July Recap

This has been an interesting month of ups and downs. I'm hoping to have better news in a couple weeks or so...but for now, on to the main event. 

W and I celebrated our 7-year anniversary this year! We took the day off and enjoyed a day filled with our favorite creature comforts. It was a wonderful day. 

I recently got back into the collecting side of the Pokemon TCG and have now made it my goal master set my OGs, Growlithe and Arcanine. We attended our very first card show this past month and C seemed to really enjoy it. One of the vendors was so generous to gift him a 4 little pocket card binder to store his growing collection. 

Our town opened a new playground and splashpad. We had a free afternoon one weekend and decided to go check it out. The splashpad was small but the water features were enough to keep the kids busy and cool. 

I didn't take a picture of it but RIP to the house's old A/C unit. It of course conveniently chose to stop working during the worst heat wave of the summer. We managed to get a good deal on a new unit though, and the work took only a one day. It was an expensive experience. 

The surrounding towns have lots of fun summer events such as farmer markets and evening street music. The kids were so cute. 

We tried rolled ice cream for the first time, it was SO good. The kids enjoyed watching the process happen. 

Quest is doing excellent. She is happy, sound, and enjoying the company of her pasture herd. I'm hoping that life settles down a bit so we can get back to the trails in the fall. It's been too long. 

Onyx's favorite roaching position. He is such a quirky dog. 

It's a travesty I know, but I never finished watching LoK in its entirety. We are fixing that right now. 

We built a shed! It's not perfect, but will get the job done. The hope is to free up more room in our garage so we can fit both cars into it this winter. It was miserable trying to shovel/plow our driveway last year and I had enough. The shed is big enough to fit stuff like the family bikes and the kids' toys.

Summer Spa Mornings

We had beautiful weather this past weekend and what better way to enjoy it than a family trip to the barn.

Quest was in the lower pasture with the rest of the herd so it was a bit of a trek to get her. Thankfully she has always been easy to catch though and never gives me any trouble or antics. I'm grateful for a good mare. 

I gave her a nice grooming session while her boyfriend posse waited for her behind the fence. 

Asides from the additional white hairs on her forehead, she's looking very good for a soon-to-be 22yo. Her birthday is later this month. 

I also trimmed her feet. They were in good shape though rock solid (not a bad thing) so I definitely got a workout. It was getting very warm out by the time I finished so we finished off with a bath and dried off with some quality hand grazing. She's held her weight well during the winter and is certainly living her best life. 

That side-eye...

Pretty post-bath dapples and a nice round butt lol

April Recap

This month's recap post is happening a little earlier, but our days and weeks have been so packed that honestly just a small snippet is enough here lol 

We had several glorious breaks in the cold and enjoyed more time outside together as a family and with close friends. 

C had spring break week so we all took a couple days off together. 
We checked out a new play gym on the cold rainy day. 

We stopped by a local nature center as well and really enjoyed it! 

Family barn weekend!
I spent a long time grooming and shedding out Quest's winter fuzz. 

Cookies, please? 
Quest is doing SO good and handled this past winter very well. I will forever lament how hard it has been to find a closer barn though. I've been searching since last July. Nothing suitable has turned up and I have actually been ghosted by several barns...but I'm a firm believer that the right doors open when they should. 

Nice weather = more zoo trips and more animals out on display. 
We finally saw the baby lion cubs after missing out so many times. 

We enjoyed a really nice day at Legoland during opening week and got perfect weather.
The kids were braver for the rides this time which makes me very excited for future theme park trips.

I happened to see this gem one evening during daycare pickup. 
My son is a literal poster child for reducing paper towel waste haha

Baby girl T had her royal princess-themed birthday party. 
This was her first "venue" party and we wanted to make it special.
I made the cupcakes and think they turned out pretty nice (: 

Bring Your Child to Work Day 2026 
My husband's company has an office location in One World Trade. 
The kids ate fancy snacks all day and now think that's what their dad does all day lol 

<3

My kids helping me clean up around the house. 
They do their best and I appreciate it. 

More kid birthday parties!
This playgym had a ton of super cool climbing features. 
C was brave and tried pretty much everything at least once. I was very proud of him.

Our local environmental center had it's annual Earth Day Celebration. 
They usually bring in a bunch of vendors, including a petting zoo. 
T got a pony ride and said hi to all the animals -
but what she really loved was feeding the 3-month old baby goats. 

February Recap

Another month has flown by! I am starting to look forward to making these recap posts. It is a nice way to look back on everything and be excited for what is to come. 

The kids working on the monthly craft project at Home Depot.
We have been going pretty regularly and have become friends with the employees and other families. 

Husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day by trying a new-to-us restaurant.
The food was okay, but we value and enjoy our time together so it always worth it. 

My shadow is always watching...
It's been 3 months since Onyx came home, which is a major milestone in the adoption timeline.
I think I have a pretty good read on his personality now. He is definitely the quintessential greyhound, and more like a cat than a dog in someways. 

I had a really productive puzzle month! This one was my favorite. 

We bit the bullet and splurged on Legoland Season Passes.
In addition to theme park perks, the pass includes unlimited admission to a bunch of
other attractions like the Legoland Discovery Center and SeaLife aquarium.
The kids had SO much fun. 

In case you haven't heard...there was another snowstorm.
The kids were cooped up at home with us for a couple days,
so I introduced them to one of my favorite childhood movies. 

We had a break in the cold weather and did playground/park day. 
We swung by the barn first to check on Quest. The fur kids got to meet for the first time. 

Quest was perfect from the get-go (as I expected). Onyx was a little more wary but he warmed up and behaved very well. This photo makes me all sorts of happy on the inside <3 

We were enjoying the last bit of warm afternoon sun on the weekend.
Onyx has a whole entire fenced yard to himself but he always chooses me.
He gives the best hugs.

Onward to 2026 & December Recap

Happy New Year, dearest blogger friends & readers! 

It has already been a wild start to the new year and we're only 5 days in. Poor baby girl had a bout of food poisoning this past weekend and it was not fun. 0/10 do not recommend. 

On the upside I did end 2025 with two weeks of PTO and immensely enjoyed the time away from work and with my husband and kids and our closest friends.  

My personal 2026 goals are super mundane and modest because being a working full-time parent with two toddlers underfoot is already THE challenge. 2025 was a lackluster year for riding but my fitness improved just by pushing a lawn mower, redoing all the landscaping, raking leaves, and shoveling snow from my driveway, front steps and sidewalk. Having Onyx as my loyal and ever-eager walking buddy has been really nice too. And of course, I'd also love to keep blogging here as best I can with the aim of monthly posts. 

To start, here's the December Recap: 

Waiting together for the school bus to arrive. 

"More petting, less working!' - Onyx

During break, we met up with close friends for an ice-skating playdate. My husband is a trooper and handled the on-ice part. I never learned how to rollerblade/ice skate as a kid and definitely do not have any talent or skill in this area. 

It has been bitterly cold for the past several weeks. Both of us are bundled up for our walks.

For my birthday, one of my closest friends generously treated me and the husband to a restaurant that served Japanese hambu. We decided to finally do a lunch date during our time off and it was so good. The staff was 10/10 and even gifted me a complimentary drink.  

It was another SUPER cold day so we did an afternoon unlimited playpass + arcade food. One of C's best friends from daycare also happened to show up (we parents think alike!) and the boys had a ton of fun together. 

Our first Christmas morning in our new home <3

Onyx modeling on Christmas Day. The cute holiday bow tie was a gift from a pet store groomer who stopped to admire him while we were bathing him in the self-service dog wash. We always seem to meet folks wanting to say hi to Onyx.

No holiday break is complete without a barn visit to see my best mareface <3 Quest is doing super and holding her weight very well so far this winter.

We arranged a huge group playdate at a local ninja gym for C's close friends. My baby girl T got to enjoy a lot of obstacles fit for her size and ability and had fun.

I was SO impressed with C for tackling the warped wall repeatedly. It was so cool seeing him persist and finally figure it out. His confidence grew each time he reached the top!

Onyx got a nice fluffy donut dog bed for Christmas. I think he likes it.

Barn Days = Best Days

The house still has areas that look like cardboard explosions went off, but the whole family needed a break from unpacking. Couple that with the multiple birthday parties and weddings we attended this past month, we all barely had any time to relax. 

We somehow managed to have a rare free day this past weekend though and decided to spend a slow Saturday morning at the barn. 

The kids love doting on Quest. They make it a personal mission to find her the best patches of grass and love to brush her shoulder and legs. 

I also pulled out the nippers and rasp to do a quick maintenance trim. The mixed terrain of the pasture has helped keep her feet in decent shape. I rarely have a ton to do asides from heel height (pesky clubfoot) and cleaning up overgrown areas to rebalance.

The gelding posse awaits her return. 
Her most loyal follower, golden boy Atlas, is in first photo. 

We finished up the barn visit with a quick bath. The temperature was rising quickly, so I wanted to leave Quest feeling a little more comfortable. Mareface expressed her appreciation promptly with a nice roll in the dust. 

Our family then headed over to the local 4-H fair. We try to support the organization each year by attending their events and plus the kids love all the sights and sounds!