What comes first. . .the chicken or the egg?

At our house, it was definitely the chicken.
It all started this Spring when Norm and Ele were getting new chicks and Garth decided we needed a few too. They kept the chicks in their basement with a heat lamp while they were tiny. The kids loved to go visit them!

Olivia didn't really like them. She preferred the safety of Norm's lap.Eventually, she warmed up to them.

Garth meanwhile, bought and assembled a chicken house at the Big R. Norm saw it and was sure it was too small for our chickens and insisted they build a proper chicken house. He and Garth built this amazing house which Garth dubbed the "Chicken Condo."

With the house in place, we went to the farm and picked out four chicks (that were then more like teenagers) to bring home.

My cousin's 7 year old was hatching chicks and selling them to earn money so we bought three more chickens and added them to the mix. It is amazing how there are two cliques. The Bardrocks stick together and didn't want anything to do with the newbies. They picked on them for the first couple of weeks, but now they tolerate each other.

Next Garth built a little chicken wire fence so they could get out of the house without getting eaten and without scaring the kids (or pooping on my porch!)

I am not entirely opposed to pets that have a purpose but it was made clear from the beginning that these chickens are not my responsibility. I have plenty of people to look after. Garth and the kids are the ones that feed, water, and play with them.

As they got bigger, they started to spread their wings, literally. One big Bardrock would fly up and bounce on the top of Garth's fence. After several days of them flying the coup, it was time to clip their wings. It was for their own safety. . .we had to protect our investment!

Turns out that one of the hens we got from my cousin, is actually a rooster. He hasn't started crowing yet and he's really the prettiest one out there so we are not sure what to do with him. His two hens might be lost without him.
After months of anticipation. . .

We got an egg! We are now getting about 4 a day and expect we will get more when the newer hens start laying too.

Yuck.

It's never fun to wake up like this. . . Poor Olivia has been getting bloody noses. It happens most often when she is sleeping but she doesn't make a peep so we get her up in the morning and her pillow and blankets are soaked in blood and her face is a crusty mess. Poor baby.

It's Still September

I can't believe I am just now posting "back to school" pictures.
Carter started third grade. He is in Mrs. Herbes' 3rd/4th combo class. He was less than thrilled this year about going back to school. The only thing that got him to go was the threat of homeschool which is "way worse than going to school."Sydney started first grade. She is in Mrs. Dunn's 1st/2nd combo class. She transitioned really well to the all day, every day schedule. She is showing all kinds of responsibility getting herself ready for school and jumping right into her homework when she gets home. Derek gets to go to Kindermusik this year. Whenever people asked what grade the kids were going to be in, Derek announced that he got to go to Kindermusik. He did great and walked right into class with no tears or hesitation. It helps that his cousin Payton is in class.

North Idaho Limo

Where else but Northern Idaho would you see a truck (taking up two spaces lengthwise) like this one?!?! We parked next to this monster at Silverwood Theme Park and couldn't believe our eyes! The back two seats were full of kid car seats. . .can you imagine a mom driving this around to school/sports/etc?

Labor Day

Our Labor Day this year was spent with the Hamiltons at their Pend Orielle River property. It was a chilly morning but quickly warmed up.Keith took Carter fishing and Norm took Derek and Syd out for a ride.

Carter showed off his mad slalom skills for his grandpa and great-grandpa.

Sydney chilled.

Karyna (and Keith) learned to surf.

And Aida tolerated the boat while we all played.

Oh Baby!

My little brother Jordan and his wife Kailee are expecting their first baby! They were here for a short time, in between an internship and graduate school so my sister decided to throw her a shower while she was here. Kailee LOVES black and white then we threw in the pink because it's a girl! It was supposed to be outside but we had a surprise August rain storm that whole day so we had to move it in. I thought Kim did a great job! It looked so cute!

I made the tutu on the left for a decoration she could take home. (I think it looked cuter up close!)

Cousin Jill was the big winner of the shower game.

Congrats Jordan and Kailee! We look forward to meeting your little bundle of joy in November!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

When I was pregnant with Olivia, and stressing about how close together she and Derek would be, a friend told me that the first year was the hardest part. She said just get through that then it's lots of fun. Her kids were obviously different than mine. The first year was quite easy. Olivia was a good baby, and Derek liked her. It has gotten harder. These two fight like crazy. They want the same toys, they both want to be on my lap, or be carried up & down the stairs, they both want my attention and want the other one to leave them alone. After a somewhat tough summer (Carter and Sydney fought a ton too!) I was looking through some pictures and wanted to post some proof that these two DO like each other, and DO get along occasionally. Lest I forget. . .