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!

♥

Summer 2025

As cliché as it may be, our summer truly flew by.  Aside from a couple regularly-programmed trips to NE, we did not have any big travel plans on the docket.  So, going into the season, I thought we would likely have a pretty laid-back, slow few months off school.  Our calendar, however, seemed to fill up of its own accord, which lead to every week (and every day of every week) bringing a new adventure.  It was all good things, and while it was a bit of a whirlwind, I am so grateful for all the new experiences, fun opportunities, and memories made.  We certainly made the most of it and soaked it all in!

We kicked off summer by sending Jacob to a science/nature camp in Topeka.  It was led by one of my mom's friends, and he attended with two cousins.  They had a great time, held lots of reptiles, and did some cool experiments.  They also got to have some quality time at Grandma and Grandpa's, without the "pesky" youngest sisters, which was possibly of equal enjoyment.  

Our quality time with Lydia was so delightful.  I know we have great kiddos, but when in their sibling form, it is often difficult to catch them at their best.  The one-on-one time was valuable for this reason, as was her getting an opportunity to choose things she wanted to do without any outside influence. 😉 

Ready for a date with Daddy!
(She "got ready" with no prompting, which included spraying her hair with a ton of detangler and water...😬😊)

He's not quite doing this unsupervised, but is excited to be one step closer!

Jacob did two weeks of morning swimming lessons, and sis was often taking care of business while she waited.  
(Lydia would rather not be in this sort of learning environment with people she doesn't know, so she did "lessons" with me whenever we could this summer.)

first carrot of the season (look at that top!)

One of our summer goals was to do a weekly art video.  Jacob was so proud of this jet plane, and I was very impressed by his attention to detail!

A friend invited me to a cookie-decorating class, courtesy of their realtor, and it was fun and refreshing to be led so well and learn a new skill!

Their first of several camping trips with Grandma and Grandpa included "gourmet" s'mores after I let them use the leftover icing from my class to decorate graham crackers.

Our sweet and talented neighbor made Lydia her own basket for the garden (after she asked if he would give her their similar family heirloom basket when he was done with it).  She immediately wrote/drew him a thank you note...and delivered it in the basket. ☺

They are not yet too old to enjoy the free kids exhibit at Crown Center, and I am so glad.
(This was just before we attended "A Year with Frog and Toad" at the neighboring children's theater with our wonderful homeschool group.)

She planned, packed, and prepped for an impromptu picnic breakfast.

(The iPad was so they could listen to their audiobook while they ate.)

Jacob discovered Garfield this summer, and there were lots of shared giggles during their reading time(s). 
(They definitely earned all their summer reading program prizes!)

The elementary kids at VBS all received tiny Bibles to take home at the end of the week, and this sweet girl asked if she could have one, too.  It is often packed in her purse or bag for trips long and short.

We spent some quality time with my brother and family in Manhattan, which included the kids' first time on a boat!

This girl gave up naps at home at a fairly young age, but she is almost guaranteed to fall asleep in the car if traveling between 1-3:00 p.m.. 

Sweet friends from church took the kids to the zoo, giving me some very valuable time to myself.

More carrots!

♥

Jacob's birthday celebrations this year included the requested meal (and free dessert!) at Nick and Jake's, a huge squirt gun fight with friends, and more special treats and gifts from family at our July 4th gathering.

When you get exactly what you were hoping for...☺

We had our homeschool group and a few other friends over for donuts (he asked for these over cake) and the birthday boy's much-anticipated epic water battle.

A sweet, thoughtful mom friend (who has only boys) made Lydia a festive bracelet.

Before we went shopping for fireworks, Lydia said, "I hope they have a unicorn!"  Low and behold, look what she found...for $17...😳 She nearly didn't let anyone light it, because she wanted to save it - haha!

This sweet little helper helped dig for potatoes, and while we were wrapping up other garden tasks afterward, she took it upon herself to wash all the potatoes.  Needless to say, we used them all much sooner than we'd anticipated...and we were thankful it was a relatively small harvest for her to wash. 😬

Our annual trip to Omaha included a visit to the Laurtizen Gardens.  Their new area for kids is so unique and cute and fun!

♥

The biggest ever elephant ear plant in the atrium.

♥

One of our weeks was occupied by VBS at our friends' small country church.  As expected, it was so well-done and so fun!  Not only did the kids get poured into, but I also got a few hours to myself each morning (most of which I spent planning for our school year, but was still a nice change of pace).  

(Though not pictured, we all got to participate in our own church's VBS at the end of June.  It was a really fun and really full week, with 250+ kiddos in attendance!  The kids enjoyed participating with their peers, and I enjoyed leading around a group of fifteen preschool "ladybugs.")

Riding a Clydesdale...

...was obviously a highlight!

Building his army uniform, one belated birthday gift at a time.

We see a movie probably once a year.  This feature was the new How to Train Your Dragon, because we happened to borrow/watch all the older ones from the library immediately prior to this.

As usual, our summer included as much pool time as possible.  Forever thankful for friends who invite/allow us to use their neighborhood pool passes!

After a fight about who got to sit where on the couch, I built her a "throne/nest," and she sat there reading for at least half an hour...the next day, too...and the next.
(She always says, "But I can't read," when she's directed to go read a book, but this girl looks at pages and words so intently, one could easily be convinced she can, in fact, read.)

I am increasingly delighted by the flowers in our garden and flower beds, and arranging them for friends and neighbors brings me even more joy!

A playdate for Jacob meant a date with this gem - she chose a coffee shop, so she could get a "fluffy" (steamer) and "that purple poptart."

It happened again...the snails laid eggs, and they hatched!  (Big snail and penny just for scale.)
We put them in the "big habitat" with the other snails about a week ago, and I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not they've survived the transition from their secluded Cool Whip container...😬

Another camping trip, another new adventure!

Chuck E. Cheese does a summer reading program - free play points with a food purchase - so, Dippin' Dots, it was. ☺

"Proof of Mom" picture, thanks to the neighbor friend we took to the water park (and who was an awesome playmate for these two several days this summer).

We just can't get enough of her. ♥

A friend invited us to a special community service event she heard about that immediately made her think of us, and I was giddy when we arrived and saw what our task was to be.  We took apart and sorted Lego bricks for kids in need, and I wish I could convey how perfect and fun it was!  Jacob, of course, provided enthusiastic commentary the whole time, and Lydia had her nose to the grindstone, making sure all the pieces at our table, as well as others, were sorted appropriately.  We could have done this all day, and we hope to again!

Some of you may have read on Facebook that I didn't necessarily plan on putting in a full garden this year.  The volunteer plants, the kids, and friends/family with orphan plants, however, had other ideas.  As usual, while it has been a ton of work, it is (often) so fun to work together and to provide garden-fresh produce for our family, as well as so many friends and neighbors.  We even dipped out toes further into canning this year.  We put up some tomatoes a couple years ago, but this year, we tried our favorite sweet relish recipe from my mom, as well as tomato sauce and dill relish.

This helper often snags a snack while out there (peep the green beans and kale in her little pocket!).

Me: "Do you want to smile for a picture?"
Her: "No, I'll stir, so it looks like I'm cooking for real, since I am."

As always, thank you for reading and caring about the happenings in our little corner of the world.  Many of you provide encouragement, solidarity, and wisdom for me in this season of motherhood, and it is so valuable and appreciated.  I often feel like I am failing in many areas of life, but I try hard to remember how impossible it is to succeed at everything all at once.  Perhaps someday, I'll have an intensive workout routine, try fancy new recipes, and keep up with correspondence with great regularity and eloquence.  For now, though, I'll at least maintain friendships near and far (thank goodness for technology), make sure no one leaves our home hungry (or at least without a snack for the road), and continue to partner with my husband to raise (increasingly less) tiny humans who show love and respect to those in and out of our home.  Amidst all that and more, I am thankful, on the daily, for the peace and strength I have in the Lord and for His amazing grace.  He fills in my many gaps and so often shows up for me in tangible, meaningful ways, and I hope I will always stop to recognize them.

We have begun another year of homeschooling, and I am continually grateful for the opportunity to educate our children in this way...and to get to do recess at the pool!  ;)  As I have said before, not all days are easy, not all memories are beautiful, and not all words are kind, but I strive to pray through the hard and focus on the days that do feel magical, the memories I want to cherish, and the words that are sweet.  Another cliché to end this post:  "The days are long, but the years are short."

Seasonally,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

good watermelon

BLTs

unexpected compliments