We are a sad family today

Last night we lost one of our chickens, Lillian.

She'd been acting off for a few days so we brought her inside to comfort her.

It happened so fast, the boys were there, not really understanding what was happening.

Not until we buried her.

Its been a long time since I've dealt with the loss of a pet.  Guiding my boys through this is a completely new experience.  Aiden is completely unfazed and wants a new one.  Evan is sad and confused, he seems to be understanding what death means.

For Lilly, one of our most loved girls, we'll miss you...

The Big Green Caterpillar

My husband walks in the other day and says "There's a huge grub worm out in the front yard.  Its as big as my hand!"

This I gotta see.

I walk out, camera in hand, and we find this under the big tree in the front yard.

A big, fat, green, caterpillar.  I haven't seen one of these since I was a little kid.

The boys thoroughly inspected it... they were fascinated by its suction cup like back feet.

We took it inside with some leaves and sticks. After doing a little research online and realizing it would be 9 months before this guy turned in to a butterfly we decided not to keep it.

Dad's suggestion of feeding it to the chickens was met with a round of horrified "NO"s.

We did attempt to cast it in our next lego Star Wars movie.  A seemingly perfect Jabba the Hutt.

 

Despite being fed a full dinner of leaves his performance was less than spectacular so we said our goodbyes and returned him to the tree we found him under.

 They named him Sparkle Wormy before releasing him.  My kids are soooo creative at naming things.

We watched him inch his way slowly up the tree (a good 15 minute trek).  I'm sure when the boys see a butterfly next they will be convinced it is their caterpillar.

They will probably change its name to Sparkle Butterfly.

The Backyard Farm

The chickens are getting bigger.  The coop has expanded and the backyard is starting to look more like a farm than a yard.

This is Lillian... she's been the favorite of almost anyone who's met the chicks.  She started as a fluff ball of yellow.  What's not to love?  She's turned into a large white chicken with black markings.  The feathers down the legs always make the kids laugh.

Phil finished the carefully planned out coop.  The kids gave it a test run before we let the chickens move in.

We've added a large outdoor run area to the yard.  It's hard to see but there is string criss-crossed over the top of the open run to deter the hawks that have been moving in closer.  The girls have taken to sleeping up on their roosts instead of in a pile on the floor.  They even put themselves to bed at night now (wish my boys did that).

They are a sucker for treats.  They come running anytime we open the back door.  If we don't come bearing treats they turn their backs on us and go back to eating bugs and grass.

No eggs yet.  They still have a few more weeks before they're old enough to start laying.  We spend a lot of time outside hanging out with them, bribing them with treats, dodging hawks... fun stuff.  

Soundtrack of Life

I've always thought life would be better with a soundtrack. Much happier.  Music makes me happy.  We'd be dancing our way through life.

When things aren't going so well, the people around us would just have to listen to the  music to know it isn't such a good day.  Time to change the tune.


Quiet moments with the kids.  Brothers telling secrets...

Tweaking each others nose and ears. (yes, that counts as a quiet moment with these guys)

Since having kids I've felt the need for a soundtrack to life even more so.

I think it could be extremely helpful.

If only for the danger warning music....

Anyone else hearing the Jaws soundtrack?

Love that Shot | Reflections

My little helper.  Almost always within inches of me.  His way of helping me with the housework is to stay close by for moral support.

He's keeping an eye (a hand, a foot, and at one point a mouth) on the mirror while I clear off the dresser.

My 5 minute tasks sometimes manage to become 15 minute ordeals thanks to all the "help" I have.

Today's challenge on Love That Shot is Reflections... head on over to check out the other entries or to enter one yourself.

Love that Shot | Story Time

He was sure he could 'do it himself'.  He's a big kid now.

He 'didn't need help'.  He needs me less and less.

I wasn't sure he could do it...
 But he did.

Love that Shot is doing a Story Time Photo Challenge.  Go to their site to check out the others or enter yourself.

The Quiet One

Our second born.  The quiet one. Well, usually quiet. Or maybe just by comparison to his big brother.

With our first child we could sit and stare at him 24/7.  A single child gets a lot of attention and time.  You get to know every little detail about them.

When this guy was born I had a two year old running around.  A two year old getting in to everything; climbing (and falling); potty training.  There is no time for sitting around staring at a newborn when there's a two year old in the house.

But now... Now I have time to observe and really get to know this one.

He's tough.  The kid falls 20 times a day and just gets back up. No crying - no big deal. Our band-aid usage is up 200%.

He's an observer.  A quiet and thoughtful observer.  Always watching.  Always learning.

He accepts defeat and moves on.

He's content.  Able to just be.  Able to enjoy whatever is around him, even if nothing is around him.

He's quiet. Laid back.

And he knows how to have fun.  Deep belly laughs kind of fun.  He'll laugh when others laugh, even if he doesn't get the joke.

Don't get me wrong he also has a stubborn streak, can whine with the best of them when he wants, and can be louder than the average 3 year old at times. And don't get me started on his back-talk. But the quiet moments... well, those just melt me.


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