Winter Chilling

The snow is all gone now, but here are a few pictures of the critters taken last week.

The chickens never did learn to like the snow, and would spend nearly all their time in the barn.

 

The rabbits weren't affected by the snow, though I gave them plenty of extra hay to burrow into while we had single digit temperatures.

 

Giant, with his thick coat of fur, loved the snow and cold and had no problems running, playing and rolling in it. He's so funny!

 

The goats, like the chickens, preferred to stay in the barn. They refused to even walk down to their water, so I had to bring some water to them in buckets.

 

Baby W is One Year Old!

Baby W turned one year old on the 10th of December. We celebrated quietly at home with cupcakes and just a couple of little gifts. He wanted nothing to do with his cupcake and kept trying to throw it on the floor!

 

He now weighs a solid 25 pounds and measures 29.5 inches tall. He walks everywhere, never crawls. It's a bittersweet thing seeing your baby turn into a toddler. He's very smart and understands what we say to him, but still doesn't say much. Right now, his current sound (or word) is "Babababa". Everything is Baba.

 

He loves to explore the house and is learning where all the rooms are. His favorite room to visit is his big brothers' room, since they have all the fun toys.  

Tank and His Little Buddy

Baby W adores our little Tank. He giggles as soon as he sees him and loves to give him hugs and kisses. Tank is so patient with him too. Such a cute pair.

The First Snow

The first snow was pretty impressive, leaving our farm blanketed with 5 to 10 inches of snow on top of a pretty thick layer of ice/sleet.

 

The horses love the snow!

 

The chickens hate it! And I don't blame them one bit!

 

  

Preparing for Cold

To prepare for a  winter storm that is expected to come into our area in the next couple days, we did a bit of work around the house to be ready for the possibility of a power outage. We got a load of wood in and stacked it on the porch; got the fireplace all cleaned up and ready for use; covered most of the windows with foam board and plastic sheeting to keep out the cold; and have plenty of canned foods and water to outlast the storm.

The boys did a great job helping load, unload and stack the firewood.

 

The cats enjoy their temporary new sleeping perch.

 

Handy Husband built a little wall to keep Baby W away from the fireplace.

 

Lighting our first fire of the year.  

Baby W is 11 Months Old!

Baby W is 11 months old now. He's starting to walk, and can take a few steps by himself. He loves to play with his daddy, gives kisses and hugs, waves bye-bye, and points at things. He still isn't talking a whole lot yet, but occasionally babbles and says da-da and ma-ma (though rare). He loves to ride his toy horses and Mickey Mouse car, and once he's on them he doesn't want to get off!  

 

New favorite food: marshmallows!

 

His secret play spot is the space between the couch and the treadmill.

 

He loves mommy's horses and would like to play with them. 

He thinks it's pretty funny when she tells him "no".

 

Baby W is 10 Months Old!

 

Baby W turned 10 months last week! He's getting so big and turning into such a little toddler. He weighs 24.8 pounds, and is about 31 inches long, though it's hard to measure his length since he's such a squirmer!

 

He now eats pretty much whatever we do, though fruits are still his favorite things. He still nurses several times per day, and throughout the night. Sleep is still a bit rough, with him waking every 2-4 hours all through the night, and he wakes up for the day around 4:45am.

 

He can cruise from furniture to furniture, and can stand a few seconds without holding on. It's only a matter of time and he'll be walking! He loves playtime with Daddy, and playing on the trampoline.

 

  

Here's Zoe Girl

The Future Room of Baby W

We began work on the "spa room", which will become Baby W's bedroom. It's a lot of work tearing out all the tile and the whirlpool tub, but it will be well worth it in the end.

 

 

The View

The View

Baby W is 9 Months Old!

Sweet Baby W is growing so fast! He's around 23.2 pounds right now, so he's definitely slimmed down since last month- no doubt due to how active he is.

He spends more time playing independently now, and crawls everywhere. He tries to stand on his own, but loses his balance after a couple seconds. He doesn't have a huge interest in solid foods, despite the fact that he can chew and swallow just fine. He now has six teeth.

Sleep is another thing he's not too fond of. Daytime naps are always short, at about 15-20 minutes each. At night, he sleeps pretty well for the first four hours, but then, between about 3am and 5am he's up constantly. And he stays up around five.

He says da-da occasionally, and every once in a while says mama, but he really doesn't "talk" much at all yet.

Wordless Wednesday

Furry Friday

There isn't much that gets by these girls! From left to right, are: Meadow, Daisy, Maybelle, and Lil Ann.

First Day of School, #1

The girls started school this week, about 15 miles into town. The Oldest is a freshman, and the Youngest is now in 7th grade. The Boys will be staying home to school here with me. They have no interest in "real" school anyway. :-)