and they linked arms and walked over the ice up to the house! She is growing up!! I am so glad that she has found friends!! She had a blast at the party, she painted a little wooden trinket box and made a bracelet with her name on it!

We got our last deer on the last day of hunting season! Kevin did have a challenge this time, it was really windy! It was gusting about 40 mph. He tried for one about 100 yards away and missed, the wind carried the bullet away. He came home for coffee and something to eat and then he went back out and tried again.  He called me an hour or so later saying that he got one! 

This one is bigger then the first one we got!

Jacqueline wanted to be in the picture and hold the deer!

 On Thanksgiving we had a day of games and fun! I found Rummikub earlier that week at the thrift store and we taught the kids to play! Well, it was more like us playing two boards a piece but it was fun and the kids loved it!

My board and I haven't even gone out yet! (all the tiles were from Kevin, Jacqueline and Nathaniel)

Nathaniel's board, that's all he had left and I still wasn't able to lay down! (I think it was Kevin's turn, he looks like he is thinking)

Nathaniel did win that round! Both games we played with the kids, the kids each won one!

We went to the annual 'Wake Up Santa' parade and tree lighting.  There were a few fireworks and they played Christmas music over the speakers in the square where the tree was! It was a great night for the parade, it was 'warm' for it being cold and there was no wind!! 

Frosty giving Nathaniel a hug! It was fast and missed getting Jacqueline's picture with Frosty!

I told the kids to watch for Rudolph (first one holding the sign) and when they, did I told them that it was Tante K as Rudolph! They thought it was so cool that Anneke was in the parade!

This and the tractor were Nathaniel's favorite during the parade!!

On the way home, Jacqueline told me that she wants to be in a parade just like Tante K!!

Thanksgiving dinner was at Mom and Dad's and it was a blast! We all worked together and got the food done and it was YUMMY!! Besides food and enjoying each others company, I think the highlight of the night was Brooklyn! It still cracks me up! Anneke's cat, Sebastian, was under a stool that Brooklyn sat on to eat and Brooklyn was standing about in the middle of the living room. She saw Sebastian reach for the corn that she dropped (he was in mid-motion of putting it in his mouth) and Brooklyn, as fast as she could move was there in less then a second and hit him picked up the corn put it in her mouth and tipped over the stool and made him leave.  It was so funny! I know I did not describe it all that well, but it was funny!!

I have to say, that I am so proud of Kevin and how far he has come! The Church that we have been going to is putting on a New Years Eve family fun event. Sunday, the pastor was talking about it and saying that they need more volunteers to help and as soon as he said that, Kevin leans over to me and says "I'm going to tell him to put us down wherever they need our help!" I was cheering on the inside!  We are going to help, we are either going to help set up or help clean up!  Kevin has also been in contact with the pastor for us to be put in a group for the adult Bible study (they are trying something new starting in January, will know more in the weeks to come)! I did some more cheering on the inside!!

I have to say that I am really looking forward to the next few weeks! Jacqueline is having her first school concert next Wednesday!! I hope that I can video it and share it here for you to see!! Then Christmas, the New Years Eve thing with Church and then the start of the Bible study groups!! I'm excited!!!  

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

School art work and Hunting season!

The first week of the kids going four days a week has past and I have things that I need to work on to make it run smoother.  The mornings aren't to bad, I pretty much have those down pat. The kids do really well at getting up in the mornings without a fuss. Its the nights that need a little work.  I think that I am going to start making crockpot meals that way it will be a little easier at night and I wont feel like I made Jacqueline rush with her homework.  Also we can spend a little more time each night with a learning game that Nathaniel brings home for the week.  They do do a good job at playing the game by themselves and doing homework without any help, but not really helping makes me feel like I rushed them and I feel rushed. This week I am going to try to have dinner done or almost done when they come home from school. It will be a good trial, they only have two days of school this week. Yesterday and today the kids had off, they only have school on Wednesday and Thursday this week. They are more then happy to go back to school tomorrow, they have been asking and wanting to go back! They have been having a blast learning and making art. Nathaniel learns a letter a week and does art work relating to that letter and Jacqueline does it according to the season or holiday.

These are Nathaniel's, he his really doing good.

Nathaniel's house for last week with the letter 'h'

Jacqueline made spiders during the week of Halloween.

Her bat!

Not really sure what this was, but it almost looks like she made flowers at different stages. 

Anneke took this picture of Jacqueline's art that is hanging up in the clinic where Anneke works!

Anneke also took this one of Jacqueline's art work, also hanging in the clinic. 

Jacqueline's Starry Night! This one is my favorite and looks close to the really one!

Jacqueline told me that they learned about Vincent Van Gogh and the Starry night. She was really proud of herself for telling me the name and the artist!

 This is Jacqueline's homework for the weekend! I was so excited to do this with her! "Tom" is going to be a princess, and is half complete. We are going to finish him this afternoon!

Deer season opened on Friday and I was excited for our first hunting season! We went out on Saturday to see if we could get anything. But all we saw were bucks and two does that were running and were we driving!

Like this guy! He stayed there for quite sometime just watching us!

It was a fun day of hunting even though we didn't get anything that day.  Kevin went out on Sunday and got a mule deer doe! Now we have one tag left to fill, also another doe. 

Got her taken care of before the snow storm really hit!!

I'm taking her in to the butcher tomorrow to get cut and wrapped.  We do want to cut and grind the meat ourselves but we don't have the right knives or a meat grinder.  We are hoping that next year we are able to do that. Kevin is out today with Nathan and his two boys hunting. He is not going to try to get our last one until after the boys and Nathan get one. If they go where Kevin got our one, they all could get one, Nathan and the boys could get their bucks and we our last doe.  There is a herd of about 15 in the area.  Kevin saw the leader buck this morning when he check the water tanks.  

We had a nice snow storm that came through.  We got about 7 inches, that is what the weather channel said.  As it past over it left behind freezing weather, highs in the single digits to low teens and the lows in the negatives. Brrrr!! But is sure is beautiful!!

Hope everyone has a great day!! Happy Veterans Day!

First Parent-Teacher-Conference

The last few weeks have been kinda slow .  It did start out with another unexpected vet bill with Bandit. He found mice bait and eat the whole package, we did catch him right away and made him throw it all up.  We had to take him in the next morning to get vitamin K pills for him to take for 3 weeks. Bandit is doing good and is almost done with the pills, he really likes taking them. I'm not expecting it to be that easy on Tuesday.  He goes in to get neutered and if he has pills to take, I'm sure that they will taste different then these ones.

The kids have been doing great in school and love it! We had our first parent teacher conference this past week. Jacqueline does really well in school following rules and asking for help if she needs it and interacts well with other students.  It did take her a little bit to interact with others but is doing well with that.  They have this test with sounds, reading vocabulary, and they take it monthly. From September to October, she has improved. The grading is kinda weird and in tiers (like a triangle tier 3 is the base (lowest) Tier 2 is the middle (ok) and tier 1 (Best)). The score in September was in tier 3 with a score of 156, the October score she moved up to tier 2 with a score of 179! Over all she is doing great in school.  Her teacher said that she has an eagerness to learn and she likes seeing that in Jacqueline! She needs help with reading and her comprehension is still low and we are working on that.  She comes home with homework almost every night with a book to read and she is now coming home with vocabulary words.  With vocabulary words, we give her clues and she has to tell us the word.  Like with the word 'mitten' the clues were: I am like gloves and keep your hands warm after a snowstorm. Nathaniel is also doing great in school. He can count to 13 and recognizes almost all of the letter.  He doesn't really follow directions all that well, but his teacher has said that he is really improving on that (even here at home he is improving) Sharing, playing with others, and working problems out without the teachers help, he does really good with that! Nathaniel is going to start learning the sounds of all the letter.  Their speech therapist even gave a good report that they both are doing great and improving since the beginning of the year. I'm looking forward to the next 9 weeks for the next report card to see even more improvements!

We moved Kelo to Nathan and Sandy's place and introduce him to Sandy's 2 horses.  Kelo is not in the same pen as them yet but he will be soon.  Kevin walked him on the road from where he was to Nathan and Sandy's.  Kelo did so well with that, he only spooked once and that was my fault. I was following in the truck and I think that I got a little close. Kevin led him into the barn and it took him a bit to get into the barn, but was fine once he got in.  After we brushed him we were waiting for Nathan to come to see where we are to put Kelo.  Kevin was wanting to see if he had anything on his back before.

We started with the saddle pad, and it didn't seem to faze him that he had anything on his back.

So we went for the saddle, just setting on his back. Again didn't seem to faze him.

Kevin tied the saddle and put the bridle on (he didn't quite like the bit) and he seem fine with it all.

Kevin put some weight in the stirrup and nothing.  

Kevin was so happy that he was able to get all the tack on.  

We know that Kelo has gotten this far with training before we had him and he may have had someone riding him (we think). Kevin plans doing this a few more times and lounging him with the saddle on ( he has lost some of his training) before he plans on getting on him. We do have an appointment set for April for him to be worked with with a trainer, 30 rides, but we hope that he wont need it.

Today is Halloween and we still aren't sure what we are going to do about trick-or-treating.  The kids each came home from school with little pumpkins that we haven't decorated yet.  We will decorated them tonight with paint and glue ribbon on them, I think that they will have fun with that and top the night off with making caramel popcorn.

Monday starts the first time the kids will be going everyday.  A part of me is not ready for them to be gone everyday and the other part cant wait for them to go everyday. I know that they are ready for it, they are already wanting to go to school everyday!  I am excited for them and cant wait for them to tell all about new friends that they are going to meet!

I hope that everyone has a great day!

I belong here!

Its been a while since I wrote last and a lot has happened in that time, mainly being busy! It has been great, because I actually have been busy helping with the cows! I know it might not seem like much but it really means a lot to me! Before, my help was never wanted and I didn't get to help with anything. Now, my help is wanted and needed and I feel wonderful.  I feel like I'm on cloud nine being able to help with the cows and get to be in all the action! I really do feel like I belong here and apart of this farm and ranch!
The first time working with the cows, I really didn't do anything.  They trailed the cows from the spring/summer pasture to the fall/winter pasture.  They did it on horseback (and one four-wheeler) and looked like so much fun!! Watching them trail the cows was exciting and fun to watch! I am really hoping that next fall Kelo will be ready and I can ride him and be in on the trailing!

Kevin on one of Sandy's horses, Ruby. At the beginning

Somewhere in the middle, after this point the truck and trailer and me met them at a different spot.

Where we met them, almost to the end!

Cow at their new home for the winter!

Trailing the cows from the first pasture to the winter pasture took about 2 hours. The next time we moved cows was a week later and colder, and we were in hats, coats and gloves! I didn't help with this one either but the kids were in on the action! They were on the four-wheelers, one with Nathan and one with Jeremy (Nathan's brother). This set we didn't trail as it was going to take all day, but loaded them up in the trailer and moved them to where the first set are. The kids really did have a blast helping with this and seeing their smiles made my day!

The next day we moved another set of cows and got things ready for the vet visit the next day.  I was really excited about this one! I watched all the kids and followed them in the truck and trailer, I drove a truck and trailer for the first time that day!! It was exciting!! It wasn't just pulling the trailer for the first time either, there was a blind cow in the back!! I drove her home! That was cool!

Nathan and Sandy's youngest, Bo, watching his mom move cows out the gate!

The blind cow was trailed for a while, she was really slow!

There was some excitement, 2 bulls were putting on a show almost the whole way home!

They were still fighting when they were put in the bull pasture.

Driving truck and trailer!! There were sprinkles! 

I was sure glad to be watching the kids and staying nice and dry and warm!! For the vet visit, I was really in on the action!! I was manning the gates while Kevin and Sandy sorted the cows from the calves! It was chilly and it was raining. It was fun! While the vet preg checked the cows, I was up front writing down what the vet said: early, 90+ or late.  It was raining decent and I had a hard time keeping the papers dry, but got it all written down! We packed everything up and then headed to where we moved the first 2 sets of cows and preg checked those.  We did those last so that I can watch for the bus and get the kids when they came home.  All the cows were preg checked and we were just starting to do the vaccines for the calves when I headed home to get the kids! Everyone was soaked after the last set of calves were vaccinated back at Nathan and Sandy's place. That day was a lot of fun.  There is another day of moving cows, but that is not until Kevin is done hauling hay and a few fields of flax are harvested and then all the cows at Nathan and Sandy's will be moved to where the first 2 sets of cows are.  There is 2 more truck loads of hay to haul and it will be a bit before the flax is harvested, they are chopping corn for the next few days.

We had an exciting day the other day, Bandit and Chena chased a porcupine and Bandit tried to bit (I'm assuming). He had quills in his mouth.  I had to take him to the vet to get them out. He is better now.  I hope no more porcupines!!

Jacqueline had her first experience with the loss of a pet.  One of the outside kittens died and she found him.  She brought him to the house in tears last night.  I knew it was going to go and was waiting for it to happen.  The dogs had it one day and I found him ( I was glad the kids were at school) and got him better. A few days after that he was sick and slow.  I knew it was a matter of time after that.  

School is going great for the kids.  Jacqueline brings home books to read as homework.  She is not really reading them as they are mostly memorized but she follows her finger underneath the words as she reads them to us.  She is pretty proud of herself for reading them! I am working with her to sound out the words, it will take a little bit, but we will get there.  I am hoping that by the time November comes, I can have her reading some words.  She really recognizes what some words are. A homework paper she had a few days ago, she had to color in apples with the color that the apples said.  She went at it right away without any help.  She did do that same paper in school a week before, but she did really well and all yellow apples were yellow, red were red, and green were green! Nathaniel is starting to write his name and is proud of himself for that!!

Between the first set of cows and the last was my Golden Birthday!! We didn't do anything, I had a lazy day of watching cartoons with the kids and it was fun! A few days before that I had a craft day and crafted all day, a gift to myself!! I wanted to craft so bad and really wanted to make myself something with wine bottles and burlap and I finally did!! I was already not going to do anything that day as it was going to be a girls day with Sandy, but we postponed it as one of her kids was sick and will have it after harvest is all done!! I'm looking forward to that!!

This is the first on I did, I was hoping that I had 3 bottles this shape and color but only had 1.

This is the set I made for myself!! I was wanting to make something that said 'me' and I think that it came out that way too!!

I hope that everyone has a great day, going to enjoy the rest of the day with the kids as they don't have school today!