View From My Office

Yes, it is true!! I FINALLY am back in the working world with my OWN OFFICE complete with lots of windows and a stereo and WHEELS, BIG WHEELS!!!! Grouchy started a custom harvest business with two combines, a grain wagon and a few semi trailers to haul grain. This season was the first season of the business, and we are cutting soybeans in south Louisiana in and about Grouchy's hometown. Originally, Grouchy thought he would train me to run one of the combines. I was all for it, but then he found a good friend of ours from our church in Louisiana who would help, so Grouchy hired David. Then Grouchy learned that David would be here for a limited time as he had other committments, he drafted me again. So I spent thirty minutes on a John Deere combine riding with a really nice young man while he cut wheat. Next, the same day (two days before I came from Idaho to LA to work) I was blessed to have our friend from our Idaho church, Bill (who also taught all of us to snow ski last winter), take two evening hour of his tiresome farming day to put me in his combine that's very similar to our two machines and make me learn and then then make me have to use my brain as he put me through the paces. So I flew to LA with Addie and Ainslee while my parents stayed in the guest house in ID and cared for Garrett as he started school and his developmental therapies. We landed in Louisiana at almost midnight on a Thursday night, and I was on the combine with David by the next morning. So Friday and Saturday David taught me and then rode in the extra seat while I got the hang of it. I then drove alone Sunday through Thursday night. Friday we moved the combines again and did work on them. We have another few hundred acres left, and they are almost ready to cut. I have had fun "working" since agriculture is near and dear to my heart. I just pray that someday Grouchy and I can have our own farming operation. It is our dream and goal for our future, and while it seemed like for years it would happen, the stars never lined up or God sheltered us from things we could not see. I still pray for it to happen, and I have faith that somehow it will.

Meanwhile, Garrett is back in Idaho doing five mornings per week in a special day class at the local public school. Medicaid, through the Katie Beckett program, allotted him 22 hours of weekly developmental therapy, and our local caregivers were willing to get trained and all, so his therapist are really our very dear friends who already know and love and understand Garrett. He has been thriving in their care and at school!!! I am so thankful to Andrea and Shelby for all the time and love they are putting into his therapy!!! I love you girls!!!!

As for Addie and Ainslee, they have been hanging out with some homeschool friends, cousins and grandparents along with aunts and uncles. Grouchy and I worked so much last week that we didn't see anybody for any reason besides David, the truck drivers, the farmers whose crops we were harvesting, and Grouchy's cousin, Bo. Bo rocks and made "work" so much more fun!! Grouchy fretted over his inability to teach me.....according to him.....and I truly loved operating the combine, crawling all over the machine learning to clean filters, add fluids, check oil, grease everything and even do some minor troubleshooting. I even got to hope off of my machine 5 times to dig dirt and fire ants out of the header...not fun!!! The days were goign by so fast because operating the machine means total concentration and focus each second. My brain needed that!! So while in LA, I still didn't get to go visit really. I saw a few people for a very short time. Sorry!!! I hope our next trip down will maybe be more leisurely!!! But then I would miss my office if that were the case!!!! I would love for my office to be coast to coast so I could enjoy it in Idaho too someday!!!

Please pray for our Mito kiddos tonight. So many are suffering and in need of grace and PEACE.

Also, the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon is on 6 pm to midnight this coming Sunday, and there are some seriously great artists headlining including Lady Antebellum (LOVE THEM!!!!), Darius Rucker (previously known as Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish), Martina McBride and Celine Dion. Jerry Lewis retired after years and years of honorable service, and now it looks like MDA has modernized and revamped the show, and I think it will help things lots!! So tune in!! Also, if watching from a Baton Rouge, LA, channel, be on the lookout for our family's segment. They aired it the past two years and may use it again. Also look out for Addie in the MDA Camp viseo they may show from this past summer. We do hope we can make it to help at the telethon Sunday, even if only the kiddos make it.

Off to bed early after I design a piece to include Garrett's photo and Mito info to include with our bracelets we are selling. THANK YOU to those of you have purchased bracelets. If you need one, just comment below and I will get it to you!!!

Godspeed and WATCH THE MDA TELETHON PLEEEEEEASE!!!!
Clara-Leigh

My Sweet, Sweet Addie and Her Broken Heart.....and Mine!!

You moms know how it is. You always have the camera shooting great pics of the kiddos while who ever knows what you look like in a photo???? It's not a problem, but an observation. So the final day of our county fair, Addie was hanging out with me as we helped Ainslee by leading one of her heifers, Beth, to the community watering trough (may I add here that watering any animal in any public place is a HUGE no-no for health reasons!!! We were just tired and desperate!! Now both heifers have pinkeye....go figure!!) a kind 4-H mom named Robyn snapped this shot of Addie with me!! She emailed it to me, and I was so happy to see a shot of Addie and me together!!!!

SO back to the title of this post about Addie's broken heart and mine. Notice the necklace I am wearing in the photo. It is two strands of a hodge-podge od cool beads and then a western silver and brass colored square concho with a cowboy riding a bucking horse in the middle of it. I had been browsing the fair boths one day with Addie, and she and I stopped at this one booth that had this necklace. I fell in love with the beads but didn't particularly love the piece they had hanging from it. The young lady who made the necklaces and also did custom work with silver in the way of belt buckles and jewelry informed me that she could change out the "charm" part and put any concho on it. So I picked one I liked and she added an adapter and hung it for me to see. WOW!!!! But it was $42, and if you knew what we spent daily at the fair for shavings, feed, rides, rodeo tickets and our own indulgent food choices, you would have me committed!! So we kept on walking and also looked at this very cute stationary Addie wanted to buy with her money. It was a note pad of 50 pieces of paper with the little stick figures of pets and people that could be personalized. It was $20 total for the 50 sheets, but she insisted that she wanted two pads, so that would be $40 for two note pads.....I had a problem with that. Addie is usually a very, very logical kiddo. She is frugal and makes smart spending and saving decisions. But this time she was insisting she wanted to buy two sets. I tried to explain she could use one of the personalized ones for the first page of a letter and plain white after that as she does write lots of letters, but she would not budge. Of course she wanted to order then, but I didn't have the money and she needed to go to the bank to withdraw hers, but the bank was already closed. She whined about it some and then got really excited about hitting the bank first thing the next morning to get her cash. So the next morning we headed to the bank right after we fed the heifers. I made my deposit and then we turned it over to Addie to get her cash. Well, since Grouchy was with the girls when they opened their new accounts, the bank would not give Addie money with out Grouchy there!! YIKES!!! He is in Louisiana for the rest of the month, so that meant no cash for Addie. However, I figured I would just float her a loan and we would settle when Grouchy gets home. So we are walking out of the bank when I hear sobbing behind me. It's Addie!!!!! I turn around to ask her what is wrong and she burst out with, "Mom, I didn't want to buy the stupid stationary. I wanted to buy you the NECKLACE!!!!!" And then the sob escalated to a full-blown nose-running, alligator-tear producing CRY!!!! Oh my gosh, I felt horrible!! I assured her she was so sweet and I didn't need the necklace but I could loan her the money or my parents (who are living in the guest house til October) could loan it to her, but Addie was totally opposed to either option. She cried all the way home. I reminded her I didn't need the necklace and that I truly appreciated her thoughtfulness, and then reminded her that there is always a way, especially to do good. And there is always a way when you want to do bad, but it is usually much easier to do the bad and much, much harder, sometimes, to make the great things happen. Then I started crying. I could not help her!!!! I jumped out of the car when we got home and ran around to her side od the car to swoop her into a big momma-hug, and we both cried harder. Then we both are looking toward her little dog, Camper, as we cry together, and he scoots his bum across the pavement to itch his scratchy bum (no, not worms but maybe anal glands full or possibly just that he is a neurotic, in-bred little creature!!). And we both errupted with laughter, and then Addie got an idea. "Mom!!! I got it!!! Remember the piggy banks DiDi (Grouchy's mom) had in her kitchen, one for each grandkid?? And remember a few years ago she broke the banks open and gave us all our money at Christmas in silver dollars?!" I told her I had them in my closet but that she could not spend them. She said that she would not, but she could trade them for cash from me and then go to the bank when Grouchy gets home and take her to get her cash from her account to give me in return for her silver dollars. So it was simply a matter of moving a Ziploc baggie of 50 silver dollars from our special box in my closet to my jewelry box and give her cash to make it official. She was so proud of herself for figuring it out!! And I was elated she figured it out on her own!!! Back to the fair we went later, and she disappeared right away and came dashing up with a HUGE grin and the BEAUTIFUL multi-colored eclectic beaded necklace with a large concho with a cowboy on a bucking horse. It is stunning and probably my favorite piece of jewelry I have ever owned!!!!! But it could have been a strand of bottle caps and it would still mean the world because it was from my Addie!!

May you realize all the little things your kiddos do for you and the simple thoughtfulness you may share with others today!!!
Godspeed,

Clara-Leigh

My NERVES!!!!!!

Combine #1 Without the Header

Grouchy started a custom harvesting business back in Louisiana recently. He has two combines that can harvest wheat and soybeans. He is a farmer at heart, and I am a closet farmer as well. Well, I prefer the rancher title, but with only two cows....... I digress. Anyhow, Grouchy started rolling through fields last week harvesting soybeans for a number of farmers near his parents' home in White Castle, LA. Addie, Ainslee and I had planned to go visit family and friends there while Grouchy was there working, and then Grouchy informed me that I will be trained by our great friend David for two days, then turned loose to run a combine for several days. Keep in mind that our dream has been to have a farm or ranch and to work together. So now it happens and I am really getting nervous. First, we are a custom business, so we cut other people's crops. I really do not want to let anyone down!! Second, I know how much these machines cost and how sensitive they can be, and geez, can't I get a month of training??? Unpaid???? I have read enough of the manual to know where the two fire extinguishers are located. However, I have no idea how to turn the combine on and get it hot enough to start a fire........


My folks will stay in Idaho with Garrett, so Grouchy's mom will have time with just Addie and Ainslee, perhaps tons of time since both of their nutty parents will be on huge machines getting crops out of fields!!!


All I can do is pray, listen and learn, and hope I don't have to use a fire extinguisher!!!!!


Today was spent getting feed restocked for all our critters, cleaning the house, moving irrigation pipes to get the pasture and the alfalfa field watered, and spraying weed killer so my parents don't have so much to do and I come home to green where I want it and brown everywhere else...ha!!!


Godspeed, and pray the combine and the beans and I get along!!


Clara-Leigh

She RIdes Again!!!

Friday, November 13, 2009, Addie took a tumble off of her horse that resulted in a nasty fractured humerous bone in her right arm. Basically, the head of the bone that meets the shoulder joint sheared off and had to be operated on. It was a very painful ordeal for Addie. As soon as her second surgery had the three pins removed and she has waited the 12 weeks for recovery, she hopped back on her mare and rode. The next thing we knew, it was hot, long summer in Louisiana and she didn't feel like battling the heat to ride. Her friend Laura continued to take lessons on Lucy and bonded with the horse while Addie wasn't able to ride. Then we moved, got busy building fences and entertaining guests here. Next it was a pretty hard winter here in Idaho, so very little riding. Finally spring arrived and we sold Lucy due to just not being a good fit for our kiddos or our horse program of no more estrogen....GELDINGS ONLY (that's a neutralized or "fixed" male horse). We got another horse, a nice, grey gelding that Addie named Prince. He ended up being a bit more horse than I thought, so I have been trying to ride him more and see if he can stay around or not. Meanwhile, throughout the past almost two years since her accident, Addie has not really been excited about riding. She was scared and told us she wanted to have a horse and care for a horse and even show her horse, but not ride. I was very honest with her in telling her a horse was way too expensive in the upkeep department to just have to lead around and brush. A goat maybe??? So we agreed to share Prince while I decided if we could keep him around.

I have asked Addie if she wanted to ride several times with very little pressure. I didn't want to guilt her or force her into riding, so I stayed off of her case and let things settle. Then two weeks ago at the fair where the girls took horses and Ainslee showed in the bareback class, she told me she wanted to start riding in the nice, deep sand of our round pen at our ranchette. I was so excited I wanted to jump up and down and cry (picture Miss America crowning here), but I supressed that and acted surprised and pleasantly pleased to hear this news.....HOLY CRAP, SHE WANTS TO RIDE.......HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?!? SO I told her that would be fine but that we really had to survive fair in 100 degrees first. She had Prince at the fair and her three year old gelding, Smokey. She showed them to all the adults and kiddos passing through the fair horse barn and took very nice care of her horses' needs including feeding and stall cleaning while we were there almost a week!!! So last week was the "week after fair" she spoke of, and I asked if she was ready one evening and the next thing I knew she had her boots and helmet on and was ready to ride Ernie, our old faithful horse. She rode several minutes and asked to TROT!! Again, almost got all spastic with excitement but had to act calm and unexcited!! SOOOOOO hard!! I was so proud of her, and after she dismounted, she said,"Ya know, Mom, I didn't feel scared once I got on and walked him a few steps. The trotting was so much fun, and I want to ride again tomorrow!!! I think I was just needing all that time to get over my fear. I think the fear is gone now!!" I was getting tears in my eyes but held back the emotion and just agreed with her. SO the next day she wanted to ride again, but she let me know by coming out to the round pen in her jeans and boots while I was riding Prince. She asked to RIDE PRINCE this time!!! WOW!!!!! SO I put her saddle on him and she took off like a pro!! She walked and trotted and put him through his paces like she never had riding time off!! Ernie is like driving an old, big Lincoln Continental or Town Car. He is slow to respond and sort of large and stiff. Prince is like driving a Porche.....super-responsive and very sporty feeling. I think he has Addie's respect, but she had fun, and while Grouchy and I were talking when he called while she was riding, he reminded me to get her off of Prince before she wanted to quit. I married a really smart guy!! So I did that and she wants to ride again!!!!

Below is a video of the ride in Prince, hopefully!!!

Godspeed,

Clara-Leigh

What's With Me?

This has been a really fun, exhausting week of the county fair with Ainslee and her two heifers (cows who are about one year old) there all week. She survived showing them. They are so gentle at home but acted bizerk the night before the show when I went to the show barn at the fairgrounds by myself to check on our 4-H club's six head of cattle and walk Ainslee's heifers in the empty show ring. I thought they were going to shred me!!! But then the next day, they showed up in their kind nature and made us very proud AND kept my Ainslee safe!!! She placed third out of seven kiddos in showmanship (where the child is judged on how well they show the animal) and her two heifers placed 5th and 6th out of 12 in the class where they were compared to heifers with similar birthdays based on looking at the heifers as future calf producers.

So what's up with me??? Well, I am back to noticing this negativity I am harboring towards Garrett. I LOVE HIM WITH ALL I HAVE!!! But when I get lots of time away from Garrett with just my two girls or the girls and Grouchy, I absolutely, fully enjoy life and feel so free, fun and confident. Then I come home to Garrett or wake up with his sweet noise in my world and I feel very short-fused and impatient. It's like I get comfortable in "normal normal," and then I get back to "our normal," and it doesn't fit my plan. It's selfishness, plain and simple, but it is real. It is just so easy to track down Ainslee when she goes exploring all over the fair. No tantrums, meltdowns, true issues. It was liberating and enjoyable to just take off walking somewhere and not have to account for heat, attitude, or time of day and meds for Garrett. I could work in our fundraiser homemade pie booth TWO two hour shifts and not be in a hurry or be distracted. I had wonderful time just being my girls' mom and talking to and meeting other parents and kiddos showing their livestock. And then the rodeo...wow!!! It was so much FUN!!!! But then home to reality. And somebody has to deal with Garrett while I am off enjoying life. And that really puts a damper on things. Uuuugggghhhh. It's the pendulum again.....swinging wildly from the highs to the lows......

And I was lying here typing instead of sleeping, with the news channel on, a commercial for the Muscular Dystrophy Association came on. It was a very nice, new ad. I was excited to see it because Telethon is coming up very soon....Labor Day weekend. And it hit me again. My son has this disease. It has come from a very touching campaign to raise money to help "those poor kiddos and adults with muscular dystrophy" to being our life and a monster that taunts me, taunts all of us in this house, daily.

On a very bright note, Cooper Knight's SOOOOO AMAZING grandmother contacted me today to follow-up on our desire to help with an air show north of Houston that is a fundraiser for Dr. K's clinic. Dr. K is our mito doctor and we adore her and appreciate her group's research and clinical missions. So I have lots of calls to make to see what type of cool aviation-related items we might be able to get to auction at the air show. I have to contact military friends to see about getting more military aircraft flown into the show and parked for people to get to see. I am so excited to be able to pitch in. Wish I could go to the air show!!! I hope we can build some long-term relationships with people who can help make this fundraiser grow!!!! I know Cooper is looking down on "his" air show with pride for what his family and so many people work toward...a CURE for mito!!!

Blessings to each of you. Please say a little prayer that Garrett continues to stay healthy and that he adjusts well as school starts for him August 22 and we begin a new year of homeschooling Addie and Ainslee.

Godspeed,
Clara-Leigh

Will I Be Okay?

Garrett says to me every day now, "Will I be okay?"

I am pretty sure it is one of his little mental games like replaying getting hurt or scared and hearing us tell him that he will be okay, but it really hits me weird every time he says it. I am sure it is an innocent, Garrett-type repetition. He has so many. But it is a question that makes me really, really think every single time he asks me. And the immediate answer is,"Yes, Garrett, you will be okay!! You will be just fine!" But in my stomach, lunch starts to jump around, and I my little mind starts wondering around my large, mostly empty cranium. Will he be fine? Will I be fine? Will we all be fine? What IS fine? Is our fine FINE? Does he know something in his little soul that we don't know he knows? Does he feel NOT-fine? Does he pick up on how UN-fine his world is in relation to the rest of the world? Does he have internal things going on that we don't even know are happening......and the answer to that is yes because his body is running out of the genetic material he needs to make energy to stay alive. Am I being overly-thoughful about his innocent question, or is there something to it?

So I answer it in the simple way each time, assuring him that he will be fine. And my heart jumps and my veggies start rumbling in my tummy again as I ponder it each time he asks because, well, I don't know if he will be fine. Or maybe I do.

Heaven. Just one word makes it all okay. Losing Garrett on earth would not be anywhere near okay, normal, average, desirable or, well, it would be the worst. But I do know that through Christ we are redeemed, and I know God has already claimed Garrett's little soul and has a special place for him. So yes, Little Buddy, you will be okay no matter what happens. So therein lies the next question. Will WE be okay??? NO!!!!!! But still, the simple faith Addie and Ainslee so frequently remind me of will carry is all into Heaven where we will all be eternally okay.

What's the lesson? Keep our eyes on Heaven and store treasures in Heaven, not on earth. Meanwhile, love like crazy and keep reminding us all that no matter what, we will BE OKAY!!!!

Godspeed,

Clara-Leigh

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Above: My mom, dad, dog Camper, Addie, Ainslee and Garrett

Today was my dad's birthday, and we are so glad he was here in Idaho so we could celebrate with him!! We enjoyed a cake the kiddos decorated. And Garrett even enjoyed it a little early, or at least that is what we thought must have happened given the hand print in the middle!!!

People call their fathers, biological or step or adopted, many different names. There's Dad, Daddy, Father, Pappa, and the list goes on with different cultures. But my father is different. You see, I cannot peg a single name that would best suit him because to me, he is larger than life, smarter than everyone else, and just simply amazing. He is my hero!I am so richly blessed, especially with the family God placed me with since birth. Yes, I am an only child, so I may be biased, but I have to say I have the best dad in the world. But is he Dad, Father, Daddy, Pop? He is all of those. He is the man who tenderly rocked me when I was a fussy infant, the patient, loving daddy who somehow ushered me through my toddler years as I tried to stab his eye out with a screwdriver. He is the dad who spent countless hours sharpening my skills and love for all sports available in my hometown AND made me learn to be proficient in public speaking. He is the father who made sure I was home for curfew and made me wake him and kiss him goodnight to be sure I had not been drinking.....which I NEVER did. The worst thing in the world was to disappoint me, and it wasn't a fear thing, but a respect. He is the teacher who encouraged me through all my years of school, never letting me get away with substandard in anything. He is the wisdom that could give me "that look" that let me know his disapproval. The most lasting lesson he taught me was delivered many, many times and still rings in my heart today and even comes out of my mouth frequently to my daughters is, "All You need to do is to do your best. The rest will work out." I always called him Dad, and now we call him Pop, as that is who he is to my children. Pop fits. He is so good with my kiddos, and he has so much wisdom and information and humor he shares now with them. I feel completely certain that no other man could have raised me to be successful like my dad did. I know I needed all he had in his mind and heart even though many times I am sure he wondered if he would survive parenting me and chasing me while encouraging me to set goals and chase dreams. I am just so blessed!!!! And how can I begin to thank he and my mom for spending all summer with us and COUNTLESS hours and hours helping us with Garrett. It's been even more helpful than I could have imagined!!!!! I pray we have many, many years ahead to celebrate more birthdays, and I hope he knows that I will never let him down or turn my back on him!!! And someday, if he actually "needs" me, I will be completely honored to try to return even a millionth of what he has given me.

THANK YOU, Dad!! I love you. Happy birthday!!!

Clara-Leigh

Tiny Ainslee Shows her Big Cow!

This week is fair for Ainslee. She will be showing her two yearling Hereford heifers Beth and Adelaide. And did I mention Ainslee had them artificially inseminated last week and we think they are both pregnant??? How exciting?!?!?!? SO they have about the same gestation as humans, so we hope Ainslee will be very impatiently awaiting the birth of her heifers' calves around May 7 of next year. Gosh, seems like a very long wait!!

In preparation for fair, Ainslee had to complete and turn in her record book for her 4-H beef breeding project and be interviewed for about 10 minutes about her record book and the project. She had to have some photos in her record book. Well, she didn't HAVE TO, but with a kid this cute, how could we NOT put some in!! So here is 50 pound Ainslee showing 1000 pound Beth earlier this year in her first show. She will move into the fairground barn on Wednesday morning and show Thursday.

THANK YOU to those of you who have helped us get the heifers and take care of them and learn soooooo much!!!! Lori and Kelly, you gals have been such assets and wonderful friends!!! Mr. Sarceda, thank you for the GREAT deal on the hundreds of pounds of grain!!!! DiDi, Nina, Pop, Sarah, Lee, Rebecca, Louis, Sophia and local friends, thank you for letting Ainslee practice showing her heifers in front of the kind audiences!!! Ainslee hopes to grow a herd of cows and sell the steers so she can afford to buy one horse of every color!! That's so Ainslee!!

In other news, tonight we were invited to meet some of our 4-H friends at the local drive-in theatre!!! It was such a blast!! And it was cheap. We watched Cars 2. We had so much fun that we believe we just might boycott regular movie theatres since we have two drive-in theatres nearby and enjoyed everything about it!

Okay, okay, must get some sleep!!! Blessings to each of you and prayers for so many families living in hospitals with their Mito kiddos right now.

Godspeed,

Clara-Leigh

Big Horse, Little Cowgirl

I am finally getting around to some catching up on the recent goings-on here.

Last week the girls took three horses to exhibit at the Canyon County Fair. Ainslee also showed her horse, Ernie, in a bareback riding class, and here is a photo! She was last place out of 7, but she did very well. The show was all about western pleasure and English pleasure and such, and our kiddos just ride timed events, trails and ranch-type riding....buckaroo riding as they say here in Idaho!

Fair was amazing. I will blog more later about some very, very, very special moments we shared between our horses and many special needs children and adults, but I am too tired to type and cry at the same time!!!

Blessings to each of you and remember that we are to store up treasures for heaven, not earth!!!
Godspeed,

Clara-Leigh

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Back earlier this year when Garrett would wake and play his own CD player very loudly every morning to wake everyone, he would usually start with The Lion Sleeps Tonight. So Grouchy and I would be sound asleep at, say, 5:30 in the morning, and we would get tickled at how it was normal for us to wake to the "oooo-ooooooo-ooooo-oooooo------oooo-oooo-oooo-00000-00000 the lion sleeps tonight!!"


Today Garrett and I had to travel about 45 minutes from home to do another SIB-R evaluation for his Medicaid intake. It was really just me reading through and answering a bunch of questions about his personal skills, independence, behavior and so on. At first we walked into a little conference room and the lady administering the testing gave him some crayons and coloring pages to help keep him ocupied. Well, that never works. After a few minutes of Garrett scribbling and then asking to go, the kind lady opened her laptop and found some kids' music to keep him occupied while I talked through the SIB-R evaluation. And guess what song he clicks first.....yep, THE LION!! SO there I am laughing inside as I answer questions about my son's hurting himself and others and how we are concerned about his behaviors, and there is that silly song blaring from the computer. It was just one of those funny moments!!!

I have so much to blog about from this past week of the county fair where the girls exhibited their three horses. I even have photos!!! However, I am completely spent and need to get to sleep. We have one more fair next week, this time for Ainslee to show her two heifers Beth and Adelaide. Oh, and we entered the photography contest with some of our photos and Ainslee, Addie and I each won fifty cents!! Woooo-Hooooo!!!

Blessings to each of you who keep up with us, pray for us, and continue to fight the fight!!!

Godspeed,
Clara-Leigh