Put that Kid to Work!

So far, Nick and I have keep fairly good-to-our-word about keeping the "new" car clean. Yes, I do occasionally drive it to the barn. And yes, it has had horse tack in it now more than once. And yes, Simon has ridden in the car as well.

Despite these things, it's actually still pretty clean on the inside. (Give us a few more months) In the meantime, Lilah will make sure it stays clean on the outside!






The finished product:

Last Weekend....

Last weekend, after teaching my Saturday lessons, Nick, Lilah and I headed off to a birthday party for Lilah's new friend Naomi. Lilah's other friend Addie was also in attendance:



The weather was beautiful and Lilah got to hunt for Easter eggs outside! Here she is with her "basket":


Lilah hugging the birthday girl! There's only six months and a whole head height between them...


The best picture I could get of the three girlies together:

After the birthday party, we had an "after-party" with the Willis family and several of their friends. In a random role reversal, the kiddies all played pool while the adults watched. Hmm...

It was a great time celebrating our children with new friends!

Waterworks

Beach Trip with Horses!

(Me on Sweet P., Jordan on Data, and Bonnie on Lady in Long Beach, WA)

This past week I went on a beach trip with people from the barn I run my riding academy out of. There were four riders, and six horses. We rented a beach house that came equipped with ocean views, a horse barn, and paddocks. I took both Sweet P. and Barry, and had a blast riding both of them (at separate times, he-he) on the beach. I swear, there's nothing better for me than cantering a horse on the beach!

The weather was a little iffy, but I went riding each day regardless. I took Barry out in a heavy rain storm, and I took Sweet P. out in a heavy wind storm the next day. She's a brave little horse, and was having as much fun as I was! I think both of them had a good time.

Can you tell how soaked we both were in this picture? I had three layers of pants on, 7 layers of shirts plus a Carharts jacket, and still was soaked to the bone. It took three days for my Wintec saddle to dry out.... Luckily it's not leather!

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to run on the beach, here's a virtual video.....

Feel like you were there?? :)

Video from last night....

Day at the Zoo

Last Friday, a couple girlfriends and I took advantage of the nice spring-like weather and took the kiddos to the zoo. It was an adventerous trip with four kids, all under the age of two and a half, but everyone behaved themselves well! (Adults included....)

The food critics.....

Lilah, Addie, Jessica H. and Blake!

Here's to more sunny days!

The Ripleys Tour

Last weekend cousin Miranda visited with her parents (my sister Nicole and brother-in-law Gabe) It was so fun to get Miranda and Lilah together -- they are one year and three weeks apart. They make great play-mates, and we had a good time visiting. Here are pictures (whoops- in backwards order!) of our action-packed weekend:




Paco. The man who started it all....


We took the girls to my barn, where they got to pet the mini horses and ride Sweet P. I got to show off a little too! :)


Auntie Heather's butt doesn't fit in her western kiddie saddle.... (and no, I didn't jump in this..)


Lilah loves the barn cat!! Here she is with Aunt Michelle:

The girls "helped" groom Sweet P. before and after riding:

On a different day we took the girls to a park with a small lake. The girls feed the ducks and enjoyed running together hand-in-hand on the sidewalk trailing around the lake's edge. It was great weather, and a nice stroll for the adults!

The girls with Nana and Aunt Nicole. They quickly attracted a large group of ducks!

We also went to Pump It Up!, a child's inflatable dream in Beaverton. Thank you Nana for treating us! Lilah had a blast -- climbing the highest slide they had and sliding down it at lightening speed. I thought my heart would stop, but Lilah would laugh and say, "I okay!" She's my little dare-devil!

Cousin Miranda and Lilah also had fun in the bounce house:

Cheeky monkeys!!

While at Pump It Up! a stranger asked if my sister Nicole and I were twins. That used to happen to us a lot when we were in college -- it's cool that that still happens!

It's our turn to go visit Cousin Miranda. We hope to come visit some time this year!! Thanks for coming to see us Nicole and Gabe!