Trophy Night

Today was trophy night for Freedom Riders. Josh was in the last group of kids. We watched about 15 other kids get on horses and ride, show off what they can do, and then get a trophy. We weren't allowed to clap because one of the horses is afraid of clapping. Then they had to nix the microphone because another horse wasn't liking the way it sounded. It was a little hard to keep your attention on what was going on because of the kids running around and the lack of being able to hear what was going on but even with all of that it was pretty fun.

Josh couldn't wait to get back in the saddle. When his time came he went without even a whine or a whimper when he left my side. He had a great ride. He loved every minute of it. He played with the volunteers and waved at the audience. But the best part of all was when they gave him his trophy. It didn't matter that he had seen every other child get a trophy, it didn't matter that since he has only been there a year his trophy was smaller than some of the other kids'. They handed him a golden trophy with a horse on top and a look of surprise and joy filled his face. He squealed with joy and hugged it to his little chest. Then with a shout of victory he took the trophy in one hand and raised it as high above his head as he could. He pumped his trophy up and down a few times. The grin on his face was so big I don't know how it fit on his little head. I could almost hear him say, "I won! I won!" He was certainly a champion today.

All of the volunteers were tickled with his reaction. I was told things like, "You need to find a way to keep him from getting him any cuter. Every time I see it I don't think it could be possible but he continues to get cuter." They gushed. I was so proud.

My mother once said that when she was first starting out she knew some mothers who sang their childrens' praises all the time, bragging incessantly. She also said that a few years later she realized she did the exact same thing. This is me knowing I am doing that same thing. I still think he is pretty awesome though.