Signs

Last Tuesday, March 20th, marked the 1st day of Spring.  Oh Joy!

This is the first year of my life (and could be the last) that I have ever actually seen spring come so early.

The signs I've seen:

• Rain:  it's raining/sprinkling/drizzling here today.  So, I've been in the house with kids who have been a little on the crabby side. 
• Temperature:  while the temperature today isn't overly warm, it's definitely the warmest calving weather we've been blessed with since we got married. 
• I'm loving the nice spring weather...the kids can run around in fleece coats and waterboots without ever getting too cold.
• Robins:  I've seen a few here and there the last week....that's always a sure sign of spring.
• Geese:  We've had hundreds land in our pasture out back where the cows are.  It's fun to go out and see them up close.
• Green things....the grass is starting to turn green, the evergreens are more freshly green than normal (or so it seems)...
• Matts' been in the field...
• he chisel plowed a former CRP field across the road
• he plowed another field, too
• (which has taken a while because the first day was going well until a wheel fell off the plow...it's taken him a day to fix it, and he was back at it again this morning....he says he's almost done, though.)
• He plowed my garden up, too....
• which was nice - I still had rows of frozen, dried-up plants from last year, as well as rotten carrots and beets that I didn't harvest  before they froze completely
• now it's nice and black, and waiting for the weather to warm up so we can start all over again.
• my kids:  they live for playing outside.....it takes all the patience I've got to make them stay in so I can finish some things up before we all go out to play....they can't be out running around if Matt's in the yard with the tractor, so that's always my big struggle - making sure they don't sneak outside on me. 
• Oh well, though, I'm glad they like to play outside...
• Farm Babies:  the calves are coming...so far, we've got about 25-30 LIVE calves.  Things are going good....
• unless you count the fact that Matt hasn't had much sleep the past couple of nights....
• he's sleeping as I write this, in a kitchen chair with his arm and head resting on the table...
• thank goodness it's a short season!

Clarence stayed home from the babysitter yesterday because he needed to help Matt.  Sometimes when I bring him to the sitter, he tells me that he has to stay home, because "Daddy gonna be mad at me."  Well, Clarence, no he won't, and telling me that won't bring you back home again.  If I tell him Matt's going to be working on machinery, he understands, because Matt's told him that it's dangerous.  I'll say, "Daddy's going to be plowing, or working on machinery, and you can't be around when he does that."  He asks, "Is it dan-jes?"  (I love hearing him try to pronounce words!)

Even as we're sitting here now, he's still in his pull-up because he just got up from his nap, and Matt's trying to catch another minute of sleep, he's talking about being outside.  He just said to Matt, "Daddy, let's go feed cows."  (In the rain....he loves it!)  He's also been worried about the cats, dog, horses, calves, heifers, bulls, chicks and chickens today. 

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Adina's been starting to talk lately.

Her newest words are:

Thank You:  koo-koo

Love You: koo-koo

Please: pees

And we've also been working on animal noises.

I'll say, what's a cow say?  oooooo

a pig?  She snorts.

a kitty?  mohw

a puppy?  puppy

She's also good about brushing her teeth - when she can do it.
When we were skiing, Grandma Carmen taught her to sing while she brushes, so she'll take the toothbrush, twist it around on her tongue until she's eaten all the toothpaste (all the while singing "awwwwwww" in different pitches).  Once I take the toothbrush and actually try to brush her teeth, though, it's quite a battle. 

She's really funny right now... She makes all sorts of funny faces, sometimes eats like a princess - other times, not; she can put on her own water boots and hat and carries me her coat so she can go out and play; and she's still attached to her pacifier.  She has also moved from her crib to a big bed, which she sleeps very well in. 

Hope you're having a good day!

Say an extra prayer for a distant cousin of mine - she's 34, was just diagnosed with cancer, and is having surgery today.  She's got a husband and two little boys as well.  Thanks! 

Something to Ponder

As I was sitting here looking on Facebook, I read someone's status about losing weight.  She said, "Losing weight is not about looking better; it is about feeling better and living longer. God gave us this one life and one body."


What I'm wondering is:

Do you think God gave us a set amount of days on Earth no matter what, or can we live "longer" by improving our health?

Or, do we just improve the quality of the set amount of days of our life?

I think it's the latter....let me know what you think, please.  Thanks!

Three Year Olds

Well, as you can see, this post is going to be about Clarence.

Lately, his behavior has been just crazy. 
One minute he's an angel, the next, a monster. 

He'll be fine helping me do something, then totally tune me out. 

He'll be happy and satisfied playing, then start screaming because he heard the tractor start up and he's not in it.

He tells me he'll be a good boy at church, then when we get there, he goes limp, runs around, ignores me, and does whatever he wants.

I'm sort of at a loss for how to handle this situation.

So, I googled "three-year old behavior".

It's normal everyone....completely normal.

The first article I read said:

• They are more mobile and expressive...they know how to ask for things, how to get things they want, and how to scream when you say "no".  They don't know how to use adult logic, though.
• They want independence...they want to push boundaries and stretch limits.  The article told me this is how a child learns and gains confidence.
• They think everything is the end of the world....as far as rules go.
• They have a short attention span unless they are engaged in some activity (like Clarence when he gets on his feeding cows thing, or corralling Ruby, our dog)

How to deal with it?

• The only suggestion this article gave was to try and enter their world.
• Which means:  if they are whining about a toy or something, try and talk to them about it positively with them to calm them down, then gradually change the subject.  Talk to them like a child, because they are a child.
• In theory, it's probably a good idea....it's just something I need to remember at my most frustrating moments.
• Another article suggested:
• Choose your battles...definitely a big one for me, too. I need to let some things go.  But when and which ones?
• A quote from this article: "Little kids can control little things." 
• That's definitely something I need to remember.  At this age, he still doesn't know what's best for him.  I can let him choose things so he feels like he has some control, but ultimately, he still needs to listen.

Anyway, I've had some struggles lately and an unsure of how to handle them.  Any advice would be gladly welcomed!

Have a super day!

Craziness

• We went on vacation the first week in March. 
• We left March 1st, after we had
• brought the kids to the babysitter in Roseau
• shipped two semis of calves (150 animals)
• paid bills in town
• finished packing
• and we were on the road by 4-ish.....not really the goal dad was hoping for, but oh well, we were on our way.
• We went to Big Sky
• The snow was AWESOME!
• the weather was, too
• the cabin was a great place to stay
• we were so exhausted after every day of skiing....my dad's extremely hardcore
• and Matt's extreme (All the time!)
• we came home and I went to Fargo for my LPM class
• that was fun, too.....I learn so much every time I go there.
• seriously, if you're a church musician and are interested in learning how to improve that area of your church, it's definitely the class to take....
• talk to me and I'll fill you in!
• All last week, I subbed in St.Vincent
• I was quite tired by the end of last week....
• there wasn't really an end to the running
• Friday we went to Fargo to stock up on calving supplies....
• you know, the ear tags, tubing bottles, powdered colostrum, etc.... we were low and needed a lot of stuff, so we headed down to Fargo together....it was fun!
• we stopped at TSC on the way home and bought 8 baby chicks and 3 baby ducks.  The kids are loving the new additions to our farm.
• They have used every opportunity possible to feed and water their new animals. 
• And they (the animals) are all still alive.
• Monday I had piano lessons all day
• Today, we've just been hanging out
• We had our first two "on schedule" calves
• Matt's thrilled that they're alive
• as am I
• (we've had a couple cows abort these last couple of weeks, so live newborn calves are a wonderful welcome!)
• Clarence has been busy helping Matt as much as he can
• he thinks he's an important helper (which he is!)
• Adina likes to help, too, but she's only patient for about a half hour, and then she's ready to find something else to do....she just likes when people actually think to include her.
• We pulled the second one....but it's  alive.
• I sub again next week, but then I'll be done subbing for awhile because we don't have a steady babysitter and I'd like to be home to help with calving when and where I can.
• Anyway, now you're caught up a little....

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather!  We sure are!  The kids are loving playing outside....in the sandbox, feeding the dog and cats, swinging on the swings, and building forts.