Kelo, Jacqueline and the Garden!

Last time I wrote I said that we hope that in a month Kevin would be riding Kelo, well, a few weeks ago Kevin did just that!! He hasn't rode him outside of a pen yet, that is coming. It was great to see Kevin finally ride him, it was a year of waiting for it to happen!

Kevin did ride him a second time, but this time there was a little hiccup, Kelo bucked and Kevin fell off.  He didn't get hurt to bad, just hurt his knee and his neck and shoulder are still sore/stiff after a week. There was a lot going around Kelo that had his attention and wasn't the right time to get on him.  When Kelo bucked, it wasn't his power buck (we have seen that one) but it was still a buck. We work him whenever we can and he does really well.  We take Kelo out of his pen and walk him around the house, Kevin has even worked him out in the open too.  Since we have gotten this far, our goal now is for Kelo to be the best that he can be by the time fall comes when we trail cows!

Since we are talking about Kevin, this past weekend there was a parade in town and Kevin rode in the parade on his mom's horse representing our Church! He did a really good job! Next year we would like to do it together as a family whether its all of us on horses or doing a float with other Church members.

Jacqueline got her spacers put in yesterday, she is not to fond of it. It bothers her when she eats but other then that she is doing really well!! The spacers will come out when her teeth start growing back in.  Jacqueline really likes going to the dentist, it helps that her dentist is really good with her. She gets excited when she has to go to the dentist! 

A quick update on the chickens!!! They are doing really well, just not to fond of the heat.  I did build them another shade shelter, made it bigger this time.  They really like this one, and they use it more so then the other one I build them! I nailed upholstery fabric all around it to keep the shade in and to help stop the rain from going underneath.  Food stays dry when it rains and the water stays a little bit cooler in the shade then it does when I leave it in the coop.  

I did loose one hen. I'm not sure what happened but I do know that she wasn't laying.  She wasn't acting herself, I was able to pick her up (since she didn't want to get out of the nesting box) and I got the eggs, she went right back in and where I found her the next morning.  I am still learning with the chickens so I am watching my other ones to see if they are acting the same way. So far nothing!!

I don't have a full picture of the garden yet, but I will.  I am getting lettuce and radishes!! They are good!! I haven't had one radish yet that didn't have a bite of heat to it, yummy!!!!

They are really pretty, reds, purples and white in color!! I almost thought that I had turnip seeds mixed in, but nope!! Good bite of heat, no matter the color!!!

                       

Mixed lettuce greens!

Flowering kale, haven't tried it yet. Next salad I will.

Corn and sunflowers!! I read that sunflowers planted next to cucumbers, makes them sweeter! 

Brussle sprouts! Little tiny sprouts are starting to grow!!

That's all I have for now! Hopefully I will start writing more soon!! 

These ladies were in the front yard Sunday morning, so fun to watch!!! Hope you all have a great day!!

Little bit of this, little bit of that!

Its summer time!!! Kids are ok with it. Jacqueline really misses school, Nathaniel does too. Trying to keep them busy to keep their mind off of school, well, unless I have them do school work.
Update on the kids and there teeth! The kids did wonderful with the surgery! Nathaniel had 8 caps put on. The ones in the back are silver caps and his front 2 top teeth are white caps! He has a beautiful smile once again!! Jacqueline had 5 teeth pulled, 3 caps and sealant put on a few too.  Jacqueline is going into her regular dentist tomorrow to be fitted for spacers, since some of the teeth pulled were no where near ready to come out and they don't want her to have an issue with crowding.
Now my garden!! I have been waiting for this one!!! We expanded the garden this year! At the time when we made it bigger, we were eventually were wanting to get chickens and maybe some pigs too. And were wanting to grow extra stuff just for them.  Right now, it is mostly all planted, I still have somethings to still plant.  I'm dealing with transfer shock and have lost my zucchini plant and cant find it anymore (everyone is sold out). So no zucchini this year.  I lost both of my butternut squash plants from a hail storm the other weekend, but I did get more (the last 2) and did replant them! Some new things in the garden this year are cantaloupe, Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, kohlrabi, eggplant, sweet potatoes, kale (a few different varieties) cauliflower, salsify, radishes, and garlic! I have sunflowers growing in the garden too! I read somewhere that it helps making cucumbers sweeter! I got my berry patch done, and have strawberries planted and a bare-root blueberry plant (not sure it will produce this year). I also have Nan-King cherry bushes too!!

What is already tilled, was the garden last year

All new space!

I will get pictures of the garden when it is all put in and of my berry patch too. With all the rain we have had lately, a lot of veggies are popping up!!!!

So, the most exciting thing, We got chickens!!!!  We have 18 in total. Most of them are turkens, kinda ugly but cool looking at the same time!! They are my thing, I take care of them, with the kids help (mainly Nathaniel, Jacqueline is a little afraid of them). I was kinda proud of myself, I fixed their run and even expanded it by myself! Pounding in the t-posts were the hardest part.  They lay different colors, I get brown, a blue-green color and white!  

He is my biggest rooster, I'm calling him Handsome.

Left: another rooster, Electro.  The hen is Sasha, she is a little feisty thing!!

Almost all of them!

I have some work to do inside the coop, more roosting space is needed, there is also another little spot to the right.

There is no shade in or around the run, so I made this, they really do love it.  We are going to make more and maybe even get some young trees and plant one inside the run.

 Oh, we got Kelo back from the trainers and he is now at the house!! Kevin hasn't gotten on him yet, we have some more work to do before we can begin to ride him.  The trainer did ride him.  With Kelo's past, him and Kevin need to bond again and do more ground work.  He really has come along ways since last year!! I can go into the pen and halter him no problem, spray him with fly spray, and brush him! Kevin even got to trim his from feet! We are hoping that with working with him more that Kevin will be able to ride him within a month.  Kevin is impatiently waiting to ride him! He still blows up with the back cinch, so we are working him with the saddle on, and messing with that area to reduce the sensitivity to that area. I'm working on him learning patients, by brushing him and doing his mane.

This is what is left of the braids I put in!

He is a very happy, fat horse!

So, those pictures were taken on Sunday, yesterday, he jumped that barbed wire fence.  It was raining from most of the day, and I didn't have Chena tied on the chain, just let her in and out of the house.  Well, we think that one of the times that she was out, she was in the pen and chased Kelo resulting in him jumping the fence.  I didn't go outside until about 4 and noticed that he was missing.  He cleared the fence, and he wandered for some time. Kevin walked about 4-5 miles through fields following his tracks before I spotted him.  He was a mile from the house when we found him.  He doesn't have a scratch or any sores, and he walked perfect!! We were definitely saying 'Thank you Lord for keeping him safe' So, we are going to keep Chena tied up and/or watch her very closely and teacher her not to go in the pen. We are also going to make the fence taller with a hot wire on the top, hopefully this doesn't happen again!

Today is looking to be a beautiful day!! The garden is calling my name, Have a great day!!!!   

Getting teeth fixed

Goodness its been a while since I last wrote! Boy, do I have lots to share, but I will get to that in posts to come. Right now I want to let you know whats going on.
A few months ago the kids had a dentist appointment/consultation to figure out what is the best way to get their teeth fixed.  The options were, several appointments to fix everything or have surgery and fix everything at once. I choose the surgery, it was the best option for the kids and myself.
That surgery day is upon us, May 15. Jacqueline is going to have teeth pulled and I'm not quite sure what Nathaniel is getting done besides caps on his teeth.  They don't really know that it is surgery, only that they are seeing their dentist on Friday. I'm not sure how to tell them without scaring them.  The kids teeth will pretty much have a clean slate! I'm excited about that for them!
Needless to say I am a little nervous.  I know everything will be ok, they are in God's hands and He will protect them!  I know that this is short but just wanted to let everyone know!
I will update, in the facebook group and text, when they go in and when they get out and let you all know how things went.
Have a great day!!

Christmas and New Years Fun!

Christmas was a blast and we really had a great time on our Christmas break!! Our Christmas celebration started off with Christmas Eve dinner at Mom and Dad's, Salisbury steaks, Yummy!!! Then Christmas day, Kevin didn't have to go to work, which was nice, a full day together! We did go up to the main place and played with Kelo for a while and then came home and watched Christmas movies and snacked until it was dusk.  We then headed to town to check out all of the Christmas lights, we do that every year and always is a blast.  In town there is a petrified wood park, and it was decorated with rope lights, kids loved it!!

After we come home from seeing the lights, we came home to eat and wait until it was time to give the kids their last Christmas gift.  Their last gift was going to the movie theater and seeing Night of the Museum (the third one). It was the kids first time seeing a movie in a theater, they loved it!! The movie was good!!  The Christmas celebration continued as everyone (Mom, Dad, Anneke, Jonathan and the kids and myself) heading down to Ashley's for our family Christmas party! It was a lot of fun!! Kevin wasn't able to go as he had to stay and take care of the ranch (Nathan and Sandy were gone) It was a quick trip but loads of fun!! 

The Church was putting on a New Year's Eve party and we went and helped set up.  Sand was brought in for beach volleyball, there was ping-pong tables, foosball, air hockey, bouncy houses and bingo! 

Kevin putting together a ping-pong table.

The entrance one of the ladies from Church did.

At the party, Kevin playing ping-pong.

A good amount of the people, others were at the bingo table to the left.

Jacqueline looking tired, getting ready for the ball to drop!

Us!!

Nathaniel already making noise!!

After the volleyball was over all the kids played in the sand (Nathaniel wasn't too sure about it)

Jacqueline was sure having fun!!

This is the jousting pit that all the kids took over and used as a bouncy house!! Jacqueline loved it!

Minutes away from New Years!

Happy New Years!

The New Years Eve celebration was a lot of fun! There was lots of food and it was good to sit and visit with others from Church and have fun! Kevin played in a ping-pong tournament, he didn't make it very far but had fun just playing!! Kevin and I played each other in air hockey, I won! 16-20!! 

A few days ago, Kevin and I took Kelo down to a friend of ours so he can train him.  Kevin didn't get the chance like he thought or wanted to train him himself.  Kelo was really a butt when we tried to get him in the horse trailer.  It took 2 hours to get him in the trailer, he just didn't want to get in.  I miss him already but looking forward to see what he is able to do!! He should be ready to come home by the end of March or April sometime!

The kids have finished the second quarter at school and both are doing really well!! Jacqueline can read a little bit, we need to continue working with her on that.  Nathaniel can now spell his name and is really proud of that! In all the work that they bring home I am seeing more and more of an improvement from the first day at school! It really is exciting seeing the change.  Their excitement to go to school hasn't gone away at all, its just as strong as the first day of school!! Nathaniel no longer cries when Jacqueline goes to school by herself on Fridays, but is so excited to see her when she comes home.  He greets her saying 'Jacqueline I missed you! Did you miss me?' She mostly replies 'Yes'

Calving season is going to start soon, well, it has already.  A neighbor's bull got in with the cows early and they are now starting to calve, a month early! So far there are only 2 calves, and about another 10 to calve. The rest shouldn't start until about the middle of February. I'm excited for it, I get to help and be apart of it this year!!

I hope you all have a great day!!

Jacqueline's School Concert, Getting Ready for Christmas!!

It's been a while since I last wrote, and a lot of fun things have happened!
First was Jacqueline's school Christmas concert! She did so well and had a blast singing!. I sent her to school that day with her hair all in braids and went there before the concert started to get her in her dress and do her hair! She sang three songs, I cant post them here, they are too large. (Bummer!! I was hoping it would work) They are on my facebook page if you haven't seen them. Mom, Anneke, and Kevin were able to make it and watch her sing! Jacqueline made the whole gym laugh!! In the second song, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, she was grooving and really getting into the song, it was funny!

*******Update****** Put the videos on youtube

First song, Jacqueline is in the black dress, hair down and a bow in her hair. Second from the tops left side!

Second song!

Last song. Sorry for all the coughing and moving around!

******

A few days later I helped Nathan, Sandy and Kevin trail the cows home (to Nathan and Sandy's place). The cows were about 3 miles from our house and we trailed them 15 miles, well we didn't make it the 15 miles. The cows moved so slow and it was dusk when we stopped and we were about 3 miles from Nathan and Sandy's place.  I left early to be home before the kids got off the bus and then an hour or so later Kevin came home. It was fun, but boring at the same time (only because we crawled, turtle speed) It took almost 2 hours to get the cows in front of our house, well it didn't help that one cow was 'oh so wonderful' and wouldn't cross the bridge. Kevin and Nathan were on four wheelers and chased her around for like 10 minutes before she gave up and crossed the bridge.  Nathan said that last year the cows would not cross the bridge at all, and this year Kevin had an idea, have the tractor and processor in front and put hay out on the bridge. Worked like a charm! Sandy was in the lead with the tractor (she also had Bo) and then all the cows Kevin, Nathan and Bandit pushing and moving the cows and I was the caboose in a truck with Liz!

Getting the cows to head out!

On the road home they go!

Almost to our house!

There it is!

Bandit working the cows! He did a great job! Just a few kinks to work on!

Decorating for Christmas is always fun! We always put up the tree and decorate the tree together as a family. I do the rest of the house a few days later! It was kinda nice this year, I got the rest of the house decorated while the kids were at school and did it in one day!

Nathaniel decorating the tree!

Jacqueline decorating the tree!

All done!

Bella is fascinated with the lights, and the ornaments! She hasn't knocked any to the ground but she sure plays with them on the tree. 

Shadow could care less about the ornaments and lights, she likes it as a napping spot! Well, she did until I wrapped the gifts and put them under the tree!

I promised Jacqueline one day after school that we could make cookies together! We did and it was fun! I did all the measuring and she turned the beaters on and off.  I showed her how to roll the cookies and did one tray, and she rolled the rest! She was pretty proud of herself for rolling the cookies and was so happy when Kevin got home so she could show him!

I had Jacqueline sift the dry ingredients, she thought that was cool!

Making sure the bowl spins! 

Pausing to lick the spoon and making sure it is good!

Jacqueline's rolled cookies! Fingers were licked after each cookie was rolled!

Ginger Molasses Cookies!!! Yummy!!!!

Last Tuesday, Jacqueline had a pajama party at school and they watched The Polar Express and had a great day!! She loved it! On Friday, they decorated gingerbread cookies! She was beyond excited to show us her cookies that she decorated and she shared with us and was just beaming and grinning from ear to ear when we tried her cookies and told her how good they were!! They were good!! Today and is Nathaniel's turn to have a pajama party and movie at school.  He didn't want to wear his pajamas to school, so he took a blanket instead!  Tomorrow is the kids last day of school of the year and the start of out Christmas vacation.  I'm not sure how well that will go. They are excited for Christmas but after that I think that there will be tears because there is not school.  We had a few tears in the mornings and before they went to bed during Thanksgiving! But we are going to keep them busy! 

Next week is busy!! I am making cookies and a few other goodies on Monday (at least just the cookie dough) for the New Years Eve party with the Church. Setting up on Tuesday and Wednesday and then party later that night!! It is going to be fun!! They are bringing in sand and having beach volleyball, bingo, ping-pong, bouncy houses, and 4-person joust! I am hoping to take pictures to show you! 

I hope everyone has as very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year