EMHE

Jed's company was able to donate their talents and time to the building of a home for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  We were able to visit the site as VIP guests.  We knew that Chase would be the most excited about the "extreme" building that was going on.  It was a construction site/carnival gone mad.  Bayli was more excited about the VIP tent with its free food and the special "tag" that she got to wear.

You can ask Jed his feelings about the experience if you really want to know.  Let's just say that he and "the talent" (aka Ty Pennington and his co-hosts)  would never get along.  Oh, and he thinks that ABC is kind of lame as well.

Dad and his boy taking in the beautiful views of a construction site.

We've never seen him so quiet when there is any type of big rig around.

He was in complete awe.

Bayli was content to eat the free food.  It was like being poked with a pin to have her picture taken.

first swim

 I know, we are lame.  

Lily is almost 11 months old, and we are barely taking her to the pool.  

(Filling the bathtub doesn't count.)  

We will count the backyard pool though.  

She LOVES the water.  

She is going to be a little fish like her big sister and big brother. 

super excited to finally get her turn to play in the pool

she loved splashing the water

she also loved licking the water off her arm

we took it a step further and introduced her to the baby floaty, she was tickled

love that happy little mug

Yeah, she didn't like the fact that after attempting to bite the hooks on the floaty, she dipped that cute little mug in the pool. 

It's okay Lil's, big brother is just barely starting to enjoy getting his cute mug wet.

One day, you will both be pros like big sister, sporting your awesome goggles.

Until that day, it's okay to take a break from the pool.

And go about your merry way, sporting your cute swimwear and beach bum.

it's official

we have ourselves a rooster
and he's a crowing
well, sort of
more like screeching or dieing

pretty much at that awkward age
puberty
you know, with the voice changes and all
that is what he sounds like
so imagine a young man, going through puberty
speaking or better yet singing
and yeah, that is what he sounds like
only he speaks chicken

jed's impression is spot on
just ask him to speak rooster
then you can get a better idea

i kind of compare it to a beagle
or a dog that has had it's bark removed

we will take a barking chicken
we are in the business of competing with all of the obnoxious neighbor dogs anyways

mission=success

Well, after trying and trying to climb into the tub, Lily finally did it.  Of course it was at a very inconvenient time and  a big surprise for everyone.  Needless to say, we will have one eye on the step stool from now on.  And I am sure Bayli will remember to close the bathroom door when she hops into the shower.

our super excited little cutie, pretty proud of herself

BUGGED!!!

Honey Bee pollinating the Amur Maple

I am so irritated by all of the pest control companies that keep knocking on my door (I literally had 4 different companies in a weeks time) trying to get me to commit to their services.  With promises of no more spiders, hornets, wasps, ants, etc.

For one thing, I LOVE insects.  They completely fascinate me.  Even the Squash Bugs that wreak havoc on my garden each year-although I could do without them.  Even the ants that once plagued us when we were living in Jed's dad's rental, fascinated us.  Especially when Flying Ant Day Week came around each year (or Flant Day as I have also heard it called).   That period of time when the freshly emerging queen ants would make their appearance and begin their nuptial flight. The family room/back door would be swarming with clumsy new flyers trying to make their way out into the world.  If they would only have quit coming up through the cracks by the back door, they would have been a bit more successful in making it outdoors rather than into the tip of the vacuum hose.  Those who did make it out into the backyard made quite a spectacle.  It often reminded me of a crowd gathering to see a hot air balloon show.  We also had some pretty excited birds awaiting the arrival of an easy meal each morning. 

The main reason why I am completely bothered by the "pesky" control people and their promises of "no more..." is that we need all of these insects to have proper balance.    With all of the discussions going around about why there are so few bees anymore, I am sure that they have something to do with it.  I mean, you spray for one type of bug, another is going to walk/fly along and have issues as well.  Especially if you are spraying every tree and bush in a given area.

Don't get me wrong, we do fertilize our lawn with certain grub eliminators.  And we remove a hornets nest when it is dangerously close to where our kids are playing.  Not to mention the exterior perimeter foundation spray that Jed applies to keep the majority of spiders outside.  But really, every bug in my yard has a part and if they are not interfering with the welfare of my family, they are welcome to stay.
Especially the lovely honey bees that find the Lilacs and blooms of the Amur Maples in the spring.  Then, as their numbers grow in the summer months, make their beautiful buzzing sound as they fly about the Blue Beard and Russian Sage.  I mean really, what is lovelier than that?

flat mates

A few weeks ago we finally got tired of Lily being our roomy.  Ten months of tiptoeing around was WAY too long.  We moved her bed into Bay's room.  Can we say, wall to wall furniture?

Bayli loves talking to her in the morning when they wake up. Lily loves watching big sister play about the room with her polly pockets and pets.  Since she has too much of a love for placing EVERYTHING in her mouth, Lily doesn't get free reign in the room.  So instead, her playroom is Chase's bedroom.

Bayli is so cute with her little sister.  The other day, after Lily woke up from her nap, I was busy in the kitchen.   I asked Bayli to go in and play with her until I could come get her out of the crib.  Bayli kept coming out and saying, "mom, come and get Lily out."  My response, in a minute.  Really, it was nice having Lily detained and entertained so I could get a few things done.  After the third time that Bayli came and asked me to get Lily, I finally gave in.
To my surprise, I found a little princess full of smiles.  Cute Bayli had been playing dress up with Lil's.

In her most cooing tone Bayli said, "isn't she sooo cute?!!!"  Then she proceeded to tell me how hard it was to dress her (ya I know, I do it like 6 times a day!) and how she had to "kind of climb in the crib" to get the job done (I am sure that Lily loved that part).

After I took Lily out of the crib, Bayli insisted that they have a fashion show in the family room.  How could I refuse my two little princesses?

10 months

Miss Lily is getting so big.  Our little gal has changed from a little sweetie to a little pill.  Through it all, she still wears a lovely little smile.  From the moment she awakens, she is on the go.  Like a wind up toy, once she hits the floor, she is gone.  She has discovered every area in our home that she has access to.  She makes her rounds the instant she is free.  Check the plants. pull on some leaves and try to eat them. forage the floor in the kitchen. insert yummy finds. make a mess with the peat moss.  forage some more.  nibble any shoes left out.  finger through the dust mop if left out.  make siblings scream when she has found and used the remote.  shred the magazines left on the ottoman. check to see if any doors have been left ajar.  and if so, first priority, the bathroom.  attempt to climb into the tub-yet to be successful. dump out the garbage. in mom & dad's room, more plant play.  dump out her baskets of shoes, hats, and socks (her personal effects are distributed in everyone's rooms).  try to climb on the printer.  head for the bathroom.  rummage through the shelves.  crawl into the shower.  mop the floor with wet knees. Off to Chase's room to play, eat some books, find some tools,  and play with trucks. 
We have come to find a love for sane restraint (highchair, playpen, stroller, swing, crib).  She tolerates sane restraint.
Lily loves her brother.  She thinks he is the best.  He is getting better at sharing and playing with her.  You can tell that she feels at home in his room.  We have even moved many of her toys into there.
Her eyes light up for Bayli as well.  She loves her siblings.
Our littlest bird remains a mommy's girl.  I don't mind, most of the time.  I love her hugs and kisses.
She loves to watch daddy.  Like Chase, she could watch him working for hours.  She is showing signs of loving anything with an engine.  Daddy better be careful, he is going to end up with two little shadows.
She is a speed crawler.  She tries to climb up on everything.  We have seen her stand unassisted for a few seconds.
She says "hi" and "dada" and loves waving.  She is starting to chatter more when she plays.  But for the most part is still pretty quiet (a quiet little tornado).  She loves to giggle.  
She is still very much a people watcher.  Can you blame her?  People are so interesting.

How sweet our Lily grows!!!

 

chickens. or as my husband refers, peckers.

After years of proclaiming his love and desire to have chickens, Jed's dream FINALLY came true.  I finally gave him the go ahead to get some, and let me say that he jumped on that boat FAST.  He must have been pretty worried that I might change my mind.
I gave him some limitations on the birds.  They had to be as far back in the yard as possible.  They are HIS birds, he feeds, waters, and cleans up after them.  And, they are to never run free poop in my backyard or they will be made into soup.  I totally sound like a mom. He has kept his end of the bargain (I have only fed them a few times).

Jed chose out his birds back at the beginning of April.  He picked out an Orpington (the yellow), 2 Rhode Island Reds (obviously the little red ones), a Barred Rock (my favorite), and 2 Black Sex-linked.  Although he asked for hens, we think that the Orpington just might be a rooster, we shall see.

The cute chicks, only a few days old when they came to live in our basement.  I am very glad that it no longer smells like a barn down there.

He borrowed his dad's brooder (box/crate with warming lights).  And he began his hunt for the perfect coop. Of course, he couldn't find the perfect coop to purchase.  Either they were too expensive, or they were made poorly.  So, he began accumulating plans and pictures of coops that he liked and began the process of building one himself.

He began building the coop, in the basement shop.  His tools were all right there, and the weather has been less than cooperative over the last few months. 

And during the building process, he kept getting inquiries from me.  They pretty much entailed, "how in the heck do you plan on getting this out the back garage, turn the corner, go up the hill, turn the other corner, go across the grass, and make it to the back of the garden?"  He got pretty annoyed by these inquiries.  But on my behalf, it was completely a legitimate question.  And, I wasn't the only one asking.

So, on "moving" day, this was his plan of attack:

And let me say, it was a little bit intense.  Not to mention, my blood pressure was boiling as I watched my paint job mess up (I did contribute to the coop a bit-have I mentioned how much I despise painting?  Hey, I have to get my share of the eggs somehow.)

I think I was the most scared at this moment.  Turning that corner is crazy even without a little house on the front loader.

Poor little house needed a few touch ups when the job was complete.  Thank goodness Jed did the touch up paint, I think he might have gotten the hint that I was completely DONE painting.

From this point, on the edge of the grass, I was very interested to see how he planned to get it the rest of the way without the tractor.  He wasn't about to mess up the back lawn and garden.  This is where we definitely are missing a big piece of the move.  Just imagine the house up on stilts with long boards connecting them and 4-5ish strapping young to middle aged men packing it.  I don't know that our neighbors will ever answer the phone when Jed calls again.

Cute little coop, finally complete.  After he got the house back there, he had to patch it up, shingle it, and complete the run/yard.  He was pretty excited when the project was complete.

The nests are inside this door, easy access to the eggs once the hens start laying.

Our mystery Orpington.  Boy or Girl??? We are kind of hoping for a boy at this point.  One rooster would complete the bunch.  He can compete with all of the blankety-blank dogs in our vicinity.

The Orpington and Barred Rock (the black and white speckled one) are the most interested in us.

I will say, that they have grown on me.  But, I still will not include them in my chores. 

Little biddies better be good layers or we'll be having chicken soup!

1-800-tot haul

If you need some material moved, we know just the guy for the job. 

sleeping beauty?

Well, she is a beauty, but I don't think that the real Sleeping Beauty would be caught dead in a position like this.  And, I think that the Prince would think twice before he  laid a smooch on this one.  He just might turn tail and run.  Can we say, bed hog?

We frequently find our little beauty in all sorts of odd positions snoozing away.