a little slice of heaven for my sweet middle child

Well, just in case the sun shone a little bit brighter for you today I know why. Number three, my precious girl, who is as tender as baby lettuce, whose shoulders wilt at the drop of a hat, and who used to meet each sunrise with a smile as big as all outdoors but sadly notsomuch anymore (jaded by life as the middle child) began horseback riding lessons this afternoon.
The lesson began this evening at six. It takes about 40 minutes to get out to the stable. She kept counting down the minutes until it was time to leave. She was so adorable in her black t-shirt, jeans, and black cowboy hat (that's "cowgirl hat" for any of you who might be steeped in political correctness). I took a picture of her with my cell phone while I was driving and haven't looked yet to see if it turned out well or not.
She had a BLAST. Her instructor, a friend of mine, did a fabulous job of teaching her each thing, from horse safety to being comfortable atop the horse.
The greatest thing for me though, was the whole way home. On the phone with my mom, who basically lived at the stables when she was this age, she left no detail out, from the hoof cleaning to the final dismount. She held out her hands as if she were still holding the reins and told mom all about how she made the horse go left and then right. She wiggled around in the front seat of the car as she described how she got in and out of the saddle. Just in case mom could see through the phone lines, I suppose. Adorable!
I am so thrilled that we have the opportunity to allow this animal-lovin' girl, whose favorite animal is horse to learn to ride. What scares me is not that she is going to fall head over heels into all-things-equestrian, but that I am going to have to become like Black Bart and hold up a few Wells Fargo wagons to be able to pay for it all!