More February

Our family has been battling a bunch of little sickness lately, and it rotates through us all ever so slowly, one at a time. I haven't been to church in almost a month! Geez! The main culprit has been pink eye, and Lindy has had it the worst. We're crossing our fingers that we're almost out of the woods with sickness for a while. Amid all of the nose and eye wiping, here's what we've been up to.

The day Miles got baptized, we came home and started cleaning up and working on some Saturday chores. Richie casually mentioned that he needed to go to IFA to get some rabbit feed etc. I was changing my clothes, when Gwen rushed in the room and told me to come out quick! I heard some faint chirping, and there in our kitchen were 6 baby chicks! We had talked about possibly getting chickens this year, but I was not mentally prepared for them to be here now! Richie looked at me apprehensively and said, "I wasn't planning on getting them yet, but they were there in the store and so cute!" (This same scenario happened with the bunnies! Ha! I'm sensing a pattern.) They have assimilated nicely into our "homestead" and I'm anxiously awaiting some fresh eggs this summer!



A few years ago, coming up on Richie's birthday I asked him what he wanted and told him that it had to be something totally selfish. He sheepishly admitted that there was a nerdy computer game (Star Craft) that he used to like playing and it would be fun to have around in case he had some time to kill. Extra time is hard to come by these days, so he hardly ever plays it. But sometimes, he and his cousins (who also all have the game) correlate schedules and all play over the internet together. I tease him mercilessly every time. This time I even snapped a picture. I think the only thing this picture is missing is a giant bag of cheetos and a huge mountain dew somewhere in there. Also, it would make it ten times better if Richie had legit headphones with a microphone etc. One day. ;)



One of Richie's urban farming idols (Curtis Stone) is big into farming micro greens. We decided to experiment with some sunflower shoots and pea shoots. It was kind of fun having them sprouting up on a table in our bedroom. They were pretty and delicious!


Lady Killer here :)



Gwen randomly checked out a surprisingly advanced ballet video at the library. Richie watched her do it one night and loved it so much that he challenged Gwen that if she would work hard on this video every day for fifteen minutes, for x amount of days, he would take her for ice cream, give her $20 and put a ballet bar in her room. WOW! He wants her to develop the desire and initiative to complete a hard task. So far so good.


2 cuties caught snuggling



Valentine's Day! I tried making these mini heart pies again this year, and this time they were better. It was a fun part of our breakfast. The kids and I headed to homeschool where we learned about the 100 years war and Joan of Arc, and had lots of Valentine's fun. Again, I'm so grateful for this group we're a part of! That night, we were planning on having our annual "fancy" dinner, and ended up inviting the Beckstroms over last minute. It really made it feel more festive.



Here's Benson's first try at solid foods! Waaaah! Why is this happening so fast!! I tried to hold off as long as I could for 2 reasons: 1. Introducing solid foods is just one more thing for me to keep track of. 2. I can't believe he's already nearing 6 months and I want him to stay tiny as long as possible. However, he's been showing more and more signs that he's ready. So we went for it. After hearing advice about when and what a baby's first food should be, my mother in law loaned me some slippery elm bark powder! I'd never heard of it before, but apparently it's supposed to be really gentle on tummies. Out of all my kids, he took this initial introduction the best. He was completely eager and pleased.