Kids vs Horses...

which is more work???? I think it depends on the day! We have been dealing with a sick horse for the last three days and that means alot of time in the barn in this bitter cold! I think I have frostbite on my one toe! The horse, Domino, is finally doing better but he is around 30 (which is around 66 in human years, I looked it up on the Internet) and I think it makes it harder for them to bounce back, but hopefully he'll make a full recovery and be with us for several more years!
The kids meanwhile have been house bound for the last two days, because of the cold and also because we've been busy with Domino. So tonight, once I was sure Dom was feeling okay, I took the kids to a McDonalds (or MicknDonalds, as Emily would say) with an indoor playground. We had to go to Burger King's drive thru first to get cheese sticks of course (Tyler's idea). The kids had fun running around and playing with another brother and sister that were around their same ages, just reverse gender (older girl with younger brother).
Lately Emily has been wearing her "dress-up" dresses that she got for Christmas, here is one of her outfits, with full accessories:

Update #2

Well Emily woke around 3am with a wet diaper an then she wanted to come into my bed again. She was wide awake of course! It took her a while to fall asleep, she had to have a tantrum first and started crying so much she started coughing, but thankfully she got her self under control before a bowl was needed! And for the next hour she dozed off and woke up several times, dreaming there were snakes in the bed! But in the end she slept until Curt called at 7:45!

Update...

I forgot to mention that Emily slept until 7am this morning! Even though she went to bed last night at 6:45! However...tonight she did not want to go to bed! I read to the kids in Tyler's bed as usual but by the time the books were done she still wasn't asleep, so I offered her my bed or her own. She chose mine, but last week she chose her own and actually went to sleep on her own. Anyway, we went to my bed, no lights on and laid down. Well first it was singing, then asking me to fold her blanket into a square (don't ask, who knows why) and she kept messing it up and asking me to refold it. I finally said no more and the the tantrum started! I didn't have to get a bowl because I knew it wouldn't get that bad. She was tired but just fighting it, and finally at 9:24 she past out! Devil girl!
Oh and I had to check the horse again and felt bad because half the horses were lying down and then jumped up because I woke them. Sorry guys! But the horses still didn't have any manure in his stall, and that is what you want to see! But he looked bright and not sick and was even looking for a snack. So I waited a minute, deciding what I was going to do when, lo and behold, he pooped! So i feel safe leaving him for the night now.

Who said it was going to snow?

I never heard anything yesterday, so it was a surprise this morning! Well at least the roads stayed clear. Tyler had school at his normal time, actually by then the sun was out and the snow was melting. I also had a meeting with his teacher to see how he was doing. I am glad we kept him back a year because it has really made a difference. He still needs to work on his people skills (i.e. personal space!) but over all he is doing good. Emily was thrilled to get to play with Tyler's class while I talked to his teacher. She will be ready for next year, no question! This afternoon we got some more snow squalls and the cold air is coming back. One of the horses was a little off his feed and I have checked him once already and will again before I go to bed. Hopefully that will be it until morning.
I think next month I am going to try and not eat any chips for the whole month! i just can't stop myself, so maybe I'll need a "chip fast"! At least February is only 28 days! I think I can make it....

Emily, Emily, Emily...

she is a handful to say the least! The kids couldn't stop fighting over the big building blocks, so I had to take them away. I was making them pick them up and Emily threw a fit and refused to help. She took off her socks and said she was trying to pick up the blocks with her feet! Yeah, right! So she got sent to the corner which just started a new round of tantrums! And to be ready I handed her a bowl, why you ask? Because, sure enough she got herself so wound up she threw-up! After we cleaned up and put everything away, we sat down to watch cartoons and with in 20 minutes she fell asleep. Unfortunately about an hour and a half before bedtime! So hears praying she doesn't get up at 5am!
Tyler had his share of the tantrums too but he knows better and helped clean up and was thrilled Emily fell asleep because only when she falls asleep early (which rarely happens anymore) he gets to play with his moonsand and small desktop sandbox. Because there is no way she is playing with those!

Kids!!!!

When we came in from the barn this afternoon Tyler and Emily sat on the floor together coloring in coloring books so quiet and peacefully! Then dinner was fairly quiet and about 5 minutes before Curt got home them went nuts and it hasn't stopped!!! Why can't I have that kind of energy? I guess that explains my extra pounds as well!

It's been a busy couple days...

Friday I made a little easier by not going to MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) which I missed. :( We had an hour 15 minute drive to the Dentist (My sister-in Laws Brother in-Law, so he gives us a break) and I had to get a tooth fixed (broke off a piece of tooth from an old filling) and get a cleaning and the kids both had to get a check-up and cleaning. Tyler is an old pro and doesn't mind going in by himself but he had company because Emily went in to watch and Grandma Mac Millan to supervise! Emily didn't mind getting in the chair when her turn came because she would get a goodie bag and a chance to go in the Treasure Chest and pick out a toy! The good news, no cavities and my tooth got fixed but the bill was still a lot despite the discount! Oh well, Curt can just work some more right? Poor Curt!
Saturday we went for a play date with Braxton and Nicky! My sister Penny's Grandpups. Braxton is Ashley's Yorkie and Nicky is Shaun's mutt. They had a great time Emily with Braxton and Tyler with Nicky (Pictures to come when Mike gets around to sending them!) I don't know who was more tuckered out the kids or the dogs! Then I got home to see Curt before he went to work (back to back trips to JFK and Newburgh, NY Saturday night and Sunday morning) and meet up with some old friends. We all used to work at Ri-Arm back when I first started. And needless to say we had a lot to talk about but we need to do it again! Thankfully we are all living relatively near each other so I look forward to doing it again!!!

P.S. Emily got two new dresses today thanks to Penny and Ashley and she, of course, had to try at least one of them right on! And did I tell you she like to pick out what clothes Curt is going to wear?

Sorry no photo again...

what can I say, I keep forgetting. Emily had on a fancy dress today for Story time at the Library. It has a burgundy velvet top with a shiny gold skirt and she chose her PINK sparkly shoes! I'm not going to fight it! She also went with me and Tyler to A&P and of course, took her coat off so everyone could see her dress!
Tyler was super helpful in the store, pushing the cart, loading the groceries and bagging them. He also helped me put them all away as well. If you keep him busy and give him tasks to do he is great! He had a little trouble in school with "personal space", in that he doesn't "get" that concept!
Emily was cute at Story time. She sat very good and listened but didn't really sing the songs. At one point they were supposed to shake hands with another kid and I could see she wanted to but didn't want to make the first move. Thankfully the kid next to her did take her hand and she was thrilled! They also had to do a song where the teacher gave them all rattles to shake but there weren't enough to go around and Emily was one of the few who didn't get one. She looked upset for a second but was very patient to wait her turn, bless her!
Over all today was a good day, no major upsets, but then again, they are still awake as I type!

It's been a long couple days!

Thanks goodness Tyler has school tomorrow and Emily has story time at the Library. The days are to long and empty sometimes with two little kids inside! They even went to lunch at McDonald's(with playground) but it was mobbed and they didn't really want to play. So then later we all did the barn to get them out of the house for a little while. I was very bad on my diet today, I couldn't resist trying a new chip (Pringles White Cheddar) not to mention having a burger and fries and half of Emily's hot fudge Sunday at McDonald's. I did have a water instead of soda (because I hate diet and drink regular) so that counts for trying right?
I was able to steer Emily into a simple dress today rather then a fancy one, she wore her stripe pink dress with stripe tights and silver shoes. I didn't get a picture, what can I say, I forgot!

I still got nothing...

this is hard, coming up with something to write all the time! I didn't get a picture of Emily's "dress of the day", because she wanted to put her PJ's on early this afternoon! That is a first, but I'm sure she'll be in a dress tomorrow by 7am!
Nasty weather out there today, and I guess it is going to be wet for a few days, yuck! I would rather be buried in snow then freezing rain. Here is a random shot of Mulch, our stray that came to stay and her little house she sleeps in. Actually in this picture she is relaxing on her roof!

I got nothing

Don't tell Curt....

but the kids played in a ball pit today! We went to Clown Around, which is basically an indoor playground like you find at McDonald's but bigger and with out the food! Also, it is much cleaner! I went there with my MOPS (Mother's Of Preschoolers) group. They had a lot of fun, and it was nice to have some adults to talk to! Tyler was all sweaty and Emily was a little intimidated by all the kids (apparently there is no limit to how many they let in????!!!!) But over all they had a great time and then we had Burger King for lunch...and I tried to be good on my diet. I had a crispy chicken sandwich $1 fries and a water, but then I saw the calorie count...Oops! OH and I finished Emily's Hersey Pie! Oh well tomorrow's another day!

I could be a detective!

Thanks to Facebook and watching Magnum P.I. and Simon & Simon all those years! I have been able to track down people from my past with a little research. My latest is a former co-worker from my slave/Ri-Arm days LOL! I knew she was married and has a girl and I even knew her daughters first name but not their last name. And I knew she (the daughter) rides and that they live relatively close to me. So when I saw a friend on Facebook was "friends" with a tack shop in Middletown NY I thought I would just look and see who else is on there. That is a great way to find people you might know. And low and behold there was a girl with the right first name and when I checked her friend list there was someone with her mother's maiden name! And BINGO! I love finding people!

Today Emily chose to go formal, while Tyler got to stay in PJ's for his school's Pajama day.

I know what your thinking...Where are the pictures of Tyler????

Not the best day at Cooper Farm...

but not the worst either. Curt left for ANOTHER Florida trip, we thought the one young horse was colicing, Tyler got in trouble in school, and I broke a tooth! The young horse is fine, Tyler told me he got in trouble for hitting his nemesis, (I'll have to get the real story tomorrow) and my tooth just broke while I was eating. We were overdue for a check-up and cleaning anyway and it's time for Emily to start with the dentist too. My tooth has an old cavity so my tooth was thin I guess, but it's such a pain!


Emily working on her poses:

Emily's outfit today...

for her doctor check-up!

I got nothin'...

not much happened today. We went to church and caught up with chores (laundry, cutting coupons, etc...)
Here is Emily's outfit for the day.

I should note, I don't allow her to change dresses (except play "dress-up" dresses) during the day. She gets one choice, otherwise she would really make me crazy!

Well I think I'm in...

I had an early morning, I actually had to get up before the kids! I had to get the barn done by 7:30 and get cleaned up (so I didn't smell like a horse) and get to church by 8:00. I was nervous to meet with the church elders because I am not much for being the center of attention,even if it is for a few minutes! But it was actually a good time of people getting to know me better and me getting to meet even more people from the church. It is a huge church and it makes it difficult to get to know people in a way. It went way longer then I thought but it was very uplifting and enjoyable. :) So I think I just have to go before the congregation which will also make me nervous but I don't really have to do anything that time and then I will officially be a member of Lafayette Federated Church. Next is to get Curt to go!

Emily decide to day was a fancy dress day, I think she might be color blind. Check out the color of the shoes!


How do you know that the green M&M is a girl? Emily, "Because she has the pretty shoes!"

I'm so tired from my busy dreams!

Did you ever have dreams where you are so active that you wake up tired? What is that about!!?? So I had three weird dreams that I don't think they were related, I remember waking up after the first strange one thinking, That was strange!

First up, I was at a church (not one that i know) and when it came time to leave I had no ride for some reason. So I rode with Penny in here horse and wagon!! Her horse was her old horse JR (but sometimes he was a dapple grey) and I first remarked, "Are you sure he can pull a wagon?" But we weren't the only ones with carts and horses, there were at least three others and we were all going the same way. At one point JR got to close to the horse in front of us and he got kicked in the face twice. But think about it, if the horse in front of us was pulling a cart, how could it kick him in the face? Anything is possible in a dream. It was a crazy ride! First we were going down a road and when it went down hill we were flying around a muddy turn and I said, "It's like Mr Toad's wild ride!" And then we were in the woods getting whipped in the face by tree branches and finally were were in an under ground tunnel (????) and we had to stop because the cart in front of us was more like a stage coach and they had to get out and pushs there cart with some one on top lifting the roof! So while we were waiting Penny took some ladys hat (the lady from the cart with the kicking horse, she was kind of snooty and had just left because this was her stop) and was trying to use it to give JR some water from a nearby fountain. Well, the lady came back to look for her hat and caught Penny with it and was not happy. Penny handed her the hat back (for some reason she had a bucket inside the hat, so why need the hat?????) and the hat fell apart in her hands and I just remember looking over at JR (now a dapple grey) and he was huffing and puffing and thirsty. Then I woke up.

Then I had two more dreams that I only remember bits and pieces. One I was at some horse show and Mark was walking Artos when it started to rain (I was in a camper for some reason just watching) and while everyone else went for cover Artos didn't mind the rain so they stayed out. Then when they finally came back to the camper Mark turned into a tall basketball type guy and decided to try and stand on Artos back and drop down on to him, but he missed and fell off!

Then maybe it was related, I was in a camper and a bunch of people were around and some one went off to talk to some one else and before they left they put a thing in my ear so I could hear what they would be talking about in the other room. I suddenly heard Ann Curry (from NBC's Today Show) in my ear asking me to move around the room until I got a clear signal and to nod my head to answer! And that is all I remember before be woken by Emily at 6:30!

And she is already in a dress at 7:30!

Well it's not over yet...

but it looks like Curt is cracking under the pressure. Not just the hours of endless driving with no real sleep but the usual barn nonsense is making him think about making a big change. Meanwhile, I am writing this in the other room while the kids are taking a bath. Yes the floor will be soaked but it is worth the few minutes of peace and quiet! Emily has not let up all day! She is either asking me to spell things (weird, I know but that is Emily for you) or telling me she needs this or that, she just hasn't given me a moments peace all day!!! Oh and last night I had to get up three times because she was crying in her sleep. She has vivid dreams I guess and doesn't want to leave her bed but doesn't want to stop crying either. So she wears me out day and night! Well, tub time is over, I'm back on duty until 9:00 when they are finally sleeping!!!!!

Emily's clothes choice today? The pink number (AGAIN) and the stripe tights.

Happy Birthday to my sister Cindy...

Emily dressed for the occasion

How cold is it?

It's so cold that one of the barn cats is trying to become a house cat! Poor Sweet Pea! She hasn't been in the house the last couple years and in the last three days is has come in for a little while each day. Today she got a 2 and 1/3 hours inside, I felt terrible taking her back to the barn!
Well Curt made it to Florida and is more then half way home. He almost had to do an airport run tomorrow night! That would have been criminal! As it is he is getting home in the wee hours tomorrow morning and if he had to do the airport tomorrow he would have had to stay up until 4am Thursday! And then leave again for Florida with virtually no sleep! BUT thank the Lord he does NOT have to do the airport tomorrow night!!
The kids and I had a pretty quiet day, Tyler had school so that helps! There have been several crying bouts by Emily, but what else is new!

Who is going to crack first?

This is the start of a long week. Curt has to got to Florida and back two times. He left this morning and is driving down and back by himself (no horses, just equiptment). We will see him on Wednesday and then he leaves again Thursday and he has to drive a truck full of horses down by himself (another truck is going as well) and then he'll have a second driver on the way home. So then he gets back again Saturday and then he has to get up at some crazy hour to do an airport run Sunday am.
As for me, I have the two kids and the barn to do all week! Which is a lot!! At least Tyler has school three day! Also I have to get the barn done or at least all the horses fed and turned out Friday before my mothers group (MOPS at 9:30am)! Then the tricky one, Saturday I am supposed to meet with the Elders of the church I have been going to and taking a "new members class" and in order to join I have to go to this meeting. And it is at 8am!!!! I don't know how I will manage the barn that day and I guess I am taking the kids? I know others in our group of new members have young children as well, so I'm guessing they will bring them too? I might just have to feed the horses and leave them in and deal with the stalls later (not fun). I feel tired already!

P.S. Emily is in the pink dress and black tights...again!

the Beauty Queen

It is cooooold out!

So I had to take the kids with me to the barn to bring the horses in (and I brought them in early...way too cold!), and as I am getting Emily in her full snow gear, I try to pull her hat over her ears when she says, "Hey I don't want to look like a man!" She would rather have her ski hat on top of her head!

Well, here goes...

I am not a writer by any means, so please excuse grammar, spelling and other such mistakes. Does this thing have spell check? Oh it does! Thank goodness for that! (But I'll have to remember to use it!) So what to write about? I think I'll have to start a picture log of my daughters choice of clothing everyday. She is the TOTAL opposite of me and chooses dress everyday or maybe a skirt! She wants nail polish and make-up and sparkly shoes too. (That should tell you a little about how I dress!) Oh and she just turned 3 on Christmas day! So all you out there that think Suri Cruise is not picking her clothes herself, I beg to differ!
P.S. Her color combos are aren't quite there yet!