Horseback Riding for My Birthday!

Back in May, I had my 35th birthday.  Because it fell on a Saturday and because I was not pregnant nor trying to become pregnant (first time since Gracie was 2) I decided I wanted to go horseback riding to celebrate!  My birthday is always right by Mother's Day, so this year, I scheduled our weekend dedicating all day Saturday to ME!

Our ride was scheduled for 4:00 pm at Wild Rose Equine Center in Camden Point, MO.  Because Stephanie was not at all interested in riding a horse, she kept Natalie and Hattie for nap time while my mom, John, Kyle, Kianna, Ryan, Gracie, and I headed out for a good time.  And let me tell you, it was so, so fun!

I'll let you see for yourself below!

Before the ride we explored around the property, looking at all the animals and
getting the kids' nerves out!

Silly kids!

I was the first rider on a horse, but Gracie was the second!
The Momma side of me was like, "Why are we putting my 4 year old on so soon?!"
She was like, "Yes!!!!"

She looked pretty awesome and confident up there on top of Reno!

Next up were Grandma and Kyle.
Kyle was right behind Grandma, but you can barely see him in this picture.
Kyle was the least excited for this adventure out of everyone in our family.
He said the only reason he came was because his mom made him.
His horse was tall and named Top Gun!

It seemed to take forever to get all the riders loaded onto the horses.
The guide was going to ride the horse with Kianna because she's so small,
so they told her to wait back here.
She was pretty nervous, too, so she just stood there for 15 minutes without moving.
It was pretty funny!
She looked so tiny from atop my horse!

Last one on!
Isn't she cute on top of Mystique?!

Kianna and the guide rode the lead horse and Gracie's was following closely on a rope.
At first, I was thinking they weren't going to hold onto Reno's rope
and I was about to have a nervous breakdown.... can you imagine?!

Kyle leading his horse down the hill.

Kyle and Top Gun winding through the trails.

Afterward!
All 3 kids thought it was AWESOME!
Gracie wants to have her next birthday party there!
Kyle's pretty sure he's a horse whisperer or something!
He developed a lot of confidence through the experience.
Go, Bubby!

The kids with our guides!
I asked the one in the middle how old she was.
When she replied with, "I'll be a freshman at Smithville High School next year!" I was thinking,
"I'm trusting an 8th grader with my niece and my daughter on these wild animals?!"
But both of the guides were great!  What a cool job!

After horseback riding, we met Steph and the little girls at Em Chamas for dinner.  Again, my sweet nephew doubted my decision-making skills.  Before my birthday, I told him I thought he'd love all the meat choices for dinner (he's definitely a little carnivore) but because they didn't have chicken nuggets, Kyle was sure the place would be terrible.  He and Gracie ended up tearing up the place!  It's like $5.99 for kids to eat there and those ate every bit of their $5.99!

It was definitely a fabulous way to spend my birthday!  Hopefully in the next few years, Hattie and Natalie can join in on the fun!