The. Best. Christmas. Present. EVER. (25 years late)

Greetings all. :o) Let's take a trip down memory lane. When I was little, I LOVED horses. I remember distinctly getting my first My Little Pony (I was 4, her name was Butterscotch. I later had Cotton Candy, and then a whole stable-full as they continued to get more popular. The ones with the rainbow colored manes, the fuzzy ones, the baby pony whose eyes really closed when she laid down, the Pegasus pony, the unicorn....). I liked Legos okay, but when I got the Lego stable complete with horses and directions to make a jumping course for them, it became a new favorite. I got the book "How to Draw Horses" in second grade, and spent hours sitting on the couch attempting to draw horses like a pro. I had a blast when we could go trail riding on vacation (even though I always wanted to take the horses off the trail, and get them to do something other than plod along the trail). Later, in college, I was convinced to go with my roommates to a farm owned by a mutual friend because he had horses and said we could ride them. I actually went out to ride his horses several times. Did I mention that I ended up marrying him? :o) And he later informed me he has a very strong dislike for horses and was just trying to humor me? Anyway, all of which to say, I have always had a soft spot for horses, and thought how great it would be to own one. When we moved back to PA and the farm, I started pestering LL that we need to get a horse or a pony. With all of the nieces and nephews around, it would be great, right? Then we found out we were expecting, and I stepped up the pestering/begging. LL the vet said ponies are a metabolic nightmare. End of discussion. I pulled out pictures of LL and his siblings on their childhood pony, Susie, but to no avail. Well, I'm here today to tell you we have received an early Christmas present. Big Papa came through for us! Meet Mocha:


She is the Reitz's new pony, a Christmas present for the 6 (soon to be 7) Reitz grandchildren. (LL's brother Nick, our SIL Taryn, and nephew Isaac are in the picture.) She is just as sweet as she can be, and I'm sure at this point I am waaaaaaaaaaaaay more excited about Mocha than any of the kids (the oldest of whom just turned 3). When I saw her, I immediately had to go hug her and love on her. Nick, who was holding her reigns, announced to everyone, "this is the pony for the kids. And for Kristen." LOL. She really is the greatest present ever. Can't wait until Collette is old enough to ride her!!