Hide and Seek

Playing a Game of Hide and Seek with Braid and Kate

After an exhilarating game of Hide and Seek with the girls tonight, the award for Best Seeker goes to Miss Braid Stevens and the award for Best Hider goes to Miss Kate Stevens. I've always known that Kate was a good hider. She does it all the time to me and scares me half to death. She isn't afraid of the dark, is as quiet as a mouse and can stay perfectly still for long periods of time. It doesn't matter how long or how loud you may yell, she isn't going to expose her hiding spot. I looked for her one day for at least 10 minutes and was really starting to freak out when I heard a small movement in the bathroom. She had climbed in the bottom cabinet under the sink and had closed the door behind her. This was my first experience with her hiding. A new one if the clothes racks at the department stores and just this last   Sunday at church, she hid in a completely dark classroom against the wall. Luckily I had seen her go in or I don't know how I would have found her. It would have been the entire church on a search party. It was tonight however that I discovered Braid was so good at finding me. I really tried to hide well and she would find me within seconds. She has always been observant and a good listener (when she wants to hear). It was also exciting to play a game that both girls understood the concept. Kate can only count to two but she repeats two about 5 times so it evens out in the end on time being aloud to hide.

Horseback Riding

The girls and I also have another big accomplish this past month. We have been able to go horseback riding all by ourselves. We have some very sweet friends that let us use their two horses. The horses are amazing and very trustworthy. I am able to put Braid on her horse first and then put Kate up on the horse that I ride with her. I then get up with Kate and then grab the lead for Braid's horse. The first 30 minutes are always the best. Kate holds on to the saddle horn and the horses tend to not test you as much. Then after about the first half hour, Kate begins to grow tired and you have to hold her up as well as pull Braid's horse and keep it from trying to eat grass along the way. I can only last for about an hour but we still have lots of fun. Braid has also been practicing using the reins and riding by herself in the pen after we finish our ride. She is doing really well and I am anxious to go for a ride with just her. Braid would ride all day and I am looking forward to the longer rides as well. I wasn't able to take pictures when we went by ourselves but we went again with some friends and I was able to take some pictures.

Such a big girl riding all by herself.

 I am also trying to teach them a few simple rules like don't walk behind the horses, etc. This is how I find Kate most of the time after I turn around for a few seconds. Hugging the horses entire head. Braid and Kate both do not have any fear around the horses, this is a good and bad thing in my opinion.

 Best Friends. Braid and Natalie.

Loving the Country Life

The girls and I have been soaking up the last days of Fall weather and enjoying playing in the dirt. Both Braid and Kate love to play outside. If they have dirt, some sort of utensil (stick, shovel, cup, etc.) and rocks then they can make it hours. Add water into the mix and you double your time. Neither one could care less about staying clean so that makes us all very happy. We may have dirt in our hair, under our fingernails and in our pockets but that doesn't stop the fun.

If this doesn't express her true love of mud and the sun then I don't know what else could...

 Braid can spend hours like this playing out in the dirt making mud cookies and mud pie.

Bottle Feeding Baby Kittens with Aunt Meagie (This is what Kate calls her)

 Also, as a special treat Meagan let them pick a pomegranate. Crazy if you ask me.

 It wouldn't be complete without story time from Aunt Meagie. The girls sure love their Aunt Meagie!

Sneak Peak for Halloween. Can you guess what one of them might be?

Drama and Updates

It's been a while since I have given you an update into our lives so I am going to start with now and work my way backwards. 

Drama

Yesterday in particular was full of drama. I feel as if I got a glimpse into my girls junior high days except it will be more on the emotional side instead of the physical side of drama.

We had driven home from Abilene that morning and had actually had a pleasant drive home. Kate slept half of the way which is record for her and Braid watched movies or played with toys. We were still all tired from a really fun weekend but in pleasant moods. The girls ran around the house playing together while I tired to put away clothes and clean up the house. After a few hours, the girls were playing in Braid's room while I sat down to rest for a minute. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and then heard a crash... Braid screaming and then Kate crying. I jumped up and ran to the room to find that Kate is lying on the floor with water, glitter and a few pieces of small glass on her head. Braid is standing in the closet shaking and screaming; the dresser in her room is pulled half way down with the drawers pulled out and some are lying on the floor. I run to Kate and exam her for any injuries. She has a red mark across her back and a few small marks on her stomach but no blood. Braid starts explaining the scene before I even ask probably assuming I would think that it was somehow her doings. She said that she was in the closet playing and Kate tried to climb the dresser and it fell. She wasn't doing anything wrong but Kate was. It was obviously the truth by the scene and her lack of detail. Detail and a lengthy story usually give her away when she isn't quite telling the truth. Anyways after cleaning up Kate and the mess of a broken snow globe we were all ok. Then Braid decides she is ready to take her bath while Kate eats a yogurt for her snack. This is usually a relaxing event however after putting Braid in the bath and then getting Kate's snack ready, Braid begins screaming again. I run to the bathroom and she says there is a tiny spider swimming in her bath. She is terrified it is going to get on her so she is moving around as quickly as she can as I try to get the spider out. We finally get the spider out so I got back to help Kate. Then Braid starts screaming again so I run back in there and she has knocked a mosquito bite scab off of the top of her foot and it is bleeding a tiny bit but the blood is freaking her out. She is screaming crying at the top of her lungs. I washed her hair and body as quickly as possible during the crying fit and then carry her to the couch. She is so upset that she now has hives on her legs. As I am putting the bandage on her foot and turning on Curious George to calm her down, Kate starts screaming. She has stuck her hand in the yogurt container and it is now stuck. Like a raccoon after a shiny object in a hole she refuses to unclench her hand. She then slings it to try to get it off and it does come off as well as all the remaining yogurt which goes flying everywhere. Needless to say, we were all exhausted at the end of the day and ready for bed. Sorry for such a lengthy story but I wanted to have this one written in the books so I can be thankful for all the non-dramatic days.

Updates

A typical day at home...moods may vary.

Going to help Daddy...

BTD parade...

Being superman...

Helping in the kitchen...

Putting up sweetcorn and greenbeans...

Curry County Fair...

Grandma's New Deck

A few weeks ago, we had some visitors come to Farwell. Dale, Bailey and Felix made the trip out here so Dale could build Grandma a new beautiful deck. We are all very thankful and have been enjoying it ever since. We also got to spend some time with them and get to know little Felix. It was a wonderful time. For the record, Dale had lots and lots of help building the deck as you can see. lol. Just kidding Dale.

Fun in the Mud

We are very thankful for the rain we have recently received. So excited that we decided to go all out and enjoy the precious mud it made. Our friend Seth, Jill, Natalie, and Autumn came to join us. I'll let the pictures do most of the explaining...

By the end, the girls were getting a little cold. Also, Bo and Seth decided it would be fun to jump off of the sprinkler into the water. The water was deep enough because of an old tailwater pit. I was just praying there wasn't some pipe in the water we couldn't see. We all had a blast except for Natalie. She was not a huge fan of not being able to see her feet under the water. I really can't blame her when I wore water boots the whole time.