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!

Core Memories

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've updated here in blogger-verse. The year is already halfway over and this is my first post of 2025. There is very good reason for that though and hopefully things in my little slice of life are finally settling down after a very chaotic and crazy eight, nine months. But more on that later...

As for other news, time is moving right along. The kiddos are growing like weeds every day and Quest is doing well as ever with her herd buddies and pasture. We do trail ride from time to time but mostly, it has been little family bareback tandem rides in the arena and around the barn property. My best mareface has never set a foot wrong with the kids. I'm so very grateful to be able to share her and this very important part of my life with my children. 

I admit, I can't help trying to guess which one of them would catch the horse bug like I did. At the moment, my bet is on my daughter. 

During our last barn visit, my son was more interested in just hanging out with the horses by the fence. My baby girl, on the other hand, was so excited to help get Quest ready for our ride. She took out each grooming tool and was systematically using them on mareface. Seeing my 2-year old loving on her mommy's horse is forever now a core memory. 

I still have riding goals and things that I want to do, though now I get to look forward to those adventures together with my family. It is really a feeling like no other.

Baby T's First Ride

Summer is flying by much too quickly. We have been so very busy, and thankfully...it's the good kind of busy.

I have been meaning to get T riding months ago but the drive to the barn is long enough that she was always completely out for her mid-morning nap. Now that T is older, she's also awake for longer stretches. A few weeks ago, we had a (rare) free weekend morning and it turned out to be a perfect family time at the barn. 

After grabbing Quest from the field and getting her groomed and tacked up in the little S-hackmore and bareback pad, we headed over to the outdoor. I hopped on first to knock the rust off and then C got his tandem pony ride in first. He really enjoyed telling me where to put Quest's feet. As we serpentined and wound our way around the barrels and traffic cones, C kept asking if we could go over the small jumps that were already set up in the outdoor arena. Maybe one day haha 

During this entire time, my husband was having quite a time keeping T from trying to climb the fence into the arena. It was such a magical moment to see her face light up when she finally got on Quest, nothing but smiles and happy baby laughs. 

I guess I can finally officially say that both my kids have ridden Quest now. Words don't express how grateful I am to have a rock-steady and sane mare like her. She just knows what is needed from her in the moment and goes right into babysitting mode when the kids are around. She's truly my once-in-a-lifetime horse. 

Birthday Mare

Quest turned 20 years old a couple weeks ago! I have her papers and it has been always been pretty neat to know/have an exact date. I did a celebratory post on FB the day of, and it was so hard picking out just a few photos that exemplified our decade-long journey together.  

Quest was a long-shot, life-long dream come true. I still can't believe how incredibly lucky I was finding her where and when I did. As a first-time horse owner who was constantly learning things as I went, Quest was imperfectly perfect for me - always forgiving, patient, and game for any crazy thing that I set in front of us. 

I hope to do many more things with her, but of course only time will tell what the path ahead looks like. Whatever may come, it'll certainly be an adventure. 

Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day weekend

All is Well

Earlier this week, my family did a short vacation getaway in the Poconos. We met up with our friends and their family. It was so nice just to take a break from reality for a little bit. On the drive home, I made a point to stop by the barn and visit Quest. I helped her shed out the last of her winter fuzz and gave her a nice grooming session. 

Mareface held her weight and condition excellent this past winter. For a senior, she is doing so well and absolutely thriving where she is now. 

After some thought and conversation with my husband, I've decided to switch tack (figuratively and literally). 

For the past few weeks, I've been low-key searching for a local barn to take start jump lessons and eventually try cross country. I have no intentions of competition as I mainly just want to improve and invest in myself as a rider. I haven't taken a lesson in nearly a decade so I'm going into this without any real expectations for myself. 

My previous trainer moved to the Midwest so I'm starting from scratch with finding a lesson barn. Hopefully I'll find a good place soon and it proves to be a good fit. Wish me luck!

Daylight Savings

Once you have kids, the whole daylight savings thing starts to make a lot less sense. Our family morning routine and bedtime schedules have been out of whack for days...but I'm hoping things will get better soon. 

On the upside, additional daylight also means more hours in the day for barn visits to hang out with my best mareface.

We did a family barn visit this past weekend and managed to beat out the rain before it hit the area hard. 

I was so relieved to see that Quest's eye is 100% better, and no follow-up vet visit was warranted thankfully! She is certainly looking and feeling like her old self again. 

I gave her a nice grooming session- all the rain and pasture mud made that a FUN challenge. And I also did a quick maintenance trim while the rest of the family napped in the car waiting for me. Asides from that pesky RF mild clubfoot that we need to balance out, her feet are solid and easy to work with. I really appreciate a horse with decent feet. 

More daylight also means more trail time with Quest very soon. As mareface gets along in years though, I've been intentional in adjusting expectations as well. I recently read a great article What Ever Happened to “Serviceably” Sound?  that affirmed enjoying your horse doesn't end just because they aren't 100% in every shape and form. "A horse can be less than perfect and still be wonderful."

As long as Quest is ready for adventure, we'll be out enjoying our trails and daylight together until the day she tells me otherwise.

Of Tandem Rides and Eyes

The start of 2024 has been quite something to be sure. Since moving Quest back out to SV, I haven't been able to see her as often as I would like but she's definitely living her best life in pasture and with lots of horsey friends. I sorely miss the days when she was close to home but it's getting harder and harder to find a place nearby that has a good balance of all the things that we both need. Knowing how much happier Quest is being pasture boarded, I can't in good conscience keep her in a stall just for my convenience either.   

I'm thankful for a supportive non-horsey husband though and we try to do as many family barn trips on the weekend as possible. And with winter slowly giving way to spring (fingers crossed), there is riding to be done! Mareface is always game for a quick adventure and my son has been enjoying all of our tandem bareback rides around the property. Quest has never put a foot wrong with him on board. She's really just the best <3 I'm hoping we can graduate to trail rides soon, maybe that'll be a goal for the summer. 

A couple weeks ago, Quest had her first mishap in years. This mare has a really strong sense of self-preservation that she rarely, if ever, needs a vet visit. However one morning a couple weeks ago, the BO texted me that she noticed during morning feeds that Quest's right eye was watering. It looked a million times better after the BO took her in and cleaned it up. It wasn't as scary looking anymore and Quest didn't seem any worse for the wear. As luck and timing would have it, the vet was coming out for dental work at the barn later that week and I had them check out Quest's eye just in case. 

It turns out that mareface had somehow scraped the inside of her bottom eyelid! No debris or foreign matter was found, no stitches or anything else was needed. Just daily application of an antibiotic ointment. I was so relieved that it wasn't anything worse as eye injuries can get pretty bad very quickly.

Fingers crossed for quick, speedy healing!