Quail and Sand

 While it was still cold, the sun finally came out last weekend, and we couldn't wait to get outside!  John Sawyer headed to the playground, and we were thrilled to find several piles of Pop's sand that the city hasn't spread yet.  Needless to say, he played in the sand and not on the playground.  Nana always has tractors and trucks close by for occasions just like this.  Following the sandpile fun, we joined Pop for a little quail hunt. 

This precious one had quite the week.  He turned 9 months and got his first tooth!

John Sawyer and I spent most of the day following behind in the Ranger.  We began with a little picnic on the tailgate, and then the fun began. John Sawyer doesn't consider it a picnic unless you have a table cloth.  

It is truly fun to watch Belle do what she was born to do.  She is extremely active, and it's great to see her putting all that energy to use!  She absolutely loves this.  I am not a hunter, but I am definitely a fan!   Belle is actually very small for her breed, but that doesn't slow her down a bit.  

John Sawyer decided to join Pop as he was wrapping up the hunt, which was the perfect end to an awesome day! (I brought Pop's vest for him, and got the wrong one.  Oops!  No orange on this hunt, but he was the only one shooting.)

I love days like this.  We actually went to meet Jovi (previous post) the next day.  All in all, we had an awesome weekend!

(If by chance the person that found my Columbia jacket at the playground is reading this, I'd love to have it  back. I left it by mistake when JS and I were playing.)

Meet Jovi

Imagine this-you are six, eight and eleven and you've just completed a long week in school.  You head home ready for the weekend, and your parents surprise you with a new  horse!  Needless to say, it was the best surprise ever.  Meet Jovi, a sweet 13 year old horse that will receive more love and attention than it can stand.  Jovi came from a wonderful home, but his previous owner had outgrown him.  So now, these three will continue riding and caring for him.  To say they were shocked is an understatement.  When Josh pulled up with the horse trailer, Maddie said she thought it was pigs! Jovi is just the right size and has a wonderful temperament.

Saying hello for the first time

They have been having horse lessons for a while, so they were ready for this new adventure.  After introductions, Jovi got a good brushing, and they saddled him up.

Pop and I headed over Sunday to meet him, and watch the kids ride.  We were also able to go to riding lessons with them.

After riding, Jovi got a snack and a little rub down before they led it each other around bareback. Ozzie, the long time resident donkey isn't too sure about his new friend.  I'm sure they will eventually be best buddies, but it's going to take awhile.

First, pretend like I didn't use that cute picture of Reed twice.  It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy watching them!

So much fun for all!

Now on to riding lessons!  This has prepared them to be responsible horse owners.  They have an excellent instructor that stresses caring for your horse in every way.  This was my second time to go, and I love watching.  I am not a horse person, but I do appreciate their beauty and the skill it takes to ride. Meet Kid Rock, Luke and Rebel.

Pop and I headed home after a wonderful visit.  They have two more additions coming to the farm next week, and I can't wait for that.  No horses this time!  I'll share more on that soon.  Next up, more sand fun and a quail hunt!

Winter Wonderland

What a wonderful surprise it was to wake up to snow!  We were expecting just ice, so to me the snow was such a treat.  Even better, it snowed basically all day! We never lost power and enjoyed a fire in the fireplace all day.  For me, that's a near perfect day!

This is easily my favorite view of all time.  Each season is different and beautiful! 

I rushed out the door before 7:00 to look around and snap some pictures.  Our snow usually doesn't last very long, so I wanted to make sure to get some pictures.  Little did I know that it would snow almost all day.

Reed also got several up the  hill at Papa's.

We had to wait for John Sawyer to wake up to play.  Caleb had to go to work , but we squeezed in some fun first.  

John Sawyer has been wanting to make a snowman for some time now.  This snow was a little dry, but he and Pop were able to make a snowman and a snow angel! The also enjoyed a ride in the clothes basket. We had so much fun, but missed Maddie, Lillian and Reed!

Now, I am going to back up a few days.  We all enjoyed a special Valentine's Day. (That includes our DD.) Thanks to Taylor for these pictures.  I will add that Jack was having his baby dedication this past Sunday, but he became very sick the night before and they had to postpone.  I am happy to say that he is not completely well, but is definitely on the mend.

Be still my heart!  Loves these babies so very much!

Cookies were made and goodies were shared!

In full disclosure, I had the big kids help me clean up, and then I surprised them with their Valentine goodies.

Maddie loves to learn new things, and Pop loves to teach her new things.  She has wanted to learn to weld for a while, so she and Pop did just that.

This snow has been great, but I'm just about over this extreme cold.  Hopefully, we will be able to have another sunny sandpile day soon!

Oh my!!

 Words

These pictures were posted over 2 weeks ago. I became sick with the dreaded COVID, and just haven’t caught up. I’m going to post these just for fun, and plan to do better going forward. Enjoy my babies!