Photo Finish Friday, but on saturday cause it took all day to upload these.

A few more pics of the steer.

Don't You wish you could pick your nose like that??

See How much taller he is than the other cow?  they were about the same age.

A Steer Story Part 2

Since promised the rest of the story, and since I can not go back to sleep here it is.

Again disclaimer: if you don't think animals should be eaten ever, and are put on earth to be man's friend, then just don't read this your going to be offended.

So the the wedding calf went off to live with Joel's parents, until he could be weened. He eventually came to live on our small acreage here in the pacific northwest. Now to be clear, Joel and I are not farmers or ranchers, Meaning we don't do this as our main source of income (it barely provides any income). We are what you call hobby farmers. We keep a small number of cattle head on our property and rotate a few out every year either to slaughter or auction.

I named him Dowry, but my father-in-law and all my nieces and nephew insisted on calling him chocolate (cause of his color, how unoriginal). So he grew, and grew and grew. Joel said early on that he wanted to see how big he would get. Which would take a few years. Since it is generally thought best to slaughter a Steer at 3-4 years, cause they have done the bulk of there growing, and they usually have the best flavor at this time, but we decided that he was more of an overgrown pet.

He was the friendliest of all our animals, since he spent all that time with Joel's dad he became used to people and would come right away to a grain bucket. He would get lonely if separated from the others.  He was King of the herd, not always first to the food, but boy did they know to move out of his way when he got to the barn.

We have several fond memories of him. One involving me, a grain bucket and him coming barreling toward me full speed, so I booked it to the fence.  Only to discover Joel on the other side laughing, asking "why didn't you just drop the bucket? he would have stopped where ever the grain was". "well I didn't want to Lose the bucket" I replied.

A few not so fond. Like the time he kept ever so easily stepping over the fence into the neighbors field. This just happened to be on the weekend Joel was out of town, so cattle corralling was my responsibility (oh yeah I was like 5 months pregnant). This became his thing for the next 18 hours til Joel got home, he would step over the fence, I would see him. I would got over to the neighbors field, he would see me and step over the low spot in the fence. This happened about 3 times, He was the only one who got out, because he was the only one big enough to get over the "low" spot in the fence.

Sometimes he would go spend his summers over at Joel's brother's house, and spread his love and good cheer to their neighbors (when I say love and good cheer, I really mean  hoof holes and cow pies in your lawn). I will say that after living in the country for the past nine years you really can see the true heart of your neighbor when this happens, they either are very helpful about it, or really  angry.

Well he kept getting bigger, his height was more than 6 feet at the shoulder blades, and we guessed that his weight was over 2000 lbs. Some steers that get big are just shorter and bulkier in stature, but he was tall and lean. Joel's Mom thought we should take him to the local county fair, so he could be the novelty BIG animal that they bring in every year. But Joel and I had no desire to sit around the fair for a week shoveling his manure and answering stupid city slicker questions 500 times a day (Please insert "what is the difference between a Bull and a Steer?").

Joel started to notice that he was having a harder time getting around, his hind legs were getting stiff and arthritic. Which is a problem, we had heard, happens to bigger animals. We just didn't want to keep hold of him for to much longer and see him suffer in pain. So we decided that we should get rid of him at the next auction. We toyed with the idea of slaughter, but he was so big we didn't know how we were going to eat that much meat. This was a tough decision, and even up to the night before Joel and I both lamented that we didn't want to see our gentle giant go, but we couldn't watch him suffer either.

 The trailer came to haul him and another animal away and off to the auction they went. As the trailer pulled out with him in it a few tears welled in my eyes.  Although I wish now we had gone to the auction, it didn't work out for us to go. We heard through the grapevine that he was the talk of the auction. His final weight was 2620 Lbs!

 I have often been asked  "don't you have a hard time eating an animal you have seen and named?" I always answered "no because after you chase a cow those feeling go away, but there is one that I will have a hard time getting rid of.."  It was hard to say goodbye to him, but I know that it was the right this to do. To think of him and the suffering he would endure with us keeping him, as opposed to the suffering we endure of having to get rid of him.  I know we did the right thing.

Although I wish we had done a few things, like keep the hide, or take more pictures of him growing through the years. I had one stipulation, get a photographer out to take our picture with him. So we did.

I have tried for two days to upload some of those pictures, but my computer has not cooperated beyond this one. so I will try over the next few days to upload a few more.

A Steer Story part 1

Disclaimer: If you are a member of PETA, and animals right activists, or just a person who does not condone the consumption of animal flesh; Please do not read this blog post. It may bother you and you may leave me nasty comments, which I don't appreciate. You are entitled to your opinion and I am fine with that, and I am entitled to mine, which is Beef is Yummy.

So this story started over nine years ago, as I prepared to be married to my Beloved. I used to joke around with Joel and my dad, about the fact Joel should see how many cows my dad would give him for me (you know as a dowry). Because Joel does raise a few head of beef cattle, and because I thought it was a little funny (ha ha).

So the day of our wedding came. It was a beautiful summer day, the Pacific northwest clouds and rain did not make an appearance, meaning we could have our reception out doors on the church lawn and not inside the crowded Fellowship hall.

Hindsight Being 20/20 I should have known something was up. My dad was overly concerned over the fact that we did not pay the photographer the extra money to stay for the reception (we just had friends take pics). and one of Joel's friends, who was not in any part of the wedding (or so I thought), was at the rehearsal dinner at his parents house. I kept asking "Why is Ben here?", and Joel replied "it's fine Beth, It's no big Deal".

So the Vows had been exchanged, a Kiss and pronouncement. Meet and greet with Guest outside. Cake was cut and fed to one another. Then My father gets up to make a toast or a speech.

The Speech goes on about the history of a dowry (let me just say I am completely bewildered as to what is going on) it's significance in the marriage and giving away the bride. Then My father says Here is Your dowry. Out Comes Joel's friend Ben with a Calf.

Apparently my father asked Joel to do this as a funny thing, and Joel went along. Joel knew people in the dairy business and asked if he could buy a calf from them (it only cost $10, that is How much worth). They boarded it til the wedding and his Friend Ben loaded it up that morning, and they parked there truck over at the Parsonage out of Earshot, and when the speech was made Ben came out.

So I was to present this Calf to my New husband which I did rather fast, as it was dirty and I was, well in my wedding dress. We became infamous with being the couple who had a cow at our wedding. The kids instantly loved the petting zoo on hand at the wedding.

So we went on our Honeymoon and the calf was loaded up and taken to Joel's parent's house. Joel's dad had a milk cow at the time and could use the help of a young bull to help drink up some milk. The Bull was also made a steer.

I will tell you the rest of the story soon.

Be careful what you say

Remember how a few weeks ago, I quoted Margret Thatcher, about being careful of what you think and say. Well Margret Thatcher is a Very Smart lady, and I did not think about my thoughts or what I was saying last Tuesday. Here is how the story goes.

So last Tuesday I had a my dear friend Laura over for a play date. Her two kids are both one year older than mine, and the boys absolutely love playing together. Tuesday there adventures included bear hunting and putting on a logging show. I almost canceled the play date, because we had seen each other and the kids had played a two different parties over the long weekend, and I was had not slept well, but Phil really wanted to play with his friend. Laura and I have been dear friends for over 10 years, and motherhood has brought us closer.

She and I sat back and talked about how our homes were absolute disasters, due to our first trimester Pregnancies (did I forget to tell you I am expecting in March, well now you know), how tired and rotten we each felt while the kids ran around the yard and house. I was so thankful I could just be myself with my friend. 

She and I were talking about the differences in our kids personalities, when I said Thomas was the child that would keep me in the ER.  He is forever climbing on things, getting into stuff, without regard to the laws sir Isaac Newton showed the world called Gravity. As I said Be careful what you say.  Not an hour later we were sitting at the dining room table when Tommy started crying, I turned around to see that he had gotten his fingers caught in the hinge of the screen door. Though not heavy , I knew it hurt and quickly rescued the fingers. Tommy was very upset about this and made a long wail, with a long pause of no inhalation (so long Laura even commented on it) I comforted him, and calmed him down;  I inspected the fingers and they appeared to be alright. Then I realized he must be tired, as it was an hour past his normal morning nap. He seemed fine, so I proceeded to put him down in his crib, then went to get him a sippy cup. 

When I went back in I immediately knew something was wrong. He was lying on his back jerking, eyes rolled back. (I have only ever seen seizures on TV, but to my untrained eye this looked like a seizure). I quickly called to Laura to come in here, but she did not hear the urgency in my voice, so I quickly shouted again "Laura Get in Here Now". She heard it that time and got in there in a second and we conferred that it looked like a seizure.

Neither really knew what to do besides keep him on his side. So I made the executive decision to call 911. She took Tommy, while I called. By this time he had stopped jerking and went limp, but had another short seizure a few seconds later. I tried to talk to the dispatcher and tell them what was going on, but was too frazzled, so she made me give the Phone to Laura so she could talk to them. ( Word to unwise, don't try to talk to 911 dispatch on one phone and your husband on your cell Phone dispatch doesn't appreciate this).  What scared me the most about it was he was fine 5 minutes ago. He wasn't feeling feverish or sick, had not fallen on his head, he had just pinched his fingers, which happens on a regular basis for a toddler (right??).

Dispatch sent a ambulance, Joel left his meeting and was on his way home. I held crying Tommy in my arms. Laura was off the phone, and came over put her hand on Tommy and Prayed for his protection (seriously remember thinking "why didn't I think of that??") and she said "don't worry about Phil I'll watch him". Which I knew without asking.  Joel got there a Minute before the paramedics did (not to put paramedics down,  Joel only works about 2.5 miles away). Paramedics came right in (they don't knock for obvious reasons), quickly started asking questions, I told them about the finger pinch. He was crying at this point, and they said that was a good sign, but they wanted to check a few things out first, so they hooked him up heart monitors and wanted a temp (it is very common for kids to get seizure with a high fever), everything looked "normal" and they could see no obvious reasons for the seizure, so they decided that since he should be transported to ER. So Joel handed me my purse and I asked him to get me some real shoes, not slippers, (this is a total side note rant:  He comes back in with a pair of clogs, and I really wanted to say "I'd have to waste precious moments putting on socks with those you nitwit, and I haven't worn socks in months", but I merely mouthed the words "Flip flops"). Tommy and I got loaded up in the ambulance, Joel agreed to follow in the car with the diaper bag, and Laura and the Kids stayed behind.

I was so thankful to the Lord my good friend was there in that situation. Of all the people that could have been there for a play date she is one of the few that I would really feel comfortable staying in my home with Phil.

Tommy slept the whole ride to the ER, (which is normal for them to be tired after a seizure and I am very thankful of, cause he can be a wiggle worm), it is very odd to take a route you have taken a thousand times and see it all going by backwards. We got to the ER, and Joel quickly found us, and they gave us a room. since I was holding Tommy, I was wheeled on the gurney as well, I tried to tell them that I could hop from the gurney to the bed, cause I felt fine, but they insisted that I was a light weight, even with Tommy and did the "on 3" bed sheet lift.

We got our Nurse a very nice lady, name Carlene, and she hooked Tommy's toe up to a blood ox monitor. He was still sleeping, and Joel was whisked off to fill out paperwork, and came back a few minutes later just as Tom was waking up.  Now Tommy is a Daddy's Boy, and if Daddy is there He doesn't want mama, it was true for the ER as well. So Joel got to hold fussy crying Tommy.

The Doctor came in and asked us a few questions and told us he was going to order some blood work, and CT. Now it is hard enough for me to change Tommy's diaper, he is a wiggle worm. And I have had to help hold Phil down to take his blood, that is no fun. Tommy at this point was screaming and it took four of us holding him down while the lab tech tried to find a vein to get blood. When she told me she may not have gotten enough, I just about cried, but I was glad they did not need to put an IV in. Tommy hated the blood ox monitor on his toe, and fought us so hard trying to get it off.

The doctor said he could have some Juice so I ran to the car (I almost got lost looking for our room coming back, but soon heard the screams of my baby and followed them) to get his sippy cup, that helped for a minute, then they came the tech to take us to CT.  I couldn't go in the room cause of the radiation, I was very thankful Joel was there for Tommy, because standing outside listening to him scream while they tried to get him to hold still was agonizing. Then we went back to the room to wait for the results. Tommy had more Juice and finally started to calm down. He had to have a binki in his mouth, another in is hand (just in case) and his sippy cup in the other hand. He finally nodded off. The Doctor came in and told him that he thought the seizure was a result of Tommy holding his breath while crying after the fingers got stuck in the door. He told us we could go home in a few minutes, when all the paper work went through. We needed to see our normal doctor, and there was a small possibility it was epilepsy. (our doctor agreed with the diagnosis, Tommy is doing fine)

So we took sleepy Tommy home. One the way home Joel wondered if we should call and see if we should bring home lunch for Laura and the kids. I assured him no Laura made do with what was in my pantry and fridge.

We got home and Joel went back to work (this whole ordeal took less than 3 hours time), Laura and I re-caped the hospital visit. I was right she had just made the kids grilled cheese for lunch. We continued the play date for another hour and half, picking up the conversation where we left off before Tommy smashed his fingers.

I really wanted to have Laura for dinner, but was absolutely fried in the head, and promised I would have her over another night soon as a thank you.

All in all Be careful what you say and be thankful for your dear friends.

Marriage By numbers

 1- We have lived at One address, in the same house our whole marriage (we have done some major add-ons to the house, but it is still the same house)
2- We have Two beautiful blue-eyed boys
3- We have owned Three cars (trucks not included)
4- We have bought large Four appliances (that does not include microwave, hot water heater, or BBQ) (Oh wait now that I think about it the Dishwasher was a gift from my mom and dad, so it does include the hot water heater)
5- We have had to attend Five funerals of six different family members (one was a double funeral)
6- We have rejoiced the news of Six new nieces or nephews
7- We Have been on Seven different family vacations (this does not include our honeymoon, weekend getaways, afore mentioned funerals, family reunions, missions trips, business trips or trips we took separately).
8-We have sent Eight cows to the slaughter (okay I have no idea if that is actually the correct number, It is probably close to that number, but I needed something for 8, and it's my word against yours).
9- We have been married Nine Years.

Countless... the number of laughs, kisses, tears, time with friends, in prayer together, moments looking out over our pond together, and memories we have made.

Unknown what the future holds for the two of us........

Were Back!

No we have not fallen off the face of the earth Nor Have we been eaten by a giant ware rabbit. We have just been very very very busy this July. Every weekend was booked with one thing or another, then the weeks were a mad scramble trying to recover and prepare for the next.  As Proof I have included a few pictures.

My Grandpa turned 90!  so we had a big party to help him celebrate. I did not make the cake, but I did do all the meat, (20 lbs of beef and 15 lbs of salmon)

Then the next weekend we were off on vacation to the Oregon coast. We had a great week, with train rides, cheese factory tours, aquariums and of course playing on the Beach!



Then last weekend, Joel's company had a float in the local parade, so of course we had to go along for the ride. After the parade we had a big Picnic, complete with a giant Slip and slid.



Phillip trying on funny hats with his cousin, he finally decided to go with the seahawks helmet.



Poor Phil was so pooped after all that fun he fell asleep in the hammock.

See I told you we were busy, so now as I look at the calender at the month of august, I am relieve there is a lot of empty space, yes we have a family wedding, and the local fair, but it seems very tame compared to July! Now I am off to catch up on house work and laundry.

Birthday Boy: Tommy turns 1 !!!

So I know I missed Photo Finish Friday, but I can explain. Friday was my baby's first birthday, Yes that is right Tommy turned 1. A bitter sweet day, for this mama. I still can't believe how fast this year has gone by and how much he has grown. So I was busy all day prepping for a birthday party. We had a grand evening with fishing and boating, friends and family, food and of course cake. not to leave out the generous presents! top of the list for both boys was the Barn from Grandma and Grandpa and the animals from Great Grandma Lou and Grandpa Joe. (Phil also loves the squirt guns from cousins, I don't believe Tom has even tried them out).

 I  wanted to share with you some things about Thomas.  Well as I said before he is inquisitive and determined, that has not changed. What has changed is his physical agility, he is a super fast crawler. He has no interest in walking, he is concered with speed and can get there fast with his all fours method.  He has master climbing in small chairs, furniture, and step stools ( as I wrote these last two sentences, he has climbed onto a small chair not once but twice), and can get down usually with out harm. He can climb up stairs ( fortunalty we live in a single level house, with only a few leading up to the front and back door) and is starting to figure out decent of stairs. I am pretty sure he should have wiskers like a cat, because he is forever getting stuck behind or between furniture, cause he can't figure out that he just won't fit.



Tommy climbed up the step stool to the counter and found the bowl of left over frosting, yumm.



His inquisitive nature has him going from one "no" area in the house to another (what's a "no" area, oh the fireplace, the pantry, the toilet, dustpan). If I want to occupy him for 10 minutes while Phils not home I just go put him in Phils room, he loves the toy Mecca of the house and loves being able to go in there total freedom. His absolute favorite place is the the sandbox, (which is not your average sandbox size3x5 feet and a few shovels and buckets, but easily twice that size and filled with tonka trucks you can no longer find) . He loves to go out there and play with brother, begs to go out by standing at the door, and wimpering, we give in, unless its raining. I think this comes from being named Thomas, as he had to see the holes in Jesus' hands and feet to believe it was really him. Tom has to make sure of it himself.



He is quite vocal, but his vocabulary is, well it's not anything anyone can understand. He can say dada, and Paee that I reported a few weeks ago has left his regular repetoir.  But he cracks us up with his Baa, urs, pfffs, bada, guuur, gooooo you have got to believe me when I say it's hilarious, cause the typed form does not do it justice. He claps and waves bye-bye quite, along with occasionally signing "all-done" when he wants to get out of his highchair.

Checking out the new barn.

He has the biggest blue eyes, just when you think they can't get any bigger, they do. He is quick with a smile, most people think he is like that 100% of the time and most of the time he is, he has his bad moments, but he is quick to turn his bad moemnts into a smile for any one at any time.



About to blow out the candles.






 We all know that each child is different, but I am amazed at how different my boys are when you compare them at the respective age. I never straped Phil into his highchair we never had a problem with him getting out, but Tom will get out, so we always strap him in. Phil would sit down with a board book and read, Tom has no interest in a book at this point.  Not to say one is better than the other, just comparing how different they are from one another.  I will say both of my boys Love their daddy, they love being on the tractor or lawn mower with him.  A good friend just said to us, "you know what would really send your house into chaos and turmoil? A Girl". He is right, we are a family suited for boys, and I love it and I Love my boys. I love my little baby boy Tommy and can't believe he is one.

I Love this Picute of our family at the party, me talking with whoever, Phil taking aim with the squirt gun, Tom entranced with the new present, and Joel happy on looker.

This is the clown car or Paddle boats 7 people total, It wasn't til afterwards and looking at this picture that I realized Phil had no lifejacket. He actually had one, but decided to put it on his arm.