Hectic....

"Hectic" seems to be a good word to describe my life right now. Just when I think things are starting to slow down, something new pops up. I don't have too many new pictures. I could kick myself....Dustin tried out soccer this year and found that he really enjoyed it. I did not get 1 single picture of him playing. I kept saying..."next game"....well, that never happened. He missed a couple of his games because he was sick, then he missed the very last game because he wanted to help wean. So...I guess there's always next year!

We have had a beautiful fall. Nice and warm. These pictures are from the last group of cows that they weaned and it was on a Saturday, so Dustin got to help. Of course, he had a great time. He got to spend most of the day in the saddle.

This year I took on the cooking job during weaning and preg checking. 1 month of feeding a crew of hungry guys kept me on my toes. Although since we had the warmer weather this year, I was wishing to be outside helping them more often instead of being in the kitchen! Oh well!

It has just hit me lately how much he has grown. He isn't really a little kid anymore. He can now reach the top of the horse's head and he is able to get into the saddle without a lift anymore!

About a month ago, Dustin caught a nasty bug and was home with a fever for a week. Since then he hasn't been able to kick the sinus yuck. The other day he went to a birthday party and picked up a stomach bug. Poor kid has had a rough year so far. He stayed home from school on Monday and when I checked on him in the afternoon, he was delusional and hallucinating. He did not know where he was or who I was. LITTLE bit of panic took over.....ok... I freaked! 30 minutes later we were at the ER where after a few tests and x-rays, it was discovered that he has phenomena. His little immune system just couldn't handle the last bug he caught. 8 hours, 2 bags of saline drip and 2 bags of antibiotics later, we were home. I'm glad that we found it and he is on his way to recovery. He's already looking and feeling much better! Hopefully he'll be up and running in time for Halloween!

My Sunday...

I had such a good day yesterday. First thing in the morning, I headed up in the airplane to buzz some cows!! The weather was incredible so we decided to do some sight seeing. We headed over the Greybull River and over Cater and Ferguson Mountain. It was so beautiful. The colors were so bright and vibrant! What a GREAT way to start my day!

The Greybull River

The foothills of Ferguson Mountain..

We really didn't see a whole lot of wildlife...only saw 2 bull elk fighting but I wasn't able to get a picture of them.

The edge of Carter Mountain...

After we landed I went to pick up the kids then Matt called and said he got his elk. So a neighbor took a 4 wheeler up to help pack it out and we went and got the pickup and met them at the bottom. Again, we got to see lots of bold color up there during our drive!!

Matt got his elk!! I'm happy to report that the bears didn't get Matt...although he said that he saw a paw print right next to one of his footprints and it was bigger then his!! So I'm glad that he got his tag filled and will not be going up there any more!

When we got home, the kids and I went to pick some carrots and beets (that's all that is left!) from the garden and Riley wanted to go feed the horses some carrots so she headed over to the barn with Matt. I showed up a few minutes after them, and much to my surprise, I see her sitting on Barney!! Yay Riley Jo!!

Heading home after one great day......

Pink Camo & Princesses...

My baby just turned 7!!! Holy cow...where did the time go?!? This year for her birthday she requested a pink camouflage cake with toys on top. The challenge was finding girly toys that go with pink camo. After hopelessly searching, I finally just decided to put a tiera on top. Doesn't really match, but it's a her cake.

Instead of a big birthday bash, she wanted to have a couple of her friends over for a slumber party. While that option maybe be easier on the checkbook, it's not that easy on mom and dad. I think I would much rather do a party somewhere and after a few hours, everyone goes home!!!

Her 2 favorite gifts were a hula-hoop and a pillow pet. A PIG pillow pet, of course.

Hard to Believe

It's hard for me to believe that I am the mom of a 1st and 3rd grader. Dustin is halfway to middle school! Time has gone by so fast.

Dustin is turning into such a young man. Which most of the time is a good thing, although at times I wish he would just relax and be a little boy. He is enjoying school so far this year and is going to give soccer a try this fall. Of course he is still going to do archery thru 4H again and is really looking forward to it starting.

I've really noticed a physical change in Riley Jo this year. It seems like she is losing her baby looks and becoming quite a lovely young lady. She has become very girlie which is a new concept for me. She always wants to paint her nails and have tea parties. This year for her birthday she is having a slumber party during which we have manicures and pedicures planned as well as jewelery making...wish me luck! As for school, she likes it. She is such a social bug.

I got the following picture and I think it shows a little bit of her baby face. It's the only one. In all of the others, she looks more her age. I'm thinking that this may be the last picture of her looking like a little kid rather then a young lady.

Goats + Tractors + fishing = 1 fun day

Every Sunday we have been doing something fun as a family. a couple weekends ago we headed over to another one of the Hoodoo Ranches to meet up with some friends and go fishing. Our friends had a broke down tractor and the kids were immediately drawn to it....

They also had 2 pet goats.....

I am happy to say that Dustin likes his new fishing pole even though he didn't catch anything!

Dustin's Birthday

Dustin just turned 9 the other day! For his birthday, he just wanted a friend to spend a few days with him and then we had neighbors over for cake and ice cream. He wanted to be surprised with his cake this year, so I did a camouflage cake. The colors on my frosting didn't turn out too good, but the cake itself was awesome!! The cake was camo also, but I forgot to get a picture of it. Bummer. I can honestly say that the cake looked lots better without the frosting, but figured that I might have a few disappointed kids if I left it unfrosted!?!

He got a new fishing pole and can't wait to try it out, so we're going fishing tomorrow!!

What's a birthday without birthday whoopin's?!?!

Riley's Rattle

We went for a bike ride the other night and for some reason, Matt and I had to stop for a second. Riley Jo was just a bit ahead of us when she noticed a rattlesnake curled up on the side of the road. She gets points for being observant because, although the snake was rattling, it had just gone thru the creek and its rattle was wet, so we weren't able to hear it. I'm glad Matt was there, because if I don't have a shovel or something long, I will just give the snake a wide berth and go along my merry way. Matt on the other hand, is very skilled (or maybe brave/stupid?!) with rocks and was able to get Riley Jo her rattle!