From left to right, Foxy, Romeo, Monkey, Trashy, and Lady. Skylar isn't pictured, but she's home, too.
You might be a redneck if...you use feed bags and lots of duct tape to make sure your pipes don't freeze...
...or your daughter finds it funny to take pictures of you while you're mucking stalls...the most glamorous time of day for me for sure!
...or you live on a prairie so treeless that all of your patio furniture topples and your gazebo takes flight...
And, this is what they did it in...this muddy, sloppy yuck. When I took these pictures yesterday, it was actually a pretty day...they mostly worked in cold, drizzly, sometimes pouring down rain weather...
Lexie's wondering where her stall is :)
They even have swing out feeder and hay racks and we mounted their water buckets on the same wall, so we can just slip the hose through the grates...everything's super convenient!
We worked hard this weekend to get all of the stalls cleaned and mucked with fresh shavings and fixed the fence where the City took it down doing some ditch maintenance. Then, this afternoon, we went and got Jack's gelding, Trashy, and my gelding, Romeo. They're home...finally! I'm so excited! Now, I can't wait for the other side to get built out, so we can have the majority of our "babies" with us. 
Brooke's sister, Kate, is almost 9 months here...looks less than thrilled to be with yours truly, doesn't she?
...and just in time, too...the princess is crowned...
Listening to Chuck E...
Yum!
"Gonna get 'em all, Mama!"
She hasn't had a lesson in so long due to all the rain and swamp-like conditions here...she didn't like this nearly as well though...
Finally, a smile from the little one...
Have a great year 4, Brookie! 
...and Brookie liked her Dora game, too...we did good!
Gracie's turn...
Mesmerized by the magic of Christmas?
Three generations...
Afterwards, we picked up tamales and headed to our friends in Seabrook for a fish fry/party...it was nice to relax, enjoy all the goodies everyone brought and watch Grace play in the rain...
When all the kids retreated to the firepit down by the bayou and we were about to leave, Gracie seized her opportunity for a ride on The Green Machine...she was sliding like a pro! I'm sensing a birthday gift in the making... :) What a scream...she and her Daddy will be fighting over it!
Then, home to decorate her gingerbread with her decorating kit she got from her aunts...
What a wonderfully busy day...fun, fun, fun!!!
"A kitchen, Mama...I have my own kitchen now..."
An aquarium with a Crown Tail Beta to go inside...
A puppy mask...and when you push the nose, it barks...as you'll see what Oreo does in the video at the end, well, he had the same response to this mask, so since she has opened it, it has been in one of my kitchen drawers...awww man...
...more things to build for our little architect...
...and the Tooth Fairy came, too...she lost her first tooth, her bottom right, on 12/21 while with Marmie in Orange, so Marmie kept it safe until they all came home on Christmas Eve...
Opening some of her clothes from Marmie...these are some new horsie pjs which she has worn and I have washed at least 5 times since Christmas Day...I think she likes them!
a Webkinz fish from Daddy...Popi set our account up for us, but I have yet to log on to see what "Phyllis" does...
ahhh...an XBox 360 game she can play with Daddy...her favorite "just before bed" pasttime...
Once the gifts were opened, it was time to prepare for lunch and I just got busy and, I can't believe it, but I didn't get a single picture of my aunts being over...I guess we were just having too much fun visiting! Next time...
They snacked on munchies...ham, cheese, fruit, veggies with dip and then had a piece of birthday cake before early dismissal at noon...before this, they caroled at a local nursing home...
Straight from school, we loaded up and headed to Palestine for a ride on The Polar Express steam train...we made good time and had some time to relax before dressing for dinner and the train ride...but then it was dark and time to go...woohoo!
We ate Italian and then found the depot...
We had some extra time so she ran off some energy and rolled in the leaves down the hill...Santa Fe doesn't have too many hills to roll down...
...and although this doesn't look like a train...this was it as it zoomed by us...
...as we stood in line to board, she was making friends...as always...my child doesn't know too many strangers!
We could watch the cocoa fairies preparing for us...
Then, in a flash, we had taken our seats and were ready to go...
She had on her pjs and fairy slippers and was soooo excited to meet Santa...
They served us cookies and we drank hot cocoa...
The conductor stamped our tickets...
...and before we knew it, we were at the North Pole and Santa was on board...
Daddy elevated her so she could see Santa giving all of the children their jingle bell...
...and then it was her turn...
...and his elves had to rescue him from her grasp...just kidding...
Then, all we heard was "jingle....jingle....jingle....jingle...." you get the idea...
Then, we sang carols...she's showing me the words so I can sing, too...yeah! "Come on, Mama, SING!"
Hmmmm....think she's having a good time???
The next morning, over the river and through the woods, to Ralph and Kacoos we go"...we made a small detour home through Lufkin to eat at Ralph and Kacoos...
YUM!
Guess who took this picture...:)
We came home and that evening, we took her to Paul Hopkins Park for the holiday lights in Dickinson...
A Texas Santa???
Marmie was with us, as she had been house-sitting for us the evening before...
We ran into Justin and Karen and their two girls with Dan and his little girl, Jacqueline...
Only mine...
Uh-oh...look who Marmie and Gracie found...
waiting on another train ride...
still waiting...
Jacqueline, Grace and Brooke boarding the train while Aunt Karen and Baby Kate look on...
away they go...
