Spontaneous fun & a swim class

Friday was rainy and overcast until mid-afternoon so Luke and I hung around the house for the morning and then got plans in place to have lunch and try to go for a pony ride. I was kind of bummed about the weather because some friends were going to meet us at the beach if it was nice, but the day turned into a good reminder of going with the flow because it was so great!

My friend, Heidi and her daughter, Addie, ended up meeting us for lunch at a favorite spot, Harbaugh's, and then also heading to the stables with us. It was great to have a friend along (and Luke & Addie love each other)
Here they are while we waited our turn for the ride. There were lots of mamas and ponies together in the stalls which we all loved. Addie was especially interested in their bodily functions, and Luke just liked watching them eat 'grass' and saying 'hi horse' to each of them.

I put a couple of tootsie pops in my bag before we left the house as an 'in case of emergency' treat. Saving them came in handy when I had taken Luke to the bathroom. While he was waiting for me, he was working on how to open the door to leave. We were at a stable so the restrooms are one room, kind of hot, etc...so I could understand why he wanted to get out, but if he managed to open the door, the others waiting in line for a ride would have seen a little too much of me...SO....I hurriedly and desperately told Luke he would get a sucker if he waited by the sink. BINGO...He waited while repeating "I want a sucker" and the door stayed shut. Thank you tootsie pop!

Luke and Addie were intrigued by the horse in the background. He is daddy to several of the ponies we saw and seemed to be eager to visit with them or to meet more moms that day. The kids kept climbing the fence he was in while we pulled them off and away over and over.

Helmets on, ready for the ride!

"This is fun, mommy!"

Cowboy Luke :) on Tootsie (how about that!) with Wrangler Pat leading the ride. Tootsie is a rescue horse and was super sweet and gentle. Luke liked petting her a bit as he rode...

The sun had started to come out by now and it was pretty steamy, but that couldn't stop the smiles.

I just like this picture because Luke looks so small on such a big animal! He handled the ride like a pro. The kids climb steps to get on the saddle and he was super comfortable climbing on and holding the saddle horn the whole time.

Cool stamps post-ride. Thank you, Addie, for posing while Luke ran around :)

Nothing beats climbing a 5 foot mulch pile. The pony ride was about 20 minutes, and we were at the stables for about three hours. It was so fun to visit while we chased this adorable pair of three year-olds around.

Smooch break ;)

Later that night, we met our parents at a nearby winery for music and food and fun outdoors. It was a great night of laughing and visiting. Here is Luke getting a ride to the car about 9:00...This child goes and goes....

Saturday, we lazed around a bit before heading out for a late breakfast and a make up swim class. This was the last class this summer, and Gma Jackie went along. Thanks for taking some pictures, mom! Luke really wasn't into the class, but we muddled through and enjoyed visiting with Gma after.

This is Luke 'saving me'. The teacher is a really nice retired teacher and he was going over some safety points with the class. I thought it was neat that he thought to show even little kids how they might be able to help someone smaller than them in the water.

He does love to jump in the water!

Susan and Paul were awesome enough to babysit last night so that Steve and I could have a date. We had a blast and delicious food & drinks and lots of laughs together over a long dinner at a favorite spot. All is well!