Our Family is Growing

Our family is growing again.

This time by.....

12 feet.

Do I have you going?  Do you think I am about to announce I am pregnant again.  And this time pregnant with sextuplets (hence the 12 feet).  Nope.  Sorry to disappoint you. Our twelve new feet belong to the children's new calves.  That's right.  Baby cows.  Each of the "big kids" got to pick out a heifer calf (a baby girl calf for all you city folks like me) from my father in law's herd to have for their very own.  Johnny, my father in law, will feed and care for them as they grow, but when they start having calves of their own the money made from them will be put into the kids' college funds.  Awesome!  It's the perfect gift.  The kids think it is super cool to have their very own cow and husband and I think it is super cool that there will be more money going into their college funds.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you the newest members of our family.

Meet Chloe.  A beautiful black heifer calf with white stocking feet (sorry...didn't get the stocking feet in the photo) owned and adored by Ella.

And here comes Sally.  Another beautiful black heifer calf with a white spotted face owned and loved by Harrison.

And third we have Wonder Red.  This beautiful little girl is all black with the exception of her belly which is a rusty red color.  John David is head over heels for her.

And this is my cow.  Husband gave her to me around the time we got married so she isn't new to our family but she wanted some spotlight too.  Her name is Sunshine, which was and still is my dad's nickname for me.  As you can see she isn't black like the majority of our herd.  She is blonde, like me.  She is actually part Charlois, which is a type of cattle that is white, and part short-horn, which are red & white.  (Husband used to show short-horn cattle at the county fair.)  You might be wondering....why is she white when all the rest are black.  Good question.  A neighbor's Charlois bull broke out of his pasture and  fell in love with Sunshine's mommy, one of husband's former show calves.  Hence our one white cow in a pasture full on black, angus cows.

So there you have.  Our three new additions.  Don't worry.  None of these girls will be headed to the slaughter house or made into hamburger.  We will be keeping them around for years to come.

Welcome to the family girls.