Standoff in the Backyard

New Pets (maybe) and Other Stuff

The kids have adopted a cat...maybe. The jury (Stan and I) is still out. They are having fun anyway while we decide (wear down most likely). We'll take it to the shelter tomorrow and see if it has a chip in it. They named it Griffin Blue. Even I have to admit it is a pretty cute cat.

Speaking of adopting pets, Kelly's 5th grade teacher retired in June and Kelly was able to take one of the class pets home, a Pacman frog. It was unimaginatively named...Pacman, so Kelly renamed it...

I fully expect my sister Sara to get the literary reference.

I've been meaning to post this from last May and am finally getting around to it. Michael took a fencing class and LOVED it. Here he is getting a point.

Finally, a picture of my bff Amanda who came to visit last week with some of her kids. As always, it was a joy to see her. Isn't her grandson a cutie?

 

So, here are the little bits and pieces I have to catch up on. I also have some longer posts to write about Sara's wedding, zoo and museum trips, hiking, camping and graduations. Any requests for which I do next?

Who's training whom?

We are trying to train Bertram Wooster to talk. He screeches, chirps and warbles. I, on the other hand, say hello and a number of other things to him every other time I walk past his cage. I even sing to him.

This morning, while I was flipping pancakes, Naomi was dancing around the dining room, saying, "Step up, step up, " which is the command the lady at the bird store instructed us to use.

So...some of us, anyway, are getting to be really well trained.

Bertram "Bertie" Wooster

We bought a budgie yesterday. He is officially mine, so I get the final word on what to name him. Which is a good thing, because I don't think we would ever reach consensus. Stan is wisely above the fray, but here is a
run down of everyone's opinions -

Summer wants to call him Jeeves instead of Bertie, but I think it will be much easier to teach him to say, "What, what, what, what?" and, "What-ho, Jeeves!" than to teach him, "I endeavor to give satisfaction, sir."

Rachel wants to call him Poofy.

Heather is happy with Wooster.

Gwen likes William.

Kelly wants to name him Phillip.

Michael wants to call him Blue Licorice and Spot.

Naomi alternates between Birdhead and Headbird.

What do you think he looks like?

The dog has gone home...

...so now the kids are sleeping in beds again :)

Balancing Acts

The bunnies other ear flopped down. Now she looks more even.

Michael is also good at balancing, even when he is asleep. Last Saturday, I found him in the rocking chair instead of his bed.

Funny Bunny and Yummy Cake

Here's the cake Rachel decorated for the Standard's Night we attended at church on Tuesday.

It is a "wedding cake".

Also in the news, one of Madeline's ears has lopped down, but the other one hasn't...yet?

Yesterday and Today

This morning, Michael asked me if he could play with play dough. We were taking off in a little while and I didn't want to worry about the mess, so I told him no. I asked him if he wanted to help me make brownies instead. He got excited and asked what the brownies were for. When I told him that they were for the young women, his face fell. Poor guy. I decided to try to kill two birds with one stone and had him roll some cookie dough (the original play dough?) and smash it into sprinkles. He did a good job and had fun. I can hear him in the dining room now asking his sisters if they like the cookies he made.


Yesterday, we all went to the pet store so that Summer could pick out a bunny. Summer is hoping her bunny is a girl and named her Madeline, because she was born in March. Get it? Mad as a...

She isn't mad, though, she's adorable.

I took her outside to take pictures and she was happy to discover dandelions in the back yard (happier about it than I am).

It was so cute, it made her nose yellow when she ate it.

Stray...

You've heard of stray dogs...

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and Stray Cats...

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but have you ever heard of a stray CHICKEN?!?!?!?

Yep, we have adopted a stray chicken.

She just showed up in our yard a few months ago and moved in.

It happened at a fortuitous time, since we lost three chickens to what I'm guessing was the bird flu (have you ever heard a chicken hack and cough?) and so it was nice to get an addition to our little flock.

The girls christened her Snapdragon.

Stan says she is a game hen.

Here she is with Daisy and Buttercup, the extent of our poultry :)

Logic

I took the kids on a little field trip today to a local bird farm. It was fun. We all wanted to buy something, but good sense (on the part of the mother anyway) won the day.



Here is how the conversation went in the car on the way home -

Kelly - How old do I have to be to have a bird for a pet?

Me - Pet birds are expensive, so you need to be old enough to have a job.

Michael - Does Daddy have a job?

Me - Yes.

Michael - Let's get HIM a pet bird!

Naomi - I want a little tiny bird to tickle my toes!

Morning Pet Therapy

It is still reaching triple digits during the day here, so the best time to be outside is in the morning. Heather and Gwen were ready for school early and headed to the backyard to enjoy their pets until it was time to go. Here they are with Sandy, the rabbit, Toby, the guinea pig and Snapdragon, the stray chicken.

Snapdragon was curious about Toby and it worried Gwen, so she took measures.

What better way to start the day than with a warm furry friend?

Visitors

Last week, my brother Matt, sister-in-law Stephanie, their two darling daughters, Ruby and Coral, and my mom came to visit. We really enjoyed their company. Not only was it fun to see them all, they were the easiest house guests I've ever had because they took care of dinner every night they were here. My kids are clamoring for more Navajo tacos, so, Steph and Matt, if you have time to put your recipe on your blog...

Speaking of blogs, the credit goes to Matt and Stephanie for inspiring me to start blogging and for setting the bar high for what a stellar blog should be. I may sound like I am laying it on a bit thick, but their blog really is one of my favorites to read.

While they were here, they picked their new cocker spaniel up at the airport. My kids tried their very best to spoil that dog ROTTEN while she was here. Here is Rachel doing Science schoolwork on the back porch, holding Olive the 2nd, because, "she's LONELY."

Coral and Naomi are three months apart in age. It was fun to see them together.

Michael and Ruby are also three months apart and Michael had fun with another three year old to play with. Stephanie, Matt and Grandma took Coral, Ruby and Michael to the San Diego Zoo the second day they were here and I think it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Funny Things the Kids Have Been Saying #1

#1 - Gwen

We're driving home from the grocery store and out of the blue, Gwen says, "The three things I want are a frog, a pocket knife and some rope."

So I ask her, "What would you do with rope?"

She replies, "I dunno."

There is a moment of silence and she says, "Rope is interesting and useful."

Then after thinking for a minute more, "I think a pocket knife would be usefuller."

More thoughts run through her active brain and she asks, "Can you cut paper with a pocket knife?"

I say, "No...well possibly, but it would be hard."

Gwen observes, "Maybe it would be easier if you had three hands."

So I guess now her wish list is a frog, some rope, a pocket knife and another hand...



#2 - Kelly

This morning Kelly comes to me and asks, "Can I give Michael my chicken?" and I'm racking my brain, "Chicken? Does she have a stuffed chicken? One of those fuzzy chicks we got at IKEA?"

I ask, "What chicken?"

She tells me, "My PET chicken, Rose."

I wonder out loud, "Why would you want to give your chicken to Michael?"

Kelly patiently explains, "Because he won't let me call him Buddy Boy unless I give him my chicken."

I'm at a loss for words, but finally I say the shortest thing possible. I want to get a single syllable out before I snicker, "Sure."

Kelly runs in the other room and yells, "Rose is YOURS, BUDDY BOY!!!"

Michael yells back, "I'm NOT Buddy Boy!"

Kelly, comes right back with, "Yes you are, I gave you my chicken! Buddy Boy! Buddy Boy!"

And the rest of the day I hear them calling each other all kinds of variations on the theme - Buddy, Buddy Boy, Buddy Kelly, Buddy Michael, Kell Boy, Kell Buddy."

I'm not sure whose the chicken is currently, and I'm not going to ask, either.



#3 - Michael

Michael recognizes "M's" wherever we are. We'll be driving down the street and pass a McDonald's and he'll yell, "M for Michael!"

When he gets his potty candy, he looks at the M&Ms and says, "M for Michael."

The other day, he was sitting on the couch, looking at a library book and he calls out, "M for Michael!"

I walk over to acknowledge his intelligence and scan the cover, "There isn't an M, Michael."

He insists, "Yes there is! There is an M for Michael!"

He points at a capitol F and tells me, "See there is an M for Michael and it is broken."

Chickens

The chickens are getting bigger and we are not the only ones watching them grow. A few weeks ago, Stan was woken up at two in the morning by frantic clucking. He went outside to investigate and saw two young possums in the neighbor's yard. Where was their mother?

Twice, I've been outside while the chickens have suddenly run for cover into the coop while making worried sounds. Both times a hawk was sitting on the fence waiting for it's chance at a chicken dinner.

Lastly, amazingly, in the middle of our city neighborhood, we've seen a coyote hanging around lately. It isn't very big, but we've seen it jump a six foot fence.

So...we lock them up each night and hope for the best. :)

Painting the Chicken Coop

Memorial Day, Stan and the kids painted the chicken coop white. It needed fixed up and we decided to go to town and spruce it up with some folk art. Each chicken owner painted a picture of her own chicken on the side of the coop closest to the house. Here are Kelly and Rachel beginning their masterpieces.

Heather worked the longest on painting Violet. She was still putting finishing touches on as it got dark. Gwen is inside the coop looking at the chickens.

They were ready to perch in a big chicken pile and go to sleep while we were still painting.

Daisy wondered who was intruding on their space and what they were doing.

Here is the finished product the next morning. Can you match each chicken to her portrait?

Pictures of the Kids and the Chickens

The kids' blond aunt suggested I have not been posting frequently enough (see, my redheaded sister, you're not the only one who gets nagged). She told me to just put pictures of the kids up, since that is what everyone wanted to see, so here they are. Rachel took the one of Kelly. While I was busy taking the others, Michael was busy mixing the bread flour and sugar with hot chocolate mix, hence the guilty look on his face when I put him on the counter next to the sink to try and contain the mess.

The chickens are getting big...

...and so is Naomi!

Kelly and Gwen were playing dress up.

Summer was reading and listening to The All-American Rejects and did not appreciate having me come after her with the camera.

Why is this here?

Awake at 4 a.m.

Yep, Naomi thinks it is time to be awake, awake, awake instead of asleep, so what to do but blog? She seems to like the computer screen, so here we are.

And here is Gwen, curling her hair, with a curler of her own invention on Friday.

Yesterday, we went out as a family for the first time since Naomi was born and consequently, had to take two cars - a milestone of sorts. We headed to the pet store, but Summer saw the music store next door, so we started there. Each of our pianists picked a new book of music to bring home.

The reason we went to the pet store was so that the four oldest girls could each pick a goldfish for a pet as a reward for getting ready for bed on time last week. So they each chose one out of the feeder fish tank and made the poor minimum wage, over wrought employee catch their specific fish.

Michael had fun watching the long, drawn out process.

And if you are wondering why there aren't pictures of Naomi, she was in the baby sling (I love it - New Native) the whole time I had the camera out. The one picture I took was an out of focus blob. Oh well, another time :)