Horse Show...

So I feel like I am posting a ton of stuff but I just want to really get caught up, especially since I have internet...

The family who works at the ranch has two little girls...Kayla (11 yrs) and Jenna (7 yrs). They are the cutest kids and James really adores them. They have taken James pony riding and the other day, Kayla mentioned she had a horse show - I thought, "hey I am not doing anything all summer, lets go!!" So we tagged along and had a great time. Kayla took 3rd place in 2 events...James really loved seeing them jump over the posts. So the first picture is James and Cade waiting for the fun to start....

This is Kayla and her horse, Edge.
In this picture we have Kayla's grandma, Betty (in the white shirt), then Michelle (Cade's mom in the purple shirt) and Kayla on the horse behind them all.


Here all the contestants are lining up for their ribbons...Kayla is 3rd from the left.


And here she is jumping. Pretty cool to see what it was all about it!!

Fun and Beyond...

This week, Michelle (Cade's mom) and I decided to get the boys out of the house and to go try out this blow up jump and slide thing that was recommended to us from the staff here. It was about 30 mins away called "Fun and Beyond" and almost completely like Utah's Kangaroo Zoo - EXCEPT there were like 6 other kids there....so it wasn't as hectic as it is in Utah. We actually got to sit and just watch instead of following them around making sure they didn't get lost of trampled over. Needless to say they had tons of fun and both sleep like babies that night! Thanks Michelle for taking us!

The Boys on the ranch...

Just thought I would show everyone who James gets to hang out with all day! We love it!! Ok from left to right....James (almost 3), Cade (almost 5), Thomas (2 yr. and a couple months), and Daniel (11 or 12 yrs). Cade and Daniel live in our same house. Thomas is the director's son - They are from England and he (Thomas) has the CUTEST accent in the world. We love it. We are really learning how to share and be a good friend. It has been a good learning experience being here with younger kids and older for James. He is having to learn how to be gentle with Thomas and how to not fight with Cade. Cade and he really like to play together, but also really like to press each others buttons. Daniel is like the super star to all three of the boys. They just can't get enough of him and end up wrestling and play hide-n-seek with him all day. Really I think at the end of the summer, we will be taking Daniel home with us. He is awesome with the kids.

Slip-n-Slide...

We have been visiting the pool a lot these past couple of days and I thought if I didn't have to get in my designer swim suit and model for everyone my pregnant belly just so James can cool down that would be awesome, so we went to the closest Walmart (about 30 min away) and found a super cheap slip-n-slide for $5. James loved it, but didn't quite get it and it practically took more energy to explain and try to have him do it the right way than it was really worth. When all was said and done James just really liked to run through it like a sprinkler. Tyler had a little more luck getting James to slide on his tummy (video clip).

James with the newest farm ranch animals

Mommy and Baby donkey...


Mommy Pony and Baby Pony and Donkey (so does it make it Ponkey or Dony?)


James and the baby kitties...he is obsessed with these guys. Everyday after every meal we go outside and play with the kitties!


Be gentle James......

The new iPhone...

Last week, Tyler tried to convince me that he needed the new iPhone and getting it would count for Father's Day, Christmas, and our Anniversary. I replied...ok you won't get anything for Father's Day and our Anniversary, and then at Christmas I will get you the new iPhone. He, of course didn't like this idea - meaning he would have to wait til Christmas - but made him drop the subject all together. The very next day, James and I went swimming. I had my phone in my swimming shorts and, you guessed it, went swimming with my phone. About 15 minutes later, I happened to touch my shorts where the pocket was and realized immediately what I did. Jumping out and trying to quickly take it all apart and dry it off, the thought came that Tyler would definitely use this against me to get the new iPhone, which is exactly what happened. So now because of my stupidity, I inherit Tyler's old iPhone and he gets a new one. Why him? Because his contract is up for renewal and mine isn't, so the new iPhone is $200 for him and like double that for me. Once again, Tyler will have the lastest and greatest and it is all my fault!

James Feeds the Horse

A couple days ago, James and I went to go see the cows and horses that are walkable distance from our house. The cows were no where to be seen and the horses were in the middle of the field. When one saw us, he quickly trotted over and let us pet him. Tyler got out of rehearsal early and found us with the horse. They decided to try to feed them...here is the what happened....thrilling, I know.

Unexpected Bear....

So we haven't had internet for a couple of days so to catch up...Saturday we were going to dinner at the farm house (which is nothing like a "farm" house - just a big house with a huge serving room and dining room) - Anyway, we parked and starting walking (about 1/4 mile walk) and up ahead in the middle of the road I saw a mother bear and her cub! We were like maybe 75 to 100 feet away. James was saying he saw a dinosaur and I looked up and saw the bears, so maybe he saw it first. Anyway I stopped and calmly pointed it out to Tyler who was energetically getting James on his shoulders for our 1/4 mile hike to dinner. When he saw them, we all immediately backed up and quietly walked back to the car. It was definitely a black mother bear and her cub and we weren't going to mess with that. So we decided we would park really close to the farm house, instead of 1/4 mile away - which is what the rules were. While driving to the farm house we saw the mother bear sprint into the forest, up and over a huge fence. Wow those things can move fast and they can climb. Basically, it FREAKED me out and since then, I have been having dreams about me walking anywhere and startling a bear. The worst part about this, is that (just like in reality) I have no cell phone, because there is no cell phone service here. I wake up before the bear gets to me and James, but then can't go back to sleep because I then try to figure out what I would do. Then because my mind is going 100 miles an hour I think, what if we wouldn't have seen it so soon, or what if the bear was farther down the road and we started on our walk and were too far away from the car to double back fast enough. What if, what if, what if....sometimes I really hate the imagination, especially mine that gets so carried away. But really, if I was confronted with a bear - and I accidentally startled it, how would I protect James? Should I lay down on the ground completely covering him, like we are dead....I think I have heard that you play dead with black bears because they can climb trees and run like the wind. But really - so scary....and I have never really been scared to go out into the wilderness, but then again, I have never ever seen a bear in its natural habitat with nothing between them and me. Ok I think I have expressed enough, hopefully with this post and getting the words and thoughts out of my brain, I can now forget about it and get a good nights sleep!

How they travel on the farm...

Before riding the pony, James and everyone piled into a golf cart to ride all the way out there. I guess they only use these golf carts to get around on the farm, instead of hauling the big trucks. Very cool. And James loved riding in the back, going backwards. Way too much fun and excitement. Here are these pics.

Riding the pony, Brownie!

James and Cade (his new 4 yr. old friend) got invited over to the ranch care-taker’s house and farm to ride their pony! The care-taker’s have two girls, Kayla (11 yrs.) and Jenna (7 yrs.) and they love showing off all their animals. It was fun for James and Cade to ride a pony, especially one with no saddle. They had to hold James on either side because he kept slipping off. James had a lot of fun, but took the experience very seriously and didn’t smile once. He was in deep concentration. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Toilet Training Update...

I realized that I haven’t posted on this topic since James was going nude. We are now over that phase and have done a little regressing BUT now, I think, we are really back on track! The trip out here, we put James in a diaper (mostly because I didn’t want to pack extra clothes and have accident all the way out there). He did great, I think only peeing his diaper on occasion. Most of the time, because of the rewards he would go every time we stopped at a gas station! When we arrived, we began a whole different story with always having accidents and never wanting to go!! I think this was because there is now another boy living in our same house (4 years old) and it is just TOO long to leave him and go. Much easier to just go in the pants and then you don’t have to stop playing! There is also SOOO much to do and see on a farm/ranch. Anyway after a couple days of that, and me getting really frustrated. James has done a 360. These past two days he told me he wanted to wear big boy underwear and has not yet had an accident. What is really surprising, is that he is wanting to go by himself with NO help. Last night, we put him to bed and 30 min. later came to check on him and he was sitting on the toilet, diaper and pajamas off, telling me he needed to poop. I was so proud of him, that he 1) didn’t need me to ask him to go. 2) didn’t ask for help. and 3) just went and did it himself. Of course we helped him get his night-time diaper back on and tucked him back in, but he did it!! YAY!! Now I just hope that this doesn’t give him another excuse to get out of bed at night! Oh well....it always seems to we trying to work on something! And maybe when we get home....I will have a boy who is potty trained!!!

Pictures of the Road trip...

James playing with pipe cleaners...of course mom had to show him what to actually do with them. He first thought they were conducting batons and then he noticed the sharp ends and started stabbing me! Oh boys - always taking the violence a little too far!!



James on his throne of pillows and blankets...no worries he is still tightly buckled in....watching one of his 10 movies that we downloaded onto the ipod. Sometimes (or as Tyler would say....ALL the TIME) technology is pure GENIUS!!



James really took to Uncle Eric (and of course to Gomez...who, I think, didn't return the love as much). James loved snuggling with Uncle Eric and watching Sponge Bob and any other cartoon that was on. Thanks guys for the fun time we had. P.S. I do have some amazing videos of James and Maddy, and Tyler and James dancing....lets see if i can figure it out!

We made it....

Well from the title I guess y'all have deduced that we actually made it to Castleton VA!! It is about an hour south of Washington DC and I think the whole town of Castleton is Loren Maazel's ranch. Tyler said that it is 550 Acres. WOWZA. We are in a beautiful house with a pond in the backyard and geese everywhere. Across the road we have a pasture of cows. Green everywhere and HUMID...I forgot how humid humid can be! We are sharing a house with a bunch of people, but the great thing is...there is another family here and living in the same house. They have a son, Cade, who is 4 and a brand new baby named Greer. James and Cade have already made friends, this happened instantaneously when Cade introduced James to his CARS (Pixar Movie) collection. I am so glad that we are not the only family and that James now has a buddy to pal around with all summer. Along the ranch they also have a huge animal farm and a little playground! So exciting! Anyway, we are here, things are going great and I am feeling really good about being here just as the mom (since there are other couples and families here!) Tyler said that he has never seen that many children (I think we saw like 5 other kids!)

The Road trip out was for the most part GREAT! Today was the biggest challenge and longest car ride EVER!! But we made it and it is over! It was SOOOO great to see Aunt Val and Uncle Eric and their cute girls...Thanks for letting us stay! I survived the cats with a ton of allergy medication and only a couple times did I feel like I should leave the house for some fresh air with out cats....of course that is when me and Aunt Val went shopping at the quilt stores! While out, I was telling her of how I needed to design this amazing nursing cover that I had seen in stores and being the great hoodini, she figured it out and it is so cute and perfect, I can't stop talking about how jealous Chelsey will be and how I will have to make her one!! AND it only took like $6 to make!! GENIUS! Thanks Val. Other than that craft project, we all went swimming and had great fun wearing James out! Oh and James loved being there. He loved playing with the girls, and snuggling with Uncle Eric on the couch (the cutest thing!!) but I think above all he LOVED the cats! When we left, I am pretty sure I saw Gomez (the biggest of the cats) breathe and huge sigh of relief! I hope they survived James the Destroyer! I saw a cat roaming around outside today and (for once in my life) felt sorry for it, because James will probably want to love it too much!!

Seeing Brittany and Robbie was soooo great as well! Sorry it was such a one night stand AND sorry for keeping you up ALL night. The Hart girls can TALK! I am in love with their condo and how they have designed it. The best part was hearing how much it cost them...now I seriously have NO excuse....I can have a well designed house with no money! Robbie made us a delicious meal with Salmon and couscous. After dinner we all gathered around to enjoy some great homemade oreo ice cream (mom's recipe) and we took the first bite and all realized that we forgot one very important ingredient.....SUGAR! We dumped it back it and added sugar and ended up eating store bought ice cream...Oh well - live and learn! Thank you again Brittany for letting us crash! James had a blast!

Ok I should wrap this up and say that we have pictures and they are coming so stay tuned...I just have to figure out how to get them on the laptop! Love you all and miss the crap out of you!