Welcome to our newest family members!

My husband and I grew up in or around the country. He grew up on a dairy farm and at the age of 5 was mucking out stalls where manure was up to his little knees. He fed the baby calves soon after and then was helping to milk before he could drive. (He did a lot of things before he could legally drive; including drive tractors and farm equipment).
I grew up in a farming community where most of my friends were farm kids. My parents were teachers, but we lived on the edge of town and I can remember having goats, chickens, baby calves and sheep at various times. Both Luke and I have wanted our kids to have some experience with raising an animal. We didn't think it would be goats per-say, but that is what we are now finding ourselves doing at this stage of our lives. Mr. Smiles was diagnosed as lactose and soy intolerant. He can have high grades of soy, but not the grades that are found in soy milk. He bloats up like a little Buddha and rolls around on the floor holding his poor little belly if he gets into any. We were given some goats milk by a friend and it did not seem to bother him. So, yesterday we welcomed home this little rascal. Abigail and Benjamin promptly named him Edward--Ed for short. He is about 4 months old and we bought him as a companion for the milking goat that Luke had bought that morning. He is a really inquisitive little fellow and may I add--very quick. He escaped within an hour of being put into his pen by running through Luke's legs when Luke opened the shop door that leads into their lean-to home.

Each of the kids are delighted with their little charges. Their little charges are still not so delighted with the kids though.

Poor Luke spent the next 3 hours driving throughout pasture and across the creek to his dad's dairy trying to find little Ed. They were predicting intense storms last night and we weren't sure he would survive the hail or any possible tornadoes or being washed down a swollen creek that is behind our house. Luke came back to the house after I'd put the kids to bed without the little guy. We were sick.

But this story has a good ending. Little Ed showed up about noon today just after I'd hung up the phone with a friend. Our lovely (and very stupid) little dog Thomas started barking furiously in the trees next to our house. I thought he was bugging the cows again; not daring to hope that the goat might have come back. Suddenly I saw the little guy dart through the yard with both dogs tearing after him. Our (somewhat intelligent) lab named Leah cornered him the garage only to be scared out again by a yapping Thomas.

If you can imagine me running through our muddy yard and around the house about 3 times while chasing 2 dogs and a goat until I finally tackled the little beast, you'd get a good picture. I think if someone had had a video camera I could have won an America's Funniest Home View episode.

Good Lookin' and Naters were gaping at me through the front window.

I picked that darn thing up (he was horribly heavy) and carried him back to the shed with our little piranha (Thomas) snapping at his heals.

Needless to say, I am quite proud of myself for tackling a goat and carrying it a hundred yards to the shop. Good Lookin' said it best, "momma, you got some big muscles on you!"

Here is Luke calming Tree before milking her. Poor thing was so out of sorts in her new home. Timothy named her tree because (well of course!) she's the color of our trees. I love that kid!

And yes, I milked her tonight. I'm gonna have to put my hair in a cap because she kept wanting to chew on it while I was milking her.

I'm sure there will be more adventures from the Haak mini-farm to come. But for now, goodnight.