One more of Nathan

Seriously.  Can you believe this kid?

Nathan John at 5 Months Old

He's gotten some teeth which has made for some crabby periods.  He's moved into the pack-and-play in our room.  He's not sleeping as well as he used to, but he sure is a sweet little guy.  We have loved every moment of our time with him.  How couldn't you when this is the smile that he flashes when he wakes up.  Puffy eyes, blurred vision, and a huge smile.  His brothers and sisters can't get enough of him.  They fight to see who gets to hold him.  We are so thankful for the latest addition to our family.  We love you Nate Dogg!

Matthew

On Saturday afternoon, for quiet time, I told Matthew he could hang out in the play room and read or relax.  I came down an hour or so later and found him cashed out on the couch sitting up.  We have all felt like this around our place lately.  It was so much fun to come down and find him like this.  I love that kid.

The Chickens Are Here

This weekend while Amanda was recovering from surgery to remove a large kidney stone, we picked up our neighbors three chickens.

It was VERY cold this weekend, dropping down to 4 degrees at night.  But when I went out this morning, the thermometer in the chicken coop said just under 20 degrees.  Our heat lamp, chicken body heat and a little shelter make a lot of difference.  We've only gotten 4 or 5 eggs so far.  Stress is not a good thing for egg laying.  The kids are very excited about the chickens.  We'll hope that continues as the chores increase and the novelty wears off.

The Chickens Are Coming

This summer we got some really great neighbors.  We have really enjoyed getting to know them and their kids.  A few weeks ago they came over and said that they were moving to Vermont.  They wanted to know if we wanted to have their three chickens.  We have been planning on getting chickens this spring.  We have begun readying the shed and a chicken run for them, so we figured the neighbors chickens would be a good test run.  All we had left to get ready was some nesting boxes.  I did some research online.  If you know me though, you know that I am not what you might term "handy."  I'm adventurous though and willing to take a crack at anything.

We got some old lumber and scraps from the neighbors and with the help of the boys, came up with what I think will work great.

The part I enjoyed most about this project was working with the boys.  Of course Matthew was right in there from the start.  Caleb joined us for the last night of work.  Ben though, was my right hand man.  It was great to watch his mind work to think through how we could solve the problems and get the thing together.  As I was working through this, I did think that it might have been a good idea to actually work through the homework in Mr. Hall's geometry class in 10th grade.  It sure would have come in handy.  The chickens come this weekend.

Molly and Burley

Molly has found a new dancing partner.

Christmas Round Up

I finally pulled some pictures off of the camera from Christmas.  First, why do we take pictures on Christmas morning?  Do we really want pictures of all of us puffy-eyed, pale as ghosts, me in my robe, etc.?  I guess they're for documentation purposes more than anything else.  Second, we had a great Christmas.  It was fun to have four of the six kids sing at church on Christmas eve.  It was great to be home with the family for an extended time and just hang out.  We didn't travel.  We just enjoyed each other.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the kids from Christmas eve.