Shirtless Men

Made you look!

The Little Man is growing into a quite a loving, playful little dude. He's practicing his laugh. He'll often seek us out for a hug or a good tickle-wrastle. His vocabulary is expanding to a lot of "gurglegurlgegurlge"s and tongue flapping... literally. He loves to sing along and dance to any tune. He enjoys all the different dogs that come through his home and he's just dying to get up close and cuddly with the horses.

Speaking of the beasts, I've had to make the difficult decision to transition myself from my fun-loving paint horse to something a little more child-friendly. Patrick's older horse is mellow enough for a rowdy toddler but mine just isn't comfortable with the sporadic energy of youthful tiny people. Rather than tempt fate with higher-than-necessary odds, I've vowed to try and find Scotch some young person who wants to devote their lives to all things horsey... there's tones of us 14 year-old versions out there and he has a lot to give. Or maybe a gentle retire-ee who wants to spend sunsets on the trail... He'd be a good match for anyone wanting a puppy-dog buddy.

I find the morphing of priorities and life goals to be a touch unsettling, almost as though I'm having difficulty placing my thumb on exactly the dimensions I want to eek out next. I envy my younger self her black & white perspectives... things were much easier when I only had to think about myself... but life sure is sweeter, now. Wouldn't trade anything about my life for the world.

Thankful for Another Mother's Day

My second Mother's Day was pretty spectacular. We spent a very low-key morning together, going for a wagon ride and just soaking in the beautiful day. I was able to catch a nice nap, play with my horse and was treated to a FABULOUS movie, followed up with a home-cooked BBQ. Doesn't get much better than that!

Stylin' in his new shades:

His current favourite toy(yes I mean the box, though the hat is a close second):

Where's Your Tummy? (He even pushes it out for better effect.)

Better than a Lazy-Boy!

And just for giggles, a mother's day ride:

Every time I open the internet my homepage is this blog. I would like to write more often, but find myself in too much of a fog. I stumble through my days, booking enjoyable things like work, horse time, friend time, etc. Yet I still find myself struggling to FEEL my days... Little indicators of stress are popping up on my physical self like psoriasis, which I haven't seen since I left my prior ill-fitting career. I step over house clutter that would never have even been allowed a foothold. Craziest yet - I allow the poor hubby to do things that I would NOT have let out of my specific hands-on control. He's certainly messing up laundry out of desperation and I can't be bothered to care. This is going to be the year of over-hauling my health. I AM going to re-establish the sharp clarity my type-A self thrives on. I AM going to wake up...

What Did You Do On Thursday?

Kaleb first tried to sit in a bucket,



Then he went to visit a friend out by the truck.

After which he went to schmooze the horses,

Then he thought long & hard about washing his car...

And decided it was best to just sit and chew the fat.

And THEN!! We all knew it was going to happen...

Dad came home with the Radio Flyer. And so began piecing it together with Dad's assistance:

Kaleb tried to be patient while Dad fiddled and fussed:

Finally, after two tantrums and some supper, it was ready for it's maiden voyage:

A Month Early..?

I can feel everyone holding their collective breaths as we soak in one beautiful day after another. This morning was spent roto-tilling gardens before work started. Our horses are shedding out like they got stuck in mink coats on some Florida beach during the middle of July.

I'm still bowled over with the "we made this" sensation when I hold my sleeping son, or watch him and dad ripping around the house. He's discovered sand... loves the taste. Good thing we have an entire riding arena full of the stuff. The greatest thing in the world is waking up to his smile and peal of laughter. He loves to show everyone his tummy.

Professionally, Patrick has entered the Stonewall Business Showcase for the end of the month. Had a test run at a large local tack/yard sale and the displays worked well for him, he felt great about talking 'shop' with people. His table was like some kind of oasis for all the men dragged along by their horsey women. Lots of grunting, beard scratching and boot kickin. It's good to see him excited about his work and to know that he loves what he does. I know all too well the frustration of a wrong fit and want him to be as happy in his work as I am in mine. We're both feeling pretty good about what's on our horizon.

Already Driving Like His Mama...