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