Woes of the Middle Child

Tate is struggling in his role as middle child.  He's not old enough to do everything that Cole does, but he's not the baby anymore either.  I knew he would have problems adjusting, I just didn't expect them to occur 2 months in.  I know he needs more attention from me, but there is a limited amount of me to go around.  He's taken to throwing some pretty extreme fits to show me how much he needs my attention.  I tried some different things, time out spots, putting him in his room, but the fits only got worse.  He tried hitting, kicking, running away, and I was afraid he was going to hurt someone on accident.  Then we came to a head.  A couple of weeks ago he was so worked up over something that he threw his rock collection across the kitchen floor.  Then he tried to throw a toy combine at me.  I didn't know what to do.  It's one thing to hit and kick and hurt someone when you really aren't trying to, but he knew that would hurt.  I was at a loss.  So I turned to my sister who gave me a different tactic to try.  Now instead of isolating him when he's mad, I become a human straight jacket.  I cross my legs over his so he can't kick and I bind his arms so he can't hit.  We aren't out of the woods yet, but we are progressing.  The other night he was throwing a fit about getting his pajamas on.  After about 10 minutes of the "calm down body bind" he finally blurted out "I don't want Shelby here anymore!"  My heart just broke when he said that.  Poor kid.

He is a good kid.  He's a fun kid when he's not throwing a fit.  He came down this morning sporting this little gem:

The boys had been slip-n-sliding last night and got a little rug burn.  I asked Tate what happened to his foot.  His reply "A muskrat got me."  Oh, those silly muskrats!  I love his imagination.

Father's Day

I've mentioned before how much I don't care for Hallmark holidays.  My husband, however, doesn't always feel the same way.  He's had 6 Father's Days now and I manage to blow every one.  You'd think he'd get it by now, but apparently not.  Anyway, this year I vowed to do it up nice.  Thanks to pintrest, I found this little gem:

We saved the barn windows from the shed we tore down last year so I thought I'd clean it up.  I was hoping to fit Shelby in a boot, but she was just a tad too chunky to fit right.  I think it turned out cute.  The boys even manged to mostly keep it a secret.  Granted I didn't tell Tate at all.

It would have been a lovely day, but Pat didn't feel good, so it was mostly a wasted day in front of the TV.  *sigh* Maybe next year...

Happy Birthday, Cole!

Ok, I realize I'm a week late with this post.  We've been incredibly busy the last couple of weeks and I'm hoping to be able to catch my breath this week.  

My baby boy turned 6 last week. SIX!  Soon he'll be starting kindergarten, and I'm not ready.  The thought of it brings tears to my eyes.  Preschool I could handle, but kindergarten!  That means that for the rest of his life, from August to May, he won't be home with me anymore.  He'll spend more time with his teacher than he will with me.  I'm NOT ready to give him up yet.  It's gone way too fast!

I remember when I was pregnant with Cole.  I've never enjoyed being pregnant.  I remember every week checking the pregnancy book and thinking, if we hit 30 weeks he could be born and be ok.  Little did I know.  At 30 weeks and 3 days we welcomed this guy into the world and I became Mommy.

I couldn't have asked for a better kid.  He's the kind of kid every parent hopes for.  Stays out of trouble, tries to help out.

Age 3

 Some kids know what they want to be when they grow up from a very early age.  I think we knew by age 2 that there would be no taking the farm out of this kid.  He wants to know how and why everything works.  As annoying as that can be, I love this kid to the moon and back and I can't wait to see the man he becomes.  I take that back, I can wait.

Happy Birthday, Cole!  Don't grow up too fast!

It Rained

A LOT!  We got 7" of rain last night and this morning.  2 miles west of us got 3".  Pat's uncle, about 5 miles west, barely got an inch.

This is our neighbor's dry cow yard.  (It's dirt and the white stuff is a bi-product from the corn plant that he uses to firm up the dirt and keep it from becoming a soup hole.)

 The dredge ditch to the north of us.  Normally there's not much water in them.  My dogs will go in for a dip and come out with only their bellies wet.  Now there's probably 15 feet of water flowing through them.

 One reason I'm glad I have 4WD.  In the 40+ years my father-in-law has lived here, he's never seen water come across our road.

Did I mention I got a new vehicle a few weeks ago?  I loved my pilot, but it just wasn't big enough for 3 kids in car seats, groceries, dog food, and chicken feed.  Pat woke me up just after Shelby's 2:30 feeding to ask if it was in the garage since we got a little bit of hail.  It was.

Meet Tate, my classy dresser.  He's stubborn and has to pick out his own clothes.  Today he went with the too small spider man polo paired with the Hawaiian shorts.  Classic look.  Oh, and yesterday the pool was about 6" shallower.

Skilled Trades

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.  There is an awful lot of truth in it.

Both Pat and I have college degrees.  I hope my kids go to college after high school.  However, I know a lot of kids that don't or go to a technical college.  Does that mean they aren't as smart as the rest of us?  Of course not.  Maybe they struggled in school, but I bet they are a lot better at other things, like welding, electrical work, plumbing, etc.  Staying at home and being married to a dairy farmer sometimes makes people believe we are uneducated.  I hate it when people talk down to me.  Just because a person works with their hands does not mean they don't have to use their head also.  These skilled laborers are vital.  A few years ago our furnace crapped out on Christmas Day during a really nasty snow storm.  Our plumbing and heating guy was here by 8AM that morning.  Next time your toilet backs up or your furnace craps out or you need new tires on your car, remember to thank those people and be grateful for the skills they have that you lack.