my little ladies.

These little ladies of mine have grown so much in a month.  No longer fuzzy little balls but mini chickens with a little fluff here and there.  We've started letting them outside for some time each day and they of course love it!  They scratch.  They test their wings. They dust themselves.  They peck at ants and other little things.  They aren't really interested in veg yet but we put a watermelon rind in their brooder yesterday and they loved that.  Right now we're just waiting until they can't get through the fence in the chicken yard and they'll be put outside.  They could also use some more time to get all their feathers in.  But, it's warm enough for them I think.

Yesterday we had them outside and when we do that our dog has to stay inside.  As we were coming and going we realized that the door was left open.  Where was our dog?  Sitting outside watching the chicks.  Just sitting there.  He was being such a good boy.

These are the little ladies last week.  I need to take more pictures of them today.

home sweet home

I'm back.  My children and husband survived.  I barely did.  I know that I'm supposed to feel happy about having a few nights up in Tahoe without my family......and I had a really great time......but I missed home.  It was good for me though.  I had a whole room to myself.  We made wonderful food together for dinner and sat on the deck at dusk watching the bats swoop around the pine trees.  I took long walks in the morning on my own before anyone woke up.  I meditated on the beach while sorting through rocks.  I met new people that I enjoyed talking with and felt as though I had found kindred spirits.  I had a spa day. 

I think I'm extremely attached to my family and I was glad to be home with them, sleeping in my own bed, eating my own food and getting out into my garden to see how much everything had grown. To hug everyone. I think this past month has been a whirlwind of trips for one person or the other and I feel like we just need to be grounded in our own space all together for a while.  Maybe for a few weeks.  Then we can plan some backpack trips in the mountains this summer.  In a few days it will be officially summer.

I didn't want to take my camera up there so, I took these pictures with my cheezy little phone but I think you get the idea. It's a beautiful place.  I scouted out some beaches and hikes which I plan on getting back to this summer with my kids.

  

gone to tahoe

I'm so excited and nervous to be going away on my own, without my kids for a few days! 

See you when I get back!

 

These we took a few weeks ago while walking on Evans Creek.

foam fest!

The Foam Fest pictures in totally random order.  Jonathan and Solomon flew in at 10pm Friday night from Cape Cod, then Saturday morning we all got up and headed out into the freezing cold for the race!

It was cold (yeah I said that) wet, muddy and foamy to be sure but it was also loads of fun and great music!

The boys ran the 1 mile rugrats race while Amelia (and a friend), Jonathan and I ran the 5K race through Rancho San Rafael.  Complete with electrified crawl, 2 ten foot climbing walls, a 20 foot slip and slide with foam and other random fun obstacles.

I should have trained for this but I don't think many people did!  It was just fun!

(pictures taken by all of us with my cell phone!)