CAN
YOU

STAND

ON YOUR

HEAD?
If so can you do it with a BIG grin on your face?
Last spring Megan decided that she was going to learn how to stand on her head. Every once in a while, at least a few times a week she would try, and try and try. The kid is determined. Well on Friday, October 10, 2008 she did it! Of course I did not have the camera ready since I was making dinner, so this is actually the 2nd time that she stood on her head, but we will pretend that it's the first!!!
p.s. can you see her little 6-pack abs? the girl is strong!

Fresh off the school bus on Friday afternoon, with a whole lot of nothing to do.

These pouts are the result of her sister coming along and making Rebel move out of his sunny spot by the front door. Megan was hoping to get a snuggle with him.

This is the teeny tiny bit of a smile that she gave when I asked nice.

A visit from Sparkles!
We had an overnight guest this past Monday. Megan's 2nd grade class has a mascot, she's a webkinz goldfish named Sparkles. Megan's name was picked Monday at school so she got to take Sparkles home for the night. So that meant that Megan got to write in Sparkles journal about their adventures together.

After dinner Paige took Rebel for a walk and Megan took Sparkles for a ride in her bike basket.

We saw Miss. Linda out for a walk so Megan introduced her to Sparkles. Miss. Linda used to teach kindergarten so she really hammed it up when she met Sparkles.

Paige had an empty fish food container up in her room, so Megan washed it out and they filled it with "fake fish food" (torn up peices of construction paper). Megan also got one of the plastic fish tank plants form the basement to add to Sparkles tank. I'm sure that her teacher got a big kick out of that.

While Sparkles was here she visited with Megan's manatee and Paige's goldfish.

Here is Sparkles in her "tank"ready to go back to school with Megan on Tuesday morning. Bye Sparkles, we enjoyed the visit, please come back again soon!

Meet Tarry.

Tarry is the quarter horse that Paige rode at the stable yesterday. It was chilly and windy out yesterday, good thing I grabbed a sweatshirt for Paige on our way out the door. She will have to grab some gloves for herself next time, she said her hands were cold. Miss. Ginette said that if it is cold next week then they will ride bare back. Paige was a little worried about that on the way home in the car. But I told her to just squeeze her legs tight and she will be fine. Heck they only ride in a pen, no hills or creeks to cross, it will be good for her.

Megan and I stood out under the trees by the picnic tables and watched her lesson for a bit then we went and sat in the car to get out of the wind. Megan did her reading so that was one less thing to do after we got home and had dinner.

Hey look! I think there's something in the bushes!

On Sunday afternoon I had Rowdy out in the backyard with me while I was taking pictures of our flowers. Rowdy kept going over to the clump of grasses in the corner and growling, at first I was afraid that it was a skunk. But then the bushes started to move.

Do you see anything strange in the bushes?

Oh great it's not a skunk, just my silly husband testing his new "Swamp Man" costume for the haunted house.

Mike bought this gillie suit at Meijers on Sunday afternoon and he was "testing" it out on the neighbors. I was out in the yard with the dogs when he ran out the back door to go over and peak in Chris's backdoor. Rebel was barking at him like he was a monster...really growling and yapping. Mike went to Chris's screen door and knocked and when Chris came up from their downstairs office he made a little gasp. Just after that Xaiver came down looking for Mike and Mike jumped out from behind the garage and X came around the corner. That was pretty good too. Then Mike got in the bushes and Brian came out on his deck to say hi and Brian didn't even know Mike was in the bushes. Xavier went to get Matt and Mike jumped out at him. They were having a grand time with it. They even had Mike stand at the end of our row of arborvites
and wait for a car to drive by (since we have a corner lot) and then he started running. It was pretty funny watching the car slow down. Brian said "you better be careful or you'll end up in a freezer down in Kentucky".

So what do you think Swamp Man or Vampire?
I personally think he makes a great vampire, he's tall and has the hairline for it. The guys wanted to switch things up in the haunted house this year so the vampire got voted out. I think Mike will have fun being the swamp thing, at least he can smile under his mask after he scares the bejeepers out of folks and no one will know he's smiling.

When was the last time that you made Jiffy Pop?
We had some last night.
Surprisingly " It taste like movie popcorn". A direct quote from Paige and Megan.

Mike had to get in on the action, he likes to shake things up!

Is it just me or do they look like they are watching a science experiment? I think they were waiting for it to explode. You have to use a fork to let the steam out and open the foil top. Not as exciting as an explosion.It was as much fun to make as it was to eat!

Just like the package states.

Q- How much does this girl love her dog?

A - Enough to crawl under the desk with him so she can scratch his ears!

Here are some more pictures from Wed. 9-24-08

This is sweet little Daisey one of the four dogs at the stables. Paige has a beagle webkinz that she had named Daisey so Paige does not have a problem remembering her name.

Miss. Ginette thought it would be a good idea for Paige and Lindsay to switch horses this week. The girls were not thrilled at first but they really didn't have a choice. The teacher knows best and I think these girls would ride any horse they were offered. Any horse is better than no horse.

Look there's our girl holding up C.C.'s front hoof and giving it a cleaning with the hoof pick. It makes me smile to see her taking care of her horse and using her muscles.

Paige's friend Kylie was with us. She has been coming over in the morning's to ride the bus to school with Paige and coming home in the afternoons too. Her and her mom just moved into a condo down the road. It is still in the school district but not the same school. I am glad that Kylie will get to stay with her 5th grade class (her and Paige have the same teacher) since she has been at the school since 1st grade. Next year when they are in middle school she will be able to take the bus to school, but until then she is welcome at our house.

Paige enjoyed having Kylie along. Kylie's mom used to ride and show horses so Kylie was thrilled. I am glad that Paige enjoyed riding C.C. I can tell that it gave her even more confidence. It was also fun to hear her compare C.C. and Calliope. She said "C.C. is a little more responsive and easier to get into a trot, if the horses were cars then C.C. would be a sports car and Calliope would be like our minivan". I just hope she doesn't get to used to the sports car because I have a feeling they will be trading back and forth.