Still An Animal...

Not sure how to start this post, wish it was a happy one like they usually are.

So I was reminded again this weekend that no matter how much you love our horse and think you know their temperament, they are still an animal with their own minds and sometimes they just do stupid crap.

I guess I need to elaborate.

Friday afternoon the girls and I went out to the pasture to fish with my oldest's new fishing pole that the 'Easter Bunny' brought her, ;) After that we walked back up the the top pasture where Harold and Chatterbox are and decided to go ahead and feed them for the afternoon and while Harold was eating try and get some more winter hair brushed off him.

After I got some hair knocked off I grabbed the hair spray and got him sprayed down. I was holding Shelby (my 16 month old) most of the time letting her help me brush, but put her down to fly spray him. He of course wiggled around a bit and acted like he was not happy about being sprayed like he always does. When I first started spraying again this season it took me a few times to get him to stop leaving his food and walking off when I started it. But he has gotten where he really just flinches a bit and shuffles his feet now. (His head/neck area is a different story but more on that in a minute)

So I'm spraying him while he is eating and Shelby of course wants to help. She wants to do/help with everything being a curious little toddler. So I let her have the bottle to act like she is spraying him. She moves towards his head for whatever reason and WHAM this happens:

Notice how the horse looks completely calm and compliant, not a care in the world, and then all of a sudden DEATH TO THE CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, that was my horse. And yeah that was my screaming kid laying flat on her back in the dirt. (But that WASN'T me smiling and laughing like that mom, good grief)

First I snatched her up and checked her over real quick. I was sure I was going to see blood pouring from somewhere, a chunk taken out of her face, SOMETHING. But thank GOD almighty somehow he missed her. I don't know if he got the fly spray instead, never really connected, or what. I did find a cut on her hand later maybe from the fly spray being ripped out of her hand or something, not sure. 

So after I established she was okay and just scared I ran him off from his grain, hollering and yelling at him. Hopefully he got the message that his actions were NOT acceptable.

The husband had finished mowing at this time and I passed the munchkin off to him while I got my halter and stick to put the fear of God in him. I worked the mess out of him for near 30 minutes. Lunging him around me in a small circle making him change directions often, backing him up fast and long. He was blowing hard and sweating a ton by the time I got done with him. I was still so angry.

So needless to say he didn't get to finish his supper that night.

I'm really at a loss right now. Did I judge this horses temperament wrong? Was this just a 'perfect storm' type situation with the grain+fly spray+little someone = I need to defend my food/self, but something he would never do in any other situation?? If you remember right I have had issues before with him and his grain, pinning his ears etc. But NEVER biting or acting like he would. Even when I took his food away while he was eating it. But he DID do the exact same thing to our miniature schnauzer a few months ago when he got even a little close to his bucket. And knowing that, I had always really watched my girls around him when he was eating. But I never saw anything but a soft eye and no concern. 

As for the head issues, he definitely doesn't like the spray around his head, which is normal, most horses don't. But he has always had a little bit of an ear issue, and when I first started putting the fly spray on his ear (by spraying it into my glove and wiping it on) he had a pretty big problem with it. He has gotten a ton better though. But apparently he thought she was going to spray his head?? And her being small he had no respect for her authority and tried to bite her. :shrug: I really don't know.

Sigh. Any thoughts, previous experience, etc with something like this would be great. I think I'm too close to it at this point to be objective. My mama mind was just off the scale angry and scared, and it was hard to think like a horse person. For several days after I couldn't get the scene out of my head. I really haven't been out there since. Needless to say the girls won't be coming in there with me anymore. But if I can't trust my horse with my kids, really he is no use to me...

On another note. My mom and dad are getting out of horses. I know, I was pretty shocked too. I know she never has time for them, but I didn't really think she would ever actually give them away. 

Well dad offered them both to me for free, if I wanted them. I wish! Which I don't really want moms mare, I'm just done with mares and shes gaited. But I can't think of anywhere that would be okay for Cisco to go without it breaking my heart! He is basically my baby. I was the first one to halter him, put all his training on him, first one on his back, etc. He is almost 15 this year and never been anywhere else but my mom and dads living with his mama except for maybe a few weeks here and there, or a few months when he was out at my house. (If you don't remember Cisco, check out this link to his blog I wrote briefly, The Unspotted Spotted Saddle Horse)

13 years ago...we were both babies!

The problem is I don't have any pasture of my own, and already have barely enough borrowed for the horse I have now. I keep hearing rumors that the people we are renting the pasture from are about to move back and build a house on it, but haven't hear anything concrete. So if that happened I'd really be up a creek. Plus I bet the inlaws would have a hissy if I told them I was bringing over another horse, even though they have 3 completely useless horses on the same pasture they need to get rid of. The other one is a mere shadow of his former self and never gets anything done with it either. (Chatterbox)

So anyway, I guess thats enough whining for now. I'll update later...

R.I.P Daisy Girl...Plus A New Project

It's taken me a while to write this post. Just not something any of us want to do I don't guess. (sorry, redneck language coming out)

A couple of months ago Daisy passed away. I knew she was getting old at 24, but I don't know, I guess I was expecting at least another couple years. She was in such good health!

We found her laying in the pasture, no struggle around her, no poop like she had been there a while. I think she just laid down and she was gone. :( I guess that is the best way to go. I like to think she was doing her favorite thing (eating) at the time. I just kind of wish I had been there to say good bye, and thank her for all the great times we had together. I wish I had known her longer! At least I have Tuff to see a bit of her in.

Some of my favorite moments...

So, I have kind of been looking for another horse casually here lately. If your a true horse person it runs in your blood. If you don't have one you are automatically looking for one. I went and looked at a gelding that was pretty cheap, looked good in the pictures, sounded good in the texts, and was close. Turned to be a big no go, I didn't even ride him. He was so herd bound to his mama that he was just dangerous. He was 10, but I bet he had never been away from his mama except to maybe wean him when he was young. I liked everything about him but I think he would have been more trouble then I need right now. Time for horses is VERY slim with two little ones! Nap times are precious around here, haha.

So, then I started thinking, well, there are four horses right here near the house for free. And I won't have to buy hay for them! Lol. Five if you count Tuff. Why don't I pick one of them and work with it, get it riding good, satisfy my horse bug, and also take it with me to ride with my mom and dad this fall at their new lake house near the national forest?? No one is riding any of them. So I went through my options:

Chatterbox - Some of you may be wondering what happened to the pretty palomino my FIL bought? Well turns out there was a reason he was so cheap. He had white line. Ugh, took them a year to get rid of it, and I personally don't think he is sound yet, although the FIL does. Anyway, he's big and pushy and kind of a pill, I don't really like his personality per say. Although to be fair, I really haven't done much with him. Plus I would feel bad taking over the FIL's horse when he keeps saying he is going to come and ride him. So no on him.

Rusty - Nah, he has a weird eye cancer thing going on and he is goofy again since no one has messed with him but maybe twice since he got back from the trainer 2 years ago.

Skip - Thought about it, but he is not even green broke, just worn a saddle once and been lunged a few times. That would be a lot of work, even though he has a great, quiet temperament. Too much time needed. He is also too short to keep up with the parents two gaited horses that are both over 16 hands. More about them later.

Tuff - Again, thought about it, but he is still so small, he wouldn't keep up either, plus he also is not even green broke. He has been rode a few times, but still, too much time needed.

Stormy - Ding ding! I decided on her. Another mare, I know. But she has a great mind, tall enough to stand a better chance of keeping up (although I remember how bad Cisco and I left her and the brother in law in the dust, lol) and she has good genes and is a pretty thing. Plus she already rides decent. Green broke I'd say, but not, 'I may buck you off still', green broke, lol. Here is the post about her arrival and bloodlines, etc.

Anyway, I want to put some back story on the reason I want a  horse for fall riding. Mom has always said Cisco was too tall for her, and Dixie is too old now. So I started just kind of looking around for a horse for her. I joined a few facebook pages for horses for sale in my region, told a horsey friend, etc. So that friend sent me a link for a horse one day. I checked it out and was like, ooo yeah, we need to see this one. Convinced the mother to go look at her and she ended up going home with her the next day.

Her name is Chloe, but that is kind of confusing since my oldest daughters name is Chloe, lol. But we still haven't come up with another name for her. Any ideas are appreciated!!

So her she is! She is a 5 year old gaited horse, palomino paint. Around 15.3 to 16 hands. Although we have no papers, and I don't think she is full gaited either. I think she's got some QH in there somewhere. But she does gait! Get ready for some picture spam!!

 Trying her out

Breaking out some Clinton Anderson on her

Isn't she pretty??

Desensitizing her to the stick/string

Dad working his horse, Cisco!

Inside turn

Following...

Our awesome new farrier lady

So we loved her temperament and how she looked, but she had a weird bump on her nose, and she was pretty green. As in, not got a real good handle on her. She would get 'stuck' sometimes if she saw something scary or didn't want to go somewhere and I had to eventually resort to beating her with a small branch, lol! But we liked that her first reaction wasn't to be stupid, it was to just kind of stop and look. And there were ALL kinds of stuff at that crazy place to look at. Pigs, goats, chickens, you name it. (she really didn't like the pigs, lol)

Anyway, we took her to the vet for a vet check, mainly worried the bump on her nose was cancerous. And turns out it was nothing, but ALL FOUR FEET had white line in them! Wha?? So mom really had to ask herself if she wanted a horse that needed quite a bit of attention for a while. She eventually decided she was worth it! So here we are!

We found a great new farrier that has all kinds of schooling, and bought some new stuff they have out to soak her hooves in. The farrier didn't think they were too bad at all, mainly front left, and thought she could get her going good. She is one tough lady, do rag topped hair, muscle shirt, shoulders like a line backer, and tattoos. And so nice and polite, we loved her. She's originally from out west I think. 

So coincidentally I had been watching some Clinton Anderson DVDS and researching him again and when she came along I figured she was the perfect horse to try out my new knowledge with.

I went after work to my mom and dads for about two weeks. Helping them both get their horses going well ground work wise. We kind of stalled the last few weeks with rain, then heat advisories, and now they just bought a lake house so they are focused on getting that all set up for Labor Day weekend this week. But hopefully after that all dies down we can get back to it. I want them both to be exemplary citizens for them to trail ride this fall with.

The lake house they bought, like I said earlier, backs right up to Bankhead National Forest, which has tons of horse trails in it. Woot woot! So glad we have that awesome aluminum four horse to use! Figured we could bring a few round pen panels with us and make them a temporary enclosure and stay over night, go riding in the morning. Or we could just trailer down there early, stay that night after riding, or go home. Its only like 40 mins from their house, little over an hour from mine. Not sure how we would share the trailer, maybe keep it at my house the night before, load my horse up and then drop by and pick them up on the way out there.

So! Cisco and Chloe both know how to:

• Stay consistent at whatever gait we choose by just pointing (in round pen)
• Do inside turns (in round pen)    
• Desensitized to lead rope and stick and string all over body
• Desensitized to string whacking on the ground on either side and in front
• Backing up from wiggle of lead
• Lateral flexing on both sides
• Some hindquarter yielding

That's about all we have done so far. Next I plan on working more on lateral yielding and hindquarter yielding. Then we need to do forequarter yielding I might move off the ground work there. I don't think the parents could handle the other exercises that are supposed to be after these. Such as lunging for respect and sending. I don't know, we'll see! I did a little lunging for respect with one of them and they picked it up pretty easy, I think it was Chloe.

Well I've yammered on enough for one post, more about Stormy on the next!

Ridin' Ridin' Ridin'

Cookie please??

Lots and lots of riding! Such a fun day Saturday! Had some errands to do that morning and then put little girl down for her nap. Shot a text to the BIL (Stormy's owner) and asked him if he wanted to be my riding buddy! He was all for it.

Threw all my tack in the explorer and left the husband with sleeping beauty. The horses were up by the fence of course, taking a nap. I called to him and he perked his head and ears up, so cute. They both came toward the gate when I went to go get him, but he hung back and let Stormy see me first. She is the boss, which I expected, but they are good buddys.

The FIL came out to help with Stormy, thankfully, so I could focus on big boy. She hasn't been ridden in quite some time, and even then she was quite green, so I knew he wouldn't be able to just toss the lead rope over her neck and throw his tack on her like I could with Cisco. (Yes, we need a tie post!) She gave them a little trouble with the bridle but other then that was golden. (which I was stuffing her face with cookies during the saddling, so I'm sure that helped!)

Speaking of the cookies, I am having so much fun 'babying' him, I bought him some apple cookies, a new brush and hoof pick. I've never bought cookies for any horse! He is just so lovable though that I love getting him stuff he will like. He is also getting his very own new winter blanket coming in this week! For those days we have rain/snow and cold temps all together. We almost got some freezing rain last week but it didn't pan out, thankfully!

Here is the blanket we ordered him: http://www.sstack.com/horse-blankets-and-sheets_waterproof-turnout-blankets_euro-fit/stormshield-classic-euro-contour-collar-turnouts/

He is going to look so snazzy! The big scudder wears a 84! Good grief! Daisy wears a 72! We also bought one for Dixie, my moms old horse, in purple. She wears a itty bitty 68. We went ahead and got her a 70 though, just in case. Hopefully it won't be too big. I know it seems kind of squirrley to just now be buying blankets, but the really bad weather around here doesn't usually show its face until after the first of the year. We have gotten some awful snow storms in March before!

So we got them all tacked up, this is the first time I've tried Cisco's new pads on him. The black no-slip I like, the other is smaller then I thought it would be. Next time I will have to try folding it different to see if I can get it to show more.

We both climbed up and were ready! We decided to hit the round pen first to try out their paces, get everyone steering and woahing well. So Cisco and I headed out and were the 'fearless' leaders, lol. Cisco was very looky and interested, but never did spook and was a good boy! I was kind of nervous about Stormy, the younger brother in law is really quite a green rider, but he insisted she wouldn't do anything and rode her to the round pen instead of walking her like I suggested. He was right! She was just fine.

I thought originally two of us in there would be too much, but we fit okay! Until I tried to rack with him and kept running into them, haha. Well not physically but every time we got near her he would lose motor. So, I was hoping he would be easy to get to rack and not get pacey, but boo, nope. I got a pace much more often then I did a rack. I did get it a few strides a couple times, SO FUN! We will work on it! I wish I could go take a lesson at a gaited barn, that would be the best. I really am quite clueless about gaited horses and their mechanics. I've done a little checking and haven't come up with a place that looks decent just yet. We'll see.

After we got bored in there (and Cisco decided the tractor moving hay around 2 counties away wasn't going to affect him in any fashion) we ventured out, the plan to go down the road a bit towards my house. I was in the lead again of course, Cisco has a motor and he goes until he's tired! (which doesn't usually take very long, lol) So he's doing his power walk down the road head in the air checking it out and we leave Stormy waayyy behind, lol! She not only is about a hand shorter but she walks slow! Typical QH walk, lol. So I circled back a few times, made him woah a few times and wait. He wasn't too keen on that, but it was good practice! We made it down the road and turned back before we got too far, didn't want Tuff and his buddy seeing us and causing a ruckus! I called the husband out and had him take some pictures of us.

Look at their cute faces!

 After that we went on into the woods behind the round pen. My husband has a deer stand down there. Cisco looked at the little opening and was like, "Really?" but after I gently persuaded him he was like ok! As we got toward the end of lane two or three squirrels jumped out of the clearing and took off into the woods. He jumped a bit but kept on trucking like a good boy! I had so much fun, there is a lot of brush and trees down in there so we weaved in and out, bushwhacked our own paths. There is a big deer feeder down there and the stand, but neither horse even gave it a second look!

We played around in there a few minutes and then headed back out to the pasture they live in. We walked around in there for a while, again weaving in and out of the trees. I also used that time to get as far from Stormy as I could so he knew he was okay without her. He swished his tail a bit about that, but got over it pretty quick. Then I walked him around behind her a bit to get him used to following at a slower pace, he rated himself pretty well if I helped him, lol, but definitely would have run up her hiney if I hadn't! He had to take little baby steps.

By then it was getting later and the BIL had to be at church for a meeting soon so we called it quits! We were both so proud of our 'greenies'. They need lots and lots of just that sort of thing!

Snoozing after our ride. Need to re-braid that mane!

Cisco was so cute when I let him back in his pasture, he followed me back to the gate and was like, "more cookies, please??" Silly boy!

Well as usual I have gone way long! Will be back with more of our adventures!

PS, Daisy is doing well at my moms, but Dixie is apparently not acting herself. I'm hoping that gets worked out soon!

Settling Cisco In

Rocking some boots with the fur

Fun, fun day with my Cisco boy Sunday! Came home from church and ate a little lunch, let little girl take her nap, then we hoofed it over to the grandparents! Thats little Chlo on the right, how much cuter can you get?? Not much, friends.

Cisco and Stormy were chilling right by the front of the house so I grabbed a lead rope, a step stool for Chloe, and a chair to set my bucket of grooming tools on. I sat Chloe on the chair and told her to stay put while I got the monster out. Then I parked Cisco in front of her chair and set up her step stool (its a mini sort of scaffold thing the FIL got for Christmas, pretty neat!) right next to him. I thought he might give it the hairy eyeball, but he barely sniffed it. I plopped Chlo up there and a brushing we went! She likes the mane brush so she did that while I used the soft brush. Her interest waned pretty quick though so I put her down and she spent most of her time playing with the cowboy magic bottle and spraying anything in reach down, lol.

My little helper

We had to be back at church for a singing that night, so I just planned on grooming him. After I gave him a good rub down I tackled his chestnuts. They were pretty long and gross looking. As I tried to peel on them they came off in puzzle pieces, instead of a long strip! Weird! So that took awhile, but he was so good and just stood there. I know some horses pick their feet up a lot when you do that. Really the whole time we were messing with him he just stood there with a foot cocked and head down, sweet guy.

After I got his chestnuts looking good I braided his mane over, hopefully it will start deciding to stay on the right side! Some of it does, but most of it hangs out on the other side. As I was doing that I noticed he has a lot of crest up there that flops around, I'm hoping as he loses some weight that will go down too. He is definitely an easy keeper. Also, looking at the picture I probably should have braided it quite a bit tighter up top, oh well, I will have to redo it in a few days anywho!

So after that I worked on his backing with a wiggle of the lead rope and then some lateral flexion. He remembered a little of it, but still wanted to lean on me a bit. Then he thought he was supposed to be moving so we had to work through that. By the time I was done he was doing pretty good. And I started looking at that big fluffy back, oh yeah, gotta jump on! I had the little BIL bring me another lead rope and stood him next to the mini scaffold and hopped up! He didn't even bat an eye, although he did move right off, lol, how embarrassing if I had slid off right then! But I manged to gather myself and just let him walk on. Um, anyone else out there rode a gaited horse bareback?? HARD. They move so lateral that I was sliding off every other stride! Thank goodness for those braids, lol, I grabbed one and got my bearings a little. We were also traveling in a pretty much constant circle, so that didn't help.

Maybe its just him, I don't know, but he does have a very long and low ambling stride. Aside from that I had a great time! He just strode along with his big head hanging, except when we went by the patch of green grass, lol, then he thought he needed to stop for a snack. Our woahs weren't the best in the halter, but not surprising.

After I had my fun I jumped off and did some more flexion with him. Then I decided it would be fun to try to teach him to park out. I had loaded up my pocket with cracked corn so every time I stepped forward when I tapped his fetlock I gave him a bite. He was VERY happy about that! He even started watching my pocket, lol, he knew where it was! Well that didn't go too well, he would move his front foot but his back would usually come up too. Then he was so excited about the grain he would get frustrated and try to paw. So I got a few good moves and left it at and tossed him back in with his girlfriend, who definitely missed him, lol.

So good time by all!! Stay tuned for more, hopefully I will get a real ride in soon.

He's Finally Here!

Well after weeks of rain or conflicting schedules, my mom and I finally made our trade! It all went so smooth and well; way better then I imagined it would!

I was nervous about the trailer part really. I hate hauling horses, so nerve wracking! And Cisco hasn't been on a trailer in years and only a few times period! Also, I was using the two horse of my neighbors again, which was big enough for him but its still a small box he had to climb in.

So we loaded Daisy up with little effort and headed to my parents place. My mom was out in the barn brushing Cisco who was very excited to see a new horse coming to visit! He and Daisy hollered at each other a bit and then I took her to the side gate and put her in the round pen. We figured that would be the easiest way to get them acquainted since it was in the pasture, without just throwing them together.

Mom untied Cisco and let him out and he ran out there and bugged her for 20 minutes, lol. He racked and trotted and cantered around showing off it was so funny. Daisy trotted once a few strides with him and then just walked around or ate grass. She was definitely not too impressed.

Through most of this Dixie, who we were really trying to get together with Daisy, was out in the back pasture! She finally ambled up there after a bit and they sniffed and squealed a bit but that was it. My mom let Daisy out after we left with Cisco and she said they did well. This morning my dad said Dixie was laying down with Daisy standing near her, so all seems well! Yeah, mares!

After he got over Daisy a bit Cisco came over and visited with us. He was so cute letting me love all over him and give him hugs and kisses, all things Daisy does not appreciate! ;) He's just a big love bug.

So my husband got done putting up a garage door opener for my parents and we got Cisco's saddle loaded up and grain to bribe him with. I wasn't real sure how I wanted to go about getting him in there but I knew I wanted to go slow and easy and just let him figure it out.

I grabbed a whip to cue him with if needed, remembering how we used to get my young QH mare I had when I was a teenager, into a trailer. But we didn't need it! I simply walked him out of the pasture, let him sniff the trailer (which he wasn't alarmed about really at all, just curious) and then my dad started shaking the grain can and pouring a bit out, etc, to entice him. And oh! Was he enticed, lol. I sniffed and sniffed, then he would look at the trailer floor and think, like hm, what do I have to do to get that?? After a few minutes he decided to just step on up in there and grab him a bite! GOOOD BOOOYY! Every time he even thought about moving forward I would praise him and pet him, he does really well with verbal praise.

So he chomped on some grain for a moment, but then we realized we had a problem. He is plenty long enough to reach the hay manger without putting his back feet in! Hm! I didn't want to rush him though so we let him relax in there and eat, and I tried pushing on his hiney a bit to get him to step up but he took that as a cue to get off and hopped down. No problem! I let him figure it out again and he hopped right back up and ate some more. This time as he was getting up he almost put a back foot in. Again he ate a bit and this time we tried pulling a bit on his halter after a minute but he backed out again. So I pulled on his lead and clucked to him to get him back in and this time he jumped on up, all four feet! Yeah! We all went SHUT THE DOOR, lol, and in he was! This all might have taken 10-15 mins? Such a smart boy.

He wasn't real happy to be in there after he got in, and of course his mama neighing at him didn't help! Mom opened the front window to check on him and he poked his big old head completely out of it!! I was thinking, oh great, please don't think about climbing out of this window and/or get your head stuck! But he pulled it back in and we shut it to prevent that again! The picture there is right before we closed it back up, lol.

We got Chloe in her seat and jumped in and off we went! I decided to go on down the interstate even though its louder etc, then through town. All the stops and goes are hard on them balancing. He did good! Although my hubby said he moves a lot more then Daisy, you could feel the truck moving a bit as we were going down the road, which made me nervous!! I don't know if it was him being nervous, or just not know how to balance in the trailer.

Anyway we had to make a stop for my brother in law at the dollar store for oil and he was completely still and silent the whole time except for neighing at us when we came to check on him, lol. After that it was straight home! We had a little trouble trying to get into our usual unloading place, the husbands diesel is a 2wd and it was rained nonstop for days here. So we ended up unloading kind of in the gravel drive, oh well.

We thought he would want to race off so I  worked for a few minutes to get the butt bar unhooked before we opened his door, but after all that he had to be told to back off with some encouragement, he was pretty sure the ground was not going to be there, lol. He did finally step off and instead of a horse on the end of my lead I had a 10 foot tall GIRAFFE! He was like where the hades am I?? He listened very well though as I walked him toward the pasture. We did some stopping and backing to make sure he remembered I was attached to his head that was in the clouds, and then went to see his new girlfriend that was very excited to see him!

I parked him in front of the fence and asked for a brush, his shoulders had gotten pretty sweaty, I guess a combination of the closed in trailer and nervousness. (Daisy was a little damp all over when I got her out, crazy, I had most of the windows all the way open, but thats why I would rather haul stock type trailers, better airflow). I brushed him down and bit and let him relax, which he did fairly quickly. Then I let him and Stormy sniff a bit and felt pretty good about tossing him in there with her. They trotted and cantered around a bit but that was about it. Mostly it was Cisco running about checking out his new digs with Stormy following like a puppy dog, lol! She kept having to trot to keep up with his power walk. They settled down and ate hay together and all was well!

Thats about it folks! Oh, while I was at my parents I took a picture of the disaster that happened New Years night.
    

This picture is all that is left of my parents shop. Which housed 3 muscle cars totaling over $100,000, two boats, thousands of dollars of tools and equipment, another muscle car in production, and countless items from when my brothers and I were kids. SO DEVASTATING. I feel so bad for them, but they are doing okay. My dad is still trying to get over it, he lost two of his 'babies', a '66 GTO that he restored ground up basically for 3 years, and a '70 Chevelle that he just bought last year. My mom's car, a '71 Lemans convertible was in there too. :( Won't ever know what the cause was, too big of a disaster, but they think it was something electrical, possibly my dads Chevelle, since that was the spot of the most damage.

We are SO happy though that it was just the shop and didn't get to the house! 'Stuff' can be replaced, but it still hurts. Thankfully it was all insured except for the boats.

Anway! In other news we got a colossal snow storm (for us at least!) Thursday afternoon. Dumped nearly 4 inches on us! The roads were a DISASTER. I barely made it home. But after that we had a awesome time playing in it. Sledding, making snow men, snowball fights. Just wonderful. Chloe loved it! I had put Daisy's blanket on her two days before because it had been raining forever, and the temps were dropping in the 30's at night. So thankfully she was all ready for the snow! I finally got to pull it off her Friday when the sun reappeared!

Sweet baby! I knew she would need that snow suit and boots when I bought it this summer!!

About to go down the hill!

All snuggly!

All nakey again. I wish she would grow more coat!

Well I am finally going to shut up, thanks so much if you made it this far! Another post coming soon about Cisco boy!