Monday, June 29, 2015

May June 2015 Catch Up Posts

MAY 1, 2015
What better way to celebrate being home than by going to the local small animal auction?



MAY 2, 2015
Omg omg!!! The hens have been setting on a clutch of eggs since we left on our trip and THEY'RE HATCHING!! YAAAAAY!! These are my first ever hen-hatched chickies!

MAY 5, 2015
PEEK!

Yesterday we found broken coffee and end tables on the roadside and I saw potential for nesting boxes!! Olivia helped a lot too smile emoticon It might need a support board thru the middle, but not bad for stuff we had laying around!



MAY 6, 2015
I went to pay my electric bill this morning and found the secretary standing on her chair. This beautiful little snake had her scared silly. I told her to find me a box to put it in but it started to go into a hole in the wall. I grabbed its tail and pulled it out. I turned out to be a little too forceful though and the snake got torn up. The lady ~really~ didn't want me to let go. I'm sad I wasn't able to bring it home for my husband but now that secretary will have a better, less stressful day.

MAY 13, 2015
Day at the beach!! Finally!!



Bucket o' chicken anyone?? smile emoticon I found a tip online that said in order to get a hen to stop being broody, you should hold her in cool water for about 4 minutes. Hens do not lay eggs while they are broody--they are concentrated only on hatching eggs and protecting chicks. I have 4 chicks that the 3 hens were able to hatch while the kids and I were gone on our roadtrip so I placed them in a separate brooder and dipped some hens in the bucket! Hopefully it works!

MAY 16,2015
Olivia brought in an egg from the coop that had a small crack. I told her that it had to be thrown away or cooked right away. She got very excited and decided to cook it up herself with me giving a couple verbal directions smile emoticon Here's my proud girl!

MAY 20, 2015
Getting my nerd on this evening! "OOOOOH YEEEEAH!"

MAY 23, 2015
Ballast Point Park in Tampa, FL
MANATEES!! My first ever sighting of manatees!


And the kids had some fun at the water park there as well!



JUNE 1, 2015
Headed out for a "dinner and a show" style date night with hubby tonight! Yay! We're going to a comedy club to see Tom Green!

Er mer gerd!! SOO yummy!! (Creme brulee)
 Tom Green!


 JUNE 5, 2015
Today's "homeschool" lesson: How to change a car tire. Next time I think I will let Olivia do it while Carly and I supervise. Then the time after that, maybe Carly can try! Fingers crossed that this lesson takes YEARS!!

JUNE 12, 2015
YESSSSS!! JURASSIC WORLD with the kiddos!!


The last pic was just taken because the girls liked the movie. We didn't see "Home" today.

JUNE 18, 2015
The kids always love it when their Auntie comes to visit!

JUNE 19, 2015
Carly drew this "Human pretending to be an alien."

JUNE 21, 2015
The kids got to have cake and ice cream after the Vacation Bible School week church service.

JUNE 27, 2015
The kids and I went for a little hike at the Cedar Point Environmental Park. It was way too hot, but we will probably return on a cooler day.




JUNE 27, 2015
Our chihuahua had puppies! We have 2 black boys and 2 brown girls. SO CUTE!

April 2015 South Dakota Road Trip

APRIL 13, 2015
We made it to the top of Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta!!

APRIL 14, 2015
Is it naughty that I walked around the Walmart in Tennessee yesterday asking people where to find things so that I can hear their accent?

 I was sick and had to cover about 6 hours of driving. The Econo Lodge in Greenville, IL was great last night tho! After some pizza and swimming, I was finally feeling better.

APRIL 15, 2015
Illinois State Museum smile emoticon



APRIL 18, 2015
Sac City Motel
Hit some decent rain so we stopped halfway from my mom's house in Iowa to my grandparent's house in South Dakota. smile emoticon

APRIL 20, 2015
One of my aunts wore the little guy out at the park today! Here we are at Shorty's Cafe having supper.

April 21, 2015
I got to swing by and visit my dad on his 60th birthday

APRIL 23, 2015
Karate fighting bubbles and playing in a fort at my cousins house!



APRIL 23, 2015
Wagon ride and a tea party with the great grandparents!



My Gramma and I


APRIL 24, 2015
The Grotto of Redemption
West Bend, IA





APRIL 27, 2015
Elephant Rocks State Park, Missouri


  

 APRIL 26,2015
Awesome rest area in Illinois (I think)---had 2 bridges, 1 covered, and a tower to climb for a scenic view.




 

 APRIL 27, 2015 (again)
My legs KILL today. After the tower yesterday and the Elephant Stone Park hike today, I hope I can still walk in the morning! Hard work makin' memories lol!!

APRIL 28, 2015
Chattanooga, TN
This morning was a little rough. We tried to head out a bit earlier than usual, but had a big cereal spill at breakfast that hindered that and got everyone into a sour mood. Then we had an unplanned stop to get Olivia a pair of shoes because she insisted that the ones she has been wearing thus far were now uncomfortable and too small. We drove 3.5 hours to the Racoon Mtn Caverns and had a really fun tour, played some mini golf, bought walking sticks in the giftshop, and then stopped for some burgers. I had planned to go another 1.5 hours into Georgia, but everyone has been so crabby and tired all day, I just decided to get a room right by the burger place lol. Day 17 of this trip just needs to be done.


 Just finished up a cave tour at Racoon Mountain Caves in Chattanooga Tennessee. I got to take home some cave mud on my shoes and pants lol! Today has been rough, but it looks like we are still going to be on schedule 
smile emoticon tongue emoticon



APRIL 29,2015
Canton,GA
Found a nice spot to stop and let the kids burn some energy! After this is lunch time and hopefully the kids will nap while I drive.




APRIL 30, 2015
HOOOOOOOOOME!!!!