Horse and Sports

That's the name of the game this week - Horses and Sports.

Ryan was lucky to be selected to attend two wonderful camps this summer - for FREE - at an excellent local park/estate which provides programing for our school district. He had a great time at a pirate-themed nature camp a few weeks ago. This week, he is sweating it out at a 3-day sports camp. They really keep those kids moving!

Maddie is spending the week at Horse Camp. This was her birthday gift (from back in May) from Craig and me. She LOVES LOVES LOVES it! We found this horse farm through a neighbor and are very pleased. Neither Craig nor I are big animal people, but Maddie just adores animals (specifically horses). She had no riding experience prior to camp, but after only one day we were told that she has vast amounts of natural ability! Today, she told me her horse broke out in a gallop and she nearly fell off (oh my!) but the instructors said she rode like a champ and hung on! I have to admit I am still a bit scared of these HUGE animals, and I am not a big fan of being around hot, stinky horse poop - but I am so happy Maddie has found something she loves.

Of course, her love of horses means we now have a HUGE need to find some more money in our already tight budget - she would love riding lessons this fall! I have been looking for "the right job" for nearly a year (with no luck) and almost sent a resume in for a position this week. On the surface, the job seemed like a good match, but we decided it would still be best for our family for me NOT to take this job. Instead, Craig is going to look into options for some side-jobs (which can hopefully pay for lessons). I am going to continue to stay home and only apply for any jobs which truly are the "right" thing.

Oh - here's a cutey-pie picture of Jacob - who gets an award for being a good sport this week. he has spent a lot of time in the car either dropping-off or picking-up either of the kids. He's too young for these camps, so he doesn't get to do any of the fun parts. However, he adores the horses at the barn almost as much as Maddie, so we may be looking at lessons for TWO kids in the near future!