"I Wanna Be A Cowboy..."

We had so much fun on Tate! I can't believe she still looks this amazing... and has pep! When we were out in the open field, I kept hold of her since the kids don't have too much experience yet. But Zane rode her alone in the round pen and did great! He has a new-found love of horses, especially since he found - and is devouring - my Black Stallion series. We brought all 20+ home with us, and he can't put them down.





Titus' cowboy boots came in very handy. Clearly, he was the only one prepared to ride. He's a natural on a horse.




Levi's the cutest surfer-cowboy I've ever seen.

"... And You Can Be My Cowgirl..."

Even I wasn't doing this at 3. My girl was born to ride. And that's that.

Padilla's

Before we even got to Mom and Dad's, Zane was telling us he couldn't wait to go to Padilla's... a family favorite! As usual, I got the chile rellenos (to die for), and the kids all loved their food too. They can't wait to go back!



Sullivan tried her hand (or chips) at New Mexican salsa. She couldn't get enough of the stuff! I'm hoping she has red and green running through her veins like the rest of us Schumans (and Will).

Cute kids

The guys had lots of time in NM to just hang out.




I love Titus' obsession with his cowboy boots. We got them for his birthday in December, and I think they're one of his favorite gifts ever. He wears them with shorts, pants, jeans... it doesn't matter. They're even cute with his mosquito-bitten legs.

Swimming fun

Mom and Dad's neighbor, Jane, gave us an open invitation to use her pool any time we wanted to! It was so hot during most of our visit, so we swam a lot. Her pool was next to her corrals, so we even got to admire her pretty horses while we played. The kids loved all of the inflatable toys to ride in the water... and playing basketball too!

Samson or Samantha?

Mom and Dad's Airedales, Sam and Sadie are huge and pesky. But they're cute. Samson, aka "Sam," is scared of everything. He's scared of firecrackers (he had to be tranquilized on the Fourth of July), storms and even wind. This is why I call him Samantha... because he's not very manly. One night he was supposed to be on his doggie bed and wanted to be on Zane's lap instead. He probably saw a fly. Zane loved having the big oaf all over him, even with those sloppy kisses. Pretty cute, I must admit.

Charlie's Front Door

Mom and I took the kids to Charlie's Front Door for lunch one day. When Will and I were dating, he was working at Gubernatorial candidate Gary Johnson's office, which was in the same shopping center as Charlie's. Needless to say, we ate there all the time and ALWAYS got their Sour Cream Enchiladas with green chile and chicken.





The kids have become such New Mexican foodies! Zane LOVES bean burritos - he says they're better in NM. Titus loves HOT salsa. He even puts Louisiana hot sauce on his food at home sometimes, so he means business. Levi... well, Levi just loves food. Notice him in the background with stuff all over his fingers. His favorite New Mexican thing was sopapillas with honey. And at Charlie's, Sulli loved the chips with queso.

Growing up!

It has recently hit me that I don't really have a baby anymore. Everything about our Sullivan (minus the rate at which we're potty training) is so GIRLY, not babyish. Even though she still only weighs 26.5 pounds - and has forever - she is getting taller and shaped more like a little girl. She loves all things feminine... but can still hang with the boys. She's just wonderful, and we are so very blessed to have her.

Bruce

It was so nice to see Bruce for a couple of days! He's been meaning to get out to CA to visit us, but it worked out even better to get to see Mom and Dad also. We just don't see him enough, but we love the time we get!