I belong here!

Its been a while since I wrote last and a lot has happened in that time, mainly being busy! It has been great, because I actually have been busy helping with the cows! I know it might not seem like much but it really means a lot to me! Before, my help was never wanted and I didn't get to help with anything. Now, my help is wanted and needed and I feel wonderful.  I feel like I'm on cloud nine being able to help with the cows and get to be in all the action! I really do feel like I belong here and apart of this farm and ranch!
The first time working with the cows, I really didn't do anything.  They trailed the cows from the spring/summer pasture to the fall/winter pasture.  They did it on horseback (and one four-wheeler) and looked like so much fun!! Watching them trail the cows was exciting and fun to watch! I am really hoping that next fall Kelo will be ready and I can ride him and be in on the trailing!

Kevin on one of Sandy's horses, Ruby. At the beginning

Somewhere in the middle, after this point the truck and trailer and me met them at a different spot.

Where we met them, almost to the end!

Cow at their new home for the winter!

Trailing the cows from the first pasture to the winter pasture took about 2 hours. The next time we moved cows was a week later and colder, and we were in hats, coats and gloves! I didn't help with this one either but the kids were in on the action! They were on the four-wheelers, one with Nathan and one with Jeremy (Nathan's brother). This set we didn't trail as it was going to take all day, but loaded them up in the trailer and moved them to where the first set are. The kids really did have a blast helping with this and seeing their smiles made my day!

The next day we moved another set of cows and got things ready for the vet visit the next day.  I was really excited about this one! I watched all the kids and followed them in the truck and trailer, I drove a truck and trailer for the first time that day!! It was exciting!! It wasn't just pulling the trailer for the first time either, there was a blind cow in the back!! I drove her home! That was cool!

Nathan and Sandy's youngest, Bo, watching his mom move cows out the gate!

The blind cow was trailed for a while, she was really slow!

There was some excitement, 2 bulls were putting on a show almost the whole way home!

They were still fighting when they were put in the bull pasture.

Driving truck and trailer!! There were sprinkles! 

I was sure glad to be watching the kids and staying nice and dry and warm!! For the vet visit, I was really in on the action!! I was manning the gates while Kevin and Sandy sorted the cows from the calves! It was chilly and it was raining. It was fun! While the vet preg checked the cows, I was up front writing down what the vet said: early, 90+ or late.  It was raining decent and I had a hard time keeping the papers dry, but got it all written down! We packed everything up and then headed to where we moved the first 2 sets of cows and preg checked those.  We did those last so that I can watch for the bus and get the kids when they came home.  All the cows were preg checked and we were just starting to do the vaccines for the calves when I headed home to get the kids! Everyone was soaked after the last set of calves were vaccinated back at Nathan and Sandy's place. That day was a lot of fun.  There is another day of moving cows, but that is not until Kevin is done hauling hay and a few fields of flax are harvested and then all the cows at Nathan and Sandy's will be moved to where the first 2 sets of cows are.  There is 2 more truck loads of hay to haul and it will be a bit before the flax is harvested, they are chopping corn for the next few days.

We had an exciting day the other day, Bandit and Chena chased a porcupine and Bandit tried to bit (I'm assuming). He had quills in his mouth.  I had to take him to the vet to get them out. He is better now.  I hope no more porcupines!!

Jacqueline had her first experience with the loss of a pet.  One of the outside kittens died and she found him.  She brought him to the house in tears last night.  I knew it was going to go and was waiting for it to happen.  The dogs had it one day and I found him ( I was glad the kids were at school) and got him better. A few days after that he was sick and slow.  I knew it was a matter of time after that.  

School is going great for the kids.  Jacqueline brings home books to read as homework.  She is not really reading them as they are mostly memorized but she follows her finger underneath the words as she reads them to us.  She is pretty proud of herself for reading them! I am working with her to sound out the words, it will take a little bit, but we will get there.  I am hoping that by the time November comes, I can have her reading some words.  She really recognizes what some words are. A homework paper she had a few days ago, she had to color in apples with the color that the apples said.  She went at it right away without any help.  She did do that same paper in school a week before, but she did really well and all yellow apples were yellow, red were red, and green were green! Nathaniel is starting to write his name and is proud of himself for that!!

Between the first set of cows and the last was my Golden Birthday!! We didn't do anything, I had a lazy day of watching cartoons with the kids and it was fun! A few days before that I had a craft day and crafted all day, a gift to myself!! I wanted to craft so bad and really wanted to make myself something with wine bottles and burlap and I finally did!! I was already not going to do anything that day as it was going to be a girls day with Sandy, but we postponed it as one of her kids was sick and will have it after harvest is all done!! I'm looking forward to that!!

This is the first on I did, I was hoping that I had 3 bottles this shape and color but only had 1.

This is the set I made for myself!! I was wanting to make something that said 'me' and I think that it came out that way too!!

I hope that everyone has a great day, going to enjoy the rest of the day with the kids as they don't have school today!

Harvesting and Homecoming!

This week was Homecoming at school.  The kids got to dress up, it was fun getting a little creative and hunting for things at the thrift store! The first day for them dressing up was on Tuesday which was rainbow colors day.  I was really hoping that the camouflage day would be on one of the days the kids had school, but it was the first day.  I had this big plans for rainbow day for Jacqueline, but I didn't get to it.  I was going to go through my ribbon and get the colors that were in the shirt she was going to wear and braid the ribbon through her hair.  I still did her hair with colors, many pony tail holders, and it looked cool!!

This was the shirt that Jacqueline wore for rainbow day (the shirt is one that would fit me that I turned into a dress)

Jacqueline's hair!

Finding a shirt with rainbow colors for Nathaniel was harder then I thought.  Figured this one would work since it is full of colors!! (He was not interested in taking the picture)

Thursday was the next day for dressing up for homecoming and that one was hats and shades day.  Kevin goes through sunglasses like crazy and we had plenty of them lying around that the kids could use.  

I was going to have Jacqueline go without shades, I thought that she looked great just like this!!

Since Nathaniel was going to wear shades, Jacqueline got a pair too!

Today the kids didn't have school but it was also the homecoming parade too!! All the classes were part of it and did cheers! We were on the sidewalk waiting for the parade to start and Jacqueline's teacher and the other kindergarten class was walking in front of us and she saw Jacqueline and called her over to join in the parade and cheers! Jacqueline sure did have a blast being part of the parade and it was so fun watching her cheering with her class and as all the other classes passed on their floats.  She was all smiles!

Jacqueline is in this group doing cheers.

Zoomed in, Jacqueline is behind the girl in all black and in front of the teacher by the red truck. White tank top and hair in a ponytail is Jacqueline.

The homecoming King and Queen.

The senior class float

The kids were thrown some candy at the end and Jacqueline got some!

I think that she was listening to her teacher in this one.

Tuesday was also the day that Nathaniel's school schedule changed.  School for half the day and day care the other half.  It will be like this for Tuesday and Thursday until November when it will change again to school half day Monday thru Thursday and day care the other half of the day. Both are really enjoying school!! Jacqueline has started talking about a girl at school, her friends Gaochii.  So far what I have learned about her is that she has black hair and she is 6 yrs old and her favorite color is pink. I cant wait to meet her.  I am glad that Jacqueline has found a friend at school.  There is also another girl, Brylyn, she has blond hair, 5 years old and her favorite color is orange.  I don't here about her as often as I do about Gaochii. 

Wheat harvest is coming to an end and other crops are waiting their turn.  They are currently harvesting the wheat around the house.  Kids really like it as they get to see all the trucks and tractors. And we get to walk across the road to see Kevin working the bagger. It gets really dusty, its been windy the last two days

Kevin running the bagger

Our house from the field!

Nathaniel had fun being by the tractors.

Jacqueline did too!

Bandit!! He saw that Kevin was in the field across the road and went to go say 'hi' (He will be 6 months old in November!)

I finally walked out and really checked the garden after the frost hit.  All the corn died as did the green beans.  The zucchini didn't die as I thought that it would.  There are still zucchinis growing, which might need to be picked tomorrow.  The root veggies are still going strong!! Pumpkins are good, they are turning more and more orange as the week passes.  I think that the watermelon is done growing and I will most likely pick it also tomorrow or by Monday, maybe even a honeydew too!  

The biggest pumpkin, the other one is not as nicely round like this one....it leans a little.

Watermelon! According to what I have read of the '5 signs that a watermelon is rip' This has 3 of the 5 signs that it is ready!!

I have been doing an online Bible study with a cousin of Kevin's (Hi Misty!) and I have been enjoying it!! I really want to do a post about the study we finished and what I learned when we studied the book of Titus. I will get it done here in a few days or so!  I really liked the one today, especially one of the Bible verses, so I will end today with that!

Have a great night everyone!!

Fall is here, and here to stay!

Fall is defiantly here!! The last few days were cold and we had frost yesterday and today. There was also some snow on Wednesday, not much, in fact it was not really noticeable just looking out the window.  But you saw it when it hit the window and it lasted for a very short time.  The frost and cold did a number on the garden, the pumpkin and zucchini plants are wilted.  Not to sure if the pumpkins will make it or not, they were just starting to turn orange before the frost came.  I did cover the peppers, watermelon, and honeydew plants.  I think that the corn is gone, I have to go out there and really look and see what there is.  With the cold, harvesting was put on hold for a few days, which was nice.  Kids and I got to spent some time with Kevin doing odd and ends in the shop and eat together! It will be busy again here in a day or so as harvesting gets back in full swing.

Last week, I went to work with Kevin for the morning until he went to help with harvesting.  I rode in the semi for the first time, it was kinda cool!

Kevin was showing the creep feed guy where all the feeders were

This area was pretty...there is this spot where the county line is and its beautiful and my favorite place to see when I go to town!

The creep feed guy got stuck in this area. 

It was fun just spending the morning with Kevin and I go to see different place snuggled in places that I have been too or drove by and the cows and calves. 

Beautiful morning this past Sunday!

It was beautiful and fun watching the fog lift above the butte and then disappear!

The kids have been doing great in school and are loving it!  With each paper that Jacqueline brings home I have been seeing a difference with her writing and with her coloring.  Nathaniel is doing great too, he is starting to trace and color better then he has.  He even is calling Jacqueline by her name too, not as much by her nickname he gave her. He still calls her Nanue, but when he calls "Jacqueline" it almost sounds like he says it the French way.   Nathaniel's school schedule is going to change on Tuesday.  He wont be going full days anymore but have days on Tuesday and Thursday and the other half of the day he will be going to Day Care.  Once Jacqueline goes full days everyday then Nathaniel will too be going everyday half days and Day Care the rest.  Their speech therapist called me and said that they have noticed that full days were a little much for Nathaniel (all other preschoolers are half days, 2 days a week.  Since he has speech he needs more hours at school) He does really good in the mornings and then when the afternoon class starts, he does ok.  They want him to still have the interaction with other kids like he does when he goes full days, so they came up with the plan day care for the afternoon and he will still ride the bus home with Jacqueline after school. I'm still not really keen on him in day care for half the day. I am home all day so i can get him, but then I would have to drive to town four days a week to get Nathaniel. We will see how it goes for a while.  Jacqueline came home with papers that she is selected to go to Title 1 for reading and math. I don't think she needs it, they are not reading now in school (will be starting by November) and math, they aren't doing that either yet.  I was talking to Sandy the other day and she said that her oldest, Sam,  is in Title 1 for reading and she doesn't see that it is helping at all. Sam has been in it for a few years now, and all it is is sitting at a computer with headphones and told to read the book on the computer screen.  If that is what it is like for a 6th grader at a different school in the area then I really don't think Jacqueline needs that.  That is what the reading and math is like on the websites that I was given to help get Jacqueline school ready. I am really leaning towards saying no to the Title 1 for math and reading and teaching her myself! 

Jacqueline's hat she made!

This is the best that her 'q' has looked!! Still needs work on her 'u' that is a 'v'.

Jacqueline's wand to go with her hat

Some of her paint projects.

She colored these at home

I told her to color this one for me, and told her what colors to color the flowers and she did it for me!!

It was picture day on Tuesday, and they got dressed up. 

Well, for the most part they did get dressed up.  At least they did look nice!!

I'm looking forward to next week for school, its homecoming week!! The elementary kids get to dress up too!! Its going to be fun!

 Some good news, Kevin is finally going to quit chewing!! Not really sure what set it off, but I kinda broke down and cried and told him that instead of all his chew in one week (it was a lot in one week) I could have gotten this.  That was enough for Kevin, and started cutting back right away and will stop after harvest season is over.  Nathan use to chew too, (just not as much or often as Kevin) but he told Kevin that he will help remind him and get him to quit. He has already started chewing sunflower seeds a lot more and gum too the last couple of weeks. I am really excited that he is finally going to quit!

I will end here with Peaches and Sorbet playing on the porch! They all come and hang out on the porch and soak up the sun!! Its fun to watch!  

Have a good day!!