Madsen Farm

Once upon a time there was a sandhill farm West of our Bitter farm.  And one spring day Brent was approached about leasing it.  It was late in the spring and a decision had to be made quickly.  Despite the craziness already going on with shop building and Progressive Crop Systems, we made a 20 year commitment and immediately began leveling it out, installing pivots, moving the canal, tearing out fences, and spreading manure.  There was so much to be done before planting season.

The kids and I were able to help roll up wire and help with removing some of the old fence lines.

As is usually the case with kids, it was a fun place to play.  We spent several windy days rolling up wire and eating sand.

This is the shelter the girls made one day.

On another rainy day, we helped glue the mainline together.

It was quite the undertaking and took countless man hours to accomplish.  Thank goodness for lots of equipment!

And before too long, corn was growing and it's easy to forget what it was once like.

Last Day Of School

The end of the school year was here before I knew it.  Delsie couldn't resist telling Dalanie hi.  Of course Dalanie worried that Mrs. Murray would get mad.

 Dalanie was the only first grader to be awarded the Presidential fitness award.

 Awards assemblies are so emotional for me.  There are the teachers that have taught, nutured, and spent so much time with their classes and then students that have worked really hard to accomplish difficult things.  I wish every kid could be recognized.  It is amazing what these pieces of paper do for them, such a feeling of accomplishment.

 Mrs. Murray was a good teacher for Dalanie.  She is very orderly and strict, so it gave Dalanie the parameters she seeks.  I appreciated spending time in their class to see what they were learning and how Mrs. Murray was teaching them.  So much happens in first grade!  Dalanie's off to a great start.

 It is always cute to see how excited kids get to see their siblings at school.

Hudson got an attendance award and the National Fitness award.

 The last day of school was field day.  Generally I like to go and help, but I  had been pawning off my younger kids so much I decided to opt out.

Hudson was in Miss Crofts class with Hailey.

I was able to come in to their class and help.  I was a little nervous at first since it was Miss Crofts first year teaching, but she proved to be a very competent and capable teacher.

We had Telfords over for an impromptu bbq after dance dress rehearsal so it wasn't a complete let down for the kids.  They put water in the sandbox and had popsicles, so everyone went home happy.

Branding

I don't know how we manage, but we always seem to brand on a beautifully hot day.  The other Hillmans came down and helped out.  It was so fun to watch the kids work.  They are starting to get old enough that they can help!  One would scan the EID tags, another would refill the tag guns, and some would interpret the scanner info and tell what pasture they were headed to so we could tag them the right color.

Some were content to sit outside the fence and spectate.

Jake was giving Gator rides.

Let Play Music Recital

There was a long and hot dress rehearsal working out all the kinks.  The kids were running amuck, but I didn't expect them to sit through the entire thing.  They each had friends to play with.

Dalanie had taken a year off, so she had a lot to recall and remember but she did great!

It was her second year, so she got to play on the keyboard.  Her part for the program was playing If I Practice Every Day.  She was content to play the top hand, but I told her if she worked hard and played both hands that she could choose her reward.  She decided that she wanted her nails done, so a deal was made.  She worked hard and played so well at the recital.

Hudson spent the last three years with this same group of kids.  We all became pretty good friends and it was fun to watch them develop as musicians.

Hudson was a bit restless this year.  He was older and often got bored with the lessons.  He caught on quickly, so he didn't have to push himself very hard until the end.  As a 3rd year, he was required to compose a piano piece.  He worked very hard on it.  It was a dramatic piece titled Cowboys and Indians.  He played loudly and confidently.  In preparation, we went to several homes so he could get used to different pianos and playing in front of people.

JeraLin had them made into official sheet music.

He is a bit sad to be leaving this group, but excited to start private lessons.

We sure appreciate the effort made to support and encourage our kids.