Happy early 12th birthday!

The Daisy turns 12 on Feb. 21 and her birthday request was to go see our friend Bruce in Tennessee. So after a creek walk, we opened presents and she got a couple of Breyer horses she's been wanting:

 And Bruce made this really cool sculpture of the river stones The Daisy had collected for him and some he'd found.

 What is it?

 Bruce then made The Daisy a light table for tracing drawings and she LOVES it! It was a super cool present.

12 years ago, this was The Daisy's best friend: Zane. 

Happy early birthday, my baby girl. I love you!

Tennessee creek walk at Bruce's

The Daisy requested a visit to our old friend Bruce's for her birthday. Bruce was our neighbor when we lived in Tennessee and he was gracious enough to allow us to bust in on him for a weekend night! After being in the car for many hours, we walked to the creek. See The Boo still in his Super Hero costume?

 We found some saplings chewed by beavers but did not find a dam anywhere nearby.

 So The Daisy grabbed a couple of chewed pieces to take back to her school to show off.

 I'd issued an edict prior to our trip that NO ipods, iphones or computers were to be brought out while we were at Bruce's. And after we were down at the creek for just a little bit, I heard,"This is way more fun than my ipod!"

 The Boo made a collection of old clam shells and his pocket was FULL!

 A lovely waterfall near Bruce's portion of the creek.

 The Daisy with her collection of beaver-stripped sticks!

The kids told me they were disappointed they never go outside like that anymore and enjoyed it far more than playing games on the phone and ipod. It warmed my heart!

Super hero!

One of the gifts I got The Boo for his birthday didn't work so, as a replacement, he wanted a Robin costume and talked my ear off about it for a week! So here he models it, wore it in the car and got himself a Tennessee state pin from the Welcome Center because an honest-to-goodness Super Hero came in!

And then we went to Shadwell Stable

It's hard to visit Columbia without taking the kids to the Camden Training Center. Hayes loves going and Cort has grown to enjoy it as long as there is a barrier between him and ramped up baby Thoroughbreds.

I must find out the name of this filly with the Harry Potter lightning bolt on her nose!

 The kids laughed at me playing with this colt, rubbing his upper gum.

 It made me happy too.

 Cort decided he liked this filly and she stuck her nose through the fence and said,"Hey kid, your jacket looks like it needs a hole in it."

 And then Hayes and this filly fell in love with each other. Whenever Hayes walked around the paddock, the filly followed.

"If you move this board here, and maybe right here, I can come out and play!"

 No kisses!

 I adore my daughter.

Cort turns 6 (early)

My baby turns 6 on Jan. 1 but we weren't going to be together so we celebrated early, which meant we got to have cake for two days in a row!

Happy birthday, my 6-year-old boy! I love you.

Christmas at Great MawMaw's

When we arrived at my grandmother's in Columbia, she had set up a Charlie Brown tree in our room complete with three horses for each of us.

 I love this picture of my babies in front of Great MawMaw's tree.

 Before we left Georgia, my friend, Anne, gave the kids presents. Cort got a gigantic box of Legos. We'll be building for years!

 Hayes got a big horse

 which my dog ReSet did not like at all!

 My best present to Hayes was a Breyer model horse of Bull inthe Heather, one of our favorites at Old Friends Retirement in Kentucky, and a framed photo of Hayes scratching Bully on the withers during one of our visits.

 Very cool lightsaber Cort got!

 And then Hayes checked out 'cause she got a book. I used to do the exact same thing when I got books at Christmas.

 As MawMaw was setting up for lunch, she put out her fruit salad, which is a favorite among our family.

 Cort and cousin Asher got on like a house on fire! Look at that adoration. I love it.

 One of the great things about South Carolina is that it was end of December and we were riding around with the top down on my car. Whee!

Chestatee Wildlife Park

Thanks to Aunt Susan, the kids and I drove to Chestatee Wildlife Park, which is very much like a backyard zoo.

So, here goes ...

 Here kitty, kitty ... oh, never mind.

Hayes was most excited about this zedonk and took this great picture. She's already planning on volunteering here when she turns 16.

 I love the big cats and there were plenty here.

 Cort in the bamboo forest.

 We were trying to take creepy pictures after we happened upon this stuffed lion.

Kissy, kissy, smoochie, smoochie

Thank you, Aunt Susan, we all said!