Introducing Paigie's New Hamsters

Paige was very patient and waited longer than the mommy-and-daddy-imposed week-long waiting period after the death of Leo to go out and replace him.  

We decided to get dwarf hamsters this time.  Leo and Buddy (our current and deceased hamsters) are Syrian hamsters and must live alone.  They will very truly battle to the death if we try to put them together in the same tank.  

Dwarf hamsters, on the other hand, like to live with a friend.  This, coupled with the fact that they are tiny and cute, made them a very easy sell to my little lady.  

So, this past Friday after school, the kids and I all piled in the car and headed out in search of the perfect tiny hamsters.  We picked the two mildest mannered ones we could find and headed home with big giant smiles on our faces (and some sneaky behind the scenes negotiations happening in the backseat ... "if you share with me, I'll share Buddy with you...").

Once we were all settled with hamsters in tanks, we moved on to the inevitable discussion of NAMES.  Paige instantly tried to go with something like Fuzzy and Fluffy.  I very gently suggested "partner" names -- perhaps Pinky & The Brain?  Salt & Pepper? and the kids went wild thinking of ideas.  Paige systematically shot down each and every idea.  Mike & Ike?  No.  Macaroni & Cheese?  No.

One of the hamsters has an unfortunately large back side the other does not.  The kids kept saying, "I want to hold Big Bottom and you hold the other guy."  So, as we were choosing names we'd say, "Call the big bottomed one Hansel and the other guy Gretel" to which she'd reply "NO."  This went on forever.  It went on for two days until we suddenly realized that we actually DID name the hamsters.

We'd like to formally introduce you to... 

Big Bottom and The Other Guy!

Because I Like Them

I've been torturing the kids by taking their pictures every day -- sometimes several times a day -- trying to snap the perfect group photo for our holiday card.  I finally got my shot (you'll have to wait for your cared to see it).  

They are only all three together very early in the morning and then after school and the sun has been setting so early lately that my time is very limited.  They were very good sports. 

Here is one that I really liked but didn't make the cut.  

Here is one that I thought was really funny.  They were ready for the bus and I made them stand by the door for a few shots while we waited.  This is the shot I took right when they saw the bus drive by.

Also, here's one of Nate that I just think it cute.  Hey ... it's my blog!  I can post as many pictures as I want!

Sooner or Later

Horses: Sarah on Buster, Gee Whiz, Sport

It had to happen sooner or later....

Sarah fell off of her horse in her lesson last night.

(She's fine, by the way.)

I've seen it happen to several other girls. 

I knew it was only a matter of time.

Every adult rider I know has stories to tell of how and when and how many times they've fallen or been thrown from a horse.  I think that I was secretly (or not so secretly) wishing for Sarah to remain glued to her saddle forever...even though I knew that it had to happen sooner or later.

The last time anyone in her class fell, it was very dramatic.  Four riders in the ring.  Something spooked the horses.  Two horses took off running like mad and threw the girls right off their backs at high speed.  Those poor girls looked terrified.  

The girls landed in the dust on the side of the ring, got right back up, dusted themselves off, and got back on their horses.  That's the rule, you know.  They make the girls get right back on their horses.  No time to think about being scared.  Get right back on.

Sarah's fall was WAY less dramatic.  She was riding a horse named Sport (see the photo).  He's way smaller than the horse she usually rides.  Even now, after talking with Sarah and her instructor, we aren't sure what happened.  One minute she was trotting ON her horse and the very next second she was NOT on her horse.  I did not see her fall.  I looked away for that brief moment to help Nate with something.  When I looked up there was no one on her horse and everyone in the ring was just standing around.  

I asked some other parents what happened but no one could figure it out.  Did she slip?  Did Sport start to dart and lose her?  Did he spook?  No clue.  Her instructor helped her up, dusted her off, put her right back on her horse and carried on as usual.  Sarah had teary eyes for the first lap and then was back to normal.

I was anxious for her lesson to be over so I could check on my lady and get some answers.  Nothing.  She fell.  It was a fluke.  Sarah said that her horse made an unexpected move that threw her off balance and made her fall.  She thinks the horse behind her actually bit Sport (it happens), but we'll never know.  Her instructor said that Sarah is tough.  She handled it well -- didn't make a sound. 

I told Sarah that she's lucky.  If you're going to fall off of a horse, it might as well be while you are trotting on a pony instead of cantering on Buster!

So, today Sarah is a little bit sore but happy to have a new story to tell her friends at school.  She's already looking forward to her next lesson.

Horse Show #2

Sarah competed in her second horse show today.  

It was a balmy 15 degrees outside and she rode in a freezing (read: fa-ree-zing) cold barn!  Grandma Karen and Mr. Harry came to see her and we all sat in the barn and froze our little patooties off while we waited for it to be her turn to ride.  Sarah was the only one who didn't seem to mind the cold.  She was just excited to be there and to ride a horse.

Her lips were purple!

Nate loves the horse show!

She competed today in the same event as last time ("A" class on the flat), and she took home 1st place last time, if you remember.  This gave her HIGH HOPES for this event, for sure!  I'd warned her that there might not be a repeat of her last performance and pointed out that I didn't notice any duplicate names on the perpetual trophy that she had here, but she was determined to be the first one to have her name on it twice.  She wanted it bad.  I was walking a fine mommy-line --trying to encourage her competitive spirit while, at the same time, trying to give her realistic expectations (and keep her from bursting into angry tears in the arena).  It was a tricky fine line.

So, today was the day.  She did a great job.  She competed against eight other riders.  My friend, who knows of Sarah's strong desire to win and also knows much more about this sport than I do, leaned over just before the judges made their decision and said, "I think she has a real chance" and I crossed my fingers.  I could see Sarah concentrating -- listening for the judges decision.  It was a long wait.  At one point, she closed her eyes as if to will them to say her name.  

Finally, they spoke.  "And first place goes to rider number 764.  Jessica somebody or other who isn't Sarah Gorman" and my lady looked (to her credit) only slightly disappointed.  "Second place is rider number 360.  Sarah Gorman on Buster!"  

Yippie!!  She did it.  We were happy.  She got a ribbon.

After the ribbons were all handed out, I got to walk into the arena to take her picture.  The first thing she said to me was, "They had to do it that way.  You were right."  She is absolutely convinced that she was the first place rider but that they simply could not give her back the trophy.  Ah ... my girl.  I turned her into a conspiracy theorist.  Good job, mom.  Way to go.

Needless to say, we spent our whole drive home with me talking about what a fantastic thing it is to have won second place and that she very well may have deserved it and that Jessica Whoever She Was just might have deserved first place.  And, all the while, Sarah telling me about how she was probably the first one and the other girl was second but that they didn't want to give the trophy back to her so they just gave it to the other girl and then gave Sarah second place and la di da and loo di doo and then she launched into a speech filled with technical horse jargon that's not worth typing but, basically, she said she did a better job.  So there.  

Oy.

It is a fine line, isn't it?

Way to go Sarah! 2nd Place!

I think that the next show is in April.  I'll keep you posted!

The Kidney Ball

Mr. Gorman and I went to a ball tonight.  An actual Ball.  Tuxedos and ball gowns.  Fancy ladies, hairdos, high heels, the whole thing.  I've never been to a ball before.  We tried not to go but we were not given much of a choice.  We had to go.  I bought the dress.  We got fancy.  It was a crazy thing.  It seems that, for me, nothing can just happen without some sort of craziness.  Have you noticed?

Mrs. S. went too.  This was a highlight of the ball.  We were happy to be going together.  I like Mrs. S.  I like Mr. Gorman, too.  I actually like Mr. G. more (don't tell Mrs. S.).

Let's skip all of the trauma that's involved in selecting a ball-appropriate gown, okay?  I found one.  Let's leave it at that.  (I do, however, have several in my hatch waiting to be returned before my 30 days expire and I suddenly own hundreds of dollars of random ball gowns for which I have no real use.)  

We survived the ball and now we are home.  I have two photos of Frank and me before the ball but I will not be posting them anywhere.  They were taken by a tiny short child and any photo taken by a tiny short child of a grown, standing adult never creates a flattering photo.  Sorry.  You can live without it.  

I also have several very nice photos that my neighbor took of me and the kids but they are in her camera and she is technologically challenged and I am feeling quite confident that those photos will be forever trapped in her camera.  

SO ... the only photo I currently have to prove that I was ever at the ball is this one.  It is a photo of a photo.  But it is a great one.  It is a photo of a photo strip of me and Mrs. S. in a photo booth at the ball.  It is fantastic.  This photo strip has four teeny tiny photos on it.  It's currently hanging on my fridge.  I took it's picture and cropped it for the blog.  The resolution is no good but that's just too bad ... those pictures are TINY!  Live with it.  

Happy Birthday to Me!

HAPPY DECEMBER 5th!

Ahh ... my sweet babies (and my sweet Frankie).  While I slept in for an extra three minutes Frank had the kids make me some handmade birthday cards and wrap me a gift.  They were so excited and very proud of their work!  It was all very cute.  

Later in the day I hosted lunch for a big pile of my friends (and neglected to take a single photo!).  My wonderful friend Mrs. S. brought me this adorable and tasty cake you see here.  It was a yummy dessert!  

Thanks, everyone!  I had a wonderful day!

My Moons

I named my blog "Little Moons" because I tend to think of the kids as my own personal moons.  They are constantly orbiting around me.  They rarely leave my side.  

I miss them when they are not circling around my legs.  I do occasionally wish they'd go orbit around some other mommy for a while and let me walk, eat, think, read, and sleep in peace but, the truth is, when they are not there I miss them.  

They belong with me.  I've been grocery shopping alone when I had to walk in front of someone and I've said, "excuse us" -- as if I were traveling with my imaginary friend.  

When I am alone in my car (Mondays and Fridays between 9:00 and 1:00) I look in the rearview mirror and find myself having brief panic attacks thinking that I left someone somewhere -- that I forgot Sarah at the bank or Paige at the gas station.  

It snowed a thick heavy snow yesterday.  Today, as I was out driving around, the layer of snow on the roof of my car came loose just as I was coming to a stop at a red light.  The whole clump came sliding down onto my windshield in one big wet sheet.  You know the first thing that I thought of?  'I really wish Nate was here to see this.  He would think it was so cool!'  So, I picked him up from school and I told him about my big clump of snow and he cheered and pumped his little hands in the air the way he does and he said, "That is so cool, mom!"