Spring Views Around the Farm

I took some pictures around Grandma and Grandpa's farm house today. It was the perfect spring day! This is where we spend alot of our time, especially now that school is out AND the garden is taking off. Scott's mom is coaching me on my first organic garden! It's been awesome to have her right there to ask questions and guide me through the process. Some of you already saw these on Scott's Facebook page but if you haven't seen them yet, you can view more photos HERE.

Shadow's Arrival and First Day

Shadow arrived safe and sound at 9pm in the evening on Gracie's birthday! She didn't drink much on the trip over from Virginia so she was a bit dehydrated, but she bounced back quickly. You can see pictures of Shadow's arrival and first day on the farm HERE.

Shadow Is On The Way!

Shadow is the new horse we are having shipped over from Virginia for Gracie and Gemma to use for Pony Club. She is a 20 year-old mare, Arabian-Quarterhorse cross and trained under English saddle for jumping and dressage. She is 14 hands 3 inches high, a perfect height for my young riders! Shadow's owner is stationed in Japan and attends the American School where Aunt Karen teaches. The family was leasing her out for the last year in Virginia because they thought they would only be stationed over there for one year, however a new opportunity came up and they will now be over there a few years longer than anticipated. So it was a match made in heaven. We needed a safe, English trained horse and they needed someone to ride and love Shadow in their absence!

Shadow left Leesburg, Virginia Saturday night at 7pm and is expected to arrive here in Nebraska either tomorrow or early Wednesday. Tomorrow is Gracie's birthday so I told the hauler he would be a 9 year-old little girl's hero if he delivered Shadow on the 12th!

Luke's Allergic Reaction

Luke recently got sunburned while fishing with Scott. Later that morning he was playing in the grass at the band shell downtown. When Scott noticed he was getting a little red, he applied sunblock. So we're not sure if it was a reaction to somehting in the grass or the sunblock or a combination of the two. The rash never spread beyond the area where he was sunburned but I had to take him to the Dr. because it was so horrible he couldn't go to school. The Dr. cleared him as "not contagious" and we're just waiting for it to heal. It itched something fierce for the first few days (and long nights) but he's doing much better now.

2009-Piano Recital

Gracie and Gemma (both 1st year students with Diane Steinauer) had their piano recital this afternoon. I asked the girls if they were nervous and they both said "not really"! Gracie took Suzuki piano lessons in Akron for a while when she was three, but between the birth of Luke and our move to Nebraska, they hadn't had anything consistent until this past year. I think they're finally in a groove now and don't mind practicing. You can hear and see Gracie playing "Horseback Camp" HERE and Gemma playing "Carnival Caprice" HERE.

Riding Lessons

Gracie took a riding lesson with her friend Jessie Juergensen today. The two girls were thrilled to be in the arena together. I also caught a couple great shots of the other kids playing around the buildings. Gracie is doing really well and is very excited about the arrival of "Shadow", a new horse we are having shipped out here from Virginia. Aunt Karen met a family in Tokyo who needed someone to use and love their 20 year-old mare while they are stationed abroad. "Shadow" is already a trained hunter/jumper and dressage horse!! Woo Hoo!! She will arrive here in Nebraska about mid May. Click HERE to see more photos from today.

Dance Recital

I know some of you back in Ohio may find this hard to believe but we do have a dance studio out here. Yes, the arts are alive in Seward, Nebraska! I finally had a chance to upload some photos from the girls' dance recital on Sunday. Gracie was in three dances: a jazz, ballet and a tap. Gemma was in 2 dances: a ballet and tap. Both girls did a great job and received flowers from their grandparents after the show. Gracie's hair is so long that it took a zillion bobbie pins to hold up that bun, and we still netted it out of fear it would fall apart. You can click HERE for 108 more photos from our day! or not...haha

Ready To Fish

All the time I've been spending with the girls and the horses has given Scott and the boys some bonding time! Unlce John, these pics are for you! Luke has been practicing his casting and will be ready to fish with the big boys this summer!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We missed out on the family photo this year. Everyone changed out of their outfits before I could take a picture! Should have taken it before church but we were running late. Got Gemma to take this one shot of Gracie and I. The girls had a Japan theme for their dresses this year.

Our First Mounted Session-We Did It!

Today was a big day for the girls and I. We loaded up Doc and Rocky for the first time and trailered them into Lincoln for the first Pony Club mounted session of 2009. The girls have been studying since January and taking riding lessons but had not yet attended a "mounted session" with fellow Pony Clubbers. Between packing up 2 horses and all their tack, connecting a truck to a trailer, loading the horses, unloading horses, driving on I80, tacking up, and entering an arena with strange horses, the day was full of "firsts" for sure! I was very proud of the way my girls and the horses handled everything. The girls were really worried because we had not had a chance to purchase them the special breetches or schooling pants and chaps required by Pony Club but it all worked out and we hope to get them into their appropiate riding attire by the next mounted session. A special thanks goes out to our trainer, Patty Lavelle for supervising the packing and loading process at the farm! You can see the other shots I took from today by clicking HERE.