Mickey mouse and Donald Duck

While is was in Santa Barbara my sister and I were talking about chickens and how we loved our pet chickens growing up. Then she started telling me about backyard chickening. There is a woman in her ward who has a few in her yard in a more urbanized neighborhood. I started researching it and got really excited. There is a whole society of backyard chickening, or urban chickening. I loved it. Got totally excited about the prospect of chickens and started researching breeds. I found that the best mix of egg production and docile temperament were buff orpington chickens. They look and act a lot like Cochin, but are better layers and less prone to disease because of the bare legs instead of the fuzzy.

They are supposed to make the best pet chickens. Growing up we had a dozen chickens, 6 Road Island reds and 6 Black and white Barred rock. They were great layers and we would go around the neighborhood selling eggs. They were our pets...we would watch movies with them, walk around the yard with them on our shoulder, when ever we went outside they would come running up to us. We loved our chickens and have the best memories with them. I actually could not picture childhood without chickens.

Anyway, I got this backyard chickening in my mind and started thinking...we easily have enough room for two chickens to roam in our yard. I have a slug and ant problem which they would eliminate, along with poor soil quality. Win win situation. So I sat down and looked for feed shops. I found one...

...and came home with Mickey and Donald. They are five day old Orpintons and the kids LOVE them. I can't keep them away. I have to admit I am as excited or even more excited than they are. Joshua named them, I tried to explain that they were girls and Minnie and Daisy would be better but oh well. The chicks have six weeks under the lamp and then we will let them roam our whole yard. I have already drawn up plans for a chicken hut. It is basically a little box with two lay boxes a roosting stick and door that I can close at night once they have gone into roost. At 18 weeks the chicks should start laying (point of lay) and should produce about an egg a day each. Well that is if they survive all the petting, hugging, and snuggling they have been getting. So far they are doing great and will hopefully end up being the friendliest chickens in the world probably the chubbiest too. The kids love to feed them...several times an hour.

My Birthday

My birthday was a few weeks ago. It was wonderful. Caleb was off the day before my Birthday so we celebrated then. We went out to eat and Joshua and him made me a delicious cake.

Caleb was on call on my Birthday so I drove up to Santa Barbara to be with my family, and to take Joshua to Ezra's Birthday party. We had a great time and got to see the whole family. Joshua even got to have a sleep over at grandma's house with Braddock. They all had a great time. We went to the zoo and beach the last day we were there and unfortunately those were the only pictures I took on my camera. I will have to get others from my mom :).

Joshua and Abigail

I thought it was time to give an update on the kids.

Joshua has grown so big. His favorite pajamas are his fire truck ones that say "my dad is my hero" but he calls them my dad is a superhero jammies. He has had a cold lately and in a very melancholy voice kept saying "mommy I have ouie bless yous". At least once a day he says "mom you have got to be kidding me" as he frustratingly throws his arms in the arm. He spends most his day playing race cars, and loves to play games. Although he always cheats especially at candy land...some how he always wins. He says all sorts of funny things now. He loves sunbeams and preschool.

These two are inseparable and are my little shadows. Basically the three of us are always together. If i leave them playing they show up with their toys playing right next me. What can I say they both love their mommy.

Abigail is 17 months now and is a little stinker. You never have to guess what she is thinking, she is very good at expressing herself. She regularly empties all my cupboards, and basically tries to do everything that Joshua does. She smiles and laughs all the time. My favorite is this little wrinkled up nose smile.

She is spunky and full of personality.

Her favorite thing is reading books. She also loves playing race cars with Joshua, but also loves playing with baby dolls, and especially animals.

Abigail is all about the accessories. She spends most days with 7-10 necklaces and anklets and bracelets on. She loves putting them all on and off all day.

Today I was playing around and tried to finally put a pony tail in Abigail's hair. It finally worked, I was so excited! She looked so cute. Of coarse Joshua wanted to try one on too.

Then Joshua wanted to put all the hair clips in my hair, I love having people play with my hair so I loved it.

Where I disappeared too...

I know I have not blogged in forever. I am still alive... I have just been spending every waking moment of my kids sleeping moments painting my whole house. I painted everything but the bedrooms and upstairs baths within the last two weeks. I painted it all this really pretty yellow. In the pictures it looks WAY lighter than in person, but it is definitely a very pretty elegant yellow. I love it. Mainly I love how clean everything looks and feels now. The last time the house had been painted was about 12 years ago when the original owners painted it all. Since that time it had not been very well maintained so there were tons of dirty spots and chips and stuff. So here it is.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

This is the best picture of what the actual color looks like all over. I think in the pictures down stairs it is turning out a little over exposed or something.

THERE ARE A FEW MORE NEW POSTS SO KEEP READING.....

Fun days of Summer?

Caleb had a wonderful schedule in January. He was on anesthesiology and rarely worked past noon. We were very spoiled. On top of that we had about two and half weeks of January in the mid 80s. We had so much fun working and playing in the yard and having picnics. Now it is back to our normal high of about 72...I know we have it rough... I love it. Anyway here are some fun pictures of us on a picnic at one of the local parks.

Abigail has the best spunky personality, we all get a kick out of her.

The tongue is always out.

She loves oranges and will sit down and eat three or four of them.

Joshua is funny. He has gotten so big and has started saying the funniest things.

They love to be together and play together all day. Whenever I take Joshua to school she points to his empty seat on the way home and puts her arms up to say where is Joshua.

In other news spring has officially sprung in California and it looks like I am going to have lots of peaches and apricots on my trees. I am so excited to eat them.