Same ole' same ole'

I know you are probably thinking, not another post of them riding and working calves, but this is kinda what we are always doing, so that is why there are lots of posts of this kind of thing. Besides, there are more cattle and calves to be worked in the next couple of days, so there are more pictures to come.
Emily went along with us and she is such an awesome little cowgirl. She does a really great job staying with us and pushing cattle. For those of you who have ever gone along to gather cattle, you know what kind of hard riding is required. There is lots of brush and lots of running involved, so she has to be able to keep up with us and she makes me proud. It won't be long and Cade will be out there with us too, then we will have the whole family with us when we gather.

New year's activities

This calf's momma died from complications from calving. We are bottle feeding him for a little while until someone can take care of him.

Emily pushed steers to the catch pen for us while we roped. She loves riding whenever she can.
Will, Jackee, and August came down for the holidays and he is such a cutie, and we enjoy having a little baby around again. Emily loves helping take care of him and keeping him entertained.
Since we have extra help, we have been working lots and lots of cattle. We sprayed cattle for ticks, and worked all the calves.
It was such hard work, we had to stop and take a little nap.
Quinn spraying cattle for ticks.
Gavin, riding Roy. He loves riding Strawberry, but gets excited when he has the opportunity to ride some of the bigger, younger horses.
the bulls got together and started fighting, then we couldn't break them up. Gavin wasn't so sure he wanted to get very close.
We decided now would be a great time to introduce Peaches to dragging calves to the fire. She is scared to death of cattle and watches them very carefully. We find this funny since she has the most amazing cutting horse bloodlines, but I don't think she ever saw a cow before we bought her. Since we have had her she has been surrounded by cattle, but she still acts as though they might try to eat her. We rode her all day gathering cattle, so by the time we were dragging calves we thought she would be nice and tired. Quinn hopped on her and into the herd they went. Quinn would rope a calf, turn and face her to head to the fire, and the rope would brush her butt. Being surrounded by cattle in such tight quarters already had Peaches very nervous, so when the momma cows followed the calves to the fire, Peaches thought they were coming after her. At one point, Quinn and Peaches were up in a corner of the pen and Quinn had calf roped and was trying to get out of the corner. A few cows darted behind Peaches, and she threw her head back hitting Quinn directly in the nose. The next thing we saw was Quinn lying on the ground yelling a string of profanities at my sweet little Peaches. We thought that his nose might have been broken, but it turned out to just be really sore. Quinn was able to get back on and drag more calves that day, and then the two days after. She did better and better each day, and by the third day of dragging calves, she looked like a pro. Quinn is also feeling much better:)
Gavin is our official vaccinator. He did really good the first day we worked calves with just an ordinary syringe. On the third day of working calves we switched him over to a gun syringe, and after working about 40 calves, someone noticed we hadn't had to refill the syringe yet. Gavin wasn't used to the trigger and didn't know it had to be squeezed really hard. Lots of calves only had part of their vaccination this year.
The pups went along with us for some of the working, they are still learning and it was fun wathcing them take in all the new experiences.

Opening presents

The kids had so much fun opening presents this year. It was lots of fun to see their faces as they opened their gifts. I think everyone got everything they wanted, including me....Quinn found me a 22 pistol which I have been asking for. The whole family has enjoyed trying out my new gun. Among other things, the kiddos collectively received a new trampoline from Santa. You should have seen Santa trying to haul it in around 3:oo am from the shed.....it was very heavy and the weather was very cold! We love Christmas, and we hope all of our friends and loved ones had a wonderful Christmas also!

Where has 2010 gone?

I cannot believe 2010 is already almost over! We have had a very eventful year and it has flown by us so fast. I stop and look around and wish I could just slow everything down a little bit. Our family has had a very good year, and we are so grateful for each other and for all that we have been blessed with.

Quinn celebrated 5 years with PEC, and he absolutely loves his job more and more each day. He loves being a lineman and all the experiences and training that comes with it. He and Eric also continued working various fencing jobs on the weekends. Quinn was able to take a trip with some of his buddies from work in early spring to Lake Tawakoni, TX where they caught lots and lots of catfish, yum! Between work, family, and church responsibilities there isn't much spare time, but he is always able to fit in a little roping here and there.

I am still a stay-at-home mom for the most part. I love being able to be home with my children and watch them grow. I wish I could push the pause button sometimes and just soak up this time I have with my kiddos. I also work at Blair's Western Wear part, part time. They call me in when they have exceptionally busy weekends or when they know they will be short handed. I love the people there and the opportunity to work in such a cute store. I also get to help out on the ranch quite a bit, which I love doing. I started my young mare 'Peaches' this year, then came to find out she had EPM(Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis), which she obtained while still with her previous owner. So after 45 days of treatment and not riding her, I was able to continue the training. She is actually a pretty nice little horse. I also purchased another yearling blue roan gelding this past summer, and I look forward to starting him this coming spring.

Gavin turned 8 this year and started the 2nd grade. We think he is exceptionally smart and talented:) He has really started getting into sports, and it amazes me how he knows and memorizes all the rosters and stats for various teams. Gavin practices football in one way or another almost everyday. He says he will play on a college team, and I hope he does. I told him I would come and watch every game if he did. Gavin loves helping out on the ranch too. I love that we are able to live out on the ranch and show and teach our children about hard work and responsibilities. He hauls hay, gathers cattle and goats, and helps Baw-poo with lots of chores on the ranch. These experiences also give him the opportunity to earn extra spending money.

Emily turned 5 this year and was able to ride Strawberry in the Rodeo for the first time. She did so good and we were so proud of her. She loves to go riding every opportunity she can. Emily can't wait to start school next year, she practices writing her letters and her numbers. I purchased a couple preschool workbooks so that she can do her "homework" everyday. She also loves to draw, and is constantly drawing very colorful pictures. I have a feeling she might be very artistic.

My baby, Cade, turned 3 this year. I can't believe how fast he is growing!! He is such a fun kiddo, and he keeps us all laughing. He is so fun loving and happy going most of the time. One of Cade's biggest accomplishments(in my eyes) is he is potty trained, yay!! This is the first time in over 8 years that I have not had to change diapers. Cade, like his brother and sister, loves riding horses, helping out on the ranch, playing with the puppies, roping the dummy, and feeding the cows and the goats. He does not like to be left behind just because he is the youngest, and in all honesty he does a pretty good job keeping up.

We feel like we have been given so much, and we are grateful for all we have! I love this time of year when we can focus on The Savior and celebrate His birth. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and Merry Christmas and an even better 2011.

December Fun!

We caught a coon in the live-trap so we decided to work with the pups and other dogs. The kiddos had a blast shooting guns afterward.
Emily with Hooey and Freckles.

Daddy and his little girl.
Cade saw the others shooting and wanted to shoot also.
Hooey's not so sure about this, so he's approaching with caution just in case it gets up and eats him.
Gavin and Baw-poo shooting.
The three kiddos and the pups.
And I thought I would throw in a picture of our tree. We chose a small fraiser fur this year, and we think it is perfect!

Cade and Baw-poo, after Cade fell down and got hurt. He had me bandage the 'wound', and he shortly forgot how bad he was hurt. What a sweetheart.....and I was able to capture a tender moment.

Hooey

Well, we were able to get all the puppies sold. This is the puppy we kept, his name is Hooey, and he is such a cutie. My dad decided to keep one of our females, so we are really looking forward to them being able to work in a couple of months......

......as long as they survive the kiddos.