Show Season has begun

Yesterday was the first horse show in Punta Gorda. Devin rides Tye in these shows. Because it was the first we had no idea to know what time to arrive so we showed up around 10AM. The morning was hot but at least cloudy but the sun began to shine full force around noon and it was HOT!!! Last minute we decided to switch what classes Devin did (she wanted to jump bigger and Tye easily can) which required us to wait even longer for her classes to start. So we sat and sat and waited. Punta Gorda has a nice facility for these local shows but they are lacking trees of any size and hence there is no shade unless you are lucky enough to find a small slice of it behind your trailer. So did I mention it was HOT!!! At around 3:30 it was finally time so Devin entered two of her six classes and then overheated and ran out of "gas". So we packed it up and went home. She ended up with a third and a second. Pretty good I think especially for how HOT everyone was. Hopefully it will cool down before the October show and before my first show in mid-October at Lee County.

Remodeling For the Whole Family

We are almost done remodeling the bathrooms. All that is left is to touch up a bit of paint in my bathroom that could not be done before. Jada has gotten quite accustomed to people making loud and strange noises in the house. She likes to stand outside the bathroom door and yell "Hi" at them a hundred times. The workers have all been really nice and responded to usually about the first fifty. The house is going to seem quiet when they are done today. I don't know if quiet is exactly the right word.

Oh Flint You're My Best Friend

Besides being slightly overweight and eating the occasional horse poop, our dog Flint is about the best you could find. He puts up with more than anyone should from Jada. She loves him and just can't help but smother him with kisses and hugs but a 19 month old's love is not always so gentle. Flint will sit perfectly still while Jada grooms him including grabbing his feet and brushing his toes. The other day she found a tennis ball (ball is one of our new and favorite words which we yell at the top of our lungs whenever we see one) and thought that Flint should play. After she chucked it at his head multiple times without getting a reaction she decided to physically open his mouth and try to stuff it in. Poor Poor Flintie!!! On the plus side for Flint though there is a whole new world of table food that now finds its way onto the floor. This probably explains part of the reason he has gotten a little chunky.

A Frolic in the Backyard

A Little Bit Redneck

Jada's hair is still not growing except now for the long scraggly hairs in the back. She looks like she is sporting a mullet. I guess I should not complain because someday it will come and then we will have to worry about shampooing and brushing. I can already tell she will not appreciate sitting around while I brush and style her hair. And by style you all know I mean ponytails because that is about as much hair styling as we do around here. Jeff uses more hair products than I do.

When Boredom strikes

Jada and I have been "trapped" in our house for what seems like days now. Our one big outing has been to Winn Dixie and that is about as fun as you can imagine. They are still tearing apart our bathrooms and we are in the stage where I need to be around to let workers in and make some decisions. Jeff has had some monster project at work and been working weekends for the past three in a row. Florida is insanely hot right now so outdoor activities are limited. I am getting quite stir crazy. If anyone has any indoor suggestions for fun with a 19 month old please let me know.

An Obsession With Kitties

Jada was very pleased by the package she received in the mail from great grandpa Clark. Jeff mentioned to him how much Jada loves kitties last time he talked to him. Grandpa Clark sells stuffed animals at the local swap meets and hence was an entire garage full of them. So Jada's package contained two new kitties to add to her collection. Today we stopped at the feed store not to buy anything but just to say hello to the large number of cats that reside there. They actually have the friendliest bunch of cats that are completely used to people of all sizes poking and patting them. Jada gets the biggest smile as she runs from one cat to the next yelling (I mean yelling) kitty at them. Although their eyes widened a bit they remain curled up in whatever corner or bucket they were sleeping in.

So thanks to grandpa Clark for the package of cats and thanks to Crossties Feed Store for having so many wonderful kitties wandering their place.

A Few Hours Without the Pterodactyl Cries

You just have got to love the peaceful naptime hours.

Oh The Smell Of Clean Dogs

Jada and I on our pet store wanderings today found new collars for our doggies. Of course new collars entitles each of our three dogs to a good old bath. Jada thought splashing around in the mud puddles at the end of the wash rack (we bathe the dogs out at the barn)was great fun. If you noticed Parker wasn't wearing a collar in the photo it is because his chubby neck didn't fit the accidentally bought petite size collar.

Is anyone else up this early?

I am out in the barn every morning between 6:30 and 7:00. My great friend Keely, who I can talk to about everything and also absolutely nothing of importance, has been wonderful at breaking up my morning monotony by being my phone buddy. She was living in Vienna, Austria (still with a local number or the phone bill may have put us under) and with the six or seven hour time difference I was pretty much guaranteed not to wake her up. I looked forward to our AM chats and would save up all the uneventful or occasional eventful happenings from the day before to tell her. Keely, being the most awesome friend always intently listened or at least pretended to, to all my babbling and/or bitching about who knows what. She is one of those friends who just seems to understand all your problems and makes you feel not so crazy. A couple of months ago, Keely and her husband Paul decided to up and move to Tanzania (who does that). Communication is not so up to speed there and hence I have lost my morning call buddy. Although the pictures she emails from there are beautiful, I miss her and can't wait to hear her voice again. She should not fear being replaced not only because it will be hard to find another friend like her who can put up with all my bitching but also because I don't think I know anyone else up at that hour.

My Little Helper

So today when Jada had one of her sopping wet diapers which she always has thanks to the large quantities of fluids she drinks, I asked her to go get me a diaper because she was wet and needed a new one. (A little off the track ramble: I go through a ridiculous amount of diapers and in some way can't wait until she is potty trained but in other ways I am not looking forward to pulling over the car every ten minutes because she has to pee.) I was about to walk into her room when she comes barreling out with a diaper in hand and plops herself on the floor so I could change her. That was the easiest it has ever been. It is so fun and exciting to see her learn new things all the time.

Groundhog's Day

I have been home for two days now and back into the daily grind. I already need another vacation. The mosquitoes are out of control even though the planes sprayed last night again. Tye stress coliced from being out in the pasture yesterday for only two hours. He really doesn't handle mosquitoes well. The concrete jungle of New York City without swarms of bugs doesn't seem so bad sometimes. On the plus side we are getting our showers redone. Jeff's was completed yesterday and tomorrow they start tearing mine out. His looks so nice compared to the ugly cracked tiles that used to be in there.

New York New York

Jada and I traveled to NY for Labor Day weekend to attend my cousin's wedding and to visit Keith and Leah in the city. Jada was the superstar flyer and ended up sleeping most of the flights. We hung out in the city, ate delicious soup from the soup man (Seinfeld) a bunch of times, got stuck in serious traffic on our way out to Long Island, visited the L.I. aquarium, went to a fun wedding with a crazy amount of food and lots of dancing, and visited with friends and family. We had a great time on our trip and wish it didn't end so quick. Congrats to Jay and Jess!! Hope you had an awesome time in Jamaica.

Jada was a dancing machine and didn't want to ever leave the dance floor. Super funny!!!