STTN

Emily has been Sleeping Through The Night. However, she has been waking far earlier than we wanted. Last night, she slept the whole night and didn't wake up early! (and, as a tender mercy, the other two didn't wake up either. not. even. once.)

Do I dare say I feel human this morning?

"Not only is life a bitch, it has puppies."
- Adrienne Gusoff.

Civil Disobedience

Lexi {stomping down the hallway after time out}: Mom.

Me: Yes, Lexi.

Lexi {defiantly}: Mom. I drew you a picture. See, Mom.

Me: You did?

Lexi {holding up picture}: Yeah. See what is says, Mom? It says "BAD MOM".

Emily Four Month Pics

To see the rest of her pics GO HERE.

Mom! I Want To Ride!

Lexi getting ready to lunge Honey.

Guess we better go ahead and get her some boots, huh?

Learning how to direct rein.

Riding all by herself!

Lexi followed all of the barn rules and did great. We hope to get her out on the horse a few times a month now that's she's shown some interest. How exciting!

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? 
~Milton Berle

An Actual Conversation

Me {walking in from an afternoon on the town with Lexi}: So, how'd it go?

Allen: Crappy. Literally. I changed 7 diapers while you were gone.

Me: Dude, that is crappy.

Allen: Yeah. Emily had a total blow out. I mean it was up to her shoulders.

Me {eyes wide}: Did you have to give her a bath?

Allen {smiling proudly}: No. I just changed her clothes and used some wipes. And, you know that stuff...that stuff..{pumping gesture}...you know....

Me {face contorting}: The hand sanitizer?

Allen {still proud}: YAH! That stuff. I kinda just wiped it around on her back. You know. 'Cause I thought, this can't hurt.

Sisters

Do You Think?

this is what Heaven will be like when we finally get to see those we love again?

God Bless our Troops!

Of Kids and Horses

I've noticed that many of my philosophies on training colts mirror what I've learned about raising kids.  Here's a few of those parallel ideas:

• If you're always hanging tight onto the reins, they will never know how to guide themselves.

• Hold steady and wait for the response you desire.

• When you see what you're looking for in behavior, be quick to reward.

• If you over use your aids, they will become numb to your cues.

• When bad behavior comes up unexpectedly, rule out illness or pain first.

• Change the environment; change the mind.

• Sometimes, they really just need a lot of wet saddle blankets.

• Don't take it personal.

• A gentle touch will go much farther to produce the desired response than a jerk of the reins or a jab of the spur.

• If you are anxious, they will be scared. If you are over riding, they will be bracey. If you are soft, they will melt into your hands.

• Do the groundwork and you'll enjoy the fun stuff later.

• Common sense will get you far.

• Ride with people who are better than you.

• Sometimes, you gotta just let them be horses.

• Be a student of learning.

• Be a trainer first so you can be a friend later.

• Although you are the trainer, your colts will likely give you the education.

• One you've lost your temper, you've lost the opportunity for teaching to occur.

• It takes a lot of years to make a good one.

• Just when you get them where you want them, they're gone.

"You just have to accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue."

- Roger Anderson

3 1/2 Months

Emily rolled over from her back to her front today.

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time!

And that is how we keep working on our yard. One small project at a time. Just after I posted the pics of our yard, we added some tan bark to the swing set area. What a much needed improvement!

And that's with half of the stack already in the yard.

After:

The Harvest

We're reaping the fruits of our labors, literally. As with any garden, we've had about 27838753873429 zucchini so I didn't bother documenting those. However, we've never had much of a green bean harvest and this year we have gobs. The corn is taller than it's ever been. And, there's a cantaloupe plant giving off tons of the little suckers - and we didn't even plant it!