It's Great to Be A Mom

I have to admit that I was extremely grouchy the day before Mother's Day:( I'm not really exactly sure why? Maybe part of it had to do with desperately wanting to get our playhouse started, but the weather was poopy! Or because Jared is never able to get fully caught up on the farm so the things I'd like to get done get put on the very bottom of the maybe one day list!!! Despite my sour mood and the unknown reason for it I slowly came out of my funk!! We ended up going into the city that afternoon to get some groceries and a Mother's Day present for me! Jared told me he wanted to get me a Bosch! Something I have wanted for quite some time! And after driving around Lethbridge for nearly two hours, TWO HOURS!!! We decided that getting a Bosch could wait! We tried Hill's Pantry, the place that has carried Bosch for years, but the address we got online was for a very vacant building! After trying the number listed three times a man finally answered and informed me that they are out of business!! Jared googled Bosch dealers in Lethbridge and found a place called Hill's Mill's! We found the address and away we went! This address took us to a very residential part of town to a rather old house!! So we called the number listed with the address and a very frail sounding older woman answered! I told her I was sorry I had the wrong number I had meant to call Hill's Mill's!! Well, she was rather excited as she said not to be sorry I had called the right place!  So I asked her if she had a Bosch in stock to sell? As a matter of fact she did, someone ordered it in but wouldn't be picking it up until July and she could easily order another one before then! She told me the price and all it came with and then she said she is actually living at the St. Mike's Hospital right now recovering from a broken ankle! She gave us her room number and said that she was authorized to sell out of her little room for the time being! After I ended the call Jared and I talked about whether or not we should get one!! After much debate and a little research on our handy dandy smart phones we decided against purchasing a Bosch from that lady!! And would look around a little more! But Jared still wanted to get me something!! I had wanted to stop at the mall since I had a coupon for The Childrens Place and the boys could use some new church clothes! Jared asked for some ideas of what I wanted! Remember I wasn't in the best mood that day and I told him that I just wanted to be surprised, since we have been married for over 12 years I said he should know what I like and therefore would know what I'd want! One idea I had given him was a watch but he said he didn't want to get one without me picking it out with him!! My poopy mood prevailed and I told him to take our kids and look around with them! Then I turned around and headed to The Children's Place by myself!!! After meeting up again I saw him carrying a little bag from Purdys Chocolates! To say I was disappointed would be a little but of an understatement!! I figured after my little rant the kids and him would find something extra special to show me just how much they really appreciate me....remember I was Badmood Amber :( 

Anyway, after getting some groceries we decided to go out for supper to a little nicer restaurant than McDonalds so we went to Boston Pizza! The kids were very well behaved and we had a nice meal! Once we got home we got the kids to bed and then Jared helped me in the kitchen while I made dessert, he made jello!! Jared also swept, mopped and vacuumed all our floors for me!!!

Thankfully the next morning I woke up a completely different person from the one the day before! While I was getting the finishing touches ready for dinner the kids came staggering out of their rooms and gave me the sweetest gifts any mom could ask for!!! Calum decorated a clay pot and planted a pansy I it for me!! He was so proud of that little flower!!!  Emry had made me a cute wooden flower at 4H craft club with a saying on it that said, "If Mothers Were Flowers, I'd Pick You!" I got the chocolates like I had suspected but then Jared came out of our room with a little gift bag! And inside WAS a watch!! I felt a little chagrined after my rant the day before, but I was still extremely grateful for the thought behind the gift!!  

I truly am thankful to be a mom!! Yes at times it is extremely exhausting and I don't feel like I am really doing anything!  But I love it when a little hand reaches up and yanks on my shirt until I squat down to their level and I get a wet, slobbery kiss and the sweetest, most tender words ever to come out of ones mouth, "I yuv you momma!" I am thankful to be a mom to a wonderful, super passionate, sweet little girl, and to two boys who test my patience in every way every single day, yet are very compassionate towards others and extremely imaginative and adventerous!! Though most importantly I am thankful to a very loving and supportive husband because without his help I wouldn't be a mother! And finally I am thankful to my mom, my mother in law ( though in actuality I do not even see the in law part!!!) Myrna is such a wonderful example to me and has always been so supportive and accepting of me even when I may not have deserved it! I am thankful to my aunts, my grandmas and my sisters!! Each one of these wonderful women are a strength to me and inspire me to want to do better each day!  So to all the women out there who have touched my life in some way, who have shared their wisdom, their love and their talents with me I say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! And thank you for just being you!!!! 

10 Years Old

Emry recently celebrated her 10th birthday!!! How did this happen!! I remember like it was yesterday watching as Jared held her in his arms in the wee hours of the morning, the sun just starting to peak over the horizon!! We hadn't totally decided on her name but I can see very clearly Jared looking at her tiny yet perfect face and said "Emry Dawn!"  A few hours later grandma and grandpa Puzey came in to meet their newest granddaughter, and as soon as David came in the room he said to Jared, "you should give her the middle name of Dawn since she was born at dawn!!"  Jared informed his dad that he had thought the exact same thing! 

The last 10 years have been wonderful, consisting of many changes and wonderful memories made! Emry is less than 6 inches shorter than I am, and if she keeps growing at the rate she has been she will be taller than me by her next birthday! Emry has many of the same characteristics I had when I was her age...sensitive and very caring!! She loves animals, cats to be more specific!! In fact when Chloe started having her kittens outside on our swing, Emry found a box and an old towel and carefully transferred Chloe and her first kitten into the box and carried them down to her bedroom!! They are still taking up residence there!! Emry loves to do anything and everything with her dad! Anything from loading up a dead cow to tagging baby calves! She is also a huge help to me around the house! She will tidy up without being asked! She will take care of her brothers when I need to be outside helping Jared. She will even give them a bath and get them ready for bed! She loves school, especially math and science!! She definitely didn't get that from me!!! She loves her doll Emily that Grandpa Glen gave her for Christmas a couple of years ago.  She loves dressing her up and trying new styles in her hair.  She loves riding her new bike that she got from grandma Debbie and grandpa Mark.  And she likes to ride the little quad Jared got last year!! 

I am thankful for her in my life! I am thankful that she made me a mother and for all the memories we have created!! I know I am hard on her and I'm sure she wishes at times that she had a different mom but I do look forward to the day when her and I are best of friends and I can share in the joy of her becoming a mother!! I am thankful for her sensitive nature and caring heart! I am thankful how she gets concerned for others and sticks up for them when they are being teased!  I love how she thrives on learning new things!! I look forward to these last two years of her still being my little girl, because I know without a doubt that once she turns 12 time will go even more quickly!

Her and I were able to spend the day of her birthday seeing two wonderful plays! Grandpa Mark bought tickets for us to see The Princess and the Pea at Stage West! It was lots of fun spending this time with Emry and my mom and Mark without the chaos of little boys taking over!  That evening the four of us went to see Owen and Maryssa's musical of Anne of Green Gables at their church! Owen even had a small solo and did a great job!! It was really well done and even though it was three hours long it really didn't feel like it!!! 

                                    

The day before Emry's real birthday we had a family party for her! She first requested salmon, her absolute favourite meal, but after we priced it out she requested her second favourite meal, spaghetti!! I found a homemade meat sauce recipe and knew this would be a great opportunity to try it!! So yummy!! Grandpa Glen was able to come which was awesome! He added to Emry's Mapelea collection and gave her a pop up tent and a sleeping bag and the wildlife animal set, which has a deer, a skunk and a fox!! Dave and Char, Cora, Leah and Blake were also able to come as well as auntie Arren, Uncle Buck and Gil and Lily!!  Arren actually came early and helped me tidy the rest of my house!!! Something I was extremely grateful for!!!  It was nice to have grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins there to help us celebrate a truly wonderful not so little little girl!!  I look forward to what this next year will bring for Emry and the changes that are sure to come!! I love her so much and I am truly thankful for the example she is to me!!

From Death to Birth All in One Day

Thursday morning Emry and I were the lucky (?) ones to take a yearling heifer to the vet in Nanton. She had died the day before so we wanted to know why! Jared had just been through the herd the night before she died and they all looked in prime health.  The boys really wanted to come with us but when I told Calum that the vet would have to cut the cow open and look at her guts he instantly  said, "Nope I'll be staying with Grandma Puzey!" 

This is the heifer Emry and I took to the vet! Jared and the kids had to use the tractor to get her out of the corrals and loaded onto the truck!

We got to the vet and I assured Emry that her and I would be able to stay in the truck while the vet did the autopsy!! Was I ever wrong...we brought the cow over on the flat deck one ton because the vet could just do the autopsy right on the back of the truck! As Mike, the vet, was getting ready I made the mistake of asking him if he would be needing my help, and his reply, "yes, I might, thanks!" So there I stood while he cut the cow open and yes there really were guts! And the smell was horrific! First he skinned her, from her chin around her legs down her stomach. Then he used an electric saw to cut through her ribs so he could open her right up.  Emry heard the saw and happened to look out the back window of the truck and was not prepared for what she saw! The cow on her back with her legs spread wide to both sides and her intestines protruding out of her tummy! I walked over to her door to see how she was doing after taking in that scene and I found her with her head down between her knees and her hands over her ears and she was crying :( poor girl! I asked her if she was going to be okay and she said yes she just wasn't expecting to see all that!! We were able to talk about it on the way home and she continued to feel much better about it!

Mike continued to investigate and determined she bloated before she died. It was actually really interesting how he came to that conclusion. And to my surprise I was rather intrigued to see the process of finding out the cause of death. He cut the esophagus from under the cows chin and after the heart and lungs and removed it from the cow and brought it closer to me so I could see what he was doing.  He gently scrapped the underside of the esophagus where there was a very definite line between two colours! The part of the esophagus closer to the mouth was very dark purple, and the part closest to the heart and lungs was very pale.  Mike also cut a lymph node from the cows shoulder and one from the hind quarter to compare the color. The one from the front was very dark purple and the one from the hind quarter was very pale! This is caused from lack of blood being pumped past the stomach and too much blood pumping to the front of the cow. When a cow bloats her stomach expands so much that it puts too much pressure on the heart and lungs which eventually just stop working. To be 100% sure bloat before death was the cause, Mike opened up the heart and lungs and showed me how they appear to be very healthy, no sign of pneumonia. After coming to the conclusion he pushed her back onto her side and stuffed all her insides back under her skin and we strapped her down again so we could take her home to properly dispose of! He told me what can cause bloat in an otherwise health animal...usually always the feed! We feed a grass and alfalfa mix bale and she may have gotten a rich dose of alfalfa! We do give mineral to the cows to help prevent bloat but some cows are just more susceptible, actually her mom died last year too though we didn't find out the real cause because we didn't have an autopsy done!  He told me the signs to watch for in other cows and what we can do to treat the cow if we catch it soon enough.  We need to help the cow release the fuze (?) the excess gas build up and he gave me a medication that we can pour down the cows throat.  Cows need to release gas to prevent bloat, this is why they chew their cud all the time.  So as gross as it was, and I feel quite bad for those eating at subway right across the road while all this was being done, I learned so much and actually kind of liked seeing how the cause of death was determined!  Though I did say I didn't think I would ever be able to eat beef again, I still did make beef tacos that night for supper!!

We had signed up to have the missionaries over for dinner that night and Emry requested tacos!  It was nice having the elders in our home, I love the spirit they bring when they come.  The kids love talking and playing with them and learning about what they do while on their mission away from their family! The elders were greeted with quite a neat surprise when they came to our door...Chole, one of our outside cats happened to start delivering her kittens on the porch swing outside our front door!! They found it quite amazing and were asking all kinds of questions!! By the time they were to leave she had two kittens! And by nine that night she had five!!! All tabby markings!!! Emry has appointed herself keeper of the kittens! She found a box and a rag towel and put Chole and her kittens in the box and stored it safely under her desk!! She puts Chole outside regularly to go to the bathroom and she keeps her food and water full and fresh!! There is another outside cat who is pregnant and will soon be having her kittens too, we may be overrun with cats!!

And the last miracle I witnessed was a cow giving birth yesterday!! I noticed her off by herself early yesterday afternoon and saw how agitated she was so I decided to keep an eye on her! She would lay down, roll onto her side, stand back up, walk around and then repeat the whole process over and over!! I started to really worry about her after doing this for a good hour! Then I noticed her water bag hanging out, so I gave her a little more time before I decided I would panic!! Another hour of her routine of laying down, standing up, walking around was an hour too long for me to be patient!! I felt as though I were in labor right along side her!! Every time she tensed I tensed and held my breath and waited! Then it was all over, and I saw a calf fall out from behind her!!! From our living room window I couldn't  quite tell if the calf was actually okay, the binoculars just couldn't see through the clump of grass the calf was laying behind!! So I ran outside and jumped on the quad!! I didn't want to get too close to the momma so I stopped about 20 feet away and quietly watched as she licked her calf dry!  It truly was amazing to see how the mom would lick the back end of the calf and this would encourage the calf to try and stand, it took a few tries and even once he was standing he was pretty wobbly! It was neat to see after only minutes of being born he was standing and looking for milk!! He tried for quite some time to find milk under his moms neck so she would turn herself around and nudge him toward her utter!! It took no time for him to locate a teet and start drinking!!! Satisfied that he was going to be okay I decided to leave mom and baby alone!!

Birth really is quite a miracle!! I was so grateful to be able to witness two births within hours of each other. It made the sting of death not so intense. God's creations really are amazing and I am so thankful to be one of them!!

One Step at a Time

     

Last summer we bought all the materials to build our front porch and back deck but as life goes we didn't get a chance to build them :( so this spring we decided that we would get our front porch finished and a play house and sand box built! If time and weather are on our side we will get the back deck done in the fall.  Jared had to spread the work out over a couple of weekends but when you add up all the time it took, it was only two full days! It looks awesome, he is so handy and methodical! Everything is perfectly straight and secure! The next step will be to put up railings and stairs, and finish the part of the roof that over hangs! We put a swing on the porch that we inherited from my grandma and grandpa when they moved into a lodge, but eventually we will hang it from the roof instead of having it attached to the frame!! Having a swinging bench on a front porch has always been part of my plans for my dream home!! I am excited to put some country design to our porch, one step at a time!!!!

                                      

Easter Weekend

This has been a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends! This is the first year Jared has had Good Friday and Easter Monday off!!! Friday was spent baking and cleaning while Jared checked cows and tagged new calves in between laying the slats on our newly built front porch!!! Saturday Jared finished laying all the slats on the porch....it looks awesome!!!!!! We just need to put the railing on!!!! I so admire the skill Jared has, give him a tool and he can build anything!!!!!!!

Saturday afternoon we had a yummy dinner with my Mom and Mark!!! Arren and her family were there, my older sister Avi and her kiddos, my cousins Brandon and Bryan, my Auntie Di and Uncle Bill and my Uncle Larry!! We were missing a few but had fun none the less! Mom and Avi put together a little Easter hunt for the kids, and then the adults played a few rounds of spoons!!!! There was lots of laughter and good visiting!!! Years ago at one of our family gatherings my Auntie Di had an awesome rainbow purse (I love purses), I jokingly told her that when she had enough of that purse I would gladly take it off her hands!! Saturday she came up to me with her hands behind her back and said, "well Amber, the time has finally come!" And from behind her back she pulls out her coveted rainbow purse!!!!!!  I was so excited I jumped up and gave her a big hug!!! She then told me to look inside, opening it up I found a beautiful carving of the Nativity out of Olive tree wood from Jerusalem!!!! My Aunt had gone there on a ladies tour and I had told her if she came across any Nativities carved out of Olive Tree wood I would love to have just a little one!!  She told us about her trip and her experiences in Jerusalem, it sounded like an adventure of a lifetime and having her relate her stories made me feel like I was there with her, oh how I'd love to go to Jerusalem...one day!!!

                                   

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                  

        

          

Sunday we were able to go to church where I taught the youth a beautiful lesson about the Resurrection, and we watched a very powerful video!!! After church we came home and got ready to have another family Easter dinner!! I cooked a yummy ham and "Darth Tater" potatoes!!! I also made a strawberry and grapefruit spinach salad with creamy lime dressing!! Rachel brought the punch and Myrna brought buns and dessert!!! Her dessert was amazing!!!! It was a mud pie ice cream cake!!! My mom and Mark, Myrna, Avi, Owen and Maryssa, Rachel, Jared, Liam and Jonas, and Bonita joined us for dinner!! It was lots of fun, great food and lots of laughs!  In the evening we all piled into the truck and went out to check the cows and tag any new calves!! Bonita loved this, she said she has wanted to live on a farm with animals!! All the little boys pet the calf while Jared had it in the box of the truck to tag it! The mom was a little anxious with all of us out there but she left us alone! 

Monday morning the kids woke up and noticed a trail of chocolate robin eggs leading out of their room to baskets in the living room left by the Easter Bunny!!!  They each got a little Lego set and got right to work building them!! Then they noticed candy filled plastic eggs and other candy hidden around the living room upstairs!! They each got a basket and went on a hunt!!! The rest of the day we will take it easy, catch up on laundry, check the cows periodically, watch a movie and just be together!! 

         

         

         

I am thankful for my little family, I love how they play with each other and help each other build lego! I am thankful for my Savior, for the sacrifice he made for each of us individually so that we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. As a mother I can't imagine allowing my child to go through such agony without intervening in some way. But our Heavenly Father knew this is what needed to happen in order for us to have eternal life, and for that sacrifice I truly am grateful. I am thankful for the gospel in my life, for the knowledge I have of why we are here, who we are and what we are working to achieve....living in the presence of Our Father in Heaven and our elder brother Jesus Christ, and the families we have been blessed with here on earth. What a wonderful feeling of hope.  I love this Easter season of new beginnings and hope for the good that is to come!

That's How it Goes...

Our first week of calving was rough. After all we did for Prudence it just wasn't quite enough :( when a calf doesn't get colostrum in the first 6 hours of life their chance of survival is greatly reduced. 

Every half hour after birth that colostrum feeding is delayed, antibody transfer decreases by about 5%. A calf that does not drink until 6 hr old has then already lost the opportunity for 30% of the possible antibodies entering its bloodstream. 

Prudence died on Sunday. It was very sad, the kids loved her already. Saturday morning we had a calf born dead, again that was sad...Jared wants to be able to do all he can, but it's hard when you miss it by mere minutes. 

On a positive note we do have three healthy rambunctious calves running around. I suppose there needs to be a balance in all things, but it is still sad.

Unexpected Overnight Guest

Our first calf was born last friday and it is not doing great.  We have witnessed the little calf drinking from her mom a couple of times but she is skinny and always seems to be hanging her head.  The final decision has been made for the momma...she will have to leave our wonderful herd!  The first year we calved she either lost or hid her calf for a couple of days making us believe she abandoned it and the coyotes got it, and then miraculously the calf reappeared!  Last year her calf looked the same as this one does so Jared brought the momma into the squeeze so he could force the calf the drink from her.  This resulted in the cow kicking the calf and breaking its leg, so Jared had to shoot the calf.  This year she seemed to be a better mom until Jared took a closer look at her calf and noticed she was quite lethargic and really skinny.  He brought the calf and her momma into the corral where they would be forced to stay together.  Jared took a closer look at the momma's utter and noticed that the teats were very skinny and shrivelled looking, it really didn't look like they had been nursed from.  So Jared put her in the squeeze again to see if he could milk her.  He tried and tried and tried but to no avail there was no milk.    The little calf seemed to be getting colder by the minute so Jared made a box for her and brought it into our house!

Lesson learned...do not let your children play with the camera....the lens is filthy!!

So tonight we have an unexpected overnight guest!  The kids thought it was hilarious that we have a calf sleeping inside our house!  But they all pitched in to warm her up by rubbing her fur with towels and keeping her covered while I used a heat gun to blow hot air on her.  We fed her another milk replacement bottle and feel we succeeded in raising her core body temperature enough to keep her alive.

When Jared first brought her in the inside of her mouth was cold to the touch, after rubbing her with towels and blowing hot air on her and giving her another batch of warm milk the inside of her mouth feels just as it should, warm!  Hopefully all our efforts will not be worthless, she is a pretty little heifer, all red!