Post-Riding Trauma, the Rodeo, and Dancing Under the Stars

Days in the Life...

Monday I was exhausted from my horse-riding adventure (almost falling off twice and being so terrified that you scream a genuine I-don't-know-if-I'm-going-to-be-okay-or-not scream will wear you out), so I slept in a little. Once I got up I felt like I'd been hit by twelve 18-wheelers, but that's okay.

I went on to spill coffee on myself twice that morning. It was a great day!

In the afternoon the kids wanted to hear all my stories from the previous afternoon and then Chloe and I took my car in to get new tires. (Yes, those are expensive.)


I got back in time to go babysit for small group and snuggle with baby Blaire.

Tuesday morning Christian asked me if I wanted to go for a run with him. I'm not a runner (we have established this about 12 million times), so I agreed. We left at 7:00 and this guy is fast. Eventually I told him I could not run anymore and gave him permission to take off for home. I was just fine to walk the rest of the way. This gentleman was very reluctant to run off and leave me, but I convinced him I would be just fine. 

All in the same day I learned that both Christian and Chloe are taller than me and that I am actually shorter than I thought I was. Mom and I are the same height, so Chloe and Christian have passed us both up, by a long shot. I'm fine with that. I've always wanted to be shorter than them. Christian is VERY fine with that. 

Gabe had gym in the afternoon and that night I went to babysit baby Sofia. 

She sat in my lap for .2 seconds, 

just long enough for me to take this picture. 

Wednesday I got to Kate and Blaire's house early again and got to sleep on the couch for two hours before they woke up!! It was a good day, although the big dog wasn't very nice to Kate or me. He spent a lot of time shut up in the bathroom because of it... 

Blaire slept quite a bit in my arms that afternoon. 

For some reason she would not go to sleep in her bed. 

I know Ava and Mia had their gym time, but I really don't have any idea what anyone else did during the day. 

Mom and Dad went out for dinner and then went over to see the progress on the little house. 

Thursday I was gone from 8:00-8:00. It was a long day! 

I had coffee with a friend, got my hair cut, did some shopping, remembered to eat lunch, went to the worship/Bible study, and met a lady from church for dinner. 

I felt like the biggest wimp EVER. 

I asked my hair-stylist to give me more layers, but save the length in my hair because it was too heavy. She only took an inch off the length and then added about three inches of layers. I then walked around the next two hours trembling because my head felt so much lighter it scared me. I know, it was bad. 

The rest of my day was great! 

While I was gone, Gabe had his gym practice and Christian spent most of the day at our little house with Micah and his friend working to pull up flooring because Mom and Dad found even MORE original hardwood floors in the house, this time in the kitchen. 

The three of them ended up spending about 10 hours working on it. 

When I got home I wanted to go see it so Dad and I went over there. We thought the guys were about done, but we got there and they were still working on this one little section that would NOT come up! Dad helped them and about 45 minutes and a lot of frustration and sweat later, they finally got it up. I will admit it was very entertaining to watch. I kept my mouth shut, though, and didn't give them advice. *wink* 

Friday I cared for Kate and Blaire at their house for a few hours in the morning and then came home to help Chloe deliver cinnamon rolls. 

I had had visions of retreating to my room for a quiet night alone recharging from the week, but when Rebecca invited me to go to the Rodeo with her and her sister spontaneously and then both Chloe and Christian expressed great interest, I waved goodbye to my tentative plan, in favor of time with people! 

By the time Chloe and I got home we had about 20 minutes to change and eat dinner before leaving to meet Rebecca and Amy at a gas station so we could all ride together. Jake works at the Rodeo at the Fort Worth Stock Yards so he was able to let most of us in for free! Micah met us there too so Christian wouldn't be the only guy looking out for all us girls. *wink* 

Now, Chloe and Christian love horses and are getting more and more and MORE into country music, trucks, cowboy clothes, and boots (ever since I came home from Summit with these three friends), so the rodeo was right up their alley, along with Jake, Rebecca, Amy, and Micah. However, none of that is really my thing. That being said, I actually enjoyed it all way more than I thought I would! I knew I would enjoy the time with the people, but the actual Rodeo was pretty cool too! I was the only one not wearing boots and a button down shirt, but that's okay. 

Bull-riding.

Jake (in the white shirt leaning against the gate)

 hard at work.

Line up for the calf roping.

Amy, Rebecca, me, Micah, Christian, Chloe.

My absolute favorite part, though, was when they opened the evening with prayer, the National Anthem, and the American flag. 

Saturday we had a family work day at the little house. Micah and Rebecca also came to help. The floor was all pulled up, but the entire house needed to be deep cleaned and there was a ton of trash that needed to be hauled off. The littles didn't stay the whole time and Mom had hurt her hand, but the rest of us were there a good five hours. 

It's always more fun working with friends, particularly strong friends who can help lift heavy stuff that otherwise would have taken just the four of us a lot longer to move... 

Mom picked up Chick-fil-a for all of us. Everyone had gotten their sandwich and I was reaching for mine, but the bag was empty... Within seconds pretty much everyone had pulled off a piece of their sandwich to give it to me. That was before I could say that I was genuinely not even that hungry. As it was, though, I ended up with more than a whole sandwich. I felt loved. 

After we finished working Rebecca headed home and the rest of us came home to clean up for church. 

Christian rode with Micah to church and I took Ava. 

I played piano during House of Prayer and everyone else met us for the church service. We visited for a long time after church. 

Before going home Chloe and Christian wanted a swing dancing lesson. Micah and I had learned some at Summit so we gave it a shot to see how much we could remember. It was more than either of us thought we would remember and it was definitely enough to be able to teach the others. 

So Micah turned on country music (no, that is not normal swing dancing music, but it worked) and we ended up dancing all together in the parking lot under the stars for almost 30 or 45 minutes! It was pretty fun and even Ava got to learn a few things. 

When we got home we taught Mia and Gabe as well. Gabe especially figured it out quickly!

Sunday was a normal, restful day until in the evening. Then we had people from church here for the Financial Peace University (FPU) class that Mom and Dad are leading the next several months. Christian, Chloe, and I are all participating as well.

That Moment When...

You trip over absolutely nothing.

You give the wrong directions to the person driving.

Your hair blows into someone else's mouth.


The Herd: Quoted 

"Turn it down! I don't want to draw any attention to us." -Me to Christian who was blasting my car radio in the church parking lot.
"But I do!!" -Christian dancing around.

"If you 'pear' with me, I will pare another pear and take care of that knife." -Mom to Dad after he cut his own pear.

"So, you remember last year when I said I hated country music with a passion because all it is is whiney people singing about all their problems with a fake accent?" -Chloe
"Yes..." -Mom
"Well, you can mark today as the day I eat those words." -Chloe

"I can't believe someone actually likes me!" -Mia when Dad said one of his work clients was hoping to see Mia again some time.

"That's okay I was just planning to not eat today...I'm seriously not hungry." -Me after I got handed pieces of everyone else's sandwich.
"Yeah, not eating usually works really well for you, honey." -Mom
"Well, I did have two eggs this morning!" -Me
"Oh wow! Two eggs! That will hold you over until Tuesday at least!" -Mom

October in Texas, Riding Horses, Being Bucked, Normal Life...

Days in the Life...

Monday (the beginning of October) we jumped back into normal life in Texas. Just like going to Maui, coming home is (aside from the reality of not being in Maui anymore and the difficult adjustment to the time difference) a relatively seamless transition. We pick up where we left off and keep on keeping on.

Because I could hear pretty much nothing and wasn't feeling so well on my actual birthday we postponed my birthday breakfast with Mom and Dad until Monday morning. For the first time in 5 years I got to pick somewhere to eat for my birthday in Texas. Naturally I chose Seven Mile Cafe.

We had a lovely breakfast and enjoyed visiting and making plans for the following several weeks.

In the afternoon I ran some errands for Dad. On my way out the door I stopped dead in my tracks to take a few seconds and be shocked over the size of this bush! It grew overnight it seemed! Never mind the fact that I had not seen it in almost a month...

That night Gramma and Grandpa came out for dinner to catch up with us and celebrate my birthday. Chloe and Gramma put together a beautiful photo-book for my gift that used pictures Chloe had taken and poetry I had written. I love it!! 

Tuesday was pretty quiet as far as I can remember. We were still not getting up until close to 8:30 or 9:00, but we were pretty close to over our jet-lag for the most part. Gabe's gym schedule changed and he now has practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon/evenings. 

Wednesday it was still 80 degrees outside and hot enough that I wore summer clothes. 

Mia and Ava had their gymnastics class that morning.

In the afternoon I drew a logo for 

the baking business Chloe and I have started. 

Island Time Baking. 

We had our engagement group that night and it was soooooooo good to gather with everyone again. For me it had been over two months since I'd met with our group. Needless to say, it was a special time. 

Thursday morning we got to have breakfast and visit with one of the young moms in our group and her little girls. They had stayed the night next door with Nana and Grandfather instead of driving home so late after dark. We greatly enjoyed playing with the babies. *wink* 

I went to spend time with a friend in the afternoon and Gabe had gym. 

Friday I got to get up at 5:00 am (yes, that pushed me into fully adjusting to the time difference) to be at Kate and Blaire's house by 6:00. It was my first time to go to their house for the day and being there was actually much easier on all three of us. 

They both slept until close to 7:30 so I got to eat and have coffee and spend time reading my Bible before they got up. After that I didn't really get a break, because caring for a two year old and a 3 month old is a full-time occupation. 

Kate being so big, feeding herself breakfast. 

She is seriously the happiest little girl ever!! 

She found my Bible and wanted to read it. 

Blaire is SO peaceful! 

The day went really, really well. The thing I was most nervous about was caring for the two indoor dogs they have, one of which is VERY large. It went just fine, though. I only almost got knocked over once, I think. 

Blaire was on a super easy two hour schedule and Kate took a really good afternoon nap. I was pretty worn out by the time I got home at 6:00 pm, though. 

That night the littles watched "Planes" and the rest of us watches "Courageous." I only cried 7 times... It was really good. 

Saturday was a pretty normal day for everyone as far as I can remember. And church that night was good. 

Sunday we had a normal morning together and made brunch and all that. A little after noon, one of my friends from Summit, Micah, came to take me to way out into the country to spend the afternoon with Jake and Rebecca (also friends from Summit). Rebecca and I had both had birthdays within the past two weeks so we were celebrating together! 

We met up at a Mexican restaurant for lunch because none of the other three had eaten yet. I politely stared at them while they ate. 

From there we went to Jake's house to ride horses! 

The last time I had ridden a horse was last August and that horse was super stubborn and hardly moved at all. It also tried to buck me a little and drug me under a tree. So of course I wanted to ride again! 

Rebecca taught me how to saddle the horse I was going to ride. She had to put the saddle on the horse, though, because, you know, saddles weigh like 50 lbs and horses are tall....

I spent a lot of time petting my horse and talking to it and brushing it down and being really sweet to it because I really wanted this horse to like me. And not buck me. 

Chloe rides horses way more than I do, so on the way home from church the night before she told me some of the things I should do, which was helpful. She was positive they would have a mounting block, but they did not. I was still able to get on by myself, though!

Jake and Rebecca are pretty much pro-horse-riders and Micah had not ridden in a long time. Like, four years...

We rode on a trail for a little ways and then entered a pasture area and rode around in that for a while and then went back to the trail and back to the barn.

The first five minutes were great! My horse walked very nicely and I wasn't too nervous at all. Okay, I just wasn't death scared yet. I was just nervous.

Because Jake is a pro (and his horse is the most wild and crazy of the four), once we got to a good spot, he took off. That meant Micah's horse followed Jake's (because those two horses like to race a lot). And because Rebecca is also a pro, she took off after the guys. And that meant my horse also started trotting and then cantering and then running because it didn't want to get left behind. Although I would have been just fine with that.

I called out "Umm guys...!" enough times that the others slowed down and the horses started walking again, but not until after my horse dragged me under a tree while running, which caused me to lose both stirrups and the reins. Laughing didn't help me keep my balance either. *wink*

So after ten minutes I'd almost fallen off once, but I thought going fast was kind of fun as long as I was with the others.

Posting is going up and down in rhythm with the motion of the horse. I kind of got it and kind of didn't based on how fast the horse was going. Micah kind of didn't get it at all. Well, I mean, he got the up and down part down perfectly!! Just...not in rhythm with his horse... Jake and Rebecca were very helpful, though, they are great encouragers. "Up and down, guys, go up and down." "With the horse, Micah, with the horse." "I'm going up and down, but not the way you're telling me to!"

Once we got into that pasture area all the horses started all out racing. (At least that's what it felt like to me...maybe they were just cantering...I'm not a very good horse-woman. Obviously. *wink*) Micah's horse turned around, though, and raced back to the trail and disappeared. I was saying "Umm guys..!" and "Whoa!!" and trying not to fall off or laugh too hard. Finally I pulled so hard on the reins that my horse stopped, but by that time I had made her mad.

So she bucked me once.

"Umm guys!!"

She bucked again, a little harder.

"Jake!!!"

She bucked a third time, even harder.

*A very loud scream that Micah heard clearly all the way across the pasture where he was just reappearing*

Jake finally got over to me, grabbed my horse's reins, and made her stop. I asked about three times if I could get down before he realized I was serious. Rebecca was laughing and Micah was finally getting back over to the rest of us. I got down and held Jake's horse while he jumped on mine and whipped her into shape again. She even tried to buck him! But he wouldn't have any of that behavior from her.

Rebecca and I ended up trading horses.

That was after 20 minutes of riding.

This was just after I got off 

my horse and was holding Jake's for him.

After that I was a lot more nervous and horses are extremely smart so my new horse could tell and that made her act weird too, but she at least didn't buck me. 

We rode around in the pasture more and got the horses water before heading back. 

Cowboy Jake. I'm serious, 

he is the true definition of a Texan Cowboy.

Jake and Rebecca.

Me and Micah.

(His horse was HUGE!!)

I don't really remember this part of the ride, but apparently towards the end Jake and Micah's horses ran off and mine and Rebecca's started to run as well. I screamed and our two horses stopped running. When we caught up to the guys a neighbor was asking them if we were okay because he had heard me scream all the way up the trail and inside his house. 

Jake has a bucking barrel to practice on for bull riding at the Rodeo (see, told you, real cowboy), so after we unsaddled all the horses and got them brushed down (I was able to get the saddle off the horse by myself..!), Micah and Jake suggested I ride the bucking barrel. 

I just glared at them. And by "glared" I mean I tried really hard to look stubborn and serious, but really I was trying to not smile because I am horrible at acting mad at people. Rebecca is much braver than I am so she did ride it. After she fell off twice and neither Micah, nor Jake caught her even though they were standing right there, I was really positive I did NOT want to pretend to be bucked. Especially since I had already been bucked for real. And was still shaking from it over an hour later...

All in all, it was a successful ride! Nobody actually fell off a horse and we all laughed plenty and now have fun memories to treasure always. And remind us - er - me, why I am kind of, sort of, scared of riding horses...*wink* 

After that adventure Micah and I went to his house to see his family and get cleaned up to go to dinner with Jake and Rebecca. We were all pretty tired (and some of us were already sore...) but we had a good time and were sad when it was time for us to all head back home. 

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Getting Back-sided, Surprise Children, and a Late Night

We still exist! We have not disappeared for forever! Just for most of July, but...  Allow me to now begin to catch you up on all that has been going on with us.

Days in the Life...

Monday was the Fourth of July and we didn't do that much...

I had off of work, Chloe and Christian had no class, Gabe did not go to gymnastics.

So I did a full day of studying and chores and ironing (I was sooooooo excited that Dad had stuff that needed ironing) and other stuff that needed doing.

Here I am sporting red, white, and blue. 

I recommend alternate methods for sporting red.

Dad worked and tried to fix our septic system as it was clogged and about to overflow. Of course, no plumbers were answering their phones and Dad could not figure out how to fix it. So we began conserving water. 

We all took turns going next door to beg to be allowed to use Nana and Grandfather's shower. 

In the afternoon Chloe made an apple pie and after a non-typical Fourth of July dinner, Nana and Grandfather snuck in and swiped the pie joined us for ice cream, pie, and "Tammy Tell Me Truly." 

The others stayed up to watch the fireworks again, but I was exhausted and went to bed. Mom and Dad tried valiantly to get to sleep before they started, but it was too late. 

Tuesday was another more laid back day for the most part. The plumber came to fix our septic tank and Chloe and Christian went to class. My car needed some work so Dad and I took it in to the shop in the morning and then went back to get it before dinner. 

In the evening I went to babysit a little girl. 

We played dress up. 

It is actually very hard to see through those glasses. 

Wednesday it was back to work, back to class, back to gym, back to normal. 

Gabe actually spent 7 hours at the gym, though, and after I got home from work we all got to have an adventure. 

Mom had just left to go get Gabe from the gym and I had literally done 30 seconds of my workout when Christian called Dad from Chloe's phone about 5 minutes after they had texted they were on their way home from class.

Right away I could tell something was wrong.

They had just been involved in a hit-and-run accident and Chloe "was in no condition to make the call to Dad."

Dad made sure they were okay and that they were not still on the highway. Christian said they were not hurt other than both their necks being really sore from being jerked. They had pulled into a gas station and the back bumper was still on the highway.

Dad told him to call 911 and then called Mom to reroute her from the gym to go be with Chloe and Christian.

The girls and I then left to go get Gabe after running next door to let Nana and Grandfather know what had happened.

Ava and Mia ended up giving me directions to the gym since I had never been there before. We found it just fine and got to watch the end of Gabe's practice. Then in the car I carefully worded the story of what had happened and why Mom was not picking him up. (Gabe is our worrier and can get very worked up about things. He was okay once he knew they were not hurt and that Mom was with them.)

Gabe lined up with his class. 

(He is the one in navy.) 

Back home I was able to read all the text updates. Grandfather and Dad had left to go get the car and Mom was driving the kids to the chiropractor. 

Christian had made the 911 call just fine and the police officer arrived sans sirens. Once Mom arrived a bit later, they all went in to the gas station to talk. 

Christian was able to tell the officer the make, model, and color of the big pickup truck that had hit them at a red light. The bumper had not fallen off the car and the reason Chloe was not able to call was because she was so angry and was still yelling at the long gone driver. (Christian was yelling too, but he calmed down first. Also, he is a bit dramatic and so the ordeal ended up sounding much worse than it actually was when he first called Dad.)

What happened was they had stopped at a light and were waiting for the cars in front of them to start moving as it had just turned green. The truck that hit them apparently missed that the light had been red .46 seconds before and so never slowed down but rammed right into the kids just as Chloe took her foot off the brake. Christian had been leaning forward when they got hit and so was slammed into his seat which hurt his neck and shoulder. Chloe's neck was also so violently jerked that her sunglasses flew off her face, all the stuff in their laps and on the dashboard got thrown on them and the floor, and the sunroof cover (which is nearly impossible to open) was shoved open a good several inches. 

Chloe drove through the light and then tried to move over a lane because they were in the middle of the highway. As she began moving over the truck that hit them swerved around them and almost hit the driver's side, then raced off. Christian missed the license plate, but was able to collect all the other information. 

They pulled into the gas station and then "let it loose." (To quote them both.) Christian calmed down first and tried to comfort Chloe who continued yelling and threw her phone at him saying, "call someone." 

So he called Dad, Dad told them what to do and called Mom, then called them back and made sure they knew they were to just sit tight and wait for the police and Mom to arrive. 

By the time I got home they had reached the doctor's office and Dad and Grandfather were on their way home with the car. (They were driving a 20+ year old Honda Civic so no airbags went off.) 

I was supposed to get dinner with one of the ladies in our church, but I wasn't sure if Mom and Dad would want me to stay home. Mom said I should still go, though, so I rushed to help Ava make dinner and then showered and raced out the door myself, passing Dad on my way out. 

The others arrived home and rested and ate dinner and watched a "Tammy" movie. 

I had a really nice time at dinner and enjoyed finally getting to relax and breathe after such a long, crazy day. (Work had it's "fun" moments too... Like arriving and finding out that in addition to watching the three I usually nanny, I would be caring for their cousins. So, the ages of my charges for the day, 6, 5, 4, and 3 years old, and 18 months. One girl. Four boys. One me, who was not freaking out externally. Six loud hours.) 

Back at home I got to hear the whole story from Chloe and Christian. That's when details like "no we weren't crying, we were yelling" came out. They were both already joking about it and seemed in good spirits. Chloe was excited to write a blog post about the adventure and I highly recommend it! Her post is here. 

Thursday I was already planning to take Mia with me, but adding her to the five I already had was.....interesting. The day actually went relatively well and Mia had fun. 

And yes, that would be Mia reading to them. 

Meanwhile, at home, we finally had concrete poured!!

Chloe got right back on that horse and drove our truck to class. It was her and Christian's last day of their Learning Frameworks class and they both finished with solid As. 

Mom and Dad went to dinner with Aunt Cendei, the kids watching a movie after dinner, and I had an adventure of my own. 

I was planning to finally put up my feet and do something that did not require much brainpower or energy, but I felt like I should at least log onto my college class and make sure I didn't have any emails. 

Well, I had one. 

And it said that, surprise, all the deadlines had been moved from Sunday night to that night and I had less than 5 hours to write three 300 word essays, two 250 word posts, and six comments, do a "dress for success" type assignment thingy, and take the final exam. (I had blocked off all of Friday to finish all those assignments.) 

So I took a few minutes to freak out. 

So I prayed, settled down, and got to it. Trying not to cry. 

I ended up having a few small issues like, "Oh, you no longer have any available space and so we are going to delete your essays," and "We'd rather not convert your pictures to an acceptable format," and "Now we won't allow you to submit your assignment because it's going to take 45 minutes to upload," and "Well, now you have nine minutes to take the final." (That would be my laptop and the class site talking. *wink*) 

But I made it!

I turned everything in and was able to complete 2/3 of the final before midnight. Because I didn't finish the final my grade went down by 2%, but that just meant I finished with a grade that was slightly better than Christian's. I'm not complaining! 

So that's how I finished my first college class! According to all those who have been through college, having that late night meant I am officially in college now. Afterwards I was very glad to have it done and my Friday was way more relaxed, but I was excited about not cutting it that close again. (Pay attention to that key word "was", it's important for reasons revealed in coming posts.) 

Friday I slept in. 

Then spent the day catching up on random little things I needed to do before leaving for Aunt Lauren and Uncle Phil's place. 

Chloe and Christian got to work on their other school and enjoy saying that they now have college credit! 

The rest of the week I'm not entirely sure what everyone else did. I know they went to church on Saturday, but other than that, I have no idea. (Or memory.)

I beat the Dallas traffic and arrived safely for my birthday weekend. Aunt Lauren and I got to visit until Uncle Phil got home. Then we went to dinner and returned to watch the first half of a BBC period drama called "North and South." In case you were wondering, that is not a comedy. At all. You will cry. A lot. 

Saturday we all slept in. Then Uncle Phil prepared a yummy brunch meal for us. Aunt Lauren made chai tea lattes and we had our quiet times until she and I could leave to go get pedicures. 

Upon our return, we had orange smoothies and sweet maui onion potato chips. Then we all went to a thrift shop. 

We felt like crying some more (not, but we were anxious to see what happened) and finished "North and South" with popcorn. 

After dinner and deep conversations we voted (unanimously) for a comedy and selected "The Glass Bottom Boat". 

Sunday Uncle Phil left early to go practice with the worship team and Aunt Lauren and I went to Starbucks until it was time for church.

After church we got burgers and returned to their place to read for an hour or so and then watch "Sweet Home Alabama."

We thought the pool was going to be finished by that afternoon so Aunt Lauren and Uncle Phil could come swim with us, but it was not. I returned home late afternoon and got to catch up with everyone and watch more Olympic trials.



The Herd: Quoted 

"They got back-sided?!" -Gabe

"I feel like this is the week of year of accidents." -Gabe 

"For the record, being rear-ended is not a pleasant experience." -Chloe 

"Last I checked, I am still an animal-loving bookworm." -Chloe

"Story of my life: 'No, I wasn't slowing down so you could turn, I was anticipating your foolish decision to turn in front of me at the last possible moment.'" -Chloe 

Note- Chloe was wondering why she wasn't being quoted as much. So I stalked her records to find some quotes because I can't remember any other quotes from four weeks ago. Hope y'all enjoyed! She is a very cleaver one that quiet girl. *Smiles with sisterly pride* I did not teach her everything, y'all know... 

"That's not my mom, that's my sister!" -Mia to the kids I nanny.

"I am made of frenchies and frost-eyes." -Me trying to say frosties and french fries. (That's what Mom craved when she was pregnant with me. I have only actually eaten that myself a couple of times.)


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Up Her Highway, Path Plowing, Working in the Mines

Days in the Life...

Monday morning I was determined to start the week strong and get up early despite not sleeping great. I did. Coffee helped. I had my Bible time first thing, then did Cize all by myself in the bonus room so I would not wake anyone else up. It was fun! When it ended, though, I was behind schedule (because I'm an UGS) and had to race to take my shower and get ready for the day.

Aron came for breakfast and played ERS with everyone except Dad (who was meeting workers at the little house), and Mom and Chloe (who both prefer to watch). That was the longest game of ERS I have ever played. I went out 3 times and 3 times I slapped back in and each time I slapped back in one of the others kids went out and couldn't get back in. Finally only Aron and I were left and then it took quite a while for me to get second place.

The kids got started on school while Mom and Dad visited.

I started preparing to take the College Composition CLEP test.

The view from my room that morning.

In the afternoon I had errands to run for Dad and needed to buy groceries and make some phone calls. 

Chloe worked all day at a horse photography shoot which she greatly enjoyed all aspects of aside from missing lunch and the intense humidity. Her job was very hands-on with the horses, driving right up her highway(?). Pretty sure I horribly butchered the correct phrase... 

I babysat in the evening and 

came home to this and everyone else in bed. 

Tuesday morning Kate arrived early. We did not have Sofia at all this week. Kate asked for her all day. *sad face* 

When Kate took her morning nap or when she was in bed supposedly sleeping I also took a nap as I didn't sleep well again. All week Mom, Dad, and I have had a hard time sleeping. One possible factor is the full moon right now. 

Why not play blocks on the trampoline? 

The kids enjoyed playing with Kate whenever they had opportunity to. She had a long nap in the middle of the day and then didn't sleep again so I was grateful for their help. 

Chloe worked for several hours in the afternoon and I feel like other stuff happened... Oh! Mom and the littles went to Crazy Town Bubble Land it was crazy which was slightly crowded. 

Kate demonstrating "Happy Baby" which is a real yoga pose.

Getting ready to go outside.

Aron came over in the evening for dinner and to watch "Lion King" with us. 

Wednesday I did not get to watch Calvin as he was sick. 

Chloe and Ava babysat for Nana's Bible study. 

Mom took the kids to gymnastics. 

In the evening I took Christian to his guy's group. 

Thursday Chloe had a stress breakdown expressed appreciation of any form of effective distraction, so the two of us went to see "God's Not Dead 2" early in the afternoon. 

If you thought the first one was good, this one is amazing! I found it hard to watch because I simply don't understand people who disregard logic and are just so so mean! BUT it was still good. It's not a sit-back-and-relax movie, however most people probably would not find it as hard to watch as I did. I'm very glad we went to see it and I would watch it again. 

I had dinner with a friend that night. 

Something to be aware of, if you are a server and you take your customer their order and they tell you that it does not look like what they asked for, you do not tell them they are wrong. Also, if you spill their coffee you should offer to remake it, even if you only spilled a little bit. We let it go and were able to chuckle about it, but we were not impressed. 

Friday morning Mom, Chloe, and Christian all left for the last Debate tournament for this school year and Kate arrived. 

The tournament day was long. They had check in at 7:30 and then were scheduled to participate in 4, hour and half long, debates in one day. That would be why Chloe almost had a panic attack and Christian was ready to get to it. 

After their first morning round they received a BYE, which meant they did not have to debate because there was an odd number of teams and the round was counted as a win. It was a huge blessing, especially to Chloe. 

Nana got to go watch their first afternoon round and came home to give a fabulous report! 

Their last round ended about 7:30 in the evening and they made it home in good time, surprisingly not as worn out as I thought they'd be! 

Mom did some judging. 

Meanwhile at home, Kate had a stuffy nose and was completely off her schedule, though, of course, still as sweet and darling as ever. 

She ended up taking her one sort of nap, late morning, and spent a long time just talking in her bed both in the morning and the afternoon. By 2:30 she had eaten all the food sent with her and after that ate ours. Hungry girl! 

Pretty sure she knows she is cute. 

Definitely. 

I think she was probably teething. When babies are getting teeth they tend to drool quite a bit, put their hands in their mouth, and get a stuffy nose. Sometimes they will also get a mild fever. She greatly enjoyed putting her hands in her mouth and then rubbing them all over her face... 

The littles all enjoyed playing with her every chance they got. I love watching them interact with her. 

We got to give her a bath before she left. She pointed at herself in the mirror and said "baby!" 

We ate a late dinner and the kids started "Star Wars." Mom and the others returned and gave the report of their day. Chloe joined the kids and Christian spent 3 hours improving their debate case. 

Saturday nobody had to get up super early. 

At 10:00 Mom, Chloe, Christian, and I all left for day two of the tournament. We met Aron there as he also wanted to watch the debates. 

The first round of the day started at 11:00. I'd not seen Chloe and Christian debate in a long time and was extremely impressed by how much they have improved over the course of the year! After Christian gave his first speech, and then killed it in cross-examination, I could not stop grinning. 

Lunch was after the round and we got to visit with people and then watch other types of debate while waiting for the final Team Policy round. It ended up starting very late and Aron and I had to leave early so we missed most of it. 

Aron and I got to church in time for the pre-service worship and prayer time. Mom and Dad did a switch off so that Mom could take Ava home and Dad could come to church with the others. (Ava had a slight fever. No, she was not teething.) 

Church was really good. I cannot imagine not having that time of corporate worship, encouragement, and fellowship every week. 

Sunday Mom stayed in bed all morning and into the early afternoon with a headache. By the end of the day she was much better, though. 

Dad hurt his ankle chasing chickens the previous afternoon and so took Christian with him to Costco after brunch so he would not have to walk all over the entire store. 

The littles played outside a good part of the morning and afternoon. 

Chloe recharged in her room by reading for a long time and then went to ride horses later in the afternoon. 

Chloe and Christian ended up placing last out of 17 Team Policy teams in the tournament. They were one of two novice teams and most of the rest of the teams were already qualified to go to nationals next month. All that's to say, the competition was tough, but Chloe and Christian got to get lots of good experience and learned a lot from the rounds since they were hitting teams that were so much better. Neither of them were overly upset about their placement. Chloe is glad it's all done and Christian can't wait to do it all again next semester. 

My early afternoon. *heart*

Aron arrived around 2:00, just as Dad and Christian returned from Costco. We all unloaded the truck and I got a 6 pound roast in the oven for dinner as fast as possible. (It still didn't end up being ready until 8:00.) 

The kids played outside with Aron for a while and then came inside to shower and have rest time. 

Aunt Cendei joined all of us to watch "Beauty and the Beast" and eat dinner. 

It was a good end to the very long week. 

The Herd: Quoted 

"So you get to continue in your path plowing ways." -Me
"Trail blazing, maybe?" -Mom
"Yeah, that." -Me

"Showers are not a recreational activity at our house." -Mom to a child who enjoys 30 minutes under the water.

"You are just too old to be able to see that kind of thing, Mom." -Gabe

"Christian said I could be a minor, but I don't want to be, it's just too much work." -Mia
"You are a minor, Mia, being a minor means you are under the age of 18." -Dad
"Oh! That's what that means! I thought that meant I had to go work in a mine." -Mia
"That's what I thought too!" -Gabe