Jamie Toews: Official Cattle Wrangler

I think I earned my cowboy spurs this week.  

Monday started innocently enough when we looked out the window after breakfast and saw that there was a new baby calf!  The older kids were home because of Spring Break so we all booted up and went outside to get a closer look.  It looked like the event had occurred very recently as the calf was still wet and struggling to stand.  Our 1-year-old jersey calf Patches was super interested in this new "friend", which seemed really sweet at first glance.  But I quickly realized he had more on his mind than befriending this new little calf...

Exhibit A:

If you remember, I used to bottle-feed Patches twice a day when we first got him last spring.  Then I worked with him many times to wean him off of said bottle.  So the two of us have a bit of a history and I have an overall affinity for the little guy.  But after watching him mount this newest addition repeatedly and noticing that the calf would collapse under his weight - and wasn't getting a chance to be cleaned off or try to nurse from Mama Cocoa - I was starting to get annoyed.

With Erik's parents in Saskatchewan and Erik tied up at work, I felt a strong sense of responsibility to "save" baby Bambi (named by the kids, of course) from her perverse predator.  So enter me, my rubber boots and my pregnant belly (with 3 other kids shadowing closely behind).

And this challenging terrain to maneuver through...

The challenge was this: luring Patches away without getting too close to Mama Cocoa - who would no doubt feel threatened by my presence (let alone my 3 tag-alongs) and do who-knows-what to protect her new baby.  And I needed to lure Patches a long way to the barn where I could lock him up in a pen.  We had just run out of grain - which seemed like it would be the perfect bait for him - so I first tried shaking some rocks in a bucket.  Patches seemed only slightly curious and the only thing it served to do was attract the other cows to see what I had for them.  Not successful.

After a bit of brainstorming, I decided to try again.  This time I grabbed some fresh hay from the barn and put a bit of dog food in the bottom of my bucket (it seemed more realistic than the rocks I guess).  Then I searched for a rope and made a lasso - at this point I must've been tapping into my inner farmer... or perhaps my inner Wonder-Pet... (you could hear the kids and I singing, "to help the baby calf and save the day!").

After watching Patches repeatedly "offend" the baby calf and Cocoa idly standing by, I was more determined than ever that my plan needed to work.  This time I got as close as I dared and did my best job of making the hay and pail of dog food look appealing to the occupied Patches.  Lucky for me he took the bait and I had my lasso ready to get around his neck and cinch tight.  And another lucky thing was that we were close to a fence post where I could quickly tie him up - out of reach of baby Bambi.

It was a bit of an adrenaline rush, I'm telling you.  And I felt a deep sense of satisfaction when I watched him struggle against my amateur rope-tying job while Cocoa was finally able to tend to her new baby.

But of course the drama wasn't over.  I won't get into too many details, but basically Patches got out of his rope eventually and made a bee-line for Bambi where he proceeded to violate her repeatedly for the next few hours.  I watched and waited for an opportune time and managed to get him roped up again - this time was trickier as he was in the middle of the field with no fence posts nearby to attach him to.  So envision me smacking his rump, pulling him by the horns, and just plain tugging with all my might.  After some sweat and some patience I finally got him tied back up.  And there he stayed until Erik got home a few hours later.

Now Patches the Offender is where he belongs.
Behind bars.

And Mama Cocoa and Baby Bambi (who we suspect is a female) got in their all-important bonding time.

So, I don't know about you, but I pretty much think I just single-handedly earned some sort of 4H badge or something...

At the very least I think I deserve a cute pair of cowboy boots.

A Walk to Remember

It was another week of adventure for our family that culminated with a very eventful walk in the park. I guess I wouldn't label it an adventure as much as a fearful-moment-in-motherhood-history, never-to-be-repeated-again kind of experience.

It started with a beautiful sunny morning. And a seemingly great idea to head to Fish Trap Creek for a walk with the kids. I foolishly thought to myself that I could get some exercise - Keziah on her bike, Silas in the stroller - so we should be able to move along at a relatively heart-rate-appropriate pace, right?

Wrong. It was more like, walk 10 feet, stop to look at ducks, walk 15 week, stop for Keziah to test her bike brakes, walk 6 feet, stop, look back and tell Keziah to keep peddling. Yes, honey, you actually have to keep your feet going round and round the whole time...

I quickly surrendered my need for a brisk walk and simply enjoyed the sunshine and fresh spring air. We even stopped at the big tree beside the big rock for a few pictures.

Hey, we even stopped for a little history lesson.

It was a little while later, when we were navigating the various little hills in the path, that I had the 'what-if' thought of Keziah steering herself off the path and down towards the water. She's a bit unsteady with her biking at this point and going up/down hills is not a strong point for her. The thought crossed my mind that, if she started going down while I was still pushing Silas, what would I do?

We rounded a few more corners and then Keziah steered herself off the curb a little too abruptly when a stroller was passing us. Her bike started toppling over and I let go of the stroller to catch it and console her after some minor leg scratches. I'm not sure how long it was before I thought to look over at the stroller, but by the time I did, it had slowly been rolling down a slight hill and heading off the path. I ran as fast as I could towards it but I knew I wouldn't catch it before it went off the trail and down the hill towards the water. I scrambled down after it, and managed to stop it (with the help of some nasty thorn-covered bushes that I am thanking God for!). Silas was obviously upset. Keziah was too - her own injuries quickly forgotten.

Now, my next challenge was getting Silas and the stroller back up the embankment. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to manage this. Thankfully a young couple rounded the corner in my moment of desperation. A tiny part of me felt embarrassed to be found in the ditch with my baby, but I was mostly just relieved. I passed Silas up first and then the stroller came up quite easily with the guy's help. The girl held Silas for another minute or two while I gathered up the items from my stroller that had been thrown out (including my camera).

Once I got back up to the path, took Silas in my arms and took a few steadying breaths, I thanked my helpers. They lingered for a moment - not sure how else to help me so I said something stupid like, "Ok, you're free to go!"

Silas was upset for a little while - understandably. His most-repeated phrases went something like this, "I go in the water sandals" (yes, I suppose it did seem as though he was rushing towards the water and about to go swimming fully-clothed) as well as, "People hold you!" (translation: he was more concerned about being held by strangers than the thrill ride down the hill).

Anyway. Heart-pounding stuff. Let's just say I will be MUCH more conscious about using my stroller brake from now on. And, for the rest of you stroller-pushers out there, consider this lesson learned. For all of us.

So then, about 5 minutes later, as we were headed towards the playground to redeem our very bad walk, my legs started stinging.

Like crazy.

It struck me how, in that moment, I didn't have to think about racing through those thorn-covered bushes with bare legs... Thankfully I had runners on, but I suspect that even if I was barefoot I wouldn't have hesitated. Amazing - those motherly instincts and the fact that I didn't feel the pain until the drama was over.

So, now... the aftermath.

I'm just hoping these scratches will heal up by the wedding in 2 weeks. Otherwise I'll be using make-up on more than just my face.

Edmonton

After our time in Saskatoon, we were off to Edmonton. Erik gave me full permission to book a cheap hotel online, which I did.

I think Erik regretted it a bit when we showed up in Edmonton... They upgraded us to a "renovated" room b/c the elevators were broken, and let's just say that I wouldn't have wanted to see an UN-renovated room. And the surrounding neighbourhood was more than a little bit sketchy.... but I had a good attitude about it and figured that the room was really just for sleeping...

All the fun stuff was going to happen at the mall!

Watching skaters at the ice rink:

Taking the train ride at Galaxy Land:

Wish I could bottle the affection in this picture and save it for less-affectionate days...

Micah let me take him on his first roller coaster. And once he got his first taste of the thrill of amusement rides, he was hooked!

Our 2nd day there was our designated water park day. However, just moments before we headed out the door we had un unfortunate accident. Silas was pushed off the bed by his *adoring* big sister and hit the back of his head on the edge of the bed frame. It immediately started bleeding a lot and we decided to take him to a nearby walk-in clinic. The bleeding had mostly stopped by the time we arrived but Erik was brilliant enough to bring in the blood covered towel. One look at the towel and the crying baby and we were "fast-tracked" to a quick appointment. Erik overhead the receptionists talking about the baby with the "head laceration" and we were in and out of there in less than 15 minutes! In the end, the doctor decided it would be too tricky to stitch up a squirmy 17-month-old's head (even though he said it could've used 2 or 3 stitches) and recommended that we let nature do the healing. He will definitely have a scar, but thankfully it should be hidden in his hair.

As for the waterpark, the doctor understood our family's dilemma in only being in Edmonton for a short time. He said that going to the waterpark wouldn't be the worst thing we could do. So, we went. We took a little extra care with Silas' head and still had a great day.

(You can kind of see the wound here - on the lower left portion of his head.)

Micah and Keziah had so much fun. There was a new (to us) kids area that had an amazing splash park - er, make that a no-way-you-can-stay-dry park - with a big climbing structure and some really great kid-sized slides. So perfect! And as much as the kids would've been content to stay in that area all day, Erik decided to take Micah down some of the "grown-up" slides. The roller coaster at Galaxy Land was just a warm-up for the adventures Micah embarked on at the waterpark. He surprised us by loving all the big slides - even if he had to ride down alone in the pitch dark! He definitely has his daddy's love for thrills!

And the pool was a big hit too. When the horn signals that the waves are starting and all the kids scream, Micah and Keziah were right in there :)

We saw the sea lion show for free from up on the second floor. It was really good!

And that is the conclusion of our amazing summer adventure! I have no doubt that there are many more adventures to come...

Fracture, Friends & the Farm

An x-ray at the clinic on Tuesday morning confirmed our suspicions: Keziah's wrist was suffering a small fracture. The doctor gave her a short-arm cast and Keziah was very brave throughout - not making a peep! But I could see the fear in her eyes as the cast got bigger and heavier on her arm. Then when the doctor used water to set the cast at the end, and drips were falling all over Keziah's clothes, she nearly lost it! That's why her eyes look so sad :( The cast will have to stay on for 3 weeks - which means no swimming, hot-tubbing, etc. for a little while.

My sister, Erin and her youngest, Liam, are here for the week. Liam had fun writing on Keziah's cast.

Liam and Micah have been enjoying water on the tramp this week. Reminds me of a similar picture I took of these 2 last year. They look so much more grown up! (And I finally convinced Micah to let me buzz his head yesterday :)

Silas watching from the enclosed deck:

We've had some good visits with friends over the last week. Craig & Jen came from Regina and stayed with us for 2 nights. It was so great to connect with them! We attended Bethany Bible School together and Erik and Craig were roommates, as well as each other's best man.

Bonfire on the yard...

Picture taken by my niece Kailyn after church on Sunday... (Silas was sleeping)

Then we had a short visit with Chad & Rachel the other night in Killarney. Rachel was a good friend of mine from Bethany as well. Here they are minus their sweet baby girl, Olivia:

And we got them to snap a picture of us too just b/c we never have pictures of all of us together!

Last week my mom and I took the kids to the "Fraser Farm" to see some animals and go horse-back riding. They had such a great time!

"Princess" the goat snacking on some tree leaves:

Silas meeting the turkeys:

Keziah and a dwarf pony:

Micah waiting for his chance to ride:

Time to ride!

Micah's turn... (this picture was taken pre-buzz cut!)

Micah learned how to "steer" the horse on his own and managed to weave through these barrels.

Kailyn and Keziah meeting the BIG horses:

Saying good-bye... We'll be back again horsies!

A Day At The Beach & Other Happenings

There have been lots of coming and going of the Harder cousins these days. Last week when my mom and I had 7 kids in our care, we ventured to Lake William. It wasn't the warmest day we've had, but the kids still braved the water!

Keziah loves her older girl cousins and is doted on by them. Here she is with Kailyn & Maddy:

Silas loved exploring at the beach and getting in some walking practice with Granny.

After this picture, he got his hands covered in wet sand and put one in his mouth. He kept trying to take the sand out of his mouth, but of course each attempt only made matters worse...

Micah has been having such a blast with his cousins this year. Last year he was a little reclusive when all the kids were around, usually finding a quiet corner to play by himself. But this year he's a totally different kid - very social and outgoing. He's soaking up all of the cousin time. He's quite chatty - even with the grown-ups. A few weeks ago some of my aunts and uncles were visiting and Micah made himself right at home with them. He especially loved playing crokinole with them :)

Olivia & Micah hunting for bugs in Granny's garden:

Keziah telling me something very important (as usual):

The kids seem to all love the task of shelling peas - especially when Uncle Erik promised them a toonie each :)

Silas is getting braver with his walking and standing, but he's still not convinced that it should be his primary mode of transportation.

Keziah and Lazarus the cat have an interesting relationship. She pursues him almost constantly and smothers him like crazy. The cat tolerates it surprisingly well. It's funny though - Erik and I have noticed that when Keziah loses interest in the cat and walks away, he will often get up and follow her. So, we think he actually likes her more than he lets on :)

There has been other excitement on the home-front this week:
- Micah & Keziah horseback-riding for the first time (pictures will be posted hopefully later this week)
- Micah getting his first loose tooth
- Silas getting his fingers slammed in a door (thought he might lose one of his nails at first but I think it'll be OK)
- And the biggest "excitement" was Keziah hurting her arm while playing with Daddy and some of the kids on Sunday night. We brought her to Killarney emergency but since it was a long weekend in a small town, there was no one to take an x-ray. They sent her home because at that point she was calm and they didn't think there was a break. However, today she hasn't used her arm at all, it's swollen and a couple of times when she's put weight on it, she's screamed inconsolably. So, first thing tomorrow we'll be getting it checked out!