Time seems to be flying by!

I can't believe it has taken over a month for me to update. To be truthful if my 2 faithful followers hadn't complained I think I would have just let it go. As promised here are the pictures of the chicks, although they are twice the size now and thankfully big enough to be outside. We finished the coop and painted it red with white trim. I really think it is cute! Now we sit and wait for them to be big enough to lay eggs!

April was a busy month for us. We celebrated Easter with a trip to Grandma and Grandpa Staples. The boys had a blast playing with cousins and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. They were happy the Easter bunny found us and brought them new helmets to wear when they ride the 4 wheeler. I would post pictures but I can't seem to find the folder I put them in.

We are happy May is here it brings warmer weather, baseball games and the end of the school year! I hope I am better at posting this summer!

Kids say/do the darndest things.....

It has been one of those busy and chaotic weeks. We have had our cousin Maddie staying with us and doing lots of fun things. Do you think I remember the camera? NO of course not. Maybe today!! The boys have said and done a few funny things this week I had to write down.

Ethan had a homework packet to do that consisted of a worksheet of homophone spelling words. Lets face it they are hard. I don't always use their and there correctly. Anyway, he was tired of doing the work but I told him he as long as I saw an unfinished packet he had to keep working. To solve this problem, he began following the dog around the house trying to get him to EAT the homework packet. He came to me upset and said "That is the dumbest excuse kids use that the dog ate my homework. Tucker won't do it." I just told him "Maybe he doesn't like homophones anymore than you do!" Which made him chuckle and reluctantly finish his homework.


Garrison has never liked the nickname his Dad gave him when he was a toddler. "PUTE" I know most of you know the story behind it so I won't tell it. Anyway, on the way home from preschool, he was asking me if Dad had a nickname. I told him that some people use to call him "Bugs" after Bugs Bunny. He got this confused look on his face and asked "Who is Bugs Bunny?" I said "You know that "Waskily Wabbit" that likes to eat carrots and tease Elmer Fudd who is hunting him? It's a cartoon, Dad use to watch when he was little."
He thought about it and said "NO. Maybe when I visit Grandma Staples she can show me on her TV. Our TV doesn't play shows THAT old." OUCH!!!!! Having your kids tell you that you are "THAT old" when you are in your early 30's is far worse than any nickname. Sorry Brady!

Staples family "Farm"

Call me a sucker when it comes to my children but I love to take something they are interested in and run with it. Somehow the newness wears off and I end up taking care of things on my own. You think I would have learned from the goats but NOOOOO.

When Ethan came home and told me he would be hatching chicks in school I thought to myself "He has and amazing teacher! She really makes learning fun." That was until I learned that after the chicks hatch the children can bring them home. So naturally Ethan thinks this is the perfect opportunity to expand our small acre "farm". He has been fascinated with Grandpa's chickens and can't wait to check for eggs for breakfast. Not to mention the support from others telling me that it is a great step to becoming self reliant. And here I thought powdered eggs in food storage was enough. NOOOOOO again!

So I talked with my Dad and got Brady involved to help build a coop while I was away on a mini vacation this past weekend. I was thinking 6 chicks max and I come home to a coop that will hold 16. SIGH...... Now this doesn't mean we will be getting 16 chickens this year. Lets face it we wouldn't eat that many eggs. This just means we can expand as needed; or so Brady tells me. He thinks that I can do this as a part time job and sell Farm Fresh Eggs to anyone in the community. I just think that this is more animals for ME feed in the winter and try to keep warm. Lets face it they will tell me it is my project and they don't want them once they are big and it's cold outside.

Peeping out of the nesting boxes!

I don't think there is any eggs to gather yet!

Roosting

Oh well as long as my children are happy I will be taking care of chickens. Let me know if you want any Farm Fresh Eggs!!!!!!

Pictures of the chicks to come. He will be bringing one home around Easter so we will get the rest then.

Fantastic February Fun

We had so much fun in February. It started off with a sleep over with Sharmons kids followed by a visit with Janel and her family. We went to museums, hung out at home, visited the safe kids fair, I got to try my hand and styling little girls hair, went to the zoo, but mainly just enjoyed time together. We wish it could have been longer.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Flash Back

A week and a half ago, Garrison had a cold that he couldn't seem to kick. Along with it he developed a cough that seemed to get worse rather that better. He had been tired but we had company and he had had a few late nights. I didn't think much of it and just tried to put him to bed earlier that night. The next day he was ornery, sleepy, had a low grade fever and told me it hurt to breath. I immediately made him a Dr. appointment and took him in. My fears were confirmed; it was pneumonia. My heart sunk. How could I have let this go so long thinking it was a bad cold. We got him his antibiotic, cold/cough medicine, breathing treatment medicine and took him home. He hardly slept a wink that night and I layed there crying with him with the flashback of him when he was born and diagnosed with pneumonia. I was scared to death all over again for him and prayed he would get better.
After a few days of sleepless nights, breathing treatments, lots of fluids, a crooked neck from laying on the couch bored out of my mind watching way to many PBS shows holding him, and his medicine; he bounced back to himself and I could breath a sigh of relief. I have vowed to be more watchful when it comes to this little guy. I am glad this time around wasn't as bad as the first.


He fought us at first with the breathing treatments until we told him that his cousin Jillian did them for her asthma. Then we got him the mask you see in the picture and he thought that was cool because Grandpa wears one of those when he sleeps! He loved it then because it made him even more like his Grandpa!!! What a kid!

What happens in Vegas.......

Gets posted on the Blog!!!

We took a fast trip down to see Shane and Tonya and family!! We had so much fun! The weather was perfect down there and we had such a good time visiting and joking around. Brady is now well known in the ward and I am sure will be talked about for sometime. He even graced the High Priest social with his presence and much to Shanes embarrasment enjoyed ice cream and redneck stories with the Bishop and member of the Stake Presidency. I am sure it is an evening Shane will never live down!

Brady also worked on storage shelves in Tonya and Shanes garage! He really enjoyed building them and even had some neighbors ask if he would come back and build them some! I wish I would have gotten a picture of the finished product.

Tonya and I took the kids to the children's museum and of course both of us forgot our camera's. The kids had a blast anyway and keep asking when we are going back.

We spent our nights talking, laughing, watching Nacho Libre for the first time and just hanging out! It was a Fantastic trip!

Zach! He tried to hide but we

caught a picture of him anyway!

Shane

I am sure he will love this picture!

Cousins! They had the best

time together!

Ethan High up on the stairs






Brady and Kaleigh

Below is the video Brady made of Shane and his tuba! We hope he gets a good chuckle out of it! We did!

Proud to be an American!

We are so proud that Garrison has learned the Pledge of Allegiance at such a young age! Here is the video of him saying the Pledge! I think it is so darn cute!!!!