I have more pictures coming just when I get a chance to post them.

Benton County Fair

This was a pretty little package. She was so cute.

Dutches was in the Beautiful Bovine contest with Mandy. Mandy was pebbles and Dutches was Thelma and they were trying to get beef to BedRock.

This was old timers showmanship the kids got to judge us parents on how we showed I got kicked out by Bob because I had glitter on my lamb. I used Lacy's Lamb for this instead of the heifers they were wore out because they had stood most of the afternoon in the grooming contest. Jon some how managed how to get out of this. It was fun we had a pig, rabbit, and a goat plus all the cattle.

This is Paige my sisters daughter she won Reserve Cloverbud hog. I thought I had some pictures of Dutches but not sure where I have not found them yet. Dutches was sick the day of the hog show we kept her in the breeze way of the barn till she showed it was a long Hog show for her and me Jon was sick too that day matter of fact we all had some kind of 12 hr bug last week seemed like everyone in the barn was sick at one point or another.

So Busy...

I know I have not posted in a while I just have not had a chance to fit that in lately. Anyway we just got done with the Benton Co Fair. Bob had 2nd with his Angus heifer, Reserve with his Short Horn Plus heifer of her breed, and 2nd with his other Short Horn Plus heifer. We were so excited he held his own with the Angus show. Dutches placed 1st with Hershey the pig and 3rd with Kisses the pig. I will try to post pictures later or just look at face book if I get them on.

We are off to look for next year's cattle next weekend. Never ends.

Pictures of Cheif's Bday

Summer Fun

Well I don't know if you would call it all fun but we have finished up baseball about 3 weeks ago for both Dutchess and Bob. Bob had the chance to try out for All Star but decided not too since the games fail on 4th of July and Granny and Pepa usually take them to Branson for a week with their cousins then Marc and Terri and us come up for the 4th. Bob helped Papa in the hay field he raked and tetered hay about 120-130 acers. Then he also got to help haul about 430 round bales. This was the first year he got to do the actual staking on the hay truck and trailer. He is 11 going on 17 now for sure. Cheif turned 2 June 12 can you beleive that. We ended up have Grandpa's services the Monday before his birthday then Jon left out the day of Cheif's Birthday for Greenwood and Boonville they had some really bad storms but he was back by Sunday night around 11:00 or so. So we ended up having Father's Day and Cheif's Birthday at our house for both the Burden's and the Cantrel sides. Someone did say Cheif new how to throw one big party. I have a bunch of pictures to post but it is late and this thing keeps shuting off so these are not in order or anything. Maybe I will get the rest out there.

What we have been up to

A couple of weeks ago we had 4-H County O'Rama all 3 nieces gave a speech 2 won and get to go to Districts in Alma in June.
Bob found out today that since he placed 2nd and the 1st place winner is not going in her talk to Districts he gets to go too.

We also had 4-H fashion revue. This black and White dress Dutches has on was made by the girl in the picture with her. The girl also made the jacket she has one it has pockets and is lined she is an awesome seamstress. This girl won the all around and the sewing machine in the sr division.

Dutches also modeled her Easter dress.

This is my nieces.

Now we are into baseball and softball when they are not rained out. The girls seem to play in the mud but the boys they have cancelled lots of games. Tonight we have been baking stuff for the bake sale we are having on Saturday and we are trying to get ready for Mothers Day. It is also my Mom's Birthday and Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary and last week was Grandpa and Grandmas 61st wedding anniversary.

Natural Falls with Alex

Some of you may remember Alex he is a foreign exchange student at JBU. Well Saturday he will graduate and go back home. We will miss him a lot. Bob looked up to him so much. We have enjoyed Alex a lot and he has been someone for Bob to look up too. Thanks Alex for being a great friend to our family.

Softball tournament

Dutches had a softball tournament today. Bob had baseball pictures and a 2 ring cattle show that he should of went to but Jon and I were both lazy, so we decided about Wed not to go to the cattle show plus he was wore out and sleeping in till 8:00 was so nice this morning and none of the kidos got up till 8:30 what a shock that was. Dutches played 2 games the 3rd game we did not play because of the down pour that came.

Easter 2009

Easter just was not the same this year without Jon, but I have great in laws we went to their church and had dinner with them. We did color eggs Saturday night but not till around 9:00 so all we did is color them we did not have time to do the actual kits we bought. The kids and I came home to cattle out so we put them back in and ran to Walmart then came back and got Papa to help Bob and I fix fence. Its Spring and it seems the grass is always greener on the other side. We are so blessed to live where we do and Papa and Nana is only a few minutes away. Chief loved hunting eggs Sunday morning he mainly throw them and said "Ball".

We are hoping to have Easter for just our family either this Sunday or next since Jon is home he just thought he got out of dressing up.

Northwest District Spring Livestock Show

Well I aimed to post this last weekend on Sunday but with Jon being gone things just get busy. Last Thursday night Jon got called to Mena for the Tornado that hit last Thursday night he just got back yesterday. Anyway last weekend was the District livestock show so I took off work last Friday and Bob and I took Willy and Queenie to the livestock show. We had not been to a show all season with Jon helping coach baseball and the weather and us not getting the cattle worked till late we just have not made it to any.

When we got to the fairgrounds we unloaded and washed the calves and blowed them then we clipped them. I clipped the heifer and Bob clipped Willy. I had not clipped in a long time so it was not that great but it was done we are hoping Jon will even it out a little bit there is a art to this it is not as easy as it looks. Bob did a great job for his first time to clip he just needs Dad to step in and show him a little more.

The show was Saturday morning and we got there and the calves were a little dirty so we washed them again and Bob blowed them dry then we went to grooming them.

Bob showed Willy in the Market Steers Willy was not the best behaving thing in the world he got away twice but Bob stuck in there. For the first time the animals did great. Bob placed 4th out of 4 in his class with Willy.

This is Queenie and she was great we figured she would be the one that would have been the mess she placed 1st in her class of the Angus Heifers but she was the only one in that class she went in for Grand and Reserve but did not place. All in all this was a good show for us and Queenie and Willy or as Bob has been calling him the Red Headed Stranger.

Working Cows one last time for 2009

Well Saturday they worked the last of the cattle which averaged out to be 204 head anyway that was the count Bob had (for Saturday they worked the others during spring break). They finished up Papa's and they did ours. That is one thing that is easing everyone mind right now we are so glad to have it all done.

First we get the cattle up and sort them from calves to babies these here is our cows they got done with Papa's around 4:00 then came and started on ours. Then after they are sorted we haul the animals to my Grandparents house to work them since we do not have a squeeze chute.

Chief found some dunk and was throwing it around he was helping me run cattle in the chute. The things I let my child do I know.

This is one of Jon's cousins putting ear tags in the cows ears these are fly ear tags and this will help keep face flies off of them we put one in each ear.

This was the bull he was not being to nice about it so it took all of them.

Bob put ear 2 ear tags in each calf while the rest were giving the shots and putting on the wormer. His hands were so sore Saturday night and Sunday. But He figured out he did around 80 head so I figure they were sore.

Chief and Dutches got tired and went to see Great Grandma and Grandpa for a pick me up of candy and pop they know where to go for the good stuff.

Living on the Creek

Well I know some of you I have told you that there are some days that I would love to come home to a house that was finished a nice yard and basically have to deal with supper and that is about it. Well that maybe nice and it would be okay sometimes but I would sure miss watching my kidos doing this.

and this one of our little man helping with chores.

I would not miss things like this we missed church on Wed night last week to get this tree out of the creek left from the ice storm so we could get our cattle up to vaccinate.

This is one of my favorites in his rubber boots he wears everywhere he tried to wear them to church on Sunday and cried when we took them off and put on his tennis shoes.

and moments like this I would not give this up in the world.

Especially this one how many times do you catch Bob holding Dutches hand. This reminds me of my sister and I and all the time we spent on creek growing up at that time it my Great Grandparents lived here. My Dad use to bring the tractor and we would fish out of the bucket of the tractor don't ask why we thought we were so cool.

Working Cows

Well the Friday the kids started their spring break and I was off that day we worked 64 head of cattle that day. There was Buba a neighbor, Nate, Papa, Bob, and I who worked them. Things went so smooth just amazed and all I had to do was keep cattle run up in the chute and help get them up. I love it since Papa hires help now not that I minded giving shots and branding. I do miss not using the horses to get up the cattle though. Use to when we were younger not very long ago Papa, my sister, and I would ride horses our cattle did not know what a 4 wheeler was it was fun I always enjoyed it. I guess we quit when the last time I had not rode in a year just had Dutches in December and I had to ride the buck out of Al before we could do anything and every time you went after a cow he got a hump in his back like he was going to throw me. We still have plenty to work but Bob ended up helping work 434 head later during Spring Break and we hope to finish up this weekend. I should have more coming after Saturday.

If you look real close can you guess who is driving that big red Dodge? He is safer driving that than the 4 wheeler he takes after mom and is a little dangerous with the 4 wheeler when it comes to getting up cattle.