Well. Just 2 days ago I was writing about how it seemed like it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r for Nat’s calf to arrive… But today, I get to write about how we were caught completely off-guard with the arrival of Angel’s calf, lol.😳

Yes, we knew it was within a week of its due date. And, yes, we were hoping it would come early…😆 Yet, for some reason, we went unprepared into the field this morning to bring in our dairy girls.🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

Our normal routine is for Mike to head to the milkhouse first thing to get all our supplies to feed Mary Kate and Jake back by our barn. In that process of driving the 4-wheeler next door, he does a quick visual check from a distance to see if there’s a calf. He did that, and “assumed” there wasn’t one since all the cows were laying down and chillin’. [Never taking into consideration it might be possible Angel had her calf after we last checked her yesterday afternoon, so they had all evening/night/early morning to bond, eat, and rest together…😬]

So we did our normal chores at our place, fed Dude in the white barn, and then began our walk to the field to get the milking mamas. We were in a good routine and making good time. AND THEN. As I got closer to where Nat and Angel were, I saw an extra mini-cow laying next to Angel.😲 And of course, we never even thought about grabbing a halter before we headed out.🙈 What are we, rookies??!!🫣 Pretty sure 16 milking seasons disqualifies us from that category, lol, so…👵🏼👴🏼😂

It all happened so fast that Nat was already up before I could even get a picture snapped.📷

No time to go back for a halter now, so Mike & I made the decision to keep walking the crew down to the barn…👍🏼

The good news about it having been born yesterday, is everybody already knew it was there, so the only chaos was between Nat and Angel. Nat is only 2 days out from having her own calf, so this new addition understandably stirred up her mama instincts.😉

It’s a boy! Meet “Colorado.” (Think John Wayne movie: Rio Bravo🤠📽) This is Angel’s first calf for us. [Click here to read about when Angel was born.] We chose to use an Angus bull for Angel because they are known for calving ease…smaller head and body. We figured its coloring would look cool with its mama being all white, and we weren’t disappointed!🐮

Colorado was FULL of energy! He ping ponged between Nat and Angel all the way to the barn.🙂 (You can see Granny and Tilly watching on the other side of the fence.😆)

It was a relief to have everyone in the barn, and that Colorado followed the group so well.☺️

Mike was able to sneak the halter on Colorado without him really realizing what was happening.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

We put QueenB in charge of watching over Colorado while we went back in the barn.😻 Angel was a trooper for her first milking and we are SO GRATEFUL!❤️

Colorado is NOT a fan of the halter, lol.😂

Adrenaline was still pumping for all of us after our adventure, but Colorado was at a whole different level.😳 He was not about to let me get a good picture of him for this post.😵‍💫

Made it!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Dude didn’t know what to make of all this excitement, but he seemed happy to meet his new and smaller neighbor.🐮

Miss Tilly had fun escorting the mamas back to pasture…😂 She is sooooo cute!🥰

Soooo – just because Colorado is laying down and looking all calm and composed… DO NOT BE DECEIVED. He went C-R-A-Z-Y when Mike got in the pen to feed him his bottle. I mean, we’ve had timid calves before, but this guy??!! YIKES.😬😳

Picture those cartoons of bulls-striking-their-front-feet-in-the-dust-before-charging-type-crazy.🫣 I was in shock watching Mike absorb Colorado’s charges!😱 He had an idea that might happen given that Colorado has Angus in him, so he knew that these first feedings should be something for him to oversee. (Thank You, Jesus!✝️🙌🏼) If I wouldn’t have been so terrified that he would jump over the gates or hurt Mike, I may have tried to get a video. I don’t ever want to see that again, so I’m kinda glad I didn’t get one.😉

We are prayerful that Colorado will calm down for us as we earn his trust. It was encouraging to see that by the end of the feeding, Mike could reach over and pet him from outside the fence. Sometimes success comes in baby steps.❤️🙏🏼

Final tally: 3 boys and 2 girls.🐮🐮🐮🐮🐮

Now on to the next adventure…11 more days until Paul and Annie’s wedding!!❤️ We should be able to have these calves next door with the others by the weekend, and then we can finish transforming this barn into a wedding venue…🙏🏼👰‍♀️🤵🏻‍♂️

Even though this morning was chilly and crisp, the sunshine toward mid-day made it a perfect day to welcome Ruby’s calf.❤️ Uno had been early with Mary Kate by 7 days, but Ruby’s been overdue by 4 days, lol.🤷🏻‍♀️

We noticed yesterday that Ruby was looking close, so we brought her into the barnyard thinking she’d have her calf before the end of the day. WRONG.🤦🏻‍♀️ You can see in the next 3 pics that her tail was doing a lot of twitching, she held it out a bit, and she was doing a lot of turning and licking…all signs that a calf should be appearing soon! Granny & Tilly were just on the other side of the fence…😆

Since there was still no calf this morning when we came over to milk, Mike opened the gate so Ruby could be with Granny & Tilly. He thought maybe she wanted to be able to get out further and be a little more secluded. Ruby went directly to the low area that makes it hard to see her.🙄 And Tilly was SO INTRIGUED!!😂

I had to run to Carrollton for a bit, and on my way back, Mike txted that he thought Ruby was finally getting ready to have her calf! I pulled in by the oil well road and walked toward the middle of Eisengard on the outside of the fence. Tilly spotted me and came to greet me. Then she led me toward Ruby, lol.🥰

I had to really zoom in to see Ruby’s calf…🧐

…but Mike headed out from the barn and was inside the fence for a much better view. He was kind enough to take a pic for me before he checked to see if it was a boy or a girl.👍🏼

It’s a boy!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Meet Jake! (Think John Wayne movie – Big Jake.🤠) This is Ruby’s 4th calf for us. <Click here to read about when Ruby was born.> <And click here to read about her calf from last year.> We bred Ruby to a Hereford bull in hopes that she’d have a boy, so we were super excited that this was the case!✝️🙌🏼

Next you’ll see Granny and Tilly practicing their sleuth-like skills as they nudge closer and closer to the action, lol.🤣

We decided to give Ruby some time to get Jake all cleaned up and fed, so Mike and I headed home for coffee break.☕️😍 Then we came back over to make sure everybody was doing ok. Tilly was EXHAUSTED!!😆😴

Jake got right up and was a good sport about his photoshoot.📷

Here he is questioning Granny’s curiosity…🙃

And feeling comforted with his mama’s protection…🙂

Notice Tilly trying to sneak in from behind for an extra meal…🤫🥛

But her mama set her straight, and I think Jake was relieved, lol.👍🏼

We decided to leave Ruby and Jake together for tonight. We’ll separate them tomorrow morning before milking.👍🏼

When I came back over to feed Mary Kate her afternoon feeding, Granny & Ruby had both their babies with them by the water tank. It was another good time to snap a couple more pictures.😏

What a full day! Thank You, Lord, for another calf on the ground.✝️🙌🏼

New tally is 2 girls, and 1 boy. Lord willing, 2 more to go!🙏🏼

In typical Roberts’ fashion – here it is – a blustery, cold, February evening – and we’re welcoming our first calf of 2022, lol.❄️💨🥶

This is Granny’s first calf for us. We purchased her last summer from friends, and she’d been bred to calve the end of February. Mike noticed she was starting to bag up last week, so he began preparing the runway to bring her down from Mordor and into the barnyard. We wanted to have her closer to the barn so we could keep an eye on her just in case there were issues.🙏🏼

Our window to move her came on the 11th. Mike was able to clear enough snow and break up enough of the ice so that we could walk her down to the barn without issue. Thank You, Jesus!✝️🙌🏼

This was the perfect time to make some upgrades to the milking area… A series of panels and a gate have been added so we can section off the stanchions we don’t normally use. Since our herd is small, this will be helpful to create other options of space, and keep our girls where we want them when they come in for milking. The gate will be WONDERFUL to use for these aging farmers, as before we had to straddle over a waist high board to get into that area.🥴👴🏼👵🏼

We made a section where we’ve been feeding Granny her hay and she can bed down if she wants. She can also go out into the barnyard, too.👍🏼

Mike went over this evening to check on her, and there she was with her new calf! A girl!!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

We were trying to think of names that would go with “cold.” Paul suggested “Tilly” (think Tillamook Ice Cream😂) and we loved the idea – WELCOME, TILLY!!❤️❄️🐮

Granny had a good start on cleaning her up, and Mike thought it looked like Tilly had started to eat. So he closed them up in the barn for tonight and we’ll check on them in the morning. Our plan is to let Granny take care of her for now so that we don’t have to start daily milking yet. Our other mamas aren’t due until the end of April… We’ll watch and see what the Lord’s plan is for us.🙏🏼

Lord, we thank You and praise You for this new addition to our farm. What a fun way to add some warmth to this cold season! We thank You for the gift of being able to work alongside one another and enjoy the growth and harvest that comes from this farm. It isn’t always easy, and we are in awe of how You teach us through this process. We cling to You for guidance as we navigate this next season. Grant us the Wisdom we need to make the necessary decisions moving forward. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen✝️

Ruby, Uno, Nat, and Angel are the mamas due to calve starting the end of April. If you click on their names, you can read about their calves from last year. (Except Angel’s will take you to when she was born – Lord willing, 2022 will be her first calf for us.😉🙏🏼)

Saw some extra activity with our dairy girls this morning… Figured Gluey may have had her calf, and we were right! Hooray – calf #4 came unassisted on a beautiful morning. Thank You, Lord…😇

This is Gluey’s 11th calf for us. <Click here to read about her calf from last year.>

It’s a boy!🎉 Keeping with our John Wayne/True Grit theme, his name is La Boeuf…(pronounced La-Beef, lol😂)

Gluey was bred to “Gauge” – a beef shorthorn. (Gary and Rooster have the same dad.)

Only one more calf to go…

Current tally is 3 boys and 1 girl.❤️❤️❤️❤️