Racoons

 The other day we had a beautiful warm afternoon so the kids and I took the chicks outside so we could all enjoy the sun.  We heard some noise in the trees on the side of our yard and it was then that Jacob spotted two racoons.

We have only seen one since we moved here and that was about 2 weeks ago.  They came really close to us and did not seem too afraid.  I am so glad that Darrick put a secure roof on the coop because I am sure these two racoons would enjoy 3 little chicken snacks!

Side of our house

BEFORE

 On the side of our house we have a long gated area that we have not done anything with.  It was getting weeds and moss was all over the sidewalk.  There is a rosebush that we transplanted there that we are hoping we will come back to life when summer comes around.

So when I saw some Primroses on sale this week for $.99 I thought I should get some and try to make this side of our house look nice.

BEFORE

AFTER

 I think it turned out nice.  Today Darrick also spent some time power washing the moss off the sidewalk.

AFTER

Combs

Oreo

 It is so fun to watch our chicks grow and change!  This week they started developing their combs!  They are even bigger today.  And every day they lose more and more of their down feathers.  They have also started to perch so we put a stick in their tub for them to practice on.

Buttercup

Lily

Let there be Lights!

BEFORE

AFTER

Our Living room is dark.  There are no overhead lights so the only light we have in that room comes from 2 lamps we have.  The problem with that is that you only get light if you are sitting next to one of the lamps. 

We seem to notice it mostly on Wednesday nights when we have Bible Study at our house.  It is hard for people to read their notes that they took from the sermon.  So we decided that we would use some of the money from our tax return to put in lights.

Thankfully, one of the Dads we know from Port Gardner, is an electrician.  He gave us a great deal.  He ran into a few surprises, which he says can happen with old houses.  The first was that our ceiling is made out of chicken wire and concrete.  Which makes for a solid ceiling but not so easy to cut through when you want to install lights.  He did it but had to use a new blade for each one because it was so hard it wore the blade down to nothing.  Also the spacing was about on inch shorter then normal which meant he needed to find an inch shorter can.

But all, in all, he did it and he did a great job.  He even installed a dimmer switch on the lights!  I know we will enjoy these lights for many more years to come!

Fast Asleep

Tonight while we were hanging out in the living room, Jacob decided to hold Lily.  When it was time for bed, we told Jacob it was time to brush his teeth.  No response.  After a couple of tries we investigate and discover that Jacob was fast asleep, on the floor, laying next to the chick tub, holding onto Lily.

Growing Tails

Buttercup

 It is amazing how quickly the chicks are growing!  We can see little changes in them everyday.  They are at 3 different stages in their development.  Oreo does everything first.  Then a day or so later Buttercup does it and then a few days later Lily does it.  Right now their tails are in 3 different stages!  Oreo has the most pronounced tail.  Buttercup is just starting hers and Lily's is just a soft puffball!

Lily

Oreo

Micah, Jacob, Hendrik

 Today we also had some friends over after church and they had fun getting to know our chicks.  Hendriks family got 10 chickens a few weeks before us, so he was an expert with them!  Sydney right away asked her mom if they could get chicks!  I wouldn't be surprised if they do soon!

Lily is always so relaxed when she is with Jake

Buttercup exercising her wings.

Sydney and Naomi

In this Home

 While shopping in Snohomish, when my parents were here, I found this great sign.  It perfectly summed up our family and I knew I had to get it.  This weekend I got it hung up on the wall underneath our family picture in the livingroom.

Cute pictures from today

Lily eating out of Jacob's hand

Oreo is starting to grow a tail

Buttercup taking a nap in Naomi's hood

Jacob loves his little friend

Oreo enjoys sitting on Micah's shoulder as they walk around the yard

Sweet Love

What is she doing back there, Mom?

It happens

Jiffy Seed Starts

 In preparation for our garden, we tried using Jiffy Self-Watering Greenhouse that we bought at Lowes.  After just a couple of days we began to see plants sprouting!

Now when we checked and they are just growing like crazy.   This is totally working.  So far we have Pink beans, Beans, Gourds, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Pumpkins, Watermelon, Tomato and Sunflowers coming up.  We are still waiting for Jalapenos, Cilantro and Onions to pop up.

In a few weeks we will plant the starts in our garden!

Chicks-Day Two

Oreo

 We have survived our first 24 hours as chicken owners!  They chirped quite a bit in the early evening so the kids held them and the chicks fell asleep in their laps-it was so sweet.  When we all went to bed they quieted down and we did not hear them at all during the night.  Jacob came down from his room a couple of times because he did not want to sleep away from his chick.

Buttercup

 Bright and early this morning at 6:30 am, Jake was up, asking if he could hold his chick!  Before school they all took time to cuddle their little babies.

This afternoon we let them out in the back yard for a few minutes. 

We also checked out a few books from the library today also so we can learn as much as we can!

Micah and Oreo

Naomi and Buttercup

Lily

Lily

Buttercup

Naomi and Buttercup

Micah and Oreo

Micah and Oreo

Lily

Lily

Follow the Leader

Lily tries to hide under the bigger chicks when she is scared

She made it!