Time Marches On

Summer commenced.  

We blinked.

Summer came to an end. 

Captivating material, right?  I'm renowned for my creative writing skills.  

I've heard people exclaim 'I have no idea where the time went!', and while I understand the phrase I can assure you we know exactly where the time has gone around here.  

Our time this summer was spent in the hay fields, the ball fields, the bean fields, the corn fields - any type of field you can imagine - we were there.  

And then there were the chores.  The kids were very faithful in taking care of their animals.  Each morning they walked their hogs as well as fed and watered everything.  In the evenings, provided they didn't have ball games to play, they walked their calves and then fed and watered all their hogs, calves, horses, chickens and dogs again.  We were very proud of their work ethic.  Don't get me wrong, they grumbled on many of those hot days, but they understood the importance of their duties.  

On the weekends we'd have some quality, family bonding time while we processed calves together.  For the most part, the boys are becoming pretty decent help.  Kathryn fills in where she can and is learning the ropes... and little Reese does what most supervisors do and barks nonsensical orders that benefit absolutely no one.  

I always enjoy when someone asks if we enjoy the sunrises from our home.  
Yes, yes we do.

The kids and I try to sneak in a few walks each week before the heat gets too terrible.  They subscribe to the Robert Frost school of thought and enjoy choosing the 'road less traveled'.

Find a better babysitter.  I dare you.
Loopie is the best of the best.

6am and ready to head out the door to load cattle.  
Pink, sparkly shirt?  Check.
Pink, sparkly belt?  Check

Fishing has become much more enjoyable for all as now 75% of the kids can cast out the lines themselves.  It makes a world of difference to the parent(s). 

Reese has a pretty tough life I tell ya'.

6:30am and we were watching a concrete mixer unload into the forms for a loading chute.

It was really interesting for all of us to watch that process.

This day was absolutely awful.  The kids were fighting and screaming and I nearly lost my mind.  The next thing I know, the house is silent, save for the gently voice of Kenyon reading Bible stories to his sisters. 

Yes, Mom forgot to pack the lawn chairs one day.

Yes, the all survived eating on the ground.

Silage chopping was less than stellar this year.  

Thankful to have that one checked off the list.

A low quality photo, but I do enjoy watching the kids help us work calves.

After the fair we had the chance to go into the meat locker and see the kids' calves and hogs hanging.  It was such a great learning experience.

We are very fortunate to have many great mentors in our lives. 
(Bonus points if they are super pretty high school girls.)

The girls thoroughly enjoy oiling anything with leather.  
Halters, boots, saddles, purses, diaper bags... If you bring it, they will condition it.

They often move as a whole and I love to watch this little tribe and all their antics.  They have inside jokes, inside arguments, inside super-secret plans.  They are close and it is wonderful. 

This photo will never get old.  8am and running your hogs while topless in your socks and jelly sandals.  Life is good for R.E.C.

Kathryn touched her brother's welding project and burned a finger.  While icing it down she also passed out from sheer exhaustion.  This accurately captures the essence of our summer.  
Sheer exhaustion.

Cooking class with Grandma can be rather chaotic but the end result was oh-so-worth it.
Raisin bars with Grandma Kate for the mouth-watering win!
It was a nice change from boring ol' mom's endless pans of chocolate chip cookies.
I'm a bit of a one trick pony with baking and not afraid to admit it.

That Kid

Last night, my one year old and three year old ran around the county fair like wild banshees.  They were covered in dirt from head to toe and having the time of their life.

The three year old found an egg in one of the chicken cages in the corner of the show barn. He then found and told the seven year old owner about it.  The seven year old was so gracious and gave the egg to his new protege.  He let the little one tag along as he did his chores, changing out water and filling feed pans.  No one demanded, asked, or even suggested that he take the little one under his wing; that kid just felt it was the right thing to do.

Earlier that day, the seven year old boy stood outside the ring with his animal before the show, nervous and anxious and terrified and worried and excited and every other feeling possible on the spectrum.  A thirteen year old girl squatted down, looked him in the eye and reviewed with him the process of showing his animal.  She helped calm his fears and gave him confidence that he was more than capable of rocking it in the ring.  Again, no one suggested this budding teenager take a little one under her wing, that kid just felt it was the right thing to do.

Later, the thirteen year old girl was practicing to show an unfamiliar animal in the round robin that evening and didn't have a clue where to begin.  Showing horses is completely different than showing hogs and she needed a crash course, fast.  A college aged girl thought back fondly of her days in the show ring and took ten minutes to help the younger girl learn how to pivot her horse and where to properly hold her hands. Again, no one suggested the college student take a younger one under her wing; that kid just felt it was the right thing to do.

We are so fortunate to live in a place where we all know that kid.

A Week in the Life of a Ranch Kid

Continual apologies regarding my tardy nature.  Y'all should expect it by now.  It's been busy around here lately.  The weather has had some serious ups and downs so you'll notice the extremes in fashion choices when viewing the photos.  

John is getting to the age where he is much more interactive and engaged with all the happenings around here.  Although he doesn't talk much, he definitely is quite expressive and lets you know what he's thinking through facial expressions and gestures.  

Since he's down to mere days until he's bumped into middle child status, I'm feeling rather sentimental towards him and decided to focus primarily on the current 'youngest child' for this post. 

Watching the calves come to the feed pickup.

A little light pond dam work on the bulldozer. 

National Take Your Kid to Work Day
...or...
A normal Tuesday.

Rainy day reading with his big brother.  Kenyon was so good in explaining the differences among various implements and equipment in the tractor book.

We went to a spring show.
I got tired of chasing him.
I locked him (temporarily) in the calf scales.
(No children were harmed in the making of this photo.)

The boys, and friend, jumped off the pig loading chute hundreds of times that day.

See the bottom of his pants?  That would be an accumulation of soggy juices from playing in the feedbunks where silage had collected and then gotten rained on.
John smelled delightful after playing in this mess. 

Bath time was guaranteed that night. 

A quick trip to the hospital to see our new baby cousin...

Approximately 3 hours old, after approximately 2 hours of nursing.
She is quite possibly the world's best snuggler.  And eater, according to her mother. 

Playing on the swingset.  Over and over and over and over...

Working a little ground with Dad one evening.
I love these trips when both boys ride with their dad.  It guarantees me at least a half hour of quiet time to relax in the car by myself.  

These tomatoes aren't going to plant themselves. 

I love this photo.  It was such a fun morning planting the garden with these two. 

Feeding chickens.

I feel the need.  The need for speed.
This does not bode well for our future. 

He's exhausted?  Think about his mama trying to keep up with him!

I can't get enough of this little devilish grin.

And there you have it, folks.  As you can plainly see, this kiddo covers some serious territory during the course of a week.

Springtime is Not for Blogging

There are no apologies regarding the lack of posts lately.  Do you know why?

Springtime is not for blogging.  

Springtime is for chickens.

Springtime is for playing on the porch, watching your mom work in the flower beds. 

Springtime is for planting garden produce.  A backhoe?  Well, how else is someone supposed to dig a proper hole for a tomato plant if not with a backhoe?

Springtime is for riding bulls.

And springtime is time for riding lawnmowers with Dad.

Springtime is for grocery shopping.  Well, really anytime is time for grocery shopping with John in the chest carrier and Kenyon in the cart.  For the life of me, I can't understand why 'grocery shopping' is not considered exercise in any of the workout apps on my phone.

Springtime is for storms.

Springtime is for reading stories to your grandma.

And, according to her, a perfectly acceptable time to load up on ice cream right before bedtime.

It is time for stories and morning coffee with your grandad. 

It is time for hanging out with your brother.

Springtime is for playing HARD at the park.

Springtime is when we have a meeting of the minds and talk garden layouts.

Springtime is when we sleep in lightweight pj's, or maybe no pj's at all.

Springtime is when we absolutely pass out after a hard day of working outside.

Springtime is when God shows off some of His best skies.

No, my friends, springtime is not for blogging.  Springtime is for soaking up everything outside.