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 :)

A Little Slice of Heaven

I am kid free until tomorrow night. I am also a farm widow unless it rains today. It's like a vacation without having to leave home!

The boys took off with Grandma and Grandpa for a wedding in St. Louis. I would love to have gone, but such is life on the farm. I am thoroughly enjoying being alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and will be happy when they are home, but everyone needs a break.

So what did I do on my first night off? I mowed the lawn (heavenly, I know). Then I sat down and read a book, WITHOUT interruptions! That's a very rare thing.

My plan today is to run errands, BY MYSELF. I have to go activate my new phone (thanks Sam!) and I thoroughly look forward to going to Verizon without having to corral my kids every 30 seconds. I'm also washing sheets since I don't have to worry if Blankie will be dry by nap time.

Speaking of washing sheets. I went up to strip the boys' beds this morning and discovered the Farm Industry News in my son's bed. I guess if we keep with those kinds of magazines as he gets older, I'll be a happy mom ;)

Myth Busters: Dairy Edition

Myth #1: Only bulls have horns.

Ok, so I'm going to embarrass my sister with this one. She was under the impression that only males have horns. In fact, all Holsteins, male and female, are born with horns. However, we dehorn them at a young age. Horns can be very dangerous, to us, and to the other cows. Dehorning isn't full proof, and occasionally you'll get a cow with a bit of a horn or two, and they know how to use them. That is why we dehorn. There are breeds of cattle that do not grow horns, but most Holsteins do.

Myth #2: We have a calving season.

I get a lot of comments and questions about how our calving season is going from family, friends, etc. Those who raise beef cows typically have a calving season in early spring. However, in the dairy industry we need to supply milk year round which means we need to have cows calving year round. There are a few dairy farmers that can time their calving so that they have time off from milking, but it's tough to do. We tend to calve heavier in the spring and fall, but we have baby calves year round. Ideally, you milk a cow for 10 months after calving. We try to breed them 2 months after calving, so they should have a calf every year. That's ideal. Of course, like humans, cows don't always get pregnant as planned. It takes some longer than others and some cows we decide not to breed anymore. Once a cow is pregnant we milk them up until 2-3 months before their due date. Then they get a vacation where all they have to do is sleep and eat. We've had cows that we didn't breed back that have milked for years before they dried up. So we always have calves and we always have milking cows. That way you always have milk to drink!

Random Ramblings

Ok, so here's our life update, in bulleted form:

• I finished student teaching and it's been really nice being home, mostly.
• I did not pass my licensure test, so I have to wait until July to retake, which means I won't be able to get my license by the beginning of the school year, so no teaching job for me next year (I wasn't planning on getting one anyway, but I was hoping to go through the interview process this summer). I missed by 9 points, which is like 2 questions.
  
• Tate is potty training. Any suggestions on how to get a kid to poop in the potty?
• Cole is super excited for his birthday (June 10) and the houseboat. He tells EVERYBODY about it.
• We've had way too much rain, so much that our sewer backed up in our basement. Fantastic! It also means we need a new septic tank, to the tune of $10,000. Just when I thought we were starting to catch up again with $!

I've been in kind of a pessimistic mood lately (if you couldn't tell). It's not been a fantastic couple of weeks, but the sun is shining. The boys and I are heading up to help plant the rest of our garden. Maybe a little dirt will lift my mood!

Nebraska...the good life

If you've ever been to Nebraska, that is the sign that greats you as you enter the state. I always loved that. Nebraska is where I really found myself. Sounds cheesy, I know. The 2 years I spent in college there are the years when I came out of my shell and met some of the most awesome people.

This weekend, we got to go back. Ironically, it wasn't for friends I knew in Nebraska, but for a wedding of one of Pat's NDSU buddies. It was a blast. As is typical of Farmhousers, the wedding party consisted almost entirely of FH guys, nearly all of whom are married with kids or expecting kids. It's kind of nice that we are all in the same place in life. One thing that struck me this weekend is that of all the FH wives of Pat's pledge class, I've been around the longest. Apparently, as usual, I'm the trend setter :) We got married first, and had kids first. It just strikes me as odd for some reason. At any rate, it was a blast to be together, dance, drink, and have fun.

This morning we headed to church nearby. The pastor there was my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade teacher. His wife also taught with my parents many years ago. It was fantastic to catch up, even if it was brief. They have a very friendly church and I'm sure we could have spent all morning visiting. Instead, we had to head for home. Getaways always seem to be too short. Such is the life of a dairy farmer. Off to chores...