I Wonder....

Sunday evening before Memorial day we drove out to the cemetary to put flowers, pinecones, Moose, and Winter Fat in a rusty tin can on Grandpas grave. Things like that can't help but cause you to think about the Plan of Salvation and reflect upon the Good Shepherd.

As we were driving home from the cemetary we took the long way home past the creek and Big Rocks. But, before we got to Big Rocks Roger saw an old ewe down by the creek. He slowed down and asked the boy's if they could tell who she belonged to.(I think he already new she was ours) They couldn't tell so he stopped the pick up and they piled out and walked down closer to the creek to see if they could see her brand. Unfortuneately she got spooked and tried to jump the creek and got stuck in the mud. The boy's climbed back into the pick up. while Roger was cussing the boy's for spooking her one of the kids asked why she would jump the creek any way. Roger's response: " Because she's stupid" Luckily we had a piece of rope in the tool box that wasn't a lariat, but would work to try to rope her and pull her out. So he threw once, then again, then again......
Then again, then again, then again

Then Both Braden and Caib tried throwing it. The dang rope just wasn't a lariat.

So Braden walked down to where he could jump the creek and walked back up and put the rope around her.

Roger pulls her out.

moves her to higher ground and ties her up so he can come back and haul her home.

O.K. back to reflections, and the reason the old ewe wasn't with the rest of the herd. They took the sheep out a few days ago and this old ewe just couldn't stay with the herd so they left her on the trail with the plan to come back and haul her out later. when they got back to where they'd left her she was gone. Knowing she'd show up they didn't worry to much about her.

Do you ever get the feeling that the "Good shepherd" knew what he was talking about when he referred to us as sheep? And I wonder if His comments are ever, after someone asks "Why did she do that", because she's stupid.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to be negative or anything. But, reflectively, I really have done some pretty stupid things over the years. I'm just hoping that I keep getting roped out, pulled to higher ground, and tied up so that I can be brought back to the herd and safety no matter how much it might seem to hurt or however "stupid" I might have been.

luckily I had my camera with me for a, almost, play by play story.

I was going to be the perfect mother untill.......

It was Caib's fifth grade talent show today. We had been sitting in the, slightly, too warm gym for almost an hour and a half. Caib was the second to last kid on the program. We had been ....., well I had been enjoying an array of amusing to serious talents. Singing, piano playing, skits, musical instrument pieces, art work and Cowboy poetry (Caib). Chance had been enjoying anything but all the talent that had been so painstakingly practiced for weeks.
Not two minutes before Caib is supposed to perform and I, the perfect mother, am supposed to record it on my fancy digital camera. Chance comes back in to the gym for the, oh, say 20th time from getting a drink. Only this time his shirt is soaking wet. Fine no big deal, until Chance decides he doesn't want to wear a wet shirt. Off comes his shirt and me, in my attempt to be the perfect mother, try to get him to put it back on with out anyone noticing my half stripped child. Unlike his other brothers he has very little sense of modesty, or understanding of dress code.(what do you expect, He's three?) It didn't work so in my further attempt to be a perfect mother I ignored him as I recorded Caib's Talent, meanwhile Chance takes off again, on parade, to the drinking fountain. (sigh) No matter how I tried Chance would not put on a wet shirt. So, the talent show ends, the house lights come on and luckily all I got was amused dads and understanding looks from mothers.

I have concluded, Chance is not on this earth to enjoy others experiences. He's here to experience life for himself. And so he shall. Meanwhile, I will continue to remember that I was going to be the perfect mother.

The day the Cows go out.

There's excitement in the morning and kids are up at 6:00 AM This is one of the best days of the year. You can see it in the grin.

He get's to ride his colt

Saddling up aint always pleasant.

Loading up the horses

Tending to last minute items

T
To young to go first thing in the morning

Is unbearable.

Don't worry we'll go out a little later and he'll get to ride "his Duke" and help dad like the big boys.


The Day The Cows Go Out
　
The morning air is damp, and there is dew upon the ground,
But I can still see dust and I can hear a pleasing sound.
My cowboys woke up early they got dressed and rushed away,
While they grabbed their spurs and saddles and lunches for the day.
And somewhere in the scurry from their beds and out the door,
They still had time to thank me like they’ve always done before.
The pleasing sound is of cowboys as they begin the day
A whooping and a shoutin’ contrasting mothers as they pray,
That their cowboys won’t be trampled, that their horses stay serene.
It’s a comfort to the mothers, their prayers are just routine.
Before the morning sun begins to raise his dazzling head,
Over the hills and mountains getting dudes out of their bed,
My boys are on their horses and the cows are raising dust.
They’re causing such a ruckus you’d think the fences just might bust.
But they finally get ‘em gathered and out an open gate
And are heading to the mountain ‘s where the cows congregate.
The cows will settle down some as they hit the open trail,
And it seems that’s when the cowboys can finally exhale.
It’s something to look forward to, the day the cows go out.
And the sound of working cowboys in the distance as they shout.

This is the poem I wrote last year on the day the cow went out. I posted it then but I thought it was definately appropriate again.

Aubree's Birthday

This is the extent of fun when you plan a spur of the moment party. Aubree came in Friday afternoon and asked me if she could go and invite her friend from next door to her Birthday party. "Um, sure.......I guess." I hadn't been planning on doing a party at all, so we quicly planned a party for Saturday afternoon and invited 4 people. They all came but one.

I'll tell ya what, that's the way to do parties, Low stress, little mess quick sweet and the kids had a blast.

Happy birthday Aubree!

So This is What It's Like Raising Cowboys.

How do you move a herd of sheep from one pasture to another when all your help is in school and you don't have time to wait until school is out? Well........ You take this three year old

And this three year old(they're cousins)

And explain to them what needs to be done


Individually, of course.

Then you turn them loose.

After giving them a noise maker(Old jug full of rocks)

And a stick.

They take off.

And herd those Sheep

And get 'em

to where they need to be.


That is how you herd sheep when you are, literally, SHORT handed.

Well, I guess it's official

I'm now officially Mature!!!(40)

At least that's what Roger told me this morning after waking me up at 6:00 AM with a kiss and a birthday wish. Braden came in at 6:30AM and gave me a hug and told me Happy Birthday. Caib after someone reminded him at 7:00 told me Happy Birthday. But my favorite Birthday wish so far has been Aubree's. After getting completely ready for school and driving down to do the crossing guard, where I usually give Aubree a kiss and send her off to school, Aubree announced this morning as we arrived at our usual spot on Main street.

"Mom since today is your birthday I'm going to give YOU a kiss goodbye instead of you giving ME a kiss."

Aren't I the luckiest mom alive?

Well, What did you expect?

I've got the carpet cleaner coming. I'm kinda excited.

Well, what DID you expect after the windows got done.

So I guess I'll do a before and after picture. Yeah, That's how excited I am.

K this is before But I'm beginning to think I'm obsessed because I don't think you're going to be able to tell a difference. Oh well. I will and that's all that matters.

So meanwhile I tried to get pictures of Oaklee walking and it wasn't working to well

This is the best I could do. She still crawls more then she walks but I can't believe she's already walking. Sigh.........

Why is it that with your first child it seems they grow up so slowly and with your last they grow up so quickly? sigh, SIGH.

And this is the after. I can tell, can you?

Spring Cleaning

How is it that one fairly annoying but not to difficult task can make you feel as if life is full of vision? That suddenly all the drab winter blues were, really, not that bad and life is on the up 'n up? It amazes me that the things I put off the most are things that give me the most, well....sense of accomplishment and that little extra kick saying, "You're gonna make it!".





Alright It's not THAT big a deal. all I did was wash windows but.... WOW! I feel soooo Good!

AND, We finally got the irrigation water turned on so everything is slowly starting to green up. It's hard to tell from the picture that things are green but you can see the sprinklers are on. If you look closely.

I can't help it I love new beginnings, A.K.A. Spring(the A.K.A. is Bradens new thing.)

Chancee's Chatterings

A cowboy might think that I'm referring to a horse when I talk of a good traveler. A mom has a whole different idea of what a good traveler is. Since I'm the one blogging, and I'm a Mom I'm referring to my children. Now, not all of them have been or are good travelers but, Chance is. He loves to go places. The first thing that usually happens when we load up to go some where is Chance will take the first two to three hours to sleep. It doesn't really matter what time of day it is or when he last took a nap or woke up. He gets in the car and something says to him. "Time to sleep!" so he does. After that, well.... he becomes enthralled with things outside the car. and continually is pointing out things that he thinks are cool. ie. Trains, airplanes, deer, Blue trucks(he loves the color blue) any thing else that is blue, the alphabet, and so on. After that wears him out. He begins playing games. We've played hide and seek, Animals, I'm hiding in a color, and on, and on, and on. A lot of his games are imaginary games he plays on his own.
This last week end we went on a trip to Logan, about 5-6 hours away at some point Chance decided that we were racing the cars that were driving down the highway with us. We finally started winning when we got past Mona on our way home, there were fewer cars on the high way. At one point in the race Braden was playing, too which got Chance really excited, In fact, Chance was so excited that at one point he yells out. "DAD, Don't just sit there, DRIVE!"

We have so much fun when Chance is with us. When we were at the hotel We were all up and getting ready for church and Chance kept opening the door and looking down the hall. I started getting a little frustrated with him for opening the door all the time and kept asking him to shut the door. finally he opened the door one more time and I Said in a bit of a raised voice. "CHAANCE" he hurriedly looked down the hall one way, then turned and looked down the hall the other direction and shut the door as he said "Nope, they aren't here yet."
No, we have no idea who he was waiting for but once again we got a chuckle out of Chance and his Chatterings.