Little girl blue
Team Mary …
Sunbeam and Moonbeam and me.
Oh, and Daddy and the Doodle.
Can you show me eeeeeevil??
The part where I stopped taking pictures. Stopped breathing.
That. In case you are wondering. Is a blue ribbon.
Because in this case, seventh place was a perfect crystalline blue.
Seventh out of how many? — Twelve. Oh, and six kids tied for seventh, so you do the math.
Or don’t. We didn’t. All Mare knows is that she went for blue … and got it.
We celebrated with blue ice creams and rainbow sprinkles, and I marveled at the way life can have of working out, if you go for it.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I laughed and then some tears rolled down my face. What a great moment for Mare!!
I am on team blue … WTG MARE!!!!!!!!!!!
WTG!:)
July 30th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
If they gave ribbons for cuteness that child would’ve walked away with them all! She looks so adorable! I just can’t stand it!
And hey, it was her first competition. Give her some time, with that determination I see many blue ribbons in her future!
July 30th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Well she certainly wins for cuteness. Those eyes alone could take them all out.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I know this is all about Mary, but I love the picture of Ren! She is such a little character. Was she cheering loudly for her sissie, or getting into all sorts of trouble?
July 30th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Way to go Mary! Woot!
I would not have had the courage to do that at her age. She is an amazing kid.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Seriously? Those people are geniuses. Six 7th place finishers receiving blue ribbons? That is crazy brilliance! Crazy! Brilliance! I am so impressed!
July 30th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Tell Mare I am so proud of her for her courage, and tell my friend Liz, that I am so proud of her for teaching her daughters to reach for their dreams, and the pitfalls that may come with the reach.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:49 am
YAY for Mare!! YAY for Liz for being brave enough to let her precious girl ride giant scary horses. YAY for the power of visualization - Mare saw herself with a blue ribbon and she got it!!
July 31st, 2008 at 2:17 am
Oh just look at her FACE!
Made me tear up.
July 31st, 2008 at 4:40 am
Congratulations, Mary! What a great ending.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:44 am
I’m so glad she got a blue ribbon. It matches her shirt and her eyes.
Good job!
July 31st, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thats so totally awesome!
I love it when other people get to see “pink bubbles” in action! (thats where you dream of something you want put it in a big pink bubble and let it go, confident it will come true!) I did it for the rain the other day here in North Texas. Hahahaha.. the only thing is I asked for it to rain on ME.. and unfortunatly I ended up not staying home.. and it rained on me on my drive all over dallas for two hours..hahahaha.. and NOT ONE drop here at home where we needed it. I must learn to be more specific! ha!
And that Doodle picture.. just slays me! Please bring me that kid for pictures!!
July 31st, 2008 at 9:19 am
Just beautiful! What a wonderful accomplishment Mary! (and what a wonderful accomplishment Mommy!)
Congrats on getting that blue ribbon!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:12 am
That is freakin’ awesome. And quite possibly the cutest thing ever on a horse.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:16 am
I love that last sentence.
Such great photos.
I now want a horse.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:19 am
I’m so thrilled for her, and you! I’m crying! Roodle is awesome too, what a ham!!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:31 am
WTG Mare. No way is Auntie getting on a horse.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:32 am
I love that Ren’s chubby face!! It’s a great confidence booster for kids to earn a ribbon or medal or whatever for trying something! Now she’ll be encouraged to keep trying! Yeah for Mare!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:37 am
There is nothing better for the inside of a girl than the outside of a horse… Awesome job, Mare! AND mom– it takes courage to trust a beloved to another non-human being, but (speaking from years of experience) horses can take great care of little ones– kudos on your ability to let Mare do her thing!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:53 am
What a great post and great pictures! Those girls sure are cute!!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Such joy! Way to go Mary!
July 31st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Momma, Can I have a pony?
July 31st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Fantastic photo journalism on Mary’s big day. The pride on her face for winning exactly what she wanted…a blue ribbon! (those people are brilliant, btw)
Mary pulls at my heart strings and Ren just cracks me up completely.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
What is it about your writing that either makes my tears flow, or makes my gut hurt from laughter?
Super DEE Dooper, Mare! I’m SO frickin happy for her!
July 31st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Again, I got all choked up. I love how PROUD she looks to have the blue ribbon.
Oh, and the eeeevil look is priceless.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
TEARS! Go, Mary!! She looks so perfect up there on the horse. Great job, Momma.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
That. Is all kinds of fabulous. I love how kids don’t even care what place they come in as long as they get the color ribbon they want.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
:::Applauding::: Way to go Mare!
Is there a story behind the brooch Mare is wearing?
July 31st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Yay Mare!!!!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I know this is about Mare (WTG by the way) but seriously you have some super fantastic hair lady. I’m so jealous of that thick beautiful pony tail.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I’m new to your site and I luv it! I am so happy for Mare. You captured a mother’s joy with Mare’s winning picture, “When a child smiles her Mother beams”.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Way to go, Mary. Between you and me, we need to not only get Auntie on a horse but we need to get her a cat as well.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:48 pm
awesome! And congrats to everybody
July 31st, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Mary is the rockingest kid ever! Go Mare!
July 31st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
YEAH Team Mare!!! Liz, she is beautiful!! Congrats to Mare on the blue ribbon~ who cares how many they gave out, right?
July 31st, 2008 at 9:20 pm
oh, goodness. she was so nervous and so brave! just seeing that look on her face gives me butterflies. (it’s pretty much the same look on my husband’s face in pictures of him taken minutes before our wedding. hm…)
but man, is she ever proud of herself at the end! what a great gift you gave her. she’s probably still walking on air.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Hip, Hip, Hooray for Mare, Roo, Liz, and Cute Husband!!! Such beautiful girls and family. You are blessed.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pm
If she were any cuter, I’d have to come get her! Seriously, that is awesome - things always work out in the end. Yay Mary!
August 1st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Wow! You maust be so proud…and so relieved. lol. I’m a worrier too, so I know how hard it is to let go and let your child do something while the whole time you’re squirming inside.
She did great, and the joy on her face is just radiant. Congrats!
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 am
When I first saw the pictures I thought it WAS the baby~~Man, do they look alike .
Way to go Mare! Every child with a passion..excels ,no matter what that passion is.
Way to go moma for finding the girls passion.
You’re all just adorable .
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:56 am
I have tears in my eyes. WTG, Mary! You did awesome!!!!
August 3rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
In my browser, the shot of Mary beginning the competition lines up with the Everybody Knows about Roo picture — and they’re strikingly similar in expression!
They do look a lot alike.
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
This has got to be the most beautiful set of photos…as a scrapbooker, I am drooling. As a Mom, my eyes are filled with tears. What a moment that was…and forever captured on film…priceless…
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Dear God. Absolutely gorgeous. Every freakin’ bit of it.
Bliss.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am
That first photo is just breathtakingly gorgeous… Totally National Velvet (without the scary Elizabeth Taylor ending, of course!) It looks like Mare had fun!
August 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Yippee!
August 4th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Seems like only yesterday she was learning how to walk, now she’s riding horses and winning blue ribbons, and looking ever so cute doing so.
Way to Go Mary!
August 5th, 2008 at 10:33 am
That smile is worth more than all the ribbons in the world, regardless of color.
WTG, Mare.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Recently, when my youngest auditioned for something, for the seond time, and did not get in the second time, she thought I was disappointed in her. I told her she was my hero, how could I possibly be disappointed, she stepped outside her comfort zone, she perservered. Someone’s opinion or judgement is never the final outcome, because there is glory in trying, and in trying you rock your own world. Rock on, Mary, Rock on!
August 13th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
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