Spring break

The kiddos are back at school this week!!!! We really had a good time over spring break, but it's really nice to be able to get back to my "normal" routine. We also got alot of things accomplished that we've been wanting to work on. We got some of the garden planted. We're even trying blueberries this year (in containers). Hopefully they will grow because the kids will be SO disappointed if they don't. We also went to Six Flags for the day and spent the night in the "big city". They had a ball, but it was SO crowded. :( We were there for 10+ hours and we rode 5 rides. Our longest wait in line was 2 hours :( and that was for.......LUNCH!!!!! I couldn't believe that it was that busy! But, I guess we learned some valuable lessons for next time (if there ever IS a next time).

I've started walking/running every day now. I'm also trying to eat better. I really don't need to lose any weight, I just need to get in shape. I just put on my Sirius hand-held radio, grab my gun and walk for 30+ minutes every morning. This morning I was even lucky enough to get in a walk/hog hunt. As Rio and I came over the hill going to the Canyon Lake pasture, there was a black wild hog rooting up around one of our ponds. I put several in him before he disappeared into the woods. Hopefully he was torn up bad enough that he'll die.*

*I'm not doing this for sport, or for the heck of it, wild hogs are a serious problem around here. They can ruin a pasture in a heartbeat.

So happy :)

Katie tried out for Jr. High cheerleader today....and MADE the squad! I am so proud of her!!!! She's been working so hard. It's really a joy to see her enjoying something so much. I cheered for 6 years, and I had always hoped that she would show an interest in it. BUT....for the longest (until this summer), she showed absolutely NO interest in it. She was in LOVE with softball. Cheering was for girls, and she proudly considered herself a tomboy. :) This summer her BFF, Bailey, talked her into going to a mini-cheer camp at the high school. She came back from the first day smiling from ear to ear and I knew that she had been sucked in. ;) They tried out this afternoon, and this evening we found out that she made it. I'm really proud of her because 2/3 of the score is by visiting judges, and 1/3 of the score is teacher evaluations. They really stress that the girls should be "leaders" in the classroom and on the field. So it truly is a V-I-C-T-O-R-Y all the way around! :)

Love you, baby girl!!!!!

How sweet!

These aren't the best pics in the world, but Rio had her puppies on Sunday so I had to show them off. She ended up having 8, 4 leopard and 4 mostly black.

The kids are SO excited....and I am too, honestly! I can't wait to play with them!!!

We've been really busy around here for the past couple of weeks. I'm trying to get a garden started here by the house, and we've been working on getting the soil ready for sprigging our hay field. It's been so windy, and we've been REALLY needing some rain.....but thank goodness it's raining as I type this. I'm SO glad to hear rain hitting the house. It could rain all day and I wouldn't complain a bit.

A rancher's Valentine :)

I've tried for nearly a week now to upload pics of my Valentine's day present with NO luck. Most people think Valentine's day is all about chocolate, flowers, really mushy cards professing your undying love for one another.....Well, my present was SO much more than that! :) My sweet husband and I bought each other a pasture renovator! I wanted to include pics because you really just can't quite grasp the whole romantic feel without seeing it being pulled behind our tractor.....burying all 8 shanks in the ground.....ripping slits through our pasture......and the thought of how it's going to improve our pastures.....whew! It's enough to make a girl light-headed! ;) I'll get pics on here as soon as I can figure out what the deal is......

We're going to be pretty busy from now until.....next winter. Now that the weather is getting better, I'm going to be outside pretty much 24/7. Right now we're in the middle of plowing up the hay field behind our house. We're going to be sprigging Tifton 85 shortly, and we have to get it ready. So, if you need me, I'll be on the tractor all day. :)

I did it!!!!

I still can't believe that I did this....I've always wanted to donate to Locks of Love, and Tuesday I went and got all of my hair cut off!!!! I've been growing it out for a while, but I was starting to get daily headaches...not to mention the fact that I've had my ponytail hung in a barb wire fence, I roll it up in my seatbelt every time that I forget to put it over my right shoulder, I shut it in the top of my truck door every time that it's windy outside....I could go on and on. My husband was the one that wanted me to grow it long (and everyone knows that I would do ANYTHING for him!) but once he saw that it was actually getting "dangerous", he thought that the following haircut would be cute on me.........SO..............Here is my experience. (Pics courtesy of my sweet, loving, awesome husband.)

Signing in....Nervously :)

A little freaked out, honestly.....

The side view.....I can't BELIEVE how much lighter it feels!!!!

The front view with my "donation"

My adoring public :)

Well, I'm alive...so far. We've survived the stomach virus and the flu in the past couple of weeks....It's SO good to feel good again!!!! Yesterday morning started off pretty cool, but it ended up being a gorgeous afternoon. We got a half inch of rain Sunday night, but we still need more. The grass situation is pretty much non-existent. We've been feeding hay & cubes, alternating daily between the two.

I went to get a ton of cubes yesterday, and this is what I came home to.....It's so nice to be wanted! :)

Everyone was SO happy to see me! ;)

This was my workout for the day! :) I miss my husband SO much on these days! When he's here, I throw bags down from the truck and he stacks. He stacks perfectly in the barn....It always looks so nice.

This is my stacking job.....not NEARLY as good as his, but I got it done! :)

Seriously?!?!

Katie came home with the stomach virus Friday morning around 9:00. I took care of her and kept her quarantined all weekend. I thought that things were pretty safe Sunday evening, so she ate her first "regular" meal.....and it came up around 10:00 pm. :( Also, to make things even more interesting around here, my 8 year old flooded the bathroom and part of the hallway while he was "cleaning" the bathtub to help me out.....Gee, thanks, sweetheart!!! :) Terry started coming down with the flu last night, and this morning around 10:00, Kyle called from school and said that he had an upset stomach and couldn't stay out of the bathroom for longer than 15 minutes at a time.......This was right after I had just screwed up both hydraulic cylinders on the tractor while hurrying to unroll a bale of hay this morning......So now I have a sick husband, 2 sick kiddos, a broken tractor AND I'm still trying to get the carpet dry in the hallway. If anyone needs me, I'll be hunting for a bottle of Crown (and I don't even DRINK.....Normally!). :)

Happy (late) birthday, baby girl!*

*My sweet daughter, Katie, turned 12 last weekend. I tried to post pics that day, but my computer & I were having issues.

She is such an awesome sister and cousin. Caroline (my niece) ADORES Katie.....and truth be told, her brothers think she's pretty great too (most of the time)! :)

This is Katie making contact during an All-Star game. I had the privilege of coaching her regular season team and her All-Star team. She's such a wonderful athlete. I love watching her play, and she LOVES softball.

This pic is from our pre-tournament practice against the parents. She was actually getting to pitch to my Mom. That was quite a treat! It was a pretty special time for all of us. Katie pitching to my Mom and me coaching.....Pretty cool! :)

This is Katie and her BFF, Bailey. They had to do a dance at school, and I made their whole group (6) matching shirts and bows.

This is last year's Halloween pic.....I just love it for some reason. :)

I love you, sweet girl! I am so very proud of you. You are such a joy in our lives.

A birthday and a hospital visit

I've been in a bit of a "funk" the past few days....My baby girl turned 12 on Sunday. She's turning into such an awesome young lady, but she's also growing up :( There are times that I look at my children and think, "Where has the time gone?" Honestly....when I was pregnant, I don't know how many people told me to cherish every moment because they would be grown before I knew it. I got SO tired of hearing that, and now I find myself saying it to people all of the time. I miss diaper days. I miss bottles and snuggles in my rocking chair. I miss the time that we got to spend together. I miss it all.....AND to top it off, a guy that I went to high school with is in the hospital and having a really hard time. Katie and I went to visit him on Monday, and he's trying to be strong about it, but I can't imagine how he must feel. He has trouble with his intestines, and he's had 3 surgeries since high school because of it. Now he's bleeding internally and because of all of the surgeries that he's had already, the doctors really don't want to (or can't) take any more of his intestines. So, they are hoping that it will stop on its own. He's probably looking at being in a long term care facility for at least 3 weeks, if not longer. I just can't imagine being 31 and stuck in a hospital long term. I've put him on our church's prayer list, and I stay in contact daily......I just wish that I could do more. :(

A first for me....

Today the kids & I worked cows by ourselves.....It was quite an experience, to say the least. Terry is working nights, and we had some things that had to be done, so I penned the cows and then Kyle and Katie (Korey is at his dad's) sorted them and worked them. I take my husband for granted....When it's just us working cows, I know what he's going to do, he knows what I'm going to do.......Everything runs pretty smooth. When it's me and the kids, all hell breaks loose. :) It took us about twice the time that it would have taken Terry and I, but after we got "in the swing of things", everything really went pretty well. I consider this a major accomplishment (mainly because I didn't end up killing either of my children, which I was scared was a pretty big possibility first thing this morning)! ;) Considering that our hot shots and working sticks were in Terry's work truck at the plant so we had to work and sort everything with a quirt, whip and one working stick that I found in the barn, I thought we really ended up having a pretty good day.....I did pop Kyle one time with the quirt trying to get a cow down the chute, and I got a gate kicked into my wrist....but other than that, no injuries to be reported. :) I was going to try to get a few pics today, but there was no way....Maybe next time....

I love this man!!!!

During Christmas break, we traveled to Bryan to see Big Caitie, our old neighbor, play in a basketball tournament. My dear sweet hubby was working, but took off for the occasion. We hadn't seen Big Caitie in a long time, and he wanted to be able to see her play. On the way, he fell asleep....12 hour shifts and switching from night to day will do that to you, ya know? Anyway, I snagged this pic driving down the road.....BUT

the one below is my favorite! He is such an awesome husband and father to my children. He and Katie are so close. It makes me so happy that she has a bond with him like I had with my Daddy....There's just something about having your Daddy wrapped around your finger that I can identify with! ;)

I love you, sweetheart! You are such an amazing man, and we are so lucky to have you in our lives.



Thank you for each and every minute!!!

Random photos :)

These are actually a few random photos from last year that I just ran across. I haven't synched my Palm with my computer in FOREVER, and I had forgotten about these photos. :) But I loved them when I took them.....of course, I only had my phone with me, so they're really not good images, but the moments were priceless.

This mama couldn't even be bothered to stand up for this hungry baby....I feel her pain. There are days that I don't want to get out of bed either!!! ;)

This is my goofy sidekick, Rio. She goes with me everywhere, and she's got the best personality EVER! (Except with anyone not in our immediate family....She HATES everyone but us!)

You see, she's kinda in a bind here and looking for help.

She went under this pile of posts chasing a rabbit....Then realized that when she wanted out.....Her shoulders couldn't get through.....

My awesome hubby and I were working cows, and at first just thought that she was whining because she couldn't get to the rabbit.....Then I went to check on her and realized that she was stuck.....SO....while I was busy laughing my butt off (Sorry, Rio), my husband dug her out as I took pictures.

See what I have to put up with around here?!?! :)

We had Katie's birthday party Saturday....I still can't believe she's turning 12!!! This was the first birthday that we haven't done a slumber party, etc.....and it was quite different.....On one hand, I didn't have to clean up after it (awesome), but on the other hand I really wish that I could have been more involved in the planning and executing....Oh, well! You can't win them all, I guess!

Katie and her buddies....They weren't really sure what to think at this point....Our hostess was trying to make a bunch of 12 year olds do the bunny hop to the buffet.....Not such a great idea, especially when you have boys included!

Jordan putting Katie into the wall!

My adorable husband (in last) and my step-dad, RT, racing go-carts....RT and Terry got stuck at the back and couldn't pass..... :)

Terry and Katie racing the only bikes that I will let Terry get on anymore! :) *

Jordan and Katie racing motorcycles.....Katie won! :)

*When I met Terry he had a motorcycle....not a "cruising" bike, but a "crotch rocket". He rode it to & from work on pretty days, but he also raced it at different tracks on weekend track days when he was on his 7 days off. I loved his bike. I loved the way that he looked on it....I loved everything about it.....UNTIL 2 days before our wedding, he went to town to get cigarettes and about 2 miles from our house a car turned left in front of him as he was passing. The only choice that he had was to lay down the bike and hope for the best. The bike ended up under the Jeep Cherokee, my husband clipped the back tires with his legs....and broke both legs multiple times in the process. Needless to say, we got married a few weeks later at the JP's office with him in a wheelchair wearing shorts. :) THEN being the horrible wife that I am, I grounded him from bikes, sky diving, bull riding.....Anything remotely dangerous.....Hell, I'd keep him with me 24/7 if I could in order to keep from losing him.

An unexpected visitor

This was the scene that we awoke to a few days after Christmas. This doe is the one that chased me and my dog on the 4-wheeler a few months back. She had the same lump back then, and I thought that it might be a snake bite....but since she still has it now, I'm guessing it's a tumor of some kind or an abcessed tooth, maybe. I feel sorry for her. She's had a pretty hard go of it this year. She had twins, and both of them were killed. :( If it ever gets to where it looks like she can't eat anymore and she really starts losing weight, I'll put her down. I'm not going to watch her starve to death. Now she comes up in the mornings pretty early to eat feed that the bulls have dropped out of the trough. This fenceline is maybe 15 feet from the house...not far at all. The cat had been napping in the feed trough that afternoon when she came back for another bite to eat. I don't know who was more surprised!!!!

Out of the mouths of babes

This morning we were getting ready for school, and I had the news on, as usual. My 13 year old comes into my bathroom where I'm brushing my teeth and says, "Mom, you have to hear what Korey just told me." Korey is the baby of the family (even though he's 8 now...He'll always be my baby.) Anyway---Korey walks in and informs me and Kyle that "There's a bunch of stores closing right now. They're having to sell everything, and it's because of constipation." I nearly spit toothpaste all over my bathroom mirror!!!! He was so serious. It was too cute!!!!

A Little Piece of History

This was one of my Christmas presents from my Mom. I haven't posted about it because every time that I start to write about it, I cry....That is SO not me.

We had Christmas with my Mom and her husband RT (he is so funny), my brother and his wife, and my niece at my house Christmas evening. My Mom and RT came a little early and when she got here, she called my daughter, Katie, and I in the kitchen together. There she handed me this simple 18kt gold band......She's worn this band on her middle finger for a long time, and I never even realized how special it was. She told me that it was getting too little for her now, and that I will be the 5th generation to wear it, and that my daughter will be the 6th when it's time to pass it down to her. I've been wearing it non-stop every since Christmas night. Every time that I'm in the middle of anything....and I mean ANYTHING from cutting hay string while I'm feeding cows to making homemade biscuits, from doing my daughter's hair to cleaning up the kitchen....I look at this awesome piece of family history on my middle finger and feel SO proud to be a part of it.

Thanks, Mom! It truly meant the world to me....I have to go cry some more now. Love you!

Big Caitie and Little Katie

Big Caitie was our neighbor for years when we lived in Giddings. She's practically another daughter of mine. She's 15 now....hard to believe. She's staying with us for a few weeks during the holidays and tonight she decided to straighten Little Katie's hair. Little Katie's natural hair do is a fro... :) She for some reason has blue eyes (mine are green) and curly blond hair (mine is straight as a board and dark brunette). If I didn't KNOW she was mine, I might seriously be worried! ;) Anyway, these are the before and after pics....She LOVES her hair straight, but we can't keep it from frizzing at the roots, no matter what we try.....I LOVE her hair curly, but she hates me for it. :)

We also took the boat out today on the Canyon Lake and fished for a few hours. It was tons of fun, but I was worried to take the camera.....3 kids and my crazy husband in a boat.....I was worried about me and my camera ending up overboard.

Tomorrow we're going to the canyons. Hopefully I'll have some good pics to show.

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!! I hope that everyone had a night as CRAZY as mine last night! (I had absolutely NO plans.) Sadly, my daughter (whose 11) is the only one in our family that had any plans last night! She spent the night with a friend and this morning will be heading to Dallas to watch the New Year's parade there. Her BFF is a Jr. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, so they should have a BALL! She's so excited. I left the house to pick up a dear friend of ours from Giddings as a New Year's surprise for the kiddos. They are so excited that "Big Caitie" is here....You'll see pics of her later along with stories of our adventures over the next few days.

The above pics are from Christmas Eve at my Dad's and Christmas at our house. The top one is my slave labor picture. I made all of my children help with all of the goodies that we took to school for their parties. We had a blast. In this pic they are dipping pretzels in chocolate and putting sprinkles on. My kitchen was a WRECK after they got done "helping", but it was worth it.

The next few pics are Christmas at my Dad's. Kyle & Korey got matching spurs, and Katie got a "My Horse and Me" Wii game.....Can you tell that they're country kids?! :) I could not find one pic with my baby boy smiling, etc.....In every pic he's got a goofball look on his face. Guess he was excited!

The last pic is our new band. :) They got Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii for Christmas. I think that my husband plays it more than the kiddos. ;)

The holidays have been a blast, but I am SO ready to get back to our normal schedule. Between calving season, the holidays, and the kids being out of school I'm running on empty. I just have to keep reminding myself that they are only little once. Cherish every moment, right?!

Happy New Year!!!!!