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.

Ice Storm 2009

Well sorry I have not wrote on this in so long seems like we can't get caught up. I will try to include some ice storm pictures. We are still cleaning up to this day the yard and last night we worked on the trees that had went down in the creek so we can get the cows up to the house to vaccinate them. During the ice storm Jon worked a lot he would get home about midnight or 1 in the morning then sleep sleep 3 hrs and get back up at 4 to be at work by 6 in the morning. When the storm first hit the roads were so tore up he could not get down the main road we both take to work so he would have to drive all the way to Siloam and come back roads to our house and he still had to cut his way in. The First Day the kids and I stayed home, but by the 2nd day we decided to stay with Nana and Papa and then my Grandparents stayed too. You could not get down our road with my car and Jon took his truck with him, so the kids and I called Papa to come get us. Papa and Nate helped Bob and I keep up with all the feeding and watering and it did get old. Papa and Nana got power first then we did a few days after that. I was so mad about it taking so long but there were some things that the kids and I did that was good and brought us closer together. The first night we cooked hot dogs in the wood stove so we pretended to camp out. We also read bible stories by candle light and we did lots of praying to help us and to keep the electrical crews safe. Now that has made us realize that we did not really have the family time we need with God. Our family is not all the way there but we are so much better than we were. Jon and I and the kids all realized how blessed we are we have a great family and neighbors. Jon's Dad came and cut up some of the limbs so I could get to my front door and Dad helped haul hay and haul water to Bob's show calves and Nate well he is just part family too he helped Bob and I feed every day. Papa also ran to MO to buy feed while I took Bob's show steer to the vet and got some feed in Siloam and Bob had a ball game that day too. So like I said I don't know what we would do if we did not have such a close family and neighbors we are so blessed. Sorry about the pictures I have tons more but I can't get these to move around like they should.