Scout is 8!

Happy 8th Birthday Scoutie!!  

I honestly can't believe that our girl is already 8!  The other day I saw someone post about their kiddo having spent half of her time with them already.  Ugh!  I'm not ready for my kids getting bigger, but I'm thankful that they are healthy and growing.

This year I had a dainty little girls only party in mind.  Turns out that what Scout really wanted was a feedyard party.  I was thinking oh goody I won't have to clean my house so much.  Uh, it is much easier to clean that to drag everything that you need for a party up to the feedyard.  

The girl made her own "s'more" party favors.  I typed up a little card and she and her brothers put them together with a little help from their Gigi.

These two guys are big pals.  It might have to do with Trail always giving him coke, candy, brownie.....any type of sugar!

 So like I was just saying....... When there is a coke (or even Ginger Ale) to be had, this is what you will see.  His face will be attached!  ha ha

 Scout got her 1st sewing machine which we are both super excited about.  Of course our summer has been a little busy and we haven't cracked it out just yet, but we are hoping for a visit from Granny Great soon.  I think it will be so special for her Great Grandma to teach her to sew.

 I present to you the Townsend grandsons.  

Pake Adams(17), Reno Smith(5), Ranger Smith(1), Trail Townsend and Tate Adams(14)

 The birthday girl made it to the top of the rope.

 She pretty well made her own dream catchers.  We will be making a few changes and putting them in her room.

 I remember her Dad giving me a bad time about something, so he got the job of lighting the candles.  Yeah right.

 The 5 of us!

Ranger wasn't going to be left out of cupcakes and ice cream.  Thanks Papa for helping a little guy out!

There are pictures that I missed.  We played kick ball boys against girls.  Boys (as in Riley Smith) cheated, as usual.  I missed the expressions of a few astonished folks when we turned out the little pigs for the kids to chase.  I missed water fight pics.  Riley Smith gets a little carried away.  I'm certain you do not want to be in a water fight with him.  He doesn't get people wet.  He tries to drown them.  He will fuss that I've gone into such detail about this, claiming it isn't near as bad as I make it sound.  It is!  Instead of folks leaving and saying goodbye, they were running for their vehicles.  He was chasing them with a big orange water cooler full of water.  The mental picture is better than any photograph I could offer.  ha ha

Happy Birthday Scout Girl!! 

These faces..... and another How-To

These little faces are beautiful to me.

 

It doesn't matter if they are dirty or sticky.

It doesn't matter to me if they are snotty or crusty (sorry folks it's just a fact of life).  

What matters to me is that these little faces are smiling.  

Usually ice cream, playing in the dirt, and baby goats will cause these little faces to smile.

 and now for our latest "How-To".... 

Reno's "How-To" is not explained so well, but I'm pretty sure he can give roping lessons if anyone is in need of assistance.

He asks for "big rope", which means he wants a big loop.  It needs to be big enough that it sort of knocks him off balance once he gets it off the ground.  lol

Feedyard Rats

There are lake rats, gym rats......we are just feedyard rats.     These kids don't have much of a chance.  As a family we accomplish lots of things at the feedyard.  Riley ropes or rides horses, the kids play in the sand or ride or help feed cattle, and I am a spectator or sometimes I squeeze in a run.

This is going to be the first summer that both kids will be big enough to be content playing and not need to be held, etc. 

I should also clarify "feedyard".  We really only hold about 4,000 head and don't feed cattle out.  It's still a feedyard to us.

 Reno has since gotten a hair cut.  I like it both ways, long and short.  The problem is that he just doesn't like haircuts a bit.  

Scout.....well, Scout is into dressing herself.  It almost always includes a long sleeve shirt and leggings.  The leggings thing is that she must have tight pants (like jockeys or jumpers).  This means that she never, seriously never matches.  I never understood parents that let their kids dress themselves.  Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on those people.

Now the story is that she wants to be a jumper.  I don't think she has dropped the jockey thing all together, just not quite as high on it as she was.

Feedyard Follies

 Yesterday Papa drove in from NM in the Pete.  He is taking some of our cattle to his pasture.  I love the "new to him" Pete.  I'd say it's a pretty snazzy rig just to haul around your own stock.

We worked like mad to get a little lunch ready so he wouldn't have to stop somewhere on his way back.  I highly recommend Pioneer Woman meatballs and rigatoni.  It's in the new cookbook.  I didn't have time to do everything exactly like she says, but I liked it. Especially the meatballs....YUM!!  We stood around and ate, which is pretty much the only option.  I guess I need to get the new storage container/bunk house fixed up.

 My kids wanted to climb all over the truck of course.  Reno was taking pieces of lettuce to the cattle already loaded on the truck.  He must be a true cattleman at heart to know they needed a little roughage.  

We have "peppies" at the feedyard also.  (Oh and the boy is going to talk.  It has started coming out just in the last couple of days.  Yippee!!)  The puppies are by Zippy, the feedyard security dog, and Tug, our red dog.   If you are in the market let us know.  There are three of them.

The folly part comes in at the mud puddles.  It had come a pretty good shower and Reno mostly wanted to stomp through the mud.  Then his boot got stuck and he was just running around in his footy pjs.  Yuck!!