On The Farm: Wrapping Up December

by Meghan // January 21, 2016 // Comments off

{I’m a few weeks behind, bare with me!}

Well, December didn’t hold much excitement in the way of farm life.

We got a bit of snow, and the days were very, very cold in the second half of the month. The chickens have free ranged a bit more, with supervision, but have not been enthusiastic about going out into the cold and wind.

Our great Pyrenese, Thora, killed a chicken. It wasn’t entirely her fault … I had one younger chick I exchanged for a known rooster. The chick refused to stay in the brooder and was in need of companions (so I thought), so once she was big enough I put her out in the coop with the other chickens.

Somehow, she escaped; we still don’t know how. She was just an escape artist.

The kids were outside playing and Thora started chasing the chicken; Lexie came and got me. By the time we got out to the barn, Thora was gone and I knew she had the chicken somewhere. Sure enough, she was in the front yard with a dead chicken.

J.Tom came home and zip tied the dead chicken to Thora’s collar.

Talk about one aggravated dog.

Anyway, some people say it is pointless and does nothing to stop a dog from killing a chicken again later. Others, our neighbors included, swear by it. We will see if it works.

I think the point is that the dog is A) frustrated with the rotting chicken being tied to their collar and they can’t get it off, B) the smell under their very sensitive noses 24-7 really starts to get to them, and C) if you catch them in the act, like we did, they KNOW why the chicken is on there.

Thora is a very smart, good, obedient dog. But she is a puppy who likes to chase things.

I have faith that she learned her lesson, but can’t be certain yet. So, all that to say- the chickens still need supervision when in the yard!

The rest of December was spent with J.Tom cutting wood, us burning a LOT of firewood, and me being really lazy and nauseous. haha

We had a lovely, low key Christmas. The kids each got a few special gifts. J.Tom built a picnic table for my gift, and he got parts for his 4wheeler as his. =) That’s what you get when you live on a farm I guess!

January is looking to be just as cold and nasty as December. We will be spending the month making plans, goals, and budgets for the farm this year. Good times! 😉

Where is spring?! I AM SO READY TO DIG IN THE DIRT!

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On The Farm: Wrapping Up November {2015}

by Meghan // December 4, 2015 // Comments off

So … about Thora. She is still very much a puppy. And while she loves to love on all of us, be near us, and generally obeys commands, she is still a puppy.

And puppies chase things and are just naughty in general. And BIG puppies like to show their authority using their big-ness. This particular BIG puppy likes to dig giant size holes looking for *wait for it* …

moles. (I think because the cats catch moles and she wants one for herself.)

So we have small-human sized holes in our yard now. Which is okay, we can fill them in … but man. She is a mess! She sure is loyal though and definitely My girl.

The laying hens and two roosters have moved out to their coop. They really need a nicer, new coop with more room and no drafts. But right now they seem okay, if annoyed by their damp, drafty conditions. They are not yet free ranging … we have to do some engineering for Thora a runner before she can be introduced to them full time!

We exchanged 1 possible rooster for another 5 week old chick, but will be returning 3 other possible roosters soon for more baby chicks. We didn’t get them before Thanksgiving because we would be traveling, and wittle baby chicks need daily care.

We came home from Thanksgiving to ice everywhere! Everything is covered in a few inches of ice; we are just praying we keep power.

Overall, things are looking good for the winter. The weather is back up in the 50’s which is very nice! The kids have been playing outside, and enjoying the weekends with their daddy. Hopefully the winter doesn’t get too bitter and windy!

How was November for your family?

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Raising Baby Chicks

by Meghan // October 16, 2015 // Comments off

Here we go again! In very early 2012 we got 6 rhode island red girls as 2 day old chicks, and a few months later I added 3 barred rock girls to our flock. Shortly there after we made a semi-cross country trek with our family and couldn’t take the girls with us, so we sold them and their coop.

But alas!

We have moved, and this time to a farm!

Our first animal purchase? Why 15 baby chicks, of course! They are a mix of Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Welssumers, and Easter Eggers. (literally they are mutts. But 2 are definitely barred rocks, and many are Easter Eggers, as you can tell by their puffy cheeks.)

Yes, there is a ton of info on raising chicks out there- and YES you should read it all because most of it is useful and you can pick and pull what works for your set up. I use Backyardchickens.com for most of my reading.

Here is my bit of info on raising chicks from my point of view:

a good laying breed will give an average of 5 eggs a week. For a typical family, 4 chickens provide plenty of eggs.
there is this thing called chicken math- learn about it because I promise, once you have (pet, backyard) chickens you will be infected with chicken math!
baby chicks are cute, they’re dirty, the spread dust everywhere, they will drown in their water, they will poop in their food, they will suffocate each other (or themselves) accidentally, they grow FAST, and they are pretty loud …
baby chicks eat chick feed known as crumbles; you want to feed them from a feeder that is covered (a typical chick feeder at farmer supply stores) because they will roost on it, knock it over, poop in it, and throw the feed out ‘erywhere! (did I mention they are dirty little things?)
you don’t have to use a teeny tiny chick waterer (they out grow them SO fast, like, as in 2 weeks!) put marbles or rocks (we used rocks form the driveway) in a full size poultry waterer to prevent them from falling in or drowning if they do fall in (something to catch their footing and hop out).
despite being fairly hardy, baby chicks are prone to illness if their conditions are not kept clean- they need dry, warmth, food, and water. check their bottoms for pasty butt (where poop covers their bottoms and they get clogged), keep a red light on them at one end of the brooder for warmth, and check feed/water at least twice a day. You never know what those little crazies have done!
chicks need PINE bedding– cedar bedding will cause respiratory illness in poultry. PINE. PINE. PINE. Say it with me now .. PINE bedding.
be sure to keep their brooder dry: moisture plus baby chicky dust equals SICK chicks
you don’t have to have a thermometer in the brooder to keep the temp. You can tell if the chicks are too warm by how spread out or how much panting they are doing; too cold by how piled up they are. When they act too hot, raise your brooder light up. Each week you want to cool them off by 5 degrees until their temp reaches that of the outside (or there abouts- once they are fully feathered they can keep warm), so raise it up a few inches each week. For us, raising fall time chicks, they will need to get acclimated to pretty cool temps here in Kansas. I got a thermometer and taped it in the brooder because it was $1.79 at the tractor supply store … so it is up to you.
each chick needs about 1 sq foot of space until they are about 6 weeks, then they need more (but they should be going out to a coop by then, so be sure they have enough room in there or you will have bickering, unhappy chickens) I guessed on our brooder size; I made it BIG since we got 15 chickens. You can use just about anything for a brooder0 totes, boxes, make one by taping boxes (like I did), or buy a kit.
at about 2 weeks you can introduce chick grit to get them ready for nibbling on sand, dirt, and rocks outside. Our chicks enjoy scratching around for the grit.
most of the time you will know if you have a rooster when they are 5-8 weeks. Look for a very red, larger comb and depending on the breed you can look at their markings (some males have lighter, more defined, or no markings, etc-just depends on breed).
Chicks like going outside; provided you have something like milk crates, you can take your chicks out for fresh air for a while. Again, if they get too cool they will all huddle up and sleep. Ours hopped around eating bugs and scratching.
Enjoy- Like babies, they aren’t little for long!

Next time I will post about our coop!

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34-36 Weeks Baby Summary

by Meghan // May 10, 2013 // Comments off

*I have been building this post all week, so “today” isn’t actually today ….*

Max has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 5 days! He suddenly went for a bitty baby to a big boy! He is almost crawling (edit: AAAAh! He crawled 2 knees worth today!), waving hi, giving wide, slobbery, open mouthed kisses, and laughing more than ever. Tonight for bedtime was the first time he put his head on my shoulder and his arms around me while we sang for night night. I usually hold him like a baby while he sucks his thumb and winds down. He’s such a sweet bear. Today, he also went from the crawling position to sitting position for the first time.

…. see, lots of firsts!

He said Mama while we were playing downstairs, hiding out from the rain. I was so excited. He is trying really hard to talk. A lot. The past few days I have had the living room fan, he is mesmerized; and I know all babies love fans. But this boy like instantly smiles and is hypnotized by the fan! He likes to play games now, like throwing his head back so you will hold him upside down, and putting his chin up so you can tickle his neck. It’s so funny. These are all things Lexie was doing long before 8 months. But it’s like he just decided, “Hey, I think I’m ready to move and have fun!” Before, he was so lazy and laid back. He is still laid back, just enjoys moving around now.

He gets so excited and is so proud that he can get up and rock on his knees, push up on his toes, and crawl backwards sometimes. He will be crawling more by the weekend, we are sure! Lexie gets very excited with him. She likes to show him how to do it.

He really enjoys playing in the grass. One of the great things about having a real lawn, is he can play and feel the grass without the fear of stickers.

I have him his first asparagus this week. He loved it! He also likes dill pickles (did I mention that last time?) and blueberries.

Lexie has been the sweetest most affectionate two year old ever this last two weeks. She is constantly telling me how much she loves me, hugging my neck tight, kissing me, playing and teasing, loving on her bubby even more, and just growing more kind and loving every day. Lexie has a tender heart; she doesn’t like for other people to be hurt or upset, but has had her share of not being so nice (like a typical two year old)… Pushing, chasing the dog, hitting Max … terrorizing the chickens comes to mind too.

But lately she has been so affectionate. Last night we were doing bedtime routine, and she just wrapped her arms around my neck, hugged me and said, “i love you more than this much!”

I’m sure my monster toddler will return soon, but until then i will take all these loves i can get! Her new favorite *obsessive* topics to talk about are the things that make God happy, and being grateful. It’s wonderful to see Christ in your child’s life, even before they completely understand the implications of their relationship with Him.

sweet Mister Bear

reading her Bible outside

talking to her buddy

I can do it, I can do it!

Heh

She is crazy about her umbrella!

Mmmm Blueberries!

Yes, I like them!

monkey girl

Mama, look where I can climb!

I’m doing it!

Did you see me?!?!

Mommy and Lexie

water play!

22 weeks old … I think

by Meghan // February 8, 2013 // Comments off

Im in bed writing this post, and i usually have my planner to help me with what week i am on. I do not, however, have my planner. Oh- it is a very fun planner, it is an Erin Condren life planner, and i LOVE it. My only complaint is there aren’t enough lined pages for writing notes and thoughts .. but they sell a separate notebook for that, of course! Anyway. This is not a post about my planner. The point of me mentioning it, was to say the weeks are running together on me!

Max is in the middle of his 22nd week of life; this weekend is going to be SO busy, so I am writing this one early. He is rolling over like crazy; especially when he is trying to go to sleep. He is a side sleeper. So he rolls onto his side and sucks his thumb. Its oh. My. Gah. So cute! Bt, he also flips over to his belly. And while playing and alert, he can easily flip back over to his back. B when he is tired and trying to go to sleep, he gets angry and does a lot of yelling… So i have to go roll him back over. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen.

He is nursing better, thankfully. He is taking his bottles well, but after about 5oz he is ready for his oatmeal. The boy is devouring oatmeal! I use a measuring spoon to measure out the oatmeal, then eye ball the formula to mix it with. He usually ends up eating 4-6 tablespoons, sometimes more, 3xs a day. That usually means i end up mixing the rest of his 8oz bottle into the oatmeal. So he is taking a full 8-9oz per feeding. I am still doing the probiotics twice a day and not doing any solids besides the oatmeal. Since we are moving and all, I think I will wait until after the move to add in real foods. It will just be easier with the traveling and everything to only have t have oatmeal, formula, and my pump in case he doesn’t nurse well.

He is in 6 month clothes and pajamas, and can wear some 6-9 footies, they’re just a little big in the feet. But it wont be long and they will fit perfectly. We are still signing, I am doing “milk” and “more,” while he eats. He watches me, like “Hrm, what is it that she’s doing?” but hasn’t started signing back at me yet. He likes to squeal! It sounds like he is gasping for breath, you know what I mean? But he is squealing- it’s cute. He is obsessed with his feet (what a difference a week makes!) and reaches for his toys, or anything that is in front of him. I have started sitting him up more, and he can balance for a second before he topples over. =)

Lexie is so much fun, we have started building forts! She loves it, haha. We went to Mid America Science Museum Sunday, and it was wonderful! We have never been because before now she was really too young to enjoy it. But thanks to super bowl, we were the only souls in the whole place. Seriously, she got to run around and do anything and everything she wanted. It was us and a lady building with blocks. And the guy who took my $10. Lexie is under 3, so she was free. Who knew a $10 outing would be so fun?! I promised we would go back next week after Jtom leaves. I have some videos i will upload here soon.

Tuesday we went to the library. I have packed up *most* of her books, so we have started borrowing them. Her new favorite book is the “Three Billy Goats Gruff”. She retells it by saying, “the billy goat broke the troooole!” That’s the only thing she cares about. I didn’t realize how scary/weird those classical stories are… But they are important for her to read. She is down to one day a week of school, so now we can do something fun on that day we don’t do school anymore. Really, I’m relieved she isn’t going to school two days a week. A break is nice, but now that Max is older and can travel more easily for outings, i feel like our time can be better spent together, learning and experiencing things together. Although i did a lot of chores while she was at school 2 days a week, the other three days during the week were mostly spent at home, because otherwise were were out of the house 3-5 days out of the week! That’s a lot of running and going with two young children. It’s just too much for us. So now that she’s down to one day, we can use a second day for our outing(s), and spend the other days playing and learning at home. Its less chaotic and less pressure.

My woven wrap came in! WE LOVE IT! It is a beautiful bright turquoise. I only know hwo to do one carry, but I will learn some others soon. I have sold some of my girly cloth diapers, and have my ring sling listed to sell. I am saving money for this wrap:

Isn’t it beautiful?! It is a super strong wrap, the length I want is $135, so I have a way to go to save! But I am getting there. I have tried to find one used, but they’re hard to find because people love them so much. So I may end up having to pay full price. The mama owned business I want to get it from offers a 5% discount coupon, so that would help some. Anyway, wraps are super fun. There is a whole lingo (sorta like cloth diapering, and sleep training) for wearing babies, especially in wraps. You have to “break in” your wrap. The Colimacon et Cie that i bought is pretty soft out of the package and doesn’t require as much breaking in. But the Storch I want is one that needs a lot of work. It’s suggested that you sleep on/with it, use it for picnics, forts, braid it (which is basically making a chain knot like you would in crochet), let the kids play on it, wash it, etc. to get it broken in good. I want the longer length in this one so I can do more carries with it, plus I like having a longer tail on mine. The turquoise one I have is an average size length at 4.6 meters, but I think I would be more comfy with the longer length, especially until I lose some more of the baby weight (which is slowly coming off, but at least it is coming off!) I got a few pics of Max and me in the wrap outside the other day; after I get them uploaded to the computer I will get them on the blog.

Anyway, so that’s what we have been up to. Something sweet, the other day we were reading our devotional. That day it was about angels, and how God sends them to watch over us and take care of us. Lexie said, “Like Da does!” (She calls JTom Daddy, dada, and Da, a lot). I said, “Yes! Just like Daddy does.” Oh, priceless. Today, JTom got home and Lexie was down for nap… not napping. When it was time to get her up, he went in and she was so excited she stuttered. She couldn’t get anything out! It was so cute. When he got her changed into her “walking panties” (those are her regular panties, instead of her “night night” panties which are her lupus , and got her milk she said, “mama! I am so excited, Daddy is HERE!” haha After that we showed daddy all her new tricks- she can wink! We also do this thing where I lay on the floor on my back, and put my hands by my head. She stands in my hands and I lift her up. It is what we used to do in cheerleading to prepare for single basing stunts. Anyway, she loves it, so that was new. We also do a new trick where i lay down and put my feet on her chest, then lift her in the air, and she is on my feet … if that makes sense? I will get JTom to do some pictures this weekend. Anyway, we had to show him that, and the library books … and the fort. Then I ran to TJ Max to get boxes and they played outside, feeding the chickens and stuff.

About the move
We have the movers lined up for Monday, February 18th. They will come and do some of the packing I am not doing, like the kitchen, breakables, pictures, mirrors, electronics, etc. Tuesday the semi truck will come and load up, and leave! The kids and I are going to drive to Memphis, see family in a quick 36 hours, and then my mom is traveling with us to Nebraska. Once there, our things will hopefully have arrived by then, and we can get settled in. Mom can help w the kids, and the decorating, etc. Although we have all this “planned” it is strictly contingent on the closing of the house. I am signing papers in AR and supposed to be over-nighting them back to whomever I’m told to… There are still a few things not complete, like something the appraiser is supposed to have turned in. If everything gets done and here are no glitches, we close next Friday. 7 days and a handful of hours from right this moment. And I am terrified. Not really. I am actually pretty calm about it, for me. I’m just concerned about something not going right and the closing being moved … which means we live separate for 2+more weeks. =/ The other option is to move into the basement JTom is a guest in. And if closing doesn’t go well, then that may be just what we do! Just pray for us that things go smoothly, and happen like they should.

Thankfully, JTom’s uncle is just 40 minutes away and he is going to take the chicks for us. I am so sad, and I mean SO SAD, to let them go. They’re so rotten, and so sweet. And I have enjoyed eggs every single day since JTom has been gone; with the longer days they are back to laying an egg a piece per day! Maybe that’s why I am losing weight, I eat eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast and dinner. =)

Here are some videos. I figured out how to upload them from my phone to youtube, so hopefully I will be loading a lot more on here in the future.

I don’t remember if i posted this one or not? It is from August (notice her tan!), she was not yet 2, identifying all her ABCs. She now knows the sounds of some of the letters. We play phonemic awareness games during the day; for instance I will ask her what words start with the /m/ sound- like Max. And she will name a bunch of words that start with m. She also does it on her own, randomly. I might say, “let’s do a flip!” and out of no where she will say, “flip is like four or friday!” Using that as a teachable moment, we will talk about the letter f and the sound it makes. We have fun =)

Identifying and placing some of the States on her map puzzle

These are all from the museum Sunday:

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This is probably my favorite. It was so warm the other day, and she wanted to water the flowers. So… that is what she did!

21 Week Baby Summary- baby 2

by Meghan // February 2, 2013 // Comments off

Baby 2 is 22 weeks tomorrow, and 5 months old! Wow, how the last 2 months have flown by! The first 3 …. well, those seemed to drag on forever, and that’s probably because he didn’t feel good. But now, they are going by so quickly.

Developmentally, during his 21st week of life, he started really grabbing and reaching for things. If a toy was on the blanket next to him, he rolled to his side, and reached for it. It was pretty cool the first time he did that. =) He can sit well in the corner of the chair, but isn’t really anywhere near ready to sit on his own.

Something I notice with #2, is they don’t get to do as much as early as #1 did. Well, for mine anyway. I think this is because I still have to be careful where I put Mister, can’t leave him etc., with Lady able to reach. She will try to lay him down so she can lay with him, roll him over, sit him up. She knows not to, but being the 2 year old she is, she thinks he “needs to, Mama!” haha

He is rolling over consistently now, from his back to his belly. Mister is a side sleeper! When he falls asleep, it is often on his side. Oh the joys of having a video baby monitor =)

I think I mentioned last time, Mister’s reflux has seemed to flare up. The dr. said although the dairy allergy aggravates it, babies with reflux will have flair ups between 4-6 months old, it just happens. She suggested medicine, which our insurance doesn’t cover and is …. $132 a month! Not happening. So, I got to thinking and remembered I had some powdered probiotics (this brand) left over from Lady having thrush. I started googling and read that many parents have calmed reflux flare ups with probiotics. We tried it, and it is working! Yay! $17 (I think they were) vs $132, I’ll take that any day!

Because of the reflux flare ups, I have taken him back to only formula mixed in oatmeal, no more solid foods; he was’t tolerating them well. Everything came back up. He is eating the oatmeal/formula mix like crazy, and that’s good enough for me, for now. =)

JTom came home last weekend, and everyone was so happy to see him. L was excited, of course, and Mister laughed and talked to him a lot. Baby2 definitely knew his daddy! I think we were both a little nervous he wouldn’t after 2 weeks. But, he did. The first thing Lady did when she saw her daddy was show him her fingernails. Then she hugged him and asked him to play.

We are anxiously awaiting the move; I have started packing. Warning to all grandparents: NO more stuffed animals or dolls. EVER! For either child. I do not care how cute they are, how fluffy they are, or how much they look like our own animals. No more! Please … =) I have thrown out I don’t know how many stuffed animals that L doesn’t play with. Oh, and no more battery operated toys, unless they are the trains that go to her Thomas set. Those are okay. Books, age appropriate puzzles, art stuff, educational toys, that stuff is fine. Just no more stuffed fuzzy things, please. =)

Anyhow … oh! Good news! We found a chicken! We thought the dog killed and drug off the missing chicken, but it turns out she was at the neighbor’s house … so Lady and I went down yesterday afternoon and got her. The only problem we had was Lady eating the banana we were going to use as bait… But we got the chick. She is happy, being back with her buddies again.

That’s it for now. I will try to keep updating through the move, but it may be hard for a while.

Meg

Week 20 baby Summary/Lady 28 months old

by Meghan // January 26, 2013 // Comments off

Here we are at the beginning of week 21, which means Mister has finished week 20. I’ve moved him back to a 3 hour schedule. I did this because his wake time lengths aren’t 2 hours yet, which puts him sleeping between 2.5-3 hours between wake times- that’s just too much day time sleep for him, when he turns around and sleeps 12+ hours at night. So, we are tweaking maybe a 3-3.5 hr schedule. The onyl downfall with this is he really isn’t hungry at 3 hours, so he doesn’t eat very well … It’s just something I am going to need to tweak; I will let you know how it goes next week!

Eating
Mister is eating pretty well. He likes solids, but he still needs the major calories provided by the formula, so I try to do formula first now, then solids, followed by offering more formula if he wants it. Solids just don’t provide as many calories and he needs all those calories to grow and help his brain development. Like I mentioned, he is eating every 3-3.5 hours and seems fine with that, but I know he can go 4 hours easily.

Sleeping
Lately, he has been napping pretty well. I think he may be getting past that terrible wonder week 19, so his sleep is back to being more routine, thank goodness!

Development
Mister is becoming more interested in his feet, but mostly only when he is naky. I guess then he can actually see and feel them, so it makes it more fun. He is shrieking and talking more, and really wants to sit up more. He can lift his entire chest up from laying flat, and gets so mad that he can’t sit up. Thinking back to Lady again, I had the glider in the living room when she was this age, and I sat her up in it a LOT. The seat is at an incline, so she didn’t have to risk falling out of it. I should probably let Mister do that some so he can build his back muscles more. He is also doing SO much better on his belly now, and can push up with ease; while on his belly he holds his head up so well, and looks around.

We went to the dr for his 4 month well child visit; he is just under 16lbs and I think 25.5″ long. He is perfectly healthy. The dr said he has great head control. She suggested I start trying to scrub off the plaques of cradle cap, and continue using head and shoulders. She prescribed some hydrocortizone cream to apply. I’ve never heard of this? But we are going to start using it today- she said it is like eczema and can really itch. So, we are going to see if that helps. The dr. also suggested since he isn’t nursing, that maybe we try the prevacid again to see if that helps. So here comes a long explanation for a short point, stay with me: Just before JTom left his job in Hot Springs, the company changed insurance. We have this insurance until the first of Feb.

With this new insurance, Mister’s prevacid is not covered; it is $132 a month. Honestly, with the way we budget we don’t have $132 for prevacid. We are already paying $36 a can for his non-dairy formula, and he goes through one can every 6 days! So for now, there will be no prevacid …. J’ snew insurance with his new company will start March 1, so if it covers the medicine, we may try it then, but for now he can just be on a nursing strike and I will pump.

Lady
She is just growing leaps and bounds every day. She knows her left from her right, and has for a while now I just keep forgetting to post it. She can identify many states, I may have mentioned that before. I am working on uploading the video to YouTube so I can share it with you on my blog. She is obsessed with being naky- she refuses to wear clothes at home most of the time, and I don’t make her. It’s easier for her to go potty by herself, and it means less laundry for me. =) I do try to get her to at least where a shirt, but it doesn’t stay on long.

She is getting better at gymnastics; she can do small jumps on the balance beam (with help keeping her balance) and some small sweeps. She LOVES the doing the bar, and her forward roll is perfect. She likes for me to take down the hall mirror and put out the yoga mat for her to play. She likes to watch herself … typical girl.

We read her devotional daily, usually before nap time. Our mornings are a little hectic with Daddy gone. But, he has been home this weekend and it has been wonderful! She loves having her daddy home and behaves much better; I think him being gone for so long is just emotional for her and the only way she really knows how to express that is by acting out. She has been talking back and not listening very well since he left. I figure this is also an age thing. So we are just working through it. After JTom was home for about a day, her behavior got better.

We are really starting to get to crunch time on the move. We have a few companies coming to do quotes for the move, then we will turn those in to JTom’s company so they can do the financial end of things. Then next week I will start really packing up things for us to take, that we don’t want the movers moving. The following week, we will close on the house (Feb 15th), JTom will come home that Saturday (Feb 16th), we will have the movers here the week of the 18th, and hopefully be in the house in Nebraska that week. Whew, it’s going to be fast, stressful, and a lot of work. Once it is done, we can really start settling in and getting comfortable with the new neighborhood and town. The sad part is, we can’t take the chickens. The bylaws for the neighborhood specifically say no poultry; there isn’t a law against it in the city so we were going to take them and jus put up a fence, hoping no one would really make a fuss. But, the problem there is we can’t put in a fence until the ground thaws in spring …. so for now we are going to get rid of the chicks. =*(
What’s even worse, is we lost 2 girls. I am very angry; the neighbor’s dog got under the fence and came in our yard while the chicks were free ranging, and he killed two of them. He got one red, and one barred girl. I think JTom is more furious than I am. So, we are down to 6 chickens.

Anyhow, back to the move …. all things are contingent on us closing on the house Feb 15th. Hopefully everything will go smoothly (we are praying!), all the papers are/will be together, and there aren’t any glitches or major bumps in the road. I refuse to get super super excited until everything is signed and done on the house, because if it gets moved to the end of Feb, we will be a part that much longer. =/

Anyhow, so this is our 20 week update. I will try to get some pictures posted soon.

So Much Happening-life update

by Meghan // May 25, 2012 // Comments off

Wow- sorry I have been MIA lately. We’ve had a lot going on around here in the last 2 months, this month being so hectic!

As you read, we were all sick with stomach bugs last week. The weeks before that we were drowning in party preparations, chicken coops, and packing for a mini vacation. But, it looks like things will be a tiny bit more laid back in the weeks to come.

All my free time has been spent sewing! I finally got my sewing machine out after a ( …. 6 year?) hiatus, but didn’t start really enjoying it until the first of this month. I’ve been sewing Lexie some cute dresses and just finished some toddler bibs for a friend’s son’s birthday, which is this weekend! I got a serger for my re-found hobby! It is amazing- it’s this one: Janome Juno 3434D serger I can now have those really great-looking, professional seams on anything I create. And I can do rolled hems! I am very excited about that. I used the rolled hem on a ruffle top I made for Lexie, and it’s so pretty. Anyway, so I am excited about that. I have made her 3 dresses and a top, just in May. It’s rather addictive. I am currently working on dress #4 and plan to have it completed tonight or tomorrow at nap time. =)

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The chickens are doing great! The 5 Rhode Island Reds are such sweet baby girls. One is extremely feisty, and I think she runs the roost for them (Tessa). Also, I think maybe Dolly is a girl after all, but am still waiting for confirmation on that. 😉
Saturday I went to Bismarck and picked up three 12 week old barred rocks. We named the nicest one Elmo, the other two can be a little crabby towards the babies. They’re not far enough in age or so much bigger than the babies that they hurt them, but they do peck and chase them some. They’re still working out the pecking order, but there have been no injuries, so we’re good.

Yesterday, we hung them some cabbages to play with, and they’ve literally destroyed them. haha They’ve been having a big time. Chickens are like kids- when they get bored they start making trouble with they others (pecking, bullying, etc). So you can add things to their run, like cabbages, to keep them interested and busy. It’s funny to watch them boxing the cabbage.

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I am almost 26 weeks pregnant now- 26 weeks on Sunday. The baby has decided he likes my ribs as much as Lady did.

Perfect.

But we’ve been going to kettlebell classes twice a week and yoga on Wednesdays. Now that she will be done with school next week, I will probably go to yoga more often which I’m really excited about. The baby seems to like yoga; he shifts around and kicks a lot during the class.

We go to the doctor on the 6th for a regular appointment and my glucose test *blah* Then it’s appointment every 2 weeks until the last month. I just can’t believe we will be at 30 weeks so soon. Of course it still seems so far far away, but sometimes it is just flying by.

Easter, chicks, and car

by Meghan // April 9, 2012 // Comments off

We have been so busy! Happy late Easter, everyone. Hope it was great! Ours was relatively uneventful, in not the greatest way. We didn’t really have any Easter festivities, but it was rather nice.

Saturday we bought a new car! Well, let me start at the beginning …. Friday we sold my pilot. We listed my car about 6 weeks ago on craigslist, which is also how we sold my pre-baby car, and have been shopping around ever since. We planned on doing some serious shopping Saturday morning and had our hearts set on Honda Odyssey.

We had decided we would probably settle for a chryselr town and country, but I just couldn’t bring myself to settle for one mainly because of all the features … I’m not a fan of the touch screen, the DVD system, or tiny stow and go seats. I guess they’re great for some families, but we don’t use movies and stuff in the car.

We try not to keep a car note, so it’s not like we will just trade this car in after 2 years. It’s something we plan to drive, payoff early, and then sell ourselves when we have other needs. So for us, a Honda is most practical. And I sorta have a big crush on Hondas. My pilot was the greatest car ever, out towed Jtom’s truck on more than one occasion, and was so practical and simple. That’s what I like. I’m not a gadget or technology freak; as a matter of fact, when driving the town and country with the touch screen (which was standard on all models) I felt very overwhelmed and anxious. There was so much happening right there, it was like “how am I supposed to focus on driving with that thing blaring at me?!” It scared me to change the station …

Easter 2012

Anyways, he found a Honda in Sherwood, a bit over an hour from here, with few miles and a great price. When we got there, they had it! We tested it, made an offer, and 3 hours later walked out with drove away in, a family friendly Honda Odyssey. I’m not a car person. Or a material person, really. Maybe it’s because my dad was a mechanic, but a car needs to fit my needs and get me places. That’s all. There are a few things, like automatic doors, that fit my needs 🙂 only because I want them to. But although I could care less about pretty new things, I’m very excited about our new van. It only has 20,000 miles, which for a Honda is like pulling it off the show room floor, brand new. It was owned by an old lady who traded it in for a new one (we found out after the purchase) and doesn’t even look like the inside has been sat in

After our adventures Saturday morning, we had Easter dinner Saturday afternoon. Lexie and I were supposed to dye eggs Saturday, but we didn’t get the chance, so we will this afternoon. And lexie didn’t get her Easter basket yet because we didn’t really do the egg thing, so she will get that today as well! Whew, we are only a day behind, give me a break!

week old chicks

The chicks are doing great! Oh yes, I may not have mentioned on here, we got our baby chicks! They’re so cute and sweet. I lost one Friday night, but that is to be expected. They’re very easily stressed and it’s typical that you lose one or two. So far the rest are healthy and bouncy.

Ginger

peek a boo

sleepy baby

I am now 19 weeks pregnant. Baby is kicking like crazy. I feel it all the time-rolling, kicking, tickling. We have our anatomy ultrasound next Wednesday and will find out the gender with our family and friends on Saturday! Exciting stuff.

Ultrasound Photo- 13 weeks 1 day

by Meghan // March 3, 2012 // Comments off

Here is the ultrasound picture from Monday. The baby looks significantly bigger than Lexie did in her 12 week ultrasound, but I was only measuring a few days ahead- 13.4 and I was 13.1. The doctor talked us through the next steps and made sure that the baby was healthy which was reassuring.

I definitely feel bigger this time; maybe that is because I have 10 lbs leftover from lexie.. But I can say I was in pregnancy pants earlier this time, like 3 months earlier, and I could feel “the bump” way earlier, too. It just looks like I’ve had a bit too much bread if you don’t know a baby resides in there.

Speaking of babies, I said I would write more about our chicks! I ordered 6 Rhode Island Red pullet (female) chicks from www.mypetchicken.com We will raise them in a brooder, aka a cardboard box, in the house … somewhere. They shouldn’t be raised outside; they will only be 1-2 days old when they arrive. I guess we will keep them in the bathroom downstairs, since that is the least trafficked area by the tot. After the first six weeks or so we will put them out in their coop- I’ve told JTom what I want in the coop, abd we have all the specs needed for our number of hens. Though we are getting 6 RIRs, I think I will get a few Easter Eggers locally; they lay beautiful green. blue and cream eggs/ We will need a coop that houses 6-10 hens; it will need 2-3 nest boxes for laying, roosts for sleeping, and pine shavings for bedding in the bottom. It will have windows for ventilation (very important for healhy chickens) and an attached run. This is a “tractor” or portable coop, it ca be moved around the yard so our girls can forage like free range chickens. I think after a few weeks, when they know to return to their coop, we will let them freerange a bit while we are outside during the day. The nest box(es) will have an opening roof for easy egg collection, and I hope the entire thing is tall enough to walk into- since 2×4’s are already 6ft long, it will make that part easy. We will use hardware mesh, not chicken wire; the mesh is much more predator proof and most chicken owners equate chicken wire to having no protection at all.

RIRs are known for the big body, great dispositions, and good egg laying. They large- xlarge eggs; 3 hens will lay an average of 2 eggs a day, usually more. So we can expect quite a few eggs from them, starting at about 4-5 months old.

I am very excited! Jtom, not so much, but this was orginally his idea several years ago, and it’s just been brooding in my mind ever since! We will keep you up to date, the chicks should be here the first week of April. =)