"Neigh!"

Maybe it's that raspy voice, or the blazing fire in her eyes, or her love of books, or the pigtails, or the constant "neigh"-ing, but I'll bet that if you've had the privilege of meeting Elle, you love her. Being a mother is wonderful and challenging and craaaazy, but Elle makes me look at this life I have chosen and think, "This is SO MUCH FUN."  

Elle loves horses. Every minute of her day is spent pretending to be a horse, or riding on your back as you pretend to be a horse-- cheering "giddy-up!", or reading books about horses, or pretending all her toys are horses, or riding on pretend horses, calling "neigh! neigh!" and blowing air out of her mouth like a horse. She carries four plastic horses with her everywhere she goes, affectionately named Daddy Horsie, Mommy Horsie, Baby Horsie, and Apple Juice. She watches movies about horses, talks about horses to anyone within hearing distance---please tell me you get the picture?

SO- we had her 2nd birthday at a FARM! This may surprise you, but every member of the Hartwell family flew to Washington for the festivities. Taryn's fiance' (now husband!!!!!) OJ traveled down from Canada. Grandma and Grandpa also drove up from Oregon for the day! The Little Farm at Windwater was the perfect setting to celebrate our little Bellie.

Every time she fed a horse, she screamed with excitement!

The kids all fed chickens, goats, bunnies, and a potbelly pig with a mouthful of tusks and yellowed teeth! And then it was time for the crowning jewel of the party: horse rides. At first, we tried to put Elle on a horse by herself, and she was hysterical. So, I climbed on behind her! MUCH BETTER.

I have the cutest nieces and nephews.

Everyone had the opportunity to ride a horse around the coral, while adoring parents and grandparents oo'd and ah'd and flashed their cameras. There was something angelic about my children as they interacted with the animals, especially amidst the rolling farmlands of western Washington. 

Just because Juliette is adorable.

 So, Happy Birthday to my daring, darling, beautiful little girl. I hope the horsies were everything you dreamed they would be...