Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Cade's 1st Birthday! (10/15/08)


I want to touch the candle.

Is this all just for me?

Let's have a taste.

Does the plate taste good, too?

No, but it makes a good hat!

This is good stuff!

Do I have frosting on my face?


Who made this mess?

Let's do this cake thing every year!



Trey - School Tennis Team


Trey's 2nd year on the junior high tennis team.

Played singles and doubles.

Didn't do as well as last year.

A little air guitar after scoring.

Paige - School Volleyball Team


Paige tried out for the school volleyball team and made it!

Paige is #16.

The one game Ryan drove up for they asked him to ref.
(Shhh.... he's supposed to be at work!)

Happy 10th Birthday, Paige! (9/16/08)




Birthday slumber party!

10 years old!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Nothing Like a Good Piece of Watermelon!


Cade LOVES watermelon!!!

He will eat it all the way down to the rind.
Mmmm..... Good stuff!

Fresh Eggs


Building the chicken coop.
We've been told our chickens are really spoiled!

We did end up eating two roosters.

Our very first egg!

"Can I have some privacy, please?"

Our egg container never goes empty.
Just about six months to the day, we got our first eggs. Ryan was working in the backyard and the hens started making these noises - like they were in labor. He went to check it out and we had our first batch of freshly laid eggs! And the cool thing was that they laid them in the boxes Ryan built for them. How in the world does a chicken know to fly up into a box to lay an egg??? Weird! Most of our eggs are pinkish to brownish in color, sometimes with speckles, and one lays sky blue eggs - way cool! We've had a few double-yolks, which are much bigger eggs than single-yolks. It is so nice to never be out of eggs, to not have to buy them anymore, and a fresh omelet or scrambled egg sure tastes good in the morning. Chaye has a little basket and everyday she goes into the coop to collect the eggs - six eggs a day if they all cooperate. A couple weeks ago Chaye ruffled up the one rooster we have left and he came after her. Ryan was on the coop roof putting the rest of the shingles on and had to jump down to save her. Now she's afraid to collect eggs, but she'll get over it at some point. The hens all lay their eggs in one corner on the coop floor and use the boxes to sleep at night. We highly recommend "growing" your own fresh eggs!
All six hens take turns laying their daily egg in this corner.
We forgot to collect for a few days - 18 eggs today!



Friday, October 10, 2008

Good Luck Tara!



Tara Hansen was one of our beloved babysitters before we finally trusted Trey and Jaise to take charge (and that is still questionable!) She is now attending Southern Virginia University and is having the time of her life!


She stopped by to say good-bye the day before she left, and Chaye didn't want her to leave and tried to put her in a headlock.


Good luck, Tara! We miss you!