New posts

There. I did it. Lots of new posts. I like to break them up because blogspot gets wacky if you try to put in lots of pictures and text. You have no control over where the text goes. So, scroll down because there are several new posts from the last couple of months.
I'm been terribly busy with a short-session class I'm taking. It's a semester packed into about 7 weeks so most free moments are taken up by reading Anatomy and Physiology. It works out to about six chapters every two weeks. Luckily, it will be over in about two more weeks. I will still have a lab for the rest of the semester but that is only once a week.
Alex is going to preschool twice a week. He still hates the "going there" part but he seems to enjoy it once he is there and I am gone. It is lovely to have a couple of hours of kid-free time. It's been so long! I can grocery shop without having to visit the train section.
Julia and Aaron are doing pretty good in 4th and 1st. Aaron is selling popcorn for cub scouts. I think there is a way to sell it on-line so I'll have to check on it and post the link.

Texas

We took these on the steps of the Aucoin's new house. It's difficult to get this many people cooperating, as you can imagine. The first is the whole crew, the middle is all the cousins (5 months to 8 years), and the last is just our family (yes, I'm sure you could tell that). We were using some crazy contraptions for a tripod so they are at an odd angle and we were facing into the sun.

Texas

These are from our Texas trip, in August. We went to the beach one evening and the kids got to ride horses and swim. The baby is Sam, Sarah's newest. He was about 5 1/2 months in that picture. You can see Julia had help digging a hole from the toddler set (Katie and Alex). She loved the ocean (again) and stayed in it for hours. The boys liked the smaller waves but didn't care to get smacked in the face with them.

We had the usual August birthday bash for the boys. Alex wanted a Thomas, Lightning McQueen, My little Pony cake. Luckily he decided against the ponies at the last moment once I pulled out a pony. He finds their hair just too creepy to deal with. Aaron had a Lego Star Wars cake with little figures on it having a light saber battle. I don't know how many more years I'll be able to pull off the joint birthday party!

Io

Yes, you have to look at more nature pictures(and don't worry, there are plenty more to come). It's just part of living in Disney World with chickens.

This looked like a nondescript yellow moth on the side of our shed until I poked it. I think it is an Io moth. Since this one we've had a few more around.

Wicket

One evening, this summer, I went to Wal Mart and someone was giving away puppies in the parking lot. This time they weren't pit bull mixes, though, they were little daschund mixes and one needed to come home with me.

We named him Wicket after the ewok in Star Wars (the kids' whole summer mostly revolved around star wars).

He's a very smart puppy and he loves to swim. He quickly learned that chickens weren't quite as much fun to chase as they look and that sometimes they chase back.

Mushrooms

Check out the mushrooms. They're growing in our back woods. I saw the big ones, first, and then found some that were just sprouting up.

Look! Isn't she pretty. Looks like my milkweed finally paid off!

Julia's birthday

I know I'm out of chronological order but I'm just happy to get these up and I came across her pictures first! Julia had a few girls come over for her birthday. Some spent the night. They had a great time jumping in one of our lily ponds and then sliding down a mud hill. Julia just pointed out that each girl had worn her favorite shirt to the party (I washed them all before they went home). As you can see it was NOT a clean activity but they all had lots of fun.

She opted for a cheesecake for her birthday!

Cub Scout

Look. Aaron is a cub scout! He mostly likes the uniform and the idea of badges. So far he has enjoyed it and looks forward to the meetings! He wants to wear the WHOLE uniform to each meeting.