Happy 5th Birthday, Coley!

Happy Birthday, Coley!

It's been an amazing ride. From a rough start...

and another bump in the road...
to a pretty awesome 5 year old!
Happy Birthday, buddy! We love you lots!

If You Marry A Farmer

I read this on Facebook today, courtesy of my SIL. It's originally found here and is too good to not pass on.

Be patient.

When he tells you to go to the Lone Tree Quarter and you go to the quarter of land that has the one tree on it and he tells you that he meant the quarter of land that had one tree on it when his grandfather was farming ... well, that's just how farmers think.

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Be flexible.

When he says he'll be in the house in 20 minutes for supper and then two hours later he walks in the door ... well, maybe he should be the flexible one. That way he can duck when you throw the plate at him.

Be willing to laugh.

When he's mad that the 3-year-old had “helped” Dad by putting all the parts he needed in the handle of the floor jack ...well, that's just plain funny. Even if he doesn't think so.

Be willing to change your view of norm.

Walking into church 10 minutes early, enjoying the prelude music and visiting with a few people is no longer a normal part of life. Walking into church 10 minutes late, realizing your 4-year-old is still wearing his “rubby” boots and wondering if anyone else smells cow, is.

Remember that he relates to new situations by connecting them to ones he knows.

For instance, when you're having a child and the doctor says he might need to assist in the delivery and he says something like, “But where do you hook the chains?” Well, he's just trying to relate. Or if your children are on the bigger side when born, and he calls the Select Sires rep to try to figure out what his calving ease score would be but isn't feeling too bad because he's not breeding heifers any more anyway ... well, he's just trying to relate.

Throw out the calendar.

Yes, it may be your anniversary, your birthday, Thanksgiving ... but since the weather is perfect for ______ (fill in blank) you might need to celebrate tomorrow or next week ... or maybe three shindigs in one. Happy Anni-birth-giving!

Keep your temper.

When he calls - as you're feeding four children, giving one a bath after eating, trying to get some laundry done, washing dishes and trying to find the cat that someone let in the house - and he asks you if you're “doing anything” ... well, just count to 10 ... slowly. Then backwards. Breathe.

Remember that cows and children are different.

When he comes in the house covered in manure, yet the smell of baby poop makes him gag ... well, isn't that just sweet?

Be willing to love - whatever life throws at you. With a farmer it will be a lot. You can't change the weather, the conditions, the fields, so you might as well look at it with a light heart.

Thank God for each day.

It's not always easy, but even the tough times can be good experiences.

GPMS

Last fall we received a "free" GPS from one of our seed dealers. I think it actually cost us about $2000 in lost yield compared to the other brand of seed we bought, but I digress. I was super excited. I was hoping to have it in time for our trip to New Orleans last summer, but that didn't happen. Since then we really haven't gone anywhere we didn't know how to get to, until this spring.

A few weeks ago we headed to a wedding in Nebraska. Now, we both know how to get to Nebraska, it was just a matter of picking which route to take. We decided, since we had plenty of time, to take the scenic route, against the GPS's wishes. Normally she calmly recalculates and moves on. Apparently GPS's have limits. After a couple dozen recalculations, she, like many women would, started giving us the silent treatment. Despite her silence, we made it to the correct location without a problem.

She's not always moody. Yesterday, the boys and I headed out to stay with my mom for a couple of days while my dad is gone. Instead of stopping for fast food, I decided to pack a picnic lunch and stop at a park. Wouldn't you know, she found the perfect park for us. Just off the highway, with a bathroom even! The equipment left something to be desired, but that was ok since that meant my boys wouldn't want to spend forever there.

So maybe she's redeemed herself from her silent treatment. I'm hoping she'll guide us to our houseboat vacation without incident :)