He got a new weed whip from his Mom and Dad and the kids and I gave him some embroidered shirts and hats for work. He seemed pretty happy, especially since he had given himself the day off! He did some little odds and ends in the kitchen and helped Olivia with a project... so still a productive day- but he didn't have to do any shoeing (which is a good thing as we are still recovering from our busy weekend!) 
I feel so lucky to have this guy; he makes me laugh every day and is such a great Dad... 
Happy Birthday Honey!
Our team co-hosted this show, so it was a "jump in with both feet" type introduction to the IEA world! We had to bring 10 horses for the other teams to ride, it made for an interesting experience. We brought Nic and 2 Lucky Clover horses and the remained came from others in the team or the team farm. Hauling the horses meant we had to get up at 3am to be there in time to set up etc.
Bill and I, Grandma Houston and Westley went to be extra hands and Olivia's (and the other York kids') cheering section. It was a long day, but we had so much fun! The team did great- we got 2nd overall for the day (I think there were 6 other tams there) and Olivia got 4th in her class! We were so proud! In the IEA you draw horses and ride mounts from the host team (in this case ourselves!) so you have to hop on and go with a horse you don't know. It is great for testing your horsemanship and riding abilities! Olivia just rode on the flat, but there are jumping classes too!
She pulled one of "our" horses ( a pony actually) Liam. She has ridden him a few times in her lessons, so that was lucky... but she was the last class of the day and he was a tad naughty and got pretty quick in the cater. I had my heart in my throat for a second or two, but she did so well and pulled it all together. She has improved so quickly with this program. I really think it helps to ride all sorts of horses. She is so amazing, we are so proud of her and all the other girls on the team too!
They also did their much anticipated, much practiced halftime routine! We had a wet cold week, and they had to do all the finishing touches at cold, dark practices... but it all came together nicely!
I was glad to finally see the whole thing set to music. The night was quite cold, so we only watched one game, Savy did great! She got a bit out of sync at one point but figured it out pretty quickly! She was a little disappointed with herself, but we were so proud! The squad looked so good in their new uniforms. The Coaches and girls really worked hard to make it an awesome show. I was very impressed... these girls are 4th thru 6th grade and they did great! 
Go Noble! 
We are proud of Olivia for picking up the sport!
It was a nice afternoon, and a great ride. Branch Hill is a favorite of mine, and they have rerouted the trail that gets you down so you can ride across the water. It's such a nice spot... I was glad to have gotten Olivia over there!
2. He is determined and destructive! When he wants something (the straws, or dog food for example) watch out! He will find a way to get into it... he opens doors and drawers and can get into just about anywhere.
3. He climbs stairs. Quickly and quietly. If gates are not up... he is gone! The first day he climbed (having NEVER done stairs before) I "lost" him down here... couldn't find him until i heard thumping from upstairs. Yup, he had gone up and was playing with the tub toys in the upstairs bath. Got a gate the. next. day.
4. If he can climb on it, or over it, he will!
5. Anything and everything is a tool. He will manipulate his surroundings to get what he wants. See #2
Constant Supervision, many bruises; looking into helmets. Welcome to my world.
