Ember Lee Turns 1!

Here's a little ditty from Dana!

 

It happened.  Ember turned one.  It happened two months ago and I’m just now getting around to posting this (maybe I’ve been in denial?).  It’s one of those things that you know is coming, yet it still manages to sneak up on you.  Having said that, I am LOVIN’ this one y ear old!

She is saucy, fun-loving, energetic, and living life to the fullest.

She is perfect.

Introducing…Ember Lee Neu…Age ONE!

 

 

What Makes Them Mine

Tonight at bedtime we read the book Wings, a cute story about a little boy who is different and a little girl who finds the courage to stand up for him. At the end of the story is a little blip about the book, and how the author wrote it to encourage kids to embrace what makes them unique.

 

Upon completion of the story I asked the boys a simple question: "What makes you different from other kids?"

 

Gage's answer: "I can see in the dark and nobody else can."

 

 

 

Max: "Lots of ducks like to sit on my head."

I treasure moments like these. The honesty and imagination of two little boys who bring us joy. Creative play, childhood happiness, wholesome spirits.

Perkins County Summer: Fishing

When Jack's good friend Dan called to see if he could take the boys fishing, we made it happen. Dan and his sister Anna are great to introduce the boys to all sorts of fun. We had a near perfect day to fish and Anna, being an amazing science teacher, is always great at explaining all the processes and reasons to Gage - spot on.

 

They were even good sports about baiting hooks for the boys. ;)

Gage's first catch! He was thrilled!

We didn't catch anything big enough to keep and take home to eat, but we caught a lot. Gage reeled in probably close to 20 fish on his line alone. They were all about this size. The water was even clear enough that we could see into the water and watch them bite the line. It was great!

Dan got the boys fishing poles. At the 4th of July Block Party, Anna lined up weights and play fish to put in the yard and let the boys practice casting.

 

 

Max found a comfy place to land.

 

 

A fun afternoon skipping naps and catching fish instead - thanks Blocks!

Perkins County Summer: Trailing

We have stayed on our toes all summer with various activities in and around Perkins County. Without planning so much as a weekend getaway with the kiddos, we founds plenty of fun close to home. Stay tuned as I attempt to post a series of summer updates, along with some news from the first few weeks of school!

In April we bought ponies for the boys and they've been a great project. We started with leading the boys around the yard and two months later they were (mostly) ready to trail cattle. Most of these pictures are from early June when Gage was still learning the little black pony's (Sally's) language. Once they got on the same page they have had a blast. Jack actually rides the second pony (Trigger), who is much younger and needs a lot more training to be ready to lead a kid around.

He's really excited at the mention of riding, and even more so when it entails trailing.

 

 Headed out to round up Grandpa's girls! Participating on this trail ride was Gage with Sally, Uncle Rick with Jake, Grandpa Chuck with Rusty, Jack with Trigger and Max with Grandma Koreen and Dusty.

Coming back to the starting point to turn a corner toward a new pasture. Grandpa Chuck uses a grazing systems that involves smaller pastures with numerous cross fences. This means cattle need to be moved frequently to control the length of grazing per pasture. We were able to get in on quite of few of the trails. (Some can be taken care of with the pickup, others are a bit more labor intensive.

Gage on Sally. This was her first trail (as far as we know). They've made so much progress since this point even. A bit that works better, reins that work better for Gage and motivation to move in the form of a little whip he can tap her with. As his comfort level and confidence has risen, her performance has also increased. It has been so much fun to watch.

Sally needed a little help rejoining the rest of the group. We've also learned that at some point in her life, she was probably foundered. No green grass for this little lady.

 

 Grandma and Max get along really well on Dusty. Trigger isn't ready for a 2nd passenger, and even when I ride its safest for Max to be with Grandma. I'm still learning too!

 

 There's a lot to be learned on the back of a horse.



Hiya cuties. Thanks for letting us spend part of our summer with you.

This was a ride from later in the summer and a pic taken on my phone. At one point in this ride, Max had gotten down to ride in the pickup with Great Grandpa Jim and Great Grandma Nora. He insisted it was time to ride horse again...5 minutes before he fell asleep. I guess its a rite of passage.

The girls, headed home.

Come back tomorrow to hear about fishing!

Economic Development

This afternoon, a much anticipated event: cashing in the aluminum cans Gage and Max have tirelessly worked to crush and collect with Grandma Koreen.

Ok, they didn't work tirelessly. But it was several moments of fun and Gage's obsessive self picking squished cans up out of parking lots, alleys and street corners.  And then at the last moment, our pal Travis sent his collection along also.

We had been asking Gage how much money he expected to earn, with guesses being between $5 and "A THOUSAND DOLLARS!". They had just under 2 garbage bags full, and yielded $4.50 for their efforts - it divided perfectly between two hands.

After The Great Aluminum Can Cash In of 2012, they boys hung out at the office until it was time to go home. We did things like: count money, roll up dollar bills and stuff them into our pocket, have a snack, trade crumpled up dollar bills for flat crispy ones, and trade dollars. In trying to get some work done, I overheard Gage working his little brother over:

Gage: "Let's have a race. If I win, I get your dollars and if you win, I get to keep mine."

Max didn't fall for his tricks and we put the brake on his plan before it went any farther. I was equally impressed and horrified at the experience.

Chipmunks Like Doritos

I left the boys in the van with a bag of Doritos today while I ran inside to pick up pizzas for lunch. (Judgement free zone on the quality of my Sunday dinner.)

When I came back outside, they were (naturally) chowing down. Up the block a ways Gage dropped a bombshell, "The bag is open on both ends."

Super. So Doritos all over his lap and the back seat of the freshly vacuumed van. I wasn't all too surprised or upset, but told him to sit still until we arrived at our destination and I could help out. At this point Max starts giving the real story, "We held the bag and then it just popped!"

I knew the answer, but asked anyway, "Gage, how did you open the bag of chips?"

He replied, "We just held it up and popped it, but it opened on both ends."

(Insert crickets chirping.)

Then his justification, "You know, like Alvin does on the first Alvin and the Chipmunks movie."

Of course, blame it on the naughty chipmunk.

Athletic Activity

Gage started soccer today. We hyped him up all weekend for the big day. There was the purchase of shin guards last week. And then the search for soccer socks, which we could not find and eventually settled on a pair of small men's socks that fit more like pants. And then the explanation of the sport.

When Gage found out who is coaching his team, he was ecstatic. A boy from church who Gage once rode as a donkey. He immediately set out to gather things for "Coach Colton": score cards, number cards, the front page of a random newspaper, and Gage's Soccer Rules. They are as follows:
#1 Have fun
#2 Be nice to your friends
#3 Get it in the goal

Yep, that's pretty much all I know too.

I was trying to explain to Gage that he might not be the person who always kicks the ball into the net, and that's ok. I tried associating it with basketball passes, baseball positions and volleyball players who all work together. He was really confused about volleyball.

"So what does volleyball look like? Do they play it inside or outside?"

Jack pitched in to field the question, "You know what Gage? The Olympics start next week. How about we sit down together and watch all kinds of volleyball on TV?"

Let the games begin!