Emily is Smiling

Recently, Ali and I had the opportunity to visit some cows.  My Grandma Rhonda owns several cows and since she visits them every day, they're very sweet and friendly.  One of the best parts about getting to see Grandma Rhonda's cows was that she happened to have four adorable calves.  One was only three days old when we visited.  His name was... Beef Steak. 

The reason Beef Steak was named Beef Steak is because, well, that's what he may become one day.  It's a sad fact of life, but true.  Grandma named him Beef Steak to help keep from becoming too attached.

For now, I'm content to call him Cutest Baby Cow on the Ranch.  I mean, look at those big doe eyes.

My favorite calf was a reddish color and had big ears that stuck straight out from the sides of her head.  She was very bold and if she wasn't chasing her cousins, she was tiptoeing behind Ali and me, trying to decide exact what we were.  Red (I'm actually not sure of her name, but that's what I'm calling her for now) was quite the curious little calf, always getting into things.  She seemed like a very bright and intelligent... cow.

Another baby that was a slightly older (by a few days) version of Beef Steak was BB.  She was pretty cute as well, with big doe eyes and a velvety-looking nose.  BB often relaxed on top of a dirt hill or near one of her many mothers (the calves seemed to be content with nursing every mother cow out there... so we weren't really sure who was whose).  I loved BB's dainty little ears.  She was pretty cute.

Wendell was Windy's son (I'll talk about Windy in a moment).  He was born about twice the size of a normal calf, so although he was around the same age as all of the other calves, he was much larger.  However, Wendell was also the sweetest calf there, just like his mother.  He was the only one who willingly let us pet him.  He was a soft, tan color and had big eyes.

The nicest cow of all was Windy, who would rather be petted than eat.  That's pretty impressive for a cow.  She happened to be Wendell's mother and you could tell, since they looked so much alike.  Windy tended to follow me and Ali around, nudging at our backs with her wet nose and trying to convince us to hug her neck.  I never knew a cow could be so sweet and gentle. 

(Notice Red getting into something in the picture below.)

I didn't like the black cows so much.  They mooed all the time and often head-butted each other while trying to get to some food.  The babies and Windy were much gentler.  However, Ali found a black cow friend.  She was still a youngster, only about three months old, although she was much bigger than the week-old babies. 

The cutest thing of all was when the babies would start to nurse. 

Ali and I never realized cows could be... nice.  Or motherly.  We always saw them as being, well, cows.  We were pleasantly surprised when we visited Grandma Rhonda's little ranch and saw the personalities of all her cows.  I can't speak for Ali, but I have to say... I will never look at a cow the same way again. :)

Check out a YouTube video about our day with the cows here.

And be sure to check out Ali's new blog where she shares about her journey through life with God's help, Big Hair Ali.