How to Ride a Pony.....and a Fire Engine.

In addition to our great church visit of Saturday, we also filled it with some other BIG activities. 


First, we started the morning with Morgans very first riding lesson. Oh yes, the horse obsession is still well and alive and I wanted to give her the opportunity to do something she really really loves. We found a farm close to our house and went for a visit about a week ago to meet the trainer(s) and horses. It is the most beautiful place - the whole area back there is and seriously reaffirms how much I too would love a farm of my own. 


She got to retrieve the pony, brush and saddle him, and of course ride -  her favorite part. She also learned her two-point position and did her first "jump" (the pony went over a poll on the ground). :-)  She is still in love and this week gets to promote to a horse to practice trotting. I love that she loves it and laugh at the fact that only a few years ago she would not go near a horse. And, I don't mind taking her because I love being around those awesome animals just as much. 

We had a lunch break and then were off to her Girl Scout troop fire station tour. They got to see the whole place, watch the fire"persons" slide down the pole, go inside the fire engine (and learn the difference between a truck and engine - I never knew either), and see one of the firemen dressed up in his uniform so they can see and hear what he would sound like if they ever see one in an emergency. 


I liked seeing fire"persons" at their station much better than at our house I must say. ;-)  And my use of fire"persons" is that our tour leader was a girl - named Sara too. She said it was fine to say firemen - but it still just feels wrong. 

ps - still wondering what the difference between a fire truck and fire engine is??? 


The fire engine holds water and the truck does not. Now you know (if you didn't already). 

Blessing Week Eight - The Generosity of Nice

Over the summer I embarked on what I like to call my "summer church tour". My goal was to find a church closer to our house than the one we had been attending, but also a good fit for us at the same time. Having found such a place - this weekend Morgan tried out her "new church" class.

At first she was hesitant and kept asking to go to our old church, but said she was okay to give it a try and if she did not like it then we would go from there. (I also felt bad realizing I had not thought about the unfortunate timing of the change - new school / new church...).  I was prepared to chaperone her in class that evening, but glory upon glory that was not the case.

When we entered the teacher asked how old she was and called over another little girl the same age and grade. She immediately said hi and asked Morgan if she wanted to play (which she did). I checked in with her to see if it was okay that I left to "the big room" and was given the yes. The end of service came (I had not had to leave to console and or visit my child) and I found her happily choosing a prize from some bins they had.

Upon talking to Morgan I found out that not only did this amazingly kind little girl offer her friendship, she also shared her bible with Morgan AND gave Morgan a couple of her coins that they earn during the month to get prizes with at the end, so that Morgan could have enough to get something too.

I just can not tell you nice it was to see and experience - true kindness just for the sake of it is always the most amazing thing!

Blessing Week Seven - Even When It's Hard....

This week the blessing is harder to pinpoint than normal - harder to see or define - because it is mired in things that absolutely seem not to be. 

This week a dear friend lost the love of her life. This week a good man died at an age that seems too early. This week a lot of people sat around an ICU waiting room asking why and hoping for a very different outcome. 

Was he a blessing to her and all who knew him - undoubtedly. Only a few years together, all of which are cherished but none of which seem enough.

I know there are blessings in friends who rally when there is absolute need to - because we have a friend who sees herself as just a half - we hope to show her in time she can be whole again.

I know there is blessing in knowing that prayer is always an option, and words of the hurt are always heard and answered. That even though events are not in "our" plan -  they are known before they happen, and always there is a greater plan in motion - even when we cannot see it right away. 

I also know there is blessing in things kids say... Morgan just happened to start talking about great-grandma - not because I told her what happened, just somehow she did. She said - I have a great-grandma, she's not here right now, but I still have one!" 

Little words that are SO big. So while my friend does not have him here right now, she still has him. 

xoxoxo

School Picture

I thought I would post a quick picture of Morgan on school picture day.... It was a windy windy morning!

Girl Scout Camp - Part Deux

This past weekend we had our second Girl Scout camp experience. The bonus this round was that we were only 15 minutes or so away from home AND in cabin dorms versus tents. Now, I by no means mind a tent but it is nice to only have to worry about setting up a sleeping bag and pillow versus an entire canvas shelter system. :-) 

The theme this camp was "go green - using resources wisely" and they got to do activities like making flip flops from tape and cardboard and using solar heat to cook food and take a shower. They also got to participate in a recycle fashion show where they took random materials and made outfits. I have to say this was their favorite activity and they looked great. They even won the "most creative" award. 

Part of the camp experience was also to receive a nickname - Morgans was / is "Pony" - not pony tail, but pony horse, because the horse is her new number #1 favorite animal. 

We had most of the girls from the troop attend and I think they all had a great time.  The only challenge - dorm sleeping - mainly because (as you can imagine) getting multiple little girls to sleep while all in one room, on top bunks, with lots of fun energy running through them is less than easy. They did eventually sleep - but I believe most probably had a very early to bed night on Sunday! :-) 

School Spirit + Weekly Blessing - Great Teachers (Week Six)

Just had to share this picture of Morgan sporting her school shirt! :-) 

Today we had a good morning. Today she happily went to school! This is a big deal for us because as of late she has not loved school. The exact reason I am not sure, probably because there is more than one. She has said she's bored, and without saying it exactly I think it has also been a HUGE adjustment to be in this large school with a bunch of new kids and without her core group of friends she has had for most her life. 


Some days she simply asks not to go, other days - like yesterday - she flat out cries. But luckily today she departed without any tears. At the end of the day she is always happy - this makes me feel much better overall. I know she likes her school, but I also understand what a major transition this is for her. 


I am SO thankful for her teachers. They are so kind. They are willing to discuss and come up with solutions to problems. This morning one of her teachers saw her (and I think knowing the morning she had yesterday) called her over and let her hold the door for all the kids going into the school. She was so happy - she had just talked to me about wishing she could hold the door a few minutes earlier - and she was able to after all. 


I wish I could speed up time / snap my fingers so that she could be as comfortable in her new surroundings as she was at her old school. I know this is just another good old lesson in patience and fortitude. I know that she will be okay. I may just have to say it to myself a few more times. :-)  

Blessing Week Five - Do Over's

This may seem a weird one, but this is most at the front of my mind today. I think it is a GIANT blessing that each new day offers the opportunity for "brand new" and good experiences regardless of what happened the day before - or even the afternoon / evening after a not-so-great morning. 


Right now I am happy to know this because Morgan and I had a "not-so-good" morning. I can have these moments of, well.... crazy stressball response. ESPECIALLY when we are running late. I hate running late to school. My response is to become like a military commander with my let's go - go - go commands. She does not respond well to these (I cannot imagine why). Subsequently she had a mini-breakdown, I had my own - we parted on un-fantastic terms. 


I drove away feeling funky - I don't like that we started our day that way, I don't like that I left her at school (in the nick of time) with a similar funky feeling. But, I DO LIKE that this afternoon we can have our own "do-over"!