Crazy Weekend

Aidan's vomiting pumpkin 

This was my kind of weekend.

The highlight was a visit from Kelli. Thanks, Kelli, for making the trek to The Republic of Texas and hanging with us. As I was tucking him in last night, Aidan sleepily said, "Kelli is my good luck charm" because he had such a fun weekend.

After the kids got out of school Friday, we headed to the pumpkin patch. It's a yearly ritual and it was left so late because it's been raining for the last 40 days. But the skies cleared 1 hour before Kelli's plane landed, the Texas prairie and woods were in all their beautiful fall glory. The kids played in the hay maze, and did all the other stuff and we selected our pumpkins and headed home.

After the pumpkin patch it was time to get on our fancy duds (the clean jeans) and head out to dinner. Another marvelous dinner at our new favorite restaurant, the Lonesome Dove Bistro. Just love seeing Picky Boy order rabbit off the menu and I enjoyed my elk sausage and foie gras sliders. Then we sauntered down the street to the Stockyards Rodeo for a couple of hours or bull ridin', ropin' and watching the kids participate in the Calf Scramble.

Saturday dawned early for Aidan and I as usual, and he headed off to swim practice and a team Halloween party. Kelli got to accompany Bridget to her riding lesson. It was a crisp fall morning, and she got out of the car at the barn, looked around, and said "Am I in heaven?" Yeah, that's exactly how Bridget and I feel about the barn. Especially on a glorious fall day like that. She had so much fun watching Bridget work with Cherry Bomb and watching the psychology play out among the other riders and their horses too. I left the two of them to attend other errands and they finished their morning with a visit to the tack shop and lunch at the local Mexican restaurant.

Once we all rendez-voused at the house, we began what was probably the busiest and craziest 8 hours since this weekend. Ray, Kelli and the kids pulled out all the Halloween decorations and proceeded to turn our place into The Scariest House in the 'Hood. I started rolling dough to make my soft pretzel amputated finger hors d'oeuvres. We carved pumpkins and crimped Bridget's hair.

4:30 and the festivities began! We hit the first party of the evening, and it was a hoot to watch the Daddy Squad play football. Ray even got grass stains on his knees. We abandoned Bridget there and moved on to the next party where we stayed until dusk. Ray, Kelli and I then quickly ran back home and got all the strobes, torches, black lights, candles and scary music fired up before the Parade of Trailers began.

Since we live in a semi-rural area with no sidewalks or street lights, the best and safest way to get the kids around is in hay-filled trailers. There are several that slowly make their way through the streets, attended by a flotilla of golf carts. All vehicles sport lights, streamers and other Halloween decorations.

We three big people had fun answering the door and seeing the little one's reactions to all our scary decorations. It's fun to sit in the dark dining room and watch them tenatively make their way up the walk. Kelli and I would hand candy to the kids while Ray would ferry trays of absinthe shots out to the adults.

Once Bridget's trailer arrived, Kelli and I abandoned Ray to accompany the trailer to it's second-to-last stop of the evening, a Very Posh Horse Barn where we all went in and gave the perplexed horses treats and loves. The stop at the Very Posh Horse Barn gives Mr. Haunted House Guy time to get the last stop of the evening prepared for our arrival.

On to Mr. Haunted House Guy's place for a tour through his foggy, spooky place. By this time, the trick-or-treaters were done and Ray had caught us up. Then back to the party for the Great Candy Swap and way too many sugar-loaded kids.

Then back home to collapse.

Best Of.....

It's been a busy time, w/ the kids home 24/7, etc. and I've got a few things to post, but haven't collected my thoughts (and photos!) yet.

So.... if you haven't read all my musings over the last several months.... may I point out what you've missed?

I Love This Crazy Tragic, Sometimes Almost Magic, Awful, Beautiful Life - the 2nd place choice for the name of my blog.

Independence. My little boy. Growing up. Sob.

It won't always be bleak. The photos in this post remind me that the color green DOES exist in Texas, I just have to wait for it.

I can't wait to do it again. It was hard, but SO worth it. I'm glad I took a chance and tried. The possibilities are limitless!

Punk Rock Equine. Bridget is growing up too!

The Infamous Treehouse. Ongoing saga, more to come!

Thankful. A great Thanksgiving trip.

Thanks for reading!

Texas Tourists

Betcha didn't know that longhorn cattle lack top front teeth!

Every now and then, when we can string a few days together, we try to see a little bit more of this state we now call home.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we headed west. About 2 hours away, to a guest ranch called the Wildcatter. Near the little town of Graham. It couldn't have been a better getaway. The views were stunning and there was so much to do. Check the photos!

Me and my handsome hubby!

Bridgie fishing from a canoe (paddle power by Mama). That is Aidan and Ray in the background.


Ray and the kids fishing

Aidan got his first doe!

More fishing photos - isn't it pretty?

Skeet shooting. Now that's what I call fun!

Bridget and her new friend, General. She got to ride him twice.

Heading back to the barn after a ride up to the top of the bluffs (the photo from up there will most likely be the Christmas card, so no preview!)

The ranch's longhorn herd

Bridgie feeding the longhorns. They're like big puppies!

Learning that I really, really, suck at archery. Gimme a gun, anyday!


The boys, fishing on the Brazos River.

The Most Patient Horse in the World

Meet Huckleberry.





How many horses do you know that would put up with this?





He's the cutest little pony and he lives at the barn where Bridget takes lessons. While he's generally used with young beginners, some kids DO ride him over jumps at a full canter. He's about a hundred in horse years and just loves his job.





As part of this weekend's horse show (Bridget did not compete - still not ready to make that leap), there was a costume parade.





Bridget and two of her barn buddies wanted to enter. We mommies said "Only if you figure it out for yourselves, we are not sewing costumes anymore!" So, on Saturday those 3 crazy girls dug through all their old costumes and decided to be a punk rock band with a horse.

Besides having to do very little work, wanna know what the best part was?

They WON!

It's All About Bridget

If you want to read All About Aidan, click here.

Bridget competed in her final horse show of the summer, The Battle of the Barns. This show is a sanctioned show and step up from her summer series, which is a "schooling show," meaning if you make a mistake, you can try again, and the clothing rules are relaxed too.





The Battle of the Barns is a yearly competition between about a dozen show barns here in North Texas. Usually, horse shows are for individual points. At this particular show, they average each barn's points and award an overall Barn Winner each year. I'll end the suspense, our barn did not win this year, boo hoo. The added competition really heightened the "team spirit" among all the riders and they were all so supportive of one another.

It was a busy day with lots to do, as you would know if you read this prior post.

Bridget did extremely well. She had two "over fences" competition, and one "flat class" where she was in the arena at the same time as all the other riders. Her first "over fences" was flawless. She kept the horse at the perfect speed and never missed a single diagonal. This means that she was posting at precisely the correct time, not only when she circled, but even between jumps which isn't required, but very much Icing On The Cake. Her 2nd "over fences" the horse got a little excited and kept trying to canter. Bridget rode him the best she's ever done when he gets this way. The final competition was "equitation on the flat" where ALL the riders are in the arena together and working through various gaits, being judged on how perfectly they can hold their hands, wrists, back, head, knees, heels, shoulders, seat, rhythm.... you get the picture. This arena was smaller than what she is used to, and there were a LOT more riders in there than she's ever had to deal with before. It can get a little scary trying to keep a dozen horses spaced out safely, and Bridget completely amazed her Fan Club with all the perfect decisions she made in terms of when to circle or cross the arena to maintain a safe (and visible to the judge!) position.



All in all, she took a 1st and 6th in the "over fences" divisions (the 6th was the Excited Pony's fault), and 2nd in the flat class.

If you want to see what a flawless "over crossrails" trip looks like, just check out the video!

Pride

Subtitle: More braggin' on my kids

I know my daughter isn't the first kid on the planet to win a blue ribbon at a horse show. And Aidan isn't the first kid to improve his times at a swim meet.

But, to me, it feels as if they are.

I guess all parents feel that way. They are the first kids on MY planet to do so!

Bridget had her final show of the Summer Nights series at Hidden Lake on Friday. It's a four-show series, and we skipped the first show due to the tough times she'd had with horses and lessons. Shows #2 and #3 were huge successes with 3 and 4 first-place wins, respectively.

Last night? Not so much, but I don't mind a few "life lessons" on the road to victory. It was just proof to Bridget that not every day can be YOUR day. Especially in a sport where the outcome is subjective. There are several little girls from a barn in Oklahoma that have competed against Bridget throughout the series and for example, last week NONE of them placed well at all. Didn't even get the 2nd place ribbons. THIS week, they ALL did well, and Bridget got 2nds and 4ths. Different judge, different results.

She was a little mopey about it, but knew she'd done her best, so not too depressed. She even told me that I wasn't allowed to take any photographs. Guess if it isn't a BLUE ribbon, it's not worth documenting?

But, in the end, she had her victory. Her two good weeks garnered her enough points to be named the "Series Champion" at her level, and came with a choice of pretty nice prizes. She wisely chose a new pair of boots.


Took her to the local tack shop today to get the boots. Ray and I had spent considerable time teasing Bridget that we would enter and loudly proclaim "We're here to collect the SERIES CHAMPION prize for BRIDGET GLYNN!" She almost didn't want to go for fear of embarrassment. The tack shop was hosting a fundraiser for paralympic dressage rider, Lynn Seidemann while we were there. What a neat and gracious lady! She let Bridget try on her silver medal from the Athens games, talked to her about fear and how to overcome it, and autographed one of her show ribbons.

This is Bridget wearing Lynn's
silver medal from the Athens
games
















Bridget and her "barn buddies" (hi! Kirsten & Jillian!) pose with Lynn Seideman who signed their show ribbons







So, all in all, with the tough times, the wins and losses, it's been a pretty good month for Bridget.



On to The Boy.

Man, oh man, that boy-child of mine makes my heart sing sometimes. Today was one of those days.

Let me back up a bit an explain the swimming calendar. There are two "seasons." Short course season (25 yard pools) is in the winter and finishes in March. This is GOOD for Aidan because his birthday is right after short-course ends. Add to that, the fact that there are 2-year age groups in swimming. 9-10, 11-12, etc. This spring, he finished his short course season as an "old" 10 yr old (the eve of his 10th birthday), and so finished champs with a whole slew of top place medals.


Then he turns 11. And long course (50 meter) season begins, competing against 12 yr olds.


We talked a LOT about what a demoralizing season this would be, and how he needed to use this training time to build, and expand. Do distances he never did before, swim strokes he didn't like. All because he was pretty much going to be at the back of the pack anyway, so why not.


Like Bridget with her riding, there were a lot of tears. Threats to quit. Negotiations about skipping practices. Loss of confidence.


Today was one of those days I can draw on and say, "Remember that meet in Mansfield? How you made all your goals and picked up some new BB times, even in events you hadn't swam ever? Remember how it made you feel?"

Gawd, I hope he remembers how he felt. I sure remember it.

He swam 4 events, and dearly needed to pick up 2 BB times to qualify for champs. It's his last opportunity, he'll miss the next due to being at Boy Scout Camp.


I could take you through it, race by race, but suffice it to say, he picked up three BB times, and even one in a distance event which he'd never done before. He improved his times in every event, which is a rare thing for any swimmer.


The final race of the day, 50 meter free, I was almost willing to let him scratch, just to get home early. He already had a BB time in this event, had 3 successful swims under his belt, was killed by the 200 back, and I'd been there for 4 hours, sweating in the stands.


Then the seeding sheet was posted. Two kids he's been chasing all season, Cole and Aaron, were coincidentally placed in the lanes on either side of him. Out of 85 kids from a dozen teams, his buddies are seeded next to him. These are nice kids. We carpool with them. I love their mommies. But I wanted my kid to beat their kids in the worst way. Me? Competitive? Ha!


Aidan's best time in this event is 35:47. His goal for the meet was 35. That boy of mine beat both those kids by pretty much a body length and turned in a 34:18. It was a thing of beauty. Sorry, Cole, sorry Aaron - you both swam so hard! I promise not to gloat, and so does Aidan. It was fun to see the three of you racing together (how often does that happen?), and somebody had to win.





Yes, I'm proud. Yes, I'm bragging. I know they're not extraordinary (well, maybe a little, sometimes?), but they're mine, and I see how hard they work and the fears and obstacles they overcome, their perseverance, their heart.

THAT's what makes me proud.

.

Sweep!

Not just ONE blue ribbon.....




Or even two or three......

Little Miss swept her class this week! She gets to finish the series next week and then she's being booted up to the next division! Go Bridgie!

Bragging on my kids

I'm so proud of my kids.

Aidan is off this weekend competing in a swim meet 8 hours away from home. It's up to him to be where he needs to be, eat well, rest enough, etc. and so far he's doing well. Improved his times in all events today. Gotta love text messaging! I miss being there to see him pour his heart into each and every race and be rewarded by making his goals, but he's growing up and this is a good opportunity for him.

Last week, he graduated from elementary school. Boo hoo, my baby! It was a nice ceremony, and made the kids feel special.

Yesterday, Bridget had a horse show. She's had a rough time of it lately. A couple of hard falls and her confidence has been shaken. She has 3 trainers and they all bring something different to Bridget and have allowed her the fear, but have kept her facing forward and trying to overcome it. There have been LOTS of tears in riding lessons these last few months. I've backed off and remind myself daily that she needs to do this at HER pace, not mine.

The last couple of lessons, there's been no crying. Maybe some nervousness and attempted negotiation in the car on the way over but by the end of the lessons she is smiling and asking to have one more turn.

Whatever her trainers are doing, it's working. She was nearly flawless. Took 3 firsts and a 2nd. Got "Grand Champion" (first overall) in her division for the first time ever.

We've got 2 more horse shows and swim meets this summer, I hope it keeps going so well!

A Walk in the Woods

Spent a GREAT day yesterday in the company of JANET! Thanks, girlfriend, for including a stop in Flower Mound in your summer travels!


We had a great time hanging out in the pool, carting the kids around (Janet's a Good Sport), cooking, eating & drinking good wine.



Went for a lovely walk in the woods, led by The Intrepid Explorer, Aidan. Scamp always on his heels. I think I'll send Scamp with Aidan on his forays into the woods more often, they seem to enjoy each other's company.


Lots of things to see, lots of wildflowers (which didn't photograph well w/ the camera I had with me), turtles, snakes, frogs, etc.

We had a real treat on the way back home. Passed by the neighbor's house and got to go visit their newly born foal, Belle. There is nothing more absurdly cute than a baby horse. The bristly mane, the little whisk broom of a tail, the long, long legs. Did you know that when a baby horse is born, it's legs are almost as long as they are ever going to be? It's never more apparent then when they try to eat grass - their neck isn't long enough to get their head down that far.

Stinkin' cute! She is an arab, and will probably be very dark, almost black. With two white feet in the back. I am looking forward to seeing this little girl grow up!

Spring Weekend.....

The much anticipated nice weather is here! What an excellent weekend.....

I did NOT get a chance to go for a walk and take photos of all the amazing flowers up and down the road. I took ONE snap while picking Bridget up from a playdate. It's a field down the road from my house. It's for sale, if anyone has 7.5 million dollars.

Friday, after Bridget's soccer practice and Aidan's baseball practice, a few families gathered at a friend's (thanks Cathie!) to plan a baby shower for the horse trainer who is expecting twins. Always fun to get together with friends and share a few bottles of wine.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny. But the Soccer Gods felt the fields were still too wet so Bridget's game was cancelled. The Baseball Gods are much hardier I guess, because Aidan's game was still on. He plays mostly catcher and first base and it was a good game and a tough loss for his team, but Aidan played really well and had a couple of key plays so he can feel good about his own performance. The best was when he was trying to steal 3rd and got caught in a "pickle." I could see him drawing the 3rd baseman further and further off and gauging his speed and finally deciding he could outrun him and he did!

Another nice evening spent in the company of neighbors (thanks, Manley family!) and another bottle of our "house wine" (Axis cab) shared with friends. We're runnin' low and probably ought to stock up again.

Today was Horse Show Day.

Bridget's been working with a new pony (Tiara) and was a little nervous about using this horse in a show for the first time. If you know horses, you know they can spot a nervous little girl a mile away. Tiara had her number and it wasn't a good day for Bridget, but it was a great learning experience if nothing else. She had a little redemption in the competitions that were only on the flat (no jumps) and beat the pants off several older, more experienced riders, so we know there's hope!

The boys spent the afternoon working on clubhouse stuff and found a friendly neighborhood copperhead in the woodpile. Ray pinned it down with a piece of wood and chopped it's head off with a shovel. I won't show you the photo of THAT.