Branding Calves

We had a great day yesterday. We got the boys up early, and while I fed them breakfast and packed the diaper bag, my husband Travis wrangled and saddled our horses. We had to be on the road by 7 a.m. to brand calves at Hunter.

It has been a hard adjustment for me to change roles from cowboy to mother of two. Where I was used to catching and saddling my own horse and just taking care of myself, I find I am always forgetting something I should pack for my boys. Normally all I would need to go branding would be my horse saddled, rope, bridle, and camera. Now we need the play pen, backpack carrier, diaper bag and essentials, kids, snacks, toys, extra clothes, the list goes on and on! We needed an extended cab pick up to carry it all! We managed to get it all loaded and out the door before Travis had the horses loaded, so we were doing good!

We made it to Hunter just as they were getting the cattle corraled, so we set up the play pen, put one kid in the back of the pick up with backpack full of toys, and the other in the play pen, where they were both safe and out of the way. Both Travis and I went in to rope. We are very fortunate to have a job and empoyers who are very family oriented. It isn't uncomon to look up and see Travis's boss, or one of the other cowboys packing around one of our babies and playing with them.

Trent, my oldest rode the last calf branded. Dad kept up with him for about 4 jumps before he pulled Trent off. Everybody cheered for him and told him what a great ride he made. When he made it back to mom he said "Goot ride cow-boy! Right mom?"