Yesterday we went to the Champlain Valley Fair and Colton rode his first farris wheel and liked it very much.

After days on end in the car this summer (to Minnesota and back again from NY, to Delaware and back, and then to Michigan and back again) when asked where he lives Colton answered, "In de car."

Fair enough.

Gramma EE loaned us her DVD player. On the way to NY from MN in addition to reading several books, playing with stickers, practicing alphabet flashcards, singing songs and telling stories, we watched a lot of "Mighty Machines" videos. Once home he wanted to watch Frozen (which was forgotten in our DVD player before the MN trip).

He loves when Olaf's butt comes sailing through the air and lands in the snow bank. He also loves when Olaf sings about summer and exclaims, "Happy Nomee" as sung by the unkowing snowman about what will happen to him in summer.

But he LOVES to mimic Anna when she's a tot going into Elsa's room to play. Colton will say, "Sky's awake, so I'm awake, so (we) must PAY (play)." I talked to him on the phone while I was at work today (yes, Professors do go to work in the summer, contrary to popular stereotypical beliefs) and he recited the entire monologue.

I'm sure when I get home tonight he'll ask to "Mommy, pees watch Frozen."  (Said in a statement not a question.)

Colton has a couple key phrases. 

- I love you SO much
- Watch Frozen (pees)
- But NO (when he doesn't want to do something)

One of my favorites comes when he no longer wants to continue something (or when he wants you to stop doing something).

We were saying our prayers tonight in bed on vacation. He really wanted to watch Frozen. Typically it's quiet time before bed, but I told him that since we were "at a hotel" on vacation that if he brushed his teeth and said his prayers we could finish the movie (there was only about 10 minutes left).  So he was good about brushing his teeth, and we said the "Now I lay me down to sleep..." prayer. When we finished the prayer we typically ask God to bless his family, friends and pets.

When I started with the typical, "Dear God, please bless Mom Mom..."  He chimed in, "Pees Bless Grampa Reeschard. That's enough."

I guess Grandpa Richard was the only one in need of a prayer on this night... Oh my.

Colton hasn't been wanting to get on the pony or Cobrizo, but once he's on he doesn't want to get off.

Tonight it took at little coaxing, but once he was in the saddle with mommy he was clicking and telling Cobrizo to trot! He rode around the barrels with me and then I got off and we led him around with mom on one side an me on the other, but he basically was sitting up there all on his own.

This was the same thing that happened with Mini yesterday. At first he only wanted to brush her. I put the bareback pad on and Gramma Lele convinced him to sit on her. Then he wanted to walk her on the dirt.

He's a good little rider. I hope he will want to ride in the future. I do think we have a little eventer or gamer on our hands though because he just wants to go fast!

Today Colton, Grampa and I walked over (in a wheel barrow that I pushed Grandpa Richard in first to entice ColKie to ride in after) to Chris' house to see his gardens. Chris is a biker-looking gardener if there is such a thing. He's very nice, but Colton wasn't too sure of him at first. 

In typical Colton fashion by the end of the visit he opened up. Chris asked him what his name was and he said, "I Col-tin." He still refers to himself when speaking as Co(l)Kie, but he knows his name is Colton. We also quizzed him on the wheel barrow ride back about how old he was. Without a pause he replied, "I two."

Good boy ColKie.

Colton was eating corn with "GranPa" today and I was trying to sign to him "I love you."

Typically when I sign "I love you" (and then point to him) he growls (literally) - "I wuv wu."

I did the sign - point three times and he scowled a bit and said, "Busy eating."

Got it!

Then he repeated three other times tonight, "I'm busy."  Hmmmm

Today was Colton's first horse show. Nothing like starting out in the big leagues at the 2014 Region 10 Arabian Horse Association Championship.  

He started out in the entrance ramp hesitant. He went in and balked a little until his friend Felix (the 3-year-old who gave him a grape the day prior) helped urge him in.  He then stopped and saw mommy and grandma in the background and came trotting back.

We convinced him to give it another try and he went out hesitantly at first. Then he broke into a trot and handed the photographer, Jolene, his pacifier. From this point on it turned into the Colton Mallet show. While the other children were performing their moved (walk, trot, canter, back…) Colton did his own thing. He trotted around, then he went and parked his stick horse, Robby, on one of the pylons. The ring master came to talk to him trying to convince him to get back on his pony.

Mommy had to come out and get Robby. I told him that if he wanted a prize that he had to get back on and line-up with the other kids.

He did and was very proud of himself. We told him that if Robby was a good boy that we'd get him ice cream following the ride. This was something he did not forget. He insisted on wearing his number during ice cream eating, in the car ride home and for a large part of the day. He then went home and demonstrated for Grandpa Richard and Great Gramma Ellie how he showed Robby and how Robby was a "good boy."

All in all, his first show was quite successful (and expensive, I think I spent more money on photographs on this show than any of my own).

The entire thing was captured wonderfully by Jolene of Avalon Photography. All photos below were purchased from her website. - http://www.avalonequinephotos.com