A Cow in the House

Early last Monday morning around 6:30, I had just crawled back in bed after feeding Simon when I saw a strange sight out in the hallway. Matt was hunched over, scurrying quickly to the bathroom with a big load in his arms. I knew he had gone out to check on our herd of cows, that are all supposed to have a calf here in the next few weeks/months. Zethan had actually snuggled into our bed by that time also, so we both jumped outta bed and ran to see what the commotion was.

It was a sweet little bull calf! Matt had rescued it just in time. Its momma must not have liked the birth experience much and decided to trounce the poor little thing. She was shoving it all through the mud and snow and stomping on it. It had a few cuts and wasn't breathing well. Matt washed it off in our tub and then laid it on a towel to warm up in our bathroom. The kids {and I} thought it quite peculiar to use the bathroom with a calf watching us!

He called the vet and then decided to take him in. The vet thought that maybe it had a collapsed lung from the momma cow stepping on it. The vet, shaved a spot on each side of the calf and put a needle in each side to draw out the air that had collected outside the lung. That way the lung could fill up properly again. It should be able to recover just fine! 

It was just so cute, Simon couldn't resist going to visit it.

It didn't take too long and it was up on its wobbly feet. It wanted to check out its living quarters. The poor little thing was just so cute, I couldn't resist letting it visit us in the living room!

It wobbled around and got some of its strength back.

Then he decided he was even ready for a real meal! When Matt first brought him in, we used a drencher to give it colostrum. Which is the first milk a calf needs to get a good start and usually gets from its momma. A drencher is a long tube, that is put down the throat and then you can squeeze the bottle and fill the calf's tummy with warm milk. It helps get the body temperature back up as well. It was super cold from being outside in the mud!

Lillie thought he made a good house pet!

He only enjoyed the house for that morning and afternoon and then out to the barn he had to go. But he likes his hay bed out there too!

Zethan and Tractors

 My little Zethan man sure loves to farm. The only thing better than playing with his toy farm stuff is being out farming for real with his Daddy! He can just play and play with his tractors, combines, cows and fences. And anything and everything is fair game to get loaded up with his tractors.

This day it was colored pencils that were getting hauled around.

He is always entertaining us and giving us something to laugh about. I just love his imagination!!

Sometimes it is colored pencils, sometimes it is toilet paper that he is pretending to be hay bales, sometimes sea shells. Whatever is available-he hauls around.

So intent on lining them up just right! It is so nice that he can play independently! Soon his older brother and sister will be starting school and he won't know what to do without them!! But I have a feeling he may just enjoy being the oldest at home for a few hours each day =)

Hay Balin' Fun

The hay out in our pasture got baled. And that means the kids LOVE to go out there!


Lillie brought along her notebook to count how many bales there were.


This is our ride. And the only reason I am wearing a dress and am barefoot is because I was working in the house getting supper put away and the kids said I just had to come ride, right that second. =) Who was I to crush their hopes and say no =)


Watching the baler.



Daddy shot =) I love those =)



They thought it was the greatest watching the bale plop out of the back of the baler.



And then it would get a little shove from the arm and roll away.



Standing up on a bale so they can get a better view.



And here is the part where I bore you with pictures galore, but! it is the kids favorite part of going on four wheeler rides. When they get to get down and RUN!!



Even Zethan thinks it is the greatest! His little legs are already running before he hits the ground.




But he needed to stop and make sure we were actually coming.



Lillie made it to the bales. Titus is coming in second.




Lillie just keeps running...



and running...


and running... But what is this. The boys are having technical difficulties.



Big brother will comfort you Zethan. While Lillie keeps running...



It's okay Zethan...



There you go, wipe your snotty nose on Titus. That'll make ya feel better.



Oh the poor baby. What's the matter.



Sissy will help you now.



Okay, never mind. Back to running.



Here we go running again! The boys are off!


Wait, I think I ate too much.

The end.

Washing Wheat

Grandpa & Grandma Stucky came this morning to wash some wheat. Lillie and Titus LOVE helping them with it!
Lillie thought she was big stuff running the water into the barrel.

Fun memories with the great grandparents!

Butterfly

Lillie and Titus love catching butterflies! Usually they just are able to catch the little yellow ones.


But Titus actually caught this pretty one all by himself! He came and brought it to me and I thought it was so pretty and was so proud of him for catching it all by himself that I let him put it in a jar! For a little while anyway. Then Daddy made them let it go so it wouldn't die. He's such a softie=) But I love him=)

Pasture Fire

Just a little adventure for our little family. We rode the four-wheeler with Daddy out to the pasture to burn off the extra hay that didn't get baled.

Matt starting the fire.

The kids are just watching. They LOVE four-wheeler rides! Especially Z. As you can see, he will just sit there and absorb it all!

Getting away from the fire to start some more rows on fire! It didn't take too long for the smoke to be billowing. At one point, we couldn't see Matt and Titus was just sure the fire had "burned him all up".

Just still beginning. It was kind of fun sitting out there watching it and listening to it crackle. We were up wind so even though we were right next to it we couldn't really even smell it and the smoke wasn't in our eyes.

Aww, brother and sister love=) Actually, the picture makes it look like they were being sweet but if I remember right I'm pretty sure they were fighting.

Our shadow.

Happy girl!

Pretty sunset. And of course it looked way prettier in person=)

I like these little adventures we get to do as a family. Memories!

Tractor Boy

This boy adores tractors. Tractors, mowers, machinery, four-wheelers. Anything that Daddy seems to enjoy-so does this little man. He is really quite the farm boy. He is the most happy when he sees a tractor and gets to sit on/in it. And he gets the most mad when he has to leave a tractor.

He just gets so mad when he has to be left behind by Daddy. But Daddy can't always get work done too well when he has a squirmy little boy on his lap. He is really good about letting the boys ride with him for awhile though and letting them spend some boy time together.

I know that Titus enjoyed/enjoys farm stuff as well. But there is even more of a passion running through Zethan's little veins than even Titus's. Of course they are sill young, but right now Zethan can NOT get enough of tractor riding. And he LOVES his Daddy. So put the two of them together.... and it makes for one happy boy.