Our little flock

Wowie wow, do chickens grow quickly...and require lots of time and attention!  I may not be up to the task of giving you play-by-plays of this adventure in anywhere close to real time, after all.  I will endeavor, however, to keep you as posted as possible on the scoop from the new coop.

About five weeks ago, 13/18 of our eggs hatched!  They were unbelievably cute, as you might imagine, and I was immediately more invested than I ever expected (surprising no one else😏).  While we were giving everyone ample time to emerge (i.e. not opening the incubator), the chicks were read to, cooed at, and fawned over.  Once they came out, and after watching a few videos about how to raise tame chickens, we did what we could to gain their affection and imprintation (pretty sure this is not a word).  This included, but was not limited to, making eye contact, holding them often, and according to Lydia, blowing hot air in their face.

preparing the brooder box
(very thankful for friends who have gone before us and let us borrow all the gear!)

All the chicks are still alive and well...and have grown into awkward teenagers!  We have such a variety of colors, though since a few are similar, it has been difficult to keep them straight.  I have considered painting their toes, not only for fun and aesthetic purposes (ha - you're not surprised), but also to help differentiate between those who are similar.  Due to the aforementioned uncertainty, as well as the additional uncertainty about which are hens (staying) and which are roosters (not allowed to stay), we are still waiting to officially bestow names.

Do not fear, though - I took newborn and subsequent milestone pictures for you, all the same.💗  There is little guarantee that any are actually the same chick in each sequence, but in order for me to sleep at night, I am telling myself they are. 😉 Of course, the most recent pictures are already dated, and they have continued to grow and change.

This one (I think...) is named "Dolly," because of her sweet demeanor.
(We sure hope she's a she...)

This one was called "Houdini" early on, because it escaped to part of the brooder box that was partitioned off and screamed loudly till it was rescued.  If she is a she, we may call her "Houdina" or perhaps do some research into Houdini's wife's name.

Lydia named this one "Robin," because of the reddish (brown) tint to her head.
(Again, we're sure hoping *she* gets to stay...)

While the growing pains of acquiring and learning new responsibilities has not always been pleasant for everyone over here, being able to love on these babies and share the miracle and joy of them with others certainly has been.  We are trying to hold them loosely (literally and figuratively) and not get too, too attached, while still enjoying the "pet" void they have seemed to fill and make sure they live their best lives here.  So, they have been on several "field trips" to the yard and garden before making their official move to the coop (soon).  

I hope that sufficiently covers it all.  Please let me know if you have any lingering questions.  We are certainly learning as we go, here, so would also welcome any advice and/or input you might have from your own chicken encounters.  It takes a village!  😁😉

Favorites of the day:

open windows

Caterpillar Chronicles: Part 2!
This one spent a few short days devouring parsley (that's where we found it in the garden) before making itself at home in our butterfly habitat. 
We'll see if this one stays in there for as many months as the previous resident!

♥

A Day in the Life, These Days

(This account of a day in my life is now a week or so old, but as all our days seem to be simultaneously the same and different, the lapse in posting time has little bearing on the message of this post. 😉)

• was awakened by Jacob at 6:38 a.m.
• This was a few minutes later than usual, because he happened to catch Bryant on the way out the door.
• I have been trying to get up before him (Jacob) to do my Bible study, and have mostly been successful in this new-ish habit, but I took this morning off (mostly because I worked extra on the study the night before).
• read a chapter of Because of Winn Dixie, as well as a picture book requested by Lydia 
• She's not usually up this early - I typically just read a chapter or two to Jacob, and she's sometimes in on some of it, too  - but since she was and made the request, we obliged.
• made breakfast 
• It was Waffle Wednesday, so this meal was frozen waffles, scrambled eggs for J, yogurt and PB for L, and bananas.  They also had some of the smoothie I made for myself.
• (Wednesday is the only specifically designated breakfast day except for the occasional Waffle Thursday, as well.) 
• Lydia was supervising me while munching on a frozen frozen waffle, and Jacob was rebuilding his fort from the day before then working on his independent school work and piano practice.
• did Lydia's hair while she ate
• L requested a princess exercise video, so turned it on for her while J and I finished breakfast 
• They typically do one together and later in the day, but this is how it went down today.
• did my hair and make-up while I drank my smoothie
• J requested an army exercise video next, and Lydia did it with him, so I took the ten minutes to start getting myself ready.
• went through our "morning basket" routine - Bible reading, prayer, Awana verse practice, and picture book
• Today, we did this in the kitchen while they drank their smoothies, because the living room where we typically do it was fortified - literally.
• went downstairs to do our daily calendar and J's math lesson
• Lydia took it upon herself to write all the letters in the alphabet on the dry-erase board. So far, we'd worked on A-H, so she required some assistance while Jacob and I were discussing how to write fractions.

• kids had ten minutes to play in the reconstructed fort while I got dressed and filled water bottles
• went to Mimi's Pantry for Kids for homeschool board game playtime
• I played a couple rounds of Wheel of Fortune with Jacob (This is the reason we went, in the first place - he'd seen the game on the shelf (when we were there for story time the week prior) after he'd just seen the show for the first time.  Knowing I loved the show, he wanted to play the game together.).  
• Lydia played Candy Land with others. 
•  I worked on my Bible study a bit while they both played with others, then had the provided snack and library time.
• kids played in the fort for a bit, then quietly read library books (without being asked) for fifteen or so minutes while I made lunch and caught up on some correspondence
• I was only interrupted once (to referee a fight about which fort entrance was to be used by whom).
• The unsolicited quiet reading happens probably once a week, on average, and it never ceases to feel like a small miracle and true gift from the Lord.
• Lunch was requested mac and cheese (with non-requested but still-enjoyed sides of cucs and strawberries). My lunch was random roasted veggies and bacon and turkey lunchmeat that was on its way out that I threw together with some feta, pecans, and dressing and called it a salad. 
•  We ate outside because it was beautiful and the dining room was also still fortified.
• kids requested an outside rest time, so I assisted in taking out perler bead projects and playdoh with tools to separate work surfaces (along with iPads so they could listen to their audiobooks like they typically do during rest time)
• went inside to spend about fifteen minutes cleaning up lunch things, sending a couple Marco Polos, cleaning the bathroom, and gathering work gloves and tools to go work in the yard
• After about five minutes of working on my own, Lydia joined me in picking up sticks, pulling weeds, and cleaning out flower beds (after I helped her clean up the playdoh things). She was the best helper - doing things without being asked (i.e. bringing over empty buckets when others filled up, finding sticks beyond the one I may have pointed out, and asking what needed done next). 
• Jacob finished his perler bead projects, then he swung while still listening to his beloved audio book while Lydia and I kept working. He asked to go inside after about 15 minutes of this, and then, Lydia did, too. I said, "Sure - just be sure to be kind to one another." 
• I didn't see or hear from them for about 45 minutes while I continued to work outside then iron the perler beads (which took longer than normal, because he used two different kinds or something and they weren't "fusing" as they should have without some special attention...).
• kids heard me coming up the stairs, so my presence was requested in the living/dining room to get a tour of the new and improved fort
• was gleefully informed that Mango the (stuffed) cat had been found two months after her missing person report had been filed
• Phew!
• prepared requested (right on schedule, at 3:15) snack
• I sent them to the front step with it (cashews and Bugles).
• handed the parenting baton off to Bryant (he got home shortly after snack) after kissing him hello
• retreated to the basement (as he and I had previously planned) to practice my "audition" music for worship team at our new church
• I was also able to deal with a few items of business and correspondences from earlier in the day as well as write Jacob's independent work list for the next day. 
• This all took about an hour, and afterward, I went outside to see their progress on various projects.
• squeezed in a quick shower while Bryant warmed up the soup I'd thawed from the freezer for supper and got the kids started on it
• Not an ideal day for soup, but we're trying to clear out the freezer.
• watched some of the eagle footage while we finished up 
• This is not something we typically do at the dinner table, by any means, but it's been a regular part of our days for weeks, now, and they wanted to show Bryant the babies.

I don't know that this picture was from the exact day we watched, but I just have to share here. 
She had three wiggly babies under there for literal hours! 
After the winter we've had, I could sooo relate to her (though it made me even more thankful for our warm, spacious home).  Bring on the memes!

• cleaned up from supper, got the kids' things ready for Awana, then saw them out the door before I left to attend Bible study (6:30-8:30)
• got home and debriefed with Bryant
• checked on some potential event tickets, reviewed my daily to-do, and checked on tomorrow's list
• found out there were no new episodes of our show (The Rookie) available
• Bryant decided to catch up on some reading, and I decided to document this day, because it's these details that are so difficult to distill when someone asks, "What have you been up to?" or "How was your day?" So, I thought I'd just get it all down on "paper" while it was somewhat fresh.
• set tomorrow's alarm and turned out the light around 10:30 p.m.

If you made it this far, kudos and thanks to you!  This - these seemingly insignificant days and the rollercoaster of emotions, both in and outside of myself - is all part of my job, my calling, right now.  Raising up our children to know and love the Lord and to love others is seemingly the simplest job description, but man - the job sure entails a lot, to say the least.  It is, however, the most important thing I can be doing and the most important thing I will ever do, and viewing life through this lens makes it much easier to find joy, meaning, and purpose in these often-mundane details.  Of course, I am not always successful in viewing it all this way, but through ceaseless prayer and with an affirming, supportive husband by my side, I remain grateful and fulfilled in this particular season of motherhood.

SAHM-ly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

making new friends (This week is full of play dates!)

Lydia saying, "This is unbearable!"

(The fit during which she declared it wasn't my favorite, but the fact that she used it in context sure was.)

GF Golden Oreos