Were Starting Off Our Weekend

Every Friday when I pick up Chloe from school we either go to the park or to a McDonalds with a playground as an reward for a long week from school. I look forward to this as much as Chloe does.

This Friday she is in for a "Special Treat." Her cousins are here from out of town and they have planned on having a bon fire for her and she will get to roast marsh mellows over the fire.

Debby and I had visited with them on Thursday (at Pops) and they had talked about a pile of sticks that they had seen in the back yard and that they were going to burn them and help Pop around the farm. I told them how that when Chloe comes over to visit Pop and Great Grandmother, that after she had finished playing she would get the dumpy and gather small sticks that had fallen out of the trees and gather them up into a pile to help Pop. She said that then he wouldn't have to stop and pick them up when he cuts his grass. Then she said, "Maybe one day we could have a campfire and roast marshmellows."

So they planned to surprise her, with a campfire when she got there on Friday after school.

Unknown to me, Friday at school was a "Special Day." They got to dress up as a Cowboy or Cowgirl for Western Days.

When she came out to the car I couldn't help but smile. She had on a pink cowgirl hat a plaid blouse, jeans and cowgirl boots. She was dressed perfectly for an evening on Pop's farm.

I told her that her cousins were here and that we were going to see them and that they had a "Special Treat" for her that evening. When we got to Pops she got to see her newest cousin (Scarlett) and she loved seeing the new baby.



And she even let me take a group picture of them...



Getting a hug from Anna...



Angela and Anna were getting some of the horses ready for an afternoon ride. They were combing them and saddling them up for their ride. Chloe was so excited, and hoping that they would lead her around on a horse. They showed her how to brush and saddle up the horses and how to walk around them and stay safe.



Angela told Chloe that she would lead her around on Shasta and she ran to find me for permission.



With permission granted she was ready to be lead around on Shasta....



Angela said that they had planned to exercise the horses in the arena and that if it was ok she would ride carefully with Chloe and let her ride the horse in the arena with her.



After getting the horse in the arena, she was getting ready for a ride...



Starting out at a walk...



And then a trot...





Now bring them in and line them up for the judge...





The look of a satisfied rider.



Angela asked if she could take her back so Pop could see her on Shasta. They were mending fences (Pop, Trent and Daron) on the back forty and she has wanted to go back there forever and now she was going to get to go.

When they returned she talked about riding over the creek and through the trees and along the fence line. She was one excited little Cowgirl.

Our thanks go out to Anna and Angela for their patience and williness to spend time with their little cousin and let her join in with there fun.

After supper Tent and Daron went out to get the bon fire started. While she waited she decided to jump on the trampoline.









The guys (Trent and Daron) have the fire started...



Chloe has here stick loaded with the marsh mellows...



Pop showed her hou to hold the stick over the fire to roast the marsh mellows...







Once she had them roasted she wouldn't eat them because they were burned...



Feeding Pop one of her Marsh Mellows...



Hey Poppy, "Look at what I've got stuck on my stick..."



This is how you blow out the fire...



She continued to roast marsh mellows and she enjoyed feeding them to everyone but she never ate the first one.













Being with your family around a Bon Fire telling stories and roasting Marsh Mellows and having fun is what memories are made from.

Our Sunday Outing

Chloe spent the night with her dad and after meeting he had to go to work so I took her home with me. Once in the car she insisted that I take her to the Mall and let her ride the Bungy Jump. She said, "my dad had promised to take me to the mall but he hadn't, so it was left up to me to carry it out." She cried and cried because I was driving home instead of going to the Mall. I exclaimed, "the Mall isn't open yet and I need to go home and get some money so we can go." This seemed to settle her down until we got home.

Once at home she started up again about the mall and what her dad had promised. I called her dad and let her talk with him on the phone. She told him that she had rode the Carousel when she was one and when she was two and she had ridden the Bungy Jump when she was two and again when she was four. And that he had promised her that he was going to take her to the mall so she could jump and ride.

While she was talking to her dad, I thought of this little saying about a promise.

A Promise

A Promise is a faithful thing,
Be not in haste to make it.

For once a promise you have made,
Be sure you never break it.

Author Unknown

So when the Mall opened I took Chloe there and she rode on the Bungy Ride.



We stopped to catch our breath as we walked from the parking lot to the Mall's entrance.

We walked over to the Bungy Ride. After paying for the ride, she set in line for a short while and then the assistant weighed her to see what thickness of bungy cord she would need and then proceeded to harness her up.





After receiving instruction on how to hold on to the bungie cords and what she was going to be doing on her jump, she was all ready to go for her four minutes of jumping.



Once airborne, I remembered that I had meant to pull her hair back in a pony tail to keep her hair out of her face but I had forgotten. Now all of the pictures that I take she will have her hair in her face.



And again...



And as quickly as the ride had started it was all over...



With hair all over her face a smile on her lips and a glimmer in her eyes it was well worth the price to share in her excitement and to know that she was happy.

We left the Bungie Ride and decided to take a ride on the Carousel. We paid for one ride but since it was not full they let her ride it for three turns until it started filling up with more riders.



She picked out a horse that looks like Shasta one of Pop's horses that she loves...



After the ride on the Carousel we were ready to head for home...



On the way out we saw some flower beds with some Pansies in them and she wanted to stop and have her picture taken...



Every time I went to take her picture she would cover her face...

When we reached the car she was bubbling over talking about the fun she had on the rides.

Then she said, "Can we stop by McDonald's and play for a little before going home."



As you can see, she has me wrapped around her little finger.

The Little Misses

Chloe is starting to outgrow her clothes. We got her some new outfits and as soon as she saw them she wanted to put them on.



She is so precious and we lover her so much, and she loves a pair of scissors, paper and a glue stick and she will stay busy for a while.



She has so many different expressions, but when she knows that you are taking her picture she will close her eyes. So I am learning to catch her when she doesn't know I am taking pictures.





We enjoy our weekends together and she keeps us young.