Walk On Lady

A Hippotherapy update.

Here is a video of Adeline getting on Lady. First, she pats the horse and then mounts using a stirrup. After she is comfortable, she tells the horse to, "Walk on." She sits so tall and appears very calm and confident while riding. I am very proud of her progress. Recently, our insurance stuck it to us with Hippotherapy and I momentarily questioned whether or not her weekly rides were worth nearly $2000 a year. I just have to watch this video and compare it where she was when she first started and I am a believer.

A Daddy Afternoon

The girls had a fun filled daddy day today. They spent hours at Monkey Joe's (Bounce House) and then headed to McDonald's for lunch. It sounded like the girls had a great time. Savannah and Lila were all over the place bouncing and climbing to their hearts' content. Savannah, also, took time to help Adeline navigate the different bounces and help her get comfortable but soon, Adeline was left to her own devices when having to overcome her insecurities about unstable ground. Before the afternoon ended, I am very proud to report that she climbed up the big slide and slid down all on her own. Pretty impressive when considering her delay in gross motor skills, not to mention her sensory issues. Very brave for the The Belle.

Please bare with the sideways video. Alex remembered halfway through that the SLR can only be used on its side when taking pictures and not while using the video function.

Pirate Day at School

Lila didn't know what a pirate was when her Pirate Day at school took place. I gave her a crash course on saying, "Arrgh," and put a bandanna on her head. Not so fierce but pretty cute instead!

A Very Serious Matter

Last year, we had really bad luck with mice. We couldn't seem to pick a ripe strawberry before a little chunk was taken out by a mouse. We never confirmed that they were mice, in fact our friends told us they were voles. Another friend saw one run through the garage and told me they were rats. I am pretty sure they were of the mouse variety because I saw their tiny bodies scurry through the grass in the back yard whenever I walked to the garden.

In any case, these creatures left some pretty serious trails through our grass. Now that the grass has thinned and gone dormant, it is easy to see the pathways of these mice. Savannah and her friends recently discovered these paths which catapulted them back into last summer's battle with the mice.

One one of our warmer days last week, Savannah and her friends observed, planned, and executed their mouse strategy.

The Plan. . .

1. Cover up the hole that is up against the house to prevent them from going to the basement. This required little rocks and dirt so that the debris would wedge down inside the hole.

2. Find another hole that isn't up against the house and lay bait outside of it. The bait was worms that girls dug for. They laid a path of worms that lured the mice away from the house.

I am not sure how the girls planned to keep the mice out of the hole once they exited. The play date ended before that part of the plan was in place.  The girls felt as though they accomplished something as they walked away. 

A green leaf and a caterpillar... Possibly a sign of spring?