3/2 - Levi and I went out in the field to check out our first calf of the season, and our bull Royal decided to come check us out. He's very laid back and not a threat but it still makes me a little nervous when a 1000+ lb animal walks up to me. He even licked my hand. Cow slobber - so sweet.
And here's the first calf (a couple of days old in this pic)! The kids named her Unique because she was so friendly to Jason when she was first born. She would come right up to him and wasn't afraid at all. She wasn't as excited to see Levi and I though.
3/5 - Jason and his dad (thanks David!) used our brand new bander to castrate our 3 bull calves from last season. The process went smoothly, but it took a long time for their testicles to fall off. I think the last one finally officially became a steer last week (week of April 17th). Despite the time it takes, I still prefer that method (and it seems more humane) vs. cutting them. Very thankful it went well!
3/14 - After 2+ weeks of worsening shoulder pain, I broke down and went to the chiropractor. After that I felt so much better, but still had a full week of muscle soreness. Getting old sucks.
3/19 - Josiah competed in the regional Cub Scout pinewood derby race. They didn't post any race times and he didn't end up winning but it was still fun to get to go!
3/21-3/28 was spring break from school! And how do we celebrate spring break? By getting 3 of Josiah's teeth pulled! The orthodontist recommended we have this done to help the permanent teeth come in a little straighter, and much to my disappointment our dentist agreed.
I was so nervous, but Josiah did great. Here he is with the heart rate monitor, blood pressure cuff, oxygen, and IV port. He was such a trooper. It was really fast to get the teeth out, and then we got ice cream and went home to heal. We were really hoping for some loopy conversations when he came out of anesthesia, but it really didn't seem to phase him. The worst part for him was not being able to drink through a straw and having gauze in his mouth for most of the day. By dinner time he had finally stopped bleeding and was feeling great.
Notice the lovely blood stains on his shirt as he shows off his newly removed teeth.
The rest of spring break was spent painting pottery, going for walks and to the park, hanging out with friends, swimming at the pool, and relaxing.
3/25 - 3/27 - we went to my parent's house for Easter. They are working on remodeling their basement, but that didn't stop Joe (Josiah's stuffed dinosaur) from tying the knot. This is part of the wedding ceremony. Even a parasaurolophus deserves love.
Dying Easter eggs. We used a kit that was supposed to make them look tie-dyed and which we found out the hard way does not work on paper eggs.
Ready for the Easter egg hunt.
4 wheeler fun. Thanks for a fun weekend Mom & Dad!
Also sometime in March - we got some asparagus from our garden!! Growing asparagus is a 2-3 year process so it's very exciting when you get to harvest it. If you're wondering if garden fresh asparagus tastes better, the answer is YES!
4/2 - Jason and I went to Branson for our church's annual marriage retreat. We got to play tennis, do a little hiking, do two escape rooms with a group, and hear some great teaching from one of our favorite pastors from when we lived in KC. Thanks to Jason's parents for watching the kiddos!
4/4 - our 2nd calf of the season was born! Unique was happy to have a friend.
Just wanted to capture an image of why we will never have a nice yard. It's hard to tell, but most of the chickens have dug holes to lay in. They are almost even with the ground. Our yard is like a land mine of ankle twisting holes. Beware.
And here's the reason I hate getting the mail. Thankfully I think we were able to get this guy moved out.
4/6 - we drove by our neighbor's field and this cow was in the process of having a baby (can you see it?). It looked like she was needing help, so I went home and got gloves (as if I know what I'm doing) and walked back to see if she would let me help her, but then she got up and ran off with a calf sticking out of her!
Also on the 6th a friend and I cooked lunch at school for all the students. Fun times!
4/15 - when I went to pick up Josiah from school, this cow (again in the neighbor's field) was in labor. When we got home we got to see the brand new baby! It had not even gotten up to walk yet. Lots of fun education for my boys. "Mom - what's that thing hanging out the back of that cow?!"
4/17 - Levi found this hat (which is part of a costume of Francesco from the Cars movie) and decided to wear it all the time. Even while sleeping and (as pictured here) going to church. Thanks for the costume Nate & Jen! :)
4/22 - the boys had their annual school program/fundraiser. It's just so cute to see them on stage. They both did a great job.
Mi Mi got them this crocheted dinosaur at the silent auction that evening. Too bad Joe is already married.
4/23 - Jason took the boys on a boy scout camping weekend. They had such a blast. They got to shoot a bow and a bb gun, do crafts and of course sleep in a tent. They loved it. And I got some alone time to go shopping, go to a women's lunch at church, and do some running. For one day and night it was nice to have some alone time, but then I was ready for them to come home.
Also in March and April, Josiah went to a class at church on Wed nights about being a Christian. Sometime in January he brought home a paper from school with the gospel explained on it in his own words, so I asked him about accepting Jesus and he said "Oh I already did that." What?? Were you going to tell us?? He said he made that decision sometime in Nov or Dec 2015, so apparently he is a secret follower of Jesus. :) I'm so so happy for him and so thankful. He's only 8 and has already made the most important decision of his life, so basically my job as a parent to him is now done. Ha! Now begins the journey of walking out his faith and the class was so helpful with how to do that. He hasn't been baptized yet - he was afraid of it at first, but now seems more interested so hopefully that step will come soon!
