James turned 3! (From June 8th)

Preschool Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Jesse and I both got to go on Gracie's preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. 

 This little boy also has a big sibling in kindergarten at Danny's school, so I see him all over the place. Both we and his parents have done double takes a few times! They look so similar!

Chickie Poos

Playing catch up a little: we brought home 5 chicks about a month ago.  I've ALWAYS wanted chickens, so this was a big deal. They were so cute for about a week. They peeped and chirped away in the living room. They've since moved into the garage, as they got stinkier. Tomorrow we begin construction on the chicken run, and I think they'll be ready to move in in a couple weeks.

Danny's 6th Birthday

Grizzly Peak Hike

Last week we decided to take advantage of this lovely fall weather (October...sigh) and take a hike. We've never done Grizzly Peak, so we tried it out. The kids did great--only a little whining--and we made it about 3 miles. I'd still like to see the actual peak, but we all enjoyed ourselves. And Grace counted 11 dogs. Sarah, as ever, was a stalwart helper.

Oh you know, just dreams coming true all over the place.

Some days are exhausting and hard. But then there are days like today. Days when there's no school so you read books and play silly little games and bake cookies and watch dragon movies and fold laundry. When you let the teenage chicks have free rein of the backyard and you sit on the back deck and putter around with graph paper plans of your vegetable garden and scheme about what to plant around the chicken run and where to put the compost.

And we got a piano. A beautiful, old piano that we all plunk on and will someday know how to get music out of. Sometimes you wait years in between each dream. Sometimes hours. Chickens, kids, pianos, yards.

And sometimes a hawk tries to eat your baby chickens and your sweet 4-year-old daughter stands guard while Nugget gets up the courage to come out from under the laurel bush. Because Daddy told Grace to take care of his chicken while he's at work (because hers isn't doing so well and we're hoping to covertly transfer stewardship in case little Peeper doesn't make it).

Grace, Super Helper

Hello Wi-Fi. Hello Blog!

This girl. My sweet, fierce, awkward, sassy, beautiful girl. After a crazy Monday full of school drop offs, Singers Company, and having friends over, I kept Tuesday as calm as possible. James got a nap (Hallelujah), and that laundry pile finally got folded. The clothes are still there, but they're at least different clean clothes now. We made time (I swear, we have to carve it out of stone) to bring cookies to Dad and go to the park.

And Grace was my little helper the whole time. She loves to work by my side. Or Jesse's. Yesterday she helped him finish the backyard fence--but that's another post. She folded laundry, helped me make cookies, made her own lunch, and wiped down the mixer and the counter. I love her so.

There. I blogged! Here's to more record keeping.