Shipping and Preg-testing

I planned to take off work this year to help round up the cows on the mountain, but it turned out that I didn't need to because we already had so many awesome cowboys and cowgirls helping out!  Thanks so much to EVERYONE!!!  You guys are the BEST!  It seems our biggest challenge when it comes to shipping is the weather.  Not that we don't LOVE a good storm, just not when we are trying to get a semi-truck up the mountain to bring calves down.  It stormed the day before we shipped, but dried out enough the day of shipping that we were able to bring the calves off.  The big storm hit the next day, and it snowed on the mountain - good timing, huh?

The kids and I met everyone up at the fairgrounds to get the calves weighed and loaded.  It was pretty cold, but we came prepared!

Lucy all bundled up

My cute kids with our calves in the background

Stetson made an instant friend with Trace Bennett, and they had the best time working, playing, and even eating together that night.

Lucy and I helped in the scale house



Our calves at the fairgrounds, waiting to get loaded and head to Kansas



Before we move the cows off the mountain for the winter we run them all through the chute to preg-test them and vaccinate them.  I did take off work this day, and the kids and I went up and helped.  I hate being cold, and some pre-testing days in the past have been pretty miserable, so I was super happy when it turned out to be a beautiful day!  Again we had lots of great help, and things went well.

Stetson and his cousin J.D. - plum worn out

My fearless Lucy would stand right in front of a cow in the chute - don't worry, I didn't let her stay there!

Sometimes the cows get a little anxious, and maybe a little pushy.  Apparently we just weren't moving things along quick enough, and this cow just could wait her turn . . .



A double-decker

Maybe it wasn't her fault though, it looks like she was actually being pushed from behind by another super anxious cow!

A triple-decker

Don't worry, no one (or cow) was hurt, and we were able to get them all tested, doctored, and on their way - crazy cows!

After watching their dads run this chute these boys thought they had it all figured out, so they decided to give it a try.  I think they were humbled a little when they realized how hard it was, and I enjoyed watching them try!

This is harder than it looks!

It turned out to be a great day, even if we did have to miss the last home football game!  Thanks everyone for your help!!!

What are the odds?

'Tis the season for getting firewood, and what better place than near our cabin on the Elk Mountain?  Kenny and I had planned on going up Friday, and since the kids were out of school and everyone was off work, I invited my family to come along.  We planned a super easy dinner we could fix quickly so we would have lots of time to get wood and enjoy the beautiful fall colors.  And it WAS beautiful!  The road to our cabin was paved in gold!

Both the dogs and the kids were so excited to be out, and they were running around, crunching the beautiful fall leaves.  I took the opportunity to get some cute pics.

Stetson, just before he ran around the back side of the cabin

Lucy, as usual, was right behind him - so cute!

This was the first time we brought Stetson's dog Spot to the mountain, and he loved it!

Lucy and Boda - two peas in a pod

Kenny was having trouble getting our chain saw going, so I started to clean out the cabin and get it ready for winter.  When my family arrived my mom came in to help me and my dad and Jade went down into Pevine to start getting some wood.  Jens and McKady were helping to keep track of my children.  I started sweeping and the dust was making my mom sneeze, so she went outside.  A few minutes later she came and asked me where Kenny and Stetson were - last I knew they were right outside the cabin, but now they were gone.  I didn't worry because I just figured Kenny had got the saw going and took Stetson down to help my dad.  As I was sweeping some of the dust out the cabin door, I heard my mom say, "You're kidding, right?  Please tell me you are kidding."  My heart stopped, and I knew something was wrong.  I ran outside where Kenny and Stetson had just rode up on the 4-wheeler.  Kenny turned to me and said, "go where you can get service and call an ambulance, your dad got hit by a tree."  He was actually very calm and collected, which was amazing under the circumstances.  I didn't ask for details, I just grabbed my phone and ran up the hill behind our cabin to see if I could get service.  I had one bar, so I dialed 911 - it worked, and the call was surprisingly clear for only one bar of service!  They proceeded to ask me a ton of questions, most of which I had no idea the answer to.  It seemed like it took FOREVER for the ambulance to get there!  When they finally made it to the cabin, we had them load their gear on Kenny's flatbed and he took them down to where my dad was.  They brought him up and put him in the ambulance; I thought they would hurry right back to the hospital, but I guess they had to get him all situated and stabilized first - again, it seemed to take FOREVER!  Finally we were all headed to town, me driving my dad's truck and Kenny driving ours.

So, here's what happened:  My dad had just cut a tree and Jade was pushing on it so that it would fall away from them.  Just before the tree hit the ground Jade heard a crack behind them, he turned to see two trees falling toward them - fast - so instinctively, he jumped back.  All three trees hit the ground within seconds of each other.  The two that fell from behind landed on either side of my dad, the one one his right hitting the right side of his head and shoulder on the way down.  The force rotated his body and knocked him to the ground, face down.  He must have let go of the chain saw on his way down because it landed on top of him, still running.  Jade ran over, grabbed the saw and turned it off; luckily it hadn't done any damage.  My dad was unconscious and was bleeding from his mouth and nose.  Jade thought he was dead, so he ran for help.  He rode the 4-wheeler to the cabin and got Kenny and they rode back together.  Stetson wanted to go, but they didn't take him, so he ran all the way down, following the sound of the 4-wheeler.  When they got there, my dad was conscious, and was trying to sit up, but found that he was in too much pain.  Kenny gave him a blessing and told him to lay still, on his side, so that the blood could run freely from his nose and not go down his throat into his stomach.  That is when he came back and told us to call the ambulance; he also got a bunch of blankets from the cabin to put over my dad so he wouldn't get too cold.  Stetson was mad that we wouldn't let him go back down to 'take care of Grandpa', but I thought it would be best if he stayed at the cabin with us.

So, they get him to the emergency room and do a CT scan on his head. The CT scan showed some bleeding on his brain; the doctor's first recation was to fly him out, but after talking to the Nuro Surgeon in Salt Lake they determined that it had been long enough that the bleeding may have stablized. All the bleeding from his nose may have helped to relieve the bleeding on the brain, so that was a blessing!  They decided to keep him in the hospital in Blanding overnight and run another CT scan in the morning. In the meantime, they ran several tests, x-rays and scans on his back, shoulder and ribs. These showed three broken ribs, some damage to a couple discs in his back, and possible damage to his shoulder. He also had several gashes on his head that had to be stapled back together, as well as some bruising on his right ear and right eye. My dad said that at this point he honestly didn't know if he was going to make it or not, but but about this time Kenny and Josh went down to the hospital and gave him a blessing, and that is when everything turned around. He said that after the blessing he had a feeling of peace, and knew that everything would be okay.

The CT scan Saturday morning showed that the bleeding had stablized, so he didn't have to be flown out. He spent most of the day in the hospital, and was released Saturday evening. The biggest thing right now is pain managment and lots of sleep. We feel so blessed that things were not worse, and that our special dad/grandpa is still with us!

We love you dad!  Hope you get well soon!

So what are the odds of getting hit by a random tree in the forest???  I think my dad has bad luck - or nine lives! (hope he doesn't use them up too quickly!)

The BEST Birthday EVER!

STETSON CHARLES BLACK

Can you believe this handsome little guy just turned 4?

We started out with a party at Grandma and Grandpa Grover's house on Sunday night, complete with party hats and noise makers (not my idea, but the kids LOVED them!).  Dad thought it would be great if Stetson wore ALL the party hats at once . . . what do you think?

After a super yummy dinner of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and of course CHOCOLATE MILK, it was time for presents.  The first was from Uncle Jesse, who is serving a mission in Sacramento California.  You would have thought it was a million dollars to see how excited Stetson was!  Though the million dollars would have been nice, the picture of the prophet Joseph Smith was great too!

What's better than a basket full of treats from Grandma and Grandpa Grover?

If anyone can pick the perfect gift for Stetson, it is his cousin J.D.  These boys are the best of friends, so J.D. was smart to pick out a lego set just like his for Stetson.  Now they can play together, and they don't even have to share!

So this year it was all about football.  Stetson's uncle Jens plays football for the San Juan Broncos, and according to Stetson, "Jens is Awesome!"  So of course we had to have a football cake - or two football cakes since they were so small.  If you can't tell, the top football says Stetson, and the bottom one says #4.  Stetson chose the number 4 candle for his birthday cake about 2 months ago, but when it came right down to it, he wished he had four candles instead, oh well!

I felt bad that I had to work on Stetson's birthday, but such is life I guess.  I don't think he minded at all since that meant that he got to play with his cousin J.D. all day.  I was able to take Stetson to lunch, however, and Patio was the perfect choice.  A grilled cheese sandwich, french fries and root beer, topped off with a vanilla baby cone (the perfect size for an ice cream cone, if you ask me!).

How did I get so lucky to have a lunch date with this guy?

I let Stetson move his carseat to the front seat for the day . . . not safe, I know, but it made him feel big!  We ate the ice cream in the car on the way back to the babysitter's.  Notice the ribbon?  It says Birthday Boy, and he wore it faithfully for two days and two nights (yes, he did pin it to his pajamas and wear it to bed!).

After work I met my sister and the kids at the park and brought them all doughnuts - Stetson's favorite treat from the grocery store.  I was grateful it was such a nice day, and the kids enjoyed playing and getting some of that excess energy out.

J.D., Stetson, Zachary

Stetson wanted to invite Grandma and Grandpa Black over for his birthday party, and he even called and invited them himself!  We were grateful they were able to come and celebrate with us.  The kids LOVE their grandparents so much, it is such a blessing to live so close to them! 

Stetson and Grandma Black

Stetson and Grandpa Black

We had spaghetti for dinner, Stetson's favorite, though he didn't eat much because he was too excited.  Then it was time for presents!  Stetson's was super excited to get new shoes from Grandma and Grandpa Black, and has since worn them every day.  Everywhere we go, he has to show off his new shoes and tell people that he got them for his birthday.

Ever since Jens' 16th birthday, where he had to follow clues to find his 16 presents, Stetson said that what he wanted for his birthday was "clues and presents".  I thought he might be disappointed to get 'just a card' at the beginning, but he wasn't, he was super excited.  I'm sad I didn't get a photo of him finding each gift, but we did get it all on video, so all is not lost.  More for my record than anyone else's, here is the detail on the treasure hunt:

Clue #1

Stetson has a dog, his name is Spot,

Stetson's house is big, Spot's is not.

(present number one, a book of hundreds of stickers, was hidden in Spot's dog house)

Clue #2

If Stetson had HIS way,

He would watch Curious George here EVERY day!

(present number two, four different colors of play dough, was hidden behind our TV upstairs)

Clue #3

The wheels on Lucy's car go round and round,

All through the town.

(present number three, two CARS card games, was hidden in Lucy's flinstone-style car outside)

Clue #4

It's raining, it's pouring, Stetson is snoring.

He went to bed and covered his head, and didn't wake up 'til morning.

(present number four, a set of stamps, was hidden under Stetson's bed)

Clue #5

This is the last clue, don't frown or fret,

If you get this one right, you'll get the best present yet!

Mom needs a new office 'cuz she gave hers away,

we will build her one at home, so she'll have more time to play!

(and the final present, the "big daddy" of them all, was in the room that will be our office as soon as we get it finished) 

A new big boy bike for Stetson!!!

That is one HAPPY boy!

We left the bike upstairs and went down to finish the festivities, and this is what I saw . . .

Lucy, sneaking up the stairs to check our her brother's new bike!

So I waited a few minutes, then followed her up, and this is what I found . . .

She had climbed up there all by herself!  Looks like maybe this bike was made for two!

And then it was time for cake - just one football this time, and one candle for Stetson to blow out.  He made a wish, then blew that one candle out like a pro.

Some of Stetson's favorite people, Aunt Suzie, Kade and Trace came by earlier in the day and brought Stetson a present, some candy, a whistle, and a jumping monkey, which turned out to be the highlight of the whole day!  After eating cake and ice cream we got out the monkey and started playing with it.  You wind it up, set it on a hard surface, and it jumps really high and does a back flip, landing on its feet.  The reaction from Stetson and Lucy was priceless!  The monkey did so many back flips that night, it got to the point where it could hardly stand, but it never got old for these two!  Thanks Suzie and kids!!!

I wish you could see Lucy's face in this photo as well - pure joy!

At one point during the festivites Stetson came up and gave me a gave me a hug and said, "this is the BEST birthday EVER!"  And that made it all worth it!  We love this little guy more than words can say, and are so proud of him.  We look forward to many more BEST BIRTHDAYS EVER!

Disclaimer: I am having trouble with my camera, hence the poor quality of the photos.  But a bad picture is better than no picture, right?