#1 - I had a baby appointment this last Monday. I will be 28 weeks tomorrow (Sunday). Yay! I am now at the point where I can start going to appts. every 2 weeks, but she told me everything's fine so if I want to space them out more for now, I can. Baby's doing well....moving a lot. Clarence was patient enough to wait for a kick the other day. He thought that was pretty cool. Adina just pretends like she's feeling for it, but she's too impatient.
#2 - My doctor is due with twins Feb. 9th (I'm due Jan 20th)...I'm hoping she'll be around still when I have my baby...I really want her to do my c-section! I've set a date the week before my due date, but for now, I'll just keep it a secret...it's fun to be surprised when babies show up out of the blue, don't you think?
#3 - Clarence still loves school. He likes when Matt picks him up after school so he can come home and get work done, though. I think he worries the farm can't make progress without him when he's at the babysitter. He's really into watching cowboy movies lately. His new favorite is a John Wayne movie, "The Cowboys". He talks about bringing his cows to Belle Fousche all the time. He'll load his cows and horses in his big semi and say he's bringing them to Belle Fousche. You can tell he's seen the movie a couple of times!
#4 - Adina's doing great as well. She now loves having her hair done...we do braids and pony tails with barettes to hold her bangs back. She looks so grown up with her hair done. The only time she takes her hair out is if she's mad at me...like it's supposed to bother me or something. She's definitely going through her "terrible twos" these days, though. Or maybe it's just because she's a girl, I don't know, but her mood changes almost instantly. She'll be happy and cheerful one minute and screaming if she doesn't get her way the next. She's really been testing my patience level...:) Most of the time I handle it well, though, and leave her alone and let her get over her tantrums by herself. She's getting a lot better at doing that.
She's also big into makeup, perfume, and pins. Grandma Carmen sent her home with a box full of pins she wore to work in the '80's. Adina's a huge fan. We decorate her whole shirt with weird little pins, and then do photo shoots. She also loves having her picture taken...I say smile, she does, then wants to see each picture as we take them.
#5 - Matt's been working hard, as usual...he's been working on putting up a new fence on some land we have north of our house. He wants to put the cows out there to fall graze this next week. The kids and I have been helping some, but he's done a lot of the work himself this last week. He's also been continuing to work on my house...thanks, hun!, and feed cows, etc. Clarence tries to make sure he helps feed cows every day...it's important to him to be involved.
#6 - The kids and I made sugar cookies last Sunday. We used Halloween cookie cutters: a bat, an owl, and a pumpkin. Then, we frosted them and put candy corn and sprinkles on them. The kids had so much fun with the sprinkles and eating the frosting. We have a lot of randomly sprinkled cookies, but they're so, so cute! And we had such a fun afternoon doing that together. It's one of my favorite memories from when I was little - doing the same thing with my mom.
#7 - Mark and Andrea are here today to help put up soffit and fascia on the house and to start the siding on the addition. Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to get the addition closed in better so that we can use the back door as our main entrance, even if it's only stud walls. I'm going to lock the front door and have a real living room again! Yippee!
#8 - Clarence and Adina spent the night at Grandma Juli and Grandpa Lowell's house last night. On the way there, Adina talked about "riding Hico" (Chico) the whole time...she's obsessed with Chico. (I think it's definitely time for me to look for a nice old horse for the kids!) Clarence talked about going to the farm with Grandpa Lowell to drive his little pickup around the shop and the farm. He was so excited to be going there. I called Mom's house this morning and Clarence answered the phone - it really surprised me! He did so well talking to me, though. He told me they're making cookies this morning with Grandma. They love getting to help bake in the kitchen. Adina talked to me, too. She was pretty excited, so I couldn't understand everything she was talking about, but I got that she slept well, she's making cookies, and she's been drinking chocolate milk. :)
#9 - I'm excited for snow. And Christmas. I love this time of year so much...I wish it lasted longer. :)
#10 - I'm going to be subbing a lot between now and Thanksgiving...better to sub now than after Christmas when I'll want to be home with my kids and the new baby!
Hope you're having a super weekend! And month!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Progress!
Well, I'm subbing today; right now, I'm watching a study hall class...2 seniors. The teacher I'm subbing for left me her computer, so here I sit, writing my post. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be reading a new John Grisham book I found in the library, or planning Clarence's birthday party menu.
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
- put lights in every room but the bathroom,
- put up all the closets we're going to need,
- put in nearly all the outlets,
- put in the remaining three windows,
- put in closet doors,
- and built the walls over the basement stairs.
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Fun Fabulous Fall!
I absolutely love fall.
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Excitement
It's been a good start to the week.
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Clarence's Daily/Weekly/Monthly and Adina's new obsession
Here's what I can remember from some funny things my sweet little boy has said recently. He continually cracks me up with his conversations, his addiction/obsession with the farm, and his love of helping his dad and grandpa.
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
I Wonder Where This Is Going...
I've got an itch I can't scratch....
It all started a couple weeks ago when a guest speaker came to church with his drawings. His sermon was about letting go of old programs that are "dead", being open to change and new ideas, and to focus our lives on what gives us life instead of what drains us. If there is something in our lives that is continually draining us, we need to think of a way to change it and either let go of it or change, then find things that give us life and go with them.
Then, I started a book called "7" by Jen Hatmaker. If you've never read it, read it. I'll highlight a little, or maybe a lot, since I'm obsessed. She's a Christian writer, and the book is about her 7-month fast on seven different things. For a month at a time, she focuses on one thing: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media or stress. Then, those single focuses are broken down by seven again: seven items of clothing, seven kinds of food, seven types of media, seven places to shop, seven ways to reduce waste, and I don't know about stress because I'm not there yet. Every "month" hits me hard....I spend way too much on food, clothing, in front of the computer/tv, random items to buy "just because", etc.
I just finished the "waste" month.
Here's a quote from the book: "I keep thinking about our obsession with health. Our kids have been immunized, checked, prodded, measured, tested, and examined since the day they were born. Cuts get antibacterial creme and bandaids. Twisted ankles get ice. Strep throats get antibiotics. We fuel our bodies with good food, drinking enough water and milk to keep the wheels on.....
Why? Because God gave us spectacular bodies, and we value them.
But as certainly as God created man in His image, He first created the earth. With the same care He designed sixty thousand miles of blood vessels in the human body, He also crafted hydrangeas and freshwater rapids and hummingbirds. He balanced healthy ecosystems with precision and established climates and beauty. He integrated colors and smells and sounds that would astound humanity. The details He included while designing the earth are so extraordinary, it is no wonder He spent five of the six days of creation on it.
So why don't we care for the earth anywhere near to the degree we do our bodies? Why don't we fuss and examine and steward creation with the same tenacity? Why aren't we refusing complicity in the ravaging of our planet? Why aren't we determined to stop pillaging the earth's resources like savages? Why do we mock environmentalists and undermine their passion for conservation? Do we think ourselves so superior to the rest of creation that we are willing to deplete the earth to supply our luxuries? If so, we may bery well be the last generation who gets that prerogative."
I've been thinking this over and over and over. How can I be a better steward of the earth?
I can recycle.
I can plant a garden.
I can conserve my trips to town.
I can plant trees.
So, not only do I want to be more green, I want to be a better spender, very watchful of where every penny goes, then give the money I would have otherwise spent on myself to those who actually need things. This book drills over and over that Jesus wants us to help the poor, needy, the orphans, the homeless, all those who can't help themselves. What are we doing spending all this money on ourselves? And what is God going to say to us when we meet him if that is all we ever do?
AHHHH!
Anyway...I feel like I need to change some directions of my life right now. I'm not helping the needy in any way that I can think of, and I want to. I am not a green person, either, and I want to be a good steward of the earth. I need to start recycling...that's something major I can do right away. I have to tell myself "no" when I want to buy something "just because".
Well, enough of my rant for now....
See ya!
It all started a couple weeks ago when a guest speaker came to church with his drawings. His sermon was about letting go of old programs that are "dead", being open to change and new ideas, and to focus our lives on what gives us life instead of what drains us. If there is something in our lives that is continually draining us, we need to think of a way to change it and either let go of it or change, then find things that give us life and go with them.
Then, I started a book called "7" by Jen Hatmaker. If you've never read it, read it. I'll highlight a little, or maybe a lot, since I'm obsessed. She's a Christian writer, and the book is about her 7-month fast on seven different things. For a month at a time, she focuses on one thing: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media or stress. Then, those single focuses are broken down by seven again: seven items of clothing, seven kinds of food, seven types of media, seven places to shop, seven ways to reduce waste, and I don't know about stress because I'm not there yet. Every "month" hits me hard....I spend way too much on food, clothing, in front of the computer/tv, random items to buy "just because", etc.
I just finished the "waste" month.
Here's a quote from the book: "I keep thinking about our obsession with health. Our kids have been immunized, checked, prodded, measured, tested, and examined since the day they were born. Cuts get antibacterial creme and bandaids. Twisted ankles get ice. Strep throats get antibiotics. We fuel our bodies with good food, drinking enough water and milk to keep the wheels on.....
Why? Because God gave us spectacular bodies, and we value them.
But as certainly as God created man in His image, He first created the earth. With the same care He designed sixty thousand miles of blood vessels in the human body, He also crafted hydrangeas and freshwater rapids and hummingbirds. He balanced healthy ecosystems with precision and established climates and beauty. He integrated colors and smells and sounds that would astound humanity. The details He included while designing the earth are so extraordinary, it is no wonder He spent five of the six days of creation on it.
So why don't we care for the earth anywhere near to the degree we do our bodies? Why don't we fuss and examine and steward creation with the same tenacity? Why aren't we refusing complicity in the ravaging of our planet? Why aren't we determined to stop pillaging the earth's resources like savages? Why do we mock environmentalists and undermine their passion for conservation? Do we think ourselves so superior to the rest of creation that we are willing to deplete the earth to supply our luxuries? If so, we may bery well be the last generation who gets that prerogative."
I've been thinking this over and over and over. How can I be a better steward of the earth?
I can recycle.
I can plant a garden.
I can conserve my trips to town.
I can plant trees.
So, not only do I want to be more green, I want to be a better spender, very watchful of where every penny goes, then give the money I would have otherwise spent on myself to those who actually need things. This book drills over and over that Jesus wants us to help the poor, needy, the orphans, the homeless, all those who can't help themselves. What are we doing spending all this money on ourselves? And what is God going to say to us when we meet him if that is all we ever do?
AHHHH!
Anyway...I feel like I need to change some directions of my life right now. I'm not helping the needy in any way that I can think of, and I want to. I am not a green person, either, and I want to be a good steward of the earth. I need to start recycling...that's something major I can do right away. I have to tell myself "no" when I want to buy something "just because".
Well, enough of my rant for now....
See ya!
Friday, July 6, 2012
I've had fun, and I'm excited
Fun things we've done recently:
- Attended the rodeo in Greenbush a week ago...it was a beautiful evening, the kids were so good, and it was fun to hang out as a family. Clarence loved it - he's a farm kid through and through. He watched most of the events with wide eyes and interest. Adina, on the other hand, was only happy with treats and freezies.
- On the 4th, we went to Warroad. Matt's mom's cousin has an old, beautiful house up there where we went for lunch and to visit with their family. Then, we took the kids up town for all the festivities. They had all those jumpy game-things set up, and the kids could play all afternoon/evening. They had tons of fun. We ate yummy gyros for supper, and then brought the kids to the huge playground they have to play some more. The kids were sure tired. We were going to head home before the fireworks, but Clarence wanted to stay. So we stayed; he listened for a few minutes, then decided they were scary or too noisy and went and sat in the car. When the fireworks were over and we put our chairs away, we found Clarence asleep in his seat. Guess he was tired, too. :)
- The Kittson County Fair (see my previous post)...our exhibits and visiting with people, and fair food, and the grandstand events, and letting the kids go on rides, and watching Matt in the lumberjack show, and staying over (maybe), etc.
- Watching Mary show her steer in Roseau the week after.
- Camping with some good friends the week after the fair - a 4-day camping trip with the family, about 3 or 4 hours from home. It's going to be so much fun!
- The recent rain we've had this week to help the pastures, hayfields, and crp grow a little more. Thank You, God!
Our Fair List
Well, the Kittson County Fair is right around the corner, starting next Thursday. I'm getting really excited. The fair is one of the highlights of my summer. Having grown up on the farm and in 4-H, I always had tons of things to get ready. I'd bring a lead heifer, a cow/calf pair, a horse, and a bunch of other projects for the exhibit building. Now with small kids, my preparations have changed slightly, but I'm anxiously awaiting the day (kindof.....I'm excited, but don't want time to pass too quickly, either) when Clarence and Adina are in 4-H and we have tons of projects to be working on for the summer. I'm going to be baking next week with the kids so they can enter some things in open class. Matt and I were also thinking they could bring in some garden veggies or hay/corn/oats, etc. So, we'll see what next week brings. I have a lot of stuff to get ready before then. I think we're going to bring my brother's camper and stay at the fair. I think it will be easier to nap the kids right there and let them sleep there than run the 20 miles back and forth once or twice a day. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
Here's what I know we're bringing for sure:
Division B
Lot 1. Steer calf, 2-8 months
Jacki Przekwas
Lot
Since both Matt and I grew up bringing so many animals to the fair, we're excited for the day when we can bring show animals again. I think it's a wonderful experience for kids; it's one of my greatest memories - bringing animals to the fair, then winning trips to the state fair. It'll be a chance for us to get back into the swing of things...I know we'll both love it! :)
If you're bored next week, stop by the fair! (July 12th-15th)
Here's what I know we're bringing for sure:
Clarence Przekwas
Division B
Class 12
Lots
- Female: 3 Years and Over
6. Grade cow, 3 years and over with calf to be pen shown.
Class 18
Division K
Class 7
Lots
- Baked cookies
- Baked bars
9. Chocolate chip cookies
Adina Przekwas
Division B
Class 12
Lots
- Female:2 years and under 3
- Grade cow, 2 years and under 3 with calf to be pen shown.
- Best 2 Females, all bred and owned by exhibitor
Jacki Przekwas
Division K
Class 1
Lots
- Buns – white
- buns – dark
- rolls – caramel
- rolls – cinnamon
- rolls – orange
- rolls – any other
- cinnamon bread
- loaf of bread – oatmeal
11. loaf of bread – white
Class 3
25. Any other bars
Since both Matt and I grew up bringing so many animals to the fair, we're excited for the day when we can bring show animals again. I think it's a wonderful experience for kids; it's one of my greatest memories - bringing animals to the fair, then winning trips to the state fair. It'll be a chance for us to get back into the swing of things...I know we'll both love it! :)
If you're bored next week, stop by the fair! (July 12th-15th)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Home Front
It's been a busy month. The last couple of weeks have just flown by.
We've started haying, which totally consumes our life once it starts. On top of that, Matt's been AI-ing heifers, too. Today he'll be working on breeding most of the heifers we have at home. He did a few yesterday and a few this morning, but most of them will be ready by this evening, I think. We also put bulls out last night. They always get so riled up when we bring them into the yard and put them in small spaces...they snorted and mooed and fought all afternoon. I'm surprised they didn't break through any fences. I like watching the bulls, but I don't like to help with the bulls. They always seem ornery and huge and scary to me. I'm really no help for Matt when it comes to working with the bulls.
We're also just doing the daily/weekly yard work - keeping everything mowed, picking up toys, and working in the garden. I'm pretty excited about my garden right now. Everything's looking really nice. I watered it on Monday, and it seems to have grown inches since then. The watering and the heat have really helped.
The kids are having fun outside...most waking hours of every day are spent outside. They go with us and help whenever we're on the go, and they like swimming in their little pool, naked, every chance they get. Yesterday Adina rewarded me with a surprise...I let her go naked a little too long. She pooped and peed on the floor. It was gross. I'm really glad we have hard-wood floors instead of carpet downstairs. That would have been even more disgusting. Eeww.
Matt's little sister Mary had surgery last week on her jaw. She had an underbite and had it fixed; her bottom jaw was shaved, and they added other things to extend her upper jaw outward. She looks like a totally different person. Sunday evening, we went over to visit her and when we saw her, we all just looked at her. It was hard not to. Her face was still swollen, and she couldn't talk much at all. We saw her again on Tuesday, and she seemed way more comfortable with everything; she could talk way better, laugh better, eat better, etc., and the swelling had gone down some on her face. I'm glad she's doing so well; I just hope the next 7 or so weeks go by quickly for her so she can eat real food again. Get well soon, Mary!
This weekend, it's heritage days in Lancaster. There will be lots of fun things going on. We also hope to go to a rodeo in Greenbush on Saturday. I play organ on Sunday, and then I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. Probably just the usual - haying, working, etc. because we are hoping to go camping somewhere next week over the 4th.
Hope you're month is going great!
We've started haying, which totally consumes our life once it starts. On top of that, Matt's been AI-ing heifers, too. Today he'll be working on breeding most of the heifers we have at home. He did a few yesterday and a few this morning, but most of them will be ready by this evening, I think. We also put bulls out last night. They always get so riled up when we bring them into the yard and put them in small spaces...they snorted and mooed and fought all afternoon. I'm surprised they didn't break through any fences. I like watching the bulls, but I don't like to help with the bulls. They always seem ornery and huge and scary to me. I'm really no help for Matt when it comes to working with the bulls.
We're also just doing the daily/weekly yard work - keeping everything mowed, picking up toys, and working in the garden. I'm pretty excited about my garden right now. Everything's looking really nice. I watered it on Monday, and it seems to have grown inches since then. The watering and the heat have really helped.
The kids are having fun outside...most waking hours of every day are spent outside. They go with us and help whenever we're on the go, and they like swimming in their little pool, naked, every chance they get. Yesterday Adina rewarded me with a surprise...I let her go naked a little too long. She pooped and peed on the floor. It was gross. I'm really glad we have hard-wood floors instead of carpet downstairs. That would have been even more disgusting. Eeww.
Matt's little sister Mary had surgery last week on her jaw. She had an underbite and had it fixed; her bottom jaw was shaved, and they added other things to extend her upper jaw outward. She looks like a totally different person. Sunday evening, we went over to visit her and when we saw her, we all just looked at her. It was hard not to. Her face was still swollen, and she couldn't talk much at all. We saw her again on Tuesday, and she seemed way more comfortable with everything; she could talk way better, laugh better, eat better, etc., and the swelling had gone down some on her face. I'm glad she's doing so well; I just hope the next 7 or so weeks go by quickly for her so she can eat real food again. Get well soon, Mary!
This weekend, it's heritage days in Lancaster. There will be lots of fun things going on. We also hope to go to a rodeo in Greenbush on Saturday. I play organ on Sunday, and then I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. Probably just the usual - haying, working, etc. because we are hoping to go camping somewhere next week over the 4th.
Hope you're month is going great!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Clarence Daily
Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and noticed about 15 of Clarence's toy animals on the floor.
Me: Clarence, can you come and pick up your animals in here?
C: No, Mom, those animals are in Roseau.
Me: You hauled your animals over to Roseau?
C: Yeah, I brought them to Roseau County.
(He decided he needed to bring some of his animals to "Roseau County" because Matt brought 3 cow/calf pairs over to his parents' house a couple weeks ago. Now, in Clarence's mind, he's doing the same thing - bringing his animals over to Grandpa Bob's for the summer.)
Today: (The animals are now out of my kitchen)
C: Mom, I'm hauling all those animals to Roseau. (He's loading a whole bunch of them into his big semi.)
Me: Don't you want them anymore? Should we bring them over and give them to Harley?
C: No, they're going to Roseau County.
Me: Are you going to have Grandpa Bob take care of them for the summer?
C: Yeah, I'll bring those home next summer....(he means in the fall...he just has how he talks about time confused)
He comes up with such cute little ideas. I love watching him and trying to figure out what he's doing.
Me: Clarence, can you come and pick up your animals in here?
C: No, Mom, those animals are in Roseau.
Me: You hauled your animals over to Roseau?
C: Yeah, I brought them to Roseau County.
(He decided he needed to bring some of his animals to "Roseau County" because Matt brought 3 cow/calf pairs over to his parents' house a couple weeks ago. Now, in Clarence's mind, he's doing the same thing - bringing his animals over to Grandpa Bob's for the summer.)
Today: (The animals are now out of my kitchen)
C: Mom, I'm hauling all those animals to Roseau. (He's loading a whole bunch of them into his big semi.)
Me: Don't you want them anymore? Should we bring them over and give them to Harley?
C: No, they're going to Roseau County.
Me: Are you going to have Grandpa Bob take care of them for the summer?
C: Yeah, I'll bring those home next summer....(he means in the fall...he just has how he talks about time confused)
He comes up with such cute little ideas. I love watching him and trying to figure out what he's doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)