Daddy's Little Wonder

 Katharine heads off to college this week, so we got some extra time in together this past weekend with a visit to the Norman  Rockwell Museum. He was a big inspiration for me as I grew as an artist, and it looks like the same is true for Katharine.

It has been a joy to watch Katharine grow as an artist and a person over all of these years. I love her so much, and can't wait to see what she does next. She is, and has always been, my "wonder"- cue the Natalie Merchant song now :)

Riding Lesson

I booked a riding lesson for Keira, Kassidy and myself. Both girls have been asking to learn to ride, and it has always been a dream of mine as well.  After conacting a bunch of stables in the area, I found one that could give us lessons. We learned a lot in a short amount of time. The only thing we did not have to do was muck out the boxes, because the horses we rode were in the outside paddocks. We did go and get the horses, groom them, tack them, ride them, untack them, brush them again and bring them back to the paddock. 

Walking Hot Rod back to his paddock.

Kassidy got to ride a pony name Dillon, he was a nice old gentleman that she loved on and hugged a lot!

Here is Keira cleaning the hooves with a hoof pick. She realized how heavy a horses legs/ feet are when you have to lift them.

Keira got to ride an older gentleman as well, His name is Ice.

We had so much fun and can't wait to go again!

Road Trip Tune

Katharine put together this video of our road trip from Texas to New Hampshire.

That girl should get into the film industry or something, right?

 

Secret Gardens

 

Evening Plans

 

Frousins on the Farm

The Martels visited for a few days, and we had a lot of fun hanging out around the house. 

 More pics to follow, but for now here is one very big group shot in front of our apple tree (minus one, as Liam didn't make the trip).

 

 

 

Bubble Fun

 Everything is still a bit un-organized, including our blog posts. While the home is getting more and more organized, and at least Lukas has started a new routine - he started school on July 26th- the blog is still somewhat in disarray and we post as we get to it, not neccesarily in chronological order.  Oh well, better than not posting at all! 

The first time I went to Keene with Katharine, we went to this cute store that carries items made by artisans in the area as well as other unique items. In addition to a handmade honey pot, I picked up a giant bubble maker. We gave it a try about 10 days ago:

Woodworking Camp

 Keira went to woodworking camp at the Hooper Institute from July 19 - July 22nd. She made a Viking chair and a cherrywood canoe paddle.

Wood Stacking

Today we stacked two cords of wood. We now have some nice stacks in the garage, in the barn and on the porch.

Night Swimming

 

Live Free and Climb

So we made it to NH, but I have not been updating because we have been packing and setting up most of the month.

 Family hikes are definitely going to become a thing. 

Here is a pic from the first one.

 

Katharine's Church Goodbye

 There are lots of goodbyes happening right now, but I liked the Instagram post that Katharine made about our church.

I remember teaching a few of these kids when they were still toddlers in Sunday School!

Final FCD Game

 Lennon and I attended our final FC Dallas game last night, and ironically enough their opponents were the New England Revolution.

Our team won, and we couldn't have asked for a better sendoff. 

This will be one of our Texas traditions that we miss the most- especially the front row seats, the twenty dollar concession cards, our ongoing stat/score prediction game, the Secrests who sit next to us (and whose daughter once performed with Katharine in a theater production.. small world), and the "score two get half off" Papa Johns reward (although the Caine's Challenge was better).

Time to order some pizza!

Happy Birthday to Me

 It's my birthday today.

Yay.

Here I am all worn out after loading the moving truck, taking a slightly blurry selfie standing in front of some Sunset Yoga balloons next to the supermarket where I drove to at 8 PM to pick up my cake.

 Time to take the "Colbert Questionert"!

1. Best sandwich? - BLT
   

2. What's one thing you own that you really should throw out? - My wool sock collection that is full of holes
   

3. What is the scariest animal? - Snake
   

4. Apples or oranges? - Oranges
   

5. Have you ever asked someone for their autograph? - Chuck Jones
   

6. What do you think happens when we die? - Something that I cannot even begin to comprehend
   

7. Favorite action movie? - Raiders of the Lost Ark
   

8. Favorite smell? - The ocean
   

9. Least favorite smell?  - Beyond the obvious stuff, coffee
   

10. Exercise: worth it? - Yes
    

11. Flat or sparkling? - Sparkling
    

12. Most used app on your phone? - Desert Golf
    

13. You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it? - Leonard Cohen's "Anthem"
    

14. What number am I thinking of? - 2,987.6024
    

15. Describe the rest of your life in 5 words? - Work hard and then relax
    

 

Moving Right Along

The truck is packed and we are cleared for closing on July 1st.

Now we just have to sell/trash/give away a house full of furniture and stuff that we didn't bring with us.

In one week.

It never ends..

 

Keira and Jane

One of the things that Keira (and our family) will miss most about Texas is Jane, one of those special friends that don't come around too often. Our kids have been on the receiving end of many Texas exits of dear friends (Maya, the Frousins, Fox), and it feels just as bad moving on as it does staying behind. 

But those two are tech savvy young preteens, so I'm not counting their friendship out just yet.

 

Graduation Pics

 Sort of..

These are from Senior Day at church, which is as close as our homeschooler is going to get.

We are so proud of Katharine, and she will now be going off to Cal Arts in California to continue doing amazing and great things.

 

 

Final Bow

Katharine performed in her final recital at the end of last month.

She has done such an amazing job over the years, and we will really miss seeing her dance and perform.

 But as the curtain drops on one journey, it opens up for another.

 

Soccer Finale

Lennon played his final soccer game last week, and in typical fashion showed a lot of flourish and propensity for injury. He had a nice shot on goal and then strained his thigh.

They played the game in the rain and mud, so it is definitely one that we will never forget.

Next up, golf and snowboarding. 

Or maybe just golf- because there is that whole injury thing with him..