Then There Were 13

We love our girls... besides them being a really good egg producers for our family, they are also our friends.  The kids run around with them, they will come sit on our laps and eat out of our hands.  We love that we have been able to let our chickens free range... they have their own coop and sizeable run on the side of our home, but when we are here, we love to let them run free.

Last Friday, they were doing what they do best...foraging in my flowerbeds... and Blake and I were sitting at our bar, and we saw them run across the yard in a panic, but we didn't think much of it... they have done it before when our neighbor turns on his welder or if Kona gets a wild hair and decides to run at them.  We actually laughed and thought they looked funny.  Not long after, Blake went outside to feed his favorite chicken, Gonzo.  He couldn't find her.

Gonzo never leaves our back yard.  She has never wandered down our dirt road or into our neighbors yard.  She has never tried to fly over a fence or run away from us.  The kids and I looked for her for 2 hours.  I was in and out of my neighbors properties, in every nook and cranny of our property and I was starting to really wonder what had happened to her.  All the chickens come running to me when I call them, and it was very unlike her to just be gone.

As we were walking home up our dirt road, I saw it... I knew what had happened.  There were two HUGE black hawks circling my remaining girls in the backyard, and I just ran towards them.  The kids and I were able to get the chickens all locked up in their coop, while my kids screamed at the Hawks to " leave my chickens alone or my daddy will shoot you"  I couldn't believe how low they were... but after that, I know exactly what happened to her.  They circled our house for about 30 minutes before they moved on, and I am terrified that they will come back looking for their next meal!!

I started second guessing myself, could a hawk really pick up a chicken?  Just YouTube it... yes they can!  Crazy!!  My girls have never had to worry about predators... but all that has changed now.  Our poor chicken.  She was our favorite... She was our ugliest, smallest, but most loving chicken.  The boys went out to hold her every morning, and when I would go out to sit on the back steps and watch the boys play, she would just come and sit in my lap (I usually had food) haha.  But now she is gone, and we have learned a very valuable lesson.  Super sad, my kids really miss her, and my remaining 13 girls haven't laid more then 3 eggs a day since she was taken.  Their obviously also mourning the loss of their dear friend...

Rest in peace our sweet Gonzo, the smallest, sweetest chicken with a face that only a mama could love!!

A face only a mother could love

 

Gonzo and Twin 1 sleeping on the ladder

Her first day in the coop :)

 

Tests, Tests...And More Tests...

With Blake, we had very little testing done.  Since everything looked good on paper, they didn't see any need for further testing.  Also, the 20 Week ultrasound should have shown his heart condition, but they didn't catch it.  So, with Luke, we added some more tests and a 20 week fetal eco... Yay for a healthy baby... tests weren't too bad, but still more then I had the first time. 

With this baby...OMG...I swear, all I do is go in for urine tests, blood tests, genetic counseling, and ultrasounds.  I did opt for these tests because we figure better safe then sorry, and I do not want to be surprised again, but its mentally exhausting.  I am always worried that they are going to find "something" wrong or that something is going to come back "abnormal" The day before, I get myself all worked up, usually to the point of tears, and I just dread it.  But then I go in... with my little ones in tow, armed with snacks, juice boxes and ipads just trying to get it all over with. 

Today was the last of my tests... I had my 20 week Fetal Echocardiogram. Everything looks great... no heart defects to report, no extra crazy chromosomal defects to speak of, and baby has all its digits... I cant promise that being born into this family, he will be normal by any means, but at least all his parts are where they should be and his organs are doing what there supposed to be doing at the moment. No more testing until the gestational diabetes tests, but that's not for a while, so I am going to enjoy a few weeks of not having to go all the way into Tacoma, find parking and search for new addresses... and I am going to enjoy this healthy baby... at this point, his health has been confirmed as much as possible, and there isn't anything else I need to worry about... except getting his room together :)

Three's A Charm :)

Being a mom of all boys, I now understand how important that job is.  God has entrusted these boys to us to raise them into men... strong, caring, smart, driven, and successful men who will love and appreciate their wives someday.  Men who will fight for their beliefs, who will devote themselves to their families and men who will demonstrate bravery and courage in all aspects of life.  What a privilege we have been given.  To raise these boys in a world where most believe they are entitled takes a strong heart to love them, a strong back to carry them, a strong voice to call them (usually by their first and middle name), and strong mind to teach them right from wrong.  I think that mostly, it takes a strong role model.  If my boys are anything like their dad, they are going to be amazing. 

I believe in letting my boys see us upset, have disagreements and be able to solve them (all appropriate of course) and to see us laugh and play with each other.  When you see parents play fight, be silly, and show affection, your teaching them how to interact with their spouses someday.  Life shouldn't be all about business, its about creating memories and forming habits.  Showing love, receiving love, and keeping an open mind is all I ask... especially in this crazy-ever changing- world that we live in :)

We must be doing okay raising these little boys so far because god has given us another little boy to love!  He is 20 weeks, growing strong, wiggling all over in mamas tummy, and making me extremely hungry!  His brothers already talk to him and kiss him, and cant wait to meet him.  They also come up with some crazy names for this little man!  Good thing that Daddy and Mama get the final say!  We cant wait to meet you little man... this just got real!

I bet my unborn child will appreciate me sharing a picture of him showing off his crown jewels haha

The 3rd Time Around

Well, this pregnancy has been quite a bit different from my last two.  The biggest blessing is that I don't have to get up at 4:30 to get ready for a desk job where I sit there all day and then sit in traffic on the way home.  I have been much more active and healthy this time around, but I think the biggest thing is that I can keep moving instead of my locked into a desk and I think it has made all the difference in how I feel and maintaining a healthy weight. 



Photo courtesy of Blake :)  My little photographer!!  19 weeks!!


Oh, I have cravings... mostly sweet things, but the other night I did have a bowl of ice cream and then I dipped my salty potato chips in it and it was heaven!  I love sugary cereal like frosted flakes, coco puffs and ...oh, I love me some fruity pebbles! YUMMM...I want some Fruity Pebbles right now, can someone go pick some up for me please?  They should really start to sell those at Costco in 5 gallon buckets!  I think that I'm gonna contact Post Foods and make that happen!

Emotions... like I have any control of those HAHA!  Oh, I can cry at the drop of a hat, I mean, I could probably watch Jerry Springer and find a reason to start crying.  Oh, and I like to watch Ellen most days, and that show is an emotional roller coaster, let me tell you what!  I laugh and cry and laugh and cry more... there needs to be a disclaimer before that show! My kids think that I'm going wacko because they bring me a picture that they drew and my eyes well up and I lose it telling them how thoughtful they are... holy cow, its pathetic! 

Preparing... yeah, not worried about getting things "ready" at all!!  Seriously, I know by now that all I need are diapers, onsies and my boobies when the baby is born... not too worried about having things set up or a nursery in place.  Maybe that will change when we find out the gender... NEXT WEEK at my 20 week apt :)

The biggest thing that I have learned this time is that I need to pay a little bit more attention to myself then I am used to.  At my last dr appointment, I was basically yelled at because apparently you can tell by your blood pressure weather or not you are dehydrated... apparently I was right on the cusp of needing an IV... I begged her not to send me over to the hospital, and I promised that I would suck down some water... well, I didn't mean to lie, but when we were at Friday Harbor  a couple weeks later, and all the heat and all the walking around and then waiting in the damn hot sun for the ferry, I about passed out.  I barely made it up the stairs on the boat and I stumbled into the bathroom because I thought I was going to puke.  I sat down on the toilet just to catch my breath and then splashed some water on my face... whoops!!  needless to say, I now have a water bottle Nazi monitoring my H2O intake... It totally just got away from me, that's something that I could have handled before this little bun in the oven, but now, forget it!  Apparently, my emotions aren't the only thing out of whack!! 

We almost half way... 21 weeks or 140 days to go :)





Our Fun-Filled 4th of July Vacation

 

We took some vacation over the 4th of July Holiday and spent our time enjoying family and exploring the land.  We started off at the general Samish council meeting, which we enjoy every year.  We spent the weekend attending cultural events, and spending time with family.  It was a great weekend with so many great memories!!

We headed out on the ferry to explore Friday Harbor, and that was such a beautiful ride!!  Friday Harbor was gorgeous and SUPER HOT!  Goodness gracious, it was hot!  We had a lot of fun walking around the town and exploring all the little shops... We also ate at Fridays Crabhouse right across from the ferry terminal.  I want to say that it had the best fish and chips that I have ever eaten, and we also had the nicest server.  Her name was Victoria, and she was spectacular.  We had some special requests that were handled very easily by her and she took amazing care of us!  We all wrote restaurant reviews about her and the incredible food, and also I called the manager to let them know how much we appreciated her hospitality.  Its a must eat for sure if you ever get out to Friday Harbor!!

Isn't my husband handsome??  HAHA

Aboard the Samish Ferry!

We also spent some time in Bellingham exploring my brother-in laws stomping grounds... we toured Western, Saw Tyler and Liz's apartment and spent time at Boulevard Park at sunset which was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen!! I blew out a flip flop, so I walked around WWU barefoot most of the time, and no one seemed to notice... Got to love the hippies up there :)

 

 

I am going to have this one framed!  From Left to right - Ryan, Tyler, Liz, Blake, Me, Kyle, and Luke :)

 

We went Blue Fox Drive-in in Oak Harbor... OMG- HOW NEAT!!!  It was all retro... decked out with black and white checker tiles everywhere - the food was amazing, and the bathrooms were super clean (we all know how important that is) there were go-karts, and arcade and the best part was this amazing bed Kyle made in the back of the truck with cushions from the table in our trailer and matresses from the kids bunks... HAHA I could have slept in there all night and my kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!  They made it through the first movie - Inside Out - but fell asleep 15 minutes into the Avengers.  Kyle and I stayed awake through it and by the time we packed up after the movie and drove back to the trailer, it was 3:15 in the morning!  OMG I haven't stayed up that late since before we had kids.  Kids went right to bed, but of course, and then they were up at 7:30!  It was a lot of fun though, and I would totally do it again!!

 

Thank you Tyler for the picture :)  Snug as a bug in a rug!

I married into this...

 

We also spent some time on Whidby Island to visit a family that we know and also happens to be someone that both Kyle and Monty work with.  Kyle, Monty, Tyler and the boys went early and went crabbing... everyone got their limits and they limited the day before also, so there were a lot of crab!  like 60 something... and oh, it was hard to not eat too much since I kind of need to be careful about my seafood intake, but I still bet that I ate way over my quota for the week, in just that one day!  Whoops!!  Whidby Island is beautiful, and full of deer!  It couldn't have gotten any better - great food, great friends, and beautiful scenery! 

The 4th was great!  We had some friends come up and celebrate with us in Anacortes, and the RV park that we stay at overlooks the harbor, and they had a great fireworks show, and we didn't have to worry about people being stupid and shooting each other with fireworks.  It was really nice.  I kind of wish the kids got to do some sparklers or something, but oh well, I am sure that they will survive :)  We celebrated with fresh Salmon and Halibut that Kyle just caught in Alaska, and even more crab... yes, I over did my seafood intake... whoops!  I just couldn't help myself, it was so delicious!!  I mean, how much more all-American can you get??  An apple pie would have been the icing on the cake, but that's just my sweet tooth talking :)

 

 

We had a lot of firsts this vacation too!  Blake finally was ready to take those training wheels!!!  YAY!!  Monty went and got him all these pads so that he couldn't be scared to fall, and with his help, and Daddy there to catch him, he figured it out!  He almost ran Luke over, but now the kid is pro!

Kona, who I thought only liked to walk in water up to her ankles;  never thought she would like to swim... she just walked out into the water, and kept going.  We just stood there with our mouths open in shock, and she was swimming.... she's really good at it!  You know when you see a dog swim for the first time and they look like they are drowning?  Not Kona, she was so graceful and stayed out there forever!  She ended up swimming next to me while I was in the kayak, and we had to make he go in.  So proud of our girl!!

Blake learned to paddle his Kayak by himself!  We still have his boat attached to ours, but hes got his rhythm down, and before long, he's going to be on his own!

 

We had a lot of fun playing on the beach, getting dirty, playing in the water (it was so warm) going on walks and just enjoyed taking some time to slow down.  We LOVE camping... we cant wait until our next adventure!!

 

They have their own bunks, but every morning one or both had made their way into our bed... our little bed!

This kid was born sticky and dirty... he will never change.

Luke LOVED swimming in salt water.  He comes alive while exploring his first homeland!

;

goofy boaters :)