cluck, cluck!

SHHHH! We've got chickens! In our backyard!

We had been talking about getting a few hens for the girls for a while, but figured that we'd wait until we could fix up the yard post-construction and take our time building a coop for them. Well, a coworker was moving overseas and had three young hens that needed a home. So started the flurry of coop building and the arrival of the girls. Woo-hoo!

Two New Hampshire Reds and a Leghorn have taken nicely to the wicked awesome coop-and seem to be quite happy! Lilly has already managed to let one of them out, which gave us a bit of excitement chasing it down.

So far, they are proving to be quite funny and entertaining to watch. We gave them some cantaloupe and spinach as a treat and they gobbled it right up!


The front of the coop. Note the dutched roofline and exposed rafter tails that match our house! Woo!

Not quite finished yet, but a good view into the nesting/roosting area above the storage area below. We'll be putting up a big door with a window so the girls can look outside. Eventually, the coop will be moved to the back corner of the yard once we get around to putting up a new fence.

The white chicken's name is Bruiser. She came pre-named and we couldn't come up with a good reason why we should change it. The other two girls are named Maybelle (after the San Francisco cable car) and Oprah (because I had a dream to use that name and it makes me laugh).

happy girls!

check me out!

#2 has started to explore the sippy cup. She is not yet that interested except when she chucks it to the floor.

Yes, that is #1 eating with chopsticks...and doing a relatively good job. The best part is that she was so intent on eating with them, that it allowed us to eat our meal in relative peace. The joy!


mugging for the camera....#2 has paid attention to the "how to's" from her sister.

summer vacation

Yes, we're here....but it's summer. Pictures have been difficult to upload here lately, so here's a link (cut and paste it) to some goodies:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2595033&id=8640164&l=320d02bddc

getting bigger!

Helen is getting to be such a big girl these days--bouncing in the saucer, pushing up on her arms, eating cereal, smiling and grabbing at Lilly--such fun. She is currently loving on Sophie, her very cute, very overpriced rubber giraffe chew toy...from France of course! She's not put it down yet. It will be a tragedy if it goes missing. She's also moved into 6-9 month clothing, a few months sooner than Lilly did. We await her stats at the 6 month mark...

Lilly is being a super big sister too! She is really getting into helping out with Helen. She picks out her clothes, gets diapers and has started to help with feeding her cereal. Awesome. She is also bursting with creative thoughts and stories. Just today, Lilly announced that she and her best friends Shelby and Catherine went shopping for kiwis, peppers, bread and beer(!) in the yellow car...this all before going to the party to pick all the pumpkins. They took turns driving the car by the way, how polite.


snuggling in bed

carrying her doll in her 'sling' just like mommy

eldest child feeding the youngest child. bunny slippers at Lilly's request.

giving Sophie a chew...

pushing up!

Happy Mothers' Day?

Ahh, Mothers' Day. Flowers? A laundry fairy? Nope...this was my gift:

da da da dahhhhh! the garage!

Finally, the garage is 'finished'. It looks like its been there forever. We especially love the door. Donations are being accepted to finish the guest suite.


Hee hee...fooled ya! Helen in her new favorite sleeping pose.


Whoo-hoo! We might even park our cars in it!!!


A view of the grounds. Back corner where that plywood is will be the future home of the chicken coop.


More backyard...look closely at the back fence and you'll see our giant butternut squash (an unplanned planting!) growing happily in our compost pile! Woo!

strawberry pickin'

We drove up north this weekend for the first of a few trips to King's Orchard. The strawberries were ripe, the weather was good and we had a great time. I think we picked about 7 pounds...oh, the possibilities. Unlike those grocery store berries, these guys started their decline about 5 minutes after we picked them so I had to act fast. So, we're enjoying daquiris, pie, sorbet and eating them just as is. Once we get our garden in order, we'll have our own to tend to!!!