First, I have to tell y'all about the drama of separating Minnie and George. I was bringing George to the trailer, so we could load him up. I got him within 15 feet of the trailer, when he realized what was really happening. "Oh HELL no!" He bolts back toward the barn with me hanging on to the lead rope. In my head, I'm thinking that if I could jut get my feet planted, I could get his head turned......he'll stop. Well, soon I realized that that was not going to happen, so I let go~gracefully. (??) We eventually got him loaded as Mama called out for him. Honestly, it was heart-breaking. The reason we needed to do this was for just that reason. They hadn't been apart, and it was only going to get worse.....So Mark and Dawn took Georgie to their house.

All was going well with the separation....Minnie was fine. George was fine. He was hanging out with his Grandma and other realatives over at the Wrights (their horse, Dixie, is Mama's mama and George's Grammy)

Now, some of you may remember the controversy surrounding the horse-naming process. It is official......George; aka, Curious George, is the perfect name for him! He got out of the Wright's pasture! They have a great set-up with 4 pvc-coated wires making up their fence. Abby gets a visit from the neighbor saying there's a small black horse in the cornfield by his house. He thought he belonged to them. Abby runs out there with a bucket of grain, expecting the worst~ George runs away, runs into the road, gets himself caught in the fencing(not as forgiving as the fence he just went through)...........However, she approaches him and he lets her walk him back. No problems. There was only one of the 4 wires that wasn't in place(second from the top)~ we still don't know how he managed, but if any horse could figure that out, it's my Curious George!!! He's like a little kid, and I miss him terribly! Hopefully, we'll get him back in a few weeks!

Milk, cheese.......dairy..it's EVERYWHERE!!!!

Normally, this would not be such a profound observation. However, because Max has had quite a bit of tummy issues, the good doc said we needed to try a lactose-free diet. It didn't seem too bad at first. We got some soy milk and cheese for him and tried to keep the dairy "the hell away from him"~evil stuff. Well, it wasn't as easy as I had thought. I had to make quesadillas with regular cheese and soy cheese. Ally wanted lasagna this weekend. Nope. I didn't have enough soy cheese to make a whole dish of lasagna. Mashed potatoes on Easter Sunday~ oops, forgot to tell Max he couldn't have those. And, oh yeah, there's probably milk in those milk chocolate bunnies.......ugh. So, the tummy issues haven't exactly gone away, but apparently they got a little better. So, not sure what is going on , but when I talked to the doctor today to give him an update, he said to go on with one more week of the dairy-free. AAHHHHH!!!!!!! Well, we'll do it, but not cuz we want to, but because we have to!!! So, internet, here I come! I am positive there are some great websites out there regarding dairy-free diets. Plus, I'll always have Marilu Henner!

Guess what our Easter activity was?.........Can you guess? Were they hunting Easter eggs? Were they hiding Easter eggs? Were they trying to find Easter bunnies? No...............the kids and Eric picked up dog shit!!! I gotta tell you it was long overdue. Why Easter Sunday? Why NOT?
Jay: Look Mom, this one has feathers in it!
Me: That's awesome, honey! You get a special treat for finding the most unusual piece of poo! Ok, now, who found the biggest piece of poo???
All I can say is........too much sugar????
They're picking up 3 month old piles of SHIT, why are they so happy??!?!

Yep, that was the family Easter activity~~~~What did YOU do for Easter?

This is the note that Jay left for the Easter bunny. I didn't know this was the protocal, so the Easter bunny only got one of the requested items...oops.
Bunny butt......hole. Hee Hee
My kids enjoy torturing their bunnies~ Missing eyes, eating their ears, biting their faces off..............good times.

HAPPY ST PATTY'S DAY!!!!!!

Those little leprechaun buggers!! They get bolder and messier every year! I took pictures of the mess they made, but the computer deleted them while I was downloading....could those leprechauns have done that? I'll never know, but at least I was able to re-take a couple photos.

They found/brought green string that was one long mess all over the downstairs, attached to chairs, doorknobs, etc. chairs were tipped over.....they got into a big box of "green"tea, and scattered them all over. We found tea in the cereal boxes, drawers, cabinets...... Of course the toilet water was green, as was the milk. I know the milk tastes the same, but it's hard to eat cereal with that stuff in it :)

Now, I was really surprised to find a plate with green "poop" on it, when I came downstairs. That is disgusting. I asked Eric and Jeff about it, but they had no idea.........









**********On a sad note..........Max is just not able to embrace the magic of leprechauns.......he doesn't believe, but bless his heart, he has not come out and said anything in front of the other two. It's the same with Santa and the Easter bunny. I cannot for the life of me, give in and pop that magical bubble around him. You know the one.....the one that keeps them kids for the rest of their lives. The bubble that lets them stay light-hearted and naive to the crushing downer of reality. If I admit to anything, it's over. It's just over. No more pretending. No more watching their faces light up as they see something that truly takes them by surprise. UGHHH!!! I can't take this "growing up" thing!

The official snow total.......20.2 inches. I decided we needed to get out of the house~~~serious cabin fever. Sunday night, we went to the movie "Spiderwick". The next day was another snow day for the kids, so I made the kids go outside. I built the snowman, while the boys worked on their forts.
Jay's bunker.
Digging in the snow is exhausting!!!!!!

Holy blizzard, batman!!!
So, it started Friday..................and has yet to stop.(it's Saturday night) The pictures don't do it justice, of course. We were on a level 3, which for all you southern folk, that means you cannot be on the roads~emergency vehicles only. They threaten to cite you or even arrest you for being out.
Our school district was one of the VERY FEW to NOT let the kids out early. I was in Columbus, and when I drove through town, picked up the kids, anyway. There were a lot of parents doing the same thing. I wanted them home and with me. I knew the roads were only going to get worse.....and they did!!! I went out to the barn and was up to my HIPS in snow. I had to stop several times. It's not all that far out there, but in knee/hip deep snow, it was very exhausting. Eric and the kids were laughing at me, but they got theirs.......they all had to shovel.
Boo had a blast out there. He didn't want to come it most the time. Of course, he usually waits for me to come out of the barn and then chases me back to the house. He was completely buried, so he didn't make it all the way out there.....pussy.

Holy crap! What a day!!
Saturday, after basketball games all morning, I decided that between that and the cub scouts banquet that night, I would take Minnie out for a ride. The saddle we have has a broken strap, so I figured I'd just go bareback. I got George tied up, cuz he'll freak when Mama goes without him. Actually, Ally tied George up, and I lunged Minnie until she was right next to the fence, so I could mount her. I got on and had Al open the gate. We went through the gate and it wasn't long before Minnie realized....."I'm freeeeee!!!!!" She takes off for the field. I'm pulling on the reins and she is fighting me. She doesn't like the bit one bit. (hee hee) I'm pulling back and she is shaking her head back and forth. I see this is not going well, so I try to turn her around. Nope. She listens as well as my kids do! However, you always have to keep trying to get a horse to do what you want it to, or else they'll never listen. I'm fighting her and she's severely pissed off about it! I figured for sure, she would buck me off. Just then, I look in the pasture and George is no longer tied up and is running around like a mad horse. We have low spots in the fence, especially now, with all the snow drifted. He has jumped over the half -door before, so I have no doubt that he will, in fact, jump if he wants to. I'm yelling for Jay to get a lead rope so I can get off Minnie and get her back to the barn before George jumps. Once I get Minnie under control and get her headed back to the barn, I begin to think about what I would've done if Minnie bucked me off and took off! I'd be so screwed.......
Lesson for today~~~ Do not take horse out of pasture unless you have another adult around to help you!!!!!!
We may have a lot more work to do with Minnie and her listening skills, but I tell you, riding bareback is just something that is worth all the effort and work we put in to these marvelous animals~they really are great horses, just a little stubborn!!!!!!