The Crazy Cow Caper

On the Sunday morning of the weekend we spent at my parents' house in June, some of the kids went outside after breakfast before it was time to get ready for Mass.  One of the kids came running in saying there was some animal by our car, and they thought it was a baby cow, and it was outside the fence.  So we all went out to see.  Lo and behold, there was a newborn calf, which had somehow gotten through the fence, sitting down in the corner of the front yard.  The owners of the cows rent my parents' pasture so they have a place to keep their cows.

The kids were entranced by the little calf.

Anthony had no fear.

I think they wanted to sit and play with the calf all day.

We have since had a few requests for a baby cow as a pet!

The poor thing was mooing for its momma.

When the owners came with their ATV, Dan picked up the cow and placed it in the back, with the help of my brother-in-law, Paul.

Paul climbed into the back with the calf to hold it down while they took it out to the momma cow.

Heading out to the cows.

The calf is out and free.

Momma cow and calf are reunited.  A happy ending!

Pictures From June

In mid-June, there was a day when the Schwan's truck stopped at our house.  The driver was lucky that Dan was already home, because I probably would have just sent him on his way, especially as it was just about time for dinner.  Dan has fond memories of Schwan's from his childhood, so the kids were excited when he got a box of ice cream treats.

Orange sherbet push-ems!

Also in the middle of June, the twins had their regular dentist cleaning and checkup.  Joseph was very upset because it wasn't his turn.

The protest.

By that time in June, we had had our dog, Biscuit for a couple of months.

Anthony and Biscuit.

Anne giving Biscuit some attention.

Time for basketball:

Joseph took a shot.

Dominic studied the basket.

And the shot went in! 

Does this look safe?

Much better.

It is amazing how killdeer birds will make their nests on the ground, then when something or someone approaches, the mama bird will start making noise and dragging her "broken" wing on the ground trying to lure the threat away from the nest.  The kids liked seeing that in action.

One crazy bird made a nest right in our driveway!  See the egg?  Eventually there were three.

A few garden pictures from the second half of June:

Catherine watering the cucumber plants.

The garden looking all fresh and new!

Rows of corn.

Zoo In April

One day in April, we met a friend and her son at the zoo.

The Three Amigos

The jungle.

And why are my kids the ones on the fence?

The tapir, an animal we've rarely seen.

Everyone barely fit.

The red panda, also an animal we rarely see.

Anthony got a little help from big sister, Catherine.

After a bit, he did it by himself.

Joseph

We played May I Take Your Order?

This giraffe got as close as he could to the side.

What do we have here?

Giraffe vs. goose, and the goose won.  Interesting place for a nest.

Zoo In March

I enjoy taking the kids to the zoo (well, most of the time!) and they love to go there.  Every time we seem to see some of the same things, but always some that are different.  So it is never the same experience twice. 

Catherine and Anne like to write down all the animals we see, and draw a few pictures along the way.

They all like to look on the map and see where we are.

The boys took a break after I told them to quit climbing on the wall!

We went into the Reptile House and found a zookeeper cleaning near these giant tortoises.

This seemed to have them aroused for we had never seen them so active.

One spotted us.

He seemed very interested.

We do have to go into this building every time we go to the zoo, or I hear protests.

The boys especially like to see all of the snakes.

The girls tried out the new bench in the jungle, another place we have to go every time, or I get in trouble.  :)

Joseph wanted to make sure I took a picture of the leaf he found, so that Daddy could see it.

A nice picture of all the kids.

We got to see how a giraffe sits.

Another good pic of all the kids!

Did you know storks have backward knees?  And that they clap their beaks together to make a strange, clanging sound?

The obligatory picture on the lion statues.

The girls love the zebras.

And that is the end!