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.

Mommy Wars

I'm sure by now you've all seen the Time cover.  I haven't read the article, nor do I particularly care to.  I just don't see the need to argue over who is doing the best job.  All 3 of my children will be breastfed until they are a year.  I cloth diaper.  I stay at home.  Does that make me superior to other moms?  Heck, that doesn't even make me a good mom.  I hope that I am, but there are days when I sure don't feel like it.  My husband always asks why I take such long showers.  In all honesty, it's because when I'm in the shower no one (usually) needs me, touches me, or cries at me.  At least, not that I can hear.  When I'm in the shower I can have a think a thought all the way through.  Most of my blog posts are written in the shower, but until they invent water proof computers, most of them will never actually make it to the computer.

So what makes a good mom? In my opinion, you can't parent every child the same way.  There is no foolproof method to raising a child.  There's no one book you can read or blog you can follow.  I don't even parent my own kids the same. Sometimes I wonder how 2 boys so different can have the same parents.  I know I'm not the same mom to Cole as I am to Tate.  Cole was never allowed to do some of the things that Tate does, simply because he is/was not independent enough to do them.  I'm sure I'll be a different parent to Shelby too.  The ultimate goal of every parent is to raise a responsible child that contributes to society.  So, does it really matter how they get there?

Baby Face

I love the faces babies make, especially my baby.  She's started smiling and cooing a little bit in the last couple of days.  I don't think there is anything cuter...

Mother's Day

I'm not big on Hallmark holidays.  Typically Mother's Day is just another day for me.  I get to spend the day alone with my children while my husband is busy planting.  It happens every year.  Part of being a farmer's wife.  This year is a little different.  As a mother, I've gained a child, but as a child, I'm losing my mother.  Maybe it's the fact that I now have a daughter and I look at her and hope I can be the kind of mother I wish I had.  Don't get me wrong, I love my mom.  She was great, but while she's physically present, the dimentia has taken a big part of her away.  My mom was never an outgoing person.  She had a few close friends, but she was more of a behind the scenes, getting it done, type of person.  She claimed to hate to cook, but she was really good at it.  I think she just hated planning meals, like me.  She always left the last piece of pie, cake, whatever, for Dad.  Always.  She liked to take us girls shopping.  She liked to bike around town or go for a walk.  She was a great listener.  You could always count on her to call just to see how you were doing.  I miss my mom.