Saturday, April 11, 2015

mommyhood poem

Just this week, I went to make myself a snack, and Tessa requested I do something for her.  I paused and began to fulfill her request when Aaron approached with a more urgent need.  I paused Tessa's favor and helped Aaron, spun around in the kitchen a few times, and tried to remember what I was there for, in the first place!  This doesn't just happen once a week or once a day ~ this happens *all day, every day*!!  
It's enough to make me dizzy.  And take a deep breath!  
So finding this poem this week made me smile ~
"If You Give Mom a Muffin"
If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Author: Beth Brubaker

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Score

Yes, it is true, not a joke...though announced on April 1!   We are happy to anticipate baby #6, due in October!

The girls want a girl.  The boys want a boy.  It's a bit like adding to your team!  We are pretty well split; here's our kids' score so far:

Girls: 3 Boys: 2
Born on Friday night: 3  Born on Tuesday night: 2
Right handed: 3. Left handed: 2
Early risers: 2 Night owls: 3
Loud: 2 Quiet: 3
Blue eyes: 5
Love to be outside: 5
Love sweet treats: 5


Number of 2015 babies (that we know of):
Doland family: 3
Pheifer family: 3
church family: 3

As for the parents, we are glad that we'll either have 3/3, or 4 daughters and 2 sons.  

And no, we won't know until October! 

MARCH




the way the eggs arrived
17 eggs in an incubator, we were hoping for a 50% success rate

After a few weeks, Adrian candled the eggs and discovered only 2 out of 17 were viable.  We marked those eggs, and followed the protocol to have them hatch. On day 21, the day they were supposed to hatch, one came out!  Adrian & I were more fascinated than the kids.  We had to read all about how it normally happened, not to worry.  The first chick took 7 hours from pip to hatch.
I had NO IDEA you can hear a chick chirping before it emerges from the shell!!
I had NO IDEA they don't need any water or food for the first 24 hours!
I had NO IDEA a chick goes from a pathetic little wad of wet feathers...
...to quite strong, running and eating within 36 hours!

We left the last fertilized egg in the incubator, without much hope.  We had never read anywhere that they can hatch past 21 days.  Then, on day 23, we started to hear chirping from inside the intact shell.  She emerged on day 24: 
making a break!

half way out!
pathetic little thing!










once we knew we only had 2 viable eggs in the incubator,
we brought 12 more home from the feed store
...quantity 3 each of 4 different breeds...


a bathtub is their home until they no longer need a heat lamp





days apart in age:
chick on the left is named Paul M. Sunday (or Paula if she's a hen).  She hatched on Sunday.
chick on the right is from the feed store, about 2 weeks old.
(No name, because we can't easily tell the 9 black ones apart.)
to get the full effect, add chirping x 12
these three are the most mellow of the crowd.
they let you pick them up easily,
and they just sat where I positioned them for the photo.

the kids call this guy "Penguin" because of his markings.

AFTER we bought 12 at the feed store, thinking half might be roosters, we found out they are usually about 90% hens.  
Our coop won't accommodate 14 chickens in the winter, so we might be giving away some hens in the fall...
....but we'll worry about that later.

Traveled to Idaho Falls for an uncle's funeral.
Not a happy reason to gather, but there is happiness in gathering!
The five siblings, from FL, WI, ID and MT!
Congrats on your engagement, Joel & Stephanie!!

FEBRUARY

February: Ella's 11th birthday, and a trip to Oregon!



at the zoo!


all the cousins in an eagle's nest!



this mandrill was really interested in Jaci's burrito!  


the lions were my favorite. 
lion family: dad, mom, and 2 sets of triplets!

Mom: Orion, is Daddy as tall as that giraffe?
Orion: yeah!
bike ride w/Uncle Joel!
Mike+Ahalya opening presents
Jessica + Orion


Mt Hood
St Helens and another WA mountain

JANUARY


we've gotten some extra minutes with Aunt Sandy this year!
last day of January provided some beautiful hoar frost,
making for an excellent photo op!
chicken wire
otherwise bare winter branches
row of trees
our view