I'm a real cowgirl!

Last night I participated in my first Gymkhanas event! I had so much fun, even though I didn't get home until after 1 AM! (I usually turn into a pumpkin after 11 PM) It was suprising how many participants there were during the Holiday weekend, but with the economy the way it is and the perfect weather we are having....

I rode in 3 patterns - the Cloverleaf, dirty Triangle, and the poles. I rode Hugh, the horse I am leasing now. Hershey hurt his hip and is taking a vacation. Hopefully he will be back in commission soon! He is exciting to ride because he thinks he is a race car! But Hugh has more experience and is more reliable. He doesn't usually go faster than a lope unless you really nag him, but he was so excited doing the barrels he did a pretty fantastic gallop to finish off our time. Very impressive.

So this Cowgirl is excited to brag that Hugh and I earned 2 ribbons for 6th and 1 for 5th Place. Yeeeeehaw!

Farewell Easter Chicks!

We came home from school on Thursday to discover Mac, Noah's little dog, had killed all of our baby chickens. The latch on the gate to the chicken coop was loose, and it must have blown open during the day. We are all very sad, as this batch of chicks were so gentle and friendly and cute. Jonah lay sobbing with his dog, Lucy out back all afternoon, alternating between Mac and Noah to yell how much he hated them both.

The good news is, the five remaining grown hens are loving this weather so much they are all laying about twice a day. Amazing!

Happy Birthday Jonah! Oh, and I am special, too!

I had the best Mother's Day ever! I love that I got to celebrate Jonah's birthday the same day. Our morning began with breafast in bed from Mike and Nate. Mike put an orchid corsage on my plate for me to wear to church. Jonah gave me the silent treatment for a little while because he did not want to share his special day with me. But no one can stay mad at me for long, (of course!) and we had a great day! AND, I came home from church to find Jodi had left me a beautiful boquet of flowers on the table.

Below are the poems two of the boys wrote for me. My boys are so wonderful - funny, smart, and talented! I feel very loved. Lucky me


WHY MY MOM IS THE BEST by Nate

Why is my mom the best? How does she manage to be better than the rest?

My mom is the best because she knows everything there ever was.

My mom is so great - she has an awesome son named Nate!

My mom takes great care of us, even when we start to fuss.

My mom can do anything, she might even be able to grow wings!

My mom makes great things to eat. She brings a smile to everyone she meets.

As you can see my mom is the best she can be.

My eye is black, my brother's blue. If we thought about it we shouldn't fight because we have you!

Who is someone you can love all the time? Who is someone who still cares if you whine? Who is someone who can't help but be perfect? Who is someone who got a pool so we can get wet? Who is someone that is such a great nurturere? Who is someone that makes me maturer?

The person who can do all these things and much, much more ...... my Mom!



MOM by Noah

I am your favorite child
I wonder if you love me
I hear you yell at me
I see you walk me to school
I want to see ou
I am your favorite child

I pretend to be like you
I feel happy when I see you
I touch your clothes when I hug you
I worry you will die
I cry when you punish me
I am your favorite child

I understand why you punish me
I say I love you
I dream of you living a long time
I try to please you
I hope you love me
I am your favorite child.

Soccer Season

We had 3 boys playing on 3 teams this past Fall. (yes, I am a little late posting pictures, as usual) This was the first time Noah and Sam were on different teams. It was pretty busy schedule, but a lot of fun! Jonah spent most of his time counting blades of grass. Every once in a while he would get into the action though. They all play very well and had a great time. Sam is great on defense, and Noah is great playing forward. Noah discovered his favorite position is goalie!

April Fools Day Dinner!

For April Fools Day, everyone in the house (well, except for Mike) participated in pulling pranks on each other. Some were funnier than others, but everyone had a good attitude about them. (A couple of the boys woke up with pink fingernails, and Sam went to school with remnants of facial hair drawn with marker on his face) I wanted to do something fun together without one person feeling picked on.
On familyfun.com, the best website ever, I got the idea for an April Fools Dinner. We had a nice family meal with Bill and Alex joining us. I listed all the items on the table on slips of paper(including utensils and condiments), and everyone got an envelope with their papers. For each course, we all drew 3 slips of paper. Whatever was listed is all that you got. Jonah was thrilled to get frosting and a brownie for his first course. Sam got cheese, pepper, and a drink. However, since he didn't have a cup yet, he drank from the pitcher! For the second course, Sam got salt, frosting, and a fork. He was not very happy because he was hungry! It ended up being a lot of fun and something we will make a tradition to do again each year.

Easter Chicks!

Our Uncle Bill and cousin Alex are visiting us this week. The boys are in heaven! For some reason they think Uncle Bill is really funny, and Alex- she just rocks. Bill took the boys to get some new chicks we saw at Ace. They are so cute! Lucy has adopted them. She will stand guard for an hour at a time, just watching over them.

Fiesta Days Parade

Our TRRFCC Horsemanship team rode in the Fiesta Days Parade in Cave Creek yesterday. It was so much fun! We painted the Six Pillars of Character on our color-coordinated saddle pads. Awesome exposure for our program, and we all had a great time. You can hardly see me in the picture, but that is OK by me! Mike didn't see us in the line-up, he was distracted by the library's big book worm. ;-)