Princess Ariel

Riley went this year as princess Ariel from the Little Mermaid.  We had some trick or treaters from down the road, too.  Teshome and Will were a fisherman and a cowboy.  I love homemade costumes.  Glad the boys were so creative this year!

Is October Really Over?

 Wow, time has flown by and we've been running like crazy trying to keep everything going.  I did catch a few pictures.  Riley is sporting her new gloves as we are getting ready to take the trash to the dump.  And I managed to catch a quick picture of her climbing a tree in Aunt Clarise's yard one afternoon.  It was on one of those really cold days and the wind must have been blowing to create that wild hair do.

Riley and Millie

 This girl loves her dog.  And Millie tolerates it pretty well.  She loves to ride on the golfcart with Riley.  She's brave!

Fall, Yard Sales and Dirty Faces

 Riley found this hat at our church yard sale.  I thought she looked like the "man in the yellow hat" from Curious George.  Riley grew some pumkins this summer and we had an abundance so we've been "decorating" for fall.  She has enjoyed putting them out.  And all that hard work tends to leave her filthy from head to toe.

Guest Photographer

Riley grabbed my camera when we went to watch some girls from the church play volleyball.  She and her friend Aiden took turns taking pictures.  I was pretty impressed at how they turned out.

First Day of Kindergarten

 We had a very excited girl to start kindergarten this year.  She has enjoyed school and has been happy about going for the past two weeks.  She does NOT love riding the bus home a couple of days a week but I'm not sure I ever loved it either.  I hope she has a great year.

Family Visit

 Most of my family was able to make it in for a long weekend visit again this summer.  We made it to Patti's and Venture River and enjoyed some time hanging out in the back yard.  The kiddos had the most fun playing together.

At Travis and Megan's Wedding

Tim and I decided she was looking way too grown up at his nephew's wedding this weekend.

Seed Saving

Riley and I are trying our hand at saving seeds for next year. She was great help in cleaning out the squash seeds. Just hope this works!

First Tractor Driving

Riley drove a tractor by herself for the first time about two weeks ago. Since then she begs to drive and drives the 530 Case around the driveway at the shop. It has a hand clutch so she can stop it without needing help. This was Tim's great grandfather's tractor and he drove it when he was a kid too.

Cousin Fun and Mullberries

 Riley is learning a lot of her great riding skills from Will and Teshome.  They are great teachers.  I taught them a handy trick thanks to Google.  Picking mulberries is a wretched process where most of the berries fall out of your hand before you can get them into the bucket and it takes forever.  The boys and I found a better way by putting sheets on the ground and whacking the branches.  This is not only more fun but definitely faster.

New Bike!

Tim surprised Riley with a new big girl bike this week.  He saw it and couldn't resist.  She's been doing so well with her bike riding and is just about too tall for her 12" bike.  She has been doing great with this one.  Even learning some "tricks" from her cousins like riding with her feet stuck out and the like.  Makes me a little nervous!

Family Time

 My aunt Deloris and cousins Roy and Dustin made a pass through mom and dad's over the weekend.  We made a quick trip up to see them and enjoyed a few hours together.  Taylor was showing off his t-ball skills while Roy was catching.  Dad and Tim grilled us up some great steaks and hamburgers.  Julie and Ashley cooked up some good fixin's too.  And Forrest searched all of Norris City for hamburger buns!  It was beautiful weather outside and we had a great time just chillin' and grillin'.

It's a Zoo around here!

 Keeping up with the animals keeps us busy around the farm.  We have 7 new baby kittens, various transient cats, a rabbit and two dogs in additon to the ones pictured.  The baby red fox isn't ours, thankfully.  We spotted three babies ducking into the culvert after seeing the mom run across the road.  She was the prettiest red fox I've ever seen.  The babies were about the size of a small cat.

April showers bring May flowers

But I actually took this picture in April so I guess that doesn't count.  Riley and I planted these tulips in the fall and they were beautiful this spring.  She came running in the house after she had picked one and said "Mommy, I brought you a daisy!"  Normally I would not encourage the picking of tulips but who could rebuke that!

She saved up her allowance money (and at a $1 per week that takes patience) and bought these fairy wings.  I tried to talk her out of it thinking she'd never play with them but she has worn them everywhere.  This could be where she got those two ticks.  Hard to say.  The Marshall Ryegrass is hearty this spring.

Biking!

Riley just decided all of a sudden to start riding her bike. Within a week she is riding back in the pasture on the grass to see the horse and up and down the gravel driveway. We were shocked to say the least.

Singing in the Car

Riley got a birthday card from my brother's family that had a cute little song on it.  She has learned the song and wanted me to record it to send to Grammy and Paw Paw.  We did it in the Wendy's drive-thru waiting to get Frosties!

My Girl on Easter Sunday

 We had a wonderful celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Sunday.  I tried to get some pictures of the whole family but that is always tough on Sunday.  Rachel snagged a couple of Riley and I but of course my child refuses to look at the camera.  But you can see her trying to choke me.  She really does love me...I think.