Riley and Avery

Oh, we had so much fun at the sheep shearing at Rock Legde Ranch. The ranch is just outside of the Garden of the Gods, so it is absolutely beautiful there. We spent about four hours there, mostly because we got caught in a rain/hail storm and had to go into the homesteading house. That gave us a chance to really examine everything in there. We were the only ones in there other than the lady that "lived" there. Riley learned about rag rug weaving and how the settlers used everything they had and never threw anything away. We examined the construction of the house, the clay used to seal the gaps in the lumber, and the wool used to stuff the cracks in the door for waterproofing and warmth. And Riley really had a ball with the horses. She was disappointed that they weren't for riding, but loved them anyway. Avery wouldn't go near the horses until they left the fence and then she was brave enough to take a look. We toured a beautiful turn-of-the-century home and Riley didn't want to leave the house. I thought that she'd be bored of the tour, but no. It was a Maryland-like day, weatherwise. Hot and rainy. It's like we could have gotten a sunburn during the rain. On the bright side, Colorado is lush and green like never before. Anyway, Riley was really interested in all the things that she could learn. Very engrossed. It was funny, for the days before we went, whenever I mentioned going to the ranch, Riley would ask if there would be chickens there. The kid's nervous around chickens. They did have fenced-in chickens, and Riley noted that the chickens were too busy to peck her. Avery absolutley adored the chickens.


I think we are staying home today. I really need to reinstitute naps for Riley. We've just been so busy lately, we need to take a day and veg. Riley really still needs a nap, but if she doesn't take one by one o'clock, life is terrible. And there are days when Avery will take a cat nap in the car and that's it. All 18 mo-olds need naps, so I'll try and get her back into the habit of taking one. She's a pill otherwise.


So I've been online forever waiting for these pictures to upload. I should disconnect now and go clean. Yay!