Year in Review: Kid Edition

This year has gone by quickly and many things have happened! Here is year in review post about the kids. I'll do a general review next!

Titus turned 7 years old in January and started 2nd grade this year when August came around. His birthday is Kansas Day(its almost here again!), so he got to dress up for school! He is a sweet, energetic boy. This past year, he graduated from his speech therapy that he was doing. He had an amazing speech teacher and he talks so well now! We are proud of his hard work and sweet spirit! He loves to help out his littlest brother and playing with him also! Legos are his thing right now, along with fishing (when he gets the chance), and shooting his daddy's BB gun. He is dreaming of his own. The first time he shot down a pigeon from the barn, he was flying high all. day. long!

We surprised him with a party after school with some aunts and cousins! So fun to have a surprise party for the birthday boy!

(Before)

Lillie turned 9 in March and started 4th grade in August. For her birthday, she took her cousin with her to get her hair cut short and then spend a day in town!

(after)

She got to try on dresses at Von Maur. So fancy =) She is growing up to be quite the young lady. She is  a social bug and loves her friends and being with people. She is quick to make friends and is outgoing. This year she got to have a main part in the church Christmas play and she sure has a knack for that sort of thing! So proud of her! Not sure where she got her stage presence from cuz her daddy and I both cringe if we have to be front and center! But God blessed her with that and we love her for it! She also loves to do arts and crafts and can be found up in her room creating all sorts of things. She made a magnet board for me for Christmas and its so special!

Mommy, daughter picture!

Zethan turned the BIG 5 this year!

He celebrated with a donut tower cake in the morning. And then him and his best friend/cousin got to go bowling! Those two are two peas in a pod. Funny funny fellas! Zethan has much energy and sometimes doesn't know when to slow down! Some of his favorite things include: playing with his farm toys, legos, playing the ipad, and pretty much anything big brother is doing. He is always making us laugh and we love him to pieces! He started Kindergarten this year as well! Quite an adventure!

At the bowling alley! 

Simon baby turned 2 years old in August. He started his morning off by meeting Papa and Aunt Tiffy at Drubers for some yummy donuts! (Do you sense a donut theme in this family??)

Then we got to play with all the cousins at a spray park! Perfect day for that!

He also got to celebrate with an ant cake at Grandma & Papa's house! Lucky boy! He is a sweet little guy and we can't imagine our lives without him! God blessed us with a special boy and he is always bringing a smile to everyone in the family! Except for when he destroys lego cities of course =) He got to start going to Sunday School this year when he turned 2 and quickly got used to going in and sitting down to do a puzzle or two to start. He picks up his little memory verses quickly and is ALWAYS talking. He has quite the vocabulary and we laugh at the phrases he uses that he has heard adults use and his cute little sayings that he says. He is growing up quickly and we treasure these sweet moments of his lingering babyhood.

We are so blessed to have these children and we pray God's wisdom to raise them. Some days are harder than others and we treasure the good days and know that the bad days too shall pass. It is all a part of this life and we hope to bring honor and glory to God each of the days.

Corn Harvest

Corn harvest Twenty-Fourteen has been going on awhile now! But finally one of our own corn fields was dry enough to cut! (My farmer husband works for another farmer so they both have fields). (And not all our corn is ready-just a little was dried down enough for now.) 

We got to go out on the four-wheeler and await our turn for a ride! It was right around our home place and the road across! It started out a chilly morning.

 There is the Farmer in the combine picking corn! (I just learned that its not cutting corn, its picking corn because the corn header doesn't have a sickle on it cutting the corn. Who knew. Haha.) =)

 Riding along. First time to ride this harvest season! This is about the only kind of date we get around here =) But I'll take it!

 Simon thoroughly enjoying time with his farmer Daddy doing what he loves! Farming! He loves all things tractor, combine, truck. You know- big machinery.

Simon loved that tire! Brief moment while we were stopped, he got to hop up there. It was a lot of in and out- trading riders, waiting for more semi-trucks, going back home for nap time, getting lunches and suppers ready... Then the combine broke down for a few hours, so that always makes farmers real happy... =) But its just a part of the process.

 The golden flow of corn is so pretty coming out of the auger! Can't wait to see more pictures that my sis-in-law got! She's way better at picture taking than me!

And when the farmer says to everyone that the elevator is about close so if you wanna come-jump in, you all jump in, no shoes, no clothes. Whatever. We are real classy around here. They were so excited to see how the corn dumps out of the bottom of the hopper.

So there is still some corn harvest left this year and then they will be on to bean harvest and drilling wheat before we know it, busy time in the farm life. But it was fun to have a day seeing my farmer! He's the best!

School Time

We have started school this week! Our family has chosen to do school at home this year! I've got a 4th grader, 2nd grader and a Kindergartener. We are using the Dew Learning curriculum. It is ipad/computer based and keeps track of each lesson and will keep us on schedule! If need be, the 2 younger grades have a play button on each paragraph so they *could* do the subject on their own. So far, though I've mostly been reading and explaining things to them and to Lillie too. 

I still need to order some books that are used in the curriculum but will probably do that from Amazon as we need them. The library has some that we can use so that is nice! Just need to plan ahead of when we need them and hope they are available!

We set up our classroom in the unfinished part of our upstairs. Eventually it will be finished out but for now, it is what it is. Not too pretty, but I put up a few things to make it look a little cutesy.

And of course, Simon has to have some toys to keep him busy and out of the kids' desks. But he will go to each of their desks and try to claim it as his own, so I'm thinking he needs his own...

I found each of the kids' desks at garage sales for $5 each! Then I already had the big teacher desk, just painted it white. 

It was fun getting new supplies! =)We bought the Dew learning during a promotion and got a big Staples gift card so that was fun!

And I found an awesome blogger who is also a homeschool mom, who makes super cute printables! So I put up a few of those! 

We shall see how this school year goes. We will get into the habit and schedule of things more as we go along I am sure. Zethan is still a little flighty and off the wall unless I am actually right next to him instructing him. He can't sit still or keep his hands still for more than a minute =/ Lillie misses her friends from school but we are doing what is best for our family as a whole at this stage! So we will make the best of it and have a good time doing it!

Sweet Baby {ok, ok Big Boy} About to Turn 2 Years Old!!

 Our Simon is turning 2 years old!! We can NOT believe how fast time is flying by. I know, I know, everyone is saying that! But still. Its true! Looking back at these pictures, it is kind of crazy to remember all that we were thinking and feeling and praying about in those days. So many unknowns, so many what-ifs. Putting all our trust and our expectations and desires for a healthy baby, into God's hands. Seeing how much our faith grew and our trust in our God developed is an amazing thing. Going from the initial mind-blowing, gut wrenching shock of our baby quite possibly having a cancerous tumor, to feeling God's peace filling us telling us His way is best.

Our little fella weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz, my biggest baby (but only by a few ounces)!

Daddy with Simon as he got his first of many sonograms.

Going home after having to spend 2 nights in the hospital while they checked him over!

Look at that tiny little guy! He didn't stay small for long!!

We kinda forget things as life goes on. Simon was born with a quite large bump on his head, but it faded after a couple months.

That fluffy blue striped blankie is still his fave! He's gotta have it to sleep!

Proud big brothers.

Even still, we know just how special Simon is. With sonograms at different intervals, his tumor continued to shrink from starting out at about 3 cm, until at 18 months old, the sonogram technician and the radiologist reading the images, could not find a tumor at all. God healed our boy. He chose to allow us to continue to raise him for the time being and entrust us with him. For that, we are so so grateful. Simon was covered in prayers from all over and we felt those and God heard those and gave us the desire of our hearts. 

We are so happy to be celebrating the 2 year mark of having Simon in our lives!! Happy birthday tomorrow buddy!

Adventures in Farm Life

Matt went to work yesterday and said he brought one of the cows into the barn since she was about to give birth. I was to check in on it around noon.

The first picture is what it looked like when I found it. It was just shivering away and the mama didn't seem to remember she was supposed to be licking it and getting it going. I got in there and tried to help it up but it was just floppy, deadweight, only barely lifting its head. I couldn't really get a good hold of it to bring it inside so I just left it for Matt to carry in when he got home. He thankfully worked quickly on his job that morning and was able to come home early. He easily scooped it up and brought it into the house and we warmed it up with a bath. (In my brand new bathtub of course.)

It had some blood in its mouth from some loose teeth or something, Matt said that happens sometimes in newborn calves?? Don't know why. Guess I'll have to google it =) Anyway, we let him soak for 20 minutes or so then got him out and towel dried him, but boy, they sure soak up a lot water and it took a long time to dry him out, we even used the blow dryer on him!

But he was much bigger and stronger than the first little calf that I posted about on Facebook, so he was getting up and trying to find something to suck on. Our faces included. Oh boy!

He wasn't being able to suck fast enough out of a regular bottle, and it is important to get colostrum in their bellies by 6 hours old. Which he was about that by the time it was all said and done, so Matt tube fed him while I helped. I didn't do much, just held the bottle up. Ha!

Anyway, here is what a nice warm bath and belly full of warmth can accomplish.

Matt said the little guy was on his last leg when he brought him in. We aren't sure why the mamas are having a bit of trouble this year, these both were from our original herd so this is their 4th year to have a calf. It was just so cold yesterday its like its making their brain forget to take care of their babies!

We took him back out to his mama in the barn for the night and he is still there this morning. It doesn't look like he is sucking on mama much yet, but I will keep checking on him today and checking on the other mamas. Some are heifers, so this will be their first year to give birth so we have to check on them extra vigilantly. Poor Matt has been getting up once or twice and going out in the sub zero wind chill to check on them! 

Update on our first premie calf: It did not make it but a few days. It was just too early. Matt kept milking the mother to keep her milk flowing while we looked for a replacement. Thankfully we found one locally and after getting chased around in the pen by the little gal day after day she finally found it in her heart to just stand still and let it nurse! Praise the Lord! Here is a picture of the replacement calf. It is a little over a week old. It is HUGE-probably three times as big at birth than the one that died!

And a little story-Zethan came in the morning that little one died and told me that it had died.  I asked him if that made him sad and he replied quite gruffly, "YES" like don't talk to me about it, of course I'm sad but did you have to ask??