Springtime!

Paul at the park today, showing off his 'muscles.'













Our beautiful little Abigail with her big beautiful smile!



















The chickens about 6 weeks ago.














Abigail rehearsing for her first piano recital.












The creek in springtime!
















Zeke, Abigail and Paul on the 4-wheeler.














Abigail and Paul today at the park.



















The 5-star chicken coup with cedar flower boxes full with impatients.

Abigail and Paul at the park today.

Zeke and the kids riding past the chicken coup.










It's springtime! It's hard to believe it has been an entire year since we first began building our home. We are coming up on the end of the school year and we have compiled a list of jobs to complete on the house this summer. Since our last post, Zeke has built a chicken coup, which is really a 5-star chicken coup. We have 8 chickens. They are much bigger now than pictured above, that photo was taken about 6 weeks ago. Abigail had her first piano recital earlier this month and today she played during the offering at Church. Both Abigail and Paul have learned to ride without training wheels and are zooming around on their bicycles. Today we took them to a park to ride, that is where we are in several of the photos above. The kids are getting so big so fast. Abigail is finishing 1st grade and Paul is finishing kindergarten.

Just a week ago Zeke bought a 4-wheeler. He has also been zooming around. I have planted flowers in the flower boxes on the chicken coup and also a flower and vegetable garden out back. Zeke built me both. He also built me a raised bed garden on our sand mound, I haven't planted anything there yet.

Our dog is still fat and on a diet. He is such a good dog and enjoys his days outside now that it's warm. The kitten recently got fixed and is now an indoor/outdoor cat. Just Friday I came home to a 'gift' from her at the front steps. It was one dead chipmunk. The chickens need to get their wings clipped, as they have figured out how to fly out of their house. We have a black rat snake living in the woodshed, I think it's the same one from last year. He recently shed his skin and Abby brought it to school for show and tell. We have hundreds of tadpoles living in the retention basin. I hope they grow legs and hop away before it dries up for the summer! I had the pleasure of my first encounter with a wolf spider, unfortunately it was up close and personal with the bottom of my bare foot. It was disgusting. I made Zeke clean it up off the floor. Just about every day now we see deer outside the house, wandering around. Last week Zeke and Abby saw a beaver in the creek. We have seen numerous geese with their gosslings and also many ducks. Lots of wildlife!

Overall, it is quiet, peaceful and beautiful living in the woods. The trees are in full bloom. We still feel like we are just getting settled. We already have our list of things we want to finish, add or change about the house. We will never be done, but that's okay.