More farming

Earlier this week, we welcomed a young freemartin Holstein calf named Jill to our farm.  She is a sweetheart and very friendly.  We will bottle feed her for the next few weeks.

So pretty!

Mike finally won the battle to get a goat!  He has wanted a goat for as long as I have known him, but I refused to have one!  A few weeks ago, he felt me getting weak, so he pushed a little more.  We picked up Calvin from some neighbors (also our photographer!) just Friday evening.

Loading him up for the short drive home.

Already up to mischief!

Meeting little Pepin.

Loving Miss Jill.

 Mike and his brother Mark have been in their glory to cut and bale some hay this week!

It was a real family affair with all the kids riding on the hay wagon and the dogs following along.  It also brings back pretty special memories, since these brothers were baling hay the first time I came to visit Mike almost exactly 16 years ago!  My hardworking husband still looks every bit as amazing on that hay rack today as he did then!

Random farm photos

I found Nora out playing by some flowers the other day.  She was just talking to herself and picking flowers happily!

Mike made this contraption the other day for the kiddos to float the creek.

Mailbox and a morning star.

Beautiful dawn.

Dane was so excited to find an old graduation cap and gown in their playhouse.

All too soon it will be the real deal...

Old dairy #67 from the days when Mike's grandfather milked cows.

Visiting cousins and another county fair

We spent last weekend visiting our family near Welch.  It was a fun weekend with their local county fair which Zach and Ellie had entered many animals in.  They also had a newly paved driveway which made for some great scooter riding!

Nora and Ellie went out to visit the chickens in their pajamas one morning.

Zach and his cat Wooly who won Grand Champion in the cat show.

Nora and Ellie with some of the chickens they had entered.

Zach and Ellie and their rabbits.

Ellie and her cat Fella waiting for the cat show.

Blue-eyed chick magnets.

Grandpa and the pygmy goat Ellie bought at the fair auction.

Grandpa and Grandma rode the merry-go-round with the grandkids.

Ellie's beautiful painting that won reserve champion.

More scooter riding.  There were two pretty good wipeouts over the course of the weekend, but they kept on riding!

Family Photos by Amanda Becker Photography

Last week, our very talented neighbor Amanda Becker came to take some family photos at our farm.  How lucky are we that she lives just down the road from us?  Thanks, Amanda!