Horse Riding

I have limited horse riding experience. I rode on one a few days in a row while in a Girl Scout day camp when I was younger. Our neighbor had one in the backyard next to ours at one point and my friend and I would ride it bareback off and on one summer. My most recent experience horseback riding was while I was on a trip across the country. We had stopped in western New Mexico somewhere in the mountains and found a place that would take us riding for the day. We had a guide who wore chaps, carried a weapon and drank water from a stream. After about six hours riding up and down mountains (where my extremely afraid of heights self didn't look 'down' but rather 'up' so as to not be afraid,) we ended ended it tired and very sore! My hubby and I actually had bruises on our behinds afterwards! My daughters (who were about 10 and 15 at the time) loved it though!!

So, when we heard about a local horse camp, we signed up our kindergartener. He absolutely loved it and wore his own steel-toed work boots and cowboy hat there every day! He enjoyed his five days worth and thought he went really fast! He rode Gabby, a pregnant horse, who loved to be talked to (even though he couldn't fathom telling her how pretty or fast she was so he stayed quiet) and was gentle. On the first day, he said he learned to 'steer' the horse and how to 'stop.' It was cute listening to his experiences each day. On the fifth day, we watched for about an hour as he rode his horse around in a covered area. It smelled like horses and the earth. It made me want to be a kid again...and ride!

Here's my kiddo riding.


As we were walking, we went through some stables and saw a very tired cat sleeping. Couldn't resist taking a picture. There were cats everywhere too!

Tap, tap, tap...

When I was pregnant with my first child, my mother told me that if I had a girl, she'd put her in dance classes. Well, I had a girl. By the time she were about five, my mother and I were at an art and crafts fair where we saw a local dance company perform. The kids were totally cute and I signed my daughter up for classes. My mother had taken ballet as a child (apparently, my grandmother taught ballet and was a dancer.) I never went...not sure whether it was that we didn't have the money or that I enjoyed making mud pies and climbing trees too much to think about anything else. My mother never saw a recital as she passed away that September (as my daughter was in kindergarten and her first full year of dance.)

My daughter ended up loving dance and took it until she graduated high school and then took classes in college (before her life fell apart.) She also helped teach classes for the place as well. Fast forward four or five years, she is still a great dancer and wants to return to college (and dance) eventually.

Recently, I bought tap shoes for my kindergartener (who will be going to first grade soon.) I thought it'd be a great idea for him to learn to tap...and a great way for the two of them to dance together. They've had a few dance lessons and he seems to really love them! I took a pic of her a couple of days ago...


...and a pic of them practicing their tap. From a distance, I heard lots of words I didn't understand like slap, spank and shuffle...and I sneaked in to take a picture. What a lovely afternoon.

Summer plans

We made a list of things to do for the summer. My kindergartener and I thought of many things that would be fun. He didn't realize that I was meaning that we'd do those things during the ENTIRE summer, not as soon as possible! So, we've done many of them already...and are adding to the list. We went to a local huge waterpark last week and did what my preschooler has been wanting (stay in a hotel.) My younger daughter and her friend, my boys, a friend and I all went for the afternoon and all next day and had a great time!

We also ate at my kindergartener's favorite restaurant in the whole world: Rainforest Cafe. Of course, we had to take a picture in front of the gorilla.


The boys loved seeing the robotic alligator.


And the kids had to try on the hats inside the gift shop (in which we wandered around for the 55 minute wait until a table was ready.)


My friend wanted to ride the slides (I really liked the lazy river that led up to the rapids or huge waves) so we went on one many times. It was a huge round float that we all fit in. Here is my kiddo waiting in line with us.


I spent a lot of time in the middle of an innnertube just floating around. Here is my preschooler in the other side of the double tube (it doesn't have a hole and is made for little ones.)


And my younger daugher...she was such a pleasure to have around and was a huge help with the kids.


We stayed all day and here is my kindergartener less than two minutes after arriving home (he slept most of the way home too.) He was really tired...and was sleeping with his new friend, Troy, his alligator that we bought at the Cafe.

A week at the bay...

We spent last week at my SILs house at the bay. We had a fabulous time as always (excluding my 24 hr stomach virus.) While there, we enjoyed good food, went swimming at a nearby place that my SIL can go during the summer and the guys went fishing a couple days. Here are some photos!

Me swimming underwater (with my underwater camera.)


S learning to go underwater and get his face wet without getting upset. He starts swimming lessons next week so this is perfect timing.




The boys on the pier...along with SILs dogs (some of them.)


S fishing off the end of the pier at dusk. He wanted to catch a fish really bad. He actually caught some jellyfish via net from there.


My hubby took this one of BIL and S while they were fishing. They all were able to go out two days in a row. All the other days were very windy!


This is one of the fish they caught while fishing (they caught redfish and trout.)