When I Was 5...

Today we were out running errands and I decided to treat the kids to ice cream at the Big Dip. We were in North Syracuse (which is not our usual stomping grounds) and the kids were fascinated by the giant ice cream cone on top of the building. I remember getting ice cream at the Big Dip when I was kid, and told them how I lived near there until I was five.

Gabriel (who is 5) was very interested in the fact that I moved when I was 5, and wanted to know all about it. Then he asked "Mommy, where as smart as me when you were 5?" Umm, well, hmm... how do I answer that?

"I could read when I was 5, but I couldn't read as well as you can," was my reply. There, I was being honest but not adding too much fuel to the fire for Gabriel's super ego.

"So, you weren't as smart as me?" he asks.

"Or maybe it's just that nobody taught me to read when I was two." As I said it I'm thinking "I probably couldn't have learned to read when I was two because while I am intelligent, your IQ seems to be in a whole different ballpark than mine. But if you figure that out now, I won't be able to live with you for the next 13 years..."

Thankfully, he gave some credence to the fact that he was given opportunities that nobody gave to me. That, and I quickly changed the subject by offering to drive them past the house where I lived until I was 5. Crisis averted!

Pony Rides

On our second full day at the ranch Nicole had arranged for the kids to have pony rides. Gabriel and Cadence each got a turn being led around the ranch on Blossom.

Jacob got a little bit of a riding lesson, and then he got to hold the reigns himself! He rode Blossom around the barn while Nicole watched and gave him pointers. I got a little video of him too...

A Little Getaway

The kids and I went to spend a few days with my sister and left Todd home to work and attend the Willowcreek Leadership Conference. We arrived at the ranch after lunch on Wednesday. After dinner, my niece Becca helped the kids do a little fishing. Jacob (who needs no help fishing or baiting the hook) dug up some worms before we went to the fishing hole.

The boys each caught a fish, but Cadence didn't have the patience for it.

When it wasn't his turn to be fishing, Gabriel discovered a rope swing rigged up across a ditch near the fishing hole. I was a little nervous watching little Gabriel swing back and forth clinging to the very end of a rope he could barely reach. Frankly, I'm surprised he wasn't nervous about doing it. Eventually I got over my nervousness and decided I should try to get some good pictures of this recklessness.

His sister and brother soon lost interest in fishing and joined Gabe on the rope swing.

And before long, my concerns about this form of entertainment were validated. Gabriel fell off the rope and into the muddy gulch. He wasn't hurt, but most definitely was upset. He did not like the way the mud felt all over his backside. Aunt Cathy made him pose for a picture, which he did while crying. Then finally we got him to smile.

Before heading home to bed, we took Aunt Cathy's army truck for a spin around the ranch grounds. The kids loved riding in the army truck, especially when they got to hang off the back of the tailgate.
Stay tuned for part two of our trip...