Babies Everywhere!

March and April Whizzed right by! 

The months of March- June is why we live where we do.

 We have babies everywhere

      The grass is greening up.

             The air is warmer.

                   The house gets aired out.

Andy has always loved his goats but this year he is actually particularly helpful!! He is almost my master goat herder!!

{Lucy on Trixie}

{Andy on Molly}

{Andy with a January Lamb}

{Penny and her 4-H lamb, Squirt}

{Andy, Lucy, and Rocky}

{Bailey, Dusty's horse, got a wicked eye injury that almost resulted in the removal of the eye.... the main reason we were married to our house for the month!}

{awe! The lambs}

Summer Games

Summer Games 

The girls were so very excited to compete- they could barely sleep!

We headed up Tuesday night

and our horse trailer wasn't too bad to sleep in.

All three girls slept in the back on cots and 

Dusty and I and Andy slept in the gooseneck.

I banded and braided for a good long while into the night 

and

when I got back Dusty said the girls FINALLY

fell asleep about midnight.

HAHA

They did very well on the English day.

(or their ponies did very well on the english day...)

 English Pleasure

 Gold for Ellie and Midnight

 Bronze for Lucy and Rocky

 Ellie and Midnight riding a dressage test.

(midnight jumped that lovely white fence-going off course and DQing)

They let her ride again just for a score.

 Rocky and Lucy in their dressage test!

They did great!

 Could we go to anything and have just pretty pictures?!?

To wrap up English day-

Ellie won

Gold- English Pleasure

Silver- English Equitation

Lucy Won

Bronze- English Pleasure

Bronze- Dressage

 Western day

Ellie and Midnight being Judged in showmanship

 Lucy and Rocky about to start in showmanship

 Ellie and Midnight in Western pleasure

 Lucy and Rocky in Western Pleasure

 Lucy and Rocky opening the gate in the trail course

Ellie getting some feedback after the reining class

The run down of western day

Ellie won

Silver- showmanship

Silver in Western Equitation 

Silver in Polebending

Gold in Keyhole

The day ended with gymcanna.

Lucy scratched. She was pooped and wanted to watch and eat chips and drink pop.

but

we saw Ellie shine.

She started to breathe.

Her pony did great- there were some really great barrel horses there 

so we prepped her that her little pony 

just doesn't have the stride

BUT

that little pony was smart.

She made every turn.

She watched where her feet landed.

and

Ellie was over the moon.

Great experiences

but

now the girls are ready to get to the lake!

First Horse Show!!

So the beginning part of our summer has been super busy!

Super busy because

we decided to be apart of a horseshow!

The girls practiced and practiced....

and it totally paid off!

The girls all LOVED it 

and

Dusty is totally a "show" dad!

 

Ellie-

English Pleasure- 4th

English Equitation- 4th

Hunter Hack- 2nd

Command- 4th

Handy Horse- 1st

Walk/Jog western- 4th

Western Pleasure-  2nd

Western Equitation- 2nd

Reining- 2nd

Command- 2nd

Barrel racing- 2nd

Trail- 2nd

 

Lucy

English in Hand- 1st

Walk/trot- 2nd

English Equitation- 1st

Command- 2nd

Showmanship- 3rd

Walk/jog- 3rd

Western Equitation- 3rd

Command- 4th

Barrel Racing- 3rd

 

Penny

Lead line English- Red Ribbon!

Lead Line Western- Red Ribbon!!!

Boog

We have a pony.

Lots actually

But only one

Named

Booger

He is eating someone else's grass

For the moment

And it's surprising

How much we miss that rascal!

Spring

Our little family has been busy.

Life takes us in many directions. 

Ellie and Lucy are both in basketball camp.

 Penny is busy being Penny and dragging us to costco for poutine....

 I don't see Dusty anymore. I have lost him to the great outdoors or barn or shed.

 Andy is growing. We got put on a two hour feeding regime.... 

It's time consuming.... 

Life consuming....

I got back at lessons this week. I am excited for this spring set. I have a new plan. More fun. They went pretty well. It helps that Andy usually loves his car seat. So hopefully he continues with that trend and we'll be set!

Helping me pack.

Ellie hanging out with Rockster. Lucy reeking havok in the background.

My little bossy babushka

Lucy taking selfies with my iPad. She deleted them off the iPad too bad she hasn't figured out iCloud! Mwhahaha!

My baby's favourite place to hang out.

Life is really just pretty awesome in this neck of the woods!

horse parts and paranoia

Today I was rubbing lotion into Penny's feet

she has really dry skin

but that is beside the point.

I am rubbing the bottom of her foot

and she looks at me

like only a 3 year old can

and asks,

"why is my frog so ticklish?"

I cried.

This may be a sign that we might spend too much time

with our furry friends in the barn 

and not enough time

with the human variety.

(a frog is a part of the bottom of a horse hoof)

Lately we have spend more than are usual

time out with the horses.

We have been moving pens and changing up

who is where 

so

we spend more time checking on them making sure they are okay.

Yesterday was no exception

so Penny and I go out and check everyone.

When we got up to the top of the hill

(which takes a while between her short legs and my lack of being able to breathe)

we noticed Biscuits

(my old mare)

wouldn't use one of her legs....

I couldn't find anything wrong with it.

but

with the way our week has been going

(Dusty's horse broke it's leg... and not in a normal horse break it's leg sorta way)

(and two horses pushed through fences)

panic and paranoia set in.

Anyways

she is going to be fine

my very handy and helpful neighbour came down

he figured out what was going on

and today she is back to her

regular hay-burnin' self.

I am very much looking forward to sharing the load

and perhaps with all my "free" time I might actually

teach Penny

the parts of a HUMAN foot!

Monday Night

I love thanksgiving.

Most holidays, actually.

I like getting together

with our extended families

eating

visiting

you know the usual holiday stuff.

but

after 2-3 very busy weeks

attending family things

church things

It was really nice to have

Monday

all to ourselves.

we got to do what we wanted to do

Dusty took out Lincoln with Penny

Ellie rode Roxy

Lucy rode Midnight

(for the first time since breaking her leg)

and I got to ride

Zola

yes I finally named her- 

it means lump of Earth. 

She gets called moose when she is bad...

which is never

but I will contain my love.

We all came in last night

and

felt 

happy.

Lucy couldn't stop professing her love of riding.

Ellie was thrilled we all went.

Dusty was glad Lincoln was back to being himself

and I couldn't move..

haha

but seriously

I thought I might have to sleep up there.

It was some good quality family time.

New Love

This is my new love.

It's a girl.

She is three.

The

only thing I have left to do

is name her.

Days to Look Back Upon

While the weather has been cooling

the afternoons are still warm

and pleasant

Our grass is green and

we've been home more 

Our animals have been turned out to graze

on the delicious grasses 

and clovers found on our lawn.

All of our animals have their place here

but 

the sheep seemed to have found

a special place

in the 

hearts of 

our girls.

I am grateful for the opportunity

we have been given

to raise our children in the country.

To have sheep

and chickens

and geese

and ponies

and kitties.

To have space and fresh

(albeit dusty prairie)

air.

We spent 5 hours this morning 

riding.

The girls just saddled up

(I mean I saddled them up)

and they took off.

Ellie rode around and around and

around

the yard.

In and out of trees

over sticks

through the garden.

Lucy worked on a barrel pattern

and pole bending in the corral.

Even little Penny

rode completely

by herself for a few laps.

We came in 

hungry

tired

but 

so

very

happy.

I think we've found our happiest place on Earth.

Back

We have been home for a week or so

More so than a week

It's been nice to have my stuff

my bed...

PENNY'S bed....

It's been nice to see all the animals

With Lucy outa commission

Ellie has had to take over riding duties

much to her initial dismay

but it's been going rather well.

I had been planning on putting the girls

in riding lessons this fall

but

my expectations have gotten in the way

After doing some investigating

I will either have to 

1) pay an arm and a leg (more like two legs) to get them into lessons that are amazing

or

2) sacrifice quality horsemanship skills and still pay a fair amount.

It is important to me that the girls develop proper technical riding skills.

So

I decided to do my own lessons.

I had started before we moved

but

I got intimidated living around people

who have crazy horse skills.

but

I am outa options

because

I am opinionated

and maybe

the whole lesson thing

will change my opinionated attitude

but

so far so good.

My project this week has been putting together a little book.

A beginners "guide" to riding.

It has all the skills for basic horsemanship in it

with some games

etc.

Ellie and Lucy are already dying to play with it

so that's probably a good sign.

Anyways.

I start this week with other people's children....

The ponies are preparing themselves

they know something is askew since

I have been out every night with them

(some of them have begun to hate me)

(maybe it will make them love the kids more)

Midnight Mishaps

The situation

Lucy was riding

Lucy got kicked by another horse

So I think

it's a Midnight Mishaps and it's the Chili's Fault....

So the result.

Both bones broken

but not in the joint

and not on the growth plates.

Lucky.

And it is a very very good thing 

we had Gramma's ambulance.

She musta known we would be needing it.

 So she is casted to mid-thigh at the request of the orthopaedic surgeon

We have more appointments and more xrays to monitor the breaks.

Her foot is casted in full flexion and above the knee to completely 

immobilise her.

Not so lucky...

especially for me...

Soul Searching

This is my 400th post!

I will try not to dwell on that fact.

I was driving in the car 

on the way into town 

and one of the radio announcers asked the other

 if she had ever been on a soul searching quest...

She said that she hadn't but that she wished she had after high school.

She wished she had gone and travelled to find herself

they guy said it was never too late 

and then asked

Where did she think she would find her soul?

She said something like a beach in Barbados....

I was listening to this conversation peripherally

but 

I immediately knew my answer.

It surprised me that it was so quick.

I found my soul at home.

I didn't need to go on any grandiose adventure to find me.

(although I think the adventure of going would be neat)

I am

(what I now believe to be one of the few)

who has found my "soul" or "me"

at home.

At home in the prairies

at home with my children

at home on the back of {my} horse.

These things let me breathe

bring me back in

let me focus

I feel so blessed

that I could find me here.

and that I can go on vacation 

and not be searching

but 

just be content to see everything

knowing that I get to come home to

the best part of life.

Cha Cha Cha Changes... in the weather.

Yesterday the snow was almost gone.

Just a few ice patches here and there.

This morning....

The girls didn't mind.

Sometimes they go through bouts of sheer madness

and 

actually

MISS

the snow!

Like I said...

Crazy.

None the less.

Out the door they went.

Who needs breakfast?

Not them.

They choked back their oatmeal, threw their hair back... and bob's their uncle

 (not really...)

 Lucy giving Midnight a good ol' scratch when that pesky bus made it's appearance.

Ellie is usually our sounding alarm.

She gets worried she's going to miss it.

I haven't told her that they actually wait for you...

I am sure she'll figure it out when she's 14!

But for now...

 She sounds the shrill alarm.

 and off they charge.

Ellie is in charge of who gets on the bus first.

It must be Lucy's day.

Ellie is good at keeping track of these sorts of things.

Me... not so much...

 Gone for the day.

And while the children are away....

the babe

gets to 

{play would rhyme but she gets to watch cartoons}

and better yet

SHE

gets to pick.

BUSTED.

Me that is.

Her spy senses heard the camera.