Autumn Around Us...

I haven't posted in months and I have been chastised for it.  Repeatedly.  I have been busy, but also just very lazy.  The kids started school in mid-August.  How nice is it to have ALL the kids in school all day 4 days a week?! (We don't have school on Mondays here...)  So nice that I have become lazy and spoiled.  My only 'job' is maintaining the house and caring for our animals.  And still I am surprisingly behind on laundry.  ugh!

This is the kids' first day of school.  Dallin would not cooperate.  Emma is in K, cole in 2nd, Zoe in 4th, Aubree in 6th (Jr.High), and Dallin is in 8th grade.  They ride the bus together to and from school.  It is so nice.

I cannot believe my baby is in school!

Our animals are doing well. 

Our 23 hens are producing eggs too well.  We have been gathering 18+ eggs a day for months.  We simply cannot give them away fast enough.  I have been offering hens to friends to alleviate the massive amounts of eggs.  Fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs... Just the look of eggs make me feel queasy...

Check out this monster sized egg we found one day.  It is next to a medium sized egg.

On a good note... one of our hens hatched some chicks!  2 survived.  "HennyPenny" is currently raising her babies and they are in the "homely" stage.  One may be a rooster.

We lost one of our goats, Sprinkles a few months back.  We had tied her out and she strangled herself.  We were really sad. :(

Our surviving goat, Cheese, is healthy, but highly annoying.  What was once "cute" is now a nuisance.  She thinks it is precious to sit on our laps.  When an animal is 100+ lbs with horns... so NOT precious!  I have started tethering her in the yard, because otherwise she can get out of her enclosure in 1 second.  Allowing her to wander freely means tons of poop on the front steps and the possibility of a goat running in the house.  Both are uncool.  Trying to get a goat out of the drivers seat is always fun, as is trying to unload groceries.  I have to fight her for the bread and veggies every time.  And the most awesome thing: imagine welcoming guests to your door, with goat droppings everywhere.  "You know you're a red-neck when..."

Nice.

We had purchased another lamb as a sister for Bella to hang out with.  They love being with the goat, too.  The sheep (Bella & Meadow) are healthy, large, and so sweet.  Compared to our goat, anyway.  They are very attached to Cheese, so sometimes they get loose and get in trouble also.  But they are followers that are much easier to handle.  Fun stuff.

It is nearly time to breed the goat and sheep.  I cannot wait for them to be mothers. Meadow will be a wonderful mother.  She loves to "mother" the cats.  She even beat up my mom's pup when he pestered the cats.  LOL.

At least Cheese will earn her keep with some milk!  Mmmm!  Chevre...

My children have been enjoying school (mostly) and the wonderful Fall weather.  Of course it is hot some days and cold the next, but that is fun to us.  This morning we awoke to frost and ice everywhere! Emma had a blast "skating" across a mud puddle.

We had a Fall Festival with a Hay ride at the Branch on a nice cool day.  We had a blast.  Halloween was fun.  But as usual I did not take pictures.  We are looking forward to having Thanksgiving with the Branch at the church.  We love it here!

Summer Days

I have survived my week of Girls' Camp and am now enjoying the easy summer days at home.  The kids and I have been going to the pool in Albany a lot.  They enjoy seeing friends from church and school there.  And I enjoy being able to sit back and observe without being in the water (its cold!!!) the whole time. 

Our animals are growing steadily and thriving.  Bella is still scrawny next to her new sister, Meadow.  But she is growing and seems happy enough.  Bella has been shedding, and now that much of her longer hair has shed, she looks much better. 

The twins are happy as ever.  They were recently weaned, and did  NOT like missing babas.  But they are doing fine without them.  They enjoy all things mischievous, including climbing into our vehicles and on the lawn mower, escaping their pen, and head-butting cats.  That is so funny to watch!  Thank heavens they have yet to attack our garden... knock on wood!

The chickens look like adults already!  I know I need to begin looking for eggs soon.  Wow!  Our roosters are starting to "crow", although it sounds kinda pathetic.  They are NOT quite fully developed yet.  Almost!

Our fruits are growing, although it has rained seldom and they need a good rain.  We have squash that can be eaten any day now and have our first cucumber.  Yeah!  We need to get the knack of gardening here.  The soil is rich and absorbs water, but we have little vermin to deal with (moles, field mice, rabbits, raccoons...).  We are still learning!

Tomorrow is Cole's 7th Birthday!  He is so excited!  We need to make it fun!  ;)

Next week:  My best friend Tasha is coming with her kids to visit!  I am SO EXCITED!  I miss her and the kids SO BADLY!  And Cole and Emma miss their best friends Scott and Brooklyn.  Aubree cannot wait to see her sweet baby, Tayven (neither can I)!  Happy dance, happy dance!

Summer Break On the Farm

I haven't posted in awhile.  Whoops!  I have been busy with end of the school year stuff and the first week of summer vacation.  And my husband is officially living here, so I have been enjoying that immensely!  I kinda like having him around for some reason... ;)

Farm News:  We now have 2 little ewes (female sheep), Bella and her new "sister" Meadow.  Meadow has been here for nearly 2 weeks and is adjusting fine.  At first she was a bit freaky.  Not only is she HUGE next to Bella (momma milk, I suppose), but she had been out to pasture all her life and was NOT tame.  At all!  She would go barreling through, ramming her head against fences, to get away from us, etc.  Thank heavens for Bella!  Meadow has been used to being a part of the flock and follwing all they did.  Bella is very tame and lovey, so Meadow has learned to tolerate me and follow me into her pens.  I still am not allowed to touch her, but she doesn't freak out when I am nearby.

Bella and Meadow

Meadow being shy

All of the other animals are doing well.  They are growing quickly!  Our chickens look like adults.  The roosters (there are 3, oh heavens!) are starting to crow a bit, fight a bit, and one is even "acting his part".  Blech!  We will keep one, maybe two.

Our chickens are growing up nicely

Capt'n Dudley Haddock (Cole named him) is watching over his ladies

The twins are so cute and fun!  They are into everything and are little Houdinis!  We have to make sure their enclosures are VERY secure!  They love playing around, climbing on everything, and head-butting anything.  Emma made the mistake of playing "head-butt" with the twins one afternoon.  She ended up regretting it (sore bum and forehead)!

Cheese & Sprinkles are growing quickly and loving life

The twins love torturing the cats (head butting them), and Ruby is ever vigilant

Fun stuff:  We got are garden going with tomatoes, swiss chard, green beans, yellow squash, zuchini, cucumbers, and watermelons.  Yum!  It was HARD WORK (especially when the ground hasn't been worked in a few years)!  We had to till several times, hoe into into rows, plant, and mulch it (straw).  But it looks nice.  We cannot wait to get some veggies!



We now officially have baby grapes!  We have 3-4 old Concord grape vines going strong.  How awesome will it be to have fresh juice and jam?!

A nice close up, the bunch is about 2 1/2 inches long

Glorious, glorious grapes!

The coolest thing...

We have a PEAR TREE that is producing highly!  We didn't even know we had a pear tree!

AND we have TWO.... drum roll, please... APPLE TREES!  Woohoo!  I am just a bit excited.  Can't you tell?

Okay, okay.  The fuits are only about 1 inch long right now.  But how cool is that?!

I should probably say something about my kids... they love summer!!!

Barnyard Babies

Okay, so I LOVE living here!  It is so much fun to see all of my little barnyard babies growing up.  They are so adorable and entertaining.  And of course they are work.  But that's a given.  Any mother knows that.  I have 5.  I am no stranger to work.

Chickie babies:  I love my chickens and it's apparent that they love me, too.  Every time mommy goes into their run, they go crazy, running and crowding around my feet.  It is not uncommon to have them fly into my arms momentarily, then fly back down to my feet.  I can hardly take a step without someone squawking, because I accidentally squished their toe.  It is both funny and annoying.  Last night would have been quite humorous for someone to watch.  It took me a good 20 minutes or more to get them into their broader house for bedtime.  They would only go in their house if I went in and as soon as I'd try to leave, some would escape with me.  Stinkers!  To top it off, our cat was stalking the run and waiting to catch a tasty snack (like she could actually do more than scratch them -- she's the size of a large kitten!). Needless to say, it was not so funny to me.

Baby Bella:  jealousy, envy, spite... this describes her focus right now.  Those twins have stolen her spotlight and she will have none of that!  She has been kicking, head butting, and nipping the girls.  Not nice.  Thank heavens she only has a few flat teeth on the bottom!  For mommy, me, she mostly avoids me or nips at me .  But if one of the girls come near me to snuggle, she pushes her way to me to reclaim her throne!  I swear she reminds me of my Emma...

Cheese and Sprinkles:  Sweetie pie babies!  They are so fun to watch as they frolic and play.  They are little acrobats and climbers.  Cheese seems to be our most inquisitive, precocious, and mischievous of the two.  She is our natural leader.  She doesn't miss a thing and has to be in the middle of it all. No wonder Zoe chose her for her own, they have a lot in common!  Sprinkles is our laid back, affectionate girl.  A little reminiscent of Aubree...

Yesterday Cheese was showing off for us.  She would go running really fast and skid to a stop on the concrete porch.  She did it a number of times with a look of satisfaction.  On her next attempt, she lost her footing and fell over, skidding on her side to a stop in the grass.  We all laughed and she was pleased with the response.  She immediately arose and did a few acrobatic jump and flips that only a goat can do.  So cute!

Chicks N Such

Thought I'd put up some recent pics of the chicks and other animals.  They are getting so big!

The golden ones (Buff Orpingtons) are SO much bigger than the others...

This Barred Rock is watching the excitement.

These ladies are dining in tonight.

Princess Bella is growing so fast!

Our sweet Ruby has proven to be quite the flock guardian!  The other day some of the ladies escaped and we caught her with a chick in her mouth!  But on closer inspection, she was NOT biting down, she was carrying it to us!  The chick was fine and since then , Ruby warns us of impending danger.  She even reminds us to put them up in the evenings and check their food and water!

...And you've seen our new twins... Cheese and Sprinkles!

Double Trouble

May I introduce our newest additions, Swiss Cheese (Cheese) and Sprinkles. They are twin doelings, female Alpine dairy goats, about 4 weeks in age. And they are doubly sweet! And double the work! LOL.

We bought them on Tuesday. Zoe was able to pick her favorite as her birthday present! She named hers Swiss Cheese, Cheese for short. Naturally we wanted to name the other one something that would go with Cheese. The kids picked Sprinkles. Its a line from the movie Rio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ObyZxbavuw&feature=youtu.be

They are nearly inseparable. They are very affectionate and lots of fun. And of course they will be making lots of cheese and milk for us in the future. Yum!

Bella has been bitten by the green eyed monster lately. She is NOT pleased to be sharing the spotlight with the twins. She avoids them and has made it clear she is avoiding me, except at feeding time. She is especially annoyed that she has been put on a "diet" since their arrival. We have been apparently feeding her too much. She looks like a beast next to the little squirts. Poor Bella! ;)

Welcome to the family, Cheese...

And Sprinkles!

We love you!

This Week...

I guess its time to post something, right? This past weekend was Easter. We had a wonderful weekend with Dan coming home (WOOHOO!) and my Grandma coming for a visit. And, of course Easter!

My sweet husband had to leave to fly out Monday morning and is due back this afternoon. Poor man. He feels like a visitor in his own home! :( At least, we will be together for the weekends this week and next. His constant traveling should be coming to a slow down soon. I hate when he's gone!

My Grandma had let us know she would be coming soon. We were not expecting her last weekend. When she called she was already on her way for a 2 month stay. That's my Grandma! We are glad to see her. We missed her. (Just 2 months is a long stay...)

Our chickens are doing great. The chicks are getting so big and ugly right now. But they are getting their feathers in nicely and starting to look more attractive again. We have lost 2 total. "Funky Dude" passed on Monday due to the cold. Poor thing. That was the one with the afro. We loved that one! Bummer!

Ruby is fitting in exceptionally. My only complaint: she is obsessed with the chickens! She has been digging around the perimeter of the hen house and waiting for her chance to have a snack. She will not go in the chicken yard, though. She is just so obedient! Wish my kids would obey as well as she does!

Bella is doing great and loving life. She is growing every day and getting smarter constantly. She knows how to be extra cute and perform her tricks (spins, kicks, jumps) for the attention she seeks. My Grandma is totally in love with her!

My kids are happy. They love their new friends, school, and church. The people are so very nice. It has been an easy transition. They have been learning how to play outside and explore their property. They have been especially fond of climbing the front tree and playing in the creek. We have all been doing fine without TV/ Cable, Netflix, Redbox, etc. I am proud of our inattention to these things, but mom and Grandma want to get satellite. Oh well!

Gotta run! I am picking up my sweetheart from the airport! Yeah!

Bella and Her Baba

Bella is thriving. She has become quite the eater. If she had her way, she'd live with a bottle in her mouth. Feeding her is a contact sport. You have to be very fast to get it in her mouth fast enough. Otherwise you get rammed and head-butted constantly. You also need to be able to hold on to the bottle, despite her constant ramming of the baba. At least the feeding sessions are short!

Here's a short clip, recorded while holding the bottle in one hand. Not easy.

To Bella, With Love

Dearest Bella,

As you know, you are adopted. That has never been kept a secret from you. But I want you to know how much you mean to me, your daddy, your grammie, and your brothers and sisters. The very first moment we laid eyes on you, we were in love. You were so small, so sweet, so defenseless.

After your sad beginnings with your previous family, we were so glad to give you a safe and loving home. Your natural mother was declared unfit by LPS (Lamb Protective Services). She had triplets and was unable to properly care for you. Please don't be angry with her. It was simply too much for her to bear. LPS took you away and brought you to us. We are grateful for the chance to have you in our lives.

When others tease you for looking or acting different than us, remember that we love you and always will. You will always have a home with us. You are our special Bella.

Spring Is Here!

I am so excited to see green grass coming in, buds beginning to form, and birds singing so sweetly. It has really been warming up and the world is awakening outside. Its so nice to be out in the middle of all this beauty. I love it!

Bella has been doing so well! She scared us there for awhile, but she is fully recovered from her scours and growing in strength and size. She is eating well, always hungry, and always "smiling". I love to watch her run after the kids to play or nibble on the fresh green grasses. So cute!

Bella still follows me everywhere I go and waits for me when I am not around. When she is out of her pen, she is my shadow and even waits at the door when I go inside briefly. You'd think she just hang out with my mom or the kids while I was inside. Apparently I am every one's mother, my own children, the dog, the cat, and the lamb. Oh yeah, we have a barn cat named Tinkerbell (Tink) that is so very affectionate with everyone, except Chester.

Today Mom and I had a productive afternoon. We cut away a seriously fierce looking gooseberry bush. I know, I know. I shouldn't have nearly taken it out, just cut it back. But it was seriously dangerous and in a weird spot (too close to the hen house). So now it is toast. We started to burn the cuttings, but they were too green. We did, however, take out some old grasses taking over the hen house and trim back some roses, etc. They are now burned and the area looks so much better.

I did a serious mucking of the lamb stall, secured it with some chicken wire near the front for protection against coyotes, and added the poop mix to the compost pile. I know you are all just so jealous! Really it is not gross at all. Sheep are relatively easy to clean up after.

I am super excited about tilling and planting! I have been making drawings of what I'll do and where it'll all go. Fun! I hope that I am not too late starting it all. It will definitely be a learning experience.

I admit I have been super lazy the last few days. Hence, no blogging. I LOVE to read and was completely engrossed in the Hunger Games Trilogy. If you haven't read them, you should! SO GOOD!

Baby Lamb Blues

Our little lamby lady has yet to get over the scours. She has been getting really dehydrated. If we do not feed her every 3 hours or less, she starts to sound badly (baaas are weakened) and looks a little lethargic. I am worried about her. But, I hope she recovers! And I am certainly trying my best.

I will need to get up at midnight and 3am to feed her. Last night I was so exhausted and I did not feed her in the night. She went 7 hours without eating. Its my fault that she is as bad off right now as she is. I feel like such a jerk. Right now she is her pen with a heat lamp and a full tummy. And the good thing is that she is peeing a ton again and the scours are not as bad right now. She is still growing and seems mostly happy. Let's keep it up!

I really love this little sweetie. I knew lambs were gentle and sweet. But they are so loving and trusting. She follows me everywhere and "waits" for me by the door. She loves my mom and the kids also. But she thinks I am her mama and is the most attached to me. She even always looks like she is smiling, with bright eyes. I think it is the cutest thing when she scampers and she tries to nurse on my pant legs. She is so precious!

About the kids: They love school here. They ride the bus and have a very long day at school. They get on the bus at 6:45a and off at 4:45p! They have school 4 days a week, Tuesday thru Friday. And today the Elementary kids went to the CIRCUS! Cool! Emma and Dallin did not get to go, so I am taking them tomorrow. The other kids will spend some time with Grammie in St. Joe's (St. Joseph, MO).




About the unpacking: It is nearly done. I have done little of it the last 2 days because I am so sick of it. But I am getting there. Next week will be devoted to obtaining seeds and planning out my garden areas. I want a "kitchen garden" closer to the house for herbs and tomatoes, etc. I want a larger garden further out, for everything else. I still need to cut back my grape vines, blackberries, asparagus, and fruit trees. I am getting there.

Okay, so I have Skype now. So if you want to video conference or just chat, my profile name is amie.haddock . Just so you know...

Setting Up House, Etc.

This day was devoted to setting up our bedrooms and general unpacking, as well as taking Dan to the airport. (Kansas City is a good hour an a half away, so naturally it takes a big chunk of your day roundtrip.) I have our rooms mostly set up, but they are a long way from finished. I will not consider them "done" until the outdated carpets and walls get replaced and painted. My room is not quite as ugly as some, but it smells of cat pee. Not cool.

Bella is still ill. I am really worried about her. I have been doing my best to keep her warm and clean (her bottom is a mess). I have also been working on her stall all day. We managed to get an extension cord out to her for the heat lamp and have Chester sleeping nearby to protect her from coyotes. He was a little scared. He'll be fine.

Dan should have a pleasant time in Salt lake City. His days will be devoted to classes and his evenings to visiting with his parents. He is such a daddy's boy! I hope he has a nice time. we'll miss him here.

Got to get the kids to bed. They have school tomorrow. It'll be the first day for Aubree, Zoe, and Cole! 'Night!

Our First Sunday

Its the end of our busy week. We attended church for the first time in our new branch. It was a very pleasant visit. It is nice to have so many welcoming and warm saints. Not surprising, my kids made themselves right at home and were anything but shy. At least they do not have issues with new situations.

I am excited to get a calling and be put to work. The branch is so small. It is different from what we are accustomed to. All the kids have Sunday School first and a joint Primary. There are only 3 people in Primary during Sharing Time! (A pianist, a reverence advisor, and someone to lead Sharing and Music Time.) I cannot believe there is not a chorister! Many of the organizations only have a President and First Counselor. And the active members often have 2 or more callings. It will be interesting to see where I end up. Please be YW or Primary!

Bella is still ill, although she seems much better. We have her out on the porch in a dog crate with a heating lamp. She is not happy to be out of the house. Afterall, she thinks she is a human. But she needs to start acting like a lamb. She is constantly baaa-ing at me, saying, "Mom! Hello! I am waiting...". The little lady has no intentions of living in a barn!

I feel a little overwhelmed. Dan is leaving tomorrow and I will not see him for awhile. He will be in SLC for 2 weeks before heading back to Texas. He still has more job training to do. While he is gone, I need to get our family on a good routine with scripture study, prayer, FHE, and chores. I need to work on getting these kids used to working harder and watching media less often. I also need to work on my own prayer and scripture study. And I also need to prepare our garden by tilling and buying more seeds.

Bella Is a Little Lamb...

I really need to get acclimated! It is so much colder here. I know I am just a wimp, but seriously! I seem to be cold at all times! And this is the mildest winter they have had here in some time. Brrr!

This morning I mucked out a small animal stall in the barn. It was way too cold and windy! We need to get our Miss Lamby outside soon. She thinks she a house-lamb, spoiled thing! There is a danger in not moving her out soon. If we do not get her acclimated, she could catch pneumonia. Obviously, we do not want a very huge ewe (female sheep) roaming through the house. Not so sanitary. You cannot "housebreak" sheep. So the stall should be a good place for her. We have a heat lamp to put in there and it has 4 sides to shelter her from the elements. She is gonna move out there tomorrow afternoon. Its supposed to warm up.

We started to notice that she has scours. That's animal diarrhea. Not good. We went to a feed store and bought some meds for her (electrolyte solution with medication for scours). We also bought her some clean bedding, pine shavings, for her stall. Bella needed a bathy, to clean her hind quarters. Getting poop balls out of wool is not easy. Pretty gross! (Admit it, you are jealous!) But now she is all clean, fed, and sleeping comfortably. We are learning how to be good lamb parents. Its just hard when you know absolutely nothing! We look like total idiots, I am sure!

I have so much to do around here! I need to fully unpack. I need to till up my garden area. I need to clean out the chicken coop. On and on. But its kinda fun, too. This is definitely a different way of life. We are such novices!

We have arrived!

After a nearly 17 hour drive, we have arrived! We had a relatively uneventful drive, although Chester (our dog) had an accident in his cage. GROSS! But, we are home safely.

Grammie had a surprise waiting for us when we arrived. She was given an orphaned lamb, 5 days old! We named her Bella. She is so precious! We have her in a dog coat and sleeping in a dog crate. Weird, but it works for now. We'll post a video later.