Winter Horse Lessons

The kids have enjoyed their every-other week horse lessons this winter. Ezra's favorite horse has been Ellie. He is getting more and more confident riding and even rode backwards recently! He mostly likes to help with the grooming and stall cleaning. Scooping poop is so much fun for him! Esperanza loves all the horses equally. Sometimes she rides Willow or Twig. She has a lot of fun with her friends while riding and grooming the horses. They even seem to have their own fun while cleaning up poop. On one afternoon, all the girls climbed to the top of the poop pile and declared themselves queens of the poop mountain (or something similarly silly). They got horse manure all over themselves. It was pretty disgusting once they had to clean themselves up in order to leave. Us moms get to warm up next to the fire and visit on most days. We all love horse lessons!

Sweet When They Sleep

They are so sweet and adorable. Especially when they sleep. I cannot resist capturing these moments. 

Spring Seedlings

We are starting a small gardening class with some friends. I'm just planning on teaching the basics of vegetable gardening to them and maybe even get a little extra help in the garden this year. Being the first year in our new home, with new soil...it will be a learning experience for all of us. First, we got some seeds started indoors. After just a couple of days, our first seedlings appeared!

Classes At A Cool New School

The kids have been taking a few classes for homeschool kids, one day a week, through a small local learning facility in NE Portland this winter. Ezra and Esperanza are both in a biology class where they learn about animals. There is usually a real animal for them to touch and see and they do a craft as well. Esperanza is in 2 other classes, one is a math class where they play a board game with miniature figures and the other is an improv/acting type class where kids learn in a fun way about feelings, personal space and expression. We carpool with some friends who are taking the same classes as us. It is a very cool school with a neat staff and fun environment. 

Baby Chicks Again

On the way home from horse lessons the other day, we stopped at the local farm store and picked up 6 new baby chicks! Most of them are only a couple days old, 1 is a week old. We had to get rid of our chickens when we moved and have been looking forward to getting some again. For now, they chicks will be living in the garage, in a cardboard box until the weather warms up and we have a chicken coop built. The kids are in love - I can't wait for eggs!

Cursive

Esperanza learned how to write her name in cursive. I think we're on to something!