Splish Splash!

A HUGE thank you to our neighbors, Jody and Lloyd Little, who invited us over to swim in their pool. What a beautiful morning for some aquatic exercise. The girls were fascinated with the pool, since it is a partial in-ground grain bin! It is so cool, and what an innovative idea! The water temperature was perfect, and we splashed around for more than an hour soaking up the sun. 

Megan swam lots of laps across the pool. Emily was thrilled to get a dive stick from the bottom of the pool. And Eli and I had fun throwing rings and swimming to retrieve them. 

We had a blast!!

Summer Randomness

One morning, as Megan was on her way out the door for some Vitamin D, I overheard her explaining to Eli that he needed to get dressed before going outside. He was only wearing a pair of shorts. So, this is how he dressed himself -- he added a hat and a pair of boots!!!! 

And, the bottom photo is our new cat, Silky. A friendly cat who loves attention!

Scenes from the Park

One day last week, we had some time to kill between events at the county fair. We had seen all of the animals many, many, many times and wanted a change of scenery. We took a picnic lunch to the park and enjoyed the playground. No photos of Eli because he didn't stay in one place long enough. : (

I love the photo of Megan because if you look closely you can see Matthew through one of the holes in the structure. We didn't plan it that way, but it turned out cool!

Meat Off the Bone!

Spare rib night at our house. 

We cut the meat off Eli's bones. 

He wants to eat the meat off the bone!!!

Backyard Camping

I grew up camping. I love it. There is something great about being in nature, marveling at God's creation and forgetting about all the troubles of home. We usually try to go camping at least once a year. One of my favorite parts is the food, because camp food is amazing -- and I'm not talking about hot dogs. 

Like I said, we usually try to camp with the kids once a year, although Matthew prefers to camp in the fall. He does not like the bugs of summer, and by the end of a long, hot day's work he does not want to sit around a hot fire and then sleep in humidity. I can't blame him. He makes a good argument. So, we tend to camp in the fall as a family. 

However, I usually try to set up the tent in the summer outside the house and camp out with the girls. No fire, no tasty food, but we still get to fall asleep to the sounds of the night. This week was our first great opportunity to set up the tent and sleep outside. Megan and I slept outside 3 nights; Emily slept with us 2 nights. And Essie tried to sleep in the tent one night, but got kicked out for unnecessary and constant kicking.

The second night, the sky was absolutely beautiful! The most amazing portrait of stars on a dark sky canvas! The first two nights we read Trumpet of the Swan (a book we are reading together).

The simplest and most inexpensive things you do together can give your family the best memories!

The Many Faces of Slip 'n Slide

Whoever sat at home and thought about wetting a tarp and sliding little hot bodies down it? What a grand idea!! Every year we have lots of fun slipping and sliding down the lawn. I LOVE Emily's faces!! These are blackmail shots that may resurface at about the same time she takes interest in dating.

Showing the Hog

I learned a lot from our first year showing at 4-H. I learned that there showers range from casual to very serious. Some take a few projects -- some take the maximum. Some spend their summers going from one fair to another, while others just do one fair. But no matter what level of commitment to showing, everyone is so nice! It is fun to hang out with these kids and their families. It is a family-oriented environment. 

Emily's hog got 4th place. It was fun to see Emily care so much for Spot, laying down in the pen with him and using his belly as a pillow. It was fun to see him enjoy the attention we gave him. It was fun to see him dart into the show ring, full of energy and without any self-control. Most of all, it was great to see Emily calmly meet up with her hog at the other end of the show ring, with great control and patience. 

More important than the ribbons and premium money she earned were the compliments I received regarding her personality and attitude. Those I will cherish long after the ribbons are tucked away and the money is deposited in the bank. Emily has a sweet, gentle spirit, but it is often missed because of her timid personality. 

Well done, Emily! Looking forward to next year's fair, where I have been informed that we will need more than one Butler stall in the swine building!

The judge inspects Spot.

Spot is on display at the premium auction, which is a fundraiser for the kids and 4-H. Bidders donate money and 85% of the money bid goes to the 4-H kids, with the remaining 15% going to 4-H. Emily's top bid surprised us, and we are thrilled that she is being rewarded for her responsibility and hard work.

Spot's "Home Away From Home"

It was a hot day, so Spot spent a lot of time under his fan. Emily does a great job keeping his water and feed filled. She has really taken ownership, and I love that her 4-H projects have given her so much responsibility. 

I hope Spot gets a good night's rest because tomorrow morning is his show. We are proud of Emily and Spot, no matter how they do. 

Here is Spot's "home away from home."

The Bucket Calves

This year, we ended up with three bucket calves. The girls have spent so much time with them that they are pretty tame, so Emily decided to show Love at the fair in the bucket calf event. It was a fun event that introduces children to the fun of showing. 

First, Emily got Love cleaned up and loaded on the trailer. Matthew took Love to the fairgrounds while I took Emily and Megan to swimming lessons. We got to the fairgrounds shortly before the event started. The kids were introduced with their calves, and then interviewed by the judge. The judge would ask their name and age, and then a variety of questions regarding the age of the calf, what the calf eats and the calf's name. It was fun, and all the kids and calves did a GREAT job!

Emily's interview

Emily absolutely loves her calf. She is so proud of her, and prays that Matthew will keep Love as a heifer to breed. 

Evan and his calf, Rosie

Afterwards, the little boys played with tractors in the gravel.

Our nephew, Will

How Many Gallons of Water . . .

. . . does it take to wash a VERY dirty cattle trailer? A LOT! I wish I had taken a "before" photo because you just can't appreciate these photos without knowing where this trailer started. But, imagine years of dried cattle manure covering the floor, sides and outsides of this trailer and you have a pretty accurate picture. It was nasty! When the kids are playing hide-and-seek with their cousins, I don't think anyone ventures into the trailer to hide, although it could be an ideal spot. It is dirty because it is used to transport cattle, and they aren't clean, and they aren't potty-trained.

Sunday, Matthew cleaned up the trailer so he and Emily could take the hog and bucket calves to the fair. I had to take photos because I know it won't look this clean for a long time. 

Eli and Megan had a blast running around in the clean trailer while the hog was being scrubbed down, and then they splashed in the many puddles left from the day's activities. I love farm life!

It's . . . Hog Wash!!!!

Literally, it IS a hog wash. The time came to scrub up the pig for the fair and he actually enjoyed the ice-cold water of the hose on a hot, hot Sunday afternoon. He even lay down to have his legs scrubbed. We are thankful for his calm disposition, and for all the time Emily has spent with him to make him comfortable when being handled. 

Good luck at the show tomorrow morning, Emily!

Our Newest Bottle Calf

Here is our newest bottle calf, Tiny. She is a twin, and her brother and mother are doing well. Unfortunately, as the smaller calf, she wasn't getting enough to eat on the cow. Matthew brought her in so we could care for her and hopefully help her grow. She is very small, and initially could barely finish half a bottle at one feeding! But now, she is eating 3/4 of a bottle twice a day, and seems to be slowly growing and gaining strength. All of the kids enjoy feeding Tiny -- even Eli! Eli is actually taller than the calf, and she is very gentle. She doesn't butt the bottle which makes her easy to feed! 

Emily has a special attachment to all our animals -- even some of the feedlot cattle! I call her our "animal whisperer" because I believe she can tame anything. With animals, she is so patient and gentle and gains their trust quickly!