Feeding the goats

Of our three kids, Addison is definitely the one that likes to be outside the most. Raymond doesn't mind if it's nice out and his dad is willing to play ball with him or go on a bike ride, but generally speaking, he doesn't go outside without being sent, unless we are all outside anyway. Zachary would just as soon stay inside the rest of his life, I think! He's happy playing with his toys, drawing or watching a movie and even in the middle of the summer, the fun of being outside is not long lived with him. Soon, he is ready to retreat back to his bedroom for more solitary play.

Addison, however, heads outside any and every chance she gets. She is happy to play alone, in the pouring down rain, if we'll let her! And a chance to go out and see the animals is one she would never pass up! The goats roam freely on our 5 acres, so they are not always right next to the fence. The other morning, they were and Addison and I decided to go outside and share some breakfast with them. I had a few pieces of bread that was getting stale and Addison happily took it out to feed to them. Of course, that attracted the attention of the horse, so we gave him some, too. Max is never far from our kids when they are outside and he was happy to get a treat, too! We have enjoyed having farm animals much more than I expected. It's fun for us and the kids think it's fantastic!

Our Rooster

I'm sure I've mentioned repeatedly the frustration we've had with our chickens. This has definitely been a learning experience for us and hopefully, when (if) we get more chickens, we'll be better prepared. The second set of chickens I purchased were from a lady that didn't want all the chicks she had hatched. They were about 6-8 weeks old and what is called "straight run", which means their sex has yet to be determined. Having no idea of this definition prior, I bought all ten and happily brought them home. Two of our chickens turned out to be roosters! We only realized this after we caught it crowing one morning. Thankfully, they wait until well after daybreak and hopefully, this will continue once the days get longer (and mornings earlier)! I think this particular rooster is rather handsome...I might even name him one of these days.

Spirit Week

I had the opportunity to help plan for, organize and implement Spirit Week at our school this year. What a lot of fun! We decided on a Winter Olympics theme, so each day teams competed doing different "Olympic" events. They all had a great time.

We kicked off the week with our Parade of Nations. Each teacher was asked to choose a country and help and encourage their students to dress accordingly. Addison is still in the nursery, so she didn't really dress up. Someone handed her a flag and she was happy to march along.

Raymond's teacher chose Solomon Islands because the colors coordinated with their team color they'd be wearing the rest of the week. Smart lady! She also gave Ray's class some information about the islands and they enjoyed making their flags for the parade. This is Raymond and his friend Jeremy

Zachary's pre-school class chose the good ole US of A. His teacher thought it would be easier for the little guys to cheer for something they found familiar. Also a smart lady! She brought each of them a flag to wave and they had a great time.

Among other events, including the luge (kid on a skateboard), biathlon (running and shooting a Nerf gun at a target), and curling (pushing a very small child on a skateboard toward a target on the floor...closest without going over won!), we had our biggest event of the week. Tobogganing! Kevin brought our go-kart to school and set up a coarse for the kids to race around. Fastest time won. They were allowed to have to pit crew, in case they got stuck in the gravel, etc. Raymond got to drive for his team and having the advantage of driving this particular go-kart frequently, he was the hands down winner and clinched the victory for his team!

Wii night

We have greatly enjoyed having our Wii. We don't watch TV anymore, so games have become our evening entertainment and playing the Wii is certainly one of the boys' favorites. As parents, we enjoy the fact that our kids, ages 8, 4 and 2 can all (okay, almost all...Addie's still not very good) play competitively. Zachary has beat me at tennis more than once and Raymond has received "pro" status for bowling.

I believe they had their shirts off for maximum movement...or maybe it was just after bath and everyone was in a hurry to get a remote!

Both boys really get into it and it's more fun to watch them and their facial expressions than it is to watch what is going on on the screen!

Addison likes to pretend she is playing, too. Luckily this remote was securely strapped to her wrist, because it ended up flying out of her hand and into the cabinet below the TV! Daddy wasn't too happy about that!

Eggs at last

I've been asking everyone I know why the chickens we bought over the summer weren't laying eggs. We got a few right after we brought them home (the guy said they were already laying) and then went months without anymore. I finally bought a few more, but they weren't laying yet, either. We finally gave up and decided we'd get some more in the spring. We hadn't been out to the barn in several days and were amazed to find over 2 dozen in the hen house!

After mentioning it to our neighbor, she told us she'd been finding eggs in her barn for a few weeks, too. Guess they decided it was time and didn't know where they were suppose to be! At any rate, we are still learning a lot about the farming business, but greatly enjoy this new addition to our menu. Nothing compares to home-grown eggs!

Good Dad!

I was pretty sure I knew Kevin would be a good dad when we got married, but I had no idea what a catch I had made! Not only does he cook (frequently more often and better than I do!) but he knows how to do laundry, vacuum and best of all... he loves taking care of our kids! Okay, he doesn't mind ;o)

Some time over the summer, Kevin decided to buy a pair of clippers and practice on the boys... after many cuts, he's really pretty good now! Sure is nice to pass Great Clips and come on home, these days! Also, and even better, it's WAY cheaper! Gotta cut corners everywhere we can these days.

I just thought this picture was sweet. Kevin looks grumpy, but I think I caught him off guard! Addison loves hanging out with Daddy and watching some Monday night football once in awhile.

Pacific Science Center

Sometime this summer, someone gave us some free passes to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
We never got a chance to use them, so over Christmas break, I took the opportunity to meet Mom and Bob in Seattle and spend the day at the Science Center with the kids.

Everyone liked the dinosaur exhibit. While Raymond took his time and read all the placards, Addison and Zachary enjoyed the footprint and other "hands on" exhibits.

I was so happy to have Grannie and Grandpa Bob along for the day. It's hard to keep track of these three in such a busy place!

Raymond spent most of his time with Grandpa, so they could stop and read everything. The younger ones were a little less patient and needed something more entertaining than signs. The oversized table was pretty neat! They also both really enjoyed the kids play area, especially the water wheels!

I love being in Seattle and although we've been up here many times, I still can't pass up good shots of the Space Needle!