Weekend Wrap-Up

Our weekend started a day early - I took Friday off to be with the girls. Our friend invited us up to a private ranch he runs, and we had so much fun there! Riley in particular seemed to really love it. I think she could spend every weekend up there, and never get bored. She has an infinity for animals that goes beyond what most of us feel.
We spent most of our time with the horses. Most of them are awesome: beautiful, good around people, and very loving.

This is Dawn. We got along especially well. She even protected me from her niece/sister (the relationships are all so Dynasty), Ali. Ali is 3 months old. She's very mischievous and I love to give her a hard time - but she totally started it! First she bit me, then she untied my shoes! Dawn did her best to keep us separate after that :) Here's the little bugger:

The girls rode Dusty - but our friend didn't know if/when he'd be called away for work, so they just went bareback with Dusty back to the stables. Sylvia was kinda freaked being up that high, but Riley could not have been happier:


Oh, and then there was Dixie. She completely adores our friend. She's deaf, but somehow still knows when he was driving back to us after dealing with work stuff. She is a sweetheart.


After a while, my camera's battery died (which is a trend - I always forget to charge before I use it), so alas, there are no pics of us running the dogs. Running the dogs means we get in the Gator and drive while the dogs run near us. I know most dogs are very happy creatures, but these dogs especially have it good. They ran and ran and ran, jumped in the creek for a cool-down and ran and ran and ran. We stopped to pick some grapes and eat them off the vine, and then ran them back home. Dixie's a little too old for this, so she rode in the back of the Gator with the girls.

Oh, we also saw deer, a bunny, and a movie shoot. It was a really wonderful day.

We ended with a marathon viewing of our latest Lost DVD.

Yesterday was spent getting ready for school. We bought notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, all that fun stuff. (The girls already have their LL Bean backpacks.) I adore office supplies. I'm a little envious of the girls getting to start a whole new school year. At least they're excited. Sylvia has been practicing her locker combination for hours. Riley and I put together her backpack last night. We also stopped by the school to find our her teacher's name and room #.

Of course, I have the nagging feeling that I've forgotten something, but I do think they're ready. I think I've done everything I can to encourage and support a good start, and they're doing everything they can with their great attitudes and eagerness. Now, the question remains, how long will this enthusiasm last? Can it go the whole school year? We shall see...

Oh, and I almost forgot to share our biggest news! So the girls and I are fans of the show Clean House. I was watching it as motivation, and the girls enjoyed it, too. About a year or so ago, I found out where one of their yard sales was going to be, so my mom and I took the girls. They filmed the girls, but when the original episode aired, the girls weren't on it.

They've started this "behind the scenes" show called Clean House Comes Clean. We've been taping that, too, and yesterday, I had it on in the background while I read some blogs.

All of a sudden, I hear this very familiar voice. I look at the TV, and there's my Riley!! After that segment, they showed both Sylvia and Riley talking to Trish!! My girls have been on TV. OMG, they were so excited. We've watched it about 10 times already. I've scoured the 'net for a clip of it, but can't find it. I'm dying that I can't figure out a way to get it off my DVR and onto my computer to share with you all! Anyone have any ideas? Conversely, you can keep your eye out for it by looking for the "Best Friends" episode. Even the hosts of the show said that they loved the girls :)

All in all, couldn't have asked for a better final weekend of summer.