Warning: Thousands of Pictures Ahead

When I asked them if they'd be interested in taking pictures of "Branding Day," I never would have guessed that I'd be viewing almost 2000 pictures the very next day.

Ian and I just spent the last hour & a half smiling, laughing, and smiling some more. We are in complete awe of how these two people - we are lucky enough to call "friends" - did such an amazing job of capturing one of our favorite days of the year.

So... I've uploaded them into albums.

Look at them at your leisure - just know that it will take a while!

Enjoy the remarkable photography.

See our life "caught!" in action.

and... give a big "SHOUT OUT" to Robert & Jason Luke.

Once again, we've been blessed by this amazing family & can't thank them enough for their friendship, talent, and amazing ability to give & give & give.

branding 2008

branding2 2008

branding3

** NOTE **

~ Mason's feeling much better - especially after his ride in one of our new tractors.
~ Ian still sounds horrible... but feels ok.
~ Mack has a high temp, and only sleeps when held.
~ Me.... I'm going to bed... with Mack.

Tomorrow HAS to be better.... and maybe, just maybe, my sister will have her baby.

I spoke too soon.

Remember when I said all 3 boys were sleeping peacefully & that the day was just about perfect??

well...

Mack woke up crying with a fever at 11:30 p.m.... and slept occasionally through the next several hours... which = no sleep for mama!

Mason woke up at approximately 6:45 a.m.(later than usual - thanks to the time change)and couldn't believe that his hero of a dad left without him this morning... which = a sad, upset, non-coping 3 year old & 1 cranky mama! (did I mention he had diarrhea this morning)

Our computer crashed last night right after I posted "singed." Error messages like crazy. Not sure how to share all those wonderful pictures with you... but where there's a will, there's a way. It will happen.

Ian went to bed with little voice & woke up with even littler voice. I'm sure it's about gone by now... = a much cheaper cell phone bill this month. (maybe)

Me.
Well, I'm exhausted & waiting for Mack to wake up so that I can make my way to work (late).

Is it really Monday?

I feel like this:

pinned down

stretched out


and wishing for my mama.

This too shall pass.

Singed.

this is what happens when you get a little too close to the fire...

It's 9:45. The house is quiet. My eyes are heavy. All 3 boys are sound asleep.

It was a magical day - full of good friends, wonderful family, amazing food & unbelievable amounts of sunshine... which makes "branding day" just about as close to perfect as you can get!

** More pictures to come... so many, many wonderful pictures to come!!

Running out of Daylight.

I've just set all the clocks ahead 1 hour... ugh.
I was tired before, but now, just seeing the clock read 10:25 rather than 9:25 makes my eyes even heavier.

We gathered the cow/calve pairs this evening.
The cows knew exactly what to do - follow the feed truck & eat well.
The calves on the other hand go the complete opposite direction of the gate, the road, their mama...
They play, they run, & they make Ian's ears explode with steam.
It's actually quite comical - but don't tell him I told you that.

Tonight, as Ian finished gathering what he could, I stood at the top of the draw and watched in awe. The colors were brilliant. The shadows grew as the sun began to set. And I caught this just in the nick of time.

Get ready little calvies... tomorrow's the big day!

Pioneer Woman Tutorial

I've followed the steps.

I've "fixed up" some of my favorites.

And now, I want to edit every single photo I have ever taken.

... but since that doesn't even come close to being humanly possible, I think I'll just go to bed happy knowing that I've learned something new today & can apply it in the future!

That Pioneer Woman - gotta love her... well, at least I do.

Can you guess what we're doing this weekend?

I've Got My Eye On You

and I like what I see. ~ Clash

It was an average Wednesday.

Chaotic, rushed, never-ending, yet enjoyable & refreshing at the same time.

It's been a day... for all of us... but we've made it!

Oh, and just so I don't forget, I'm going to post the meaningful moments of today, in no particular order, for no particular reason ...

Wal-Mart

staff meeting

computer lab

office

emails

phone calls

McDonald's

post office

playground

Superintendent visits

memo

new baby calves

Aveeno oatmeal/milk bath

2 full crock pots

dinner

freeway

cell phone

camera

trailer

horses

hay

tears

blogs

friends

ice cream cake

training wheels

John Deere

vacuum

laundry

hooded towels

4 wheeler

local news

listening ear

Starburst

Caramel Apple Spice

Proverbs

kisses

American Idol

creative art work

early release

laughter

hay trucks

cows

water troughs

milk

ham sandwiches

love

Dwell in possibility. ~ Emily Dickinson