More goat babies!

After the surprise of Nancy's babies, we were constantly on the lookout for more (since we had 3 other female goats).  A few weeks after Nancy, Mama had her babies.  We named them Strawberry the Shortcake (Bridget's choice), and Louie (Sam's choice).  They were both as sweet as their mama and turned out to be super friendly as well.

After Mama, it was Goldie's turn.  Goldie has always been a little skittish and hasn't appreciated human interaction, but she required a little help during the birth of one of her kids.  That is something I never thought I would do!!!  She was in great distress and starting to give up, so I helped pull one out.  Her babies were named Rocky and Dixie, and we really didn't ever get them to be anymore people-friendly than their mama ever was.  They looked just like their mama with the dangling "goat jewelry" hanging from their necks...so cute.  

The father of all these goats was a young billy named Buck.  We didn't keep him long after the mamas had their kids as he was waaaaay too aggressive with our own kids.  

A full two months after the first kids, our last goat Ashley finally had hers.  She had two, a boy that we can't remember what we named, and a girl that Bridget named Spongebob.  Ashley and her babies were even more skittish than Goldie and hers, so we really never got to spend any time handling them or playing with them.  

Such a fun experience to be a part of kidding season! 

Kids (the baby goat kind)

2012 started out with some exciting news at home...our goats all had kids!  We suspected they were pregnant but we weren't quite sure when they would give birth.  So imagine our surprise when the kids and I came home one afternoon to find this in our front pasture:

 We were so excited!  The mama (named Nancy) was standing kind of nearby, making lots of grunting noises and half-heartedly licking her new babe clean.  I wasn't sure what to make of that. 

  I immediately texted Sam to tell him what was going on, and then I called my friend Robin.  (She lives nearby and I knew she and her kids would enjoy the miracle we were witnessing.)  Sam suggested I grab some towels and try to clean the kid, and Robin said she would be right over.

Well, I thought that Nancy was ignoring her new baby, so we got him all cleaned up.  We were all just amazed by this new little critter, helplessly trying to stand up.  Meanwhile, Nancy was giving birth to a second kid!  Just moments before Robin showed up, the second one was born, looking a lot like his brother but with spotted ears. 

Nancy took turns cleaning up her kids and was quite protective of them.  She actually turned out to be the best of our mamas, and her babies were the sweetest of the bunch!  We named the first one "Don" and the second one "Diego."

It was such an incredible day!  When we got up that morning we had not idea we would get to see the miracle of birth...in our own front yard!  What a special surprise.

Our kids and the goat kids had so much fun together...the goats liked to suck on Bridget's hair (I think they thought they could nurse that way!) and they loved to climb up on the kids backs.  Having goat kids was one of the best experiences we've ever been a part of.  :)

 

Gathering Eggs

Bridget and Jonah are the egg-gatherers at our house. They have worked out a system between the two of them...Jonah usually carries the scraps bowl out of the kitchen, and he is in charge of manning the gate (to make sure no chickens are left outside of the coop and also to shut it when they are done). Once they get out there, Bridget gets to throw out the food, and they both collect the eggs. Then, since Jonah has to lock up the gate, Bridget carries the eggs into the kitchen and puts them on the counter.

Sometimes she carries them in the bowl, sometimes in her hands.

Always she carries them with a beautiful, proud smile spread across her face. And sometimes even while wearing a dress backwards, and zipped up to her neck. ;) She loves to have an important job around the house, and I love to see her working hard to do a good job.

Proverbs 31:17 "She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks."

Christmas 2010

Christmas...what a magical time of year! You might hear people say that Christmas is best when you have small children at home...but I say Christmas is best when you're married to Sam! It's his very favorite time of year, and he makes sure that everyone around him is celebrating and enjoying the most special time of the year. Sam actually listens to Christmas music year round (when he can get away with it). :)

This year we had fun decorating some Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve. In the afternoon we went to see a movie (Tangled), which was a pretty big treat since we don't go to very many movies with the kids.

Later that evening we went to the (incredibly packed) candle light Christmas Eve service at our church, then came home and visited with our neighbors over appetizers and finger foods. After they left, the kids opened up one present each (new pajamas and bathrobes!),and settled in to read The Night Before Christmas.The kids left some cookies out for Santa, and then in the morning they woke up to this sight...

...and this one, in our living room.

We opened some presents, took a break for breakfast (white powdered donuts for Sam, as per his tradition, and monkey bread and fruit for the kids and me), had time for some snuggling up on the couch...
and then a few big surprises showed up on the front porch. The first was for Jonah, and it was a brand new bike! He was SO excited and took off on it right away. The second was for Bridget, and it was a power wheels jeep. It was fairly cold and windy on Christmas morning, but we had a very hard time convincing Bridget to hop out of the driver's seat and come back inside. Dave and Mary Beth came over to spend some time with us in the early afternoon. The boys are sporting new shirts here, Henry is showing off his new leatherman tool, and Jonah has new sunglasses...
Of course the Twinkie Tree bloomed again this year! And this year it was spliced with a Cupcake tree too, so of course those blossomed as well. Jo Jo and Granddad had fun picking the 'fruit' off the tree. :)

After some nice long afternoon naps, we headed out to Sam's parent's house to meet up with the whole family. Mary Beth served a lovely turkey dinner, the kids put on a play of the Christmas story...

and we had some fun exchanging gifts.

It was such a fun Christmas! This year we were so thankful to be back in our house, and we were so grateful for all of the incredible people God has put in our lives. The Lord has blessed us so abundantly! Merry Christmas...only 365 days until we can celebrate it again! ;)

Thanksgiving 2010

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.Man, I just love that holiday. Setting aside an entire day to thank God for all He has blessed us with is just a precious thing. Of course we should be thankful every hour of every day, but I like the idea of stopping everything and reveling in the goodness of our Lord. :)

Even though I adore the idea behind Thanksgiving, I really do appreciate the season in which it's set. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year, and I enjoy seeing all of the orange, brown and yellow decorations, the incredibly changing leaves on the trees and the cool and crisp feel to the weather (which didn't come until Thanksgiving day here, but better late than never!).

I spent so much time enjoying the day that I hardly picked up my camera to document it. No pictures of the beautifully laid table this year or the wonderful people who surrounded it. And you know what? That's alright with me. This year, as in past years, I got a lot of the cooking (and even pre-cooking) chores done ahead of time; so all that remained on Thursday morning was to mix up the stuffing and get that bird in the oven. It left me much free time to spend with my wonderful family and friends who came to spend the day with us.

We spent time visiting, playing cards (of course!), going through Black Friday ads and planning out our shopping trips, and lots of eating/snacking throughout the day.

We were joined by Sam's parents, our friends Ingrid, Crystal, Sharon and Ava. Later in the day Sam's brother David and family came to spend time with us. Ava's roommate Kat and another friend Jarrel came for games later on in the evening. It was just about perfect!
(These are a few of the place cards that Henry made for the table. He worked so hard on them! I did the cursive but he did the rest.)

Jonah was my joyful helper that morning. He sliced up mushrooms for the stuffing, washed dishes, mashed up deviled egg filling, helped set out snacks and didn't want to leave the kitchen. What a treat to spend the morning just with my little bear! Bridget spent the morning reading books and trying to entice someone, anyone to sit and read with her. It was sweet. She had piles of books all over the house. :)
Henry had a lego-land spread out in the living room and created his own little haven of ships and buildings and all sorts of fun.
And of course Sam got a chance to run the vacuum...during dinner! Those that know him know how happy this made him. :) I love my sweet husband and his need for order.
Thank you Lord, for another wonderful Thanksgiving! We were reminded once again of all the blessings you have heaped upon our family.

Sam and I just LOVE playing cards. This has been a favorite pastime since the early days of our relationship.

We play at family gatherings, friend's houses, at our campsites, and here at our own house. We'll play by ourselves (if we HAVE to) but we prefer the company of others.
There is something so relaxing about sitting around the table with friends and chatting about our lives.
We've been blessed with wonderful friends and family who are up for cards many times a week. Because everyone's lives are busy, we don't have a specific night set aside for cards (although we were able to do that over the summer!) so we just call a few people when we have time to play and they show up in a few hours!
I don't often take pictures of card nights, but as I was going through some pictures today I found these...and I thought it's about time I posted them. This is an important part of our lives. Lots of things get discussed over cards. It isn't just for the fun of the game, it's for ministering to one another, sharing burdens and laughter, and getting to the heart of what is really on our minds. I always feel happy after a card night. :)Every now and again things get serious. ;)

I'm so thankful for our friends and family. If you have ever been over to our house for a card night, please know that I thank God for you and hope you were blessed as well! And any of you who haven't made it over for cards yet? You're invited too. :)

Sam's wood pile

A few weeks ago our neighbor mentioned that the people digging her pond were going to be knocking down a big tree on her property. She said they were planning on burning it, but if we wanted it we could come and get it.

So Sam took the trailer over there, cut the tree into large sections and brought it home. It was a LOT of wood!
He spent the day splitting it (we have a splitter, which speeds up that job tremendously) and tossing it all into a big heap. I wish I had taken a 'before' picture of the pile!

The kids and I pitched in then to help stack all the wood. We stacked it three wide and fairly high...it was really a lot of wood, but made for a fun family project.
In History we have been studying George Washington, and Henry was dressed as him here. The other kids just wore their tricorn hats.
Not sure if I mentioned that it was a lot of work to get it all stacked up so nicely? Well, two days later I went outside to find the whole stack knocked over! We had left space in between each of the three stacks and not carefully stacked the pieces tightly together...and the result was that the whole thing came crashing down. I am so thankful that the kids were nowhere nearby when that happened!

It took one more evening of stacking wood (and doing it properly this time!), but now we're all stocked up for the winter. :)

Flower Beds

Sam's latest home improvement project was the flower beds in front of our house.

Ever since we moved in I have fought a losing battle to make these 'pretty'. Between the dogs and the kids (and even the adults around here!) someone was always walking THROUGH the flower beds, riding a bike across them, kicking up bark or DIGGING holes in them.

Twice I replanted the areas with beautiful perennials, but the flowers really didn't stand a chance. It was just too easy and convenient to walk on through there.

On the left side of the sidewalk, we ripped everything out and replanted the two things that still showed signs of life elsewhere. Sam redid the landscape fabric and ground cover and planted two nice, hardy bushes flowering bushes. He left lots of space in between them, so if people STILL feel the need to walk through there, they won't trample the flowers.

On the other side (which was really the disaster area), Sam poured concrete and filled in all but three little squares. In those squares, he placed whiskey barrels and surrounded them with bark. He let me pick out flowers to fill them and they turned out beautifully!

Sam ran a drip system to all of them so that I don't have to try and remember to water them, since I'm not very good at that!

It's taken a few years, but we finally have COLOR in front of our house. Sam also put up hanging baskets on both sides of the porch (with a drip watering them too, of course) to add a little more beauty. I think he did an amazing job of prettying up our front porch! :)
Thanks, Sam! You always have the BEST ideas. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Elkhorn Ranch Updates

Sam has often spoken of his desire to have goats on his property. Until living in the place we are now, we've not had enough property to have something like goats, so it has always been something fun to talk about but not actually reality. Now we live on a 6 acre piece of land, and Sam has fenced the entire property and sectioned off the back and side pastures. This spring he built a couple of small buildings to use as animal shelters. We were all set up but still waiting.

I believe I've already told the story of the goats here on the blog, but here are the original six:

The donkey (Sky), arrived the very next day--after the coyote attack which took two of our goats.

A few weeks later, my darling husband and his friend drove out to the middle of nowhere, TX which holds a weekly goat auction. He took one male to sell at auction and came home with three more female goats (from the auction) and three baby goats (that he bought from a lady he met AT the auction).

The babies were a few months old at the time and they are just the sweetest things.

Two of the three babies let us pick them up, pet them, do pretty much whatever we need to with them. The third is shy and will follow the other two around, but will not come all the way to us.

A few weeks after that, Sam brought home even more goats! The camp that he works at uses goats for an outdoor education program that runs during the school year. At the end of the year they sell the goats at auction and Sam happened to hear about that at just the right time. So we now have 12 goats of various ages. At least one of them is likely pregnant (won't that be interesting!) and we plan to breed them all eventually. Yikes! What have we gotten ourselves into??? :)

Another fun thing we were introduced to recently was a farrier. When we brought Sky home she was three years old and had never had her hooves trimmed or touched. Donkeys are notorious for being unruly when it comes to having their hooves trimmed, so we weren't sure quite what to expect.

Our friend Matt is a farrier and was willing (though not particularly excited) to come out and check out her feet. Sam had noticed a nail in the bottom of one of her feet and the back two were quite overgrown. He got right to work, holding her front leg between his legs to file it down to a proper shape. See how her leg is twisted back and sideways? She just stood there without protesting through most of that! I thought it was fascinating to watch him work.

Eventually she started swinging her head back trying to hit Matt, so he suggested we tie her up to a tree so she couldn't hurt him. He was easily able to work on the rest of her hooves, and the whole process took only about 20 or 25 minutes. Sky really tolerated having her hooves filed quite nicely. Even Matt was pleasantly surprised that she is so incredibly gentle. God was so good to provide her for our family. We've not had any experience with a larger animal, and He knew we would do best with a calm, gentle, sweet little donkey. :)

We have also recently acquired a rabbit. Henry has been wanting one for quite some time and looks at them longingly every time we visit the farm and ranch store in town. He even decided that he was saving his money toward one and was well on his way! A few months ago, Sam decided he would get one for his birthday, as a surprise. He built a rabbit hutch, telling Henry and the other kids that it was a 'chicken hospital' in which we would keep sick chicks that needed to be quarantined from the others. ;) Henry bought the story and didn't suspect a thing. It was a wonderful surprise and he picked the most adorable rabbit that they had. She's a little ball of fluff and calico colored, if you ask Henry. He named her Carrots, and he gives her one every single day. :)

That's all the news from the Elkhorn Ranch. I'll be sure to keep this updated as we have fun changes out here in the country!

My life is not dull....

This morning I presented the kids with a financial lesson. They each painted three glass jars that will be their 'piggy banks' to store their money. One each for tithe, spend, and save. During the painting portion of the lesson, one of the kids got a little excited and flung his jar right off the table. It was an accident, but when I went to sweep up the shattered pieces of glass from the tile I ended up spreading wet gobs of paint everywhere else. It was quite an adventure, to say the least.

After that I sent the kids outside to play so I could clean up and get the paints put away. A few minutes later Jonah running back inside saying, "Help! Help, Mom. One of the goats is stuck in a TREE! For real, in a tree!"

I went out to investigate, and sure enough...this is what I found.

Sheep (lovingly named by the boys) had wedged herself between two trees and couldn't get out. I sent Henry back for the camera, because of course this had to be documented. He wasn't pleased that I was taking pictures before helping the goat, but she wasn't panicking at all.

No sooner had I helped her cram her head back between the trees (leaving lots of little bits of hair behind) when I heard Bridget crying loudly. One thing you should understand about Bridget is that she is a TOUGH little girl. She very rarely cries, and when she does it is usually because she is in trouble for something and not because she is hurt. So hearing her cry when she was just playing is definitely cause for alarm. The boys and I went running back through the gate to see what was going on with her.

Henry got to her first, and luckily enough I still had my camera handy. Turns out she had climbed up into the baby swing and buckled herself right in. Then she yanked on the cords just right and flipped herself face forward so she was looking at the ground, like this:

Then of course she couldn't flip herself back out. It was hilarious! Henry flipped her back over and then she thought it was funny, so she flipped herself forward a few more times while Henry was standing there to help flip her back.

All of this happened before lunch. Never a dull moment around here! :)