Spring Sensations

 Our spring has been exploding with all sorts of normal, every day adventures.  Which is what it's really all about, right?  Some things that have kept us smiling...
 

 new 3D books about bugs.  What could be better?

 Dad jumping on the trampoline...and catching some serious air.

 The sprinkler under the trampoline.  Some unusually warm weather called for bathing suits and summer-like sun.

 These three are best friends.  They played and played for hours and hours.

 Helpers in the kitchen.  Isaac has become quite the little assistant.

 One last wrestling match for a fundraiser in Cedar City. 

 One more chance on the mat after he thought it was all over definitely brought smiles to this boy's face.

 And springtime usually means EASTER CAMPING!  This year was no exception.  We colored eggs while dad took a nap.

 We shelled the eggs before we colored them and then made some  BRIGHT stellar deviled eggs for Easter dinner.

 The Easter bunny found our camping spot and brought JUST what we needed....Juab gear for all.

 There were Easter eggs hidden all over our campsite.

 We went on a few family horse rides.  Spring rides always bring out the nerves in mama and the smiles in daddy.  It was the first time we have gone riding where we were all on our own horse.  It was so nice to be able to saddle up and head out with our whole family, and not worry about all the everyday details for a while.

 Levi spent a good portion of his time working his way through a hefty supply of bbs.  He's a pretty good shot, but the best part is his imagination.  In his mind it's not a bb gun, but a high power rifle.  It's not a can, but a massive aggressive bear.  It's not a peaceful relaxing campsite, but an outpost under attack.  And him?  He's here to save the day.

 Springtime sensation?  Bubbles.  Always a hit.

 And what is springtime and Easter camping without catching a lizard or two?

 Isaac rode shotgun with Grandpa Jones on one of our mid-morning adventures.

 The cousins came out and joined us for a weenie roast one night, and were the boys ever glad to have some buddies to recruit into their adventures.  We wished we lived closer (the request from the kids was "next door") so we could share these adventures more often!

 The night we got to camp, Grandma busted out her Angry Bird egg painting skills.  No PAAS dye for this arteest!  Our Angry Birds addict (Isaac) was enthralled.

 Turns out painting eggs is not quite as easy as it looks!

Can you tell which eggs belong to which artist?

Between camping, calves, and trampoline tricky's, our Spring has been all we could have hoped for.  Looking forward to more adventures sure to come our way.

Spring Shots

 My beautiful and talented friend Brandi (http://momentstorememberphotography.blogspot.com) did our family shots a few weeks ago.  Am I so lucky to know her?  Yes.  Am I so lucky to have such an adorable family?  Heck yes.

 This little mister was practicing his smile for days.

 I know, she really is our princess.

 Ladies man.  That's all there is to it.

 Los Regalos

 Sorry, ladies, he's taken.  Forever.

Calves

 Spring speaks of new birth, most profoundly at its core is the new birth given through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated in the spring.  This spring, we have invited newborn baby animals into our family, which has been another exciting adventure for the Dansie Family Circus.  We got on the list for three new baby calves, each of the kids would buy one with their own money.  When we got the call that they had been born, Jeff (of course) was stuck at work.  Lucky for me, he was able to pull away long enough to help me hook up the horse trailer, since that could have been a disaster had I attempted it on my own.  Once we were all hitched up, the kids and I were off to pick up their new baby calves.  Daisy and Levi were each excitedly gripping their white envelopes with their carefully counted cash to buy their very own baby calf.  None of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into.

 Two of the calves were strong and healthy, but Levi's little calf was very weak and lethargic and would not suck.  That night, I sat in the manure under the stars with his little head in my lap.  I would slip my fingers between his lips behind his teeth to squeeze the nipple of the bottle trying to get as much colostrum as possible into his stomach so he would get stronger.  After two hours, he had drank less than a cup.  Our prospects were grim, but I held out hope.

The next morning I was afraid to go out to the little pen fearing that he didn't make it through the night.  But he did!  He still wouldn't stand up, but he did attempt to suck that morning.  By that night, he was standing on his own, though still a little unstable and weak.  Now, three days later, he is an aggressive eater and keeps up with the other two.  Every little milestone has been so gratifying for me.  To see him standing and sucking brings such satisfaction after holding him on my lap trying to get him to eat for those first few feedings.

 Spring is also the new birth of our chicken coop, which I am really excited about.  I am admittedly a fair weather farmer, and while I love having the chickens and fresh eggs, winter is just not worth it for me. But now its SPRING!  We have a dozen baby chicks who are growing fast.  They are starting to shed their newborn down and grow feathers.  The kids feed and water them every day.

 It's been really nice to get to know our calves and start a feeding schedule while the kids are on Spring Break.  We get up early each morning to mix milk and bottle feed them.

 Daisy's calf is the strongest and most aggressive, but showed up with scours two days ago.  Since Jeff was at work, I was on my own to find a solution.  I was off to the 'farm store' (and Google) to see what I needed to do.  I returned home with medicine and for the last few days I've been honing my veterinary skills as I administer the medication to Daisy's calf.  Since he's under the treatment of such an attentive caretaker, I am certain he will be just fine. 

 Isaac likes his baby calf, but at 5 days old it is his same height and weighs more than him, so when it licks his face and jumps to play, Isaac isn't so sure about it.

 Not only do the calves require a lot of time for feeding, but I've been doing double duty when it comes to sweeping and laundry too.  We do our best to take our boots off outside, but we still end up tracking in miscellaneous animal debris, and as you can see from the manure on Levi's jacket and the slobber on his hand, taking care of calves is dirty business.

Today when we went to feed, Levi found this nest on the ground by our barn.  Just one more treasure added to the endless curious daily adventures that make up our lives.

Great Skate

 We are lucky enough to be a half-way point between where people are and where they are going.  This means we make a natural pit stop.  We were lucky enough to hang out with Jade for most of the day while her parents went car shopping.  We adore this little princess.

 That night we went ice skating!  Daisy won a prize from Dr. Lee at Red Rock Orthodontics and got to go ice skating with three guests.  She took Levi, her daddy, and I.  We were all really excited to hit the ice.  It was only my second time, and the first time for the kids.

 Turns out ice skating was A LOT harder than it looks.  The kids weren't quite pulling off the stunts they imagined themselves doing.  Instead, they made good friends with the wall.  Daisy said it was just too scary.

 Levi was determined to stay up on his skates and kept getting up after every fall.  He eventually was able to let go of the wall and just hold mom's hand.  Soon, we were practically a figure skating duo (not really.)

Dad and Daisy, however, called it quits and watched us from the sideline.  Jeff said he felt like he was going to break every bone in his body and decided that wasn't a very good idea since we don't have any heath insurance.  Daisy barely made it one time around the rink before she was running to the locker room to get her skates off and shoes on.  They were pretty patient as Levi and I made round after round on the rink.  Even though we aren't quite ready to play in a hockey game, a big thanks to Red Rock Orthodontics for letting us have a great night out as a family!