Cowboys

Because we were at my parents for a few weeks the kids got to be ranch kids for a while. The way I was raised is pretty unique in today's world and I was really excited for my kids to get to see a little what my childhood was like. 

One day Chet was causing problems and I sent him out to pull weeds. Not that that ever happened to me as a child...twenty minutes of pulling weeds shaped him right up. 

 One day Chet came  and told me about how Papa Ralph had him help load the 4 wheeler into a trailer. He said, "I went in really fast and ran into the back of the trailer, and then I took my finger off the thing that makes the 4wheeler go." My mom did it later to help load it again and was shocked that Chet had done it. Chet was so proud of himself and knew he was a good help to Papa Ralph. My dad has a way of requiring just enough of a child to challenge them but make them feel so accomplished. 

 Eliza loved getting filthy each day. She really liked Tucker the dog as long as he was an arms length away. She wanted to grab onto all the chickens and turkey too. She started walking at my parents house and was so proud of herself. 

 Mariah, Chet and Austin were so good about feeding the chickens and Tucker. They always came back with the eggs and we only had a few cracked eggs and one escaped Turkey. 

 The favorite farm animal was definitely Apollo. Because he is the only horse at my parents he was more than happy with the company. We let him out in the field but each morning Mariah and Chet would walk out there and he would follow them up into the corral. They gave him carrots and watermelon rinds and became best friends. I've always hoped my children would love horses just like I did and it made me so happy to see the way they bonded with Apollo. 

 They got to ride a lot and Mariah and Chet were able to ride all by themselves. It was so neat to see their confidence grow. Mariah even ran a little but decided that was a bit much for her. The look on her face as her legs went flying up was priceless. I told her she just needed stirrups and she would be good to go.

Even Eliza got a turn on Apollo and didn't want to get off. Guess we're going to have to get horses. Darn...

 Mariah and Chet wanted to be involved with everything. 

They also got to spend a lot of time in Grandpa's big truck. There were several times where my dad would come in and take the older three on long drives with him. It was such a nice break for me and they had a lot of fun in the truck with a bed in it. They got to help with the cows too, blocking a gap so the cows wouldn't go through. My dad used the classic line he used on his own children, "the cows are more afraid of you than you are of them". Which is only sometimes true. Luckily it applied this time. They took turns going around the field in the tractor too and only bumped their heads on the window when they went over big bumps. 

They worked on the old tree fort right at the end. Chet especially worked away at clearing out weeds. They ate several lunches out there and had a great time. They also played out in the junk yard with Trey and Tate. It was wonderful to let them spend so much time with cousins. 

Tucker was a great companion for the kids and they had a lot of fun playing fetch with him and trying to get him to sit. 

Watching my kids doing the things I did at the same age was really special. I loved my childhood and I'm so glad my children loved their time on the ranch too. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if Dad would have been there. We were really happy when he made it and everyone had to show him all the things they had learned. He was a good sport and went with them to do chores and watch them bring Apollo into the corral. He got a kick out of watching me try to catch Apollo...I got cocky and didn't have the kids put him in the smaller pen. After I had given up the kids came running to get me to let me know that they had gotten him into the pen. A humbling moment for sure. They were so proud of themselves and had to show Tanner how they could ride Apollo around all by themselves. Now if only they can convince Tanner and I that we're ready for a horse.