Summer birds

We have so many birds in our yard. Their is the forest behind us and all the flowers, trees, berries and water all over our yard. Scout loves them already and points them out when she sees them flying in the sky. We look for them in the morning, out the window, when we first wake up. In the winter we see them at the feeders outside the window. Today we watched a robin feeding her babies. Her nest is in the pergola right outside out back door. Scout pulled up a chair and sat and watched. She rarely sits still so that is remarkable.

This is another nest in the pergola from the spring.

I found this birdhouse at the dump and used it to decorate Scouts her playground. I noticed today that it had a nest inside! There are some warm bodies in there too.

Mother robin didn't mind me watching her and posed for many pictures.

A baby finally peaks it's head out for me to see.

Time for a snack.

Another dump find.

We keeps lots of places for the birds to find water...I think Scout and Seamus are the most frequent visitors to this one!

Yes, the dump, where else.

Art festival

We spent the day together in Scituate. It had a nice street festival with local artists and craftspeople. We found this great art studio where Scout could get out of the stroller and enjoy some great fun art to touch, surrounded by flowers to smell!

Big girl

Things are happening

fast for Scout. I expect it will be this way for the next couple years. Potty training is going great. She wears her diaper at night and only occasionally during the day (grocery store comes to mind). We have found that she can't wear panties since she must feel like it is a diaper and is likely to pee in it. So, she wears a dress everyday and bare bottomed. If we are in the house she never has an accident. She will go to the potty on her own and use it. If we are outside she has an occasional accident but rarely now. We carry the potty in the car and driving anywhere takes much longer with the added in "potty" stops on the side of the road!! She even woke up one night at 4 am to go potty.

She has been parroting words for awhile now but yesterday she started using her words to ask for things. Instead of pointing at the fridge and chirping and pointing she just pointed and said "milk". She also said "cantaloupe", "up", "down", "out", "outside", "walk", "whoa", "brush", "ride", "mum mum", "daddy", "Zach", "katy", "kara", "mi mi", "ouse", "yes", "silly".

Hold on to your hats I think the next two years are going to be fast paced!!

Kindness of a stranger

We are planning on taking the horses camping in the fall and went on a scouting mission to Myles Standish State Forest to check out the camp ground. The forest is 450,000 acres so when we spotted two woman on their gorgeous horses we stopped to ask directions. They didn't know where it was but had a map and invited us to look at it. I was happy to use the map but even happier to get to meet the horses!!

Here he is, a gorgeous Paso Fino stallion. White with black points, my favorite!

Can you believe the owner jumped off and invited me to ride him!!!

Thankfully my wonderful husband had the presence of mind to get the camera out!! Look at this beautiful guy. I am on a stallion and there are 3 horses going by off to our left.

I am reliving this magical moment, in my mind, everyday...galloping on a Paso Fino stallion.

Thank you strangers...I don't even know your names..I hope we cross paths again. I hope we will no longer be strangers but good friends instead.

Fun pictures

Just thought you would enjoy some great pictures. We were invited to a wedding reception last weekend. Scout was one of only 2 children invited and, as usual, was a big hit. She was dancing, eating, socializing and flashing the crowd when she had to "potty"!! We had a great time and thought you would love to see our little cowgirl.

Kids connecting with Horses

We always open our home to kids to learn from the horses. Right now there are 4 homeschool families that come regulary to learn about horsemanship. These lucky kids all have mom's who clean the paddock so they can ride and learn about horses. Some remarkable things have been going on with all the kids.

My youngest has just turned 3. When her mom first called she thought that I would say no because her daughter was too young. How could I say that when Scout got her pony and started riding at 3 weeks old! She was so shy at first. Only mom could side walk and she never spoke to me. Now, 6 months later, she rides without needing a sidewalker, Mom stays behind with her little brother and she talks non stop to me as we travel along the trail.

There is an only child, a preteen. She is shy and keeps to herself. She does however have a great love of animals. She reminds me most of myself. She has the best intuition of all of them, the lightest hands. She is developing a lot more confidence in herself and her abilities.

There are two sisters, my newest. The older one is always thinking of her younger sister. When asked what she wants she always says "what ever my sister wants, she is the one who is horse crazy". We can't forget about their older brother who comes each week and helps clean so his sisters can ride.

The brother and sister who ride together, one leading , the other riding and then they switch. There used to be frustrating times and yelling at each other...not always the teamwork we would like. One day we spoke about how they thought the pony was feeling when there is yelling or tension. They realized what was happening. The changes in them since have been remarkable. The siblings work together, stay calm, problem solve as a team and remind me that they must stay relaxed for the good of the pony.

We are really happy that we are able to offer other children the opportunity to experience the horses. It gives us so much joy to see how much they grow and to see them learn the connections that are possible with the horses.

Child in Harmony visit

On Saturday we made the always risky journey off Cape. It was worth it to go visit the homestead of Marcia Simmonds of A Child In Harmony. She offered an open house to unschoolers and we just had the best time. What a beautiful home, fabulous family, wonderful new friends and getting to meet up with some treasured folks we meet at Rock the Campground. Scout, of course, loves anything outdoors and animals. She played in the gardens, the sandbox and visited ALL the animals. We went into the house to share a pot luck lunch and Scout played with the toy horses and animals. It is always so wonderful, when we meet in these groups, to observe how all the children get along. Always a mix from toddlers to teenagers and never a fight or harsh word from anyone. I think this is what we treasure most in these groups. Everyone is always respectful of everyone, no matter what the age and it shows in the harmony of the group. 

When it was time for us to go we asked Scout to say bye-bye. She trotted, deliberately to to slider, onto the deck, down the stairs and off to the ducks...."bye-bye". The she marched over to where the chickens were resting..."bye-bye". The we followed her down a path, through the pines to the horse barn..."bye-bye, bye-bye". Now she was ready to go. Definitely mommies girl!!!