Just Ducky!

Our babies are growing! We have had a few fieldtrips outside now that they are bigger and the weather is better. The ducks are growing so quickly, espcially Buttercup, the girl. Banana is the boy. Buttercup and Banana are quite the pair. They cuddle together in the coop, and will only be quiet if together. If Buttercup does not see Banana she becomes frightened. Buttercup is now growing in her down feathers. The ducks follow me and Jeff around the yard - they seem espcially fond of Jeff and will run to hide next to him if they spot the children or dog! Last night the girls disturbed an ant nest, and Jeff got out all the chicks and moved them outside to the displaced army for a protein snack. The chicks sure figured out that they were yummy.

Goggles

This picture is just too cute! Jeff brought home goggles from free-cycle - green tinted and dolphin hologram. The girls wear them throughout the day!

Chick set up

Here are pictures of the set up. They are in a hard-plastic pool, lined with a sheet, and I added the grass to deter them from eating their own droppings. The heat lamp is hanging on the music stand on one side and the water and food containers are on the other. We were told to show each one where the food and water was at, but it only took showing a few and the rest caught on! Birds of a feather... :)

Love at first sight

We are not supposed to handle the chicks and ducklings, but each girlie had one cuddle hug. They both chose the ducklings!

The chicks are here!

This morning I got a call at 6am from the post office letting us know that our chicks arrived. I waited until the girls woke up and then piled into the car at 7:20 to bring home our babies. We could here the chicks peeping when we walked in the door. I was imaging that they would be in a wooden crate for some reason, but they came in a cardboard box. We peeked at our peeps through the holes in their box.
We have 2 ducks and 17 chicks of various breeds. Some laying some meat. We'll see how close we bond, if our meat idea actually makes it to the table. Right now they are soooo cute we just love watching them! One already died, but it was just barely breathing when we brought it home. So we have already dealt with a funeral and the questions about if animals have spirits.
Below is a shot of the eager "mamas." Our dog was extremely interested. Just looking and sniffing. I asked a vet if she would have herding instincts to protect them since she has some of that background. She said, "Even a toy poodle will kill a chicken." So, that was enough for me - one chick funeral was enough for today...the dog's visits are supervised closely!

This Year

This year I got two birthday cakes. When my mom was here she made me lemon bars, at my request, and we had fun with the singing birthday candle. Jubilee and Daddy made brownies for me, and everyone got a turn with the icing tips. The girls put on a little impromtu musical for me, that had everyone laughing.

Mowin'

This was a bit of a funny situation. A neighbor had let us borrow their riding mower last fall. We used it a few times and then it stopped completely. Our grass was getting to about the length to harvest it for hay so Jeff tried jumping it with the truck. Up til this point nothing had seemed to make the slightest bit of difference and I was getting a bit embarrassed at our front field - especially since our neighbors across the street are extremely diligent about their lawn. So lo and behold, the mower chugged to a astonishing start. Jubi and Zana both got turns at the wheel. We would drive the truck around the yard jumping the mower as needed. It stalled for the fifth time as we started in on the back yard, but we were just glad that the front yard was closer to ground level.

Fancy Tea Party

The night before our fancy tea party my mom and I tried using my cake decorating tips. We learned to make basic flowers and even rosettes. That night we decorated the carrot-apple muffins and trail-mix cookies - a little whole wheat to cancel out the icing. (Right?!)
We used our best tea cups and had a vase full of bridal wreath. It was quite lady-like!

Garden Beginnings

My mom came to visit for two weeks and helped us plant seeds for our garden. We are trying everything from herbs, tomatoes, flowers, squash, beans, and even some watermelons. We eventually took the seeds upstairs to the office where we could keep them warm as the nights sometimes still get cold. Two weeks later we have all sorts of sprouts!

Our Get-A-Way

While my mom was here she watched the girls for us for a whole day together. We went to antique shops in a town called Hendersonville. I found a old ice cream churn that goes well in our bedroom - for some of my silk flowers. We also hiked to some waterfalls in farm country. The farther out from the city you go, the prettier it becomes.

Blue Ridge Adventure

The girls and I took Grandma on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We found a great hike that had lots of rocks to climb. Jubilee and Hosanna were both self-propelled, which was an added bonus. It was a gorgeous, cheerful outing with my mom!

Dress Up

Hosanna came out to put on a little show. She was wearing every single piece in her dress-up box, from her kitty ears to her princess dress. We all laughed so hard when she came out - she knew she looked good, and proudly posed for the camera.