Tuckered Out...

As I sit here typing this new post I have ice on my hip and bags under my eyes. We got hit with ANOTHER blizzard on Sunday March 29th-Monday March 30th. Today is Tuesday, and everyone has been going 110% since last weeks blizzard. Mother Nature did give us break on Saturday, but it was only a tease because she let loose again on Sunday morning. So I'll start from the beginning...
Thursday morning, March 26th, Evan left for home in Iowa. I was so sad to see him leave, and without the wind howling through the house, it was so quiet while I waited until Nathan got home that night at 9:00. The next morning we got up and started shoveling snow to get my Explorer unburied since we had a Dr. appt in Spearfish. We got to Spearfish, only to find out that Walmart was closed for the 3rd time due to snow on the roof, and the roof had been collapsing. Whoever designed that store should be feeling pretty silly right now. SO there went getting supplies we needed for the past few weeks! We had my appt at 2:15, and it went great! I stepped on the dreaded scale to find out that I had only gained a 1/2 lb in the last month which put me at 20 lbs total! I was so excited, and they said to keep up the good work! My blood pressure was right on, and the babe is doing just fine too! He loves my right side, and loves my right ribs. We try to counteract him by pushing on him and he just fights back, which doesn't feel the best! He's still a moving and shaking like crazy in there, and the Dr even laughed at how spread out he was all on the right side, not on the left! Anyway, on Monday April 6th is my next appointment, and on Thursday I'll be 36 weeks!
After the appointment we went to Applebees to celebrate Nathan's 26th birthday! Since I hadn't gotten to go shopping anywhere in about 3 weeks I didn't get his birthday gift, but he of course had a card waiting for him! After eating about 2 bites of food, I was full. Nathan ate his yummy riblets and we called it a day. It was a fast trip to say the least!
Ever since getting home the 2 hired men and Nathan have been going nonstop over here. Painters have been going 24/7 too, and the calving has been pretty intense. Again with this storm we didn't lose power, which makes all the difference! We lost our Internet for awhile, and the DISH on the TV we lost, which usually means the power is next, but we got through it without losing power, Thank Goodness!
I've been trying to help out as much as possible but feel more in the way than anything. It takes me 20 seconds to take a few steps in the deep snow compared to the boys who are in good shape, and aren't carrying a baby! I spent most of today, Tuesday, outside scooping the sidewalk and trying to get things cleaned up. We ended up with A LOT of snow, and today was the first day we got to see the wonderful sun shining and blue sky! I even ended up getting sun burnt, which was fine by me!
I have the REC center to clean, and we have Continental to get to, tomorrow night. My hip is killing me, and I'm sure it's just from overdoing it. But, like my Dad has always said, "Ah..you're tough, you're an Andresen" and now Nathan likes to say "an Andresen, Wagner!" I think that's cute!
Anyway, that's our update for now! Everyone is doing good, just tuckered out! Hopefully April will be a month full of nice warm spring weather!

Blustery Blizzard 2009

We survived another one! On Monday March 23rd Mother Nature had her way with us, and the wind didn't get under 45-50 mph until last night. The house feels quiet without the wind zipping through. We started preparing quite a few days before this storm hit, and it was great to be prepared with the cattle and with power outage supplies in the house. We spent Friday afternoon bringing pairs in from the pastures, and getting all the livestock situated. I was completely exhausted. Saturday came, and more sorting, and situating went on. Nathan was gone for the morning due to work, but that afternoon we helped out. Since Nathan was leaving on Sunday for Mitchell, my brother Evan was coming from Iowa to stay with me and help out where needed-Thank Goodness! Sunday was beautiful, and it sounded and looked crazy that we were preparing for a horrible blizzard! The weather was an amazing 70 degrees and our cheeks got sun burnt, we stayed outside as long as possible that day, which I'm glad we did because the next few days weren't going to be fun.

Nathan got gone on Sunday, and on Monday Evan and I were on fourwheelers by 6:30 gathering cows and calves, along with two of Painters hired men, trying to get everything where it needed to be, and to get them all fed. Around 10:00 Monday morning, the storm hit. I wanted to cry, with wind gusts at 60-70 mph it just sounded miserable out there. We were prepared with water in the tub, coolers and ice ready to go, flashlights and lanterns in every room, candles and lighters, and I had layers of blankets on the beds. The extension cords were ready to be plugged in to the generator, all the vehicles were gassed up, fourwheelers ready to go, shovels and ice melt for the cleanup, and this storm was hitting! All Monday we kept power, amazing. Monday night came along, and I was positive our power would be out, so I dressed warm for the night. I woke up yesterday morning to electricity! The hired men had been checking all through the night, and so far there wasn't any loss of calves or cows-Thank Goodness. Everything was going as good as it could in a situation like this. All I could keep thinking was Thank You God for letting me get pregnant in July and NOT in June, because I would be due right now!

On Tuesday afternoon we actually saw some hope, the SUN came out and shined on all of our faces. It gave us that perk we needed to know that there is an end in site, hang in there. I'm telling you, just having power made this storm go so much more smoothly than last Springs storm when we were out of power for 10 days! The wind did slow down, and Evan and I ventured out, along with the girls, to take pictures of the enormous drifts that were as high and over our vehicles! It makes it ten times harder to walk, and with me being 5 weeks away from having this baby, I get worn out pretty easy!

Evan is going to try and take off for Iowa tomorrow, while Nathan will be heading home tomorrow afternoon. The roads aren't in very good shape until you get to the Hills, so with another bit of snow coming tonight, we're hoping he's not stuck here. Today we'll be digging vehicles out and seeing what this storm really did!

I'll add some pictures of the storm prep, and of the blizzard and drifts!

The first picture we are gathering pairs to take them to a more protected area.

The other picture is Nathan and Rex, he likes to nudge the calves to get them moving!

Here is Evan standing on the drift that goes right over his pickup, 2 Fourwheelers, my Explorer, and Nathan's pickup! Pretty crazy! On Friday it's Nathan's 26th birthday! If weather permits, we'll be heading to the Hills on Friday for my 35 week checkup that was rescheduled from Tuesday to Friday, and hopefully go somewhere special to eat. This weekend will be cleanup from the storm, and hopefully a little relaxing together!

We hope everyone is surviving whatever crazy weather Mother Nature is throwing at you! From blizzards West River, to flooding East River, and tornadoes going through we wish everyone the best!

Spring is in the air

Calving is in the air!-New baby 3.14.09-soaking in the sun! I cuddled on him before his mama came a bawling for him!

As of right now, we are sitting at 54 degrees, the nicest day we've had so far! The snow we got last week and the snow that we've had since November is finally disappearing, and there is water everywhere! We have had a hectic week, and it all started a week ago.

Last Sunday we went out to check cows, since calving is going on, and tried to cross the creek. Well, the ice didn't hold up and there went the fourwheeler, the front half sitting almost straight up. We laughed at first, but then realized that we had around a mile walk back to the house, and it was chilly! So off we went, through the pasture to get the pickup and chain! Needless to say, we got it out, I slept very well that night, and that was the start to a bad week. Temps dropped into the -20 to -35 range at night, and with new calves dropping through the night in the pasture, we lost three in one day. What a bummer, especially when they're not even ours! Nothing that is wet and that new can survive temps that cold. We finally got our first live calf on Friday, and I applauded to that cow! The temps finally started to straighten out, and it's nice going out that early to have the fourwheeler start! Saturday we got up at 4:30 and Nathan headed out to check while I got ready to go. We were heading to Spearfish for our Childbirth class, which was from 8-5! We got there and learned A LOT of good things! I am very happy we went, and we got to see the Labor and Delivery floor, which included getting to see 2 newborns! It really hit home that in a few weeks that is where we'd be! To Nathan it got him even more excited, and to me some parts of the class brought on more anxiety! All in all, a fun but tiring day! Today, Sunday, we've spent most of the day outside with the girls. We took them on a fourwheeler ride to check out the fast moving water south of the house, and on our ride we of course encountered our favorite critter, Mr. Skunk! Libby got sprayed, and you'd think we would be used to the smell by now, but it burns just as bad in our nose! Now, we just got in from a long ride of checking cows, and since there are huge waterfalls and currents of water going through the pasture, you have to figure your way through a large pasture! After getting to the far East corner of the pasture, we found another dead calf. Frustrating and disappointing, but we could tell it was born breech. She's a good mama too, which just makes it more frustrating. After getting back to the main herd, we went around a tree belt to discover a brand new calf that was just born! I love hearing the mama's talk to their babe's so we sat there with the fourwheelers shut off just to watch the first moments together. I took lots of pictures today, so I'll add some and mention what is going on in them! Enjoy the weather, spring is defiantly in the air!

Nathan & the girls trying to drain some water off of the driveway! That stuff is SO deep! The girls enjoyed getting scuzzy! We had a bottle of bubbles from the baby shower last weekend, so we blew some bubbles for them to chase-it was so funny!

Jade biting at the ice, and drinking some water! She was blowing bubbles while trying to get to the ice-it was so cute!

This is just a small waterfall, but it made us feel like we were in the Hills! The pastures are just flowing with water, I've never seen so much water!!

Nathan trying to find a place to cross, I let him go first! This was a pretty easy spot to cross, but some of the spots made me nervous!

A fresh new baby! Within minutes he was up and trying to suck, it's always such a miracle, no matter how many times I witness a new one being born!

This doesn't even show half of the creek, and it's usually so small! The water is just barreling through the culverts! The geese have been flying around like crazy, and that's a sound we obviously love!

I have so many pictures, I could go on and on about how much water is flowing right now! It's funny what wonderful temperatures and a little sunshine can do to a person, we're just so chipper today! We'll run out one more time today to go check cows, and then we'll call it a day! This next week brings the normal work schedule for Nathan, and hoping that my brother is coming to visit soon! We are slowly but surely getting our baby things organized, and now that we've had the showers and our birthing class, we feel ready to go! We hope this finds everyone else enjoying the wonderful weather outside!

Baby Shower Weekend

Here's Nathan & I before we left for the shower! He was going out to feed cows and since he is in the play, he had his 70's porn star look going on with his sideburns! He finally got to shave them off on Sunday after his last performance! Anyway, we are both so excited to meet out little guy and know that we are very blessed to have so many great family members and friends!

50 days and counting! Where is the time going? This last weekend was the big Baby Shower Weekend! On Friday, my Mom, Grandma, Aunt Marvie, and friend Megan Vostad, made the long haul out, for a fun and memorable weekend! Friday night started off with getting things and people settled in, Rita and Cullen getting here, supper, and then Nathan's play! The community play he was in was wonderful, and I haven't heard my Grandma giggle that much in a long time! Everyone enjoyed themselves, and I'm so glad we all got to see our Nathan perform! Saturday morning we had to be into town by 10:00, since my friends Shawna, Jamie, Megan, and Lindsey were throwing a baby shower for me! Lindsey-Shawna-Me-Megan-Jamie behind ONE of the TWO cakes made with baby gifts! This one Megan made out of baskets and blankets! It was SO cute and I didn't want to tear it apart! Cupcakes, Sugar cookies, Veggies, Little Smokies, and LOTS of other yummy food was there! This first shower was from 10:00-2:00 in the Lutheran Church basement in town, and it was a blast! We played lots of games, opened lots of nice gifts, and ate a bunch of food!

Here is my friend Shawna Sundberg, we've known each other for a couple years. She is the one who got the whole shower together, and then my other friends chipped in and helped out for one memorable day! I don't realize how tall I am, until I see a picture! Thanks shorty pants, what a wonderful time we all had! :)

Lindsey & I at the shower! We looked so "Springy" together! We have known each other since first year at SDSU in 2002! She's been my roomie, my maid of honor, and now a mom herself! I was VERY excited to know she and Trinity could make it for my special weekend!
Here is Megan Vostad & I! She came from Brookings, and rode out with my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt! She fit right in! We've known each other for a few years and done a couple camping trips together! We have so much in common and I was so glad that she could make it out! A weekend I'll never forget!

After the town shower, we headed to the ranch where Cindy Painter and a friend of hers was throwing a country shower for us! We pulled up just in time, and the party started! Here are some pictures from the Painter shower!

Here I am with Debbie Burghduff in red and Cindy Painter along with the two cakes my Mom and Megan made! Mom's was made out of diapers, and Megan's was made out of blankets! They were a definite hit!

Here we are enjoying a warm drink and winding down after a BIG day of socializing and opening gifts! I let my hair down and you can tell I'm wanting to crash! We didn't end up going to bed until after midnight, and this picture was taken at 4:00 in the afternoon! I've been recovering ever since, and today is Wednesday! I'll add some more pictures from the weekend:

3 Generations! My Grandma LaBelle, my Mom Anne, and myself!

My Grandma LaBelle, and my Aunt Marvie, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa! I was SO excited that they could all make it! We had so much fun and I haven't laughed that much in a long long time!

Everyone took off on Monday morning, and we had a Doctor appt in Spearfish at 11:30 so we followed them to the interstate since the weather was bad, and then we went our separate ways. The appt went great, with a blood pressure of 115/58-wow-and his heart rate at 140 bpm! My belly is measuring at 33 cm, which is right on! Everything is looking good! After the good appt we went and did some Walmart shopping and then headed home. The temps alone have been in the -20 to -30's and that's without the windchill! We're all ready for spring! On Saturday Nathan and I head to Spearfish again for our Childbirth class from 8-5! Calving is starting up everywhere, and we're starting to check for Painter's 275 head that are over here. Once the temps get nicer out it will be much more fun to be out there! My brother Evan is in his last week of classes for college, and then he moves back home! He is coming to visit next week for a few days, and I can't wait to see him! It's been since Christmas, so I too have changed a bit since then! We hope you enjoyed the shower pictures, there are SO many I wish I could show you all of them! Thanks goes to EVERY single person who came and helped celebrate our fun weekend!