Thursday, June 30, 2011

Our Summer

Life is hitting a nice rhythm this summer in our little corner of the world.

This week was fabulous with NOTHING PLANNED! I've cleaned house, had a couple of play dates and played with the kids.

The second week the kids were out of school they (the older 3) attended a great VBS at a local church in town.
Then last week I sent Precious Jewel to another one and I spent the week pricing stuff for a garage sale that I was in that Friday.

I had been hoping that my 2 trips to town a day would end when school ended, but that didn't happen until this week and my gas tank and pocket book thanked me.

It's been fun though. The kids loved VBS and were so blessed with some great staff. Precious Jewel came home at the end of last week with a chunk of Scripture memorized and was proudly reciting them to anyone who would listen. We were all excited that it coincided with the current book we're reading together as a family...Little Pilgrim's Progress. Mr. Smiles got it for his birthday at the end of April, but we were in the middle of reading Ginger Pye (another old and fabulous children's story. So, we just started Pilgrim's Progress a little over a week ago. Some of the wording is a bit archaic, but I read about a sentence ahead while I'm reading out loud and change whatever wording they wouldn't understand. Sometimes I'll read what is written and they'll look at me like I've grown a third eye. I'll explain it to them and later that day hear them trying it with each other. REALLY FUNNY to hear a 2, 5, 7 and 8 year old re-enact the story and hear, "now get thyself up from thy despair! Let us go and make daisy chains for the baby to please him!" (drag un-willing, yelling 2 year old over to the dandelion puffs and try putting them in his hair). We're on the second half of the story where Christiana takes her younger siblings to the Celestial City.

Another fun tidbit....we are getting puppies!!! Yes, more than one! The kids are so excited and it's making it easier to let go of the dog we currently have. Leah isn't really ours. She is Jessica's, who lived with us a year ago during her Senior Year of college. We knew the day might come when we would have to give her back, but we are all really sad. Dear Mr. Smiles breaks out into random tears at times crying that she is leaving and then crying for Princess, the dog we had to get rid of because she kept burying dead chickens in the sandbox. (You all remember the maggot eating story). Anyway, a family in our church is giving the kids some sweet little black lab puppies and yesterday Luke and I took the kids to go pick out the two we wanted.

We decided on two because after getting rid of our ankle biting yappy little Thomas who naughtily chased Papa's cows and nipped at the heals of our new goats--even after nearly killing him with a shock collar, poor Leah became very depressed. She missed her annoying little companion (after she'd put him in his place by nearly killing him several times). The two had become fast friends and she moped for weeks after we had to take him to the pound and get rid of him. Mr Smiles has been crying for Thomas too now that I think of it. We haven't had a lot of luck with dogs. They have been sweet and great with the kids, but every dog we've gotten (all pound puppies and strays) have terrorized the local chicken, cows and now goat population. Not good when you are trying to start up a small farm from scratch or live next to any other people who own livestock or poultry. "Excuse me dad, but your cow's milk production might be low due to our ankle biting and un-trainable chihuahua-corgi."

We are hoping that by getting two: 1. they will keep each other company, and 2. getting a puppy instead of an adult dog, we can train it NOT to terrorize the animals. (Although, Leah doesn't and that makes us sad to let her go for that reason as well). I even trained her not to eat the sole chicken that has somehow survived the possums and coons in our woods. We need to name that thing because I find it in random places curled up with (I kid you not) the cats or Leah. Yesterday I walked out to find the chicken tucked in next to our very pregnant Nubian goat.


So....now that my animal tales are about done, we are naming the puppies Ginger (after Ginger Pye) and Junkyard. Of course the boys came up with that one. It better look mean when strangers come because calling out "Junkyard" to a happy drooling dog is gonna sound stupid.


Oh! On another note, the momma goat that I found sleeping with the lonely chicken yesterday had her baby this afternoon! She had JUST had it when we were walking out the door to get allergy shots. Needless to say, I'm sure the Allergy Care Center has not had a call that someone couldn't come to get their shot that day due to watching a baby goat being born. The kids insisted on seeing if she would have another and we waited for a good hour only to watch her deliver the afterbirth. GROSS! Not nearly as entertaining.


That's our summer so far!

Blessing!

1 comment:

lauren said...

oh my goodness... i can just imagine the scene wih the dandelions. too funny! :) the littlest one always gets dragged to the whims of the bigger and stronger. no wonder luci has such a piercing protest scream. :) did you ever figure out your camera stuff? mine is canon rebel xt.. i see them used on ebay for cheap... or you can buy mine and i will get the upgrade i have been dreaming of. ;)