Easter Bunny Surprises.

Yes, the girls still love to get a visit from the Easter Bunny.  They set out their baskets each year.

My parents, Sidney and I made it to Easter morning service.  Kendall had the 5am shift at Dutch.  We went by after service to say hello to her.

To my surprise, the Easter Bunny paid me a visit too.  

My mom and dad did an egg hunt for the girls.  They never seem to be too old for this!

Toilets and Other Randomness.

I got new toilets!!!  Only an old person would be excited about this.  You see...our toilets were the first generation 'low flow' toilets and they clogged constantly!  No one likes a clogged toilet.  I have been thinking about replacing them for several years now.  I called my favorite plumber, and he got me some amazing new toilets at cost.  He came and took my old toilets out and replaced them with these sleek, amazing Toto toilets.  I am one happy consumer:).

I love that this girl has embraced her beautiful freckles.

Late night talks.  I love them, and loathe them at the same time.  Mostly I just love them and would not trade them for anything, though the tiredness I feel is real.

Sidney will ride wild horses bareback, but she will not walk on the treadmill without clipping the safety switch to herself.  Why does this make me giggle?

I had to shake my head in wonder, when my tiny new ear warmer arrived in a giant box!

Who doesn't think kettle balls should be used as stilts?

Apparently some of the workers at Noodles and Co. like to write their customers encouraging messages as well.  This is a trend I can get behind!

Oh Bella, you are so wild!

Oh Bailey, how much you have calmed!

IMTC 2024.

 I had a work trip in Portland  for the International Mass Timber Conference.  Sidney was my Uber ride to the airport.

This conference is always a lot of fun, as most of my co-workers attend and there is always a lot of great activities.

I moderated a supply chain panel.  These guys were great to get to know through the process.  I always enjoy moderating these panels.

There was a great selfie wall at the entrance to the conference.  We took picture of each others instead.

The keynote on Thursday was an amazing lady that runs a non-profit organization in Berkely, CA called Girls Garage.  She was so inspirational, I think there was barely a dry eye by the end of her talk, both male and female alike.  The keynote was followed by a Women in Timber hour that was amazing!  It was so great to see so many women in construction, engineering, architecture and development gathered in one place.

My dad picked me up at the airport, and I had him swing me through Dutch to say hello to Kendall on the way home.

Loved seeing my girl, after a long week away!

There Goes My Winter Coat.

Grrr.  I had a fantastic winter coat that I used for the ranch.  Key word, 'had'.  It was a warm afternoon one day, so I took the coat off.  I forgot to grab it when I left.  The next day, I went out to find it shredded into a million little pieces.  This horse.  He is such a toddler!

Then we have a day like below, where it is all worth it.  He was relaxing in the arena sand one afternoon when I turned him out.  It is a really big deal for a horse to stay laying down when you approach them.  I slowly started to walk toward him.

Whenever he would pick his head up in concern, I would back off for a minute.  

I kept inching my way closer until I was right next to him.

He let me reach out to him.

He even relaxed a bit.  Sabrina was walking by and asked if he was alright...he was just that relaxed.  After about 20 minutes of this, I got a bit bored and picked up his halter and walked to the round pen.  He got up and followed me.  Seriously, the trust.

Sid was shocked that he let me do that, as he is typically so quick to jump up.  She may have even been a wee bit jealous.  That being said, Pigeon will literally let Sidney sit right down next to him while he is napping.

We took advantage of a nice spring afternoon to give Levi a bath.  He SO needed it.  The water was literally muddy coming off him.

His forelock is so full that it covers his eyes.  Everything I have read says not to trim it, so we decided to put it in a braid instead.

Dutch Brownies, Naps and Notes.

 Kendall made Sierra a 'brownie' out of a coffee ground puck, complete with whipped cream and sprinkles.  Delicious, not!

Kendall enjoying some sun at work.

The best part about pulling through Dutch is the custom lids Kendall makes for me:).  I just love the encouragement.

Solo Horse Trips and Dinner on the Barrel.

 Look out world, Sidney is hauling the horses now.  She had her first trip hauling Pigeon this month.  She had me meet her, when she got back to the ranch.  I think she thought I was going to back the trailer in for her.  However, she did not need my help.  She took it nice and slow, and did a marvelous job parking the trailer.

Who doesn't grab McDonalds and eat it on top of a barrel in a horse stall?  Kaycee has been injured, so Sid and Jayde decided to hang out with her one evening.

Pigeon could not be outdone by Kaycee and thought he should be injured as well.  He got an abscess in his front left hoof.  Thankfully he did a great job allowing Sid to soak it in epsom salt and iodine.  He was doing much better after just a few days.  It is a good thing, because they have their first performance coming up at the Idaho Horse Expo.

Sid and Jayde were riding in the big arena one evening  I brought Levi in to ride with them.  Pigeon ponied Levi around the arena.  Sid is one lucky girl to have two really sweet horses.

Now that the weather is better, Sidney has been getting back on Levi for a few rides.  He is doing really well.  Hannah and Sidney are sure to expose him to some of their antics.  That is a good thing, since Sidney needs to get Levi 'mom' proof.

Girls Nights Out.

The girls have been finding some free time to spend with their friends, as well as together.  Kendall and Bentley made a night of it.  Complete with pictures from building tops in downtown Boise.

Kianna and Sidney went to dinner and Wahooz.  These girls are becoming so independent.

Kendall and Sidney decided to make a picnic of it to watch the sunset from Simplot hill.  I was not invited.  I thought, for a moment, about inviting myself, but these girls need their sister time.