Monday, January 31, 2011

Party at the Ranch - Photo Parade

Y'all it was one busy weekend!  I took Camdyn to Disney World on Friday and I'll have to share photos of that another day, but today, I want to share with you the photo-aftermath of Camdyn's 5th birthday party at the Ranch.

The weather was a perfect, the sun was out, and the kids were so excited to be at the Ranch. 

First, the children were given special, decorated, birthday helmets, and then they sat down for a lesson. 

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They learned horse safety tips like "Never walk underneath a horse because they could poop on you," which was pretty much the best 4 year old wisdom of the day. They learned how to make the horse move by making kissing noises, how to stop the horse by saying "whoa."

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Here Chloe sits with the boys while they learn about horses and horse safety.

And, then Cam's former teacher, Miss V, showed up and she may as well have been Justin Bieber in a room full of 12 year old girls, because all of the children flocked to her and screamed.  Only Rapunzel herself could have garnered a better welcoming. 

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While you are all held captive in the middle of this photo parade, let me show you, Laura.  We met in the 5th grade and have been friends ever since.  We've often said that we live parallel lives.  The only difference is that she is raising boys and I'm raising girls.  Although, she's got a girl in that belly now...which pretty much means that if I ever have a third, then I'm guaranteed a boy, because that is how these things work.  Anyway, I adore her, and it was so special to have her here with her boy, Nolan.

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After the safety lesson we took the party in to the stable, where Chloe and I paused for this photo with Cassandra, who was wise enough to bring a beer to the party.  There was a point where I wished I was drinking so that my anxiety level would have lessened...more on that later. 

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They assigned the 14 children to 5 different horses and let them decorate them.  Okay, the kids didn't get to help too much with the decorating since they were only 3-5 years old and couldn't even reach the horses, but they got to dictate which decorations went where and had fun dressing the horsies up for the party.

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Meet Cam's horse, Daisy.  Cam chose these decorations.  I can honestly say I've never seen a horse sport scrunchies before.  It's a good look on her.  Cam chose this horse out of the bunch because she really liked her name.  She got to ride on her the entire time while the other children took turns on the other four horses. 

Then the kids helped lead the decorated horses out to the arena.  With some major assistance, Cam was saddled up on Daisy.  Cam was not on Daisy's back for more than 10 seconds when the horse became startled and started to skirt around and buck up her hind legs.  I was certain Cam would fall off.  Hello anxiety nice to feel you again.  But, this fearless and strong child of mine, held on for deal life, said "Whoa Daisy," and with the help of her trainer, the horse calmed down and was fine the rest of the day.  I, however, was not.  There was this fear that loomed over me for the remainder of the party that somebody would get hurt, and thus my desire for a glass of wine to calm the nerves.  Luckily, that didn't happen (Praise Jesus).  This incident did not phase Camdyn in the slightest.  She loved that horse, she rode that horse for the rest of the party, and can't wait to ride again. 

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Speaking of being proud, there were several children that conquered huge fears that day.  I had several mom's say to me in the stable, "I don't think my child is going to do this."  To which I responded, "That's okay, they can still watch and have a good time.  No worries."  All 14 kids rode a horse, and the only tears that were shed were of the "I don't want to get off the horse" variety. 

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To take my mind off of the incident with Daisy, I decided to pick up Chloe and take her to the other arena where the children were brushing and leading Miniature Horses.  Chloe and I had fun finding horse poop.  Yeah, sounds great, doesn't it?  She would say "Mo Horse Poop" and we would hunt for droppings in the sand.  A drink would have been better, but the poop distraction served its purpose.

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Then, the kids played relay games with the horses.  They separated in to two teams, with one horse on each team.  They raced the horses from one side of the arena to the other and then the rider tried to eat a gummy worm off of a plate filled with whipped cream, and then they raced back.  Did I mention they let the kids trot the horses...FUN!  The pictures of the kids are hilarious.  Cam wouldn't stick her face in the whip cream, but here she is eating her gummy worm.

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Here a few of the kids wait their turn.
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I just have to share this shot of the most adorable baby boy who belongs to one of my dearest friends.  He makes me feverish and makes my ovaries itch. 

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Then, they paused for a few pictures with the Nay Nays before it was time for cake.  Don't they look so tiny compared to the horses? 

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Then, it was time for cake.  And, finally my turn to breathe a sigh of relief, no one was injured.  Everyone had a great time.  The anxiety ridden part of the party is over!

Camdyn chose a My Little Pony cake and it was delicious. 

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We thanked our guests for coming and sent each child home with a horse figurine to play with and a box of crayons. 

The party was a success.  All the children seemed to enjoy themselves and it definitely was a memorable day at the Ranch.

13 comments:

Colleen (Shibley Smiles) said...

Beautiful photos. Totally love Cams outfit right down to the boots and if you haven't already I hope you had a

DRINK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad it turned out well and the kids had so much fun!

LeeAnn said...

What an AWESOME party! It looks and sounds like the kids had a great time! Cam looked so cute in her outfit and I can see how happy she was.

As far as the anxiety goes...I would have been the same way, and I used to show horses. You never know what can spook a horse. I'm glad that you were able to have a distraction or two, and that no one got hurt.

I'm going to have to find out if there is a place around here that does parties like that. Rylie would love that!

cooperl788 said...

What a fun party!! It looks like the perfect party for your horse-loving little lady!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful party, girls, horses and pictures!

Cole said...

That sounds like so much fun! What a great party!

Jennifer said...

Wow..what an awesome party :) First off, I have never seen a horse with decorations...too cute. Next, I would have been a ball of nerves, so much so that I think would have needed the whole bottle of wine...LOL! I had an experience like Cam did when the horse started to gt out of control and that was it for me. Not a fan of horses. I think it is great that she didn't let it get to her and that she took control of the situation. I think most kids don't have 'fears' and that is why it is awesome that she is loving and learning about horses at this age. Great job :)

Unknown said...

What a great party! I had horses growing up and this would have been the ideal bday bash. Today I would be quite nervous, like you. Congrats to Cam for keeping her cool. she's growing up....

mommatojoa said...

Great photos! What a wonderful party!
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Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

It looks like she had a wonderful party!!!

Sassy said...

That looks so awesome!!! I grew up with horses and my parents still have horses at their house. My kids love them!

So glad that Camdyn and her guests had a good time and the party was a success!

J.Mo said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! It looks like Cam had an AMAZING day! And the My Little Pony cake! How perfect!!! So glad it went off without a hitch!

Mama Hen said...

That party looks like so much fun! The cake looks like it was delicious and it was beautiful! Camdyn had such a great birthday party! I love the pictures! I also love the Thankful Thursday post! Your pictures are always so full of love! I hope you are doing well my friend! Have a good night!

Mama Hen

Liz said...

How did I miss this post?! It looks like everyone had a great time. I love how Camdyn decorated her horse.... beautiful!! So glad it all worked out and that so many of her friends were able to go... and conquer their fears!