"Springtime" Shows

 Springtime in Dixie

HG and Ham took on their first show in the newly renovated rings at Germantown Charity Horse Show the first weekend in April. Since it was Easter weekend, the show ran Thursday through Saturday, which was perfect because the girls were out of school Thursday and Friday, so she didn't have to miss any school. 

I love when John catches these "pre game" moments as he calls them

Chace had never seen HG ride, so he asked if he could come surprise her and watch her ride on Thursday. I knew she'd be so nervous if she knew he were there, so he and I texted constantly all morning to make sure he stayed hidden to watch until she was finally done. He hid behind this car and watched from there.

After she finished her last class, he walked out from behind the car as she started to walk back to the barn. Obviously, she was STUNNED. Speechless. So thankful we pulled it off! She was so glad he came- AND that she didn't know until afterward!

Laughing that we pulled it off on her

One day (they all run together) it POURED down rain so badly as she warmed up. Thankfully, it stopped before she had to compete. She handled it much better than I would have.

Springtime Encore

After a fun weekend at Springtime in Dixie, learning more about Ham, she asked us if she could figure out a way to make this show work the second week of April. She could ride Friday and Sunday, but she had the ACT and cheer tryouts on Saturday. Luckily, a friend was looking for a horse to ride, so she was able to ride Ham for her on Saturday- and they won their two classes! HG came back on Sunday, and she and Ham KILLED IT. She won first in both her classes and champion in Older (15-17) Children's Hunters. We were ecstatic! So rewarding to see the hard work paying off.

A grin when she knows she did well

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

Cressey is 10!

Cressey is TEN!

April 8, 2026

• She is a feeler, wears her heart on her sleeve
• Always wants to please
• Would rather live in a pool or ocean
• Can fly through a book in a day and always carries one with her. She's addicted to the Warrior Cat series. Her vocab is incredible because of this.
• Likes order and calm (and podcasts) like her mama
• Loves to experience new places but doesn't like the getting there part
• Very proud that she is now big enough to play Peggy's violin
• Loves her kitties and horses
• The tooth fairy came on her birthday- two molars out with the help of Dr. B
• Could live solely on blueberries, strawberries, and mini corn dogs
• Never ever in a hurry
• Knows where every single thing in this house is. We all ask her to find things for us.
• Still not crazy about shoes- but it's not a fight anymore!
• Still prefers to sleep on a pallet in our room when she can
• 5'2", dying to sit up front in the car!
• Wakes up by 6 am on school mornings and mayyyybe sleeps til 7 on weekend mornings. Knows her limit and will come tell you when it's her bedtime, even if during a party
• Pretty shy at times but will talk with grownups (which makes her mama proud). She's done really well doing two presentations at school this year, but when they made her stand up at Meet in the Middle on her birthday for the lower school to sing to her, she looked like she wanted to crawl in a hole!

Her annual birthday quiz...

• what do you want to be when you grow up? "I don't know, I haven't thought about it. Ok, fine, a cat owner" (Mama says she'll be an engineer)
• where do you want to go to college? Ole Miss
• where do you think you'll live when you grow up? either Memphis or Pennsylvania ("it's a nice place to live" and the state she did for her school project)
• what's your favorite singer/ YouTuber? Taylor Swift
• what's your favorite song? "Sparks Fly" and "Clean" and 1989 album by Taylor Swift, "Gnarly" and "Gabriella" by Cat's Eye, "Better Me for You" by Max McNown
• what's your favorite game? Star Stables, Minecraft
• what's your favorite color/ aesthetic? cottage core, light purple
• what's your favorite movie/ tv show? goes to sleep to Bluey every night
• who's your favorite cat? "I CAN'T!" The kitty at the beach- Tip/ Lagniappe
• how many dogs would you have if your parents would let you? "1 because 4 is hard and I'd rather be cleaning litter boxes than taking them outside"
• what other random pets would you have? snakes, leopard gecko, blue tongued skink, emerald tree boa (she could have kept listing them, but I cut her off here)
• what's your favorite subject at school? art
• what's your favorite vacation? "Greece because it was beachy and the water is clear, I liked to snorkel, I liked the homes in the caves, lots of stars"
• what are your favorite hobbies? crocheting, crafting, petting my kittens, horseback riding, playing violin, traveling
• what's your favorite food? blueberries and mini corn dogs

When your birthday falls around Easter (and your family's social calendar is on fire), you get to have your birthday party in late March. Warrior Cat is the theme this year. 

Like her sister, she loves to plan and decorate for a party

Seeing her Jayfeather cake

We went to see the Shrek play at school that night

KK was amazing!!

Big kids were there too!

A night swim was up next

Birthday cake for breakfast

The day before her birthday, she finally decided to let Dr. B pull two very wiggly molars.

Ready for a 10th birthday morning!

A lap desk!

And a Warrior Cat tshirt! She also loved a Lola blanket, pjs, swimsuits, and a book light and bookmark.

Family dinner for her real birthday

Cressey and Grandma fighting for every inch they can get on each other!