Other Summer Going-On's

 Meet Aladdin.  Aladdin is pastured with two dominate Mares, he is the low man on the totem pole.  Dillon met him and fell in LOVE.  He sat there with Aladdin the entire time Kayda, Carson, Katelyn and I were feeding the other horses and getting them water. 

 Kayda got to ride with Katelyn to experience a canter!  She loved it, though she didn't like being behind the saddle much!

 We went and spent an afternoon at a local creek.  It doesn't run too fast and isn't too deep so I brought the kids' tubes.  They got to experience a float for the first time! Kayda and Dillon did it multiple times.  Carson just went for a tiny little float.  Unfortunately I had baby Weston with us so I couldn't help them more to get them more comfortable with it.  They still had a great time though!

 Our recreation department put out a GIANT tarp and sprinklers for the kids last week.  We were able to get there before the crowd got too big.  It took Carson a little while to warm up to it but the kids all had a great time and saw many of their school friends there.

Carson's First Riding Lesson

Carson was SO excited for his turn riding Iceman! 

 

 He went with Katelyn to go get Iceman out of the pasture and then led him over to the stable.

 He picked Iceman's hooves, brushed him and brushed his mane!

Being up that high on a horse was a little scary for him so he wanted me to ride with him.  We rode around until he was done and then Kayda and Dillon took over.  He has since ridden Iceman again and was MUCH more comfortable.  He wont be taking the reins anytime soon but he is getting more and more comfortable around the horses.

To the Lake!

Today we were able to go out on the boat with Grandma and Papa H.  The kids had such a great time with it last year that we wanted to be sure we got at least one trip in!  Carson really struggled at first, the way the boat tilted and bounced scared him.  Dillon, Carson and I ended up getting off the boat after a little while so that Carson could swim around at the shore.  He spent some time there with Me, and then with just Papa (who got in to swim with him)!  After that we went to pick them up so we could eat lunch and Carson was ready to go!  He adjusted to the boat and even went on the inter tube (and was NOT interested in letting anyone else have a turn). Kayda took a couple of rides to warm up; Dillon was ready to go pretty much immediately but they both got to the point that Papa could whip them around in and out of the wake!  Going outside the wake actually turned into their favorite part. When riding with Dillon he chattered non-stop about what his favorite parts were and why!  We were able to stop a few times and swim around the boat, the kids had a blast jumping from it and even Carson got into the fun of swimming in the deep areas.  All the kids braved swimming without life jackets for a little while.  Carson, of course, would swim between the boat and I; but he still swam without his vest! 

I'm so glad that Grandma and Papa H have the boat and are willing to go out with us!  Grandma went swimming with us for a little while and hopefully next time we can get them both in the water with us even more!  Maybe one of these trips we'll get them to hop on the inter tube with one of the kids!

Kayda's Faith in God Camp

 Kayda got to go to her first faith in God camp.   It was two days of lessons and activities.   Today I was able to go help (thank you grandma H for watching the boys).  The theme was "Oh the places you'll go" by dr. Seuss.

 She got a bullseye!

She was nervous the first day but came home beaming.  They were given little notepads to take notes and she wrote down everything they did.   She had a wonderful time!

Dillon's First Riding Lesson

Dillon got to ride iceman today!  He brushed him,  cleaned his hooves,  rode him,  then brushed him again.   Today the boys even got to feed iceman carrots!   

He, of course, absolutely loved it.   Problem is I love horses and now I want to ride too! They are such beautiful creatures and they have a bunch of really sweet horses that they own, board and train.  Carson and I got to wander in the pasture with the horses while Dillon was riding.

Friday,  after Carson's lesson the kids will be helping with some of the chores.  I want them to learn what a big responsibility horses are, not just how fun they can be.