UFgatorMom: Happy Summer!

Wow - 3 weeks since my last post...where has the time gone? I guess we've just been busy enjoying the weather. Did I mention it snowed here on June 1oth? Yeppers. George tells me that's not all that uncommon here. I think there's something fundamentally wrong about snow in June. It's bad enough that the winter lingered on for 6 months, but SNOW in June? C'mon. Hopefully summer's here to stay now. Livy was also pretty darn sick for about a week with some virus that gave her a pus-oozing throat and tummyache. In between the doctor visits and SNOW, we've managed to have some fun. Livy enjoyed her first pony ride, we got to visit Buster in his new home, and in preparation for the rodeo in Livingston, Olivia got her first pair of cowboy (or should I say "cowgirl") boots.

We visited Parson's Pony Farm in Florence, MT with some other members of my mom's group. Olivia and her new BF, Dain, were the first riders. She was so brave and every so often, would reach down and pat the pony's mane saying, "good pony." After her first ride was over, she wanted another. She had to wait her turn, but eventually got to ride again. Seeing her on that pony was about the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Best $5 I've ever spent. She, of course, is now asking for her own pony. I reminded her that daddy bought her a "My Little Pony." She corrected me. "No. A REAL one." Uh-oh. We're in trouble.

Buster's been in his new home for about 2 weeks now. A lady that George used to work with lost her elderly Lhasa in the fall. She has 3 other dogs, a cat, and 2 foster cats. Her animals are her babies. When she found out that we were looking for someone to take Buster, she stepped forward and welcomed him into her home. Thank goodness for Patti. She lives just a few miles away and said we can visit anytime! After the first week, I felt like I would be ok to see him. Plus, it was his 13th birthday so we didn't want the day to pass without seeing him. We took him for a walk, but in usual Buster fashion, he pooped out after the first block. I carried him the rest of the way to the park, then Olivia had fun holding the leash while he sniffed. On the way home, we put him on Olivia's seat in the stroller. He slipped down into the cargo compartment, stuck his head out the side, and enjoyed the ride home. He seems very happy at Patti's and fits right in with the other animals.

Livy loves her new boots. The stars light up when she walks. Yee haw! Nanni also bought her a little matching dress and cowboy hat to wear to the rodeo when we're in Livingston over the fourth. I'm sure she'll be the prettiest cowgirl there!

Last but not least, I think Olivia might have her first crush! Here she is with Dain on the day they rode ponies. We had a picnic in the park beforehand. Dain's mom heard Olivia chasing after Dain, calling him "sweetheart" and "babe." She's talking about him constantly now. Who could blame her? He is pretty handsome with that dark curly hair!

Nate's been enjoying the weather too. He loves to hang out in the backyard with his big sissy, playing in the water table and walking himself around the sandbox. He's not so sure about the grass though. I don't think he likes to crawl through it, so he either makes very exaggerated motions with his arms as he's plowing through it, or tries to crawl with straight arms and straight legs so his knees don't touch the grass. He'll be walking soon I think. He's trying to stand alone and is very efficiently cruising between pieces of furniture. He also has two teeth now!