Home Schooling and Little House on the Prairie

So, I had this great idea to rent Little House on the Prairie, it was redone by Disney not too long ago. The kids and I watched it over two days and explored all the things their family went through and did. We studied geography while they traveled, we are making corn husk dolls with our home grown corn, and we learned about building a house and Indian beads and headdresses, and how to find syrup in a tree. I thought this was a great two days of learning and the kids really enjoyed it. About a week later Daniel and I were in the backyard and found our big beautiful Eucalyptus tree had huge hammer holes in it and a giant old nail driven right into the tree trunk! Daniel was extremely upset, the boys know they are NOT supposed to harm our trees! When questioned they happily explained they were looking for syrup! But they were very disappointed they had worked really hard to put that nail in and no syrup came out!

Three things, I then learned...

1. Never teach a boy something without expecting them to try it later by themselves!

2. Never think too highly of your ideas when it comes to teaching, somehow it comes back to bite you!

3. It actually was really well done on their part.LOL!

I think the tree will live...

Payson Rodeo

My Grandma and I at the Parade
Our Team

Autographs with a hunk!

Sponsor flag duties

Thank you everyone who came up there!

Darin, Jodi, Karsyn & Ryker, Jaime and Shane, GG and Grandad Croce and especially Daniel, Noah, Graham and Braxtyn - my biggest cheering section!

11 years married, May 24th

Daniel and celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary yesterday. It was probably the least amount of celebrating we've ever done. Our kids were gone at Aunt Aimee's and Uncle David's house and Daniel's and my plans were gone out the window. We were both sick. We did enjoy sitting around and watching TV and we did end up dragging ourselves out of the house to catch the new Indiana Jones movie (loved it!). The funny thing was, I actually forgot to even buy Daniel an anniversary card! This is soooo unlike me and usually its Daniel who gets in trouble for this one. So I was really in trouble. So to try and hide my mistake, I casually ask Daniel if he wanted to postpone anniversary card exchanges until we could actually go out for a nice dinner date. He looked at me and just started laughing.. he knew I forgot the card! We laughed a while and then he said, "thank you, that was the best anniversary gift ever!". I guess my clever gift to him was a "get out of jail free" card for the next time he forgot to remember!!

So to top off our anniversary weekend, Daniel is headed for the hospital to make sure he's ok. The Dr. said he shouldn't have stomach flu symptoms for 7 days so he had to come in to get an IV and checked out! So please be praying for his quick recovery!

Sickness everywhere!

Wow! it seams everyone has been hit by this terrible stomach flu. We thought we escaped it until this weekend when all three kids got at the same time, while Daniel had them alone, driving home from Payson. By the time I got home, they seemed fin until today and Graham got sick again and now Daniel has it too. I'm staying strong so far... Summer has hit and I thought this stuff was supposed to be gone!

Tanner we are praying for you buddy!!

Payson rodeo went great Arlo and I have achieved teamdom! We are working together well and finally adding to the team as partners. It was so fun traveling with my horse again, I absolutely love traveling with a trailer and my truck to compete; its a little bit of a natural high for me. Its different now, though, I can't wait to come home to my family. It has been the best of both worlds for me to be a part of this. I did feel a little guilty leaving three sick children for Daniel to care for:(. He did amazing though and never complained once!

Feel the love

I have been so blessed to have snug a bug kids! I just wanted to catalog this time in my kids lives because, I'm sure it will change at some point. Noah is my affectionate one, he is a giver when it comes to cuddles, he tells me repeatedly how much he loves me and wants to snuggle up next to me wherever he'll fit. Graham, needs me, he needs to be holding my hand or sitting on me and still wants me to carry him out of bed and have some cuddle time after sleeping. And Braxtyn, she's not a giver when it comes to cuddle time, she's more needy. She has it planned out as to where I should sit, what blankets we need and what were going to do while we cuddle. Its either, watch now, read now or just couch now. Once you have completed her demands she then sits quietly for quite some time. I wonder how much of these patterns will relate into their adolescents and adulthood. I'm just grateful right now to have some time to just sit and enjoy each one of them.

Sleepless...

I've just been reading some other blogger's postings. Its funny if you look at the time we all spend blogging, usually from 11 to 4am. I guess it's that downtime for moms. I'm not usually a late nighter, but tonight I cannot sleep. I kept thinking it was the nap I stole while all the kids slept today..but I'm wondering now, if God's keeping me up for some reason. So, I ask Him. He hasn't answered quite yet so I'm writing and reading and praying and doing some late night visitng with blogging friends. I have been so encouraged by everyone's little windows into their lives and I'm so enjoying this quite moment at my computer. No one crawling up on my lap to hit the wrong keys or color on the desk. But I have to admit I wouldn't want that to end either. I Cherish those busy moments, even if I relaize it too late to realize how important they are. Its usually when I get my own time, do I miss the crying, jumping, laughing, and even the fighting that seems to go on all day. Isn't it funny how annoyances can be such blessings. Those crazy times when we want to run and hide in our closets, are the times we miss the most when we are alone. Maybe its just me but I tend to do my best and worst in chaos. If it' s a "best" day it usually filled with unplanned chaos, resulting in a messy house, un-showered me and un-bathed kids who ate PB&j's and popcorn for dinner on the living room floor. The worst me tends to creep out on the days I have a plan to accomplish all the perfect mom and wifely duties...not that those things don't need to be done, but I tend to over schedule. In my haste to clean, cook, laundry and teach my children all they need to know, I miss somehow the importance of just "being", just being content with the simple joys of my life. I get so wrapped up in my "to do" lists and how I'm not accomplishing them that I frustrate myself right out of the blessings in front of my face. If I could only find that balance of getting things done and appreciating the chaos. So, here I am just trying to "be", the kitchen is a mess and the there is laundry to fold and that will always be the case, so for now at 12:01am I am just trying to enjoy the simplest things in my life. Better late than never in a day, does this count for tomorrow too since its technically tomorrow? I am reminded by all of the blogs I'm reading how we are all so different in our struggles and yet how we all have them just the same and how our awesome God meets us where we are and continues to bless us even when we don't deserve it. I am so thankful I can't work for that, I'd be a mess of "to-do" lists!

Noah's Photography

As a school project, Noah has been taking photos by himself. I told him to just shoot what he sees. I think he is really loving it, and actually for a 5yr. old he's doing pretty good. It runs in the Zimmermann family!

Braxtyn funnies

Well over the weekend we spent some time with family and I realized how busy, bossy and easily impressed she is!

On Sunday she decided that Aunt Sissy was being too mean to Ty while he was in time-out so she quickly corrected her by pointing a finger back and saying "stop it now!" as Aunt sissy reprimanded Ty for getting out of time-out early!

We then went home and she kept repeating the phrase "whats up, yo?" with some high five hand gesture. Thank you to whomever shared that with my darling little girl! She now says it repeatedly throughout the day.. And to top off the day ... during her bath time she was telling Daniel to stop singing and playing his guitar, I guess she thinks she runs the world:) Daniel told her she was his little girl and she couldn't tell him to stop it. As he continued to play, she sat there and said uh uh..hmm. hmm and shook her head no. We are not sure what to do with such a little girl with a great big personality. But we are laughing and worrying all the way through it!

The Cow

Well we are buying a cow, not for milking, not for roping, yep...for eating. Its sad really, he's very cute. The kids have yet to see him and I'm trying to figure how to make the farmer keep him until the butcher arrives. Graham has been wanting a cow for a year now and I'm just not sure how I can bring that thing home and then tell him were going to eat him next month! My parents did this once to a cow we had named and we had to eat Curly burgers for a year!!! Just wanted to catlog this event, since its the first time we are doing this and probably not the last. Its only $2 a pound and its hormone free!

Some funnies...

Daniel asked Noah what they could do together to have some fun..
Noah: Lets go to a Diamondbacks game and watch them play the Ogres!
Daniel: The Ogres? Do you mean the Giants?
Noah: Yeah, that's it!

Mommy: Graham what are you going to be when you grow up?
Graham: A rodeo clown, a horseshoer and a Trick roper
Mommy: I'm not surprised, but don't be a bull rider ok?
Graham: Ok, but I'd be good at it.

Braxtyn well, she says a a lot of funnies but mostly she's just the boss. Whatever mommy says, she repeats with a louder voice and adds a shaking finger and pout.

Dale Evans, my Grammy and me!

I realize Dale Evans, Grammy Rene and myself wouldn't seem to have many historical connections, but you might be surprised!

When I joined the Cowgirls Historical Foundation I was looking forward to riding my horse and getting back into rodeo, but I had no idea the connections I would be making with my family heritage!

The last event I attended I was able to wear a Dale Evans original outfit! Grammy and I had fun with this one! Daniel's grandmother was good friends with Dale Evans and her husband Roy Rodgers. She even attended an awards show with her! She has some memorabilia and cute pictures of all of them together.

My grandmother, Evelyn Morris was famous for her artwork and ability to ride Tennessee walkers in parades and pulling carts in shows. I've been looking forward to to doing a side by side picture of her in one of her outfits and me in mine. But today, I was able to put together one of her original outfits and jewelry to wear to my next event.

In these pictures I'm wearing one of her outfits, the concho belt and turquoise necklace she made and she painted the Phoenix on the back of the vest. The hat and boots are my moms.

The Princess, her pony and her alias TMNT

There are many sides to my little Braxtyn, here are two that show her girly nature and her brother's influence!

Braxtyn insists on most days to wear her ballerina skirt and shoes of HER choice, I think its very cute and of course give in. So if you can see them she is riding Arlo around bareback with her Tutu and wings! She refused to put on jeans and boots.

My princess on her pony

AND THEN.. we have the fifth ninja turtle, Joan of arc...

Chicken Coop Phase 2

Front porch

the chicken #!&$!

Well I don't have any pictures for phase two, just a Graham funny. The coop is almost done, yes Daniel is still building! So Graham was giving his uncle Darin a tour and said "see uncle Darin this is our new chicken poop!"
Its funnier to those who know that's a bad word at our house and Graham loves to push those words as much as possible without getting in trouble!
So today we jokingly call it the "the new chicken poop"
LOL!

The Zoo day! We had so much fun. We actually went there about three weeks ago and I'm a Little behind these days. These pictures are just too cute not to post. The kids had so much fun and actually came away with a little more knowledge, so we called it a field trip. (We were supposed to meet up with Kristi and the kids, but Beau got sick on the way to the zoo. )