Harley and I have been a partnership for more than nine years now and he turned eighteen years young in March! Our relationship is much more relaxed than it used to be. There are no training goals, just enjoyment in each others company. I still trim his feet. He does not look like a hardkeeper any more (even though his diet does not include grain). We ride in the arena and on the trails. This pressure-free lifestyle is suiting us both very well. Although, I like to think that Harley wishes he saw more of me.
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| My current favorite picture of Harley |
My life is dominated and defined by motherhood these days and I am very happy with this life choice. Do I miss riding four times a week, spending hours with my horse, and having the luxury of planning my free time around Harley? Yes. Apparently, it is possible to be happy where you are but still long for a previous happiness. However, I often remind myself that Harley is not a spring chicken any more and a heavy workload is not the best thing for him. He doesn't feel any older when I ride him, and if you saw him jumping around the other day, you would probably guess that he is a much younger horse. I would like to keep it that way, if I get to have any say in the matter. I am a very lucky person and I hope my horse care and training choices are also partly to thank. I am also very fortunate to have a boarding situation with excellent care and 24/7 turnout with a buddy.
A Mommy is a very busy person (especially a working Mommy), and life changes very quickly. For example, Sweet Pea turned into a toddler and beautiful little girl.
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| Sweet Pea |
She also became a big sister, hence the title of this post!
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| Sweet G-our second little girl |
We decided not to find out the sex of our second child ahead of time, so we got to make all those classic phone calls and say, "It's a girl!!!!". It was awesome, plus she was born just days before a massive snow storm (thank you Sweet G), with us arriving home just hours before the snow fell, and fell, and fell all weekend long. This was after a winter of almost no snow at all. Good work, Sweet G!
Yeah, so if things seemed busy before they are VERY busy now. I am on maternity leave and somehow caring for one almost three-year-old and one three-month-old is more work and more exhausting (physically and emotionally) that working full-time as a middle school teacher. Not sure how, but it's true. I am extremely fortunate to have employment that allows me to take significant time off to care for my babies. It is wonderful and I didn't take advantage of it last time (I went back to work when Sweet Pea was three-months old, which overlapped the summer vacation. That time is a blur in my memory. Very, very difficult.) Being a Mommy of two is HARD, and anyone in the same boat understands, but also wonderful BEYOND wonderful. Your own baby smiling at you is the best thing ever. I also love nursing my babies, and it is a lot easier to nurse when you are actually with you baby all day, not pumping at work (although I will be back to that in September). I am so glad that hubby and I decided to become parents. Seriously, being a parent is a life-changing experience, but if you are on the fence deciding, go for it.
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| Sweet G is enamored with her big sister. She loves everything that she does especially patting the squeaky bunny on her bib. |
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| Sweet Pea loves dinosaurs. She likes horses and acknowledges Harley as THE all-important horse, but right now she is a dino girl. This is cool. I get to visit the boy's department for clothing, because there are not many dino clothes for girls. |
So that's my life these days. I am unapologetically a Mommy. I am and always will be a horse girl. I LOVE my horse and still wish to see him each and every day, but I have no misconceptions anymore about how much of my life is dedicated to my little humans. I am not trying to get back to my old life; that was that hardest part about our first child. When will I get back to XYZ? Um, never. My life is different now, but it is very good. It still includes Harley and highly coordinated barntime, and you better believe that I love every second of it.
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| Always smiling! |
