Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Dear readers,

This quite possibly could be the most crazy time of our lives, and yet, and YET, it truly is still the most wonderful time of the year. We have kicked off the Christmas season with gifts and gathering with my parents last night, where Jack (upon opening a Batman digital watch) proclaimed, "Best Christmas, EVER!" Bless him...he's just three. We'll continue our holiday celebrations with a grown up party (and the twins) tonight, and off to Joe's family for Christmas Eve.

Then, Santa.

Yes, Santa.

While Jesus IS the true reason of the season, and we try to keep that all in the forefront, but WHO DOESN'T LOVE SANTA?

Don't answer that if you're anti-Santa...

So, while the footprints of demo-dust are tracked all through my house, there's a desk in my living room, our only Christmas tree up is our baby "fake" tree, not our fresh cut real one (we have no room...this year), and my Type A personality is rearing it's ugly head proclaiming today is a "pick up day" (the kids are EXCITED, and I'm still using Santa as a threat...what will I do on the 26th?), I have hit pause to enjoy today.

And you're part of it! Aren't you so lucky??

Thank you for bearing with my hormones, harried mom posts, transitions, twins, mess of a life, and construction dust during this year. 2014 was truly one for the record books, and while last year at this time, I figured I would be lighting the fire that was my career and training for a marathon, I have traded it in for populating the world with two more amazing people, and training for a marathon...just not the running kind.

Enjoy your family in these next few days. We all have busy-ness, stress, strange relationships, and heightened expectations that get squelched, but this is truly the most wonderful time of the year thanks to the birth of our Savior, coupled with seeing the magic of the season through the eyes of those who believe in the magic of Christmas.

I am blessed to have this platform and to have you as loyal readers, even though I get opinionated and smarty about 99% of the time.

Thanks so much for reading, sharing, and believing in us. We feel your encouragement, welcome your commentary, and wish you a blessed Christmas season and a happy, happy new year.

Here's to a less eventful 2015!

Love,
Emily

Monday, December 15, 2014

Maybe You Are, Maybe You're Not

Maybe you've been wondering how we're faring after all of our changes during the past 8 weeks.

And maybe you're not, and I guess that's why I have struggled to write as of late. There's a lot, and I mean A LOT, more hectic, exhausting, happy, sad, interesting life stories out there, so please excuse me as I add to that pile.

First and foremost, we are adjusting.

And by adjusting, I mean, after selling our cows about a month ago, in the past week, we (and by we, I mean Joe), have purchased three new show animals: two heifers and a steer. They are currently being housed at their vacation homes until we get our more permanent set up, well, set up. Now, while three animals seems very, very small potatoes considering we (and again, I mean Joe) were dealing with 150 cows, calves, and all the chores that go along, having these three new friends gives Joe just a taste of the life of a cattleman.

Adjusting is the best word I can use to describe the past month. On Thanksgiving, we leisurely traveled to my father in law's, and spent the night, not worrying about any animal or crop or anything nearly 100 miles away. While that was heavenly to me, as I wasn't forced to pack up six kids for just a short day trip, but rather enjoy time spent on my father-in-law's farm, for Joe, it was strange. Thankfully, a few of our purebred cows are wintering on this farm, so Joe was able to get a little "fix" while we were there.

While there's much to do around here...a closet to demo to make room for a new basement staircase, papers to grade, babies to feed, kids to run around and chase after, the adjustment from farmer to non-farmer is hard. As I have written about many, many times, agriculture, especially when you're a producer, with your hands deep in the dirt and choring every day, it becomes a part of your soul.

It's not just a job, it's your whole life, so when that piece of your life's puzzle is removed, there's a lot of adjusting.

The kids have fared well, it's not like we've moved or anything. Our show animals will require daily chores, just in a different venue. And while my dad and my uncle still pull equipment out of the shed, just feet from our front door, there's a little piece of me that is slightly off, knowing that Joe really doesn't have to go out there and mess around in the shed, or take the Ranger across the road to check cows.

It's strange.

And we're adjusting.

Like I said before, it's not like we don't have plenty to do...our babies are growing and becoming a little more demanding. Our big kids are still filling our lives and calendars with their joyous activities, and Jack...well, he's three and is wearing. me. out. Joe is thriving as the community's new ag instructor, and I'm just trying to hold it all together and appear to have it all rolling along.

Notice I used the word, "appear," because six days out of seven, I'm NOT together, I just made it to the shower, before noon preschool pick up and had regular (although NOT the right size...ugh) clothes on.

We're all plugging away, trying to navigate our new roles, and when the first snow falls, we'll get over this weirdness and enjoy coffee and cocoa, knowing no cows of ours will be calving in a drift.

That's a good adjustment.