Ready for Christmas

The tree is up, the presents are wrapped....it's time for Santa to come! This is the first time in a really long time that I got off a week before Christmas. I'm not sure what to do with myself. I'm anxiously waiting for Christmas so Shelby can open her presents. Ok, I'm anxious to open mine too! Nancy sent her presents in November and other presents are arriving this week. I sent the packages I needed to last week and I'm sending out the last couple of Christmas cards out today.

Last night was fun as we were able to Skype with both families. It is nice to watch my nephews grow and see them a little more often than the few times I get to go home and visit. Then Shelby enjoyed singing her songs with Grandma Boudrie.  I definately need an HD webcam.  The image of  Nancy was crystal clear. It was just like watching tv!!!

This year will be very quiet compared to last year and our 9 guests. I'm a little sad to know it will be back to our normal quiet Christmas. That is ok though...we'll enjoy it all the same.

Today I take Shiner and Badger to the vet in Bryan, TX, about two hours away. He's a great vet for leg issues, so it is definately worth the drive. He's also much more affordable than the local vets that work with leg issues. Badger will be just a check up. I'm going to get an xray of his hock to see if it's fusing anymore since he was there last July. He's been doing really well and gets faster and faster, so I am anxious to see what the xrays show. Shiner will get some work done on him. His hocks are sore and that's causing his back to be sore. So, we'll get xrays of his hocks to see if injections will fix the problem or if we need to do something else. I'm assuming injections will fix his problem. If time allows, I may have them xray his front knee as we believe there may be an old bone spur there from his race track days. If all goes well, I'll have two VERY fast horses this coming year. I'm very anxious to start the 2011 season as I feel it's going to be a good one!

Tuesday I'm joining some work friends for a fun lunch.  One of our friends got married and moved out of state, so we are all going to get together and visit with her. Wednesday I'm meeting some more work friends at one of their houses just to hang out and enjoy each other's company.

The rest of the week I'll probably spend around the house cleaning and riding horses.  I've been getting up before dawn so I can get out there and ride before Shelby gets up.  That works well for me. I get that chore out of the way and then I can enjoy the rest of my day doing whatever needs to get done,. 

Our blue roan mare, Punk, needs a lot of work and I really hope to accomplish it over the break.  She is a very nervous horse and I need to get her past that so I can get a better handle on her.  We have her for sale so hopefully this extra time will make her more appealing to the buyer.  She is gorgeous to look at, she is just too green for most people.  I'm also trying to get my sorrel mare, Cowgirl, going on the barrels a little more.  She is settling down (finally) and is ready to start loping the pattern and working herself into a job of some sort.  She is going to be REALLY nice and I'm anxious to watch her mature.  I do have her for sale as well, but have gotten no bites.  I'm not all that sad about it though. I really do like her, but if I find a buyer I'll sell her.  We just have too many!

I guess that's it for now. I'm going to eat some breakfast and then go feed.  My friend is picking me up at 9 to head out to Bryan. 

God Bless!

Snow in Texas...sorda...

I wanted to share some fun pictures we took of Shelby last night. A local church brought in fake snow for the kids to play. She had a lot of fun with one of her church buddies, Levi. :)

This is fun!!! (There is her buddy, Levi, in the background.)

Hanging with my buddy, Levi.

Snowballs!

Take that, Daddy!!

My 3 Words

I have been wanting to do this since Shelby was 3 months old.  I got lucky and it was a project we had to do in our meeting.  So, I'm so excited to have finally got it done! i plan to upload to ABC.  So maybe they'll play it on national TV.  Enjoy. :)

December

With December came the cold....It's not as bad as a year ago when we got our snow, but the cold front has arrived and it's been dipping into the 30s at night.  I'm not a big fan of cold, but at least it's temporary.  Hopefully it will be perfect weather for my two week vacation coming up. I can't wait! I need to get a big start on our blue roan mare.  She is very green and needs some miles put on her as well as some tuning up.  I also want to work my sorrel mare to get going better with how she moves.  She is learning to settle down and put her head down at a resting position which makes me very happy.  She is relaxing and getting more comfortable with what I"m asking of her.

Not a whole lot has been happening here.  I've been busy shopping for Christmas and trying to keep our house under control.  It seems like I look a way for a moment and our house has stuff laying every where!  Kids sure know how to take over a house, don't they? :)

Work is settling down. I'm able to get back into working with the kids in the lab, which is what i love doing.  So, that has  been great! THe first few months were tough and I'm glad to see them pass by so I can get back to the part of my job I enjoy doing.

Barrel racing has taken a break. I miss it! It has been 2 weeks. That is just too long for this addict! HA!  I do plan to go to Brenham this weekend for a barrel race.  They have a $1,000 added and giving away buckles.  I hope to win some cash to put towards the 2011 fees. I plan to run NBHA and GCBRA, so we'll see.

I took our grey horse, Shiner, to a friend's house to be looked at.  She has a thermographic gun that senses heat, which shows us where he's sore.  He's in pretty rough shape.  He is sore in both hocks, left stifle, his back needs chiropractic work, and he has a minor issue in his knee with what we suspect to be a bone spur.  So, he'll be going to the vet over christmaas break to get some injections and some other work.  One tough horse!  He has been competing at a mediocre level.  Most horses would've been running up the fence, fighting me, etc.  Not him! I'm super anxious to get him feeling good again and then I better hold on!  :)  I hope to move into the 1D once he starts realizing he's not hurting.  If he does, we might hit some CPRA rodeos.  Time will tell though. 

Ryan has been staying busy in December, which is great! Usually his work slows down quite a bit.  We are thankful for the work!

Shelby continues to grow and talk....a lot. She is definataely a chatter box and steals the hearts of everyone that meets her.  Her two favorite phrases are "Stop It!" and "Come here" as well as full sentences letting us know what she wants or how she feels.  Last night I had so much fun playing with her and tickling her.  Her giggle makes my day!  I could listen to it all day long.

I have begun some more effort with the potty training.  On SUnday, she told me two different times she had to go potty.  So, we went in there and sure enough she went potty both times.  She was thrilled to get a sucker for her efforts. :)  I bought some M&Ms and Skittles yesterday as reinforcers. 

Happy Holidays!!!

Thanksgiving (check), Black Friday (check)

Ryan, Shelby and I enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving at home.  We went to town to eat out instead of dirtying up the kitchen.  It turned out to be a great idea!  Cracker Barrel had a great deal - turkey dinner with ham, turkey, stuffing, 2 sides of your choice, gravy, bread, a drink, and a piece of pie - Yum!  It was almost like Grandmas.  :)  It was also well priced at $8.99 a meal. I know, I was surprised too!

We then went back home, took a nap and hung out around the house while we waited for the cold front to blow in.  We went from 80 degrees during the day to 40s with rain at night.  Crazy Texas weather!

Today, I got up early to do my Black Friday shopping.  I didn't get out of bed til 5:30 - which makes me a slacker in the world of shopping.  I ran into several friends as i went from store to store...I ran into 1 friend at 7 am and she had been up since Midnight! Crazy!  Shelby is still young and isn't expecting all those special Santa requests.

This evening I'm making lasagna for some friends.  Yum!

Waiting to dry

Shelby insisted on getting her nails done. Here's a pic of her waiting for them to dry. :-)



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Pictures of Badger

Badger had to show off his mad barrel turning skills as well as his new headstall and breastcollar.  I just love him.