This summer we had a great opportunity to participate in horse camp in New Braunfels. The family that put this together is a wonderful family. They're a lot of fun! They love kids and horses and they know their stuff.

This was the highlight of Taylor's summer. She loves to ride horses.

At this training center, they start the kids out without a saddle. Yes, baraback... isn't that fun? It teaches the kids to ride properly without depending on a saddle. It's very good muscle development for their legs, too.
Oh, and those aren't natural markings on the horses. The kids got to paint their horses! I never would have thought of such a creative idea.
After riding the horses, they took a little break and did some horsey lapbooking. Although Taylor is totally burnt out on lapbooking, anything horse is acceptable. She learned about different breeds and other horsey stuff. Roping! Now, there's a cool thing to learn! This training center also teaches roping classes on Thursday evenings for only $10 per lesson! Taylor really enjoyed this... turns out she was pretty good at it.She caught the cone! Always a good feeling. :-)
And who could turn down a wheelbarrow race? How long has it been since you've done this? Hey moms, let's get together and give it a try. I'm sure it would entertain the kids quite well!If you're interested in riding lessons (English and/ or western), horse camps or roping classes, you can get more information on the Hollow Tree Ranch website.

We were planning on putting Daniel in karate, but we have had a lot of trouble with the studio recently. So, we decided that Daniel would probably enjoy tee ball. It certainly is a lot cheaper than karate! And just as cute, if not cuter!

Daniel's team name is the Red Sox, see those red socks? They were playing against the Astros. The division they play in is the Lil' Sluggers. It's actually like pre-tee ball.These are pictures taken at his very first game. It had been a long day! Opening ceremony was at 9am, then pictures at 11am, then the game at noon. Most of the boys were tired and some, including Daniel were cold and hungry. So, they were getting a little distracted, but they did a great job!
Time to take the field! Daniel thought he wasn't in the game anymore when he was placed in outfield. He told me later that they weren't throwing the ball to him anymore, so he didn't know what to think.
Daniel was assigned to third base during the next inning. He felt that his duty was to stand on the base so that no other child would be able to touch it. They're having a little discussion about it here. And so it was with the next three kids that ran to third base. Daniel finally decided to let them share the base with him until the coach finally discovered his take-over. The coach gave Daniel a little direction, placing him next to the base. So now, what do we do? Daniel and another of his teammates decided that playing in the dirt was interesting. I wish I had a picture of Daniel as he was dragging his foot down the white line to "erase" it.
I must say that I was very impressed with the opening ceremony. Someone led a prayer that was wonderful! It was all about giving glory and honor to the Lord. It's so wonderful to see a few twinklings of what used to be a common expectation in this country. The prayer was followed by the national anthem. They did a great job! I'm proud to be a part of Buffalo Valley Youth Association!