Chickens

I've always known my husband was a country boy at heart. What I didn't believe was that I am a country girl at heart too. 

Jason and I have talked over the years about getting chickens. I thought it was something that Jason and the kids would like and I would tolerate. We discovered that WCAs 4th graders hatched chicken eggs so we decided to wait until Grace was in 4th Grade and get our chickens then. 

This past spring Mrs. Manukian's 4th grade class was given 40 eggs to incubate and hatch. In the end they had less than a dozen baby chicks. Mrs. Manukian purchases enough baby chicks so that each class member had one chick for the chick Olympics. 

On "going home day" Grace was lucky enough to get 5 baby chicks, 3 were hatched by the class and 2 were purchases. 

We set them up in a brooder (plastic box) in the garage with a heat lamp, watered and feeder. After exchanging many emails with Sarah (the crazy chicken lady) I felt confident we were doing it right.

The kids enjoyed going out in the garage checking on the chicks and playing with them. I had expected this. What I hadn't expected was my attachment to them. I found myself thinking about these little chicks all day long and wondering if they were okay. 

Jason and I had decided to transform the kids' playhouse into a chicken coop. It didn't get done before we brought the chicks home and I started feeling anxious that it needed to be done so the chicks would have a home. Each night when I checked in the chicks I eagerly looked forward to the day I could move them to the new coop and watch them explore outdoors. 

Finally in May the chicks were big enough and we moved them to their new home. 

I had a new nighttime ritual. Each evening after coming home from work I would walk outside, swing open the Dutch door and watch my chickies. 

Over the summer they got bigger and bigger. We finished the coop and the run and figured out treats, feeders and waterers. 

We also decided to let them free range in the backyard. 

After they destroyed the garden by eating ripe fruit, digging holes and ripping up roots, we revised it to supervised free ranging. 

Now I am back to enjoying a glass of wine in the evening while watching my chickens scrounge for bugs and seeds. 

Golden Gate Bridge

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge has always been on my "bucket list" (even before I knew what those were). 

Saturday I finally had my opportunity. Grace's Girl Scout troop decided to cross the bridge for their end of year party. I volunteered to be a chaperone and Emma tagged along. 

I'm not sure it the experience lived up to my expectations but I am sure glad I did it. Especially with my two girls. 

The day was beautiful and we saw many sailboats, seagulls, people and even porpoises. 

This huge cargo ship sailed right underneath us. That was pretty cool. It was ginormous!

After crossing the bridge we walked down to Crissy Field and fed the seagulls and pigeons. 

While the girls were gone, Jason and the boys took are of shopping, visiting Grandpa's barn and swimming. They sent me this picture of their post swim Mohawks. 

New School Year

We have officially started another school year!

Emma is a sophomore at Windsor High. Grace is in 5th grade. Cooper is in 1st grade and Henry is in the Dragonfly class in Pre-K. 

Emma actually started last week. She has classes with friends and likes all of her teachers so far. She has stories about her health teacher each day she has that class. 

We are still working out her schedule but should have it settled in the next week. 

High Sschool is so different than when I was in school. Emma has a block schedule with at most four classes a day. Right now she can start as early as 8 am or as late as 11:20 and get out as early as 1:50 and as late as 3:35. I've had to write her schedule day by day in my planner to keep track. 

Emma had a very successful first year and her transcript shows her ranked #1 in her class of almost 500. 

Grace is in 5th grade this year. This is the year of Survivor!  Emma loved her Survivor challenges and Grace is very excited about hers. Mrs. Jardine is her teacher again. She was a good fit in 3rd grade and I am hoping this year will be another success. 

Cooper is in Mrs. King's 1st grade. Shaylene was Emma's junior high small group leader so I feel confident that she loves the kids and loves The Lord. 

Cooper has been having an awful attitude this summer and I am hoping that Mrs. King and Mrs. Dick can help to turn that around. 

Henry is very excited about being the big kid on campus. He keeps telling me how the new friends at school won't know the rules and he will teach them the rules. We've never had Mrs. Greenley so I am curious to see how she runs her class. 

Henry very much wants to be big and in charge and I'm hoping he feels more empowered and in control of himself this year. 

Life is Good

Life is good!  My life is also crazy, loud, busy, full of love, tickles, snuggles and exasperation. I never imagined myself as a mom of four, but now I can't imagine my life any other way. 

This weekend is the annual opening day of deer season, so I am a single mom. Now that Cooper is 6.5 years old he gets to go to deer camp with Jason. 

I hate having Jason gone, but I do sure love having a little time alone with my littles. I treat these weekends as "free weekends" and have as much fun with the kids as I can and let chores (and good nutrition) fall to the wayside. 

So far this weekend Henry has cooked dinner both nights. Friday was pizza bread.

Saturday was nachos. 

He loves to cook or really help in any way. 

We also had doughnuts today, went to Target and got stuff for Grace's birthday party next week, and then went bowling. 

Henry has been asking to go bowling all summer. He wanted to go "when it snows outside this summer" but since I didn't think that would happen we went today. Emma was volunteering for a back to school backpack event with the church so it was just Henry, Grace and I. We had a lot of fun and actually did pretty well.

Henry got 67, Grace got 90 and I got 132!

Being this kids' mom sure is a blessing to me. Hard to believe that next week Emma starts her 2nd year of High School and the week after that Grace starts 5th, Cooper starts 1st and Henry will be in Pre-K.