Chicken Update

Now that Grandpa built an awesome coop for our chickens we had to build a yard for them to play in and to protect them from predators.  So, we hauled about half of the tools in our garage to the back yard and got to work. 

Stretching chicken wire is hard work.  The fellas did a great job doing everything I told them to.  :-)

We build the whole yard in two days.  Last night we were up late finishing the job.  That's okay though because we had great working conditions.  

And this is what we came up with.

Grandpa left us with a blue print to build a gate and Nicko built it like a pro.  The gate works perfectly. 

We still have some trim to add and some finishing touches to work on, but for the most part we are so happy with our big project. Now we sit back and enjoy watching the little critters do their thing.  Alyssa is our chicken charmer.

Joel is so proud of how much 'his' chickens eat. 

For some reason, we get a kick out of watching the chickens use the little ramp we built for them to get in and out of their coop.

I love our little chicken coop and our tiny 'flock' of birds. They have been so fun to watch. They do the funniest things and we just love our birds. I promise not to post any more chicken pictures...until we start getting eggs. :-)

No More Teachers...

It's time to celebrate the end of the school year.   It's time to think about staying up late, playing (older kids would never play...they hang out) with friends, and spending as much time goofing off as possible.  This is the crew that showed up to help the kids celebrate everything wonderful about summer vacation.

Not sure why they are posing like this, but it was kind of cute.  I think this is part of goofing off.

This was definitely goofing off.  They are so good at it too.

These two met about two minutes before this picture was taken.  Hunter the Hero is wearing Daniel's work apron and visor backwards.  Our dear friend Nathan loved it.

Isaac and his best friend Jake.  Aren't they so cool?

They just realized that summer vacation means they don't get to see the girls at school everyday.  Bummer.  ;-)

After pizza, lots of running around, a ton of laughing and screaming, there was some serious business that needed attention.  S'mores had been been promised!  Lucky for us, Nathan was willing to give Joel a hand starting Isaac's awesome fire.    

This is what happens when kids know that they are getting s'mores.  Oh, our patio is a mess...please ignore it.

This is Alyssa's best friend, Katie.  We all love Miss Katie. 

We love a slice of banana in the middle of our s'mores.  Also, a few pecan sprinkled in makes Daniel so happy. 

The marshmallows were definitely the star of the evening.  I handed out two bags worth of marshmallow forks.  A game of flashlight tag helped them to wear off their sugar highs afterwards.  

We had a great kick off to Summer Vacation this year.  (Daniel had so much fun he is already planning the back to school celebration.)  I loved that ages did not matter.  Everyone played together and had a great time.  I am so thankful for the friendships that the kids have.  All I have left to say is that summer is here and we are going to enjoy every drop of it.


Our Summer Checklist:

• Summer Programs
• Lots of Fishing & Swimming in the Lake
• Family Reunion in Alabama
• Aunt Sharon Visiting
• Grilling Everything
• Finish Building the Chicken Coop
• Mom's Re-upholstery Class
• Lots of Bike Rides
• More Time at the Library
• Homemade Popsicles
• Reading in the Hammock
• Lots of Sleep-Overs with Friends
• Staying up Late & Sleeping In
• Arlington Race Track
• Picnic in the Park Concerts
• Lots of Family Time 
• Weeding the Garden
• Eating Dinner on the Patio 

Another Grandpa Project.

The chickens need a coop and Grandpa offered to design and build one for us.  So the whole crew went to work on the project.  Grandpa was our fearless leader.  One of the first lessons he ever taught the kids was...measure twice cut once. 

While Grandpa and the kids were working on the coop, we made sure that the chickens approved of their soon to be new home.  This is Sofie and she approves. 

But she would feel more comfortable with some walls.

Alyssa washed the window and got it all ready to go.

But then she and Isaac decided it would make a great play house and they could pretend that the window was a drive up window. 

I love seeing the boys working together. 

Sofie just noticed there is no roof either.  Just wait...it's coming. 

Isaac was on the roofing crew.  He is a heck of a shingle-nailer-upper. 

So is Joel.  He can pound a nail down in three hits.  He's a show off.

Grandpa is very patient and taught the boys even more building and construction skills.

Nicko used his muscles to help out with the heavy lifting. Good thing we have some muscles in the family.  Grandpa builds everything in the ultra heavy duty, designed to last a lifetime category.  We like that.  Joel decided that the safest place to be during the next tornado warning might just be the chicken coop. 

More team work. 

Daniel and Grandpa worked late into the evening finishing up the nesting boxes for the chickens.

I LOVE this picture.

This was Grandpa's thinking chair.   

His thinking chair makes him happy.

We like his thinking chair too when he designs this for our chickens. 

This is how we can get the eggs out when they get old enough to start laying eggs.

This little flap is how we will be able to clean the coop out and the little cut out will soon have a ramp for the chickens to get in and out of their coop.

Daniel was so impressed with the coop that he decided that he should try it out for the chickens.  I wonder how many people can say they spent the night in a chicken coop...on purpose?

After Daniel gave the coop his seal of approval, we let the chickens go check out their new home.

They like it a lot.  We know because we speak cluck.

We love our chickens so much. 

The coop is missing a few things yet.  The chickens need a roost to sleep on and a ramp to get in and out.  They need a fenced in yard to keep them safe from predators.  And the coop itself needs paint and a few decorations.  :-)  Working on the coop took the entire family and it is something that we will never forget doing.  Thank you so much Grandpa.  We all learned something new, we loved working with you and we enjoyed the process. 

The chickens mentioned that this coop was way better than the second rate little pens that we had rigged for them so far.  They can't wait to move in.   

Stay tuned for chicken coop updates.  I am already working on decorations.  :-)