Life In The Ark

                

It's been a pretty nice week and everyone is adjusting to a new rhythm. The girls love going out each day to take care of Wendy. I'm pretty proud of them because they are splitting up the workload, not complaining or bickering, and really working hard. 

After last weeks fiascos of Wendy busting out of the arena doors on more than one occasion, and in general acting a bit like a pushy ol' broad, the girls have taken it upon themselves to work with her on her manners. They take turns; while one cleans her stall the other is walking/running/working on stop & start with permission/etc.  She enjoys the time with her girls and now knows how to exit the arena politely. That said, "keep the barn door closed" rule is still in effect when she's not in her stall. You can see in her eyes that she gives "busting out" a passing thought every now and then. 

   

Proud of Miss Wendy Loo Hoo, standing patiently, even with the doors open wide 

                 

                 

All in all, she's fitting in quite well and accepting the girls as "hers" which is just what we wanted. Now that she's settled into her new home, Anne is going to start working with the girls and Wendy to get her trained in their style and techniques. It should prove to be a ton of fun :)

 

 

 

 

#6,398,576 life lesson learned....

                

With all the fuss about Miss Wendy Loo Hoo lately, Hannah was starting to feel that her favorite boy was being neglected. Canton is a sweet boy, if not a bit stubborn, and he and Hannah are a perfect match.  

Today, while Wendy was in the arena waiting for Gracie to get her stall all fresh and clean, Hannah grabbed her boy for some grooming time. He wasn't too ready to come in when she put his halter on, thinking he was going to have to work; something he wasn't too inclined to do this evening. But, once he realized it was just an evening of spa time, he settled in and enjoyed himself. 

                

                

   

It was an adventurous night where Wendy was concerned. She was in the indoor arena, enjoying some free time while the girls were working. Next thing we know, she opened the door and was trotting our way. I was impressed with the girls and their quick thinking. Hannah grabbed her halter and starts walking toward her, Gracie immediately ran and closed the barn door. She promptly goes into an open stall, the girls wait to be sure she's not going to bolt, then they get her halter on and walk her back to the arena. THIS TIME, however, they close both the bottom and top doors to prevent her from trying that again. They finished up all their work and we go to get Miss Wendy Loo. She's at the far end, looking in the mirror. She sees us and comes running over. Let me stop right here and say that this girl has some speed to her; we've seen it from day one.  Anyhoo, she greets us happily. Gracie pushes her back from the door and goes in to halter her. I'm standing, holding the door close, waiting for her to finish so I can let her out. Next thing I know this silly horse is running at the door. Gracie is safely behind her, Hannah is behind me over by the tack room. I keep the door closed but she isn't going to stop. She flings the door open with me flying with it and down the aisle she goes. God love Gracie!  She again has her wits about her and is heading after Wendy, halter in hand. Wendy stops when Tatoes came to the rescue and nickered at her and got her attention. While she went to his stall to see him, Gracie ran and closed the barn door again. And again, Wendy goes straight into the stall next to hers. Girls get her haltered and moved to her stall. Once in her freshly cleaned stall, she gives us a look as if to say, "never forget that I'm a redhead". Well we have a newsflash for Miss Wendy...she's not the only redhead around that barn, and the two legged ones are gonna teach her to mind her manners😳

To top off our night, Pig Pig, the Barn Boss, decided to go into the dogs kennel to eat their food. I now know where the term "squealed like a pig" came from. I'm not exactly sure what her problem was, but either she's afraid of the dark or claustrophobic, because she was pitching a fit before she figured out that all she had to do was back up😂

                 

                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Day

   

What a wonderful Easter!  Quiet and relaxed. Tess and I had all the meal prepped yesterday, so today was just cooking. 

We spent our day over at the girls' house this year, and what a nice treat that was. I went over early to bake a pie before sticking our meal in the oven, which meant I got to hang out with Doug😍. He thought he was my sous chef, supervising me every step of the way (he didn't think I knew he was actually waiting for something to fall so he could snatch it up;). We curled up on the couch to catch up on some reading while the pie was in the oven. I just love that boy!

                

               

                

His mama came home a bit later, which totally made his day. We finished all the cooking together and then went out to hide all the treats. Sure, the girls may be considered a bit old for an egg hunt, but they aren't complaining. They love getting baskets full of treats. 

We enjoyed our meal together: ham balls, funeral potatoes, corn, mashed potatoes (a divided house, ya know;), and a layer salad. I have to say, it was nice to hear the chatter and giggles around the table. After the egg hunt, we had some dessert, although nobody was terribly hungry at the moment. It's a holiday though, right?😉

Our day ended by spending some time with Wendy. The girls cleaned her stall, gave her another good brushing, and let her get some exercise. We stopped for half price shakes at Sonic on our way home (Gracie had a BG of 61 after cleaning the stall so this was a great idea).  Of course there was more animal chores to do once we got home, including taking care of the neighbor dog before tucking him in for the night (they're dog sitting this weekend), but I honestly couldn't have happier girls. Now we are all heading off to bed, EXHAUSTED😴

Happy Easter from the Ark!

   

   

                 

            

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

Happy Easter From The Ark...

                

We are enjoying ourselves this Easter weekend. The classic Nebraska spring, crazy weather...hot, stormy, sheets of rain, cold, hot again, muggy, not knowing how to dress or whether to turn the heater or AC on...sigh. Sprint time on the Great Plains 😉

The girls have been enjoying spending their days with all our critters when they're done with their lessons each day. Gracie and Hannah have turned out to be hard workers and diligent in their responsibilities with each one of our pets. They honestly amaze me!  

We spent some time with Wendy today, enjoying getting to know her personality. She's a hoot!!!  She's become pretty comfortable in her new home and with all her new people. She is proving to be very affectionate and somewhat of a clown. She's also a vocal girl, calling for us when she was in the arena and we would walk away from the doors. Mom went with us today to meet Wendy. Check out the pictures below😂. I think Wendy made a definite impression on her grandma!

We've been nursing Brody (one of our dogs) and Daisy (Gracie's geriatric gerbil) the past couple of weeks.  They both seemed off but we aren't sure exactly why. To be honest, we didn't expect Daisy to make it; she was lethargic, didn't even have the strength to keep her little eyes open. We have been loving on both of them and giving them extra attention. Daisy did a miraculous turn around and seems to be back to her spunky little self...well as spunky as a 4 year old gerbil ever is. Brody just seems to have aged over night. He's moving slower and is no longer a rowdy boy. But he still graces us with his sweet smile😍. We noticed that he wasn't eating his food. Not his typical boycot, just total disinterest in his kibble. So we've begun to give him hamburger with oat bran

Mixed in, sometimes adding some pumpkin and occasionally an egg. He happily eats this twice a day now so I'm no longer afraid that he's starving. His sweet sister, Felicity, and brother Max are doing great. The girls think Brody and Felicity have switched bodies because she has become more playful over the past couple of weeks. She's always been our graceful "old lady" so it's fun to watch her be silly lately. 

Tess is hosting Easter at her home this year, so she and I spent this evening doing all the prep work together. It was such a joy working alongside my oldest, in HER kitchen, while her sisters kept Doug, her lab, entertained. Sarah was at work all evening, so she missed out on the fun. 

All in all it's an enjoyable Easter weekend. Looking forward to being together tomorrow, watching the girls hunt for their treats, and visiting over our meal. Happy Easter!!!

               

               

Brody James enjoying snuggles tonight. 

                

Tessie Bugg making the layer salad

                

   

               

Grammy and Wendy sharing a laugh

                

   

I kid you not, when she realizes we aren't standing there admiring her, she trots over whinnying at us to come back to love on her. SPOILED already😍

               

Just in case anyone thinks these two slough off on the job...nope!  They are hard little workers. 

                 

Hannah was determined to put bunny ears on Wendy. We were all shocked to see she loved them. I swear she was showing her neighbor her Easter hat 😂

                

                

                

             

Oh yeah, yet another neighborhood run away. This little guy took the girls on quite the chase that covered half the neighborhood. When animal control came to pick him up, we learned he'd gotten out a couple hours earlier and they'd already been out to take him at that time. Little stinker!  #lifeintheark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the family...

           

After three weeks of keeping tight lips so as not to ruin the surprise, we actually pulled it off tonight!  We welcomed Wendy Loo Hoo to the family. 

A few weeks ago our friend Anne, who is also the girls riding instructor, sent me a picture and asked what I thought. It was a beautiful paint mare. She said that her owner had posted an ad that basically said either she sells asap or she was taking her to the sale barn...a place no horse belongs. Come to find out, this was a family horse. A horse her youngest daughter had grown up with. She'd had this sweet one since she was a filly...yet now she just wanted her gone and some cash to "try something new". How on earth do you just turn away a horse that's been with you for most of her life????  Anne and Sierra went out to take a look at her and see if she might be a good prospect for the girls. When they saw her she was exactly what they'd hoped...a sweet mare, already broken, trained in western, had been a 4H project; pretty much what we were looking for. All the hard work, so to speak, was done long ago; and Anne could take on working with Gracie and Hannah to re-train her for English riding and jumping. What a wonderful opportunity for the girls to learn how to train a horse alongside their own instructor!  They have instantly chucked any other summer plans they may have been toying with do they can spend all their time and energy at Anne's barn😍. 

Like I said, this was a surprise. I used the money the girls had been saving up (they were saving to buy a horse actually) to get Wendy. While waiting for her to be delivered, I ordered the halters and lead ropes the girls had put on their Amazon wish list. All the while I was working at not spilling the beans so they wouldn't be on to us. I got THE TEXT..."she's here!!!! You guys coming???"  YES!!!  I got home, told the girls to grab their gear cuz we were heading to the barn. They hustled like they always do if they're going to the barn (any other time I try getting them out the door, they're like sloths. 😂). I told them their dad was coming too but he was driving himself so he could come home sooner, hoping all the while they wouldn't wonder what was up. Sarah calls me and says she's coming too and to keep them in the truck till she got there. Yeah, nothing odd there...seriously that wasn't gonna happen. We did hang outside the barn chatting, waiting for her to get there tho. I kid you not!  We are outside the barn, Hannah hears a whinny and she says "there's a new horse". WOW!  Sarah finally gets there and we nonchalantly move inside. I tell the girls to go on and suddenly they see something...a paint horse in a barn full of thoroughbreds. Stop a second and understand this...in the two years they've been riding, other than the ponies and Marian, they've never seen anything but thoroughbreds at Anne's farm so a paint really sticks out like a sore thumb😂. It's at that moment we tell them her name is Wendy and she is their new horse. Hannah bursts into and ear to ear smile. Gracie has a strange look on her face and she doesn't move. We finally ask her what's wrong. She stares at Wendy, looks at us, back at Wendy, then says "I'm still processing this" as a smile starts to creep across her face. Anne opens the stall door and invites them on as she shares Wendy's story with them. It was instant love ❤️

By 10:15 I finally got them into the truck to head home, but only after promising they can go back tomorrow to love on Wendy, and give her a good brushing. All in all, I'm happy to say that we pulled off one of the best surprises ever😍. Stayed tuned for the adventures of Wendy Loo Hoo and her girls!

          

 

 

"Dear Craig, Dawn and Family..."

Every once in awhile I just can't help but be struck by the disrespect and hurtful nature of people.  I realize we live in a mobile and disposable society, but that shouldn't be how it is within relationships. Especially within families.  As a grown up, I can deal with it and do my best to brush things off.... but when my kids get hurt by it, I can't just let it roll off my back all the time; although, Lord knows I try.

Yesterday we had a reminder of just how unimportant family relations are to some people.  In the mail was an Easter card for our family....YAY!  I mean, who doesn't love getting notes and cards in the mail, right?  This card was from someone very close to us in relation, but when we read the greeting, we realized how distant things have really become (not by our choice either, as we have tried everything possible to mend the fractures in the relationship).  

The card read: "Dear Craig, Dawn, and family..."  Wait...What?!?!?!?  "and family"????  This was from someone who should know our girls names.  Furthermore, it's from someone whom it should be important to actually write their names on the card and not lump them into a generic greeting like you would a distant acquaintance.  From someone who you would think might actually find it important to send the girls each their own Easter greeting, rather than a generic card to the family with the intent of keeping everyone at arms length.  To make the habitual passive-aggressive intent even clearer, this card came from someone who knows that Tess hasn't lived at home for nearly 4 years and has yet not found it important enough to ask for her address to send things directly to her as a surprise in her mailbox amongst the bills and junk mail.  No, this isn't the first time... it's all the time.  

Why am I posting about this?  I don't know, really.  Yes, I'm angry.  Yes, I'm hurt.  Yes, I want to pick up the phone and call the person out on their hurtful behavior.  But....this is someone we love dearly, someone we treat with love and respect, someone we choose to look past the hurtful comments and judgements and pray that the relationship can be healed and restored, if not between that person and myself, then between them and Craig and our daughters.  I wonder if this person really thinks it's worth the long term effects of hurting these 4 amazing girls by showing them that they are thought to be so unworthy that they don't deserve their names to actually be written on this Easter card; to not include them specifically in the greeting.  Please understand, this person holds a place of high importance in our lives by the sheer position of their relationship to us, it's not just a card from a dear friend or the neighborhood insurance office.  

Do you know what the girls, the youngest two who were with me when I opened the card, had to say when I read it?  "Well, I guess [they, she/he] doesn't even remember our names now".  Yes, giggles erupted at that comment, but they weren't the joyous giggles you expect from 11 and 12 year old girls, rather the sad/nervous giggles when you are fighting back emotions.  These girls know they have been thrown away by this person, they know that they are viewed as an embarrassing inconvenience.  When in fact they should be cherished and treasured, not endured for 3 hours a year.  It's sad, tragic actually; they've done nothing wrong and have never caused any hurt nor shown any disrespect toward this person.  They done nothing but love.

As we head into this Easter weekend, please contemplate what it truly is all about.  Christ took each one of our sins upon himself.  He wore them, burdened himself down with their weight as he endured brutal beatings, cruelty from nearly everyone insight, and finally hung from a rugged cross with its splinters embedding in his torn and slashed body.  He died a cruel and gruesome death so that we may live all eternity in Heaven with Him and his Father.  He did all this after spending his earthly life living the perfect example of how we, his children, are to live.  He showed love and respect to all he encountered, meeting them where they were and offering new and eternal life if they/we followed him.  And, you know what?  He cared (stills cares) about every detail of each person... the Bible tells us that He calls us by name.  If our names are so important that Christ calls us by name and God has our names "inscribed on the palm of his hand", shouldn't it be important for us to also remember each other's names?  To show love and respect to others, rather than being unfairly judgmental.  Just some food for thought at this season of renewal and rejoicing.  HAPPY EASTER!

Mothers Day Special...

Mothers Day is about a month away and it's time to start thinking about how y'all want to make your moms feel special. Scentsy has a sweet gift bundle just in time...the Daisy warmer and three scents of your choice for only $50. It's like getting the melts FREE 😍

cowboyandmoonbeam.scentsy.us

This Is NOT The Text You Want To Ever Get....

                    

Thank God her oldest sister was with her. I got this text from Sarah at 11:58pm, as I was just about to do a pump site change on Gracie. She had about 20 minutes before that fast acting insulin started to kick in. Had she not realized her mistake right away so we could act fast, she could've very possibly ended up in a coma, or worse, due to a severe low blood sugar. 

This is the scary side of living with Type 1 Diabetes....a seemingly small mistake, such as taking fast acting insulin when you intended to take your long acting, can result in serious complications, even death. The other "daily" part of life in a family with two T1D kiddos, is that the sister getting the site change, feels a bit slighted that she's not crashing and is missing out on a midnight McDonalds run   ...it's all in your perspective. 

Just keeping it real😉

P.S. I'm so thankful that our girls are so close and willing to do anything for each other. Their bickering may drive me crazy, but I know they'd sacrifice anything for each other. Thanks Tessie Bugg for taking such good care of your baby sister ❤️❤️❤️

Family Traits....

                

I love it when I see family traits in my girls. An expression, cadence of their speech, a saying they've picked up along the way, little idiosyncrasies that bring to mind a loved one. 

That picture up there, a straw wrapper tied into a bow, makes me smile and makes my heart so full. You see, it's something we all picked up from Mamo. She always tied wrappers into knots or bows. It's the silly little things like this that make me feel so blessed, because I see Mamo living on in all of my daughters. What a blessing family ties are...giving future generations a foundation to stand on and common thread that binds us all together. 

 

Only In My World...

                

I kid you not....I opened my front door and he walked right in. Such a sweet old guy. The girls were thrilled with their find, with choruses of "he doesn't have a collar or tags on, Mom. Can we keep him?"  

Clearly he was well cared for and use to being in a home...so, I went with a gentle "nope". We grabbed a lead and a handful of dog biscuits and lead him into our dog run so he'd be safe and not escape. I called animal control to come get him, sure that they'd soon be getting a call from his family, looking for him. As the girls enjoyed playing with him, I waited on the deck for the AC officer to arrive. It wasn't long before I noticed a car driving slowly with the window down. I hollered to the driver "Did you lose a dog?"  Yup, it was his mom and she was relieved to know he was safe. Apparently, the tree guys had left the gate open and Duke (as we learned was his actual name) had escaped and enjoyed an adventure. 

We don't ever have to go looking for critters of any sort...they always seem to find us...whether we want them to or not😉. I'm just thankful this ended well and Duke is back with his family.