The Farmer and Me

Living out here on this farm has NOT made me more of a country/farm person.  It should have ... after all, I've been here just a week over nine years.  But still, I lack that concept to check things out first before I cry wolf.  I act first and think later!

In fact, late this morning before I left home to go into town, I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a cow licking a newborn baby calf. Granted the cow was out in the next pasture field, beyond both the pond and barn, and halfway to the neighbors house.  It was waaayyy out there!

Just to make sure that I was seeing what I was seeing before I called the troops (the farmers) in, I put my expensive long lens on my camera and zoomed in.  Yes, I was looking through the kitchen window, but still, I know what I saw.

You see, the cows over on this end of the farm are pregnant cows, and they definitely have to leave before they give birth.  It's a big mistake on their part if they aren't checked into the birthing center half a mile down the road.  The facilities are better over there, and the birthing accommodations are to die for (just kidding).  Not that they're pampered more or anything, but they do keep the uppity milk cows in a tizzy.

SO, since I know I saw a baby laying in the field ... I called the farmer (my husband) and left him a detailed voice message.  "Von, there's a teenie tiny baby calf in the middle of the field and I'm afraid that the big cows are going to step on him.  Hurry and come get him ... and why didn't you guys move her over before she gave birth?!"

Then I went to work.  But I did look as I drove by ... and it dawned on me that the view from my kitchen window didn't take into fact the rolling hills down below our house ... or the fact that I what I saw was really the head of one the big cows in the herd laying there soaking up the sun just below the horizon of my view.

But I failed to call the farmer!  Then I forgot all about it.  BUT he didn't.  You see ... it's full swing farming season here in southern Indiana right now, and he's trying like heck to beat the rain that's moving in. He's not always in the best of mood when it's farming season, and he's not always that hunky dory guy that I love so much this time of year.  He's short.  He's short on time, and he's short on patience in April and May.  But overall, he's not too bad.

So a bit later in the day, I get a phone call from the guy.  Simply put:  "There's not a calf out there in that field Sherlock ... and just so that you know, the whole world is not flat!"

I don't think I'll ever actually get it about this farm life ... but I sure am trying!

Flowers from Heaven

Meg, 

This evening we went over to the farm, and as you ran out into the flowers you said, "Oh Mom, Look!  God made all these flowers just for me to blow."

I hope you'll always find the flowers in the weeds.  God made them just for you!

Love,   Mom

The Girls

Today was a good picture taking day.  The stinking boys went to the stinking farm with their Dad and Uncle Don, so it was it just us girls.

Kelcie and Megan neither one hesitate to seize the opportunity to have their picture taken.  It's a bit harder these days though because they have to pose, smile, fake it, swing it and hip it.  I have the hardest time catching any kind of natural smiles with them, and of course they're in it together! 

Then the "girliness" in them comes out.  Weeds!  You want me to walk through those weeds?!!!  Then the "itichiness" starts and we're pretty much done.  Once you itch ... it's over you know!

So these have to do.  It's my fix for the next couple of weeks until they're together again.

The Hot Tub

I'm not sure if we're having Spring or not ... or if we've just moved right on into Summer.  At any rate, it's beautiful outside in the evenings, and my littles are loving it.  This evening was no different and Von decided to till up some of the garden and let the kids start planting their seeds.  They planted Cucumbers and an assortment of other things.  We're hoping that like things got planted together and we won't have Carcumbers and Cumatoes and such when it comes time to harvest our garden.  My boys had enough sweat and dirt on them that if we'd planted them, they'd have sprouted and grown.

Being that a bath was definitely in order tonight, I thought I'd change things up from the usual shower that their Dad gives them and we'd sit in the Hot Tub together and talk about our garden. Just like we did in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago.

Just me and the kids ... and more bubbles than you can imagine.  Up to their chins and as hot as they could tolerate, they sat there, one in each corner ... and we played tootsies with each other while we talked about our garden and listed vegetables and fruits and what all they planted and what was yet to plant.  We talked about the sunshine and how it makes everything grow.  Then they talked about Heaven and how they could plant things that would grow so tall they could climb up.  They planted beautiful flowers and colorful vegetables and they grew so big that we couldn't lift them.  Then they leaned back their heads on the ledge and soaked up the conversation, and never once did they splash each other.  I couldn't help from watch them and listen to them as they talked amongst themselves and only occasionally did they include me in their garden plans.  I thought about how innocent kids are at the age of five and how easily they can be persuaded and how with imagination you can lead them.

Then it dawned on me that here I sit with my babies, totally immersed in water and bubbles, caught up in their childish plans in one of the most peaceful moments I've ever had with them.  It reminded me of my older kids, and the times when they were small and I'd take them on walks and adventures through a secret forest where the deer lived and played, and up hills and down mountains where the Indians lived.  How we turned coat hangers into bows and arrows, and how we quietly found magic flowers and sprinkled fairies in the air.  Then we'd tiptoe away so the magic wouldn't end.  How when you love someone, you can pretend and make memories that they'll never forget.

Then a knock on the door brought me back to reality and our time was up.  As the bubbles drained away, the Bath Tub appeared and our Hot Tub was gone ... for now.

The Bribe

This morning at 7:30 my kiddo's got in my bed and we snuggled and tickled and talked about "things."  Then I told them ... "Hey guys, who wants a dollar?"  Well of course they wanted a dollar, and they wanted to go to Rural King to spend it!  So I bribed them.  IF they get dressed right now and go outside and let me take some pictures before Church ... I'll give them a dollar!  We're into paper money now days .. so it's a real big deal to get a dollar.  Only thing is, they had to earn it ... and that meant wading through the wet weeds to get out to the barn.

Jay.  Money means the most to him.  He'll do anything for money.  He has three jars full and is starting on another jar.  Jay is a hoarder of money ... and it takes a lot for him to spend it.  He doesn't live by the rule of:  save a third, give a third to Jesus and spend a third.  He only wants to save all of it and spend ours or Sam's and Meg's money.  He's going to need to be deprogramed when he grows up.  He's a lot like his Father in that respect.

Sam.  He LOVES money.  It buys him everything.  He couldn't keep a penny if his life depended on it.  He's too much like me in that respect ... and he's going to need to be reprogrammed to save some of it.  He doesn't per say spend it on stuff, because we all know he can't drive to Target and do his thing ... but he loses it.  He moves it around from his backpack to his pants pockets, to burying it in the sandbox, then it finds it's way to Jay's jar.  It's miraculous how it gets there ... but it does. ... and you know the rule:  possession is everything in Jay's book.

Meg.  What's money?  She doesn't need it.  A dollar won't do her a bit of good because everything that she wants cost more than she is allowed to spend.  Walking the aisles with Meg is like the biggest guilt trip I've ever experienced.  She fingers and touches and strokes everything that is pink, and wants everything that is remotely girly.  ... and she hasn't learned the meaning of the word NO yet.  We're working on that.  Meg is bad at leaving her money lay around the house, and it too mysteriously disappears.

So today I got some pictures of them that I can print and frame ... and Jay got THREE DOLLARS and they all ended up with a really big bouncy ball to add to the collection out in the yard!  It was a WIN WIN situation for all of us!

Daddy-O!

Okay Folks ... I think we're in trouble here!

Yesterday evening when I picked the Little's up from daycare, there were three papers in their daily pile for me to look at, sign and return. They were consents for their preschool to give information to the school system since they will be heading off to Kindergarten in the Fall. It was for THE "Kindergarten Readiness Checklist." So it got me to thinking .... "Well, are they ready?"

So this morning as I was driving them to Preschool, I thought I would ask them a few questions, just to test the waters and see how much my kids knew.

ME: "Hey Guys ... do you know what town we live in?" They all practically jumped through the straps of their carseats with hands in the air yelling, "I DO ... I DO"

So I picked Jay to answer that question. He grinned all over himself and his chest swelled, and he blurted out the answer with the biggest smile! "We live in the Country." No Jay! What's the name of the town ... it starts with a "O" (thinking I would give him a hint).

Still swelled up and smiling, he says, "On a Farm." Oh man ... we're flunking that question big time! So I tell them .... Oakland City, Indiana and they repeat it over and over and I think WE HAVE got it!

ME: "What is your Dad's name?" Sam blurts out, "Daddy." No Sam ... HIS REAL NAME? So Sam thinks a minute and Meg has her hand in the air ready to answer for him, then Sam puffs up and his eyes are twinkling and he says, "It's Daddy-O!" Oh Man ... we have failed!

So I remind them ... it's Von Siekman, just like you are Sam Siekman, Jay Siekman and Meg Siekman. We're all Siekman's! So they repeat it over and over and over ... and I think WE HAVE got it now!

ME: "What number would you call if Mommy or Daddy was hurt and you needed to get help here?" It's Meg turn to answer, and boy is she ever ready to show her stuff! She sticks her chin up in the air and yells out, "9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20" She forgot the question and just kept right on counting!!!! So I tell them ... "Remember, it's 9-1-1. So they keep saying it over and over and over, and I know they have it now!

Kindergarten is right around the corner and we have some work to do! BECAUSE ... ready or not ... School, here we come!

Baseball Season - Kick Off 2010

This evening was our first T-Ball practice of the year. Actually last Wednesday was, but we were in St. Louis. So .. tonight it's official, the triplets played ball. Yes, our farm is sponsoring their team again this year ... so "The Siekman Dairy Farms" team is AKA "The Texas Rangers", and we're going to kick some butt this year!

I didn't have to drag them out there or promise things that I had no intention of following thru on (I only do that in emergency situations. Bad Mom, I know) They were excited and never looked back. It was a world of difference from last year when we had to hold their hands and run the bases with them in the beginning!

Jay was the best hitter tonight. He smacked that ball almost every time. Sam thinks he was the best of the triangle, and came in a close second. There is competition folks. It keeps it interesting, and I kind of like it that way.

Meg is girly, but she was excited and played 100% better at this practice than she did the whole last season. Dressed to kill with the big pink bow ... she hit the ball, ran the bases, checked her fingernail polish and made sure she didn't have any dirt on her shoes! Way to go Meg!

After the practice we ran by Aunt Bonnies/Uncle Don's on the way home so they could show them how good they could smack that ball off of the Tee! One more practice next Tuesday evening and then we're going head on to the big league!

We'll keep you posted as the season progresses!

Joey - Senior Chapel

Monday night Juli and I along with the kids drove to St. Louis so we would be there bright and early Tuesday morning for Joey's Senior Chapel. He graduates May 8th as a Minister, and this was his time to lead the church services at the college. That is my son that stood at the pulpit and preached words that will change peoples lives.

I was there when he first started college, and I was there at one of his first sermon's. This time was so different for me. As his Mother, of course I was proud, but as one of God's people, I heard his message loud and clear. I have replayed it about ten times on my computer, just to hear his voice, and just to help myself come to grip with the fact that this man is my son. His message was strong, respectful and full of truth.

This is the kid that had no sense of direction when he was a teenager. He couldn't drive across town and find the gas station. Wrongly, I helped him way too much with his homework and I made his life easy. Now he's found his way and all the hard work he's done has paid off.

Along the way he grew beyond what I had imagined. His faith is strong. He chose his path. He got married, and now he has a plan. Joey and Mariah are a good team. She believes in my son, and I love her for that. They both graduate from college in a few weeks. I am so proud of both of them.