Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 33

Cultured

Ice cream + Art = WinMost Friday nights, we like to stay at home and putter around the house and yard, basking in whatever weather we have (whether it's snow or the perfect spring day), fishing, repair or fencing projects, riding the horses, exploring the forest, watching a movie, or just enjoying each other's company. But, once in a blue moon, we like to go into Indy to see what there is to offer and make sure we're still at least somewhat cultured. Anything with an engine is alright by Henry...

Finish

I can see the finish line! I'm almost done!Ever since moving to Indiana, I've wanted to run the Indy Mini Marathon, one of the country's largest half marathon. It's in May, a few weeks before the Indy 500 and has been a tradition for decades. I hadn't taken the challenge because most years, I was either pregnant or had a newborn baby and wasn't up to running 13.1 miles. This year, however, was the year!
My warmup: carrying Henry while powerwalking to the start line so I wasn't late.Thanks to t...

Better With Age

Look at that BLAZING 33ish candles...we didn't exactly count how many there were...Ever since Zoey joined our clan last year, April birthdays have been doubled and are nearly back to back (or better yet, overlapping, like Zoey and Stoney's...JEALOUS!)--we came home from the hospital on Jack's birthday last year, so it was pretty un-fantastic. This year could only get better, right? The thing about getting older is that birthdays aren't exactly as exciting except when you have ki...

Birthday Girl, Birthday Boy

Wanting so bad to get up on the gate to see Stoney face to face, too.A year has come and gone and Zoey is no longer a baby. It's always amazing to me to see just how quickly infants unfold, fill out, and literally blossom in one quick year.
Being the youngest of five, Zoey is tenacious and incredibly confident--nobody tells her what she can and can't do. So, she fits in along with the rest of the herd without any trouble, so much so that her growl gets her her way, she can sleep through her si...

Accomplished Fishers

Ever since Jack snagged his first largemouth bass in our pond, he wanted everyone to experience the joy of catching their own.
Claire was the first. She spent an afternoon paddling around in the pond. The first time she was so excited that she let the line out and the fish escaped. The second time, she had some luck.
Kate followed the same tactic and caught a good-sized fish of her own from the paddleboat, too. Evelyn fished from the shore... ...and Henry pulled one in with Jack's help. Yes, I own...

Earth Day, Every Day

Being outside is the best!Though Earth day isn't a major holiday to us--it's no Easter or Christmas or Halloween--it's one of those days that we take a few moments to reflect on all the good things that come from Mother Earth. Really though, it's like Earth Day, every day around here.
Like when we went to the nursery to get ready for our garden. Having a bit of cabin fever from the elongated winter we had this year, I surrounded us with beautiful, green things that were meant to fill our garde...

Color Me Green Dash

The first splash of green.The girls brought home a flyer for a family fun run put on by our county's 4H and since running a family race to encourage my kids to be active their whole lives, I thought it sounded like the perfect opportunity to cross that goal off our list.
We showed up a little early to get signed up and spent the time waiting for the race to start, looking at all the animals who'd be brought in for a post-race party petting zoo. You can't have a 4H event without some sort of an...

Gymnastics

Claire was determined to do the splits if it killed her...If Claire is anything, it's athletic. And competitive. Ever since she was little, I knew that gymnastics would be a draw for her. She's always swinging on the monkey bars, spinning cartwheels, and more than once, I've caught her trying to do backflips, even though I've told her that's a no-no. Solution? Sign her up for lessons.
Practicing back somersaults.I took her to a trial class, where she got to test the waters. Er, balance beams. H...

Square One

That's not where I left Parton...Even with the wonky weather, the grass has begun to grow and it was time to put Parton out to pasture where the horses have been grazing. He and Dolly have been separated since the vet came out and confirmed she was due to give birth soon. So, instead of feeding precious hay and cleaning up after him, we drug him outside.
Literally. He doesn't know how to walk on a lead very well. Cows are naturally very curious, so he sniffed around his new surroundings, making...

Feline Frolic

Boomer wants you to spay and neuter.In a continuing effort to nurture my love/hate relationship with running, I make it a goal every year to do a few friendly-competitive races. Not only are they more fun than running on my own, it gives me the motivation to keep plugging away every day, with the possibility of a race looming over me. This time, I decided to rope Claire in with me. Not only does she love cats and anything to do with cats, she's also extremely competitive and naturally athleti...