Of being busy, cow names and a birthday....

So it appears that I have completely ditched my blog again lately! I PROMISE you that it has not been intentionally!
Here on the farm we have begun the HUGE project of cementing the shop.... so we have been kept hopping busy preparing for that this past week.
Between that and birthday celebrations.... well, lets just say that there has been pretty much ZERO time for blogging lately.

Anyways, there is a few things that I want to catch you up on..... before I get to far behind :)

First is Clarabell......
Sadly I don't have any new pictures of "my baby" to show you. My photographer doesn't get out to the barn very often.... and me + a camera + a barn,  just don't mix. SO words will have to do :)
Clarabell is doing very well, considering that she is a heifer.
 She likes to try to kick me when I'm washing her.... I've been learning to be very good at avoiding those leg breaking kicks.... and have minimized it to only one big bruise so far :)
She was having problems with dancing from side to side, so I eventually put a square straw bale right beside her legs so that she THINKS that she cannot move :) It also helps alot with the kicking.
She is giving 6 gallons of milk per day which is REALLY good considering that this is her first year and that she is only 1/2 jersey breed.

After a few days of thinking about it I decided on a name for the calf.... it is (drum roll please!)...... CARSON.
We have "C" names going with all the calves that we have gotten off of our milking cows so far (Clarabell + Clover) and the name "Carson" just kinda popped out of my mouth (this happens to me... often :), so Carson it was!
We call him "Car", "CarCar" or "Race Car" .... he is quite the spunky little thing!!
Carson is doing well and growing like a weed!

Secondly is Caleb's Birthday.....
My "little" brother turned 13 the other day!! I can HARDLY believe that he is already a teenager (kinda makes me feel old :).
Meg, Ker and I had been bugging him for about a year that it was time for him to think about turning from a "boy" into a "man", we kept asking him when he was gonna do it!
He (very seriously) told us that by his 13th birthday.... he would become a man.... and he has NOT disappointed us!
Though he is not completely there yet he has been making progress! It has been fun to watch the transformation, and being able to treat him more like a friend then just one of the "little brothers" has been a BLAST!!! He has been coming with me milking lots lately, so it's been fun getting to know him all over again... on a new level.
I just can't wait until his voice starts to change.... being the teaser person that I am.... I'm a gonna' have FUN with that!! (heehee)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!!!!! I LOVE YOU MUCHES!!!

I do have some pictures of how much we've gotten done on the shop, but I think I'll wait until it is all finished until I show you them (are I not just so kind??? :). So STAY TUNED!!!
The big "cementing day" comes on Tuesday!

Until then.... have an AMAZING week!!!