Picture Blog

I do admit that these pictures have taken me a while to upload, but better late than never right?  Here's whats been going on in our lives & around the ranch (in pictures) the last couple of months.  Enjoy!

 

 

Snowfall on the ranch

 

Hungry yearlings

Riding our horse Squirt bareback.  He's only 3 years old!  Yes, he's that good :)

 

Little Jake who isn't so little anymore

Wesley riding Flash

Jake watching Wesley ride from a distance...probably trying to scheme a way to get into trouble!

Flash!

Wesley & I before attending the Black Tie Blue Jeans fundraiser in town for the local hospital

 

 

The pampering basket Wesley bought for me at the Black Tie Blue Jeans Fundraiser

All my goodies spread out so you can see what all was inside!

Babies are starting to be born and are running around everywhere!

The first born calf for Wesley & I this calving season - a not-so-little bull calf!

The cows coming to hay for feeding time

They travel great distances to savor the hay we put out for them ;-)

One BIG Momma - we are anxiously waiting to see if there is just 1 baby in there, or possibly 2!

Yearling steers & spay heifers

Remember this guy?  You probably don't, but he was one of the babies that I bottle fed & nursed back to health.  When he was born he was a twin & his mother only took 1 calf so he was placed in an incubator to warm him, then I bottle fed him until we found a surrogate Mother for him.  Today he's alive, happy & healthy and we have lovingly nicknamed him "The Hereford"!!

A resident Antelope buck on the ranch

Spring is here!

Just as I had wanted to, I was able to get out & take pictures of the new babies running around the ranch this past weekend.  Wesley and I now have 2 little ones running around – one bull & one heifer.  Pretty soon there will be too many to keep track of.  But for now I’m able to.  Of course the pictures are on my camera so hopefully this evening I can hook it up to the computer and get them uploaded.

With all the new babies running around it reminds me that spring is just around the corner.  In fact, spring begins tomorrow!  The babies remind me of all the hard work throughout the year finally paying off.  We nurture & take care of & nourish these cows/heifers throughout the year and their gestation for the day that they are able to bring another offspring into the world so we can continue to do what we love most – living on a cattle ranch & raising beef. 

Aside from the fact that I need to still “spring clean” my house, I’m looking forward to spring.  It means warmer temperatures (thank goodness) and hopefully some moisture as well!  Wesley and I have lots of fun spring outdoor activities planned and we are excited to start some projects around our home; one being the installation of a new patio…hooray!  We have a new fire pit and want to give it, along with our nice new BBQ smoker, a permanent home on the patio!  We also want to do a little sprucing up around our yard, and give some much needed attention to Wesley’s “man cave”.  We have quite a long list of things that will take some time to complete, so hopefully we’ll be able to get it all done!

This past Saturday we took the dogs & horse to the vet.  It ended up being an all-day event, but that’s ok.  Jiggs is starting to show slight signs of arthritis, so we are doing preventative measures to make sure it doesn’t get worse.  Little Jakey is just little Jakey – he got shots and was good to go!  Reno’s jaw was looked at & it is not cancer!  Thank goodness!  Its just an inflamed salivary gland…so both our minds are put at ease knowing Reno is ok as well.  Sunday we went & took pictures of our babies, then it started to snow & the winds were blowing so hard that little Jake was walking sideways when we let them out to go to the bathroom!  Wesley woke up not feeling well that day (with allergies & the like) so we staying inside most of Sunday.  I made a big pot of stew, and we watched a couple movies we had DVR’d the previous week.  It was a nice day just the two of us (and the boys).

On another note – I haven’t updated about my Popo in a while so I thought I’d do so.  Popo hasn’t been doing too good lately.  He went into the hospital last week, and is now in ICU at MD Anderson.  He has had a heart attack, and we found out today his main artery is 70% blocked.  The chemo seems to really be taking a toll on his body.  He also has pneumonia, fluid on his lungs, and the flu (on top of everything else he has going on).  Yesterday he didn’t have a good day and received a blood transfusion last night.  His chemo doctor & cardiologist are now going to meet to decide what the next step is since his heart is so weak.  His enzyme levels are elevated which indicates heart problems.  So, right now it is just a wait & see situation.  Please continue to pray for him and my Meemaw!

Sarah's the BIG 30!

Since my last post we’ve gotten more updates on my Popo.  While this may sound harsh, it is not meant to be.  These are the facts and I wanted to share them all with everyone who reads my blog.  If he chose to not do chemotherapy, he’d only have 2-3 months life expectancy left.  His blood test results came back worse (yet again) than what they thought they would, therefore his doctor had to amend his chemo treatment.  The new chemo regime he’s on is not FDA approved and only offered at MD Anderson in Houston (which is why MD Anderson is THAT good at what they do).  If he would have went to another hospital, they would have basically told him there isn’t anything they can do for him and sent him home to let it take its course.  However, he is doing chemo so that will help!  They do not have official success rates on this plan for the type of cancer he has.  The next several weeks will be critical as far as his body is concerned with fighting the cancer.  He will most likely get worse before he gets better, but we hope that’s not the case!  He will most likely need blood transfusions once he’s on the chemo, and have blood work done every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week (along with the high possibility of a transfusion each day of the blood work as well).  He started chemo on Friday of last week, and will have chemo every day for 10 days straight.  Today he had to have his blood drawn to see how he was progressing, so hopefully the results come back better than last week!  Until then, please keep him in your prayers!

We had a busy weekend this past weekend.  Friday when I got off work we headed to Miles City to celebrate Sarah and Clint Boucher's birthdays!  Yes, they are married & have the same birthday!  Sarah is turning the DiRtY 30 on Tuesday (the 12th)!  Clint will be 28 on Tuesday.  Sarah looks so cute & pregnant.  She is adorable!  They are due with Baby #2 at the end of May.  They are not finding out what it is so that is exciting as well.  And speaking of the Boucher's little Jack is getting SO big and has such a personality!  I've never seen a happier baby.  He sat in his high chair 1/2 the night eating, laughing, and playing with his toys.  Then he got down for a bit & played and it was time for bed!  He went down like a champ.  Everyone should be blessed with a baby as good as little Jack!  He's quite handsome :)  And it was so nice to see Clint & Sarah again.  We hadn't seen them since our wedding and that was going WAY too long without seeing them.  We are planning to all get together again (more than once hopefully) before the baby comes & their lives get even crazier!

Saturday we spayed about 200 heifers, and since Jewel was gone to school in northern Montana, I volunteered to cook for everyone (by everyone I mean my husband, father in law, the vet, and the help that come out to help us with this).  We enjoyed a delicious lunch consisting of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, salad, and brownies for dessert.  After the guys rested a bit over lunch they were back to work while I went home and enjoyed some time sewing.  I was going to help with the heifers, but the wind was so strong & cold Saturday that I opted to stay inside that afternoon & sew.  I am experimenting with burp cloths and came up with this one!  I like it.  I’m still figuring out where I want wording to be on my burp cloths, and I haven’t finished the edges of this wording yet either, but so far I really like how it turned out.  I text pictures to a few others to get opinions on it & they all loved it as well!  Wesley came home and I immediately showed him my creation and he really liked it too.  He always gives me his honest opinion & even some pointers about things every now & then.  We had leftovers from lunch that evening for supper (the kind I like…I don’t have to cook!) and watched some TV that evening before heading to bed.  Wesley was beat from being in the wind & working all day Saturday, and I can’t say that I blame him!

Sunday we slept in a bit (blame it on the time change), the went to feed and saddle horses to get a little practice roping in.  We roped our green steer for about 3 hours Sunday afternoon, then turned in for the evening.  It was a beautiful day Sunday and we thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine, no wind, and warmer temperatures.  We take advantage of days like that when we can because the weather changes so rapidly up here sometimes (and I thought Texas was bad…Montana is worse than that as far as weather changes)!  Sunday also welcomed the first baby of the spring calving season on the ranch.  You know spring is right around the corner when the horses start shedding their winter coats & baby calves are seen running around the ranch!  What a precious little heifer calf she is too.  I’m going to try to go out this weekend & take pictures of her to share with you.  I never like to miss a new birth on the ranch, and certainly not the first born baby of calving season! 

We don’t have much planned for this week, but this weekend we have errands to run, and we are going on a date too.  I love date nights with Wesley.  We plan them at the beginning of the week and by the time our date comes around we are so excited to go out together!  Hopefully we can do all our errands Saturday & have a nice Sunday roping again!  Once we get updates on my grandfather I’ll be sure to share them with everyone.  Until then please keep him & my Meemaw in your prayers!

Prayers Answered, Prayers Needed

A few months back I wrote about my best friend Katy’s mom being diagnosed with cancer.  Last week Jodie went back for the results of her tests since she completed chemotherapy treatment.  All results came back with NO sign of cancer!!!  Praise the Lord!  We have been praying for her and our prayers have been answered.  I was thrilled when Katy shared the results with me.  It was the answer we had longed to hear.  Please continue to pray for Jodie as she continues on her journey to fight and WIN her battle against cancer.

In other exciting news, I’m even MORE excited to announce that Katy and Jason will be expecting baby Butler to make his/her appearance in September!  I’ve known since Katy found out, and it has been SO hard for me to keep quiet with the exciting news.  But, of course, that’s what best friends do for each other.  Now that they’re going public with their pregnancy announcement, so can I!  I am so excited to be an Auntie and can’t wait to spoil the baby with all the things that Auntie’s spoil their nieces/nephews with.  I’ve already gathered clothing ideas, and looking at all the cool things Baby B will one day receive.  I can’t wait to meet this little one and shower him/her with kisses and loving.  With all that being said please pray for Katy and the baby that she has a healthy pregnancy with no complications to come.  See you soon Baby B!  Aunt Tiffany & Uncle Wesley love you already!

With all the exciting news it saddens me to write the next bit of news.  My Popo (my Dad’s dad) has been chronically sick since right before our Texas wedding/reception in December.  Last Friday we found out that he has Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).  This form of Leukemia is rarer, but it seems to be treatable.  He had to have a bone marrow aspiration yesterday to tell us exactly what stage it is at (which we will find out tomorrow).  We originally thought he had about 35% blasts in his blood, but found out today it is 73% blasts, which is a LOT more than we originally thought, meaning its more advanced & more aggressive.  However, he is in the BEST care at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas.  Those doctors are great and I know they will take care of Popo.  He starts chemotherapy on Thursday and has it every month for 5 days straight.  It sounds like he is going to have to have chemo for the rest of his life in order to keep the Leukemia at bay.  We were all shocked to learn he had cancer, and pray every day that God will bless him and his health as he starts his journey to fight this cancer.  Chemo is no fun, but we are confident that after the first month of treatment he will see better days!  Since he is 81 years old we pray it doesn’t take too much of a toll on his body. SO, along with all the other prayer requests I have, if you have room for one more please pray for my Popo as he begins his battle with Leukemia and we pray he WINS!  We’re praying for you & love you Popo!

I'm not going to end a post on a sad note therefore I'll fill ya in on what the Davenports did this past weekend!

Needless to say it was busy but relaxing at the same time.  Saturday morning we fed, then moved some cows to a different pasture & sorted off some of our bulls.  After we ate lunch we decided that the day was too beautiful to stay indoors, so we went outside and roped our “green machine” steer (that you pull behind a 4-wheeler.  Let me rephrase for those of you who are thinking we pull a real steer behind a 4-wheeler.  We don’t.  It’s a dummy steer; meaning it’s not real).  I was able to ride Reno (who’s been turned out in the pasture for the past 5 months) again and I was so excited to get back on him and ride and have fun!  That evening ended with Wesley and I sitting around our new fire pit roasting wieners, laughing, having a few drinks, and enjoying the beautiful night and each other.  We sat outside for a couple hours by the warmth of the fire, then called it a night.

Sunday we got up & fed, then that afternoon we brought in and sorted our spay heifers from steers.  The afternoon started out beautifully…the high was about 50-55 and the sun was shining.  About 4:00 the winds started picking up quite a bit and the sky turned deep blue/gray.  By about 5 PM we were experiencing high winds, rain, sleet, and snow.  While Wesley & his parents finished working the heifers in the sleet/snow, I went & unsaddled the horses and turned them out so they could get shelter.  As I waited for Wesley to be done, I saw the most unsuspecting thing – it started thundering & lightening while snowing!  It was wild!  The “blizzard-like” conditions continued thru the night and all Monday as well.  With the winds gusting to 50+ miles an hour by Monday morning we couldn’t see the end of our property due to the snow blowing all around.  So needless to say I stayed home from work Monday.  While I had every intention of getting some crafting done that day, I chose to sit on the couch snuggled up with the boys all day.  Not a bad day in my book.   I was able to have supper on the table by the time Wesley got home (including dessert!), get clothes washed, and dishes done too!  It makes for such a nice relaxing evening being able to have it all done by the time he gets home.  A girl could get used to that! ;-) 

We have plans to get together with our friends Clint & Sarah Boucher (and baby Jack too!) this Friday evening.  I’m so excited to see Jack.  We haven’t seen him since before we left for Texas.  Clint & Sarah will be welcoming Baby Boucher #2 in May so I’m excited to get to catch up with Sarah about the pregnancy & how she’s feeling…and of course to see all the baby stuff she’s got!  Saturday we are spaying heifers so that will take most of the day.  We plan to end our evening by the fire pit again this Saturday. 

Have a great week!