There Was No "Recalculating" Either. . .

Just Sayin'. . . .

Broken Bone

Last week, Julia had a bad fall off a large snowball. The kids at school had rolled the snow into large balls during recess. Julia decided to climb on one and lost her balance. She fell hard on her arm. After a trip to the ER and some Xrays, it was decided she had a buckle fracture. They did not put a plaster cast on, but decided instead to use a splint. That way, she can take it off for showers or at night. She is pretty bummed out about having a broken arm over Christmas and also that it is her right arm. However, there are some advantages to broken arms: 1) no dishwashing 2) no barn chores that involve lifting things 3) no vacuuming 4) no writing or typing essays/homework!

Ganaraskan Riding

Recently, a few of us in our family drove 3 hours to go riding at the Ganaraska Provincial Park. We brought a variety of things to ride. . .

. . .Daniel and his friend brought their mountain bikes. . .

. . .and Julia and I brought our ponies. Jim brought his dirtbike but unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of him riding it. Our van and trailer were pretty full of animals, machinery, and tack, but we had a great time. I just wish it was closer to our home as there are 11,000 acres of trails for riding on.

Happy 14th Birthday

On Nov. 18th, Daniel turned 14. He asked for only money so he could purchase this camera and has had a lot of fun with it since. I think he is a great photographer and hope this helps him pursue his passion of photography. Watch for lots of new photos and videos on his FB site!

Fall Goodbyes

Shiloh went to his new home in October, and. . .
. . .his new owner bought our old trailer :)

Napoleon went to his new home in September

Stella found a home in September also. Her new owner is a 6 year old cowgirl!

And, last but not least, SusieQ went to her new home last week.

Now, one would think we would be all out of horses by now since we sold so many. Not so! Our barn is still blessed with 5 of them. We just ran out of room/riders/hay to keep the ones that do not have a job here any more. And we are pretty confident they are all enjoying their new homes!

Family Pictures

Some recent family pictures from Art and Soul Photography. We decided to get Andrew's graduation pictures at the same time. Very talented photographers that were willing to work in very hot weather and horse manure!

Party Time!

Last night, our four teenagers hosted a large party with some of their friends. We had planned on playing beach volleyball (in the sand arena), have a bonfire, and play "capture the flag." The week before, we had so much rain, we didn't know if we would even be able to be outside. However, God is good, and the weather on Sat. turned into the perfect fall day. An hour before the party started, Andrew and some of his friends dug a deep hole and put in a retired hydro pole. They then put a light on top so they could play their volleyball game in the dark. Since the party started at 6:30pm and it gets dark at 7pm, we did need some sort of lighting out in the arena. The games went well and the bonfire was a great warming station. We really enjoyed meeting all their friends and hosting them at our place. I am not sure if anyone in our family got any photos, but if they did, I will post them.

Ian Roberts XC Clinic

Recently, Leah went to a XC clinic taught by Ian Roberts. Mr. Roberts is a former Olympian who now owns a training facility and does clinics all over Canada. She was very glad to have been able to be taught by him and took home some good jumping tips. The weather was gorgeous and the colors were amazing.

You Are Looking At. . .

. . .the best waitress Anna Mae's has ever had! It is always a treat to go out to eat there especially now that Hannah is working there. She really likes working there and is a hard worker. I love seeing my kids in an apron serving me supper :)

Julia's 11th Birthday

On Friday, Julia turned 11. She has been saving up for a long time to get an ipod touch, so with the help of her birthday money, she was able to get one. I surprised her and had it there for her to open as a gift (Walmart had a great sale on them which made it possible for her to afford one). Here are some pictures of her enjoying the evening.

Equus 3D

Leah's latest show was Equus 3D in Orangeville, ON. It was a very nice day and LuAnn got to see what eventing was all about. Leah was 3rd after Dressage (her best score all season), 2nd after stadium (clear round), and was hoping to move up to first after her XC round. However, Blaze refused the first jump (that is a 20 point penelty) so they finished in 4th overall. There were prizes and ribbons for the first 6 placings and Leah came home with a few goodies.

Canoeing was one of the activities we did when LuAnn was visiting. We rented two canoes from a company in Kitchener and went down the Grand River 10 kilometers. It was a cooler morning, but perfect for canoeing. . .no bugs!

One Fine Day

The first full day LuAnn was up in Canada this year, we decided to go for a trail ride. It turned out to be a perfect day for it and Julia even got to miss an afternoon of school to go with us. I can't think of anything more educational. . .or fun!

Treetop Trekking

When I was at Horseshoe Valley, I tried Treetop Trekking. Below is a picture of me signing my life away (on papers called waivers) because some of the "games" are 75ft. above the ground. It was a lot of fun and for 3 hours, I tried each of the 6 courses they had; from beginners to expert.

All of the courses had at least one zip line. One course had 4 in a row. I liked that one the best. The scariest course had some really hard games with very loose wires to walk on and suspension bridges that just wanted to tip me over. It took a lot of concentration to not fall, but thankfully I was attached by carabiners the whole time. I would do it again anytime.

This last picture is the game called monkey wires. It just had one cable to walk on, and one to balance with (and also hook on to). As the course got harder, the wires got looser and it became very challenging to walk across these games. Not only was I 75ft above the ground, the cables were not that big. Those were the only games I did not enjoy (my smile is fake!)

Lacey

Jim finally gets to ride his new (old) birthday present, Lacey. I gave him this horse for a birthday gift in hopes that I could get him out on a few trail rides with me. So far, he is enjoying her and even asked when we are going again. Now that is music to my ears!

Horseshoe Valley Getaway

Last week, Jim and I took a vacation to Horseshoe Valley Resort. We stayed in one of the condos at Carriage Hills so we had great accomodations. We brought our mountain bikes and Jim's dirtbike. The valley is full of nice trails for hiking/biking/horseback riding/etc. We had a great time just being together. Jim and I enjoying the ski lift chairs at the top of the ski hills

Relaxing on the patio

This is at Hardwood Hills where we went mountain biking. I guess waxing before a race increases your ability to move faster???!!! Or is could be for the cross country skiing they do in the winter :)
Below, we are biking on the awesome trails at Hardwood Hills

Leah Showing Blaze

Here is Leah at another show with Blaze. This is the Aberfoyle Fall Fair and it was only stadium for Hunter and Jumper. She had a lot of fun and even came home with Reserved Champion in the Hunter division. It was really nice to have her make some money at a horse show for a change and that is one of the reasons she likes the fall fairs. Another reason is because they are usually more relaxed and have fun classes, such as Joker's Wild and Costume. Congrats, Leah!

Julia Showing SusieQ

Saturday was the Aberfoyle Fall Fair so Julia decided to show SusieQ. She did very well and got ribbons in several classes, including a blue one in walk/trot. It was a gorgeous day to be at a fall fair and even better for the horse riders for showing. Congrats, Julia!