Random Thoughts

Isn't it funny how we as parents are the ones who are suppose to be teaching our children, when in reality I think Logan has taught me more so far than I him?

Aren't boys suppose to like getting gooey, dirty, and play with all things disgusting? While carving pumpkins the other day, Logan refused to touch the "guts." Last year he couldn't stay out of them. My husband finally took Logan's hand and forced it inside the pumpkin, Logan began crying. I told my husband to not force him otherwise pumpkin carving is going to turn out to be a traumatic experience and Logan will never want to do it.

I often wonder how badly I am screwing Logan up...

The other day I was drinking my coffee, only to have it start tasting like soap. Not understanding why and thinking perhaps it was because I had just drank something else right before hand; I swooshed my coffee around in it's cup and found a bar of soap at the bottom. Little boys are so sneaky!

A cardboard box is a wonderous thing.

I wonder if Logan likes the sound of running water; he is constantly going into the bathroom and turning the shower on. As soon as I go in there and shut it off, he's back turning it on again.

Office supplies make some of the best toys.

No matter how hard you try to prevent it, something you don't want to be ends up colored.

If I had known that being a parent meant I would never get a full night sleep again, I would have slept more when I was younger.

What Weekend?

When I tell people where we live and what we do, they immediately ooh and aah and tell us how glamorous our life must be, and it is in a way but one of the snags of living the life we do is that it is literally a 24/7 job. We are on call all the time; weekends, holidays, cattle still need to be fed, doctored, worked, whatever.

This past weekend was so busy and chaotic that it seems as if there wasn't one at all. In fact I awoke this morning wondering if it was Saturday yet, only to discover that the weekend had past us.

We had planned to carve pumpkins on Sunday evening but due to other circumstances relating to work, it never happened. Yet another aspect of this kind of life flexibility is a must!

The new plan, pumpkin carving after work and dinner tonight!

Fun in the Mud

I am a firm believer that children need to play outside no matter the weather. In the summer heat and the winter cold. It rained here for two days which in the desert, turns any area into a flowing river and many good sized mud holes.

I bundled Logan up and we headed out into the cold to stomp around. He decided that it would be great fun to move one puddle into another. So for over an hour he and I had our cups, scooped out muddy water from one mud hole and poured it into another. Since he is still learning the pouring technique, he got rather wet. I think I was colder than he was though!

When lunch time hit, we went inside to some dry clothes and hot bowls of chicken noodle soup. It was a great time to spend before heading off to work for the day and Logan had quite a nap!

I am looking forward to winter fun with Logan. Sledding, building snow forts and snowmen will be quite exciting for the two of us. Until that first snowfall though, we will keep playing in the mud.

Bargains and Propositions

Isn't it funny how whenever something "new" comes into your life, it suddenly becomes a bargaining chip? For example; when my husband and I first got our dog it soon became "if you take him out this time, I will..."

And the situation does not change with children. In fact I think that children become the prime bargaining chip for everything. And not just bargaining; propositions suddenly become available. My husband told me yesterday that if I went and watched a specific scary movie that just came out in theatres, he would stay home and take care of Logan. Of course it is a movie that I would never want to watch because I know how freaked out I'd be.

But then there's the other side of things. I could go and 'pretend' to watch the movie just to have time away. But then I'd have to lie and it would become a whole hassle. The truth would eventually come out that I drank coffee and browsed the bookstore instead.

Oh what to do?

Pumpkin Patch

It has become a tradition that every year on our wedding anniversary we visit the pumpkin patch. This year was quite exciting considering Logan is now able to do some of the daily activities. Okay so he was about three months short for them, but we figured he was close enough.

Yay! This moo-train is fun!

Ready to go on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Logan and I with our pumpkins.



Into the corn maze.
This is feeder corn, but that did not stop Logan from trying to eat it.
He would not let that corn cob go.
Thanks for visiting!

I Should've Stayed in Bed

You know those days where you wake up and immediately nothing is going right? Today is one of those days.

I awoke to my normal routine; make my husband a cup of tea and breakfast. Now on any other day I follow this with making myself coffee and breakfast, kiss my husband goodbye and start my household chores (laundry, dishes, etc.) before Logan wakes up. However, this morning while removing the tea bag from my husband's cup it tipped over pouring boiling water on the left side of my abdomen and right foot. Luckily my husband hadn't left yet because all I could do was stand there and try to keep my clothes as far away from my body as possible.

After taking a cold shower to ease the burning, I applied first aid to my now blistering burn. However, it is moments like these when you realize how long it has been since you updated your first aid kit. For example, I have burn cream in my kit. It had never been opened because I had never had to use it until today. I opened the first packet of cream to find it hardened. The next packet was the same way. I looked at the little box they came in to find that they had expired in 2002. Of course.

Since the day is just getting started, I am curious to find what other things life has in store for me today. Perhaps I should have just stayed in bed.

Cranky Husbands

We all get cranky sometimes. Some more than others. However, around this time of year, every year my husband is at his crankiness. Why? Because this time of year and March through April we have so much more going on out here on the ranch.

Being on a progressive cattle ranch we embryo transfer. The embryo flush is on Monday so all of last week my husband was outside at six a.m. and again at seven p.m. to synchronize the recipient and donor cattle. This of course is on top of all the other things that has to get done during the day. Some nights he wasn't done synchronising until 8:30 p.m.

Over the next three days, we are photo shooting our cattle for our annual sale in April. This is not an easy task. The cattle has to be facing a certain way, you have to keep them from moving around, etc. (Think of trying to do those professional family photographs with young children.)

Monday is our flush; so it will be a another day full of moving cattle around and helping the embryologist.

I know for these next few weeks my husband will be overly tired. I know that he will be short tempered and say things he wouldn't usually say. Because I know all of this I try to stay calm. Take deep breaths and remind myself that things will calm down again soon and my husband will be back to his normal, cheery, annoying self.