Irish & Alten

    When I was 8 years old, we moved to a new house that shared a fence line with a big pasture where girls would ride their horses every day. I would sit out there for hours every single day and watch these girls ride. Sometimes they would walk over and let me pet their horses and talk a little. We found out one of my friends from school had her pony there and sometimes she would let me ride behind her saddle and I would just hold on no matter what she did and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. My parents decided to let me start taking lessons at a local barn and my love of horses instantly began. I have met many, many lifelong friends on this journey and have owned two horses of my own. Irish was my first horse. She was an off the track Thoroughbred who was very tall (17.1 hands) and very wild. When we bought her she was several hundred pounds underweight so her true "spirit" did not quite shine yet. I look back and think this is a good thing because if it had my parents may have never bought her for me. She was a horse that taught me a whole lot and often times we were advised to sell her as she was just a handful but I loved her dearly and wouldn't have sold her for all of the money in the world. At horseshows we would clear the practice rings as she ran sideways, backwards, up and down and forward at two or three times the speed of any other horse there. People would see my mom watching and ask her if she was sure we would be okay. But one thing about Irish, it didn't matter what she was doing, when she saw that jump she charged to it without a second thought. She was born to run and jump. I don't think we ever had one stop at any stadium or cross country jump. The mare would jump a car if you put it in front of her. (We won't talk about our Dressage Tests though!) The day she died (very sudden and unexpected) I was heartbroken and I still think about her all of the time.

The second horse that I called my own is Alten. He is a big, grey, mischievous teddy bear. He couldn't be any different than Irish in most ways. Much more laid back, very steady and a personality that makes him the favorite of many barns. He is very handsome and photogenic and attracts a lot of attention at shows because of it. He is a very talented jumper and also does well in Dressage. He had a reputation as a Houdini because he could usually get himself out of any stall and he was a bit intimidating to some people because he is a horse who will test you and if you don't quickly let him know you are in charge he takes total advantage of it. He has mellowed out in his older age (he just turned 16) but for a long time he was quite the trouble maker. He is a grey horse (his coat is actually white but white horses are called grey) and grey horses have a tough time living in Florida and often develop cancerous tumors. Alten has had a few for a couple of years but they did not seem to really give him problems until the last year or so. Since the triplets were born I obviously have not had the time to devote to my horses so Alten has been living with my former trainer/current friend Cat for many years. She knows him very well and loves him like her own and takes the very best care of him. She started noticing he was getting more tumors and some of them seemed to start bothering him. He started having episodes where he felt really bad and he needed medicine to help him, but it was always a quick bout and then he got better for several months. It wasn't anything major and he was still being ridden and even going to shows with Cat and her students. Two weeks ago Cat called me and said Alten was feeling really bad. She gave him medicine and it was not helping him so she called the vet out. The vet felt inside of him and felt a tumor about the size of a grapefruit at the end of his intestines pressing against his hip. He had been having some recent issues going in that direction while being ridden, so this explained it. The vet told her if he felt that one immediately, he was certain there were more further in. He gave her some strong medicine and said if that didn't help there was not much more that could be done. She stayed with him for several hours and watched him to see if he seemed to be in worse pain as we had decided if she gave him the medicine and it did not help and he was truly suffering, we would not let him continue that way. It was so hard not being able to drive down there (he is about two hours away) but I knew taking the kids would not be the best decision and if Alten needed to be put down it was not something I wanted any of them, especially Marley, to see. After she gave him the final dose of medicine that would basically be our deciding factor, he seemed to slowly improve. Within a few hours he was up walking around grazing and continued that way thru the night and into the next day. Since then he has been acting fine and feeling good, but it's something I know could happen again at any time. His cancer is too far progressed to try to treat it.

I knew I wanted to go down and see him as soon as I could. Yesterday Marley and I drove down to see him and spend the day with him and we had so much fun. She even got to ride him! It was so fun seeing Cat and her family as well and the day flew by way too quickly. Alten looks good though he has a lot more tumors than he did the last time I saw him. We watched Cat teach some lessons in the morning, grabbed some lunch and then came back and let Marley ride Alten and give him a bath. She had been so excited that she would get to ride my horse and she loved it. She hurt her knee playing with Cat's son a few hours before she got to ride, but once she was on him she did fine. Cat led her around at a walk for about 15 minutes but it was so hot out there we took him in and let Marley cool him off with the water hose. Cat has a brand new beautiful facility down in Ft. Myers and I wish we could have stayed longer! I am hoping to move Alten closer in the next few weeks to another friend's barn. This way we will be able to see him a lot more and when the cancer does get to the end and a decision needs to be made, I can say my final good-bye to him and bury him next to Irish.

The love of a horse is not something that can be explained. It is a much deeper and stronger bond than with any other pet. Unless you have experienced it, it can't be understood. But I know that my love of horses runs deep in my soul and I hope they are always a part of my life.

Marley riding Alten

Alten and Cat

Alten eventing years ago

Irish and me in one of our first shows!

Such a personality

My dad talking to me

Irish jumping the ducks

He's such a photogenic horse

She thought she was hot stuff riding Mom's horse :)

2014 Summer Bucket List

  I am joining the blogging trend of creating a Summer Bucket List of things that I want us to do before the end of summer. I am mainly writing it down for my own benefit so that I will remember everything I want us to do before Preschool and 1st Grade begin!

1. Go to Dinosaur World
2. Go to some of the programs offered by the Library
3. Ice cream and water fun at the Fishhawk Fountains
4. Plant some vegetable seeds
5. Ruskin Drive-in
6. Evenings at the beach
7. Busch Gardens Summer Nights (if we get passes!)
8. Get a bike for myself and take Marley on the trail
9. Have one-on-one day out with each kid
10. Get my hair cut!
11. Take them on the Ybor City cable car
12. Make a water blob for the kids
13. Try out the $1 movies
14. Picnic and nature walk at a local park
15. Long weekend at the beach with family (this will probably be the most challenging one)

I think this is a fairy doable list of things we can squeeze in before August 19th. Anybody who wants to join us on any of these let me know so we can plan. Happy Summer to everyone!

Three Three Year Olds!!

   Another big thing that happened in my lapse of updating this blog is that the triplets turned three! May 16th was their big day and they are all so excited to be three. We spent their actual birthday with pizza at the pool and then the following day we had a birthday party for them at a local play place they enjoy. Almost all of their friends got to come celebrate their day. Three (six including their moms and grandma) friends came from pretty far away and happened to be another set of triplets! They are less than 3 weeks apart in age from my triplets so we lovingly refer to them as our triplet bff's. It was really a fun party and the best part is it was air conditioned as summer hit Florida early this year. Oh wait, it always does. I still refer to them as "the babies" because "the kids" just doesn't sound right. I often wonder when they are teenagers if I will still call them babies. They are all doing really well and I will give a few details on each of them.

Jack is still the happiest and silliest kid I know. He will do anything for a laugh and really just enjoys life. He is very rough and tough and all boy. He is lucky he has Marley here to play with because she enjoys getting knocked down, stepped and jumped on, ridden like a horse, rammed into at top speed and whatever other shenanigans this boy can think of. He really loves swimming and he is fearless in the water and swimming unassisted in the small pool at home. He also enjoys running and flipping into the pool and doing any crazy stunts his sisters suggest he do. He can be quite timid in new situations and really relies on Marley to help him at times. Luckily for him, she is happy to do so and she takes very good care of her little brother. If you can convince him to do something he is scared of once, he usually realizes he likes it and then does it over and over again. He is still a very picky eater, but he has gained 5 pounds since he had his adenoids removed in February! At his 3 year check he was 29 lbs and almost 39 inches. Really high in length and low in weight, but now he looks a lot healthier than he did at the beginning of the year. He is still thin, but not bony how he was a few months ago. I just love that little boy and he truly brings a lot of happiness and laughter into our home.

Makayla has become the outgoing child of the group. She will talk to anybody. She is so smart and I am usually amazed by what comes out of her mouth. She is really a thinker and a very quick learner. She can be very sassy and often puts her hands on her hips or sighs really loudly if she doesn't like what she is hearing. She requires the least amount of sleep and would really like if she could sleep next to me every night, but of course that's not happening! She is brave in new situations and usually goes in with little or no hesitation. She makes friends very easily and is very social. She is still the smallest of the bunch, at her 3 year check she was 37" and 24 pounds. She is growing just not too quickly. She is very sweet and likes to go around giving everyone tons of kisses and hugs. She is still a little spitfire and at times can be very challenging, but she always makes up for it with her sweetness.

Marissa is really a funny child. Not in the sense like Jack who is just a clown, but she  will say things to me because she knows it is funny and I will laugh. She also likes to make silly faces when she say things to make me laugh too. She will question things so she can learn about them and always remembers. She is also very smart and a quick learner. She is pretty outgoing though not as much as Makayla. She is a bit more selective in who she talks to now. She is also very good at making friends. She really loves playing in the sandbox and will spend over an hour just building things and playing pretend. She is very similar in size to Makayla- about 1/4" taller and half a pound heavier. She is very sweet and really enjoys doing things that she thinks the bigger kids do. She often tells me, "This is only for the big girls like me." She can still be a bit dramatic and sassy, but she has really become a sweet and caring person.

Together they are still so much fun. They are usually really good kids and are often complimented on their good behavior in public. It has really gotten a lot easier to do things with them and Marley and she is still such a big help. They really love their big sister and love spending time with her. She has a very nurturing soul and is a very good role model for them. She has taught them so much and they insist they are starting Kindergarten soon. They all play very good together most of the time. At times they can fight like cats and dogs, but nobody holds a grudge and they quickly go back to being nice to each other. It is hard to believe they are three years old already but I look forward to all this year of their lives has to bring.

The party animals!

Marissa & Bre

Triplet Bff's!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

The cakes they each chose

My boy in his new glasses

Sister kisses

Hanging out at Field Day

Seesaw

Rockstars

Makayla & Marissa

Just watching tv

Marley <3

Birthday muffins

Celebration!

     I have so much to catch up on....again!! And the best part is that it is all good news. The first thing I want to talk about is the big celebration we had for my mom's victory over breast cancer. I wanted to do something special for her to honor how strong she was during all of her treatments. Her chemotherapy really made her sick and then the radiation burned her skin very badly. She also had two surgeries in the beginning of it all that were very hard on her. After finishing all of that I felt that a party was in store!! So around February I started planning a big SURPRISE party for her. We invited all of our family and her friends (and Lord knows she has a lot of them!) I was so worried somebody would tell her and a few times she said or did something where I was certain she knew. My Aunt and Grandma helped me plan the food and get all of the party supplies and we used my Aunt's church for the celebration. We told my mom that on April 19th my Aunt's church was having a Mother-Daughter Banquet that we were all attending. Instead she walked in to a little under 100 people wearing pink in honor of her!!! And she was so surprised! The food was good, the music was good but the fact that we were there celebrating my mom's defeat over cancer was perfect. I am so grateful to everyone who came and helped celebrate with us. It was truly one of the most special evenings ever.

My mom walking around telling everyone hello

More party-goers

My mom with her life long friend

The Trombetto's

Dessert!

I see a whole lot of pink!

Marley couldn't wait to greet Mimi!

My friend Paula custom made all of our shirts!!

Patty & my mom

The Zhendubayev Family

Rosie & Katelyn

The Party Invitation!  (also designed by Paula)

My Mom, Grandma, Uncle Larry & Aunt Jo

Wes, Shannon, Kiara, Keanu, Kaden & John

The Camille Family

Roger & my mom...Roger is currently fighting cancer and needs prayers. He will defeat it!

The moment she walked in!

The Woss Families with my mom

Our Family

My favorite :)

The Lindberg Family


 

 There were many, many more people and photos I have not posted here. My mom's friend Rick was there taking photos and he set up a special room for everyone to have their family photo done with a special backdrop that turned out great. Thank you all again.

Helloooo Out There!

      It's been months since I've updated on here and there's a lot to get caught up on! Sorry I am such a blogging slacker, I will try to be better. Everyone is doing really good and we are just staying very busy. To start off with the best news, my mom is now cancer free!!! It was a rough time and we've had a few scares along the way, but she is doing really well and done with all of her treatments and her hair is coming back quick as ever. The first few times she came over without her scarf/hat on her head, the babies would grab one and take it to her to put on. I guess they didn't remember Mimi without a hat! So we are all really excited about that great news. I will go into updates on each of the kids in a little detail and talk about what they have been up to...

Marley is in her final quarter of Kindergarten. I cannot believe this school year is almost over. She has done really well in school and enjoys it so much. She has learned so much this school year and we really like her teacher. She made Principal's Honor Roll the first half of school and I suspect she will do the same the next half. She is still going strong in Gymnastics. She has learned a lot of new skills over the past few months and it keeps her very strong! She played Soccer for a few months over the Winter, but decided not to sign back up for Spring. Her newest sport she recently started is horseback riding!! Of course this makes me very happy and spending time in the barn with her makes me realize how much I truly miss it. She has taken about 3 lessons now and seems to really like it. She is still a very good big sister and the babies love her so, so much. They always talk about her when she is not home and get so excited when I tell them it is time to go pick her up from school. We are all very excited that summer break is coming soon!

Marissa has become my little sassy pants. That girl has more attitude in her little finger than Marley ever did (does) in her entire body. She will boss anyone around who she thinks needs it and is very tough. She is very smart and sometimes I forget I am talking to a 2 year old. She picks up on a lot of things from her big sister and likes to think she is bigger than she is. She is quite the little comedian and enjoys making people laugh. She is definitely the leader of the pack and can get her brother to follow her anywhere. She is the child that will test me the most and see just how serious I am when I tell her something. She is also very sweet and loving and often just gives me hugs and kisses out of the blue. She is very nurturing to Makayla (at times) and I swear she knows she's Baby A.

Jack is my favorite little man on the planet. He is such a sweet boy and can be quite sensitive. He had to have surgery about a month ago to have his adenoids removed. He was drooling and snoring very bad and losing weight and I knew something wasn't right. Jack was already thin to begin with and when he started losing more weight I became very worried. He was also soaking thru 2-3 shirts every day and snoring and struggling to breathe during his sleep. I took him to the ENT and they said he had very large adenoids that were restricting his airflow. Since his surgery his drooling has improved, though not completely gone. His snoring is much better. His eating hasn't really gotten any better unfortunately but he hasn't lost any weight. I think he's just a long, lanky boy and one day his appetite will show up and I will miss the days he wasn't eating us out of house and home! He is talking really well and has been saying so much since his surgery. I did not realize how much not being able to breathe out of his nose was affecting what he said. He would say what needed to be said in the shortest way possible before and now he speaks in complete sentences and sometimes doesn't stop talking! He basically personifies any stereotype of a little boy that there is.

Favorite color blue? Check
Likes Superheroes? Check
Likes cars/trains/airplanes/etc? Check
Rough & tough? Check
Nonstop ball of energy? Check

He is definitely a follower and he may not lead the pack into trouble but he certainly is right there in the midst of it. He loves to make people laugh and I can see him being the class clown in a few years.

Makayla is my little sweet pea. She is very sweet and loving and always hugging me and telling me she loves me. She can be a little troublemaker too though she is more sneaky about it than Marissa. While Marissa goes headfirst into it, Makayla tends to sit back and observe for a minute. Maybe she thinks I won't notice if she gradually slips into the midst of it all. She is still a tiny little thing and she definitely uses her cuteness to her advantage. She loves to sing and dance and perform for people. She is very smart and also speaks well above her age. She really enjoys learning new things and has a really good attention span. Her and Marley probably have the closest bond right now and they love to play pretend together. Marley will dress her up all fancy and they pretend they are going to birthday parties and the park and all kinds of places. She will grab her purse, kiss me bye and go off hand in hand with her big sis. She likes for Marley to carry her around places and spends a lot of time in Marley's room. At one point she was the most trying of the 4 of them, but she has lost that title for the time being ;)

Marley and the babies have very different personalities, atleast when they are all three together. Marley is very shy and takes a while to warm up to people. The triplets would go off with just about anybody who asked them. They are always visiting with our neighbors and saying hi to just about anybody they cross paths with. They are enrolled in preschool and will start in August and I cannot wait to see how they do. I will also be returning to work so they will be going full time from the start so I hope they (and I!) adjust well. I am looking forward to it.

Mike and I are doing well. He is just staying busy at work and usually gone from about 10:30am until 10pm so we try to do a lot together on the weekends. His mom recently moved to Florida and lives about 2 miles from us so that has been nice to see her more. The kids all enjoy going to Grandma's and having her come visit. My mom has decided the condo life is not for her and will be moving to a house in a few months. I will hopefully be starting my career as a teacher this coming August and am really excited about that. So, that is basically the past few months in a nutshell. I will try to be more diligent from here on out. Thanks for reading!