Day 2 Horse Camp

On Sunday we left Hawthorn Hollow and went to Red Tails Horse Farm. Jen's troop went there last year and loved it so much that we went again. This was the part of the whole trip that the girls wanted to do the most. It had rained in the morning, so everything was muddy on top of it being a horse farm, the girls were a mess by the time we went home.

The first station we went to was grooming. All of the girls learned about the different brushes, how to approach a horse and even how to put on a saddle. Jen loved being so close to the horse and taking care of it. This was also step #1 in trying to persuade me to buy her a horse.

You gotta love the do rag on her head. When we left camp, Mrs Becky bought all of girls one so they can were it around their neck like a cow girl. My cowgirl has her own fashion statement going on.

Jen got Shalamar -which was the biggest horse- to ride. She had no fear what so ever and just wanted to go. She made sure to tell me before they took off that if she got a horse she could get a pink hat just like the one she is wearing and that she would look cute on a horse like Shalamar. They learned how to make the horse stop, go, and gallop. Every time she came my way she glowed with the biggest smile ever.

During one her passes by, as I was telling her what a great job she was doing, she looked at me and said "See how good I'm doing. I definitely think I need my own horse now." She is persistent.

On our way to the circus

All children have special talents. Some sing, some dance and some are gifted in sports. My children have "special" talents as well. It seems as if they have suction cups on their feet. Jen was very proud to show off her new trick.

It didn't take Jimmy long to figure the whole thing out. By the time I uploaded these pictures, he had made his way to the top of the door.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!!!

Well, we tried to be somewhat to be green today. Last week Jen came home with black non-washable marker on her new white tee, so we went to the store and got an Earth Day iron on to cover it up-we recycled!!!! Jimmy's shirt was recycled from last year when Jen wore it. I was going to have a TV free day in our house today until I realized it was Thursday and Real Housewives of New York is on. I know it's really bad to pick trash TV over the planet, but if you watch it then you would know that there is a Jill vs Bethany thing this season and I can't miss it. We did decide to eat out so we wouldn't have to turn on the stove and waste electricity - sounds good right ?

Our butterflies finally hatched !! Last month while we were visiting the Easter Bunny, we adopted a set of caterpillars. The kids have been anxiously waiting every day since for them to turn into Butterflies.

The night before we left for camping, the formed their chrysalis and I was a little worried they would hatch while we were gone. I didn't want the kids to miss it.

Last night Jen called me into the kitchen and said she heard them flapping around in the box. Sure enough they had come out and were beautiful. It takes a couple of hours for the blood to be pumped into their wings before they can fly. We put some orange juice and pieces of oranges for them to feed on. It was nice to have a "pet" for a day.

Jimmy was saying his last goodbye and giving them instructions to say "Hi" to GG and Uncle Doug in heaven for him and Jenna. I think it was a little easier for both Jen and Jimmy to let them go thinking they would visit them in heaven. We left the box on the porch in the morning and when we got home, they raced to check it, but they had found a new home. Overall, it was fun to watch the process and very low maintenance- my kind of pet.

Shawn and Tom had invited us to go camping with them this past weekend in Davison. It was only a hour and 20 minutes away in a camper and was in a members only camp ground - hardly roughing it. The campground was loaded with things to do - put put golf, both indoor and outdoor pools, a huge rec building and much more. When we got up there, Tom and Shawn already had a fire going since it was freezing and had snow flurries in the morning. My kids didn't even flinch. They LOVED the freedom and started riding their bikes and exploring the area.

Later that night, we went to the rec building where they were having a sock hop. All of the kids participated in the hula hoop contest as well as the biggest bubble gum bubble contest. Shawn took first place in the adult division. She won a Coke glass filled with candy and a free round of put put.

All of the running around wore the kids down a bit, so they all hopped into bed and watched a movie.

The kids all loved playing on this huge playground set.

Jimmy and Cody spent a good amount of time playing corn hole with each other just like their Daddy's do. They actually got a few of the bean bags into the holes.

Playing put put with three kids six and under isn't exactly fast and easy. We didn't keep score, but I'm sure if we did, they each would have had a score of 160 puts or more for 18 holes. They had fun and that's all that matters.

I LOVE this picture!!! Jimmy and Cody have become great buddies.

The second night, they had karaoke night. I was completely surprised when Jenna had signed up and even more surprised that she actually got up there. She sang a song by Taylor Swift and did pretty good considering she didn't know all of the words. After , she signed up for another song - I think she's got the bug.

My little JimBobby is her #1 fan. He stayed at the edge of the stage for her song.

ON Sunday, the indoor pool was finally opened so the kid's were so excited to jump in. This is little Ryan enjoying the water. Both Jimmy and Ryan mostly stayed on the edge of the pool and in the jacuzzi. That was enough for them.

Jen and I took a walk and took some pictures around the campground. We had a little bonding time just the two of us. My kids had a blast camping and having sooo much fun! The only problem is now they think this is what camping really is. They will be completely surprised if we ever go tenting! When giving Aunt Shawn and Uncle Tom a hug and thank you, Jimmy asked Tom "Can we do this again next week?".

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter a little late. I had to wait a couple of days so I could adjust my attitude before I wrote here. You see, the "Easter Bunny" spent a lot of time searching for all of the right things to put into Jen and Jimmy's baskets. I love waking up and watching the kids go through their baskets with excitement. Well, the first wake up call was from Jen at 6:30. I told her she had to go back to bed for a while. At 8:15 we were woken up again by both Jimmy and Jen this time. When I came down the hall, Jim just looked at me and said "Well, they already had Easter". There it was on the table - the entire contents of two baskets ripped apart and already enjoyed. I did not get one picture of them finding their baskets and opening them, and I certainly was not going to take any after - we were fuming to say the least.

We had brunch with Jim's side of the family first. The hall we went to had this great Easter Bunny who took great time and effort to meet, greet and take pictures with all of the kids - yeah right. Do you love the picture?

Later, we went to Julie's house for an Easter egg hunt. Between the two of us we filled a couple of hundred eggs for them to find.

Jen found the one golden egg and was so excited.

Jen and Jimmy sorting and emptying all of their eggs. Between all of the eggs and baskets they received, our house is overflowing with candy.

AN EGG-STRA FUN DAY !!!

Every year I take the kids to Huron Park for the annual Easter egg hunt. This year Kaiden, Lanie and Spencer went with us. There are four baseball fields all with different age groups, so the big kids don't run over the little ones. With five kids, we were spread out between three fields. It was a little hectic, but the kids had a blast. This year the hill was also used as part of the 6-7 year old field that Jenna and Kaiden were on.

Jen and some of her Daisy Girl Scout friends.

My cousin Becky invited us to her church for an Easter Fair. At the fair, there were arts and crafts, face painting, games, the cutest little chicks and bunny's and much more! Jen and I had a ton of fun and she brought home candy, stickers and a balloon parrot.

And finally, we still had to dye eggs for the bunny. Jen picked out the glitter kit this time. Egg dying was a breeze this year. As much as I hate the kids getting older, I love that they are now both old enough to be somewhat independent with these kind of projects.

They both were so proud of their finished work.