Family fun!

The girls and I headed out to take Dustin a milk shake after school!  We then rode a few rounds, went and picked up a pizza and had a corn field picnic! What a great end to a crazy week!

Rayna drank half of a vanilla milk shake!

Our corn field pizza picnic!

Watching them unload!

Livi riding on the floor of the combine

Rayna and I sitting on the floor of the combine while Olivia rode in the buddy seat

Start of harvest 2011

It has officially begun!  Here's to a safe and bountiful harvest!

Dustin rolling through the first field of corn.

Livi and Grandpa Darwin waiting to ride in the combine!

Family Pictures

It has been a crazy few months with family vacations and school starting!  We were lucky enough to squeeze in some family pictures while the corn was still green!  My friend Suzie did a wonderful job.  All photos are by: Suzie Bell Photography and Design

Gambling

I have always thought of farming as legalized gambling!   There is so much risk in it.  Early this morning we had a terrible storm with lots of wind.  As you can see in the last photo-lots of our neighbors had damage to their crops.  Remarkably, we were pretty lucky and with the exception of a few end rows, our damage was pretty minimal.  Dustin estimates approximately 2% of his crop was damaged. We really needed the rain, but the wind did so much damage around here.  It literally made me sick to my stomach to drive by some of these fields today.  Olivia said, "Mom-why's that corn laying down"  and when I told her that the wind had pushed it down, she suggested we get out and help that farmer by pushing it back up with her strong muscles!  If only it were that easy! We will count our blessings today, and hope for no more wind!

Our field, just south of our home farm

Olivia and Rayna checking out the corn!

NOT OUR FIELD=a neighbor's who's corn is all laying down

Bailing Oats

After finishing our second cutting of hay, Dustin was hard a work baling our oats this week.  Because he couldn't find anyone to bale for him, he was fortunate to be able to rent a John Deere 568 Baler from Maloney's to get the oats baled.

One bale done!

Finishing up baling at the home farm.

Check out that nice green machine!

MILES Parade

We rode in the Thresher's Day parade on Friday.  We got to ride a very nice John Deere Gator XUV from Maloney Equipment in Fulton, IL  (This is where Dustin's dad, a.k.a. Grandpa Darwin-works).  Since Olivia is on vacation with the Penaluna's this weekend, Verayna really enjoyed having the spotlight all to herself!  She loved waiving to all the people as we drove past.

Waiting for the parade to start, Daddy's letting me drive.

Smile Daddy!

SURPRISE!

Dustin had a bit of a surprise last week.  When he was out checking cattle, he discovered that a two week old calf was missing.  He took the four wheeler and went looking for the missing calf.  He was unable to find it, so he ran all of the cattle up to the homestead and sorted off the mother of the missing calf and turned her out into the pasture on her own.  Dustin followed her down to the back corner of the pasture and found the cow, who had returned to her calf.  Dustin was relieved, however-as he got closer, he noticed another calf!

So he ran the cow and two calves up to the homestead and #10 (a cow that was supposed to calve on April 23rd according to the A.I. chart) was raising "hell".  So Dustin concluded that this "Surprise" calf must be hers.  He penned them up together and the surprise calf instantly went over to his mom.

Dustin and took the girls over to visit the new calves this past weekend.

There is never a dull moment!

Verayna checking out the cows in her cow outfit!

Olivia "cheesing" it up for the camera

Our SURPRISE bull calf

The corn is looking good-knock on wood!

The girls and I decided to check out Daddy's corn that is just up the hill from our house.

As you can see, the corn is just about as tall as Verayna and is up to Olivia's waist as of today, June 16.

Rayna loved the corn field, she actually sat right down and was going to play in the dirt!

And here is an update on the lambs.  As you can see, they are getting bigger and are being fed very well!  They are loving the fresh hay Dustin just got done making!  We are STILL waiting to hear from the fence people, but I'm sure the lambs will LOVE getting out to the pasture once the fencing is complete.  Another "knock on wood" moment is that for the time being, Jack-our farm dog (a golden retriever/yellow lab mix) is leaving the lambs alone!  This was a great concern of mine, and so far so good!

And now that I'm done writing this post, I'm going to go knock on some wood!!! I sure hope I didn't just jinx us!

Why is Everyone Sick Around Here?!?!?!

The lambs out on the lot

After making 3 doctors visits for Olivia, Verayna and myself in the past two weeks (sinus infections and strep throat) we discovered some worms in Rambo's manure over the weekend and decided it might not be a bad idea to treat all our new lambs.

My nephew Preston with Rambo on Sunday.  This is when we discovered the worms.

Olivia holding the hot pink marker

Now Katahdins are specifically bred to be more parasite resistant, but that doesn't mean that they still can't get worms and therefore need to be wormed every now and then.

All penned up and ready to go!

This was Dustin's first time worming lambs with me, and he was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.  Especially when you compare it to treating a calf or cow!  He did tell me later that night that next time "Only one of us can be in charge".  Hmm...wonder what he means by that???

Olivia decided to play "photographer" while we were worming.

All the lambs got their hot pink mark on the head after getting treated.  As Dustin said, "the only lamb that probably objects to the hot pink is Rambo."

Olivia petting the sheep after they were done being treated.

Rambo

We brought our 12 Katahdin ewe lambs and 1 Ram, aka "Rambo" home on Monday.

In all of my years growing up on a sheep farm, we never owned our own Ram.  So this is a learning experience for me.  We were advised to halter train him early.  He has a few more weeks to hang with the "ladies" before we will have to isolate him. (Ram's can start reproducing as early as 4 months old!) Here is a photo from tonight, where he got a taste of the halter for the first time.  Olivia loved it, Rambo hated it!  Look at my little girl, she will be ready for the show ring in no time!!!

A man, his daughter and their cows!

What do you get when you cross a little girl and her daddy and and an afternoon on the farm???  MEMORIES!  Olivia, Verayna and I headed out with Dustin to the Horst farm today to check up on the two baby "calvies" and the rest of the crew.  Olivia loved feeding #395 some grass and seeing the calvies that were born at the end of April.  We still have 3 cows to calf, and the next one could possibly arrive at the end of this week!  Watching Dustin share his love of farming and his animals with his girls never gets old!  Is there anything better than being a farmers daughter???

Here Cows! Olivia was repeating everything Dustin said trying to call the steers up to the fence. It was so cute!

Dustin has this steer pretty tame.

Trying to get one of the fat cattle over to the fence.

Here are the cows.  As you can see, the baby calves didn't even bother to get up for us!

Spring Planting 2011

So this past weekend, Dustin finished planting our corn.  He still has some custom work to finish but then it will be on to the beans!  The girls and I took a ride with Dustin Saturday afternoon, they both love to ride with Daddy (and so do I!)

Dustin manning all the controls! It's like a space ship in there!

Olivia and Rayna enjoying their ride with Daddy!

Check out this view!

Clearly-Rayna is concerned that daddy should be making sure his rows are straight!

Ducklings

Well, the hatched ducklings in the kindergarten room moved to their "hotel" today. Hoping that the remaining two hatch overnight. No chicks hatching yet at school or home! I'm hoping they start tomorrow! I can't stand the thought of disappointing those kiddos! I know I can always sneak in sunday night with some from the hatchery, but the kids are thrilled when they actually get to see the little ones work themselves out of the shells. Cross your fingers!