Just another day...on the farm

Yesterday was the first day back at school

 after a wonderful two week break. 

It was hectic...

to say the least...

but I was able to get there somewhat early

finished lesson plans for the rest of the month

review some ideas

and see my lovely students again

Today on the other hand did not start out well...

I woke up late (bad way to start the day)

Then as I got the hot water ready to mix milk for calves

 Wyatt woke up

he wanted to stay in the house

to watch Clifford while I fed calves

(this isn't unusual as it takes him a while to wake up and he would prefer to snooze with teddy)

so I got bundled up and headed to the barn

I had mixed up one bottle and was feeding the 1st calf when...

 I heard him holler from the house

 next I him crying and closer

my heart stopped i was worried that something was wrong

but no when i got to him nothing was wrong

other than he had run outside

forgot to put on his shoes or coat

and said he was

"Fzeeezing"

He came on down to the barn with me

to help finish feeding up

feeding the calves was a challenge as they are still young...

just a few days old

it takes longer to feed them

the 1st calf drank OK...a little slow but not too bad

the 2nd calf wasn't interested...

he drank about a 1/4 of a bottle

and decided he was done..

this caused me lots of

 FRUSTRATION!!!

I fussed...

tried not to cuss...

and prayed that he would just eat

i broke down and called William...

explaining how this wasn't going to work

as it was already 6:50

I needed to leave the house in 20 minutes

he listened with a sympathetic ear

said it would be OK

 (he doesn't have a clue sometime)

then said if the calf drank some milk he would be fine until this evening

so i moved on to the 3rd calf...

thank God for a smart calf...

he drank the bottle without me even having to get in the pen...

AMEN..an answer to one of my prayers

I was finally headed back to the house

got dressed 

round up the little man

to head south to the barn

I was only 5 minutes late to work

but still in my world that might as well be an hour

i was off beat and stressed

the day ended with me being...

exhausted...

when we got home

 it started again...

William's clothes needed to be ironed

for tomorrows Farm Bureau training

the horses and sheep needed hay...

dogs needed feed and water...

and the cats were running wild...

Wyatt insisted on playing baseball

we still have to feed up tonight,

cook supper,

update my classroom website,

bathe the little man,

wash dishes,

and

hopefully

spend some time with my hubby

So what's a day at your house like?

do you have to feed calves?

wash clothes?

chase a two year old?

I am sure you have to fulfill many of the same requirements

as I do

maybe without the calves and sheep included

perhaps there is not a calf licking the back of your pants

while you chase a two year

or a horse trying to nibble said child's hair

instead of the hay

but still the same basic things

Until next time I hope you all have a blessed day!!

P.S. maybe soon I can share pictures...if I get a new camera

Christmas on the Farm

Many of you know that my husband is a full time farmer and for a farm family Christmas is a little different.  No matter the day God's creatures have to be cared for.  So EARLY Saturday morning before even your most excited little one rolled out of bed we had opened presents, had breakfast, fed baby calves, and William was milking the herd.  This is a typical holiday for us.  I don't mind the early rising or the cold air in the early morning because we get to experience a one of a kind holiday every year. 

 This was our living room before the little man attacked the mound of presents.  Now typically he doesn't get tons of presents but this year I went a little overboard because I got some AMAZING deals on his favorite toys...John Deere Tractors!!!  The little man is amazing, he can wake up before most adults and still have the most wonderful attitude.

This year I was able to learn something new. Our little man is 2 going on 80! On Christmas morning he hiked to the barn with me to feed baby calves and check on the lambs and goats, then hiked back up the hill to feed the horses and dogs all the while being a trooper in the cold air. As we were in the barn feeding Wyatt said that he could mix up the milk for the calves of course I was a little more than nervous...subfreezing temps, hot water, and a 2 year old isn't a good mix. But he (with supervision of course) took the jugs of water and poured it into the milk buckets, added a cup of powdered milk to each and whisked them like a pro! It was an amazing moment to see that some of the values we are trying to instill in him were being implemented even at a young age. He didn't whine or complain he was enjoying his time with me having fun working on the farm. It was wonderful!!

Christmas day continued with visits to family (after milking of course).  Wyatt loves to head to Nana & Pop's.  They live on the main part of the farm and he likes to play and spend time with his cousin, Ashley.  We got a very rare treat on Christmas evening...it started snowing!!  Technically we didn't get a white Christmas (not 1 inch prior to midnight) but we did have a white day after!! And Wyatt loved it!  The snow was too soft and powdery to use the real sled so we made use of a feed trough and pulled little man to the barn in it.  He loved the homemade sled. 

 Living on a farm gives you a chance to take some amazing photos through out the year.  I love to catch the landscape covered with snow from various angles.  This is looking out the end of the barn. 

 This is another angle from the end of the barn but this one is special because the house you can just see at the end of the field is the original home place for little man's best friend and my hubby's maternal grandfather, Paw Paw.  It was a beautiful chance to capture a glimpse of family traditions.

 And of course I couldn't resist the chance to get a picture of some of the animals in the snow.  I didn't take many this time but I am sure I will have more chances as the winter progresses. 

I hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday and remembered the true reason for the celebration...the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

God Bless,