The Dog Pound.

 Oh My Goodness!  We watched my parents dogs for about five days while they went up North.  There was never a dull moment.

It is a great thing all of these dogs get along so well.  The scene either looked like this...

...or this.  They were either playing like mad or sleeping like babies.

Chocolate, Cake, Crafts and Candles.

 The first picture is not totally related, but it fit the title of the post.  Sid got a whim to make a tiered cake for Sunday night dinner this week.  It turned out super cute and was very delicious.  I love that they are very capable young woman.

My mom and I went to the Craft and Chocolate Affair at the Nampa Civic Center.  It was the first time they have had it since COVID.  I had never been, and it did not disappoint!  I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I did not.  

I picked up this adorable 'custom' ornament to add to Kevin's tree this year.  Genius idea!

I also spoiled myself with this lovely dough bowl soy candle.  It was gorgeous, though we burned it way too fast.

Yes, it was a crafty, yummy day!

Scholar of the Week!

 I am super proud of both the girls.  They have been working very hard at school this year.  One of the things we are really working on is pride and ownership in their work.  

Sidney's work was recognized by the teachers a couple weeks ago, as she was awarded scholar of the week for 7th grade.  I just love her biography.

Jump Series and Jackpot Challenge.

Sidney has been getting some extra opportunities this fall.  Alyssa seems to have adopted these three girls (Ava, Nellie and Sidney) as her 'girls' and has been taking them to all sorts of fun events.  Here are a few pictures of the Jackpot Challenge, which is essentially an outdoor obstacle course for both horse and rider.

 

Sidney has also been taking the opportunity to ride all of the horses, which stretches her riding skills.  She wrote Reno for the Jackpot Challenge.  Excellent choice, as they walked away with a ribbon.

Sidney bought AT LEAST three different costumes for her and Marley.  As it came down to it, she scrapped them all and went for this 70s vibe.  This duo could not be cuter.

One of the biggest challenges came last Saturday with the first round of the winter jump series.  Sidney rode Indy.  Indy is an excellent jumper.  There were ten jumps in the course.  For horses and riders that have not done a jump course before, it can be very intimidating.  Sidney had a tremendous amount of anxiety the day of.  With much encouragement from her coach, Alyssa, and her teammates, she pushed through it.

Though both Indy and Sidney are fully capable of maneuvering cross rails and higher jumps, they decided to work through the ground poles.  They looked great.  There are several more of these to come, so I expect getting through this first one was accomplishment in and of itself.

Bendy Girl - Part 2.

Never have I ever been this flexible.  Not only can she touch her toes, but she can extend past her toes (two blocks worth).

I cannot recall what move this is called, but it is essentially a standing split.  It goes without saying that she can do her left, right and middle splits.

Now this is just creepy crazy, but not as crazy as the one in which she twists out of it.

Kendall is loving dance and challenging her body in many ways.  She has been working hard both at class and at home to train her body.  Her goal is to move up a level in some of her classes after the new year.  

She is also enjoying her Team.  They seem to have a great time together.

Each of the teams set up a table for the Creature Crawl BBQ.  Her team chose Harry Potter.