Spring Break on the Farm

Two weeks of spring break felt like an overwhelming amount of time to kill with all 3 kids but it managed to fly by.  We didn't end up accomplishing everything on our spring break to-do list.  Ah well.  Summer's just around the corner.  At least it felt that way over the Easter weekend when the temperature hit 20-something...

The first week of spring break was still a bit cool and wet.  In fact one afternoon we even saw some snow coming down for a few brief minutes.  But despite the weather there was still plenty to keep us busy.  One cannot forget the episode of Patches and the new baby calf that provided some excitement.  After Cow #1 delivered, we knew that Cow #2 (Daisy) was not far behind.  Erik and I felt determined that we were going to witness the next calf birth so I was watching her like a hawk.  On Silas' birthday I could tell she was acting a bit different and after dinner she was in obvious labour.  We spent the evening outside sharing a set of binoculars but wouldn't you know she went into the far corner of the pasture and waited right until the point that it got too dark for us to see anything.  Really, who can blame the poor girl, but still we were disappointed to miss the actual event.

Since the first calf was named Bambi, we decided it was fitting to name the second calf (a male) Thumper.  Bambi and Thumper have been fast friends.  (Meanwhile Patches has been sequestered to a separate pasture).

(Cow #3 {Brownie} is not due for her calf until the fall but the kids are already brainstorming more Bambi-like names for him or her.)

Over the long weekend Erik and his dad started work on the next farm venture - a chicken coop.

The kids enjoyed the sunshine and the chance to don their tool belts and "help Daddy work".

Daddy's trailer is always full of fun tools to try...

After the forming was done it was time for the concrete.  The boys were filthy but Erik said Micah was actually super helpful - a future Alderidge Construction employee in the making we think...

Not sure when this coop will house actual chickens but I'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the egg-production venture.

And, speaking of eggs...

The warmest and sunniest day had to be Easter Sunday.  What a perfect afternoon for an Easter Egg hunt.

Ahhh, Mom - it's too bright!

 

Little Miss Organized made sure everyone had equal amount of eggs.

There has been much too much chocolate and sugar consumed in this household as of late and it's time for this preggo Mama to go into a bit of detox mode.  (If only it wasn't for this baby girl making me SOOO hungry... All. The. Time.)

And now some exciting stuff starts to happen here on the farm.  The plans for expanding the current house to meet the needs of Erik's parents and our own growing family are finally getting underway.  There has already been some demolition happening around here.  When I got home this afternoon I no longer had any railings on my deck - slightly dangerous but I'm definitely not missing my concrete block railings (which matched the pattern of the blocks on the bottom right).

The view from the house is much more unobstructed and I can start to envision a much nicer looking deck in our future...

The rest of the current house will stay as is and we will be building an addition out to the west side (to the left of the house on the first deck picture).  Once the addition is complete, Erik's parents will move into the new part and our family will take over both floors of the current house.  We're looking forward to having another bedroom, another bathroom and another living room to spread ourselves out a bit.

The real digging starts tomorrow so stay tuned!

New Calves & Other Fun

I'm sorry if you're sick of reading about cows.  I know I would be if I were you.  If I'm being honest here, I have to admit I've taken more pictures of cattle in the last few weeks than I have of my own children.

It's a bit of a problem.

But with that said, I have to post a few more.  We have two new calves since I last posted and now our little herd is complete.  The second two came with very little fanfare - they just kind of popped up overnight.

Calf #1 (Russell) & Calf #2 with their Mamas. Both are males.

Cousin Caleb named Calf #2 "Willy".  Russell and Willy spent some time getting acquainted last week.

Then yesterday morning we woke up to find Calf #3 - a female.  We're thinking of naming her "Buttercup", though this morning Keziah was also considering the name "Mikayla":)

When we're not watching our new baby calves we're busy playing on our yard.  Erik is amazing at going out with the kids almost every day (even after a long day of work) and playing with them - giving me a chance to clean up dinner and just have a few moments of peace!  Some days they play hockey on the street, other days it's crazy daddy-games on the trampoline, but the current favourite has been baseball.  The kids impressed me with their batting skills on Friday night.

Keziah has fun doing sports with the boys, but she can often be found discovering and nurturing creatures that she finds on the yard - snails, caterpillars and ladybugs.

Not to mention the cats, of course.

And even though we have a lot of space on our new yard, we don't really have much for playground equipment.  The other days the kids found a patch of sand on the edge of the driveway and dubbed it "The Sandbox".  I'm thinking with a handy husband like Erik we could probably build something a little bit more legit...

As for me, I'm really enjoying the first spring on our new farm - watching everything coming to life and feeling the warm sunshine after some long rainy months.

Calf Birth Day

It was a pretty exciting Easter Monday at our house. I left this morning to bring Keziah to a playdate and when I returned, big mama Cocoa was in labour. The boys and I watched her with Grandpa for a little while - meanwhile Micah asked questions like, how long was she going to walk around with that balloon sticking out of her? Haha :)

Farm life will definitely be educational for these kids.

We figured it could be awhile yet so I went inside to make lunch and then I heard Grandpa calling. I quickly went outside and there was Cocoa licking off her brand new baby calf.



We watched her for awhile as baby tried standing and eventually had success.


It was the perfect spring day for a calf to be born - about 20 degrees and sunny. We enjoyed keeping our eye on the new little family throughout the day.

Mom & baby watching me while grazing with the other cows.


I'm not sure yet if the calf's gender has been confirmed. So we haven't come up with a name for the little one yet.

It's hard to believe that a year ago Erik and I were still living in our little townhouse. If we could've known that one year later we would be living on a farm, not to mention watching baby calves being born, I think we would've been baffled! As I sit here with the fresh breeze coming through my open window - the only sounds being the chorus of frogs in the pasture and Erik whistling while he cleans up in the shop - I can't help but feel totally blessed to be exactly where we are.

Pussy Willows & Cow Pies

Well, there are no cow babies yet. But we keep watching and waiting, knowing that they will be here soon!

In the meantime, we went for a pussy willow hunt in the pasture.

Judging by the yellowish tips on these pussy willows, perhaps we were a little late in picking?? Or maybe they're a different variety?

No matter... We picked some anyway to add some spring into the house.



On the way back, we also discovered some nice deep puddles.

And we made another discovery - one that was new for the kids - when we found a fresh cow pie. Micah spent some time poking his stick into the soft mushy pile and getting thoroughly grossed out.

I guess it's just another "perk" of living on the farm.

Spring Is...

... new rubber boots,

...fruit trees about to blossom,

...daffodils ready to bloom,

...cats basking in the sun,

and dandelions.

Yes, we love our dandelions around here...

And spring is... um... big piles of rocks??

Well, spring is playing with big piles of rocks.

And definitely climbing big piles of rocks... (with no jackets on I might add!)

I think it's safe to say, spring is... finally here!

Spring

It's coming.

There are sure signs of it - like these brave little blooms.

(at Mom & Dad Toews')

And black cats.

OK, black cats aren't a sign of spring.

That I know of.

But wearing spring jackets and playing outside on green grass with them seems spring-like. We found this very friendly kitty the other afternoon and Keziah could not keep her hands off of him.

Happy second day of spring!