2nd Riding Lesson, 2nd Time Playing with Alejandro, and 2-Year Physical

Today was the day of "two's" for my two-year-old princess. Gabriella had her second riding lesson; played with her friend, Alejandro, for the second time; and had her two-year-old physical.

Gabriella's riding lesson today was extra special because Auntie Danie; Danie's daughters, Charis and Sophie; and Danie's nephew, Alejandro, joined us, all of who made it an even more fun morning. Gabriella and Alejandro are about six months apart in age, so it is lots of fun for them to play together. Charis and Sophie are great with the little ones so it was a special treat for me to have these helpers!

Gabriella did great again today on Sparky, the horse. When Ms. Lynn was taking Gabriella into the arena for the lesson, Gabriella reached her hand out for me to go with her, but I told her to go ride the horse and she went willingly without me. Ms. Lynn complimented Gabriella again on her balance and sturdiness. Ms. Lynn was working on improving Gabriella's balance by having Gabriella put both hands on her helmet while on the horse. It is difficult to get good photos with the distance and lighting in the arena, so these are the best of the bunch.:

Listening to Ms. Lynn:

Charis with Alejandro and Gabriella wearing their helmets:

At the end of the lesson Ms. Lynn had Gabriella brush Sparky a bit as this is all part of learning about and riding horses.:

After Gabriella and Alejandro were done with their lessons, and while Charis and Sophie were having their lessons, Gabriella and Alejandro played outside for a bit. They looked so cute running toward the horse in the pasture.:

Gabriella and Alejandro also enjoyed a late morning snack while waiting for the girls.:

Gabriella and Alejandro giving each other a high five!:

Gabriella riding a stick horse!:

We came back to our house for lunch and a bit more playing before we had to leave for Gabriella's two-year-old physical.

When we were leaving the house to head to the doctor's office, Alejandro and Gabriella were holding hands. They looked so cute; I was so tickled by the sight.:

Precious! We need to have more play dates with Alejandro because you never know what the future may bring; I may end up with Alejandro as a son-in-law and photos such as these will be a hit! (Of course, I am only joking...we have a long time yet before we start thinking about boys!):

After the wonderful time with our wonderful friends, we headed off for a not-as-pleasant afternoon at the doctor's office for Gabriella's physical. The physical, itself, went well, but Gabriella had not had a nap and the last place she wanted to be was at the doctor's office. She certainly could have done without the finger prick that they did at the end for routine screenings. Gabriella was really looking forward to receiving her sticker that the nurses give the patients on the way out of the office. She calls a sticker a "stick" with an almost silent "s." The bandaid she received was also a "stick." Gabriella is still in the 25th percentile for height and weight; she weighs 25 pounds 12 ounces and she is 32.75 inches, very proportionate. Her Body Mass Index (BMI) was in the 65th percentile. Gabriella is still on whole milk and, because she is now over two, the doctor wants us to switch to 1% or 2% milk.

We are looking forward to next week's riding lesson, but wish we could do it again with our friends. We are glad the riding lesson won't be followed up by a physical as it was today!