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.

Someone Is...

With four kids underfoot, it seems life around here is merely a game of odds, or probability, if you will.  Chances are that someone in our family is doing at least one of these things at any given time.   

Someone is always hungry.  

You simply cannot add enough spicy salsa to this kid's scrambled eggs.
Not possible.

Someone is always in the middle of a growth spurt (thus the hungry part).  

Someone is always drawing blood, getting bruised, being banged up. 

Someone is always needing a shower. (Or a power washer.  Sometimes you have to pull out the big guns.)

Someone is usually reading a book. 

Someone is normally shouting.

Someone is always wrestling.

Someone is normally arguing with a sibling.

Someone probably deserves a swat on the behind.

Mom: Reese, are you supposed to be on the table?
Reese: No! Good girl.
*cue angelic smile*

Someone is wanting to draw. 

Someone is wanting to go fishing. 

Someone is doing something, somewhere, with cattle.

Someone is always needing a nap. 

Someone is singing and/or dancing. 

We constantly listen to the new Cody Johnson CD in the car and everyone jams out. 
And yes, we still listen to 'old school' CDs.

Someone is always exhausted.  (Me.  It is me, the mom.) 

These are a Few of My Favorite Things (Summer Edition)

Now that we all have an image of Julie Andrews prancing around in a field stuck in our heads, let's proceed, shall we? 

I enjoy my morning run by the corn field.  It has finally grown tall enough that the blazing sun doesn't scorch me until it has risen fairly high in the sky, by which time I am certainly done running. 

This is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures ever.  We went as a family one evening to move hay bales off the field.  I let the kids out during one load to 'blow some stink off' and they played tag and ran to their hearts' content. 

Question: What is better than an impromptu party with your cousins?

Answer: Not a dang thing.

Also quickly becoming another favorite of mine: the dreaded cousin hangover.  When you play so long and so hard that your earthy existence hangs in the balance for the following 24 hours at a minimum.  Symptoms include: falling asleep at the supper table, crying for no apparent reason, scowling at the general public, and drifting off into daydreams of the fun times had while clutching your princess heart shaped mirror. 

Fishing as a family with our dogs.  They are so awesome.  

Does he have a future as a racecar driver?  His mother says NO. 

I love that child #2 has taught child #3 to slant at an unnatural angle and ruin any attempt to take a decent picture of them while clean and dressed in church clothes. 

She enjoys 'writing' letters to people and reads the letters aloud to me as she scribbles away. 

MOST of the time, he's the world's most helpful big brother.  He doesn't take that responsibility lightly. 

These kids have been feather-finding, egg-finding, nature-finding fools that summer.  It seems like I constantly have an egg, lizard, feather, toad or bug shoved in my face to admire. 

If I take a morning run in one direction, I see nothing but corn.  If I run the other direction, this is my view.  On mornings when I know it will be a magnificent sunrise I usually opt to run this direction.  I've yet to be disappointed. 

Her little smirk makes it difficult to parent in a stern manner sometimes.  

Our kids fell in love with snapping beans with their grandad.  Kenyon snapped for two hours solid and never wanted to leave and play with his siblings. 

The world's very best goodnight hug. 

Very similar to a cousin hangover, a grandparent hangover can also be quite lethal.  Beware. 

These are a few of my favorite things.  (Sorry, I couldn't leave you without that little earworm.  I hope it gets stuck in your head the rest of the day.)