Wordless

Child Non-Labor

Lest you think that the Bits just work and work and work:

Lil Bit doing her best chicken dance.

I have no idea what this is. Lil Bit impersonating chickens doing ballet? (can you impersonate something that isn't a person?)

Climbing fence posts.
And yes, Bitty Bit is still in her jammies. Someone should really talk to her mom about letting her out of the house dressed like that.

Using the future coop as a playhouse.

My Handsome Engineer, however, does always work. See the Bits goofing off while their daddy just slaves away?
He doesn't mind, though.

Even when he takes breaks, it is usually to do something for one of the Bits. Like, catch one of the two super-flighty chickens because Lil Bit wants to hold that particular one! (at least the chicken ran into the dog kennel we had them in the first few hours--made it easier to catch her)

Oh, yeah, and I work too.
At this moment, Lil Bit is saying, "be careful mommy!" after my loving husband had already told me (at least 297 times) to be careful to not cut off a finger!
I still have all my fingers. And toes.

Whatcha Doing??

chicken version.


Yup, we bought chickens. We have six hens that should start laying in a couple months. Two California whites (they lay white eggs, but were so pretty we went ahead and got them), two Rhode Island Reds (which are amazingly tame--even Lil Bit can pick them up with no problems), and two Barred Rock (the zebra looking ones). Lil Bit thought they were called Hard Rock, so now we have lots of jokes about them playing guitars and serving up hamburgers and such.

Side Note: I have Hard Rock cafe shirts from Toronto, Seoul, and London, but have never actually eaten in a Hard Rock cafe. And really, I don't have any t-shirts anymore, I have passed them down to Lil Bit and she uses them as pajamas.

We were worried that the chickens would get picked on by the two adult guineas, since their chicken coop isn't finished yet, but other than a little bit of chasing away from the food on occasion, there has been a fairly friendly cohabitation. It is pretty fun watching them move around the pen--everyone pairs off according to color (the two barred rocks are separated in this picture, but they remedied that shortly).

This weekend, we will hopefully be finishing the coop, under Adeline's supervision of course, and I will post pictures of the construction process next week!

Child Labor (Again)

Adeline recently decided to take on a building project.

She drew up the plans and then dug the footers.


No, not really. My Handsome Engineer did that.
But she did supervise the entire process carefully.

"Daddy, will this really stand up to the gale-force winds and the sub-arctic temperatures that we never actually get in our state?"

"Why yes, darling, I think it will."

Never to be defeated by her shrimpy stature, Bitty Bit also carefully set out the framing studs.


She gets the Napoleon Complex from her mother.

Sorry, Adeline, I will try not to pass on any other psychological issues I have.


What are they building, you ask?

I shall give you a hint. The hint is inside this box.


A box that Wick was very interested in.

Litter

Lil Bit recently participated in an Anti-Littering Poster contest and won First Place for Kindergarten!
We are very proud parents and therefore are going to subject you to a photo of her winning poster.


Please notice the little details: every piece of litter actually has a label with a product name on it, and the people working together are holding hands. I am telling you, that kid is amazing!

Yeah, ok, I'll get over it now. Thank you for letting me share!

Gallop

Turning horses out into a pasture they haven't been in for a few days is one of my favorite things.


They gallop in like they don't want to waste a minute of their new found freedom.


The sheer joy exploding from their bodies can turn even a bad day into something amazing.


There is always kicking and bucking and often a little rearing. Usually a couple races. (As little as she is, Annie usually wins.)


And then, as suddenly as they exploded through the gate, they stop. And enjoy the grass that no one has grazed on for a few days.
It's a good life.

Scenes From a Birthday

We went pretty low key for Bitty Bit's birthday. Next year we will have friends over and everything, but this year we met our parents at a park and just enjoyed a day together.

Moppy

Mama

Swinging. (or, "weeeeng!!")

"MY jell-beas"

Big sisters are helpful opening up gifts. Adeline, however, did not want any help.

Blowing out candles!
Big sisters are good for cheering you on, too.

Yummy cake!

Big sisters are also good for silly faces.

Two

Happy Birthday, Adeline!

She is going to hate me for that picture, isn't she? I will have to pay for years of therapy.


We love you, Bitty Bit!

Grapefruit

Breakfast is served.


Actually, it wasn't served yet, but Bitty Bit couldn't wait for me to actually cut the grapefruit up. She snagged a half and just demolished it.


She's an odd kid.

Lessons in the Art of Tree Climbing

Unlike the Fence Climbing Lessons, tree climbing has not yet been mastered. It doesn't help that, despite having about 8 acres of woods, we really have an incredible lack of climbing trees. There are beautiful old maples and oaks, but most of the branches are just too high up the tree for a kindergartner.

However, she was determined.

And she picked probably the smallest tree we have (except the maple we just planted). I guess maybe she thought it was a Morgan-sized tree.


After initial attempts to scale the trunk failed, she asked if she could borrow a lead rope.
Good idea.


Still failed.


She also used a section of fence post as a step. She was pretty optimistic about those 3 inches making all the difference.

Still failed.

Oh look! Kallie has a stick! Kallie always has a stick.

Actually, Kallie has a branch. Or maybe a small tree.
Where does she find these things??

Morgan was undeterred. She used Kallie's stick branch small tree and the section of fence post to start a "ladder".

The same character trait that kept her screaming for HOURS as a baby--I have friends that will testify to the fact that Morgan was born with opinions, which she voiced loudly and often--now serves her well when she decides to do something.
Remember that, moms! Our strong-willed children will change the world (and if they make us slightly crazy in the process, that is ok).


Then she added some more pieces of wood from a project Chris was working on. It was pretty creative.
Not sturdy at all, but creative.
I am thankful that she never actually tried to climb that ladder (to my knowledge).

She hasn't given up yet. She WILL climb that tree. And the lead rope and stick branch small tree are still there to prove it.

Intrigue!! Scandal!!

Seriously, do we not have better things to worry about than whether or not there was a conspiracy over the Obama's dog.

Read the ridiculousness of that last phrase again, please. "conspiracy over the Obama's dog".

I mean, Really?!?

Read one article here.

Honestly, I am a huge fan of rescued dogs.
My mom works very closely with a breed rescue (see "Must Love Pekes" in my blog roll) and two of my four dogs are rescued dogs--Pi and Kallie. (Well, Pi was well cared for, but she was a "barn dog" and never had her own family. Kallie was truly rescued, even though she is a purebred.) Of the two dogs we got from breeders, Wick should almost count as a rescue, because there was no way I was going to leave him in those conditions!!
Rescued dogs usually have a gratitude and loyalty that dogs purchased from breeders don't have. (My sweet, but independent pekingese Lottie illustrates this fact wonderfully. She has always been well cared for and well loved, and she thinks she runs this place!)

But, really, I don't care if the Obama's got a rescued dog or a breeder dog. Any dog deserves a loving, happy home--whether they are a mutt or a purebred. Some of the events surrounding the adoption do seem a little iffy, but I really think there are bigger things to concern ourselves with.

Like, Where is spring? Why do I still have my heater on in mid-April? (And the resulting: How am I going to pay for the extended heating bills??)

And the most important: Will my dogs ever stop the INSANE shedding they have this year??

Exhibit 1: a large clump of Pi's hair. She obviously had an itch (Kallie was kind enough to put her paw in there for a size reference)

Oh, sorry about that. Gross, I know.

I will refrain from posting the remaining exhibits. Instead, look at the pretty flower:

Feel better? Good.