Since we spend a great deal of time outdoors and it is unfortunately not always sunny and 75, I invested in some insulated outdoor wear for the kiddos. Ava’s looks quite big on her, but my choices for sizing were 4T and Youth Small with nothing in between. I opted for the youth small, so they should at least fit her for an extra year. With warmer clothes, these two hooligans can keep up their shenanigans outdoors. Lately, they have been quite the engineering team building their own seesaws and bridges. Ava is quite the game inventor as well. Her latest one that Shep also enjoys is “Alligator Gobble”. Apparently you have to cross their kid-made bridge and if you fall while walking across, an alligator will gobble you. Ava has had to rescue Shep a few times.
Just a boy and his chicks. The birds always look forward to seeing him and Ava because they know they are getting snacks and most likely extra snacks from whatever the kids find from the leftover summer garden.
Our poor goat Dean fell ill this week and spent a night at the vets office. Poor Sammy sought some comfort from the kiddos. I can tell he enjoys being around them probably because they like climbing all over things and so does he.
This girl will be turning five soon! It baffles me that it has already been 5 years since we brought her home from the hospital. We love her very much and are so proud of her. She is an amazing big sister, super smart, and has the biggest imagination.
We made another decision this week. I personally do not enjoy vehicle shopping, but you wouldn’t really think that considering our track record for vehicles owned in the past two years. We actually purchased a 4-runner back in 2015 when Ava was born and I loved it. It just started feeling small when we packed all of our baby things in it. If we were normal, this probably would not have been an issue. However, I always toted around a stroller, 3 diaper bags each filled with different items (One for toys, one for diapers & wipes, and one for carrying with her) plus blankets, extra nursing pillow and nursing stuff. That was all for just one baby. So when we found out we were pregnant with Shepard, I panicked thinking of having all this baby and toddler stuff to tote around. Now that I have determined that normal people don’t carry all this stuff all the time, there is an abundance of room now….so here we are again.
This Week’s Books
We took a break from the library for the week of Thanksgiving and brought out some of our own. I picked up “ABCs of Kindness” to use as a tool to teach the kids how to be kind. “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think” is one of Shep’s favorite. He always likes pointing out the people walking upside down.
Gluten Free & Dairy Free Menu
Sharing another recipe this week! This is something I came up with in a dash one night trying to make a quick dinner, which is typically about 4-5 nights a week around here. I thought I would share because it received rave reviews from this picky family. So, if you are in need of a quick and healthy dinner one night, check this easy recipe out here.
Farm Animals
Meet Howard, our welsh harlequin drake. Isn’t he cute? He is so funny. One of the reasons he’s so funny to watch is that he does not have the same sound as the females. He has a cute raspy sound. The ladies definitely overpower him by volume. Fun side note: We named him Howard because apparently Scott had a love for a show called “Howard the Duck” when he was young. It was enough of an obsession that his Mom, brother, and cousin all recall his adoration for Howard.
And here is Penny the Henny. She likes the ducks. Sometimes it really seems like she just wants to be in their clique. She follows them to the pond. This is her all but getting in the pond to join them. She doesn’t go into the coop until they do at bedtime. It’s so ridiculous every night we go to the put them to bed, all the ducks are hanging outside the coop and there is Penny the Henny right with them while all the other hens are inside the coop ready for bed.
Our girls have been doing fabulous this week with laying eggs. I believe our average is up to almost 11 eggs per day. Our record to date is 13 eggs.
Workouts
Instead of sharing the workouts I have completed, I thought I would share some workouts I am hoping to try out this week. I found these on the Cathe App. I use resistance bands a lot. They seem to be easier on my joints and there is a wider range of exercises that you can do with them. However, I still like using dumbbells as well for strength training. For my personal use, I keep a range of dumbbell sizes between 5-15lbs.
On Another Note…
I am starting to realize more and more that a barn home is the perfect fit for us. This week alone we have had a fair share of barn animals in the house. Scott brought a silkie hen in one night and gave her to me because she was soaking wet and shivering, so I did the only thing I knew to do, I got my blow dryer and fluffed her back up. She actually didn’t seem to mind it and she really didn’t seem to mind being in the house either. Bonnie, the office cat, came over for a visit at the house another night. Since Sammy the goat has been a little to himself, he welcomes himself right in whenever there is an opportunity. The only farm animal that hasn’t been in the house yet is a duck, but I am sure that is in the future. We have also been toying with the idea of getting another indoor puppy to go along with Abby. So…Yeah…I think a barn should be perfect!
This Week in the Shop
New additions in the shop this week! These cute faux leather hair bows are perfect for girls, toddlers, or babies. You can pair with a ponytail or use just to clip back just a little bit of hair. Ava does not like her hair being in her face, so these have been great for me to just clip a pesky piece that won’t stay out of her face. Feel free to check them out here.
I hope everyone has a fabulous week! God Bless!
