I love that my boys (& girl) are going up on a farm . . .
There is always cows to feed and calves to chase . . .
Nothing quite prepares a boy for manhood like a farm.
There is always work to be done . . .
Lessons to learn . . .
Roosters to run from!
Their playground is endless & their imaginations run wild!
(*look closely at the “canon” the boys made)
My sweet Tucker-boy has a new love…
Last summer Tucker bought his first pig – a potbelly pig he calls “Q.T.” He used his own money & she is his responsibility. Then a few months later Big Daddy decided to add “Fred & Ethel” to our pigpen. Low & behold Ethel was expecting. Sadly, her babies died & my little pig farmer was devastated. So when I tell you how excited he was to discover 3 little piglets in Q.T.’s house it is an understatement. I have to admit, they are pretty stinkin’ cute! (pun totally intended)
I seriously can NOT call him “Momma’s Boy” anymore. His daddy has called the man out in him & he is less & less of a boy & more & more of a man. So, I think I’ll call him “Momma’s Man” :)
Tyler really is a very diligent worker. He not only does his chores & anything else we ask with a servants heart, but he also has learned to take the initiative himself without being asked. He truly makes us proud! As he grows & matures, new adventures await him. Although he is not driving a tractor with a plow or brush-hog on it (yet) he is learning to drive a tractor – ALL BY HIMSELF.
Soon, I will find him far off in the hay field . . .
Lent begins today.
During Lent, I’ll be going ‘unplugged’ (no blogging or Facebook & I’m thinking no blog reader either – YIKES!!). I did this last year & was truly blessed & developed a greater discipline for managing my computer time. The internet makes a great servant but a poor master. My boys are also “lenting” with me. Tyler is giving up his iPod Touch, Tucker his DS, & Trevor his Leapster. The younger too aren’t big on electronics, but the iPod will be difficult for Ty. I don’t make my kids participate, but they are boys & always up for a challenge. However, I do explain the reasoning & try to make clear the commitment they are making. To God. When they are tempted, I don’t pressure them or make them feel guilty either. Heck, I feel the same temptations!! I just remind them of the promise they made & tell them it is my job as their mom to help them keep their promise. I try to encourage them & not give them a guilt trip. Click HERE to read Edie’s A-MAZ-ING post on about Lent.
Truman.
Today marks 4 weeks of Truman being fever FREE!! He is such a trooper. He did amazingly well recovering from his surgery. WOW! It has been such a blessing to have him running around, following Tim every where, & jumping in on fights with his big brothers. He has decided he is ready for a big boy potty & is for the most part using it!! He also got his first hair cut. Well, it was more like a trim, but it was way overdue!!! What a joy this boys is. Praise God!!
Pregnancy.
I am also 10 weeks into my pregnancy today. 1/4 done! YAY! I feel great. Well, as great as great can be in the first trimester of a pregnancy. This is by far, the easiest pregnancy every for me (so far – knock on wood!!) I am queasy (A LOT), but no throwing up, no sudden rushing to hug the toilet (which I share with 4 boys & a man). More than anything, I’m tired. Very very tired. I’m not a nap-taker, but I’m done by 2pm most days. My floors are covered in dirty laundry, beds are full of laundry waiting to be folded & put away, drawers are empty. I cooked breakfast for the first time yesterday – I have to eat almost right away. I felt bad & the eggs are piling up, so after I had a bowl of cereal I cooked for my crew (then I ate again!) I’m so happy to be able to actually eat. I do have to be selective in my food choices. We are eating lot’s of rice around here. I’m craving very bland foods. Smells bother me the most. Which is tough living with the 4 boys & a man!! I had my first doctor’s appointment last week & we got to see a tiny little baby (just one) with a strong little heartbeat. I’m so excited! and no. No clue or guessing as to what I’m having. Yes, I will find out. Soon actually, like 5-6 weeks. I would LOVE a little LOT of pink, ribbons & bows, but I truly do love my boys & take great pride in being a mommy to many boys. We’ll see what God decides!
Me.
I’m still devouring 1,000 Gifts & I’ve almost listed 100 of my own (the whole lack of energy/sleep thing has put a damper on this slightly). I cut about 6 inches of my hair off & dyed a streak teal. My boys think I’m crazy. I needed something fun. I’ve said goodbye to my size 2 jeans. I’m only 10 weeks, but after doing this 6x now – my body knows exactly what to do. I’ve sported the belly band, but comfort is comfort! I also go the new iPhone, only to be greatly disappointed to learn that a newer one is coming out it June. Oh well! I’m working on a make-over plan for the boys room (& mine!!!) I will be purchasing my first real set of furniture soon. I can’t wait!!
School.
YIKES! Yes, we homeschool. And hopefully, we will be doing more HOMEschool. Monday marked the last doctor’s appointment on my calendar! YAY! We are getting the basics down (most days), but I’ve pretty much let anything & everything “extra” go. I’m totally okay with that. I’ve boosted up our workbox system (which was none existent for a long stretch). We have a pretty good routine down (on normal days) so I decided to add fun stuff to all their boxes. This is my way of organizing their “centers”. I’ll post more on these when I return from Lent break. I also started my first week of phonics with my own twist & the boys are doing fabulous. Tyler is currently on a Wimpy Kid reading marathon. Twaddle = absolutely. Fun = without doubt!
My outlaws.
We are ALL enjoying this much awaited & longed for spring-weather! You will find us going on 4-wheeler rides, nature walks, fishing, kite flying – lot’s of outside play! The boys have even ventured into the lake already – burrr!!!!We are just plain having FUN!!
Farm life.
I just hear the mouse trap go off . . . yes! That is life in the country. I’ve begged Big Daddy to declare war on our furry little pests before my city girl mama get’s here this Friday. I’m sooo excited to hug her. I miss her so much!! Anyway, the farm is just a poppin’ calves everywhere, we are getting ready to send our bulls off to the sell. We are up to 15 kids (baby goats). We’ve lost 6 though. Very sad. All sets of triplets. One nanny wasn’t separated from the herd & we think they were trampled. The other nanny is just a bad mama. We aren’t sure why her babies died, but she has never raised any of her babies. I’m kinda mad at her right now! The other babies are way too cute & the boys are spending lots of time chasing them around. Even Truman loves the new goats. I’m afraid he may think I have a baby goat in my tummy because I’ve been pointing to my (growing) tummy & saying baby. When someone asks him where the baby is he points to the baby goats.
My kitchen.
I was hoping to get a post up of the finished product, but I’ve just been so tired I didn’t get around to it. Big Daddy took out the double doors (there were 3-4 doors/3 entries to the kitchen) that lead to the boys room. In the place of the doors is now an awesome spacious pantry. I absolutely LOVE it!! Here is a cute little peak!!
Well, it is almost midnight. Blessings! See ya in 40 days!!
Monday night I went to sleep in Texas. Tuesday morning I woke up in Iceland.
Inches of beautiful sparkling snow covered the ground
Trees were fallen
Broken branches covered our porch, & vicious winds were still blowing.
Poor Big Daddy had to work, so Tyler & were left to the farm chores.
If someone would have told me that one day I would be feeding cows (6) 50lb bags of feed in snow knee-deep out in the middle of no where - I would have called them a liar!
.....But hey, my boots are cute!! :)
Is “Camo Night” at church only a country thing?
I’ve lived out here so long now, I’m not sure I know the answer.
Our church’s spirit night last Wednesday was CAMO day.
There were 3 age categories & prizes for the winner of each group.
Drumroll please! And the winners were:
Do not underestimate our camo gear. We take that sorta thang very seriously around here!
*Yes! Tucker is wearing a bear hat :)
Can you guess what the boys are looking at in our aquarium?
. . . 4 years ago Big Daddy built an addition onto this old house which we made our living room. It is the one room I have very little control over. Our living room is home to a huge elk head, several deer heads, a bobcat, & a 300 gallon aquarium. We’ve kept all kinds of fresh water fish in here. Usually whatever big catch the boys get calls this bad boy its new home. We have never, in 4 years, had the pleasure of seeing a fish have babies . . . Until NOW!!!!
This fish wasn’t eating & was growing rather “skinny” as Big Daddy described. He assumed she was sick, until he got a close look inside her mouth! Where he found THOUSANDS of babies swimming around. This particular breed (I can’t remember the name & Tyler is sleeping & Big D is already gone to work), they mouth brood. They carry their eggs in their mouth until the babies hatch & are big enough to swim out. It is the coolest thing ever! As we watched this mother of thousands of babies protect them I suddenly felt a little sigh of relief with just 6 to protect. :) It was such a blessing to be able to see God’s hand in this experience. She had thousands of babies & if just one swam out she was doing everything to get it back – 1 out of a couple thousand.
Typically, you would add moss to a tank & separate the mother & babies from the rest of the tank, but that was nearly impossible for us to do in a 300 gal tank. We added moss to the area she was claiming as hers, & despite her protective motherly instincts her babies all eventually swam out & were eaten by the bigger fish. I almost cried every time I witnessed this. So sad. Yes, I totally used this as an example to my kids!! “See, see what happens when mommy tries to protect you & you leave my protection? Those babies were safe with their mama, but they wanted out. They didn’t know or understand that she was just trying to protect them from the outside world they were so eager to be apart of, that was full of bigger fish waiting to devour them. See, sometimes mama’s do know better. Next time you better trust mommy or you’ll be eaten by bigger fish!”
Sadly, all but 5 survived. They are now living in a smaller tank in my bedroom.
They are the cutest little fishies!!!
God is amazing!!!!
Summers in Texas are brutal. It is not unusual for it to be 98 degrees at 9pm. The heat (& ahem, some goats!!!) were harsh on our watermelon patch this year. Our garden & watermelons were not quite what they were last year, BUT our hay field produced more hay than ever before!!! Big Daddy is one happy farmer :)
The kids love climbing & playing on the hay bales – Country kids’ playground . . .
GUESS WHAT?!!
GUESS WHO?!!
Trevor won 1st place in Muttin' Bustin'
at The Biggest Little Rodeo In Texas last Friday night
(sheep ridin' - wild things - might as wella been a bull! LOL)
WHOOOO HOOO TREVOR!!
But that’s NOT all . . .
. . . Guess what else?
....GUESS WHO WON **AGAIN** SATURDAY NIGHT?!!!!!!!!!!!
TREVOR IS OFFICIALLY THE UNDEFEATED MUTTIN' BUSTIN' CHAMPION AT THE BIGGEST LITTLE RODEO IN TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY LITTLE RODEO COWBOY!!!!
Ride 'em Cowboy!!
Say a little prayer for this future little bull rider – he will be defending his title tomorrow night :)
