This Mama's Heart is Full!!!

Left to Right:  Dawson on Copper, Belle on Brandy, Devin on Benny



Last Night, I finally sighed a 'Mother's Sigh of Relief'!  Finally after years of searching, we thankfully have 3 amazing kids horses that the mother in me can safely say "they will take care of my kids".  We got our first pony about 5 years ago on a blizzardy day one March at Kist Livestock for $5.  Needless to say, she was beyond wild!  But we trained her, got her calmed down, and she went to a home that could do more 'finish' work with her.  Since then we have definitely had our ups and downs (and by downs I mean really downs...like eating dirt, downs) with horses and horse-people in general.  But, not to talk about the negative, lets look at the positive!

Dawson got Copper from an amazing family last July and we ended up doing a lot of trail-riding, chasing heifers in from the pasture, and even a few kids rodeos.  Belle was still riding Benny (the pony) last summer but she was definitely too big for him (Belle got Benny for Christmas 2 years ago).  So, here we go again, trying to find another kid-broke horse.  I posted an ad on bismanonline.com about a month ago that I was looking for a 'step-up' horse for Belle and a lady wrote me saying she had a horse that spent the last 2 summers at a girls riding camp in Minnesota.  Perfect!  When can we come see her?  Well, she was still in Minnesota, so we had to patiently wait until she came back to ND the beginning of May.  So May rolled around and I got a text that the lady decided to keep her!  AH!!!  We were so devastated!  So I wrote her that if they changed their mind, please, please let me know!  Well, another week later, she wrote me again saying they changed their mind again, and come ride Brandy.  So last Sunday after church we went out and met her.  We came back on Wednesday night and rode her another time just to make sure.  Then on Thursday we brought her home!  The lady was very reluctant to see Brandy go and even signed a 'buy-back contract'.  She jumped right in with our horses and quickly bonded to Luna (my horse).  The four horses that we have now get along together perfectly!

So all day long yesterday, Belle was begging to ride so we went out with just rope halters.  We caught the horses and I threw each of the kids up, knotted the lead-rope around the other side and said "Go!"  So there were my three cowboys, riding their horses bareback, no bridles, just a rope halter, around our newly-plowed outdoor riding arena that is only half-finished!  It was amazing!  Andrew and I sat on the fence and watched as the kids and their horses worked as a team together, and just enjoyed the evening.  Drew even swung up with Belle on Brandy and they rode double:

  This Mama's heart was so full watching kids bond with their horses!  Now, if we can just get that dang pony to stay in the pen...then all would be beyond perfect.

A Non-Traditional Mother's Day!

Did all you Mothers have a fantastic Mother's Day?  Did your family make you breakfast in bed?  Or take you out to eat at a favorite place?  Or give you beautiful flowers and gifts?  Or have a family get-together?  Or maybe you got a nice relaxing nap?!?

Well, I can say that I didn't exactly have any of those 'traditional' mothers day things.  We did have breakfast but it was granola bars while we were running late to church.  We didn't go out to eat (we had left-overs from the night before), we didn't get together with any family or friends, and I definitely didn't get a nap (I really, really wanted to go for a long run).  But I can say, I DID get flowers and gifts!!!  My husband heard me say about 2 months ago "I have always wanted a Bonsai Tree..." as a off-handed comment.  Well, he filed that away and guess what showed up the day before Mothers Day from FedEx?  I was so excited and grateful he remembered (definitely got some brownie points).  My kids all hand-made cards for me at their school and each and every one of them made me cry while I tried to read each one out-loud when I opened them.  Then, I also bought a new pair of Adidas Energy Boost Running shoes for myself because you are suppose to buy new running shoes every 500 miles...and I think I was at approximately 1500 miles and they were killing my ankles!  (Oh, and don't tell Andrew but there was a sale at Scheel's on Miss Me tops so I had to get a few of those too...)

But on my Mother's Day we went to church, and then went to Menards (which it seems like we do every Sunday after church-and I mean every), and then went to look at a new horse for Belle.  And then, since my husband has basically been in the field for the last 6 days straight without coming home, we decided we needed to finish the Master Bedroom's Remodel before the new carpet shows up.  So, we got our ugly paint clothes on and proceeded for the next 6 hours to paint two walls in the Master Bedroom, and then put up a new Cedar Wall for a new Walk-In Closet:

See we did one wall red, one wall a chocolate brown, and then see the Cedar Wall behind the Dresser?  Yes, yes, as an extra BONUS for my Mother's Day, we measured wrong (again), and ordered the wrong number of Cedar boards (again) so we are 5 boards short from being able to finish the project (AGAIN)!!!  So what did we do about it...off to Menards...again...because no remodel project can EVER be finished without at least 3, or 4, or 5 visits to Menards.

But whatever you did on your Mother's Day, moms, just know you are loved, you are important, and mostly you are special.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!