Update

Haidyn had her 4 month check up on Monday. She was officially 18 weeks.

Weight: 12 lbs 8.5 oz 25th percentile
Height: 24.75 inches 50th percentile
Head: 38 cm

It's amazing how much she has changed in the last week! Rolling over, rocking on her hands and knees, she found her toes, and yesterday I made her some applesauce which she loved.

We are in full swing with harvest. If all goes well, the milo will be done soon, Jason has cut all but one field of hay, and there is still the chile....which we always hope to be done by his birthday in December. And we already have grass up and growing to graze calves this winter. Needless to say, Haidyn and I haven't seen much of Jason!

Halloween....sort of

We had an impromptu photo shoot this evening with our cousins! The school was having their Halloween Carnival tonight so we took advantage of the opportunity. And this way we have pictures of Haidyn's 1st "Halloween".... even though we aren't going trick or treating.






Jason loves this picture. He thinks Haidyn is saying "What's up Willis?"













My happy little Baby!













"Baby's 1st Halloween"









Sydney wanted to be a UPS driver and Brooke was a queen. Haidyn was a tiger....for about 5 minutes!









It's nice to have my smiling baby back! Last Wednesday morning Haidyn woke up with a fever and in the afternoon she threw up. Called the doctor and they told me it was just a stomach bug and to keep her hydrated. Thursday morning it wasn't any better so I took her in to the dr. and by the time we got there her fever was gone. I know that they thought we were just "first time parents". By the time we got home her temp was 102 degrees. Still wasn't any better on Friday. She would wake up with a high fever, drink 6 oz. of pedilyte, fever would go down, lay her down for a nap, wake up and have a high fever again. So on Friday evening we ended up in the ER, and it turns out that she had a UTI. They gave her a dose of antibiotics and within a couple of hours she was already feeling better. We are on the mend now, but it was scary there for a little bit!

And today we finally petitioned the court for adoption. So now they tell us that on January 7, 2011, our adoption will be final! It's been quite the journey so far, and we are looking forward to having this thing final! Thank you to all of our friends and family for all of your prayers and support through all of this. We could not have done it without all of you.

Haidyn's Check Up

Love this picture!! It was taken a couple of weeks ago at my aunt's house when we were making green corn tamales. Last week Haidyn had a check up and shots, which I think are awful!! You take in a perfectly healthy baby and get a sick one in return! Thankfully it didn't last too long.

At 9 1/2 weeks:

Weight: 9 lbs. 15 ounces
Height: 22 inches
Head: 36 cm
New things: Smiling...a lot! Talking...a lot!! Last night she slept from 9pm to 6am!!

Personally, there is nothing better then when she looks up at you and gives you the biggest, cheesiest smile!

New Beginnings

It's funny how quickly life can change. Haidyn Rae was born on June 25, 2010 at 5:02pm, and our lives will never be the same. Two and half months ago today we received a phone call. A birth mom wanted to meet with us that Wednesday. All we were told was that the baby is African American, the gender was unknown, and that the baby was due soon....that Saturday soon.

We met with Stefannie that Wednesday and talked for about two hours. We talked about nothing really. It seemed that Jason and I were asking the hard questions. All she asked us was if we had a name picked out. We didn't have a first name, but we wanted to give our middle name to the baby.

It's hard to describe how we felt when we left. More confused than anything. We had just met with a young woman who was about to place her baby with an adoptive couple, and all she asked us was if we had a name picked out.

Thursday had to be the longest day of our lives. At VBS, my six year old niece asked me if we knew anything yet. I told her that maybe by the end of VBS we would know, and she said "OOHH, that long!" Trust me, I knew how she felt. It's hard to hand over control to someone. But to wait for someone to make a decision that would either completely change your life forever or you just keep going on as you did the day before can drive you to insanity! Finally, at 5pm we got the call saying that she had chosen us. After reality sunk in, panic set in. Any day we were going to become parents.

I expected that the baby would come on Saturday or maybe Sunday. And I hadn't done much because I didn't even know where to begin to get ready for this baby. I figured that maybe Friday night or Saturday morning we would head for Tucson and I would do some shopping while we waited to hear from the agency. Well, I get a call Friday around 3 pm saying the Stefannie was going into labor. Jason was 30 minutes away from the house, and I was trying to pack things in a hurry. It just seemed like it took us forever to leave. And as we are walking out the door, I get another phone call saying that the birth mom wants me in the room during the delivery and that she was 7cm dilated. Things were moving quickly!

Needless to say we didn't make it. Haidyn was born at 5:02pm Friday evening. We got there about an hour after she was born. She weighed in at 7lbs. 2 oz and 19 inches long. Jason likes to say that we had a 24 hour pregnancy....but it was years of labor. I will never forget the feeling of walking into the room and Stefannie handing me this most precious baby girl. Stefannie choose the name Haidyn and we gave her my middle name.

This is considered a high risk adoption because the birth father has not been found or contacted. This week we were brought back to reality that nothing is final yet, and that he still has his rights to claim her. I guess this is what faith is all about. Trusting in God, knowing that He knows the bigger picture.

For now, we continue loving this beautiful baby that He has placed in our care.

It's hard to argue.....

with logic! This is a video from a Tucson City Council meeting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShkpO9Rf1bo&feature=player_embedded

Perspective

A little different perspective than you have been hearing recently. Wish
all senators, local to federal would explain things like this.

"I'm Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen. I want to explain SB 1070 which I
voted for and was just signed by Governor Jan Brewer.

Rancher Rob Krentz was murdered by the drug cartel on his ranch a month ago.
I participated in a senate hearing two weeks ago on the border violence,
here is just some of the highlights from those who testified.

The people who live within 60 to 80 miles of the Arizona/Mexico Border have
for years been terrorized and have pleaded for help to stop the daily
invasion of humans who cross their property . One Rancher testified that 300
to 1200 people a DAY come across his ranch vandalizing his property,
stealing his vehicles and property, cutting down his fences, and leaving
trash.. In the last two years he has found 17 dead bodies and two Koran
bibles.

Another rancher testified that daily drugs are brought across his ranch in a
military operation. A point man with a machine gun goes in front, 1/2 mile
behind are the guards fully armed, 1/2 mile behind them are the drugs,
behind the drugs 1/2 mile are more guards. These people are violent and they
will kill anyone who gets in the way. This was not the only rancher we heard
that day that talked about the drug trains.

One man told of two illegal's who came upon his property one shot in the
back and the other in the arm by the drug runners who had forced them to
carry the drugs and then shot them. Daily they listen to gun fire during the
night it is not safe to leave his family alone on the ranch and they can't
leave the ranch for fear of nothing being left when they come back.

The border patrol is not on the border. They have set up 60 miles away with
check points that do nothing to stop the invasion. They are not allowed to
use force in stopping anyone who is entering. They run around chasing them,
if they get their hands on them then they can take them back across the
border.

Federal prisons have over 35% illegal's and 20% of Arizona prisons are
filled with illegal's. In the last few years 80% of our law enforcement that
have been killed or wounded have been by an illegal.

The majority of people coming now are people we need to be worried about.
The ranchers told us that they have seen a change in the people coming they
are not just those who are looking for work and a better life.

The Federal Government has refused for years to do anything to help the
border states . We have been over run and once they are here we have the
burden of funding state services that they use. Education cost have been
over a billion dollars. The healthcare cost billions of dollars. Our State
is broke, $3.5 billion deficit and we have many serious decisions to make.
One is that we do not have the money to care for any who are not here
legally. It has to stop. The border can be secured. We have the technology we

have the ability to stop this invasion. We must know who is coming and they must come in an
organized manner legally so that we can assimilate them into our population
and protect the sovereignty of our country. We are a nation of laws. We have
a responsibility to protect our citizens and to protect the integrity of our
country and the government which we live under.

I would give amnesty today to many, but here is the problem, we dare not do
this until the Border is secure. It will do no good to forgive them because
thousands will come behind them and we will be over run to the point that
there will no longer be the United States of America but a North American
Union of open borders. I ask you what form of government will we live under?
How long will it be before we will be just like Mexico , Canada or any of the
other Central American or South American countries? We have already lost our
language, everything must be printed in Spanish also. We have already lost
our history it is no longer taught in our schools. And we have lost our
borders.

The leftist media has distorted what SB 1070 will do. It is not going to set
up a Nazi Germany. Are you kidding. The ACLU and the leftist courts will do
everything to protect those who are here illegally, but it was an effort to
try and stop illegal's from setting up businesses, and employment, and
receiving state services and give the ability to local law enforcement when
there is probable cause like a traffic stop to determine if they are here
legally. Federal law is very clear if you are here on a visa you must have
your papers on you at all times. That is the law. In Arizona all you need to
show that you are a legal citizen is a driver license, MVD identification card,
Native American Card, or a Military ID. This is what you need to vote, get a
hunting license, etc.. So nothing new has been added to this law. No one is
going to be stopped walking down the street etc... The Socialist who are in
power in DC are angry because we dare try and do something and that
something the Socialist wants us to do is just let them come. They want the
"Transformation" to continue.

Maybe it is too late to save America . Maybe we are not worthy of freedom
anymore. But as an elected official I must try to do what I can to protect
our Constitutional Republic . Living in America is not a right just because
you can walk across the border. Being an American is a responsibility and it
comes by respecting and upholding the Constitution the law of our land which
says what you must do to be a citizen of this country. Freedom is not free."

The Rain Maker....

that's what Jason calls it anyway. I, however, like to call it The Skunk Eliminator! I am referring to the hay swather. I have had the joy of swathing hay. On Saturday, I swathed the last half of field for Jason. As I was driving along, I hear the "thud" and thought to myself "huh...that was weird". And then the smell. Being this was my first experience to actually run over a skunk in the swather, I wasn't sure of proper protocol. I did just keep driving and the smell did go away more quickly than what I had anticipated.

Yesterday. Yesterday I was given the opportunity, again, to swath hay. This time, however, I found out about a skunk reunion that was happening out in the hay field. Had I known that this event was happening, I probably would have waited for a more opportune time to cut the hay. However, I was uniformed and naively thought that family reunions only happen on the weekends! Needless to say, I knew that by the time I finished swathing, I was going to need to take a tomato bath to get the stink off of my body!!

Jason did let me into bed last night....so I'm guessing I didn't stink too bad!

Wordless Sunday

Again...why?

All this up roar about Arizona passing a law that says it is a crime to be in AZ illegally is silly. It's already a federal law, why shouldn't our police officers be able to do the same thing as the border patrol? If you are here illegally than you are breaking the law, and if you are breaking the law then any law enforcement should be able to enforce the law.

And, now, the violence has continued. An Arizona deputy has been shot out in the desert by an AK-47 in a known drug and human smuggling corridor south of Phoenix. According to the news, they are still searching for the down officer. When will this stop?? Our friends' home was vandalized today, while they were home, and last week a vehicle was stolen from the farm.

People just don't get it.

April in AZ

Today is April 22 and it is raining, snowing, and the wind is blowing about 100 mph! Today is also my dad's birthday, and 53 years ago on this day all the cotton in this valley was lost due to rain, snow, and hail. And 53 years later, my father's daughter is glad that the cotton is still in the ground!

Jason and I did plant cotton this year....and chile. It feels so good to back in the groove of things. We went from farming chile, milo, barley, hay, to only farming hay, to farming hay, chile, cotton, corn, & milo again. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with the opportunity to rent some land this year.

Speaking of hay, Jason has (or will soon) shut off the water to some of the hay. So it looks like next week we will start our 2010 hay season. Am I ready? No. Still tired from last year....

Cisco (my colt) is growing like a weed!! And he is full of add-it-tude! ;) He is two weeks old today, likes to run, filling out with some serious muscles, likes to drink water and "gum" hay, and his front two teeth are in. He also likes to buck and kick, especially at humans. I just wonder when I can start working him in the round pen.....

Cake season has also begun today. I am in the process of making two cakes right now, a cake next weekend for my sister's graduation from nursing school, and two wedding cakes in June and July.

It's shaping up to be a wild and crazy year, but I love it!

NPR

NPR has published some good stories about life and the violence on the border. I know that it is hard to fully understand what it is like to live on the border, but I thought that these stories did it some justice.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125737965&sc=fb&cc=fp
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125792592

Please be praying for our nation. We are continually heading in the wrong direction, and farther and farther away from God.

He is Finally Here!!!

We have been waiting since Saturday for this little one! Finally, last night he was born while we were gone. My mom stopped by the house, and actually got to witness his birth. Jason and I were at Tammy & Steven's, which she didn't know, so she couldn't reach us on our cell phones! He was born at 7:25 pm on April 8, 2010. It was 9:30 pm before we got home, but we were able to help him nurse. The picture above is of Teaspoon when she was a day old. He looks so much like his momma!



All four feet are white and he is full of sassafras!! Momma and baby are both doing well, and Coffee Pot hasn't gone far. My 29 year old gelding LOVES babies and this is the third birth that he has been here for. Also, I don't have name! Any ideas???

Blah, Blah, Blah!

I wasn't expecting much, but seriously???


Thank you for taking the time to share your
thoughts with me. I value your comments and inquiries. (sure ya do)

I greatly appreciate the outpouring of messages
from Americans across the country and around the world.
Some comments are supportive, others are critical, but all
reflect the desire of Americans to participate in a dialogue
about our common concerns and challenges.

To learn more about my Administration or to
contact me in the future, please visit
www.WhiteHouse.gov. Thank you again for writing.


Sincerely,

Barack Obama


To be a part of our agenda for change, join us at
www.WhiteHouse.gov


Wow. I can sure feel all that "love" coming from D.C., where they say that have such on open administration and that they want to hear from the people. Yeah. November 2010 can NOT get here quick enough.

Thankfully, I have a faith in a great God and find comfort in His word.

Deuteronomy 1:13
Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.

I guess that we have to keep praying that we, as Americans, will choose wisely in 2010.

Did you know?

Did you know that you can contact our very own president and he will get back to you?!? Yep, I tried it out. Well, I just sent my email message and asked to get a message back. Check it out www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/.


( I don't know why it won't get off of italics!) But, anyway, I sent my message asking for help down here on the border. Seems a murder of an American rancher isn't a big enough deal to get Washington's attention. I have also wrote to our own governor and several media outlets. We can no longer be silent.

I'll let you know when I get a message back from the President........

War Zone

I live in a war zone. I live in a war zone, and I live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Today was the first time in my life that I spent time with a family who just lost a son, a husband, a father, a friend who did not die of old age, he did not die of cancer, he did not die in a car accident, he died because he was murdered. He was murdered by a Mexican who was here illegally. He was shot as he was out checking water on HIS ranch. We live in a war zone and we live in the USA.

Every politician wants to turn their heads, close their eyes and ears to the war that happens everyday on this border. When will they wise up? When will our rights as an American citizen be more than those who come here illegally, and break our laws, take away our freedoms, and kill our neighbors? I am tired of being told that I don't count and that I do not matter.

People really don't understand what it is like to live close to the border. Our friends don't even think about leaving the house without a pistol and a rifle and they are ranchers. They live in a war zone. These are dangerous people, who are not afraid to take anyone's life so that they can continue to haul their drugs into the US.

How many lives have to be lost before Washington will stop playing games? This is not a game. And don't believe for one second that our borders our secure! That is a huge, HUGE lie. Check it out for yourself at www.borderinvasionpics.com. This is all happening in our backyard.

I have been pondering all day as to what we can do. First of all, pray. Pray for our friends and family who risk their lives everyday just by being out on their ranch. Pray for our leaders in Washington that they will finally use a little wisdom. And second, we have to voice our concerns. We can't just complain about what Washington and our state governments are deciding for us. We have to get involved.

They did not catch the man who murdered the rancher. They should have, but they did not. When will we the citizens finally say "enough is enough". Or will we have to stand by the motto of "live free or die"?

Winter in the Desert

The winter here has been incredible! We have enjoyed rain in the valley and lots of snow in the mountains. Last weekend Janette was here, so we spent a little time up in Turkey Creek. It is so beautiful!! It is a special time to get to see the water in the mountains. It's amazing how the sound of water is so peaceful and refreshing. As farmers, we pray that this water will help our water situation in the valley.





I love living in AZ where the scenery can change so drastically in just a 20 minute drive! We had fun with you, Nette! Ready for you to come back soon, and maybe the water will really be running when the snow starts to melt!

Jason

I came home for lunch and this is what I found. I've been teasing Jason about not getting me anything for our anniversary or for Valentine's day. He keeps telling me that he is looking for that "special something".

Well, today is special and for him to think of me this day is way more important than either of the other two days. Today it has been one year since I miscarried. It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and that I still miss and think about that baby everyday. But, today, my sweet husband remembered me and my pain, and along with the card he wrote me a note. I have decided to share it with all of you.

It seems hard for me to understand the pain and the loss completely the way you do right now. But I feel it, too, as much as I can. And I love you deeply and can't even express in words what you and your happiness means to me! Thank you for being who you are, even when I'm not who I need to be. Your support, encouragement, and love promise me that we can handle whatever is to come in our future....with God's help!

I praise God for such a wonderful husband who I do not deserve. His compassion and understanding is what helps me endure days like this. I love you, Jason!

Playing catch up

I'm still alive, I promise! This is just a "catch up" blog. Usually, the winter is what we refer to as our slow time...not this year. Our calves kept us SOOO busy and now that they are gone I feel that my life is without purpose. OK, it's not really that bad but I do miss them terribly! Last month we sold one group of calves here in Willcox, and the other group we shipped to La Junta, CO. As a bonus, I got a small vacation out of the deal!! The calves left on a Saturday morning and we left Sunday morning.

We went straight to the sale barn in La Junta to check on the calves. They remembered me!! That was my last moment with #36. Sad isn't it! But once we knew that they were all ok we headed to Colorado Springs. We called a few people and gave them "hey, we just happen to be in town......what are you doing?" We were able to spend time with Jason's friend Eric, his wife and new baby, and his parents. We had a really good visit with them, and then we went and saw my cousin, Aaron, and his wife, Christina. We had a great visit with them as well. The next morning we went to Focus on the Family! That place is so awesome!! And if you like Adventures in Odyssey, you will LOVE their Whit's End wonderland park. We both agreed that one day when we have children old enough we are going back!

We left there and went back to La Junta to watch my babies sell. I was so sad when we left....I cried. Jason looked at me like I was crazy, but I just couldn't help. Even now, as I write this, tears. I told him that I would rather just have yearlings all year than farm. It was so much work, but so much fun! I miss them so much.

Anyway, since then we have added to our family. Her name is Daisy and she is a yellow lab puppy. And she is all puppy! She has been bitten twice on the face by one or both of our other dogs because she doesn't ever stop biting....ever! Jason loves her, but the jury is still out for me. Not really into the whole puppy stage. She is cute though.

My mom and my grandparents are in Israel at this very moment! She sends a text everyday and they have been to the Jordan River, where they could be re-baptized if they wanted, the Mediterranean Sea and now they are on their way to Jerusalem. They are going to Egypt as well. I can't wait to hear about their stories and experiences in the Holy Land. I'm jealous!