Swimming

Blake came home from school Friday and he really wanted to go swimming.  It was a perfect hot day, but we weren't able to take him.  I looked up swim times for Monday, thinking it would be a good thing to do for FHE.  He was not satisfied.  Next thing I know he had found this old giant plastic lid and had roped his dad into helping him line and fill it.  The water was really cold.  That night he only got his feet in.

By Saturday afternoon the sun had warmed it up and it was the perfect temperature.  Blake spent a long time after he mowed sorta swimming around in it.

I did take him Monday to the pool.  Dave had some stuff that had to be done for the roofers, so I just took the kids up.  We where in a hurry to make swim time since it was only for an hour.  As a result I forgot the camera.  I wish I would have remembered.  It was pouring rain, but no thunder and lightning so the pool stayed open.  Blake and Cora where the only people in the pool, I am not sure the lifeguard was pleased she had to come out in the rain to watch them.  Leah and I sat huddled under an umbrella watching.  It really would have been a sweet picture. 

When I first joined Pinterest (4yrs ago) I saw this advent calendar centered around Christ.  I knew immediately I wanted to make one.  In January I finally sat down and started working on it.  The one I saw was numbers, pictures of the Savior, and the top said "Christ the Savior is Born".  I wanted to add scripture to mine.  I thought about doing the Christmas story, then about the different names of Christ, ie: The Rock, The Good Shepard.  (I still love this idea and will do something with it for Christmas) I finally settled on scriptures telling how we can become more Christlike.  It then took me months to research scriptures, narrow it down to the 24 I wanted, paint, modg podge, cut wood, etc.  I knew it would take me awhile, that is why I started early.  But I thought it was a little funny when I went to get the wood the guy at the store was trying to help me pick just what I wanted.  He asked what it was for.  When I told him he said, 'Yes, because clearly Christmas is right around the corner.'  I started laughing.  Anyways without further ado here is a crappy picture of the finished product. 

I should have had Christ stand out more, maybe paint a red square behind it????  You can't really see but the scriptures are on vellum circles and have attribute (Just, Kind, Honest) and are glued to the board.  If I was to make another I would do a few things different, but overall I'm happy with the results and glad it is finally done.  

Earning $.... hopefully! :)

In January I started thinking about where Cora could get a job in this area, how she could work and play ball, and many other scenarios.  Nothing was playing out satisfactorily in my head.  I realized I am a greedy mom.  I don't want my kids having to ask for time off so I can go on summer holiday.  Or if I decided to go to my parents for the day. I want to just go.  I can't afford to pay them to work on the farm like my dad did for me growing up. But they do need to learn to work and need money for mission and college.   So what to do.....?  I started thinking about how my brothers went to the auction and bought cows for their mission funds.  My kids didn't have the money to buy the first cow.  Again....hmmmm?  I finally decided to talk to Dave.  I let him know right up front this might be crazy and not work but hear me out.  I was also concerned about how it would effect Amber and Jared since this is a partnership.  I wanted to make sure bottom line we would not be taking anything away from them, because obviously that wouldn't work.  So after thinking of all possible solutions and how we wanted things to play out, this is what we have decided to do.  We took the kids to the field and had them each pick a cow.  Right off one of them wanted this one with the neat perfect  square.  We said nope to that since we know Amber likes that one.  They had to keep looking.

Leah picked this pretty chocolate one.  His number is #8036.  She picked a steer, wants fast money I think.  She named him Skittles. (Not sure why??)

Blake loved this tiny one. #8008.  Dave was trying to get him to pick a bigger one, but he wanted this cute thing.  Named him Bucko.

Since Cora has less earning years we had her pick a yearling.  I think the brown nose is what won her over on this one.  #9.  Cora is thinking about naming her Shish-Kebab, but is not decided yet. 

Now first we know these cows are not 'theirs'  they are the farms, but we wanted them to have a cow they where looking for.  One to get excited about when it was pregnant, to look for in the field.  The kids would be more willing to get out and do the work if they felt they had a little ownership.  After they picked a cow we explained what we planned to do.  After we sell and the money has been divided between the two partners, we will take our half and figure out what the kid's cows would have been worth.  We will then put that amount in their bank accounts and have them pay tithing on it.  Because they did not buy the cow originally or are paying for it's feed, their payment to us for the cow is all the farm work they do.  Checking, feeding, bailing, moving, etc.  For spending money they can still mow the lawn, vacuum car etc.  Leah was a little unclear of the concept in the beginning.  She thought I was just going to give her a couple hundred dollars every year.  But we got her sorted out.  Hopefully this will work.  They can earn money for mission and college, we are not taking anything from the other partners, they can still earn a little pocket money, and learn to work and budget by working around the farm.  We will see.  Fingers crossed.:)

The Great Escape

So far it has been a fantastic weekend.  Friday night we went with Pierson's and Davis' to a place called the Great Escape.  You get locked in room for 45 minutes and have to find clues to unlock safes and decode message for other things and try to get out.  It was really neat and a little nerve racking.  But in a good way.  You could push a bell and get a hint if needed.  We were seriously so  very close get getting out.  We where working on a the last clue when time ran out.  Since we were that close they let us finish as they waited.  After we went out for dinner.  It was so great to get together with them again.  I miss hanging out with those fun couples.  Early this morning I took Cora and Leah with the youth down to do temple baptisms.  It was pouring rain.  We got back just in time to take all the kids to the circus.  I hadn't planned on it, but when we got home the night before they had got the house so clean and it was rainy, what else was there to do.  It was a nice circus.  Just a few acts.  My favorite was the aerial straps, that was done to music from Last of the Mohican's.  Loved it.  Tomorrow is church then the girls have Bishop's Youth Discussion.  Always a good time.  Monday is a holiday and we get to spend the day together.  Despite the rain it has been good so far. And really we needed the rain.

Mother's Day

OK! I am finally willing to admit that I don't really like Mother's Day.  I know I can hear gasps and lots of Whaaaat's??? But it is true.  I don't.  Every year I'm sure it will be different, but it's not.  Maybe I expect to much from my kids or to little.  I don't know.  I can't stand breakfast in bed.  I think that would be the worst thing and told my kids so early on.   I never really want anything.  Dave stopped giving me gifts yeas ago since I could not really think of anything.  Which is great.  I'm not his mom anyways.  I know, many argue that I'm the mother of his children.  But so what.  Dave shows me everyday in little ways that he appreciates me and everything that I do, I don't need a day set aside.  It bothers me that the church feels they need to give all the mothers a gift.  Not sure how that tradition started. And why do we have to be so praised that day, like normally we don't feel up to the task, so go overboard to make us all feel like we are doing a good job this one day.  Then on the other swing of things I, for some reason, expect my kids to be amazingly obedient that day.  Yet it always turns out terrible.  Blake refused to get in the shower, Leah was sick, Cora was upset that she couldn't decide what dress to wear.  After church I told them I wasn't doing dishes and sat and read while I watched them.  Well I had to keep sending the kids back in, and I felt I missed out.  I actually really enjoy cooking and cleaning up after.  Especially when we work together.  Saturday and Monday where fabulous.  All the kids got in and saved Dave hours and hours of work.  They did it with joy and laughing.  Leah told me she would finish vacuuming the water out of the basement so I could make it to the dump.  Blake mowed tons of lawn and later told Dave he would finish vacuuming out the equipment so Dave could set up the next chore.  Cora volunteered to check cows twice so we could do other things and stayed right with Dave for hours mixing grass seed.  They helped cook and clean up.  We even had time for a fire Monday evening.  Those where normal days for us.  Sunday was not nice.

I am going to pretend Saturday was Mother's day. :)  I do enjoy the little things the kids make at school.  The necklace is what Blake made me.  It matched the earrings he gave me last year. And I loved the questioners they filled out when they where younger.  Being a mom is tough.  It really is the greatest heartache and the most wonderful joy I have ever felt. Sometimes I don't know the answer or the right way to deal with something. Sometimes I just want to sit in a corner and read.  But most days I love it.  I love the running, around, the cooking, the laundry, the late night chats, the cleaning, the working, the joy of watching them grow, the crafts, listening to them, I could go on and on.  I love everything about being a mom except Mother's Day. 

Cement

YAY!!!!  I have cement.  It looks great.  These guys where so nice.  They didn't mind me taking all these pictures, or Dave and I just hanging out watching for awhile.  When we booked they said they would be there at 8 in the morning on Wednesday.  Monday for FHE we did lots more of the prep work.  Dave was very close to being done, we had been so close to ready when it snowed last fall. We just had to push hard at the end.

Tuesday we where starting to feel a little panicked about all that needed to be completed.  After Young Women's I left the kids with instructions to get in bed and planned to help Dave as late as he needed.  We worked till about 11pm.

He got up the next morning at 4.  As soon as Cora was off I was going to go back over.  The cement workers showed up at 6:45.  A tad early.  Cora sent a text to her seminary teacher that she would not be there. I just couldn't be in  two places at once and Dave really needed me.

We did get it done by the time they where all set up.

The kids got all ready for school.  I gave them a 95% that morning on being wonderful. :)  Leah wanted to know what happened to the other 5.  I told her if she would have gotten scripture reading in it would have been 100%

Look how awesome.

It had kinda been a last minute decision that if we had extra cement we would have them come over and put some where the cows where.  Jared had worked hard and late to get that ready as we did our house.

We where glad that after his work it wasn't a waste of time.  Now on to the next step.

Stories

These first two stories I have already told everyone.  Since they made me laugh though, I didn't want to forget them.  So I am writing them down.  Sorry you have to hear them twice.

1.  Last year Natalie told me she had made her own deodorant.  I decided to also try it and have never looked back.  A couple of months ago, Dave ran out of deodorant.  I had just made a new batch and this time it was grapefruit.  I thought that would be okay for him to smell like grapefruit on the farm.  I told him to just use mine, it was in the bathroom.  A minute later he called out to me asking if it was in a jar.  I told him that it was.  Making sure he could find it I walked into the bathroom to see him icing his armpits with my new homemade toothpaste.  I was laughing so hard I could barely tell him what it was and show him the correct jar.

2. A few weeks ago I was talking to my mom on the phone.  As I was talking to her I remembered that it was the day my sister was blessing her baby.  Even tho she already knew I wasn't able to attend I wanted to send her a quick text and let her know I was thinking of her.  I looked all over for my phone.  I even started to get a little panicky.  I searched rooms and under blankets.  I finally decided that when I got done talking to my mom I would call my phone to see where it was.  It took me a full five minutes to realize, I was on my phone.

3. I decided to go out and do a cow check tonight.  It is a beautiful night.  Warm, not to dusty after our snow.  The sun is starting to set.  No one else was around at the moment. I took Jared's quad and headed out.  I slowly drove up, down, and around the cows.  I then saw three calves off in a corner by themselves and a cow sitting down.  I slowly drove that way, making sure to not get to close.  I was thinking if she was going into labor soon I didn't want to make her get up.  I stayed a bit away and saw a little head poking out.  The three other calves where right there, intently watching.  (Quite often when we go check cows,  the calves will be off playing together or all sitting in the sun together.  I think it is so cute.  Like they are little friends hanging out.  Makes me smile every time.)

 I turned the quad off and just sat.  It did not take long.  Out slipped this beautiful new calf.  At that point Dave came over, he was close by in a tractor, and we watched for a few minutes as it struggled to get up.  It was not more than 6 minutes and the new calf was licked dry, standing up, wobbling around, and nursing.  It's new friends right there ready to play.  I haven't actually watched a calf being born since I was in high school.  It was a neat experience again.  Kinda made me all sentimental on this Mother's Day Eve.   I have the best mother in the world and one fabulous mother-in-law.  I am so grateful how my mom raised me and Dave's mom raised him. It was a good moment.  Dave got back in the tractor and I watched for a few more minutes then came home and hugged my own amazing kids that I am so proud of and thankful to them for making me a mom.

Whole Lotta Pictures

Just some fun things we have been up to lately.

Jared built this awesome cage to catch the new calves with when tagging.  Pulls smoothly behind his quad.  It is so nice to have.  I don't feel in any danger when I'm helping tag now. The kids felt the need to ride in it for some reason one day while checking.

Cement is coming tomorrow.  Getting the last of the prep done.

Working late. But wow the weather is amazing.  We need rain but are hoping for a roof first so no damage is done.

Some fencing.

Cora was making us dessert this day. So no pictures of her.

Some milking.

Cora does not mind this growing out stage when we straighten her hair.  She has gotten so many compliments.  I think it is a little funny, since the main reason you didn't want to grow it out was because she was afraid all her curls would be gone.  

How Leah helped us milk.  It was kinda fun, both families out there working together to get the cow in and taken care of.

Getting ready for stake conference.

Finally stopped in to see the windmill blade.  Those things are huge.

Apple crisp with caramel sauce.  Oh yum, that one was good. I find I do not can tons, but use jars a lot.  They are so great for sending smoothies to school, individual desserts (Helps so I don't eat to much and pop a lid on they are perfect for lunches), small leftovers in the fridge, syrups. Picnics.   So handy.

The kids are really loving this warm weather farming.  Even Leah will volunteer to go out sometimes.  Still shocks us:) But Cora is always right there.  She loves this life and telling everyone she lives on a farm and helps take care of cows and that she drives a tractor.  Blake most of the time too.  Dave loves it when we all go out and work together.  He said the other day, "This is fun isn't it?"  Yes this is what we moved for.  Now if only the guy who said he would put our roof on would return messages.  I think Dave is just about to the point where he is calling someone else.  Ughh so frustrating.