I have access to dad's phone pics, therefore inundation alert!!!

Rub-a-dub-dub three cute girls in a tub...I know, I know. Cheesy mom, but coot kids.

Yes, I am posting Halloween pics in June. What of it???
Blurry, but you get the idea. Our new favorite "activity" for family night.

Running around with cattails from the local swamp.

They love to play in this tree. Don't ask me why. It is infested with ants.

Train fun at Union station. P.S. these railings don't really fit children. I almost had a hernia.

The guhluls (Goosie talk) wanted a picture on the pink one.

One of many visits to the zoo.

For our anniversary which is also the anniversary of the children being sealed to us, we purchased season passes to Lagoon. Fitting, since that is one place we went on our honeymoon, and it would be nearly impossible to do anything sans kids. Don'tcha think?

Claus looks pleased, but I think Bryguy is psyching himself up.

Soooo happy (and tired) that you get the rare head loll half asleep smile.

They would take turns condescending to have Goosie along. It seemed to be the cool thing to go by themselves. Of course Babs is trying to figure everything out.

These two are buds. It makes me happy.

Bitty is a daredevil. I think she looks way to little for that seat!

We are quite the spectacle. Lots of staring involved. This is Bryguy's "I'm tired, but I'm trying to keep it together-face" Have you heard about that other blog about children too big for their strollers?? Yeah. I think this picture would qualify.

Not Halloween. Just when summer wouldn't come and we were inside on a rainy day. Babs is continuing her hoarding. She wouldn't let me yardsale this costume that fits a two year old 'cause "See mom! I still fit!"

Claus is almost always this cheerful. What a cute guy.

Thinks he is soooo funny. And he is.

A roly poly pink lacy angel...in a car.

For such a daredevil, she quickly puts on her frilly side. I love her smile.

That's all for now. You have endured well if you made it to the end of this.

splashpaddinit

No, he wasn't clobbered in the face, this is the result of a nasty mosquito-who prevailed despite layers of spray. You just don't think of spraying kids in the eye. Silly me. I don't know how to protect those eyelids/brows without blinding the poor boy. Let me know any ideas....????






Still game, despite said eye. I got several mean looks, as though I whopped him a good one.

This boy can't keep his finger out of his tooth hole. I guess that's better than other places, but still... swim kid! Leave your gaping hole alone for half a sec :)

Pretending to be a seal. Very flattering.

In conclusion, much fun was had by all. Thank you mother nature for the first 80 degree day in a very long time.

Yickens

I have had so many people asking about why in the world we would raise chickens. So I will tell you. M'deary has an aversion to inside pets. This was our compromise. The little chicks had to be inside a little over two months, but now they can be out in their shed. This breed of chicken does well in cold and heat, but I'm a softie and put out a heat lamp for them.

Chickens as pets? Yes. I fondly remember my little bantam hen that would ride around on the handle bars of my bike and follow me like a puppy when I was little. These were raised from chicks and come running to us whenever we go outside and mope around their coop when we are in. They are very social and like to be near the kids.

People. Why wouldn't you want an inexpensive pet that would magically transform ants, earwigs, slugs, etc into yummy eggs? Because they can free range and clean up your yard at the same time, feeding them is very inexpensive.

Messy you say? Well then you have too many in a small yard. We have yet to smell anything or even step on anything. Mine are usually free roaming and it just absorbs into the grass and garden as fertilizer. The stinking cottonwood tree with its resin sticky pods is far worse. Can't avoid those.

If you only have hens, as we do, they are quiet! No awful barking/howling all night.

We have been told that there are rats in our area and cleaned dead ones out of our shed before we moved in. Chickens will attack them and chase them out or kill them.

They are also super-low maintenance. Fill up the water and food every few days and clean the coop straw 1-2 times a year using the deep litter method.
Inside the coop we put straw and this composts into lovely stuff for the garden. If you do it right, this doesn't smell, either and the litter is wonderful for gardens.

Besides all this, I think they are hilarious and make the funniest little growling/peeping/honking sounds. And like all favored animals in my world, they have their own endearment name of "yickens." I also like gucks-ducks, woos-birds, sinas-cats, and grogs-dogs.
Attacking some ants on our patio the day after we dropped some food out there. Seriously gobbled a whole ant colony in a matter of minutes. I was so pleased. They come every time I call them. I wish children were this obedient :)

Stepmother > "Girls! Girls! Above all: self control." >in sickly sweet cultured voice

>enter Cinderella, interrupting music lesson

>sound of stepmother crashing down her fingers on piano in loss of self control, yells "Yes!?" in impatient tone


I so often feel like I should tell my children to do as I say, not as I do. Some days ya just try, try again :)

:)

M'deary has been a dear. I don't remember the last time I slept in and when I rolled out of bed he announced that he was taking the kids to the zoo. I didn't even press him to take a camera. I was so grateful.

Just wanted to record here what set me laughing for a few minutes. I was showering Bryguy and was rubbing in shampoo. He looked lost in thought and I asked him what he was thinking about. He responded "I really wish I had hair all over my back, mom"

"Oh. Why?" I asked.

"It would be really cool" becoming aware that I can't control my smile at the thought of him filled with glee over a hairy back.

He wouldn't tell me any more and I felt bad for laughing, but I just couldn't help it. They think the funniest things. I probably would've heard an earful if I could control myself, dang-it.

St. Paddy's Day, Bryguy's Bday and Chickies-in no particular order

Repurposing and stuff

Sometimes when I get too bored or tired with a situation, I get silly. We have been neverendingly sick as previously posted. I am done with that.

M'deary came dragging out of bed one day and I have been noticing his raggedy shirt that he won't get rid of because it's "soft". He even wears it inside out lest a seam should rough him up. He has been wearing this same sleeping shirt raggedy for a year or two and it had gaping holes. He was a bit grouchy when I ripped a piece off and put it on his head. What? I just explained the situation with sick. I needed a release and he kindly took it.
He is a good man to find the humor and I promised him a brand new "soft" shirt that would actually be a shirt and not a wearable rag pile. (see he had to cut the cuffs off too because they were all frayed and stringy)

Don't worry, though. Babs with her hoarding tendencies has repurposed the beloved shirt and turned it into a cape which looks marvelous with her vampire teeth.
"N stuff: The boys needed haircuts in the worst way but ol' waste not want not dictates that I buzz them instead of shelling out cash for haircuts. I only know how to buzz, not cut-unfortunately. But we did have fun mohawking for a minute.

More stuff: Even though we were still recovering, a very nice hint-of-spring-around-the-corner day came and we dragged our snotty noses outside. Because we had to. There is only so much indoors that a person can handle. Bryguy in his new coat.
We then discovered in our what we thought was dormant garden a TREASURE!

For much of the afternoon we harvested carrots from last years garden. I thought they would be frozen and thawed mushy, but who knew? Sometimes they can grow in the winter which will change my strategy for planting this spring.

At first, Babs did NOT want her picture taken....

But then I told her how cute she was and she quickly perked up.

These two divas would rather watch and hold the bounty buckets.

Goosie has a new prediliction for screaming. Fun, fun.
Claus is cute as can be and was having a grand time.
Just have to post another Bryguy because will so seldom cooperate with looking+smiling at the same time at the camera. I think every combination of these two I have quickly loaded onto this blog because it happens so seldom.
Here's Bitty with the bounty. Yummy.