NO SHOES!

Marty left Thursday morning for the weekend.  The kids and I got to spend some quality time together finally! It feels like ever since School started I have hardly seen my little kiddos! Marty has definitely been picking up my slack pulling some serious Daddy Duty so I can spend the time I need to getting my new classroom all ready. 

Payton has been really starting to "express" herself. She has definite ideas about what she wants and what she doesn't want.  She has recently decided that she doesn't want shoes. No shoes on ever.  "NO SHOES!! This I discovered over the weekend is apparently something she is not willing to compromise on. There is no reasoning, no pleading and no forcing her chubby little feet into shoes of any kind.  The first incident was Thursday nafternoon when I insisted she wear shoes into the library, you know because it's a public place and all.  "Library? Who cares, I will not wear shoes in there and if you make me I will scream the entire time you choose books, check out books and drive home. Infact, I'll scream about it until bedtime and maybe even longer...."  That was fun. Friday was better only because I decided I preferred to grocery shop without ear piercing squealing in my ears and let her ride in the cart sans shoes.  Saturday she spent the day taking off every pair of shoes I put on her.  She used to wear shoes if I let her pick them out, but now even that doesn't work. I did manage to convince her to wear shoes while riding Uncle Dirt Saturday, but today was a different story.  I wrestled shoes on her feet while she was still buckled in her car seat, but the minute I set her on the ground she sat down and pulled them off. I explained to her how dangerous it is to have bare feet around horses and forced the shoes back on her feet then carried her as far as I could before her screaming and squirming became unbearable. I put her down and she yanked off her shoes, screamed for a while and proceeded to spend the next hour and half, feeding, riding and brushing horses in barefeet while I prayed we wouldn't have to take a trip to emergency with her toes in a baggie on ice....I know, I know, your thinking, "Hey, arn't you the MOM??? Get control of that kid!" Ha!! Your life must be perfect. If it's so easy for you to get your kids to do what you want, you are awesome! I bow down to you!  My world isn't quite so black and white.....My kids are "free spirited, strong willed, stubborn and loud..oh so loud...but then so am I!! Lol! I wouldn't have 'em any other way!! I also love that they both still have ten toes!! Eeeek!

Sunny, beautiful day today! Sandbox time!!

Yep, holding a horse brush, inches away from a horse wearing horse shoes....living on the edge!

Appropriate footwear? Nope. But hey, she's wearing a helmet. That's something, right?

 She loves riding. She hates getting off and she hates sharing Uncle Dirt with her brother..but she does reluctantly....and loudly!

 Good thing he likes to play trucks as much as he likes to ride. He's very patient waiting for Payton to be done riding so he can have a turn.

 Leading him out to pasture...no shoes....

 Yes, Payton is loud and opinionated, but she's also really funny, sweet, giggly, tough, determined and cute as can be and I love her to pieces!

Apparently she has no problem putting on her brother's shoes, especially if he also wants to be wearing them....lol

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and try to make them wear shoes around very large animals who may or may not be wearing iron shoes themselves. Make them wear shoes or pray alot!

GRADE THREE!

Finally, I find myself back in the classroom as a homeroom teacher!! After years of FSL (French as a Second Language) options Teacher, it feels soooo good to have my OWN class again!!  It's only day three and I know we are still in the Honeymoon phase, but I LOVE MY CLASS!!!!!  I am blown away by how much French these kids can speak (it's a french immersion grade three class.)  They are eager to learn everything and they LOVE to sing along with all the "tunes" I play on my laptop, especially at lunch when I play English music on internet radio.  Our School Wide theme this year is "Seeds of Change" so I took a pic of all of the students with gardening gear. Seriously, "Seeds of Change?!" What kind of theme is that to work with? Besides that, in French the whole thing directly translates to something about a penis...so we are not going with "grains de changement...."  Either way, it's not an easy sell compared to last year when the theme was "rock stars!" 

I will display their "seeds of change" photos somehow in the classroom for "meet the Teacher night" next week. 

We also have a class motto, "Choisir le sourire," which means, "choose happy." (I'm trying to make this my life motto so it seemes natural to share it with my students.)  I took a pic of each kid smiling ridiculously huge and I plan to make a motivational sign for each of them to have on their desks.  The kids are completely buying in and everytime something frustrating happens and one of them says, "choisir le sourire." It makes me grin!!

I made a motivational sign of Payton as an example...

 This is me being a "seed of change."  

The new early morning routine at home has been challenging...for all of us. I am NOT used to getting up in the 6's! My kids always sleep until at least 7am, but I need to get up before them as my morning regime now includes more effort than throwing on sweats and a hat.  We've had to wake the kids up each morning instead of them waking us (which is what is normal to them) and it hasn't always been pleasant.  Ryder does not like to just get up and pee, get dressed and get in the car. He likes to take his time in the morning and Payton just seems to be against putting on all clothing, which is weird because once she is finally wrestled into it, she is just as agains taking any clothing off....There have been some epic meltdowns both in the morning and at the Day Home at pick up time, (most of them by the children) but we are finally settling into a routine...sort of...I hope!  September is going to be crazy, caotic and busy for all of us, but we are choosing to be happy, to hold hands and to get through this month of adjusting together...can someone remind me of this tomorrow when I have to get the kids out the door by myself (Marty is gone for the next three days) and Payton is back arching and screaming cause she doesn't want her jammies off and Ryder is loosing it because he can't reach the microwave by himself to heat up his milk......TGIF!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and always choose happy!!!

MUTTON BUSTIN'

After Ryder rode/fell of his sheep at the junior rodeo last spring, I wasn't sure if he'd ever ride one again.  I can usually convince him to try anything once, but I wasn't sure if he'd be up for 'falling off" again...it took him a while but eventurally, without any prompting from me, he started asking again about when he could go "mustton bustin." He became insistent and recently all of his games involved bucking muttons....September long weekend was the weekend of the Cochrane Rodeo.  I was able to get Ryder entered to ride a sheep. He was pumped!! I was pumped! Marty was pumped as he missed the last rodeo.  Auntie Dic was pumped! She has also missed Ryder's first mutton bustin' experience, but this was one she wasn't going to miss!!  

Auntie was helping Ryder get dressed to go to the rodeo and he kept asking her for his "straps." All cowboys wear straps Auntie. I need to find my straps. He was tearing his closet apart when Nic hollered at me to ask what the heck he was looking for.  It took me a minute, but I realized he was looking for his chaps!!! I had already packed them, so we were good to go!

 He is intrigued with rodeo and loves watching the cowboy get bucked off!

 Marty and I walked him behind the chutes where we watched several little cuties stand on the chutes and stare down at their stock. 

Ryder was pumped to ride and though we had practiced lots on the barrel at Grammy's and on Mommy and Daddy's backs, the moment was just too exciting that Ryder, like all the other little cowboys and cowgirls, forgot to hang on!! His ride was so quick we didn't get a pic of him on the sheep! Ha ha!! I love that he is too young to realize he barely made one second, let alone 8. He came out of the arena asking if he rode for 8 seconds and asking when he could ride another sheep! I love his spirit!!

 They gave all participants a buckle and to Ryder this was all that mattered. He got a "gold buckle" and he was stinkin' proud as could be...so was I!

 I'm sure it won't be long before Payton is begging to ride sheep too as she always has to do whatever Ryder does..awwww! :)

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and get let 'em get bucked off in the dirt every now and then!

I'M BACK!!

OMG! How did so much time pass since I last wrote? So much has happened since May!  This was a huge Summer for Ryder. He learned to ride his pedal bike without training wheels, he water skiied on his ski trainer behind the boat all by himself, he learned to trust his life jacket (this lesson may or may not have involved him going overboard...) he rode two sheep in two different rodeos and he mastered climbing UP the slide at the park.

Payton also had a great Summer, finally getting some teeth, sleeping through the night (that took until she was 16 months old) and attempting to do EVERYTHING her brother does!! She is a fiesty little fire craker who knows exactly what she wants and doesnt want (mostly, she doesn't want to ride in her car seat...)

We did a ton of camping, boating, family visiting, rodeo watching and horse riding this Summer!

Fun in Kelowna with Gramp and GG

horse back riding selfies with Grammy!

 It was great to spend time camping with the Coles and Mom and Nic. Payton and Kennedy were stinkin' cute together!

 Nic was the funnest Aunt ever!!

 Payton spent a lot of time this summer wearing her brother's bike helmet, pushing her stroller..I love this kid!

 My fearless three year old!

 My beautiful baby sis!!

Sisters in the sunshine!

Great to spend time with Hoser too!! We miss this guy!

I do not see these two enough! Love Aimee and Kennedy!

Since kids, Scout sees the end of a camera less and less, but I still think she is beautiful and she never misses a camping adventure!

Can you believe Mom camped in her own tent for our entire time together! She is a strong, independent, amazing woman! My inspiration!

I hate to summarize Summer like this, but I have to or I'll never get back to Blogging as it will just get to be too big of a job..sooo, here we are, September!! I can't believe it!!!!!!! Tomorrow is the first day of school!! I gotta get to bed! I am sad to close the door on Summer and all of our fun Family adventures, but I am excited to start a new adventure in Grade Three French Immersion!! EEEK!!! Here we go......