Life Lately

Hello hello!  Today is my Monday - Andy and the kids were all home yesterday for President's Day so today will be extra crazy trying to get the house back in order after the weekend and doing my usual busy Tuesday stuff (errands, groceries, etc).  And don't short weeks always feel extra long?  

Here's a little 'life lately' from around here.

Sweet little Tate fell asleep in the car with his hand in his pocket.  This made me smile. And yes, I was parked when I took the picture.

This silly little girl looked so springy last week when the temps were in the 50's and 60's so I had to take a picture.  Then she gave me this precious pose.  All the heart eyes!

Andy and Aiden went to a basketball tournament so these two goofballs, Tenley and I went to town for a Walmart run.  We couldn't resist taking a picture of them in this St Paddy's Day hat!

A few months ago I saw that Belinda Carlisle, solo artist and lead singer of The Go-Go's, was coming to a casino near us.  She was big in the 80's and my mom, sister and I all love her music so I suggested that for our birthdays (all within 6 weeks of each other) we go to the concert.  This was us at supper before the concert.

This is Belinda Carlisle!  She has been a singer/artist for 5 decades she said and holy smokes does she NOT look it!  She's gorgeous!  And wow did she have major energy!  She sounded amazing and we had so much fun singing and dancing along!

Every year in 4H the kids have to give a presentation to their club.  It's supposed to be ag/4H-related (ag being agriculture) but our club is lenient and lets them do anything they are interested in.  Last year Aiden did his presentation on shop safety.  This year together we decided he should build a blue bird house and do a presentation on how he built it, info about blue birds and where and how to put up the houses. Here he is with his finished product.  He's going to take this presentation and bird house to the fair, also. Photo credit goes to Andy.

Brennan is making his First Communion this April.  He needed a new dress shirt and tie, and dress shoes so since he was off school and Andy was home yesterday we headed to the big city to do some shopping. We left Andy, Aiden and Tate home to build that birdhouse while we went shopping with Tenley.  We had a great day and it was so fun to pair off these two and just get out and about the three of us!

That's been life lately!

I'm linking up with these sweet gals for their Tuesday Talk!

County Fair 2016 || Part 2

You can read about Part 1 HERE.

While the sheep show was a major part of the county fair for us this year there was so much more that we saw and did.  

MONDAY:

Even though it wasn't ALL about the sheep that was a big part of it and Tate loved that!  Here he is sweeping out our tack stall.  A toddler in muck boots - doesn't get much cuter than that!

 Around 10:00 that morning Aiden and his buddies came running up to ask if Aiden could be part of their livestock judging competition team.  Uh, what?!? He didn't do any of the workshops because he wasn't planning on doing this competition.  Basically it's 4-Hers judging livestock.  Aiden had zero knowledge of this PLUS just look at how he's dressed!  We didn't have his 4H shirt or jeans with us because he was there to chore and hang out that day!  After much begging they talked me into letting him join their team.  Out of all the junior's Aiden came in 5th individually and his team took 3rd overall!  Ha ha, I laughed so hard. Out of his team of 4 he placed the highest!  Just think what he could have done if he'd actually known what he was looking at!  Because of placing 5th he earned himself a purple ribbon and for the team placing 3rd he got a ribbon and the team split $10!  That's a great start to the fair!

One of the best parts of the fair for Aiden was being there with some of his best buddies!  While we were washing the sheep  Monday night Connor and Hunter found us in the wash bay so came in to join in on the fun.

These boys have my heart!

 My favorite night of entertainment is always the night of the tractor pull!

TUESDAY:
Brennan was such a trooper the whole week while we were focused on Aiden and his sheep.  Isn't he cute!?!

After the sheep show a big rain cell moved in and it just poured and poured.  It was windy and cold.  We hid in the sheep barn for about an hour until it finally started to let up.  We took the break in the rain and high tailed it to the truck to leave and get the babies.  We decided to call it a day and didn't go back that night.  The rodeo was cancelled because of all the rain so we didn't really miss anything.

WEDNESDAY:
This was the swine show day.  Another of Aiden's best buddies was showing his pen of 3 pigs.  I think showing pigs looks like fun but what do I know?!? :)

By this day the temperatures and humidity were really ramping up.  We were in a heat warning starting the next day and we were already feeling it!  The busy week and warm weather was catching up with all of us.

That night we stayed long enough to watch the Clydesdale parade around the fairgrounds.  Those big horses are so amazing!  It was pretty cool watching them run by.

After we watched the horses go by I took Tate for a ride on the 'choo choo' around the perimeter of the grounds.  He was so darn happy on that train!  He waved and waved and waved!  I had the best time with him and am so glad I got to be the one to go with him!  Just look at that happy face!

THURSDAY:
This day was so dang hot, it was ridiculous!  The heat index made it up to 118 degrees!!!  Ouch!  But we suffered through the hot morning because we had some friends to watch in the show ring - it was the Cattle Show!

Another good buddy showed up to watch this day, too!  This is my dad's first cousin's son - don't they look alike??  You can tell they are cousins, even if they are distant!

Typically with the hot weather like we had the cattle are lazy and don't get jumpy - not this day!  One of the kids showing his calf (which are full sized cattle, don't be fooled by the word 'calf'!) got trampled by it, it was pretty scary!  Luckily nothing was broken (he stomped his leg pretty good.  As a 12 year old, getting stomped by a 1200+lb steer doesn't feel very good!) and he came back after going to the ER to do the Showmanship Competition. His mom said he was bribed with $100 by his aunt to get back in the ring.  I was a tad nervous sitting in the stands watching these calves out there with those small kids!

Aiden's buddies had a good day - neither won their class but they did great and their cattle did what they were supposed to.

The show was over by 12:30 and we bailed on the fair.  It was just too hot.  We grabbed Aiden's one friend and took him with us to lunch in the air conditioning.  We dropped him back off at the fair and went home for naps.  That night Aiden and I sat in one of the 4H buildings watching the projects to make sure nothing happened to them.  We finished the night off watching some of the motocross event.  One of Aiden's classmates races - he got 2nd and 4th in his 2 divisions!

FRIDAY:

This was the last day of the fair.  The week was long in a good way and none of us were ready to say goodbye to the fair.  We cleaned up our tack stall, loaded all of our stuff in the truck and off we went.  It was a wonderful fair and we can't wait for next year!

County Fair 2016 || Part 1

Aiden had a GREAT first year in 4-H!  We all have learned so much this first year, not just in the sheep project area but in how the entire 4-H program works.  It's a lot different now than when I was in 4-H and I am so happy that Aiden and our other kids get to have this amazing experience!


I'm breaking my fair recap into two parts - the first part will be all about the sheep.  The second part will have everything else. :)

You can read my other posts about Aiden's sheep HERE and HERE to get caught up.

We started off the Friday before fair having the sheep slick sheared.  This is a super close shear so the judge can see only the sheep's muscle tone and so you can't fluff up your sheep's wool and make them appear more muscular than they really are.  Aiden started by washing the sheep with Ivory dish soap.  They were pretty dirty from being out in the pasture for 2 1/2 months!

We are fortunate to have a show sheep producer as our 4-H leader so he was very helpful this entire year.  He was the one who sheared Aiden's sheep for him.

Sunday afternoon, in the worst humidity I think I've ever experienced (dew points in the 80's!), we loaded up the sheep and hauled them in to the fairgrounds!  It was so exciting!  Right as they were unloaded they were checked over by the vet - if any sheep have any diseases or issues they are sent right back home because they don't want all the sheep there to be infected.  Once they pass the inspection they are shuffled down the way to get weighed.  Their weight determines which sub-class they will be in.  Aiden's sheep were in the market classes because they were bred to be sold off to be butchered, basically.  Then they are broken down into either black faced or white/speckled faced, then broken down into either a ewe (female) or wether (male).  And finally, broken down by their weight.  So, for Skippy, she was in the Black Faced Market Ewe class and her weight was 119 and competed with other sheep that ranged from 113 - 119 lbs.  There were 4 Black Faced Market Ewe lamb sub classes.  The top 2 lambs in each sub class come back to the Champion Black Faced Market Ewe Lamb drive and compete for the Champion and Reserve Champion lamb.  Skippy got 3rd in her class so just missed the champion drive.  But we'll get to that in a bit.

After they were all weighed in it was time to get them settled into their pen.  We laid down wood chips for their bedding, hung their feed trough and filled their water buckets.  It was so stinking hot, we were all hot and sweaty and those lambs drank and drank their water.  We fed them a little feed, refilled their water and said goodbye for the night.

Monday was a pretty quiet day - we went in the morning to feed and water them.  That evening we went back to do the same and to also wash them and primp them for the show the next morning.

Tuesday morning the sheep show started nice and early at 8:00.  We got to the fairgrounds about 7:00.  We fed and watered the sheep then grabbed a cinnamon roll for breakfast while we waited for the show to start.  About 7:30 we decided to have Aiden walk Ted in the show ring to get him familiar with those surroundings - we were more nervous about how Ted would do in the ring than the other two.  After we put him back in the pen we sat in the show ring and watched the first few drives of sheep then went back to the barn to wash our 2 black face sheep again - their leg wool picked up a ton of wood chips and we had to primp them all over again.  Lesson learned!  Aiden's white face lamb had no leg wool so we just brushed her off and she was ready to go.

Tiny was Aiden's first sheep to show.  I really wanted Ted to be his first because we all knew he'd be the hardest to walk in the ring but he ended up being his last.  Andy and Aiden got Tiny haltered to walk her to the ring and I grabbed my seat and camera.  It was finally time!  He was in a class with only two other 4-Her's, one being his cousin!  Of the 3, Tiny came in 3rd.  She was by far the smallest.  We were all relieved to have that first lamb done and out of the way.

Andy and Aiden finished primping the 2 black faced lambs and then it was time to show Skippy.  Aiden and Skippy did great, she set up perfectly and we were happy with her 3rd place finish out of 8 lambs.

Finally it was Ted's turn!  As they were waiting to go in the ring I could see Andy walking Ted around - he was jumpy and nervous.  There was a big rain cell on it's way and every time there's weather coming in Ted would go nuts.  And guess what - he went nuts in the ring!  Aiden didn't even make it in the ring and that dummie took off!  Every time he'd get away Aiden would stay calm, walk after him and grab him and try again.  One of the helpers in the ring finally started staying by Aiden and Ted to help catch him.  Finally the judge asked for Ted's halter - hallelujah!  It made all the difference. Aiden was able to set him up after that and walk him by the head like he's supposed to.  He tried bolting again but luckily Aiden was able to grab the halter and catch him.  And guess what - that darn lamb got 2nd in his class!!!  We were so excited, except that meant Aiden had to show him a second time, ha ha!!! That second time, though, he was much calmer and didn't try bucking and getting away.  We walked him back to the pen and I am not afraid to admit I might have used my shoe to push him into his pen, ha ha!

Waiting in the show ring pens with Ted for the Champion Black Face Wether drive

We watched the rest of the show and then Aiden got Skippy ready for the Showmanship class.  In this class it's less about the sheep and more about the 4-Her, how they handle their animal and themselves and if it appears they kept good care of their animal. This is the class we wanted Aiden to do really well in.  They walked their animals around the ring and then the judge started separating them into 2 groups.  In Aiden's line he was third.  Finally the judge announced that the line Aiden was in was the purple ribbon winners -- he came in 3rd out of all the juniors competing!!!!  Oh my goodness, my heart nearly burst with pride!  I am certain the judge awarded him for being so patient with Ted while he was being a wild animal.  So many kids would have cried, would have thrown their hands up and said forget it but Aiden kept with him and persevered and it paid off for him!  I am so SO proud of that kid!  That made all those rides out to the farm, all those times dragging those sheep around, all those times getting buzzed by bugs TOTALLY worth it!

And with that his first year showing sheep for 4-H was over.  Andy and I are already so excited for next year and I think Aiden is too!

Friday was the auction and he sold 2 of his sheep.  The black faced ewe, Skippy, went back to the breeder.  She'll either be bred there or sold to another breeder.  The other two will be sold at the sale barn.

Raising and showing sheep was a wonderful experience for our family and I'm excited to continue doing so for the next 18 years as our kids go through 4-H!

Working Aiden's 4-H Sheep

This year we took on a whole new adventure and got 4 lambs for Aiden to raise and take to the county fair to show.  From 4th grade through 12th grade I was in 4-H but I never took any livestock to the fair, just 'indoor' projects.  This has been quite the learning experience for our whole family.  And really, raising livestock for the fair is a FAMILY PROJECT, not just a project for the kid.

Back in April went to my parent's farm and picked out 2 sheep. We had no idea what we were looking for as far as overall structure of the lamb goes.  We ended up picking a ewe (female) and wether (male).  Andy talked to Aiden's 4-H leader who raises show lambs and ended up agreeing to getting 2 lambs from him as well.  All of a sudden we were raising four lambs!!!

May 7th was the official weigh in day for all lambs going to our county fair which is also the day we picked up our new 'pets'.  Let me clarify that statement by saying these lambs ARE NOT PETS.  If you let yourself think that way it'll be so much harder getting rid of them on auction day at the fair.  We have reiterated this to Aiden over and over and over again.  I really didn't want him naming his sheep, because that makes them pets, right?  But of course he didn't agree and I let him have it this year. We'll see how things go at the auction (tears?) and maybe next year we'll just number them.

Immediately we started haltering the lambs and getting them used to the feeling of having that on them and being more contained.  They are wild little buggers to begin with, and although you don't want them to be 100% tame it's nice to have them more comfortable with you so they don't constantly try pulling away while you are walking them.  As for why you don't want them tame?  If they are so comfortable with you they will be relaxed, but in the show ring while you have them set up you need them to brace against you a little to show off their muscles therefore not wanting them 100% tame.

Once we had them used to the halter it was time to start walking them.  Initially we walked them around the circle driveway at the farm we were pasturing our lambs.  Once they weren't digging in their hooves anymore we ventured out to the gravel road.  At the most I'd say we walked each lamb about a half mile per day.  You need to work them up to a distance because otherwise you'll exhaust them and that could cause them harm.  There were a lot of days they'd be panting when we finished walking them.  This is okay, we just made sure they had plenty of water and shade to cool down in.

Time for the last step in the process of breaking them -- walking them without a halter just by guiding them by their heads.  Sheep are herd animals so we always walked them with a friend.  There was a lot of pushing and prodding them from behind in the beginning, and we always had the halter on them still just in case we needed to quick grab it if they jumped/bucked and tried to get away. The entire process can be very frustrating but you just need to stick with it and keep going!

Once they are broken you then start to 'set them up'.  This is how you show off your animal in the ring.  To set up your lamb you put your left arm under their head to hold it up and use your right hand to set the legs where you need them.  You want the head and front legs to line up vertically when all's said and done.  You want the back to legs to be 'shoulder width apart'.  Last you check to make sure the lamb isn't pushing their back up, you want their back to be flat.

In the show ring you could stand there with your sheep for more than 20 minutes so you want to practice standing there with your sheep for 5, 10 minutes at a time to get used to that feeling.  It can be quite exhausting for the 4-Her and for the lamb.

A few things we've learned this year:

1. Feed the sheep before working them. This will help with their stamina and keep them from wanting to run back to the pen the whole time because they know that's where the food is
2. Feed the sheep individually in their own 'pens' so you know how much feed each lamb is getting
3. Work your sheep every single day and DON'T GIVE UP!  Payoff doesn't come until fair week so it can be discouraging to be out there day in and day out and not get to show off your hard work.
4. Touch their legs earlier on and get them used to you moving them to set them up.

That's just the tip of the iceberg on all we've learned.  We'll feed them differently next year, set their pen up differently, work them differently... I'm already excited for next year's lambs!  And we are only getting 2 lambs - 4 was too many to start off with and Aiden is talking about raising a bucket bottle calf next year, also.  

One week from today Aiden shows his sheep.  We are excited and ready for the big day and can't wait to see how these sheep compare to the others at the fair!

Celebrating Aiden's 10th Birthday

When you turn 10 years old you definitely need to celebrate for more than just the day of your birthday, so we stretched Aiden's celebration out for 3 days!

It all started Wednesday, the day before his birthday.  We invited 4 of Aiden's best buddies over for the night.  We picked the boys up around 5:00, came here and Andy went to pick up pizza for supper. After eating I took Aiden, his friends and Brennan to the local pool for their night swim. Besides 2 other kids it was just us there so the boys had a ton of fun!  We played 'jump over the noodle' and I threw ball after ball after ball to them as they'd jump off the diving board and catch it.  Once the pool closed we came back here and the boys headed to the basement.  They had Nerf gun battles. played video games, watched a movie and just hung out.  

Next morning they were all up bright and early even though most stayed up until 2 a.m.!  I fixed scrambled eggs, fruit and toast then they all headed back to the basement.  Around 10:30 we took them home.  It was a great start to the 10th birthday celebration!

After we got back from taking the boys home Aiden asked for Buffalo Wild Wings for his birthday lunch.  Ok!  To the big city we went!  Aiden got an order of boneless wings with Medium sauce.  He was in heaven!  We had to rush back home because Andy and Aiden were going to get our nephew to pick up one of his fair sheep for a workshop that night.  

Once they got home Aiden opened his gifts from us.  We gave in and got him an IPod.  He's pretty much been attached to it ever since, listening to and singing along with the new songs he's downloaded.  One of his buddies knew he was getting the IPod (well, his mom did!), and he gave Aiden an ITunes gift card for a gift.  He's a pretty happy camper!  

After a quick supper at home we all headed to town for the sheep workshop.  Kind of a bummer to have to 'work' on your birthday but it was fun 'work' so I don't think Aiden minded too much.

Friday evening was Aiden's family party.  Everyone arrived around 6:00 and we ate supper first.  Cheesey Hamburger Dip, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites, BBQ Meatballs and Jalapeno Poppers.  Then it was cake time.  I wasn't as happy with the decorating job I did on the cake but Aiden didn't seem to mind so I guess that's a mark in the win column.  At least it tasted good!

We finished the evening off opening gifts.  It was such a gorgeous evening so we took the presents out to the deck.  My grandma is downsizing and moving to town so she is gifting some of her treasures. She gave Aiden a Hawkeye truck that my Grandpa had.  It made me cry and Aiden was very pleased with the gift.  He got a ton of money and it's currently burning a hole in his pocket.  He also was given new basketball shorts and his own bag chair.  It was a great party and a great evening with family!

I love celebrating my kids and having family all together.  Aiden's a pretty special boy and his family thinks so, too.  Happy 10th birthday, Buddy!