Chickens and Trampolines

 Summer nights. Chickens. Trampolines. And nakie babies.

 Gracie had just got out of the bath, but loved joining the brothers outside.

  

 Lincoln and his ladies

 

Lincoln's 4!

Happy birthday to our favorite chicken farmer! We didn't know if he would make it to 4, but it's here and so is he!

Lincoln brought a lot of excitement into our lives during the last year--bike painting, living with the chickens, getting gum in his hair, cutting his hair....wait was just the past 2 weeks! Never a dull moment with this kid around. He has an awesome sense of humor and loves to make us laugh. He's a friend making, Aggie cheering, adventure seeking, animal loving, movie quoting, sister adoring, rock star music requesting, chicken whispering, iPhone hiding, backwards dressing, egg counting, heart melting little man!

Here's hoping things calm down at 4!

Backyard Hangout

It's weird to think that a year ago we didn't have a backyard. And it's now unfathomable what I would do with our 2nd if there wasn't a backyard to send him to.

It's too hot during the day to jump on the trampoline (unless there's a sprinkler under it) but about bedtime the boys decide it's time to jump.

And our chickens. Although I pictured tame chickens when I bought them, I've never seen chickens that will take so much abuse and still let a 3 year old pick them up. But I do like that when I tell the boys the chickens are in the garden they hurry out to catch them and lock them back up.

He might not admit it, but I think Chod almost likes the birds as much as the boys do. At least now that they've started laying eggs. He insists it's because the boys have quit begging for a dog, and he'd much rather have chickens than a dog.

Even Gracie Loo-Who likes hanging out in the backyard with the family. I just have to keep her brothers from dropping a chicken on her face. Cause as much as they like them, the chickens still gross me out.

Here a Chick, There a Chick

Chod and I have talked about getting chickens for a while, and city ordinances allow 4 hens. Which we figured is a nice and small number that we could probably handle.

Last Sunday the IFA Chick Days flier came in the paper and Chod and the boys checked it out.

On Thursday I bribed with the boys with a trip to see the chicks if they were well behaved.

And they were.

So we went to "look" and ended up bringing home 5 little fluffy ladies (taking into account that we'd lose at least 1) and all the supplies we needed to go with them. We got 1 Barred Rock, 1 California, 1 Red Sex Link, 1 Golden Sex Link and 1 Astralorp because I knew if these girls were going to be wandering around our backyard I wanted some good looking hens and 1 of each means it will be easier to tell them apart.

The boys were excited for their first real life pets that weren't handed down from Aunt Tameka. So excited that Bentley has started making a list of the next real life pets he wants. Next on the list? A wiener dog.

We got them settled in their new home in the garage and then it hit Chod that he only has 6 weeks to build a chicken coop! Man, baby chicks are as bad as newborns. They sleep all day and peep all night. Our first night together was rough, I could hear them out in the garage peeping away and barely got any sleep.

And we kept them all alive for 4 days, but this morning found our littlest, I think the Barred Rock, dead.

When I told Lincoln she had died he asked, "But didn't I take care of her?"

Sorry little guy, sometimes animals die.