Horsing Around

Hilltop Stables

We have been pretty busy with Girl Scouts in the past month, with some fun special events.  One of those was a trip to Hilltop Stables, just down the road from us, where the girls learned about horses and riding and earned an Equestrian badge.

They spent quite a bit of time in the barn, getting lessons on the parts of a horse's body, how to groom a horse, and the parts of a bridle and saddle. 

After that, they headed outside to learn about and practice vaulting and riding.  It was a lot of fun to watch the demonstration of vaulting, which I had read about but never seen, and to watch the girls practice that.  It was also fun to see the girls riding English, since the only riding they'd done to that point had been Western.  We love new experiences!

Practicing 2-point position, which must be learned
before a person can do any jumps.  We did not
do jumps that day.  Whew!

Anja in two-point position.

Snead's Farm

Within a short distance of where we live in Virginia, there are a lot of places that do pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and all kinds of fun fall activities.  Earlier in the fall, we visited Belvedere Plantation right outside of Fredericksburg (see a post about all that fun here ).  A couple weeks ago, we got to go with the Girl Scouts to Snead's Farm, where they grow pumpkins, Christmas trees and other crops and have bonfires and hayrides.  It was a family event, so Elise, Anja, Jason and I all had a great time!

Lots of fun things to do at Snead's Farm!

We started out on the rope swings in the barn, which were a HUGE hit with the girls.  They quickly got the hang of it.  See a video of Anja swinging here.  See a video of Elise swinging here.

Next, we all piled into the hay wagon for a ride around the farm.  It was really fun to see all they grew at Snead's.  I recognized pumpkins, squash, asparagus, sunflowers, raspberries, blackberries, and Christmas trees, and there were some things I did not recognize so I have no idea what they were. 

Getting pulled on the hayride.

What a great time!

After the hayride we got the bonfire going, where we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. 

We left when it was dark and it was a beautiful thing to be out in the country, without the interference of the city lights, and to look up at the night sky and be able to see thousands and thousands of stars. 

It was a beautiful and enjoyable night!

Hamming it Up

For about a year, I've been thinking the girls are ready to watch The Princess Bride, a modern-day classic movie.  When I was a teenager I stumbled upon the movie in a video store (oh, I remember them fondly).  I had never heard of it and after watching it couldn't figure out why I hadn't heard of it because it was FANTASTIC!  Turns out, it is a favorite of many people and there are t-shirts and who knows what all else made with lines from the movie.  There are MANY well-known lines from the movie, as I found out when I put up a Facebook post regarding The Princess Bride and people spontaneously entered quotes from the movie in the comment section. 

Well, the girls did love the movie, and over the course of a couple of weeks we watched it about 100 times.  I am not exaggerating.  Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but we watched it A LOT.  Enough for the girls to start quoting lines from the movie...

If you've never watched the movie, DO IT!!  The movie is based on a book, The Princess Bride, which I haven't read but I have it on good authority (Jason) that this is a case where the movie is way better than the book (one of the few cases, in my opinion).

Kindergarten Nature Walk With Anja

Going on a nature walk!

A couple weeks ago all the kindergarten classes at Anja's school went on a nature walk on a trail near their school.  Parents were invited to come along, and I was there!  Each student had a bag in which they could put things they collected along the way (with some ground rules:  must stay on trail, may not pick up rocks, sticks, or anything alive).  It was great fun to watch the kids be tuned in to what is around them and amazed at nature.

Ready for the nature walk!

Anja's greatest find of the day, a tuft of
animal fur.

All the kindergarten classes were tromping through the woods, pretty much single file.  At one point, the line stopped and I could see ahead a little bit that a group of kids and adults were bunched up on the side of the trail looking at something.  After they moved on, we came up and one of the teachers pointed out a toad in the leaves.  She told the kids to stand back and give it plenty of space.  The kids didn't listen and got too close, so the toad leapt away a bit.  I was looking on the ground to see where it had gone, with kids crowded around me, spotted it close to my foot right as a foot went STOMP! right on the toad.  I screeched "AAAH!  What did you DO?!"  I look over and it is a little boy from Anja's class.  He paused for half a second, then just kept on walking.  A teacher came over and scooped up the toad ( who was not dead, fortunately, the leaves and grass underneath it must have cushioned the blow).  She held the toad so the kids could take a look, then set it down back into the woods where it would be more safe.  We caught up to the rest of Anja's class and I told the teacher what had happened and she shook her head and said "boys."  What?  "BOYS"?  REALLY?????  I don't think all boys would have done that.

The nearly murdered toad

Imagine my surprise when that same boy turned up at Anja's birthday party a couple days later.  He was one of the kids Anja had invited to her party.  I know they are only six, I know they are still learning and I should be patient and understanding, but I kept my eye on that toad assassin during the whole party. 

Girl Scouts

I was in Girl Scouts as a kid and was pretty excited when Elise wanted to join as a 1st grader.  This year, Elise is in her second year of being a Brownie (2nd and 3rd graders are Brownies) and Anja is a first-year Daisy (Daisies are Kindergarten and 1st graders).  The Girl Scouts at their school are organized a little differently than we are used to, in that all levels (Daisies, Brownies and Juniors) meet at the same time and do part of the meeting together (the opening and closing).  They also plan their large events together.  Having the girls meet at the same time is a huge help for me, as it means I only have to worry about one meeting and one day, rather than getting them to separate meetings and separate events.

Elise and Anja ready for their first Girl Scout
meeting of the year.

Anja with her Daisy troop, making a treat
to put outside for the birds and squirrels.

That was a very fun, very messy project.

Their troops are actively working on badges and have done several fun events already this year (Snead's Farm and horseback riding). On Monday the Girl Scouts will do part of the Veteran's Day presentation at their school, and Elise has a speaking part in the presentation.  She volunteered for the part and I am so proud of her!  I never would have had the self-confidence to do that at her age.  The girls really love being in Girl Scouts!

Company!

When I was a baby, my parents moved to a cattle ranch near Mentor, Minnesota (you may be able to find it on a map, but I doubt it).  There, my dad worked with Roger Ruud; my parents became friends with Roger and his wife Ruby, and their son, Eduardo, became my best friend.  Over the years, they became more like family, and we have remained close, even when they moved to Missouri when I was in elementary school.

In the past year or so Andrew, the younger Ruud son, made two trips to Minnesota to visit, and I am so pleased the girls have gotten to know him and love him as much as the rest of us.  In October Andrew came to visit us in Fredericksburg.  It was fantastic to see him again, and gave us an excuse to play tourist in Fredericksburg.

The girls getting their George Washington on at
the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center.

Hugh Mercer Apothecary, one of the living history
places to visit in Fredericksburg, where actors portray
people of the colonial era.  In this case, talking about
colonial treatments for illness and ailments (some were
pretty gross!) 

Carriage tour through Fredericksburg!

Saying "thank you" to the horse who took us on
our tour.

Rising Sun Tavern, another living history site,
where actors portray indentured servants and
describe life during the colonial period.

In the garden behind the Rising Sun Tavern.

On the porch of the Rising Sun Tavern.

Having lunch on the patio at Eileen's, my favorite
place to have lunch in Fredericksburg.

When Andrew was here, we were having a warm snap,
with temperatures reaching 90.  It felt good to get
some frozen yogurt on hot days like that!

Bringing Andrew to airport for his
departure.  Sad to see him go, and
already looking forward to his next
visit (hint, hint!).

Andrew knows he has a standing invitation to visit any time and he better be back soon!

Catching Up

November 10th.  Five months ago, we were loading our belongings onto a moving truck and getting ready to move to Fredericksburg.  Thinking about the stress of that time, getting everything packed, anticipating a cross-country drive with two kids and two pets, knowing I would have to get settled before my summer class started, makes my stomach churn.  In the past five months we made our move and got settled, I finished my Masters degree, the girls started school, and I started a new job.  Sometimes it feels like we just got here, but most of the time it feels like we have lived here longer than the few months we've been here because it is such a nice place to live, with friendly people and lots to do.

October and November have been busy months for us.  October was chock-full of activities, special events, and a visit from a special friend.  More on all of those coming up in future posts.  November has been especially busy for me because I've been working a lot.  Since August I've been subbing in the Adult Research Department at five of the branch libraries in the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system, and in October I also started subbing in the Youth Services Department at those same branches.  Between the two, I work almost every day in November, often doing split shifts (a morning shift at one library, an afternoon or evening shift at another library or in a different department).  Between all the activity in October and all the working in November, I've gotten behind in blog posts.  But have no fear!  I am determined to catch up, so check back often!