Tag Archives: horses

November 26, 2017 ~ 27 weeks

Leave a reply

Happy guy! It’s been a whirlwind week yet again with the a trip to Mansfield and Enon for Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, and our annual Christmas tree hunt at Cackler Farms. As always, each day is filled with fun yet passes too quickly. We really feel fortunate that we get to see all of our family for each of the holidays, though I wish we could spend a week at each place rather than a day or less!

Mom and Dad had fun kids activities for all of the cousins – turkey brownies! It was fun to watch each kid make the creation their own. And sneak some candies during their creation (oh wait, was that just Finn?!).

Reid had his first finger food – celery! He was so wanting to participate and put food in his mouth so we gave him a celery stalk and he made some serious headway gumming and chewing on it. He was a happy guy.
Lily and Brutus make themselves right at home and they like to be near the fire in the family room. Lily gets extra spoiled by being up on the comfy couch! Griffin really loves to sleep next to Brutus. Some day I hope we can have him sleep in Finn’s room at our house. But for now, there are far too many things to destroy in his room – not to mention that Brutus gets up super early in the morning (5:30-6:30ish) to start the day with his breakfast and we don’t want Griffin getting up that early! The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is our traditional seed planting day. We weren’t as efficient as years past with the new dynamic of Reid and just spending time together hanging out (and eating, of course). We were able to get about 8 trays done though. And Griffin and Rowan enjoyed learning about what we do and helping Grandpa set out the flats and get the shelves ready for planted trays of seeds.  On Thanksgiving morning we woke up (early!) and by 8 am Griffin and I had our pecan pie in the oven! He loves being the mixer and dumper. And it was yummy if I do say so myself :).  Watching a bit of the Macys parade before we headed outside (in the 28 degree weather) to take family photos! We caught the Power Rangers balloons.  Amy brought her camera and took our family photos, cousins photos, and photos of all of us together. I even included the outtake, lol. This is only a portion of them that I had on my phone – I’ll add more when I get them off my other computer! We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Dave and Gayle’s house along with most of the Armstrong family. Even though we eat two meals, there is hardly any overlap in the food other than turkey and mashed potatoes. And my favorites are always the side dishes anyway! The kids get to feed the horses special treats of apples and peppermint crunch treats. I enjoy  petting them and feeding them too – I always thought I’d have a horse someday but I doubt that will ever happen and I wouldn’t even know how to care for one! But I picked Dave’s brain about his horses and that was fun. I guess maybe like grandkids – they’re fun to visit and then you can leave!
I realized I didn’t snap any photos of dinnertime in Mansfield but I did get a few random pics.  The kids put on a concert for us where they each played a piece of their own creation on the piano. They were quite fun to listen to and quite different from one another. They were cute and proud.  We hit up Polaris and Easton this year on Black Friday. The crowds, traffic, and parking were crazy but we had great success and enjoyed a nice breakfast at Bob Evans and dinner at Bon Vie. Reid did great for the whole day. We put him in the stroller seat for the first time (as opposed to the car seat attached to the stroller) and I think he enjoyed being able to be reclined and have a more spacious seat.  On Saturday we headed to Cackler to get our Christmas tree. It was a nice afternoon and we found a tall and pretty one really pretty quickly. Kevin brought his battery powered drill so we were in and out pretty quickly. We went during the first part of the Michigan game so we were eager to get home and see what was happening. We ended up getting a 12′ Cannan Fir that we love! Matching winter pajamas! Kevin and I brought the tree in and set it up on Sunday. Then while Griffin and I ran some errands Kevin got it straightened up and the lights put on by the time we were home. It fits perfectly in the corner of our family room and we didn’t have to trim any off the top this year :).  And here Brutus is getting comfy on our new rug. We got it back in February but have had it rolled up in the loft until we had new furniture to go with it. Our new couch arrived on Sunday – so now our room is transformed and we are looking forward to enjoying our new digs.

September 20, 2015

Leave a reply

DSC_0117

This boy. He just warms my heart. He is growing so quickly and his personality is so vibrant. He is loving and affectionate often saying “bless you mom” after a sneeze or giving the best hugs and kisses.  He’s a great caretaker. He loves Lily and Cameron and always notices when they need some water and is the first to want to fill it up “by myself”. Cammie has been having some bowel issues lately and he talks to her so sweetly and gives her hugs and tells her he hopes the medicine makes her feel better. Then there is his spunky side, full of show and entertainment. He can hit the switch and make people giggle like none other. His  personality shines through in some of the photos from this week when we visited the New Albany Classic on a beautiful fall afternoon. It was perfect weather to be outside and enjoy the many kids activities. The horses are amazingly beautiful and strong animals. I often wonder what it would be like to have a horse and wish we had some land to have one. Other days I think I’m crazy for thinking that, but most days, it’s wishing we had a lot of land, a barn, and lots of different animals. Finn has such a heart for animals. He loves looking at them and petting them too.

I’ve been taking Monday’s off for the last several weeks and it has been really nice being able to take Finn to pre-school and pick him up. He’s doing really well at drop off, going right into his room. He’s been wearing big boy underwear too and using the potty that is connected to his classroom. Every day he comes home with art work and he beams with pride, usually, about what he made. A few times afterwards we’ve gone into the worship room and he’s run around playing ball. IMG_20150916_130830583 IMG_20150916_130903431

We had some mid-week fun downtown at the Slice of Columbus, the yearly fundraiser for Nationwide Children’s that is held downtown at the Columbus Commons. Finn was a great age this year to play in the bounce houses, go down the big slide, and make his own “pizza” to take home. It was another beautiful night of weather and lots of yummy pizza.

IMG_20150916_200306628

Oh, and a pouty face for a bit too – as he didn’t want to sit down and eat anything, he just wanted to play all the games.
IMG_20150916_191543162 IMG_20150916_202109961 IMG_20150917_195751710Look at the beautiful skies on the afternoon of the New Albany Classic! 
DSC_0050One of Finn’s favorite parts are petting the animals they have in the petting area. However, this year the horse had a big sneeze of sorts and Finn didn’t want near him after that – as he didn’t want to get any boogies on himself from the horse, lol!DSC_0019DSC_0025DSC_0026DSC_0030DSC_0031DSC_0039DSC_0043These next photos are all the same play structure – it’s like a big maze with a lot of challenges.  Finn was excited to do it, and during certain parts where he was apprehensive the worker guy went through it with him.  Check out his face once he comes down the slide – beaming and doing the happy dance!DSC_0052DSC_0054DSC_0057DSC_0058DSC_0064DSC_0066DSC_0071DSC_0073This year there were flag-bearing sky-divers that were a part of the opening ceremonies for the horse-jumping event. It was really cool, and the American Flag was huge!DSC_0080DSC_0083DSC_0087DSC_0089DSC_0092DSC_0094DSC_0096My pictures don’t do the horses justice. They are strong and beautiful animals!DSC_0103DSC_0105DSC_0109DSC_0114DSC_0115DSC_0119DSC_0121DSC_0123DSC_0124DSC_0125DSC_0126DSC_0134DSC_0113DSC_0111And here the cousins are having some fun, check out Greta’s giggle face and Finn’s bear hug!DSC_0140DSC_0143DSC_0153And these days we see lots and lots of this. Finn is always on the move, running and usually carrying a ball. He has the cutest football run when he crouches down and throws his legs in a funny way. DSC_0156DSC_0158DSC_0160DSC_0161Later that afternoon we headed to Enon to celebrate Grandma Armstrong’s birthday at Brett and Missy’s house. We enjoyed a delicious mexican dinner that Missy prepared and some more time outside playing soccer with Grandpa. And of course, cuddles with Grandma and play time with Babou!DSC_0163DSC_0164DSC_0168DSC_0169DSC_0171

November 30, 2014

Leave a reply

DSC_0176We have much to be thankful for, both now, in the Thanksgiving and Christmas season and throughout the year. Our sweet little boy just warms our heart, he is a true joy. We are blessed to come from loving, caring, and generous families who continue support us in many ways. We are thankful for our friends who love and support us and share life with us. I am thankful that God has provided such a loving, caring, and supportive husband who loves me day in and day out, no matter what.

Finn and I headed to Mansfield Tuesday evening in preparation for our annual Hosta Seed Planting and greenhouse covering adventures. Seems as though dad and I aren’t as productive as we once were – we only planted a small handful of trays on Wednesday – yikes! Finn was pretty spoiled as he was the only grandchild there on Tuesday evening. He was soaking up Grandma and Grandpa’s attention. The rest of the troops arrived on Wednesday. We were fortunate to spend time with both of our families on Thanksgiving Day. We enjoyed the Armstrong gathering at Dave & Gayle’s where Finn played with Grandma and Grandpa. He loved going outside to see Boogey and Joe, Dave & Gayle’s horses.  To this day if I ask Finn about Boogey (he refers to him as Booger, lol, which is somewhat telling I hear), he says “Doe”, for Joe. He has an amazing memory, heck, I often can’t even remember things that he does! We also joined the Beilstein’s for dinner and a short bit of play time before bed.  All of the food everywhere was delicious – we are fortunate to eat twice 🙂 Black Friday began with our traditional breakfast at Bob Evans, followed by lots of shopping at Polaris and then a bit at Easton along with dinner at Bon Vie. It was a packed day, but a fun one for sure!DSC_0007 DSC_0011 DSC_0015 IMG_20141126_175413233

These two went off on a few adventures together. IMG_20141126_190015762 IMG_20141126_190124912 DSC_0022

And these boys are two peas in a pod with their lovies. DSC_0023 DSC_0026 DSC_0032 DSC_0033 DSC_0036 DSC_0038 DSC_0042

This is Boogey (aka Booger, if you’re Finn). He’s playful and is sniffing my head here in our selfie. DSC_0046

And here is Joe. DSC_0050 DSC_0053 DSC_0056 DSC_0057 DSC_0068 DSC_0069 Lots of younger cousin play time happening!DSC_0070 DSC_0071 DSC_0076 DSC_0077 DSC_0084 DSC_0061 DSC_0063 DSC_0086 DSC_0087 DSC_0088 DSC_0092 DSC_0093 Oh, and I snapped this picture of an Olan Mills photo of the cousins from 1979. Kevin is the top row, left. He is 16 years old here! Todd is next to him, then Scot, then Sean. Middle row is Brett and Jason. Bottom row is Juan, Carmen, Ashley, and Jared.  Some cousins aren’t in the photo – as they weren’t born yet!DSC_0064 We jumped out of the car and snapped this photo on our way out of town. It is near farmland that was once farmed by Kevin’s grandfather. Pretty cool, right?DSC_0094 DSC_0101

Silly cousins….DSC_0108 DSC_0110 And Lily photo bombing this one……DSC_0112 DSC_0113All of the boys wanted to sit in the rocking recliner together!
DSC_0117 This is a pretty typical scene – Lily with a bone amid a bunch of toys!DSC_0119 DSC_0123 DSC_0129 DSC_0133

Let Black Friday madness begin!

IMG_20141128_091601099 IMG_20141128_143141154

At this point we were reaching deliriousness – running up and down the men’s suit selection and hiding and giggling. Followed very shortly thereafter with screaming and crying as he was beyond done!IMG_20141128_192900168We ventured to Cackler Family Farms again this year to search for the perfect tree to cut. We were on a mission, as it was the OSU-v-Michigan game day! We walked around a little bit, but pretty quickly found the tree for us. A 13′ Cannan Fir. Finn loved riding in the sled. It was pretty breezy, but he was a real trooper, getting right up with Kevin to “help” cut down the tree.DSC_0135DSC_0138DSC_0141DSC_0147DSC_0155DSC_0164DSC_0171DSC_0176DSC_0157DSC_0177DSC_0179DSC_0181DSC_0185DSC_0187DSC_0194DSC_0198DSC_0201DSC_0202DSC_0204DSC_0206DSC_0213DSC_0216DSC_0221DSC_0222DSC_0224DSC_0226DSC_0235DSC_0237DSC_0243DSC_0245DSC_0247DSC_0248DSC_0252DSC_0253DSC_0305DSC_0278IMG_20141129_124742426_HDRDSC_0254DSC_0259DSC_0262DSC_0263DSC_0265DSC_0267DSC_0272DSC_0290DSC_0291And here are a few random photos from the week.  Finn brushing his teeth while sitting in a box I had just emptied. Then he decided to cuddle with Lily and a short while later he was playfully crawling all over Cameron, and testing the waters by standing on a bin in his rooms – arms up, none-the-less! 
IMG_20141125_081133363IMG_20141125_082733837IMG_20141129_135116385_HDRIMG_20141129_135237732IMG_20141129_092449599