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.

Fair Share

This afternoon after Von went to milk cows, I settled the kids down with a new movie. I'm trying really hard to get them away from cartoons and more into movies that have a bit of meaning. So I picked the movie to buy today, and I bought it because it is Joey's all time favorite book. "Where the Red Fern Grows".

While Jay and Meg didn't get into the movie, and went to sleep instead .... Sam, on the other hand, didn't miss one single word of the entire movie. In fact, we watched it twice. Sam is deep. Deep in thought, and spiritually deep.

At the part of the movie when the Grandfather told Billy to think about his fair share and indicated that God would provide, Sam understood that. He perfectly explained it to me, and when it happened in the movie and God moved the wind to fall the tree .... Sam told me that God did it because Billy had done his fair share.

Today Sam developed a new trust in God, a new understanding and a new love of life.

He walked out onto the back porch where "Sammy" his old boxer sleeps most of the days now, and said to her, "Sammy Girl, I love you and you are my best friend, and I know God will always take care of you." He's wise. So wise for a five year little boy that loves God and his dog.

Sammy our boxer is really old ... and this winter she almost died. When Sam found her, it saved her life. She was half frozen, very sick and hurt. With a lot of tender loving care and medical attention Sammy survived. Every day Sam talks to her, rallies for her and pushes her on. He draws pictures for her and writes her letters and tapes them to the wall where she can see them. Every day.

I know the time is coming that Sammy is going to go to Dog Heaven, and my little Sammy is going to be devastated. I'll need that mythical Red Fern that only angels can plant when the time comes ... and I'll need to find a way to ease the heartache that my little guy is going to feel.

Sam is doing his fair share ... and the rest will be up to God.

My Velveteen Boy

My velveteen boy betrayed me this evening.

It was so pretty outside today when I picked the kids up, we dressed them in their bib overalls and "orange, so that I can see you a mile away" sweatshirts and sent them out to dig up the yard! That is Sam and Jay's favorite pastime ... especially in the Spring when the ground is so soft. There is nothing like holes and piles of dirt everywhere. Our yard shrieks that "boys live here" and you have to be careful when where you walk so that you don't fall in a hole.

My littlest boy is now big enough to go outside and play with the big kids, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He runs and romps and keeps up with everyone just fine. He is now ruler, and when he runs his ears pin back and flap in the wind. His fur is soft and he feels like fat velvet ... but this evening he went missing, and we searched everywhere thinking the very worst.

Then as I was walking back from the pond ... I spotted him alone in the barn. He was having the time of his life as his short little legs jumped in the wet straw. He was burrowing as deep as he could in the muck and he only stopped long enough to glance at me as I yelled .... "Gus, get out of there!" He was on a mission ... and that was to make sure that every inch of his body was covered in the black slime.

My sweet little velveteen boy has betrayed me ... he has found life beyond me. The same world that my little boys live for ... a world of dirt and mud, and slime and cow poop!

Bowling Baby Bowl!

Today I met up with my big kids ... yeah again. This is getting to be a habit. It really wasn't them I was caring about today ... but the cute little kids in the car seats was what had me going. We went bowling!
The reason I'm showing you the scoreboard is because I wanted you t see that the girls beat the boys. (I was on the boys team ... with all the boys). We had a lot of gutters.
I really don't think I've seen a bowling score like this ... Is 65 really that low? Next time me and the boys are going to nail Juli and the girls.
Here's Meg and Jay showing off their "gutterballs." It was neck and neck for a while .. but Jay's got there first!
In this corner is Jay and Sam. They have good technique don't you think? ... and by the way, don't let that picture fool you, they really didn't knock down all those pins. I did. (well .. maybe, Juli did) I can't remember because I was having too much fun "high-fiving" the kids and taking pictures.
They "high-fived" each other every gutterball they rolled!
They also got quite good at posing every single time they got up to bowl. We didn't do it the traditional way either. By all means, that wouldn't have been a good thing since we had so many rookies! We took turns. The kids got a turn .. went to the end of the line and we kept rotating!
Luke finally started getting pretty good at it. He had that bend over and put the ball between your legs and roll thing down pat. But of course, he had to pose with the ball first!
... and Kelcie, well she just had all the moves as well!

Today was a great day! We all went out to eat together and I got to spend it with those that I love the most. Josh and Jessie cheered us on while they kept an eye on Carter and Juli kept the balls rolling and the kids moving ... and me, well ... I just had fun with my babies!

In three weeks, we're going bowling again .. this time, Paige, Hayley and Cloe will get to be with us.

Gus!

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had to put Katie our little Chihuahua to sleep.  It was a better place for her.  It broke my heart, and I still can't go out to the little grave in our backyard where Von buried her.  I feel so guilty, but in reality I know that she is out of pain and misery.

In the eight years plus, that we had Kate ... she was never really happy or healthy.  She was allergic to grass, her hair fell out, she had red, raw and irritated skin for months at a time, and she had one half of a tooth.  She wouldn't eat dog food, and she would dehydrate.  She weighed less than three pounds and looked emaciated.  I had to give her steroids shots, fluids under her skin and grind her food (hot dogs is all that she would eat).  I had to bathe her every other day and spray medicine on her body.  In the end, she lost control of her bowels, had diarrhea and would pee everywhere.  She was miserable, and hurting.  I kept her here longer than I should have because I was selfish ... and because I loved her.

THEN Christmas came, and I had puppy fever.  I thought it would heal my heart a bit ... and it did.  He did.  His name is Gus, and he's a real turd.  He has the energy of a steam engine and is shiny and fat and feels like velvet. He is marked like Katie, and that is probably what drew me to him ... that and the fact that Juli had just gotten a "Ty" just like him.  Not only did I just get a Gus ... I persuaded the cuteness onto Josh and Jessie.  They now have a chewing, biting and pooping "Snickers" for my Grandkids.  But OH what glorious pleasure I got out their faces on Christmas day!

Being that I'm kinda OCD and majorly impulsive, I made a decision to get a puppy for the kids ... against my husbands firm "NO."  I justified it that first of all ... all kids need and deserve to grow up with a puppy.  Secondly, I am my own woman and can think for myself.  I'm a grown working woman and can make my own decisions.  I've raised children and can make life and death decisions, and being that this is 2010, a husband certainly has no right to tell me NO.

Now on the other hand, I forgot that I'm old.  Having a puppy is like having a houseful of little kids, but even worse.  He chews us up with his long little snout and alligator teeth and doesn't have a clue what the word NO means.  He has short man syndrome.  He sleeps on my side of the bed and I hold him down and whisper in his ear how much I love him ... or he'll persistently howl until I pick him up.  He never crosses the middle line, at least while I'm awake.  He's not loved on the other side of the bed.

We are living back in the throes of baby gates again trying to keep him corralled.  My kids love him ... I love him ... but his Father is still mad at me, and most likely will be for the next 48 years.  He doesn't give in easy ... especially when he steps in puppy poop at 4:30AM.  When he does, I just hug Gus a bit tighter in bed and put my hands over his ears when I hear Von cuss.  I certainly don't want Gus to grow up thinking that he's not loved!

Valentine's Day 2010

Valentine's weekend, I had a wonderful little two day escape with my kids ... big and little and all of my Grandkids to a awesome indoor waterpark at French Lick, IN. They are my Valentine's .. and it was my gift to them. It was just a little funky to be inside a huge glassed in waterpark and watch it snow like crazy on the outside!

Nine kids and eight adults and we were still losing kids everywhere. But we found them all before it was time to head home. Given the fact that we were the only group with all the kids wearing life jackets in the baby pool, we knew they were relatively safe. Can you believe that I said that?

I let my older big kids talk me into going down a couple of water slides about 120 mph that sucked the breath out of me and shot me out like a cannon. Given the fact that I was and am still sore and rickety, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

This was our "first annual get-a-way. Joey and Mariah came from St. Louis, while Jared and Elissa drove up from Mississippi just to make me happy. I love them for that. Josh and Jessie and Juli have all the kids ... so for them we were on a great big wet playdate!

Mother's Day we have a date in Carbondale, IL at Castle Park ... then the end of June we're attempting a mountain cabin in Gatlinburg. Am I crazy? Crazy about my Kids!

Life ... Stop and Smell the Roses.

I know ... I've been MIA! I had to "stop and smell the roses." Otherwise, I had to catch up on life. My life.

I have so much to blog about that I can't even begin to put it all in one blog, but I've taken pictures, and wrote things down ... and now I'm ready to start uploading. Yes, I'll be backdating .. but this is my blog and so be it. So when you, that are on feeds, get posts dated from the past 6 weeks, it's just me playing catch up.

I've had Kelcie for the last 24 hours ... and mixed with my kiddo's, it was a wild twenty-four! When Juli came and picked her up this evening ... we did a little Mother/Daughter shoot, set up my Alien Bee's and a backdrop in the living room and got some great pictures!

What can I say .... I just love my girls!

Three Blind Mice

Three Blind Mice .... OR a Pack of Rats? What do you think?

This year they finally "got it" ... and wore these costumes in every store in the city today. They took it to the highest level of cuteness. They kept their sunglasses on ... and searched out every candy bowl! I love this age!

I'm sure this will be the last year of me dressing them as a triplet theme .... the boys looked down at their bellies and declared that they can't do PINK! It took a lot of fast talking to pull it off this year! But all the loot they got today and this evening was worth every bit of comments they endured as they danced and wiggled through Evansville today!

I was even nice today .... at least one thousand times I answered "YES" ... they are triplets. Now I'm going to go hide all the candy to keep tomorrow from being a repeat of today. No more sugar highs, and no more bouncing off the walls. Maybe they won't remember today ....

I love my little pack of rats!

Fired Up!

Last night Juli and Kelcie met up with me and the kids for a evening at "Fired Up."

They were a rowdy bunch, and we resorted to finishing up the painting and pottery just to get the kids out of there. A ceramic place and 4 five year olds just don't go hand in hand.

Trust me .... she might look all cute and cuddly, but she wasn't. Meg had more fun running everywhere than she did painting a cup and saucer lime green and hot grape!

Kelcie was doing just fine with her cereal bowl until we walked in ... and she instantly turned into a wild woman. Kelc and her BFF were in trouble!

Did I say these two were perfect angels? NOT They led the pack at first ... right before they got busted and grounded to their seats!

Most likely, we'll not be doing Fired Up for a long while ... it was not what I call a successful night out with my hoodlums ... especially since their cups and saucers and shananigan's cost me seventy-two dollars! Just think, I could have done a movie with popcorn and chained them to their seats! :)

The FarmHouse Kids: Bye Bye Training Wheels

Today was a great day! Blue skies and this. Today, my kiddo's lost their training wheels on their bikes.

Of course, this isn't the little kids .... but the big kid that taught them how to ride like a big kid. It's a monumental milestone when your kiddo's become big kids.

I knew from the very moment that we were going to have these kids .... that their Dad would teach them great things. He has so much patience with them, and his mission in life is to be the best Dad that they could ever have.

This afternoon, I was their cheerleader, as I stood outside with our video camera and watched them ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk. One after another, until they got it and kept on pedaling on out into the driveway. The boys did it perfectly the very first time ... Meg on the other hand would forget to pedal and kept falling over in the grass.

By next Summer, they'll want to be riding bikes over to the barn .... I'm just not ready for that!

P.S. We're having a birthday this coming Saturday .... and it's the number FIVE!

Oh La La! Garlic Pickles!

Have I gone crazy?  These are the best pickles I've ever eaten so I bought five jars of them ... at Bernies of all places.  Bernies is our little bitty grocery store in town every thing cost more there.  I am craving pickles so much that whenever I leave home ... I wrap up a couple in a paper towel and take them with me.

Garlic Pickles.  I can't get enough of them and eat them before I got to bed at night.  I snack on them.  I love them.  I crave them.

No, I'm not pregnant.  I know that for sure ... so surely I'm turning into a Vampire or something, because I have to have gone insane to walk into Bernies and buy all the jars on the shelf and pay $25.00 for Garlic Pickles.  Von just looked at me when I lined them up on the counter top ... and he didn't utter a word, but the raised eyebrows said his every thought. He thinks I'm crazy.

They taste so good that I've kept my empty jars in the fridge to keep the juice good so I can add my own  cucumbers next year.  My plan is to freeze the pickle juice ....  but maybe I'll figure out what happened and why I need these pickles before next year comes!

A Cow Round-Up!

Whilst the boys were out chasing cows on four-wheelers with their Dad and their Uncle Don, "Miss I can't get dirty in the barn" wanted her picture taken.  She was lacking some attention while the other two sides of her triangle was chasing the cows that got out. 

Here she is ... and here's the story:

Like always, a trip to the barn is in order on our way home.  The climax of their day is to hit the barn and check out the happenings while they were gone.  You never know if a new baby has been born, or if they'll be the star of a rodeo when they get there.  Just so happens, the star of the day was a sick cow, and the boys jumped right in to help treat her. 

They were all hands on handing in the pills and syringe that housed a giant sized needle.  The pills weren't anything to ignore either.  They looked liked giant sweet-tarts and they used a medicine tube to get them in her.  The medical aspect of this farm still amazes me.  I've been a people nurse way too long and just can't grasp this end of things.

They also get to ride home with their Dad from the barn to the house ... and that is when it happened.

It was Round Up Time!  One of the pastures of cows had escaped and the boys helped round them up.  Just in the eight years I've been here, times have changed.  Von used to chase them on foot or else drive his old black pickup truck through the pasture.  These days .... it's a race on 4-wheelers and a big whooping it up because the cows don't like the noise.  If I was a cow, I definitely wouldn't want to be playing chicken with a wild man and a loud kid on a four wheeler!  Don and Jay on one ... and Von and Sam on the other. 

So I stood outside to try to get a few pictures of the round up ... and instead had a little mini shoot with the Princess!  She didn't realize it, but while she was standing there posing and complaining, she was surrounded by clumps of cow poop.  You see, we were standing in the gravel right in front of the barn gate, and if you can imagine before Photoshop .... that little brown clump by her left ear was a pretty big chunk of fresh poop!

Gonna Ride a Cow!

As always, yesterday evening we ran by the farm to visit the cows and their babies.  We have a special few that my boys ride every chance they get, and yesterday was no exception. 

It's pretty awesome to watch your little bitty four year babies ride a bucking calf.  It kinda makes your heart stick in your throat, and kind of makes you a little bit sick at your stomach.  Of course, they love it.  There is nothing like a bucking heifer in a small pen that doesn't want you on its back.

When I was growing up, I had never heard of riding a cow.  I thought you only rode horses ... but then again, I'd never lived on a cow farm, and I'd never even seen a cow up close.  I led a sheltered life I guess.  Then I moved here and found out what all I had missed in my life.

There is nothing in the world like walking through a muddy barn lot after a fresh rain.  Nothing like slopping through the run off of cow manure in your new boots!  Nope nothing like it ... just ask my boys!

I think I'll just vest my money in Rural King until these little guys grow up and pay their own way.  Four pairs of boots = $175.00.  Two happy little boys = Priceless!