For the last few months we’ve had a second cowboy in the house.
Will began taking riding lessons during Ben’s lesson at Enchanted Acres with Ms. Trish back in August. He really really enjoys it and loves his lesson horse, Splatter.
The cool part of it all is that that both Ben’s and Will’s teachers work together for part of the lesson. Both horses are in the ring and the boys get to play games while in the saddle. Many of the games are “hide and seek” sorts of activities where they have to maneuver their horses to different parts of the ring to look inside different containers for objects (puzzle pieces, different colored balls, play fruit/veggies…). There is turn-taking, information exchange, and social interaction involved all while learning how to ’steer’ with the reins, communicate with the horse, and stay in the saddle!
We love that Kelly and Trish offer up this combined experience for siblings. It’s great for Will who loves to do anything Ben does, and it’s also great for Ben to have a partner to interact with. I love that the combined lesson doesn’t require me to be in two places at once, and that the relationship piece we work so hard for in Ben’s remediation can be supported in this, one of their favorite activities.
There are parts of the lesson that are not combined and it’s so amazing to see your children interact with other adults, apart from you. Will listens intently to instructions from Trish and seems eager to please. He is much more reserved and almost shy during his lesson, using a voice so soft and low that he needs encouragement to ‘use a big voice’ so the horse can hear him. Trish has Will change positions in the saddle in order to strengthen muscles and encourage proper technique. This jumping pose, however, sort of freaked me out.
I’ve been assured there will be no jumping for many years, yet–that three-year-olds only practice position. Phew.
Ella Rose enjoys having me all to herself while we observe the lessons, and even felt brave one afternoon and requested to ride Star–Ben’s really tall lesson horse. Thank God she’s too young for lessons. I don’t think I could handle three of them in the saddle. At least, not yet. She is pretty darn cute in her boots, though.
If I think about it too much, it has the smell of misogyny about it, in that icky backhanded 1940’s slang sort of way. You know where “dame” and “broad” , “toots”, and “doll” were used in a patriarchal pat-on-the-head “you’re so dumb, but cute” fashion. That is, when they weren’t being used outright as derogatory terms.
I am a “Free to Be You and Me” child of the 70’s. I am not supposed to take whatever is dished out as acceptable, ‘just’ because I am a girl (woman). I can do anything boys can do. I can do ANYTHING! Hear me roar! Etc. Etc. Etc.
But. If I don’t think about it, I can handle it. And. There’s not much I can do to change it at this point. It’s sticking. She responds to this other name as easily as she does her given name. And I have even found myself referring to her in this way. For what it’s worth, and I think a lot, the name only suits her in a contradictory manner. Ella Rose loves her baby doll, but drops it without a thought for a Hot Wheels car. She insists on wearing her brother’s old Lighting McQueen t-shirt, making loud car noises in church, and playing in the dirt.
She is a fairly competent wrestling partner for Will and offers up her fist for a bump with much more force than you might think possible in a sixteen-month-old.
Our Girlie’s eyes light up at the sight of a motorcycle and will shout out “boo-doz-ah” when we pass the bulldozer on a walk. She was a climber before she could walk, scaling the playground ramp up to the top platform without a spotter. ["has anyone seen the baby? Oh my God, how did you get up there?"]
Her spunk is matched only by her ‘art of persuasion’ which usually sounds a lot like Hollering to Raise the Dead, until you find what she wants and hand it over. To which she will grab, smile sweetly and say “tank yoo”. If she could wink, I think she would add one in there, as well.
So, “Girlie” it is. Used in the sassy, backhanded, car-vrooming, knuckle-bumping, eye-winking way that says “I am a child of a child of the 70’s. I am Grrrl–hear me holler!”
Will spoke aloud what we all were silently thinking to ourselves this morning after a dramatic collapse of the Christmas tree. EllaRose was beneath, pulling on a favored ornament, when the un-watered, empty-based Old Blue found itself top-heavy and came crashing down.
There were minimal casualties. I was sad about this one. But, since I found all the pieces, I superglued it back together.
Ella Rose did not get crushed, thank God. But, she did not escape unscathed. Poor baby.
Although, really, she didn’t and doesn’t seem too bothered by it. That’s our tough cookie.
And as today is the Feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day, the 12th Day of Christmas), Christmas really is over. Hooray! and Wah! It’s always bittersweet to move on from the Holiday Hoopla, but move on we must. Look out 2009!
I just can’t believe it has been a year since Ella Rose’s birth. Our baby girl is nearly a toddler. Good thing she’s still bald, it helps me remember she’s still a bitty baby yet. She’s also not walking yet, and that’s a good thing for me. She’s a fast crawler, but I can still keep up with her. As long as the boys close the door to the garage. Because if they didn’t, she might crawl right on out into the garage, through the maze of bikes, chalk, rockpiles, and garden tools and plant herself in the dirt and grass of our front lawn. She might. I don’t know if she would, of course, because I am a Good Mother who is always aware of my children’s whereabouts. I would never ever get too involved in dinner prep to realize that I hadn’t heard the baby recently, lookand run around frantically OH MY GOD! WHERE IS THE BABY?? WHERE DID YOU PUT YOUR SISTER?? I would also, always believe my 2 year old when he tells me “she’s outside, Mama.” And I would not waste another 45 seconds checking the bedroom one more time because the baby wouldn’t really go outside alone. That particular scenerio would just NEVER happen around here. No sir. Not this house. Not this Mama. Glory be and Lord have Mercy.
And, so, yes, I am quite content with the pre-walking Ella Rose. Who is ONE YEAR OLD today.
Ella Rose enjoys having me all to herself while we observe the lessons, and even felt brave one afternoon and requested to ride Star–Ben’s really tall lesson horse. Thank God she’s too young for lessons. I don’t think I could handle three of them in the saddle. At least, not yet. She is pretty darn cute in her boots, though.
Posted by gigimama 
For what it’s worth, and I think a lot, the name only suits her in a contradictory manner. Ella Rose loves her baby doll, but drops it without a thought for a Hot Wheels car. She insists on wearing her brother’s old Lighting McQueen t-shirt, making loud car noises in church, and playing in the dirt.
Posted by gigimama 
EllaRose was beneath, pulling on a favored ornament, when the un-watered, empty-based Old Blue found itself top-heavy and came crashing down.
But, since I found all the pieces, I superglued it back together.
Posted by gigimama 
