Raising a Farmer

This morning was a big day for Vivian.  As I was getting her morning bottle ready to head outside for milking.  Vivian was in the living room, she heard what I was doing and instantly crawled into the kitchen.  As she reached the kitchen she continued into the middle of the floor.  Stood herself up not holding onto anything and walked towards me.  Her arms holding out to her side waving trying to keep her balance.  A huge smile on her face knowing she was accomplishing a huge task she has been working on the last month.  Walking.  She started to teeter but with every step she was able to regain her balance.  Finally reaching her destination, my arms.

Today is January 6th and this was Vivian’s due date, well she had other plans and arrived 5 weeks early.  As a one year old, a huge change in her diet happens.  Over the past two months she has been gradually switching her milk intake to strictly cow’s whole milk.  Whole milk has the good fat that is essential for brain development.  I’m not a doctor, I am not a scientist, I’m not a nutritionist but I am a dairy farmer and I am a mom.  I know that whole milk has the good fat for my kids.  I know whole milk gives Everett healthy fat when he is always on the go.  I know that whole milk helps Vivian explore and learn new things everyday.  I know whole milk is the best thing for my children.  Milk does the body good.

 Everett & Vivian with 304, County Fair 2015

One of the most beautiful things in a Minnesota winter is frost on trees in the morning.  When frost is so heavy even the warm sun making its way through the cold can’t release their grip on the trees.  Frost that holds on tight when finally they loosen their grip it looks like snow falling.  Frost on trees makes me smile.  During morning chores as I thought to myself how pretty it was outside my mind began to wander what frost brings.  What winter brings.  What this winter will bring.  Frozen water lines, tractors refusing to start because of the cold,  milk prices that continue to fall,  cold hands and the layers of clothes needed to work outside.  How can something so pretty be hiding the challenges of winter.  Or is it the other way, the hardships of winter brings glitters of pretty.  Glitters of pretty to make it through the winter.  Winter brings fresh fallen snow, designs on windows left from Jack Frost, tea time in the barn to warm up from the cold and morning frost on trees.  Morning frost on trees #makemesmiletuesday

Today Everett has requested a quiet peaceful day.  We have had 3 Christmases, a baby shower and a funeral in 5 days.  That doesn’t include all the time spent in the barn and getting chores done.  We had a Merry Christmas and welcome a quiet peaceful day.

Christmas is literally around the corner.  I still have Thanksgiving dinner on my mind and I am for sure in denial that my baby girl is one.  So the thought of Christmas Eve tomorrow scares me a little.  I look around my house and I see the piles of laundry, toys scattered through out the house, an onion rolling around the floor Vivian pulled out of the closet, dirty dishes patiently waiting to be washed, odds and ends waiting for their turn to be taken up the stairs.  But then I walk into my living room and I see our Christmas tree.  I love my Christmas tree.  It is white.  It was my mom’s tree.  She had color coded her ornaments and every year our tree at home was a different color.  The tree that is in my home now is the original tree and original ornaments from my mom.  Last year it was pink because we had a new baby girl and Vivian’s god-mother came and put it up for me.  This year we have a red tree.  When we were first married we tried a traditional green tree and it just didn’t feel like Christmas.  Some nights when I walk to the house after chores I see it shining through the window.  I know that Everett turned it on.  I don’t think I have turned it on all season.  Everett has delegated that job to himself.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas!  May your days be merry and bright!

Play-doh.  I hate Play-doh.  I still do not know why I hate Play-doh.  The texture of it, the smell of it, the little pieces that break off, the smell on your hands.  I hate Play-doh. When I tell someone this I get the deer in the head lights look.  How can you hate Play-doh?  I can feel your confusion as you read this.  Really?  You, You hate Play-doh.  And then the conversation turns to trying to persuade me into making my own Play-Doh.  “Oh I have a great homemade recipe.”  Why would I want to make something when I can’t stand the original?  I love mess.  Living sand-love it!  Baking cut out cookies with six kids covered in flour and sprinkles-makes my heart sing.  Dirty faces from playing outside all day-joyfull.  Mud puddles, mud pies and everything in between I love.  Play-doh-nope not entering my house.  Nope, nope, nope no Play-doh here.  So when Everett sat down to write his letter to Santa and requested Play-doh, I replied I would write Santa a letter for him “NOT” to bring Play-doh.  I went about the kitchen Everett sat at the kitchen counter, I asked Everett how his letter was because he was not saying anything or asking how to spell a word.  He  said that he was finished.  I asked him to read it to me.

“Dear Santa, this is what I need for Christmas train set, toy shotgun, Play-doh.  By: Everett.  Ignore the letter in the mailbox from Brenda.”

I sure hope Santa doesn’t ignore my letter requesting not to bring Pay-doh.

Everett writting to Santa

This last Saturday we celebrated Vivian’s 1st Birthday.  This last week I have been thinking where I was at in life a year ago.  Our baby wasn’t supposed to arrive until January 6.  We kept telling Everett after Christmas, the baby is coming after Christmas.  I kept telling myself this to so I would make it through the holiday season.  Baby Vivian had other plans.  We didn’t have a name picked out, I didn’t have the mental list of everything I wanted to do with Everett before the baby came done.  I didn’t dig out baby clothes and fold them neatly waiting for the new baby’s arrival.  The Christmas tree wasn’t up.  Not a single Christmas cookie was baked.  I had time.  I had time to get it all done.  I had a routine doctor visit that turned into the words I will never forget, “We are going to take the baby today.”  What?  I have somewhere to be at 1.  I have things to do.  I called Nate, which at fist he didn’t believe me.  “I’m on my way!”  he told me.  About five minutes later I got a phone call back from him.  “ahh, do I have time to mix a batch of feed?”  Yes, I was induced so by the time my IV was started and settled into my room Nate had time to mix a batch of feed.  Vivian Louise arrived at 12:43am December 5th.  I don’t know how we thought that our family was complete with out her.  She completes all three of us.  She has no idea what she means to Nate, Everett and I and so many others for being here for only a year.  I look at her and I wonder who she will be, what her voice will sound like, how she will play, what wonderful ideas a three year old has will be.  I wonder…. until then Happy 1st Birthday Vivian!!!

Getting ready to go home from the hospital after a week stay. How did we think we were complete with out her?

So many things have made smile this last week.  I look through the pictures for the last week.  Vivian learned to push a shopping cart on Thanksgiving.  Everett was scuba diving in the bath tub.  Our Thanksgiving table right before milking with pieces of pie, crumbs and empty glasses made my heart sigh of gratefulness what a wonderful day we had with friends and my brothers family.  Going to the Santa day parade with no Santa in the parade but then while we were walking back to the truck, Santa appeared out of no where.  A selfie at the Santa Parade of the four of us when last year there was only three.  The picture that I keep going back to is this one.

For years I have been saying that we should put a star on the silo.  On Saturday Nate and Everett were puttering around in the shop Everett would come back in the house.  After dark Nate came in and said that he needed to show me something back behind the barn.  I grumbled I didn’t want to go out and then come back in and then go back out again for chores.  Everett ran in front, I walked with my arms crossed my chest and then I caught the corner of the star.  As we walked to the front of the star.  Tears fell as I said, “Nate, you made me a star.”

Now I want to see what made you smile this last week or today!  Share your #makemesmileTuesday on Raising a Farmer FB page.  I will be giving away one Dairy Good Cookbook.

We all have that area in our house or yard that we cringe every time we walk by. Maybe it is a closet we fear to open. The place just collects stuff. Just stuff. For me, it is anything with a flat surface including the floor. When I was at home it was shoes. My dad would yell and yell at me about how many shoes I had at the front door. When Nate and I got married he counted my shoes, I think it was around 70 pairs. I have learned to control my love of shoes since living at home but now just stuff is taking over. My kitchen counter, kitchen table and back door counter are the catch all. You come in from the front door. Plop on the table. Hat, table looks good. Sweat shirts hung on the back of chairs. My kitchen counter suffers from the over flow effect. This drives me crazy. I have to spend time cleaning the counter off so I can use my kitchen counter for what it was made for, cooking not stuff collector. In the past I have made my kitchen table smaller in the hopes that the “stuff” would get smaller. Nope, boxes appear out of thin air to help contain the stuff. I want to do a time lapse video just to see where the “stuff” comes from. Out of fear I have not done it yet because I know who the culprit is and then I would have to fess up. So in attempt to save the end of my kitchen counter I have made myself a sticky note. I have placed it at the end of my counter, “Do not put anything here!!”  Let’s see if this will save my counter. 

This week marks National 4-H Week, so well JOIN 4-H!!!  4-H is a great organization to be a part of.  Many people think that to join 4-H that you need to have animals.  That is so far from the truth!  That is a big big MYTH!  4-H is for everyone!  If you like flowers 4-H is for you! If you like art projects 4-H is for you!  If you like to garden or canning 4-H is for you! Do you like to bake or cook?  If you like to be creative or sew or crochet or talk or anything 4-H is for you!  If you like animals and want to learn more about them 4-H is for you!  If you want to be part of a great group and don’t know where to go, 4-H is definitely  for you!!  If you are looking for something for your whole family to do together, did I mention that you should join 4-H?  Call your local Extension office if your child is in Kindergarten or older and they will be more than happy to guide you in the right direction for a club that would be a perfect fit for your child, better yet your entire family!

As I am writing this Everett says,  “Mom just say, ‘4-H is awesome!  There are a lot of tables left.  Please join 4-H’!”  Side note: We meet in the basement of one of our local churches hence a lot of tables.  So we have lots of room for everyone.

This summer we hosted our club picnic at our farm we had a great time!  Call and join today!!

Snappy Elmdalers

Enjoying some corn on the cob.

Everett a Snappy Elmdaler through and through

Vivian a future 4-H’er at one of our monthly meetings.

How many times have you been somewhere or in a moment and you reach for your phone to use the camera and you don’t have it.  Or you say “I wish I had my camera.”  We live in a world now where every moment is documented or captured with social media.  I have hundreds of pictures of my two sweet little ones and somehow I still feel that I am missing out or failing on capturing every moment.  Remember when we had to wait for film to be developed?  And then the picture we were waiting for came back fuzzy.  Only take one or two pictures because we didn’t want to “waste” the film.  How many selfies did you take this week?  Now cameras on our phones we no longer need to carry a camera around to capture sweet moments that happen to us.  I think I have more pictures of just one year of Everett’s life compared to my entire life.  So why is it I feel I missed out on something huge when I don’t capture a moment?  A moment that was meant for me JUST TO BE in the moment.  Just to be present.  A beautiful picture for my mental mind to frame forever.

For a couple days I was just upset with myself that I missed one of these exact moments.  Homecoming week  was at Everett’s school. Everett was so excited for school spirit day.  I was failing immensely trying to create the school logo on Everett’s cheeks.  In the back of my mind I kept thinking the bus is on its way.  Luckily dad to the rescue.  Everett drew on a piece of paper what the LF is supposed to look like.  Dad saved the day drawing the LF intertwined on each one of Everett’s cheeks.  I get Everett’s shoes on and tie them for him, we open the front door, “THE BUS IS COMING!” As we see it turning onto our road.  Everett takes off running so excited.  His arms are waving in the air as he begins running down the driveway.  I run after him.  I stop about halfway because Everett is not looking back.  I reach for my back pocket no phone to capture this moment.  A fog is in the air.  The bus lights are flashing reflecting against the fall colors just beginning to emerge from nature.  Fall is in the air.  Everett runs past the pasture with black and white heifers resting along the fence.  Fresh fallen leaves grace the driveway.  The dew glues them into place not moving from their home on the driveway.  Everett runs through the leaves with his golden Flyer Sweatshirt on.  His green John Deere back pack bouncing following him as he runs. His arms are still waving as he reaches the bus, pop tart in hand.  His shoes that make him go fast are on.  I can hear the bus driver say something to Everett but I am to far away to hear.  I smile to myself, he is so excited for Spirit day at school.  I wish I would have taken a picture.  For this special moment I will have to depend on my mental camera, click.

I took this after morning milking, the fog was already lifted.