Our Life On The Hill

August horse show

Hadleigh had her August horse show on Sunday.  She had to ride Joey, because Skeeter had colic and had to be rushed to Purdue University for surgery a couple of weeks ago.  He had impaction colic and if they would have waited an hour, he would have died.  He's such a sweet pony and we are so glad that he's doing well.  He's home now but won't be able to be ridden until December.  

Joey is a good boy, but he has a crabby streak.  He always has his ears back which makes him look mad.  We all say that he's just mad at the world for some reason.  He's a really beautiful pony and he's funny. He's just not Skeeter though.  

 They did very well and won a 3rd place and a 5th place.  The classes were huge, so it's great that she even placed.  They place the top 6.  

 

After she was done with her division, we stopped by to say hello to Skeeter. 

     
 

trophy day

On July 31st, our Little League held it's trophy day.  Each coach comes up and gives a little talk about the season.  Then, each child gets presented with their trophy.  It's always exciting and the kids look forward to it.  

Here is Sawyer getting his trophy. 

Hadleigh's turn

 

It was starting to rain, so we were scrambling to cover things and get the trophies presented. 

Here's Ashton's team

  

Sawyer and his buddy keeping dry

 

First day of school

We started school on Monday, the 23rd.  It feels like they just got out of school for the summer.  I don't know what happened to summer, but it really came and went so quickly...too quickly.  It will be nice to get back into a routine, although I will miss the lazy days and nights that summer brings.    

They were all excited and I'm sure a little nervous on Monday morning.  We had to take pictures next to the tree we use as a backdrop every year.  

Ashton~ 6th grade

Hadleigh~ 3rd grade

Sawyer~ 1st grade

      We went to the middle school first, because they start a few minutes earlier than the elementary school.  It was so strange taking him to a different building.  He won't be in the same building with Hadleigh again until he's a senior and she's a freshman.  He'll never be in the same building again with Sawyer. It was nice having all 3 in the elementary school last year. 

We were the first ones there so I was able to take his picture in front of the school like I have done every since he started school. 

My friend and I have taken a picture of these two together since Kindergarten.  They were the second ones there so we were able to take this photo. (the sun was in their eyes)

 
 

We were off to the elementary school after leaving Ashton. 

Sawyer with his buddy 

  

I had to run to work after I dropped them off to help the Dr. with a blood draw on a cat and when I parked in her driveway I saw this cutie.

 They had 11:30 early dismissal for the first day. 

  

They're home!

We went to eat at Buddy's like we do every year.  There were quite a few other families there from our town, so the kids enjoyed playing together. 

  

 

Yesterday was their first full day of school and they rode the bus.  

 

   

Middle School Orientation

Yes, we attended middle school orientation for our soon to be 6th grader!  I can't believe he's done with elementary school.  He'll never walk those halls again, he'll never get off or on the bus there again...but it's okay.  This new chapter will be good and exciting and stressful, but ...different.  It always takes me a little bit to get used to "different."

 

All of the moms went in with stomachs feeling like they were churning and eyes wide open to this new world...to us at least.   Ashton wasn't nervous at all.  My brave boy.  As the principal talked and went over the rules and expectations, I watched my little boy as he listened so intently.  I think he will do so well there.  He will love changing classes and having more responsibility.  He'll get the opportunity to do so many fun things while learning.  The science lab looked awesome and most of the rooms, if not all, have smart boards.  I'm not wanting to let him go..not wanting him to hit this stage...but he is going into it with gusto and I'm so proud of him.  

After the talk from the principal, we were able to take his schedule and locker combination and go try it out.  Oh, the dreaded locker combination had our young, fresh kids flustered.  They were all at their lockers trying so hard to open their lockers again and again.  I saw a few trying to blink back tears of frustration and few hitting the locker.  (That brought back memories!  lol )  Ashton had trouble in the beginning, but he finally got it.  We made him do it quite a few times.  After figuring out the locker a couple of times, we decided to walk through his schedule and find all of his classrooms.  He enjoyed finding all of them and checking the rooms out.  He was really excited about the science room when I pointed out all of the gas hook ups and explained what they were for.  We headed back to the locker for a few more practice runs.  

We left after that with this milestone under our belts.  I know these next 3 years will go so fast, and he'll do so much growing in that time, and it just makes me want to slow it all down.   But, we came out of there with more excitement than dread, and that's a great thing.

 

16 years of waiting for me....

and the day finally arrived!  I couldn't wait to see a horse trailer pulling into my driveway carrying my very own horse.  The time had finally come!

Nevada arrived on Friday, July 30th

Hadleigh was so excited and I think you can see it from this photo.  We actually were in the middle of a coed softball game when we got the text that she was near our house.  We quickly raced home.  Hadleigh's friend came with.  Jerry was in the shirt, that was too small, that our "coach" gave us before the game. 

Here is Nevada being unloaded  

here he is enjoying his new home

The kids had to sit on him for a few minutes

Here he is all settled in.  We had to leave and get back to our games.  

Hadleigh loved riding him with just a halter and a lead rope.  We didn't have his bridle yet at the time.  Nevada was happy to walk around with her. 

  

I love watching him graze in the pasture

Millie and Nevada grazing together

 This girl loves her horse

 

The two of them trotting together

Nevada is so funny and he loves to gallop from his dry lot out to the pasture every morning.  We have to make sure everyone is out of the way, including the goats and chickens.  One rooster got a little too close the other day as Nevada was galloping out and he stepped on the chicken's foot.  The rooster is okay though. 

 

I so wish this one wasn't blurry  :(  I'll try again sometime.

   

Washing off her boots and the hoof pick

   

We were able to get his old bridle from the riding stable at Hadleigh's lesson the following Wednesday.  The first thing she did when we got home later than night, was tacked him up for a ride.  

    

Nevada is a Mustang.  He was captured by the Bureau of Land Management when he was 6 years old.  He was caught in the state of Nevada.  He went to an owner that didn't know anything about horses and put him into a machine shed.  He had injured himself really bad and was emaciated.  Karen, Hadleigh's riding instructor and stable owner, acquired him and nursed him back to health and then trained him.  He's now 24 and so sweet!  We just love him and we couldn't have asked for a better horse for our kids.  

wicked clouds

On August 4th around 6am, Jerry called from work to tell me about a storm that was blowing in.  He said the clouds were crazy.  So I got up to look and he was right.  It didn't really storm and just blew over, but the clouds had me a little nervous.  

   

     Hadleigh waited for the storm to pass while sporting her "100th day of school" crown that she made in school on the 100th day.  

 

Millie and Soleil are here

We adopted these two goats and brought them home on July 28th.  They were rescued by a couple of teen girls that ride at Hadleigh's riding stable.  They were at a sale barn and were in horrible condition and weren't treated well.  They were sick and Naomi, one of the girls that rescued them, took care of them.  I happened to be asking Karen, the stable owner and Hadleigh's riding instructor, questions about Nevada.  He's the horse we were getting ready to bring home.  I asked her if he would get along with goats.  I love goats and had goats when I was little.  I knew my kids would love having a couple of goats too.   Karen said that Nevada would be fine with the goats and she said she had two living there that needed a home.  I went and saw them and said that we would take them.  They are so cute and so funny!

Millie is a Boer goat, which is a meat goat.  She will be safe here.  Soleil is a Nigerian Dwarf goat.  She's actually a dairy goat.  

I'm sorry I took a million photos and just have to share them all!  They are just too adorable to not share!  

 Home at last

   

Hadleigh was helping out with her new pets

 

Hadleigh's friend with Soleil

Ashton made this obstacle for the goats and they love it!

      

We are loving our new pets!  

     

A gorgeous summer evening

I love nights when we can just relax and the sunset is gorgeous and the kids are all getting along so well.  There is nothing better than that!  

(You'll notice our playset is on it's side.  On Ashton's birthday, July 23rd, we had a high wind come through our area and it blew the playset over.  We also had big limbs out of several trees and we lost one tree completely.  Last year on his birthday, our favorite tree was struck by lightning.  We've had a hard couple of years when it comes to weather and damage.)

The night wouldn't be complete without a bonfire

   dirty kids are a sign that much fun was had

  
 

    

Our chicks are getting so grown up.  They will be laying very soon

our guinea

a view from the newly fenced pasture

some of our Cherry Eggers

The run in shelter for the horse and goats that Jerry built.  It has a coat of primer on it and is ready to paint.  (The horse and goats are here now and I can't wait to blog about them.)  

back to the beautiful sunset

overlooking our hayfield

the beautiful moon

   

   

 

Lincoln Logs and a bucket o mice

No, these two things have nothing to do with each other.  I just wanted to share both, and it's easier in one posting.  lol  

The story behind the bucket o mice. I was at Jerry's grandpa's farm looking for him, but we had just missed him.  HIs grandpa passed away in May, but his wife Bev still lives there and Jerry had to check on something for her.  This farm was a pig farm and is still currently housing pigs for a neighbor and his son.  The kids love going there and there were piglets so they were in the farrowing house while I was talking to Bev.  When we were getting ready to leave, Todd, the pig farmer, gave my kids a bucket with a lid and told them not to open it until we got home.  I teased him and asked if there was a piglet inside.  He just said "Maybe, and you can't bring what is in here back."  

So we get home and the kids are so excited for me to open the bucket.  We open it and this is what I see....

I couldn't believe all of these young mice were in a bucket!  Todd was so lucky I didn't have his cell number!  lol  Of course I can't kill an animal, so we took them way out back and let them go in this area that we let grow up and then we mow it.  It gave them places to hide and I'm hoping they are far enough away from the house and don't venture this way this fall and winter.  I'll be taking them back to Todd if that happens!

Ashton and Sawyer both love Lincoln Logs.  I love it when they play and build with them together and I don't hear any arguing or fighting.  It seems that those times are rare in the summer now that they are getting older.  The bickering between the three of them gets so old!  I now know how annoyed my parents must have been when my brother and I argued all the time.  It just wears on you.  So this was a beautiful and blissful hour that nobody was fighting and they played so well together.  

Ashton took these pictures of their creation when he was done. 

    

  

The Lake

On July 16th, we went to the waterpark with Hadleigh's softball team.  The kids had  so much fun.  I on the other hand, had to sit in the sun all day.  I'm so not a "sit in the sun" type of girl.  I always go for a seat under an umbrella when we go to the waterpark.  Of course they were all taken that day.  I sat in the blazing hot sun with the other moms from 11am until 4pm!  I thought I was going to die.  I literally felt nauseous a few times and had to get into the water to feel better.  I was so glad when 4 o clock finally came around.  

I had Hadleigh's friend with me and I also brought her older sister and another girl from our town home from the waterpark.  I had to take the older girls to the one girl's house because they were having a sleepover.  Hadleigh's friend spent the night at our house.  We dropped the older girls off and they live on a lake.  Their backyard was gorgeous and they had a great deck with benches and kind of like a little beach area.  Of course Hadleigh, Sawyer and Hadleigh's friend had to get into the lake, even though I wanted nothing more but to get home and get my swimming suit off of my fried skin.  I decided to grab my camera and capture the beauty instead of freaking out and trying to get them to leave right away.  

This lake is an old quarry and it has a lot of history in our town.  My great uncle actually drown in it when he was 19. 

Here they are enjoying the lake on a hot and sunny afternoon.