Sweet Summertime

The year is flying by.  Nothing major ever seems to happen around here but we are making all sorts of tiny steps towards our little people becoming more grown up, independent folks.  

Each morning the kids are up and out the door as the sun rises so they can feed their livestock and walk the hogs.  I often wonder if the kids realize how fortunate they are to witness such a beautiful time of day in such a beautiful area, or if some of these sunrises are totally wasted while they cuss and discuss various 'little 80 year old man' topics.  

This year the boys work with their 4-H calves all by themselves.  Get them caught, rinsed, walk them in the yard, they can do it all.  It's so incredible to watch a 50 pound boy be able to control a 1400 pound steer.  Mom, I'm 56 pounds - please get it right.  

When the kids are working on their arts and crafts projects for the fair this summer I just give them the hot glue gun and walk away.  I think some of the kids have burned their fingertips enough times they may not have any fingerprints left, but perhaps they'll grow up to become bank robbers and thank me for being so farsighted.  

The oldest is 10 and cuts all his own boards for woodworking.  I'll admit, I still peer over his shoulder on this one.  Partly because it is super dangerous, but partly because I love woodworking so much.  He seems to enjoy it as well and I love that we can bond through this.  

The three oldest kids all played baseball this summer and had a great time.  All three also played catcher at times.  This was my favorite position growing up and it gave me great pride to see them tough it out during miserably hot games.  

This day was particularly rough. She got up early to help load cattle, had swimming lessons during the late morning, picked up rocks and sticks from a previously flooded field all afternoon and then was absolutely comatose during the hour-long drive to the ballgame that evening.

Arguments are starting to evolve around here as the children age.  During breakfast last week I heard a heated discussion on what type of spray we needed to use on our soybeans.  I don't think my favorite PBS cartoon, Daniel Tiger, has a helpful jingle I can sing to diffuse these sorts of arguments.  Also along those lines, I miss many of the PBS cartoons that helped us along during the past decade.  It seems now we've graduated to old westerns, science documentaries and exploration-type shows.  

I'll admit, we push our kiddos pretty hard out here.  We see how the rest of the world is spiraling and it only further solidifies our desire to raise our children more like '80's babies', with less technology and more time outdoors and filthy.  But it's not always work!  This summer we've tried to make more time to carve out a little bit of fun.  Great Grandpa stops by occasionally and though he doesn't stay long, the kids always glean a little bit of knowledge (and a lot of bull) from him.  We recently stole away for a weekend and went camping with cousins.  The kids are now hooked and have been mentioning pooling their money to purchase a camper.  And one of the best perks of kids maturing is that we can now eat at a restaurant and actually enjoy the experience!  Our good friends recently opened a sundry in a nearby town and it is quite the place.  I enjoy a reprieve from feeding a small army and the kids enjoy eating at such a fancy place with familiar faces. 

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.

Babies, Bucket Calves and Bred Heifers

Several weeks ago we had our heifers preg checked to make sure they all had calves in their bellies.  Our oldest son, Kenyon, had turned his show heifer out in this pasture after the fair and we had high hopes that she would be bred as well.  

But before I tell you that story, I need to tell you this story. 

I hated that heifer.  

I realize that I'm not supposed to say hate, but I need to make it clear just how much I despised her.  And most of it wasn't really her fault.  It was more that she was a constant reminder of a whirlwind time in our lives and just one more thing that we didn't really need on our plates at that moment.  

It was the beginning of the pandemic and no one really understood just what was going on or the best course of action.  On top of that, I was pregnant with our fourth child.  On top of that, we had to begin our remote learning journey with our kindergartener.  On top of that, we had begun a bit of home renovation as we were having another bedroom added on for this new child and it's impending birth.  On top of that, springtime is generally a special type of hell around here; what with burning pastures, kicking calves out on grass, cooking for a crew, and on and on and on.... I could elaborate further but I feel I've adequately made my case.  We. Were. Busy.  We were busy, but somehow we were managing to just keep our heads ever so slightly above water.  

In late April I had the baby.  24 hours later we were back at home.  24 hours after that my husband gave me a bucket calf, a tiny black baldy bull.  24 hours after that (72 hours post-baby for those of you keeping track) I was given another bucket calf.  A red baldy heifer that was wilder than a march hare.  

I remember during that time mixing two large bottles for the bucket calves, loading the baby into the stroller, balancing the bottles on the stroller and walking down to the barn.  I remember nursing the baby in the barn and sometimes she would cry if the hungry calves bawled too loudly and frightened her.  So sometimes the calves got fed while the hungry baby bawled because honestly, she was much quieter than the other two.  While I fed bottles to the tiny human and tiny calves the rest of the children would do their best to help me with the other chores.  

I was always thankful for such a pretty view as I sat in the barn nursing the new baby.

Hats off to the parents that survived remote learning and
many thanks to the creative teachers that made this all possible! 

We'd walk back home and I'd do my best to whip up food for a crew of men.  I'm not the best cook on a good day, and these were far from good days.  My most sincere thanks to the hungry men that choked down my food and said thanks.  (I'm trying, guys, I promise!)  I'd load up the food in the back of my car, drive to the designated pasture and we'd have a pasture picnic.  I'd set out all the lawn chairs, lay ou the buffet in the back of the car and then nurse my tiny human baby while the men ate.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Day after day for most of our spring this is how things went.  And in the back of my mind was always the fact that we had to feed those damn bucket calves twice a day.  

I'm fine,
we're fine,
everything's fine.

But like most things in life, our situation was temporary and things started to look up after a few months.  Although one calf sadly did not make it, the red baldy finally started to take a bottle from Kenyon and allowed me a bit more freedom.  The change of the seasons meant I didn't have to cook nearly as many meals to take to the pasture and the baby didn't require quite so much of my attention as she got older.  I thanked God countless times for such a happy baby.  I don't think we could have survived otherwise.  

The heifer seemed to explode growth-wise overnight and started to look like a decent show heifer prospect.  We knew she wouldn't win any major awards but at least we wouldn't be laughed out of the ring.  After some deliberation, we decided she could be Kenyon's show heifer when he joined 4-H the next year.  He took his responsibility incredibly seriously.  Although she never calmed much for my husband or myself, Kenyon could have lead her to the ends of the earth.  They were quite good buddies and their bond was evident, as it should be with 4-Hers and their animals.  He had tears in his eyes after the fair when the trailer doors opened and he took off her halter one last time and kicked her out to pasture.  

So this fall it came time to preg check the heifers.  We allowed Kenyon to leave school early that day so he could witness the process with his heifer.  In the days leading up to this, he was so excited as he hadn't seen much of her in a few months.  My husband and I were a bit nervous as to how the ordeal would go.  What if she wasn't bred and we had to send her to the sale barn?  What if she was a total nutcase and we couldn't keep her around?   

I was elated when I got the text from my husband that the heifer was bred.  I loved it even more when he sent me this picture and said that Leeva the heifer had remembered Kenyon.  After being gathered from the large pasture and preg checked, Leeva was kicked out in a large pen with 50 other heifers.  Kenyon walked right into the middle of the herd and stood his ground as the heifers nervously frittered around him.  Little by little, he was able to make his way closer to his heifer.  Although wild by default, he said she seemed to calm when she finally realized who was in the pen with her.  He then was able to spend several nice minutes talking to her and scratching her all over.  

Even though I despised this heifer and the tumultuous time she represented in our lives, this picture still brought tears to my eyes.  (Contrary to popular belief, I'm not totally heartless.)  

I've heard countless time over the course of my life that 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.  To me, no words can do this picture justice.  To me, this photo is absolutely priceless.  

Spring has Sprung

We had a little cold spell come through a few weeks ago and there were nearly two weeks that the temperature never rose above freezing - a rarity for our area.  

The very first day that the mercury rose above 32 in the thermometer my husband turned to me and said that spring had officially sprung.  I replied back that I'd see him in May.  

Neither of us were joking.

Calving has started for us, there is ground to work, cattle to be turned out to pasture, then calves to work, then planting... We are fortunate to be surrounded by men in our lives that put in an honest day's work.  We're in that stage of life where we help out meagerly when and where we can. 

Oftentimes the baby likes to stand at the screen door and watch the world unfold in front of her.  From here she has a perfect view of the chickens, cattle, men driving up and down the road, siblings playing tag in the yard... It's not too shabby of a vantage point. 

Now that the temps are above freezing I can get back to some projects in my wood shop.  Each day I've been sneaking away for 15-20 minutes and applying stain to cabinet doors.  At this rate I'll be done in approximately 20 years. 

BVD snap tests take up the majority of my 'free time'.  I run tests for hours each afternoon while the baby naps for ourselves and several friends.  It's a very cost effective management tool that I wish would catch on for more that run calves.  

On days when the wind is NOT blowing 40+mph we try to walk a few miles.  I love these walks.  This is perfect homeschool time when we cover a plethora of subjects. 

• deer tracks vs. cattle tracks vs. horse tracks vs. raccoon tracks
• pasture management so we don't have invasive weeds like sericia
• how God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh
• genetics and breeding and why some calves are born with a bald face and some are solid colors
• calf life cycles
• rumen nutrition and microbes that live in cattle tummies (we mix and match our scientific levels)

I realize they won't absorb all, or maybe even half, of what we cover during these walks, but it sure is fun to see what their take away message was.  

On ridiculously windy days we often spend some time indoors coloring or creating with Playdough.  This little girl obviously spent more than a few moments in the fresh air that day. 

We divide and conquer when we can with parenting and often times it is not pretty.  This particular day I dropped off kiddo #2 at the side of a field with a sandwich, fresh chocolate chip cookies and a water bottle and wished him the best of luck.  His dad drove by eventually with the tractor, picked him up and they worked ground for several hours while I took everyone else to a 4-H meeting.  We rushed away as soon as the meeting was finished, swung by the field to pick up one of several verrrry sleepy kiddos and tucked them all into bed.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Day after day. 

Spring days are tough for school-aged kiddos.  Our oldest suddenly felt very ill this morning when truck after truck lined up in our yard and made just enough room for the school bus to pull in and pick him up.  He was so happy last year when school was cancelled due to the pandemic and it meant he was able to help work cattle every day.  This year will be rather traumatic for him and probably result in years of therapy.  Poor dear. 

I love this little life.  Glamorous it most certainly is not, but fulfilling it most certainly is. 

Marching Into Summer

It seems we blinked and now we're suddenly in the middle of summer.  Although, our too-smart-for-his-own-good six year old will remind me that 'technically it is not summer yet, Mom'.  Touché, kiddo.  I've not posted lately, and for a plethora of good reasons. 

1. I had a baby.  Again.  A little girl this time, named Reese.  For those of you keeping track this makes four kids in a little over six years.  It is rather intense at times, but we would not have it any other way.  

Our little ray of sunshine, baby Reese

2. We've been busy.  Like, legitimately busy.  (Refer to reason #1)  When I still had my office job I would roll my eyes when one particular man would stop by MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK to tell me just how busy he was.  He'd take 45 minutes listing out all the busy things that kept him so busy and that's why he had to be leaving soon because he was so busy with the busy work.  Since then I've come to the conclusion that the number of times someone claims to be busy is often inversely proportional to the actual busyness of the very busy person.  I often wondered if he bragged incessantly because he was trying to convince his audience how awesome he was, or if he was just trying to fool himself.  

One of the house projects that kept me busy for a few naptimes - 

sliding shelves in almost all of our lower kitchen cabinets.  

I highly recommend this feature.  It's been a game changer for us.

3. We're not that exciting.  Seriously.  Who wants to read a blog solely about ways we've been beating the summer heat?  For your information, we beat the awful heat last week by reading books in our underwear as well as sorting and wrapping coins to take to the bank.  It made for a great lesson on the value of different coins, discussion about pictures of presidents, buildings and especially state symbols on the quarters.  I highly recommend if you're looking for activities that are out of the box (while you relax in a refrigerated box).  

4. A little mystery in life is a good thing.  You don't need to know every little thing we do around here (see reason #3).  I like to touch base every few weeks to document happenings around here, especially since this blog serves as a crappy replacement for our children's baby books.  

I'm glad someone laughs at my jokes.

 5. I told myself that I couldn't do something fun like write a blog until I finished several items on my to-do list.  Thanks, Mom, for ruining my life with this rule from my childhood that I cannot seem to shake.  I finally finished writing thank you's for all the thoughtful new baby gifts and foods and thus could write a blog without feeling a massive load of guilt.  (Actually, I ran out of thank you cards so it's more of a 'pause' on my guilt until I run to town and purchase more.)

A screenshot of a typical conversation with my mother. 

We keep it real with the tough love around here. 

Now that I'm out of reasons why I DIDN'T write a blog, here's the actual meat of the blog.

And more pictures of cute kids.  Because I know why you keep coming back to read.

There are many periods when we only see my husband for a few minutes each evening or else the kids would go days without seeing him.  Last week during many evenings we played in the wheat field and each kiddo took a turn in the swather with him.  This wheat was purposefully planted to be swathed and baled, not combined.

I absolutely love this picture of my husband, son #2 and his great grandpa.  John turned his feed cap backwards and asked his great grandpa if he could turn his cap backwards too, and look like a silly dude.  We all got such a laugh out of them looking so goofy.  Simple laughs are the best.

 When it is not hotter than blazes outside we try to walk a few miles in the morning.  I consider this to be my 'alone time' as the kids like to run ahead of me by a few hundred yards at times and I'm left to enjoy the quiet as I push the stroller with Reese.

If these kids learn nothing else from their childhood, they will know how to skip rocks.  Kenyon is especially good at it, and also good at casting when fishing from all the side arm throwing practice.  This makes it difficult to get him to throw a baseball correctly, but a challenge we're working on.  I'd love to have photos of the boys playing t-ball to share but I'm helping coach their team again this summer.  I enjoy working with the herd of kids, and I figure I should serve my time volunteering before our summers get crazy in a few years with the addition of 4-H livestock.  (Assuming the kids hold this currently level of enthusiasm to show livestock when they join 4-H in a few short years.)  

What a fun week this was... kind of.  During this week the men worked calves out in the pastures and I took them lunch every day.  Making a meal every day for a dozen people with a one month old baby is a special kind of pressure.  Then Kenyon fell off the top of a stock trailer one day and needed his head glued shut and then the next day John contracted e coli and spent four days in the hospital.  Good times, good times...

There were several storms that moved through our area a few weeks ago.  Also, a friend from church gave us a pair of mudboots that Kathryn finally grew into and I allowed her to wear.  She felt it was her absolute duty to test out the mudboots in each and every single mud puddle within one square mile of our house.  Well done, child.

So there you have it.  A little slice of our lives during the past few weeks.  Heaven only knows what adventures we'll embark upon before it's time to write the next blog!