May 27, 2008

A Horsey Party


On May 14th, our Mary and Emma celebrated their birthdays. They are the other "double birthday" that our family has. They are exactly 4 years apart to the day. Mary just turned 9, and Emma just turned 5. They asked if they could have a "horse birthday" this year. So, that's what we did. I made a horse cake...which quite frankly resembled more Elvis, than a horse, but hey, I'm sure there's a horse somewhere in this world that looks like Elvis.


(Go ahead. You can laugh now...I can't hear you anyways.)


The girls wanted to use their birthday money to go ride horses. To say they were excited would be a gross understatement. They were absolutely over joyed!




All Emma kept saying was, "I've never been on a REAL horse before!"


We arrived at this beautiful equestrian center, and headed for the barn where the horses were saddled up and waiting.




Annie came along with us to watch her big sisters, and made a friend along the way.



Next the girls went to be fitted for their riding helmets. Emma, our fashion-conscience child, didn't mind posing with her new hat.







And now, it was the moment that they've been waiting for!

Giddy-up!



They couldn't stop smiling!





I love this picture. They both have the same exact look on their faces....sheer joy mixed with a little bit of awe!






Not too long into the ride, Emma asked the instructor if she could do the jumps. She laughed and said, "Wow, you think you're ready for that already?" There is no doubt in my mind that she would have done it. The child has no fear!



When the ride was over, the girls got to lead their horses back to the stable and help take the saddles off.






The girls have been talking non-stop about "their horses." A dream turned into a reality for two little girls. This was a day that they will never forget!

Maybe next year, Emma will do those jumps.



****Oh! I almost forgot. I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this next picture to my sister, Kristy. Imagine our shock when we found out the name of Emma's horse....

This should remind you of your glory days of playing basketball when dear Daddy would cheer you on! "Champ" was dad's affectionate nickname for Krissy. Whenever she would do anything worthy of praise, (or not) Dad would stand up and shout, "That a girl, Champ!" Kris wasn't exactly the "spotlight type," so she quickly let Dad know of her disapproval. From that moment on, she became our "Champy" forever.

8 comments:

DeAnna said...

Oh what fun!!! You are in big trouble now as they will be asking for riding lessons from now on. :) That or they will be praying that God leads a horse to lose its way and find a new home on their mountain. :) Glad they had fun.

Anonymous said...

What precious pictures, Beck! The girls look like they had a ball. LOL! Cannot believe the horse's name was good 'ol "Champ".

Hey-Krissy-Kris: guess who's gonna be cheering for "Champ" at the marathon?? :)

Anonymous said...

I want a name plate like that for my bedroom door.

Becky said...

That is your bedroom door.

Anonymous said...

Oh, well isn't that just dandy? I can see you've done some redecorating since Mom and Dad left. . .

Becky said...

and I can see that your funny little name doesn't fit in the specified box!

Anonymous said...

Sheesh, I haven't checked this in a while! Very funny, Champ. I just want to know if you can still play basketball! :)

Kris said...

Doh, that was downright embarrassing.
As for my b-ball skills, these days they are as sharp as a butter knife. I am now living the dream through the Boston Celtics. LOVING following the play-offs. This Thursday, Lakers/Celtics in the Garden!!!!!!!!!