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??