Gem State Meet

Annie and Emma had their second meet this past Saturday. Both girls did very well!

Annie:

Bars: red

Beam: white

Floor: blue

Vault: blue

Emma:

Bars: blue

Beam: white

Floor: blue

Vault: Blue

Both girls had high enough marks that they were awarded blue in the all around. This meant they came home with some fun prizes. It is so fun to watch them and see the progress they are making. Nine hours of practice each week really pays off. It amazes me that they still look forward to each practice. They really love what they are doing.

Sophie

This week we welcomed Sophie (a ten month old Westland Terrior) to our family.

Tonsillitis and Toilets

As is typical, today was a day full of adventure.

In the early morning hours, it was a call to the plumber. Sadly or humorously, the plumber doesn't need ask what I need. Toilet is plugged. Two year old (BOY) flushed item down toilet. Today it was two toilets.

Toilet 1

Toilet 2

What is really fantastic is that tonight toilet #1 is back to nonfunctioning. Plumber will return tomorrow probably to pull the toilet. That always smells nice.

The afternoon brought a trip to the vet. Chill is under the weather. Turns out she has tonsillitis and bronchitis. Her larynx is quite swollen, she has a fever and a wheezy cough, and she really doesn't feel well. She had a couple of shots, a thermometer in her bum, and will be on antibiotics three times a day for fourteen days. If she isn't feeling better in a day or so she will go back in for x-rays because she may have pneumonia.

First Born in the Wilderness

Our girls are starting to have their babies. We lost two moms due to illness and one baby has died, but meet ROCKY our first baby calf! He has won all of us over with is stunning good looks. All of the kids love feeding and checking on the cows, but no one loves it more than Emma. She even came home with "mud" on her this morning.

This poor momma is on her 20th or more pregnancy. We feel so bad for her. She can't get up today, so Dr. Kraupp gave her a couple of shots and we are praying for her. Seriously, it's like one of the grannys at the senior center in her last trimester of pregnancy. The poor cow!

Big Moooove

This morning our cattle needed relocated from their home on a hay field to their new home in a corn field. It wasn't too far from one field to the other, so an old fashioned cattle drive was the best way to move the girls.

Originally my job was going to be to stop traffic since the cows needed to cross the HIGHWAY. You know, the kind of highway where the speed limit is 55, but everyone drives 70?! I was very relieved to get the phone call that the Owyhee County sheriff would be meeting me there.

It was quite a sight, with all the cows headed down the road, Travis and Jake Speelmon on horseback yelling and rounding up the cows, one of our employees at the front tossing hay, another employee at the rear on a four wheeler, a couple of police in the road blocking traffic, me using my suburban as a fence, and the local newspaper taking pictures!

Isn't life grand?

Gymnastics!

Annie and Emma had their first gymnastics meet this Friday. It was their only traveling meet of the season and was held in Twin Falls. Grandma Amy and Papa met us there to watch the girls. We thought it would be best if the twins stayed home with Amber and Heather.


Here are the girls in their team uniforms. It is essential that their hair be slicked back with no fly aways or they get points deducted. Other deductions come from picking wedgies, having underwear showing, oh and technique.
No flash photography is allowed during competition, so the pictures are a little fuzzy.

This is Annie on beam:

Emma on floor:


Emma warming up on beam:

Annie on floor:

Jake was SO BORED but passed the time getting kisses from Grandma

And Papa

Each girl received a trophy at the end of the competition, as well as ribbons from the judges based upon how well they performed. Blue is best, then red, white, and rainbow (for participation).

Annie scored red on bars, red on beam, white on floor (she stepped out of bounds or would have had blue), and red on vault.

Emma scored blue on bars , red on beam, red on floor, and red on vault.

Take a real close look at the dude passing out the trophies. If you see his picture while watching America's Most Wanted he's in Twin Falls.

Although they were really looking forward to the meet and loved every minute of the competition, swimming at the hotel was a close second. For Jake it was all about the hotel and seeing Grandma and Papa.