Daddy, I saved the cow!

Last weekend Anne, Mara and I took Caiden up towards the mountains to a small farm where they take in injured and unwanted animals. When we got there, several of the volunteers were gathered around a small calf who had been separated from his mother at a very young age. The calf had just arrived at the farm the previous day and was very distressed and unable to eat. They had explained to us that he was very depressed from not having his mother and they were trying to lift his spirits. Supposedly he didn't want to even stand up and his muscles began to atrophy. They said that the night before a group of small children from the neighborhood had gathered around him and sang him 'Away in a Manger' to try and comfort him so he could stand and eat.

We watched as a large tractor was hoisting him off the ground to allow his legs room to stand, but still, he was too sad to give any effort. As we were standing there I was explaining to Caiden what they were doing and that the little calf was sick and they were trying to save him. I could see the look in Caiden's eyes and he was so concerned for this little animal. He reached down and picked up some hay and said, "mommy, I go feed the cow!" I told him how nice that was of him to want to help save the cow. We knew that it would take a lot of time for the calf to get better so we went to go visit some of the other animals. There was a very nice man there, Steven, who gave us a tour of the farm and took us to the stables to show us his beautiful horse. He even let Caiden sit on the horse for a little bit too!

We took Caiden around back where they had a few other animals including a little sheep whose legs were deformed from a birth defect. Although he wasn't walking normally, they said he wasn't in pain which we were happy to hear. They also had a HUGE tire swing that some of the kids were playing on, and we couldn't resist! After swinging with C for a while we went to visit some of the other horses they had, which I think was close to about 35!

This was the same place where Anne had come to volunteer back in September and was given the opportunity to ride one of their horses. After a few minutes of riding, something had spooked her horse and in an instant she was bucked off and the horse had backed over her and stepped on her right leg!!! I wasn't there but from everything she told us and the pictures that we saw her leg did NOT look good! They called an ambulance and ended up taking her to the doctor to get everything looked at. We had spent the day on the lake, so I was so sad we couldn't be there for her in the hospital! It took months, but she's finally healed up and ready to ride again!

We had such a great time on the farm and can't wait to go back. They even had a section of the Saluda River that flowed through their property so we let Caiden throw some rocks in!

When we got back home Caiden was excited to share with daddy all the adventures he had...or as he calls them, 'ventures'. He said, "Daddy, I saved the cow!" I love that he felt that he played a part in helping the precious little calf :)

Baby #2

In just 6 months we will meet the newest addition to our family, baby #2! It has been the most incredible experience to watch our little Caiden grow and learn and become such a sweet, silly little boy. On a daily basis, Jered and I look at each other in disbelief at just how blessed we are that God choose us to be his parents. What a special gift we have been given, yet there's still more to come.

We had been thinking for about a year now that we would love for our children to be close in age and that perhaps one day soon we could give Caiden a little buddy. Many of our friends and family know, but we had suffered the loss of a pregnancy back in October, which was heartbreaking. Through our pain, we had heard of others who had been through the same thing and somehow it was comforting to know that we weren't suffering alone.



Although it was a difficult time we knew that God had a plan, and it didn't take long before he blessed us with yet another tiny miracle. We were optimistic yet cautious and we waited until about 10 weeks to share the exciting news with our family. We had gone back to KC for our holiday visit in early December and knew that we wanted to tell everyone in person. On that Friday night my parents, brothers and sisters were playing a game of catch phrase and when my turn had come up, I used 'I'm pregnant' as my phrase! It took everyone a few seconds to realize that I was in fact pregnant and it wasn't just the next phrase on the game. They were all thrilled and couldn't believe the news! Such a fun moment :) Actually, Mel has that on video somewhere!

We have had the joy of sharing this experience with Caiden and watching him begin to slowly grasp the idea of what being a big brother means. We'll tell him that mommy has a baby in her belly and he'll lift up his shirt and say, "See mommy, Caiden has a baby too!" Oh the innocence! The other day we asked him if he wanted a brother or a sister and without hesitating he said that he wanted a sister and that her name would be Heidi Juliet. Considering the fact that my niece's name is Heidi Juliet, I have a feeling that won't be a name that we add to our list.

We are so happy and excited and can't wait to see what this chapter brings! Until then, we'll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece, Leilani Elizabeth, due in just 13 days!!!!!