Sweet & Sour, Anyone?

I think chicks are, by far, the fastest-growing pets! I took off the cover to their crate the other day, just to check in on them, and they were practically flying. We've only had them three weeks. This is Ryan's favorite, "Chicken Hawk"---her eggs will be speckled like her. I just bought $7.00 worth of eggs again this morning..... can't wait until they're FREE and right there in my backyard!!!

E.T.

I put Cade in his crib to see if he might take a nap. I turned on the toy thing with lights and music and he was cooing and talking to himself and just as content as can be. I went to the kitchen to do some dishes, and a few minutes later Chaye announced, "Don't worry, I put Cade down for a nap."

I said, "Oh, that's a nice big-sister thing to do."

And then I realized that "the voice" in my head was speaking very slowly and warped, (like in the old days when we'd play a cassette tape and the tape player ate the tape while it was playing... remember that sound?) So, "the voice" is saying, "I.... don't.... think.... that's.... a.... good.... idea...." And finally my brain kicked in and I realized I'd better go check on Cade and see what Chaye did to him.

This is how I found him:

Kind of reminds me of that scene in the movie "E.T."

April Fool's Day

Memory: When I was a kid, my step-father would go all-out for April Fool's Day. He'd play tricks on all of us and get the biggest kick out of it. We had the fake dog poop, the fly in the ice cube, the fake vomit on the carpet, the fake spider, etc., you name it, he fooled us with it. The best was the fake mouse behind the shampoo bottle in the shower. That brought some good screams!

Happy April 1st to all you Fools out there!

What is THIS?

Mom, what ARE you feeding me?
Don't you love me? What have I done to deserve this?

You think it's funny? Are you laughing at ME?

You're taking a picture of me in my misery?
Oh, I don't THINK so!

I'll show YOU who's going to eat this and who's NOT!

Old McPender Had a Farm... E-I-E-I-O

Last week Ryan brought home 10 little friends to join our pet family of 5 cats, 1 turtle and 1 goldfish.
They are cute and cuddly, (except their feet are really ugly!) and really loud when they are hungry.

In six months they will start laying eggs, which is why we have them. Fresh eggs are the best! In six weeks they would be ready to eat. Ryan mentioned this to the kids and they were all so disgusted by the thought, they all adamantly proclaimed they will be fasting that day. The funny thing is that this conversation took place as we were sitting at the dinner table eating.... you guessed it, chicken! ("But it's different, Dad, this came from the store!") Tate was so upset by the thought, that Ryan has dismissed the idea.


They are in a big crate in the garage with a heat lamp for now. We have to build a chicken coop in the backyard within the next few weeks for when they are big enough to withstand the elements. They are so fun to watch! They literally bask in the heat of the lamp. They will run over to the light and stand in front of it and "sun" themselves, front and back, then run back over to the food. When they drink they dip their heads down to the water, then tilt their heads back (like gargling) so the water can run down. When they sleep they all cuddle up together like one big ball of fur in a corner. It's hard to name them because 5 are black and 4 are orange and they all look alike. We have one speckled one that stands out from the others, thus he has been named "Speck".

We have a tractor, now we have chickens... E-I-E-I-O.....

Go Team!

Trey (#10) is currently playing on the school's 7th grade
baseball team - the Desmond Longhorns.
He gets home from practice every day at 6:00pm.
They wear white shirts and ties to school on game days.

Jaise (#15) played on the school's girls' soccer team
earlier this year - the Pershing Panthers.
She just finished cross country and looks forward
to a break from after-school practices.