The week's events

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mom!  Wish I was there to celebrate with you.

It has definitely been an interesting week.  Monday Mark came home early from work and told me the government had cancelled the contract effective immediately that supported the San Diego office meaning they are all out of a job.  The government has 90 days to reinstate the program but in the meantime the employees take a leave of absence or quit.  So I have a paint helper!  We are nearly finished.  One more gallon of paint and we'll be done (already 3-1/2 gallons used!).  We got a new huge clock for over the fireplace and half of the DR picture canvases came with the rest expected on Thursday.  When they are hung I will post the before/after pictures.  I am very, very pleased with it.

Tuesday Kelleigh had her second riding lesson - this time on Cupid.  She had an unexpected lesson on trotting when Cupid decided to take off!  She handled it well and didn't panic.  Now she wants to do it all the time!  Of course she was soooo excited to wear her new helmet, britches, and boots (which she declared are the most comfortable shoes ever...). 

Because of the rodeo, she didn't have a lesson on Friday but this year, more than most, she was very excited to go.  It was fun and so amazing to see the guts those bull riders have but my personal favorites are the barrel racers.  The kids also raced and some were as young as six years old just flying around on huge horses - was great!  None of the pix I took with my phone came out as we were sitting up high and the lights were too bright.  Oh well ...

Today Connor was allowed to come with me to visit with Ryan.  He'd waited all summer to take the wooden box he'd made for him up and loved sharing about football, what teachers he has, see how big Leah had gotten, etc.  Was a really great visit and a nice way to start the weekend.

Happy furballs

As Kelleigh was trying on her riding pants Saturday, I wandered around the store and came upon these big bones for the doggies.  They were very inexpensive so I got them each one.  It has amused them continuously since then and they are very protective of "their" bone!

Today I started painting the kitchen and the den will be on Wednesday.  I decided every 13 years whether you need it or not!  Seriously though, they were the two rooms that I had sponged and I really liked them so haven't changed - but now I'm ready for a change.  I am painting it the same Tuscany gold color that I did in Ryan's room as I liked it so much.  I ordered a groupng of nine pictures from my Dominican Republic trip to be printed on canvas and they should be here on Friday (and will go in the den).  Need to have the room ready to go!  I will have pictures to post tomorrow of the before/after as the ones I took tonight didn't come out so great as it was getting too dark. 

Mark visit with Ryan

Yesterday Mark had his first visit with Ryan since he returned to New Life in May.  Next week Connor is allowed to go visit him and both are very excited.

Giddyup!

Kelleigh had her first riding lesson yesterday and was a natural at it! She was beaming and loving every minute of her lesson with her instructor Kayla on Molly.

Here she is getting the feel of the horse without using the reigns ...

then with reigns.  Within a few minutes she had control of her and Kayla took the lead off.  Molly was pretty feisty and had a mind of her own but it didn't phase Kell and she adjusted and got her back under control.
 

By the end of the lesson she could guide Molly with just her body movement and Kayla let her ride her throughout the stables as she introduced the other horses.  Kell loved her and wants to ride her again.

Today we went and got the paddock boots, helmet, and pants so she is set to train in style!

Jake is 3 today!

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy Jake who is 3 today.  He is very loved by his golden brother and makes me laugh every time he runs into his "bat cave" under my desk!  Despite our daily efforts to fatten him up, he's still very sleek and our resident gazelle! 

Today is also the 4th anniversary of Mark's dad's death.  So hard to believe it's been that long.  He was just two weeks shy of his 93rd birthday...

We're excited that Todd will be in town later this week and is able to spend Thursday night with us.  He'll see Connor's first home game and we'll get to catch up on the latest.  Friday Kelleigh has her first horseback riding lesson - she's so excited!  Hope she loves it.

Connor was excited to get to play a lot in the 5th quarter of the Freshman's game Thursday night.  He's improving more each week.  This Thursday is their first home game so I'll get to see them play.  He loves it and has made two good friends whom he has been spending time with each weekend.

We had the opportunity to visit Ryan yesterday after 15 weeks of him being gone.  Because the kids aren't allowed to go yet, we didn't want to leave them home alone so I went by myself.  He looks great and is very different this time.  It's the most content I've seen him and the first time I felt there would be a positive outcome for his life.  He shared his thoughts during the first three months there and how he's doing things differently this time.  They are in the new house now and it's quite spectacular.  Not many kids get the opportunity to take this much time getting their lives on track so I pray he continues to take advantage of it.

The latest ...

We survived the massive power outage and it certainly makes you stop and think about how dependent we are on electricity.  Despite the 24 hour prediction, we were only off for ten hours.  Today we received a call from the city stating we needed to boil all water until further notice.  The kids enjoyed the fact they didn't have to go to school today hence enjoying another three day weekend!  Tonight I am home alone as Mark is working the chains at one football game, Connor is off to his school's game, and Kelleigh went to a concert with her best friend and her mom. 

Because of the very warm days we had earlier this week, we had the rare treat of some nighttime swims which I always love.  The dogs loved being outdoors at night too - that black spot is Jake!

The freshman team received their polo shirts this week which is what they wear each game day along with their khaki pants.  He looked so nice!

Today started the kid's bathroom demo to see what is causing the floor and wall to bubble up.  Fortunately it is due to the shower door frame not being sealed correctly.  Not that it doesn't mean the floor needs rebuilt in one area, wallboard replaced in the bathroom as well as ceiling in garage below, and the entire bathroom flooring replaced.  Better that than a plumbing leak within the walls!

Lastly, tomorrow Ryan is allowed to have Mark and/or I come visit.  Because we don't want to leave the kids home alone (they aren't allowed to come yet) for the better part of the day, I am going alone.  We will probably alternate our visits.  I'm very excited to see him as it's been 15 weeks but imagine it will be a little bit emotional for me as well. 

It's time for Fall!

I decided it was time to change the school-themed window display to Fall - one of my most favorite times of the year and one I miss from living on the East Coast.  The leaves changing were one of my favorite times and something you don't see much in California although we do have two trees that change with the seasons. (Click the pictures to see the details as they don't show up so great in these pictures!)

This time rather than a banner I went with some Mason jars filled with mini pods, wrapped in plaid ribbon and floral embellishments, and letters/leaves on skewers!  I like the results!

I saw this basket and thought it would work well with some ribbon and leaves too!  Not sure what I'll put in it yet - maybe some scented pinecones.

I love having my little acorns and pinecones out ...

Labor Day weekend

It was a great weekend with time spent with friends, by the pool, a little yardwork, and a little rainstorm.  I felt sorry for the folks who had beach plans today as it was overcast and rainy all day which I actually loved. 

Today Kelleigh, her BFF, and I went to see "The Help" which was an awesome movie.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend.  As we were making burgers, the sun was setting (one of the few times we saw it today!) and was hitting the rocks and hills behind the house so beautifully ...

Then, as Connor went to put a few bacon bits on his burger, he realized - too late - that the sprinkler cap was gone!  OOPS!

Hope your weekend was great too!