Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

Ruby and Sophia came over for some fun with Tot.

I made sugar cookies for the girls PLUS some frosting in a bag.

Of course they are going to enjoy the frosting first…and did I mention SPRINKLES?!

Sophia was having a blast making one for her sister, Stella.

The joy of making something and then partaking!

What fun! I’m so grateful for these friends of Tatum’s. They are edifying friends. Builder upper friends.

We had planned to go to Flagstaff for the weekend, but we decided to change our plans. We didn’t want to miss church, and we weren’t sure if the snow would be there.

The morning started out wonderfully. I had a restful sleep which I needed due to my past week tummy woes. Thank you, Jesus!

Church was also wonderful as usual. Tot and I greeted the attendees (who have become dear friends). Later, we planned a HAY DAY! Bike ride, ice cream, park. What more could you want?

We headed out on our bikes (mind you it was about 72 degrees out! WOOHOO!).

Starting out just fine, we wanted to get on the path. This meant going DOWNhill. Ugh. “Ride your brake, Tot, and don’t pedal!” Next thing I know, she is down. Doug is way up ahead. Oh dear. She is completely scraped up and stunned. Luckily, it was just some scrapes, but her wrist hurt quite a bit. After sitting for a few minutes, she agreed to keep going. Yahoo, Tot! Brave girl.

Steadily, we took the path allllll the way to McD’s for our ice cream. This was our motivation! Arriving, we noticed the long drive-thru line and then the sign on the door. NOT OPEN (only drive thru). Ok, shall we wait and then eat at the tables (which don’t exist..HA!) or….do we go across the street to a new experience. -Sweet Republic. I knew it was a gourmet ice cream shop with gourmet prices. Sure, why not!

In we go. We settled on mini-hot fudge sundaes. $6 a pop. ayeyayyae!

I got mine on the side (hot fudge that is), because I like to have a bit with each bite. Maybe I should have gotten extra because they gave me a thimble-full. NO worries, I am going to enjoy this. I must say, McDonalds is so much better, but alas…we are having fun with this sweet treat because the spoons are cool and futuristic.

Daddy, you finished in 3 bites!

No, you cannot have any of ours.

I savor every bite.

This is the antidote to a hurt wrist. She completely forgets about it as we partake. Then……the time has come to hop back on the saddle, and it all comes back to her. She begs me to head to Walgreens to purchase a sling wrap thingamajig. But first, the park.

First, frisbee. This pink little disk is not tossing quite right. I blame the wind, the frisbee, and the trees. Couldn’t possibly be our tosses.

Well, it actually is the frisbee. It lands. It breaks into pieces.

Good thing we brought the mitt and ball. Batter up! Oh wait, we have no bat, but we do have our catching hands and our powerful throws. HA!

Doug is enjoying my stance and set up to powerfully throw the ball.

Tatum attempts to catch each one. I think she enjoyed chasing more than catching it. She’s just like Cooper.

Later, Tot and Doug played on the jungle gym until the pain kicked in.
I did go get the wrap at Walgreen’s and nursed her all better. I hope.

What a fun day despite the injures, scrapes, and kerfuffles.

I love our adventures….boo boos and all!

We are sending in an entry! We love receiving the Clubhouse, and this month they are inviting entries. Tot wanted to draw a picture of our family

Stay tuned!

We are all about gratitude in our home, but we are also about telling each other how much we love each other constantly.

Tatum had this idea tonight. We went into our bathroom only to find…. (my mirror)

Daddy’s mirror: ( She had a bit of a snafu earlier and wanted to apologize. Effective!)

We love you, TOT!!!

I agree wholeheartedly with her!

“All her reading shows in her stories, ” according to Mrs. King (and I concur).

She loves her teacher, Christian.

We just started, and she is seeming to thrive! She loves the opportunity to prove her strength in her compact body.

She’s ready to “stick” it to whoever has any wrong ideas! HA!

Next week, she needs to memorize how to count to ten in Japanese. Stay tuned!

I have always believed that readers are leaders. Growing up, I never saw my mom read, and it really wasn’t a value in our home. After college, I started learning about many leaders like Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, George Bush…they all read multiple books in a year, and it made them not only smart but interesting. So, I started to be a reader myself. I became obsessed with books, and therefore, I’d start a book, buy a new one in the midst of being in the first one, and so on. Many books are going at one time! And…there’s a diversity in what I like to read! From Christian living to autobiographies to historical fiction.

Well, when the Tot came along, I vowed to pass down this habit to her. I would read to her as a baby even when I was told she doesn’t understand. So what!! The habit is developing. So, since she was able to sit on my lap, EVERY SINGLE DAY and NIGHT, I have spent at least 30 minutes reading to her. At 9 now, I still do it.

What is the fruit from this? She LOVES to read, and you’ll always find a book in her hand. Moreover, I believe this is why she has a massive imagination. Her word choice is vast; her sentences flow; her character choices are varietal. Now, yes, she does enjoy the iPad watching certain shows, but her creativity comes from the books.

Just today, she wanted to bring some books to church.

These all have one thing in common: Their main characters are kids. She loves to make stories up taking characters from the books she enjoys. Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing and Karen Kingsbury books are her latest finds.

Last night, she came out to read to Daddy and me the story she put together. Just wow. Her sentences are so advanced.

It pays off. Start early and reap the benefits of an engaged child. She never is “bored” because she can always go to a book. I have never used the screen as a crutch, and for that, I’m so grateful.

I love you, Tot! Your creativity fascinates me.