First Day of School and Big Birthday Boy

Catching up on the past couple of weeks - the first day of school was a success. Everyone likes their teachers and their classmates, so all is good on the school front. We are back in full swing with fall activities - so much to squeeze in before the weather turns too cold! Another cutting of alfalfa is up and tubed - always a good thing. Today our sweet boy turns seven - too hard to believe! His Nana may have rescued me today, as she sent these awesome duck decoys as gifts, and Rowdy thinks they might work for his birthday cake (the alternative is me trying to make a mallard duck out of rice krispie treats, frosting it, and putting it on the cake - we have clearly watched too much Cake Boss, and I am obviously strongly in favor of using the decoys)!! Oh, and I forgot to mention - Rowdy has a baby girl duck now, too! They are a riot swimming around together in the bathtub - but we're going to have to come up with a plan for them to move outside pretty quick!! The latest name update, as the boy duck is already getting pretty big, is that he will be "Henry," and right now, she is "Little Missy." So, we have a fun birthday weekend ahead of us, and it looks like the weather will be perfect - hope everyone has a great one!!

Amazing Rider Meagan Davis

I just had to post this link - talk about a girl who can ride. This is the Young Rider National Champion - this horse is amazingly talented but a complete handful. She does an unbelievable job, and even with this craziness in the middle of this test, she deserved the championship - the most beautiful rides!!! So, check out Meagan the rodeo queen and see how she recovers beautifully and finishes the ride with such composure!! I'm going to be watching out for them in the future - great things to come!

www.usefnetwork.com/FOC2010/

Go to Aug. 15 tab, then scroll down to YR Individual, Meagan Davis

There's a duck in our house!!

2010 will be known in our house as the year of the ducks for Rowdy. Some of you know about this obsession that started last winter and has increased in intensity this summer. We have spent the summer trying to catch wild ducks everywhere we go, and so as an early birthday present (and since it's our last day of summer vacation), we gave Rowdy his birthday duckling last night! He is over-the-moon crazy about this little guy, who is in his room and as cute as can be! Both kids are enamored with his funny ways, and I have to admit he is much more entertaining than I anticipated. So, here are some pictures of the newest addition to our animal clan. As far as a name, Rowdy has wisely chosen to just call him "Duckie" for now because he says he will change so much as he grows that a baby duck name won't work for him when he's a full grown mallard - so we'll keep you posted on the name.

Amateur Thoughts

I just finished watching the last few rides of the Brentina Cup online, and I am so impressed with these young women and men! I can't help but feel a little jealous, though, wishing I had started riding dressage when I was a kid instead of in my thirties. There are plenty of days when I think it's just too much to juggle the horses with everything else that comes with raising a family, but then I hear my sweet family cheering for me at the horseshow, or I get tackled by Rowdy's hugs, telling me I did a great job (he's 6 and a great judge of dressage tests), or I find Syd's sweet note in my tack trunk that says, "Mommy, I think you deserved the blue ribbon," and I realize not only do I love it, but it is actually great for my kids, too. They are so proud to have a Mom that works hard at something that doesn't come easy, and who still competes in a sport, even if it means a huge effort by all of us to get loaded up and on the road. They see me get so excited over a great ride and so frustrated when I don't do well, and I realize how much it helps me relate to them in all that they are trying to learn and accomplish. It reminds me how hard it is to learn something new and stick with it, even on the worst days. We should all be forever students, and while I'll probably never ride like those young riders I watched today, it really is about the process of trying to just be better than you were the day before. Luckily Barney and Caruso don't mind when family duty calls me away from dressage training, so we'll just keep doing the best we can, horseshow when it works, and remember that it is supposed to be FUN!

Last Weekend Before School

I am definitely not ready for summer to be over! I love having the kiddos home with us everyday and having the freedom to do what we want instead of sticking to the school schedule! I love hearing their sweet voices talking, playing, laughing . . . I am just not ready for them to be fifth and first graders ! I am also not ready to think about cold weather, blankets for horses, body clipping, or any of the other not-so-fun stuff that comes with winter. I know I am skipping over fall, but really fall is just a blink here - then lots of long winter months. We have had the most fun this summer, and I know we'll have a great school year, but it's still just a little bittersweet!

Of course, at this very moment, the kids just started fighting, so maybe it is time after all . . .