better than therapy

 …really nothing better than strolling hand in hand! and if i take one million
photos of this view, it still won’t be enough to keep it this way forever <3

silly, silly, silly mr. comet, i don’t think that’s there for your foot, bud!
[it’s actually supposed to hold the mineral block that is in the grass next to it.]

hating the summer flies [they’re just terrible!], but looking oh so handsome!

as we walk out toward the boys with a brush in maddalena’s hand, she yells “caaaseeeeey! a-buuush!” and as soon as we get up to him, “wide! miamia wide, mommy!”
oh, and then also, of course there’s “poopoo ayaweh!!”

that little bitty red right there! isn’t he just delish? i want to snuggle him all the time. sadly, though, as much as he enjoys being loved on, he is extremely wary about who he lets come up to him. we don’t know much about red’s past, but my family has always figured that he must’ve been one of those poor little pony ride ponies at fairs that go around and around in circles all day. he clearly was abused, and has always been extremely fearful of adults… making him literally impossible to catch at times. but! he loves children! my sister was always the magical charmer that could catch him when she was little, and she still can, actually… but it really wasn’t until i had a baby maddalena in my arms that he would ever let me walk up and pet him! still, he runs away sometimes, and this last time he really was not in the mood to have me too close to him at all, and he ran, ran, ran. oooh, but it was too hot and humid for me to play that game! maddalena really wanted to love on “wed!” though, so, crossing my fingers, i set her on her feet, encouraging her to just walk on up to red by herself… i wasn’t sure she’d do it without me, and i wasn’t positive he’d stand there and let her… but she did! and he did! and you know, he really would’ve stood there all day to let her pet on him and talk to him. what a sweet little match they are. he was so happy, she was so proud, and that’s when my heart exploded for the 10,000th time.

…and let me just say, ps, all of this here? the sweaty summer heat… the stomping horses… mmmhm, even the warming manure smell [honestly, though, at this point that’s the delightful smell of youth to my nose!]… on a day where i feel like i’m frustrated and tired and just kind of at my limit… gosh, it is the best thing. better than a stiff drink. better than a hot bath. better than any other kind of therapy i can think of, really! makes me feel like a lucky, lucky girl.