Lilianna: When I grow up, I don’t want to move to a new house.
me: why? you want to live with mommy and daddy forever?
Lilianna: yes, until we all die!
Isaiah: why you laughing mommy?

Happy Easter friends and family! We had an amazing weekend celebrating the Resurrection with family. I love this time of year as the weather starts warming up and life springs forward all around us. Everything is in bloom, including the kids who are changing and growing ever so fast. Our kids are being trained up in the word of God thanks to Awana’s and the awesome Children’s Ministry at Calvary Chapel. We hosted an Easter Egg Hunt in Menifee with their cousins and my kids taught their cousins to say, “Jesus is alive!” every time they found an egg. It was a wonderful thing to witness! Sometimes in the eyes of a child, Easter can be all about candy, treats, eggs and bunnies. I am proud of my little ones, because they know in their hearts that Easter is about the miracle of God’s promise being fulfilled. So many blessings my cup runneth over! Happy Easter everyone!

I sent my big boy off into the world last week. That’s what it feels like anyway. It’s bittersweet really. I miss my small boy with the giant heart. He is away from me more than he is with me for the first time in our lives. We were both nervous and excited at the same time.

I love the start of the new school year…  first grade especially…all the kids in clean new shoes, fresh haircuts and pigtails, missing teeth everywhere.  Seeing the classroom all nice and neat, Isaiah was so excited to have his very own desk where he could have a picture of his family and his water bottle. He sits right in front.  He bought lunch in the cafeteria the very first time today for Friday, pizza day. My boy who loves veggies was excited about the salad bar. “Just like Souplantation but smaller,” he said, and “I felt like a grown up because I could reach everything and choose whatever I wanted!” He even got to buy ice cream, the little cup kind with the cardboard lid and the wooden spoon. Some things never change! He showed me today at the store that he drank milk out of one of those cartons, only it was smaller with a  straw. Yesterday he brought home his Scholastic book order form and pored over it for half an hour trying to choose just three books. I remember that… reading every single description and circling the ones I really wanted. Some things never change and I’m grateful for it. I’m happy to share those same feelings and memories with my own children. It’s a little piece of heaven right here on earth.

I am scared really, and more sad that I care to admit to let my boy go. This was way harder than Kindergarten. Kindergarten was only for a few hours. Kindergarten was so … innocent.  This was the reason I had wanted to homeschool… to keep him close, to shelter him from peer pressure, from mean kids, from kids who watched shows he’s never even heard of and PG movies! From the big wide world!  But I know in my heart, my decision to send him to public school is the right one. He loves it and he will thrive there. His teacher has already told me that she can see how smart he is and how much he loves to learn.  I stayed until 11 the first day to help out…maybe to help me out more than anything. I have drilled him every day asking him 500 questions about his day in the car while driving home.  And then what did you do? Who did you sit by at snack/lunch? Did you eat all your lunch? Who did you play with? And then what? And after that? What was the story about? Did you play with anyone new? He’s starting to tire of this I know, but I can’t help it. I want to know every detail. If I could only be a fly on the wall.

We miss him and I’m so happy to see him at pick up time. Lil misses him. Her best friend is gone most of the day now and all she has left is boring mom who is always cleaning or fixing something in the kitchen or talking to someone on the phone. I am trying to be a good friend to her, but I just can’t replace her Bubba who was silly and funny and clever and sweet. But I love my time with her. Just me and her, holding hands, getting her haircut, grocery shopping. My little girl isn’t so little anymore either and it breaks my heart too.  She’s a kid now, and she’s funny and feisty and stubborn and sticky and cute. She makes me laugh so much. She loves to sing and jump and hop. She doesn’t walk at all, she only hops and skips and runs. She calls me Mimi and it melts my heart… her sweet little voice, so soft and innocent. We are going to try ballet/tap class next week. Went and tried on ballet shoes at the store and bought a pink leotard and tutu already. Every little girl should be a ballerina once.

She’ll be starting preschool in a week… so I’ll actually be alone for a few hours a week. My heart will be in two different places.

My Lala girl has been wanting to get her ears pierced!.  She’s been asking me for the past 6 months! I told her it would hurt and she still said she wanted it.  She told me, “Mama, I’m going to be brave!”  Now that she is almost 4 I thought it would be a good time.  Ama has been wanting to get Lil’s ear’s pierced from the minute she was born, so she met us at the mall to see it happen. I made sure we could get them (the ears) both done at the same time (highly recommended)! Bubba was there for moral support. She’s such a big girl now! Can’t believe she will be 4.  It’s so fun… this is one of those things I’ll always remember… my baby girl growing up.

A little nervous

Good thing I’ve got Bubba here.

On your mark,

Get set…GO!

Not even one tear! So brave, like she said.

Our girls(?) are getting big fast!  We added two more to the flock, Madison (named after Maxson St. home) and Piper (named after our home in Encinitas on Pipes Lane).  Madison is a Cuckoo Maran, and she should lay chocolate brown eggs. Little Piper is a Barred Rock. She will be all striped with black and white when she’s a big hen and she’ll lay some nice brown eggs.  Even though these girls are 2 days younger than the rest and smaller NOW, they will be bigger than the other three when fully grown.

Piper and Madison

The girls are 3 weeks old today! I think they are in that awkward phase right now… skinny and gangly looking… and then they’re molting so they lost their cute baby down and funky feathers are coming in and falling out.  We took them outside for their first “field trip” in the backyard today! Isaiah is pretty natural at holding them and picking them up. He took each one to the coop to show them around.  Lala is a great help. She’s an expert at shoveling chicken poop. Oscar had to stay inside for our field trip because I just don’t trust him yet.  If Dave were home, I would have let him out, but 5 chickens and 2 kids had me outnumbered 7 to 1 already!

Isaiah and Clementine

So, we have a chicken dilemma here… Since last week I’ve been thinking BOO our favorite chicken might just be a rooster. We can’t have roosters here! And I wanted BOO for her blue eggs. But HE won’t be laying any eggs if he turns out to be a Roo. I’m asking the experts for their best guess and so far it’s about 50/50.  It’s early to tell, so I’ll be posting updates, but you can keep track of my findings here:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6672871#p6672871

BOO or maybe ROO

Of all the things you can get in the mail, I never thought a box full of baby chicks could be one of them! I ordered them almost 2 months ago in March! Dave (surprisingly) gave us the green light on having chickens. I couldn’t believe it. I quickly told the kids so he couldn’t change his mind. We have been anxiously awaiting this special package for so long. The kids constantly asked me, “When are we getting our chicks?” Keeping chickens has become very popular again so some of our friends have been getting them from the local feed store. But NO, not me I had to SPECIAL order mine! I actually wanted specific breeds and after weeks of research decided on three for their egg producing qualities.

Yesterday morning our post lady came right to the door with a box stuffed with hay and the sounds of cheep cheep!

After tearing it open, there was another box inside. It looked like a box you would put cupcakes in, but with holes. The cheeps got louder! Under the box was a special heating pad that was still warm.

Opening this box and we saw three of the cutest fuzz balls you ever did see! Meet the girls; our new additions to mylilfamily.

Meet Boo Boo Chicken. Her name was given to her by Isaiah. She is an Ameraucana Chicken or what’s known as an Easter Egger. We’re hoping for green or blue eggs! She looks so much like a baby owl! She has very puffy cheeks and is super round and fuzzy. She’s the friendliest girl, she’ll come right up to your hand. She doesn’t mind being petted and seems to like being held.

This is Cheep Cheep. Her name was given to her by Lilianna. Cheep Cheep is a Leghorn Chicken. She’ll be all white with a red comb when she is full grown. She is an egg laying machine! Leghorns are commonly used for commercial egg laying. She will lay white eggs. Cheep cheep is the leader of the pack as far as we can tell. I think she is first in the pecking order. She is pretty friendly too. Not as mellow as Boo though. She’s so funny and feisty. She gets so excited sometimes and cheeps like crazy! I guess Lala named her well!

Here we have Clementine. We named her after our last address on Clementine Street. Clementine is a Golden Buff (also known as a Cinnamon Queen or Red Star). Golden Buffs are prolific layers of brown eggs. Clementine is the shyest  of the three. She is also the smallest. She does not like to be held or petted at all, but she’ll come around!

Welcome to the family girls! These sweet girls spent 2 days in the mail to get to us. Here they are getting to know their brooder box. They need a heat lamp on at all times for a few weeks. 95 cozy degrees.

The girls do everything together, eat…

Sleep…

And play! It’s only the second day and they are trying out the roost!

The kids are so happy and check on the chickens constantly.

Oscar checks on them too. But not because he loves them. I think he wants to eat them.

His nose gets all wet, and he starts licking his chops when he gets near them. We have started putting the brooder box up high, just in case. I had to scold him once and tell him to stay away when we had the chicks out. He was not too happy about it.

It’s a lot of work keeping these chickens! Round the clock care! Like having newborn babies again. What did we get ourselves into? It’s been lots of fun so far, and hopefully this kids will learn some responsibility. They’ll be in charge of egg collecting, feeding and watering our flock. We’re getting two more girls on Saturday morning from the feed store, pictures to come. What a diverse flock we’ll have. Here’s hoping for lots of fresh, free range, organic eggs in 5 months or so! Quiche? Custard? Devilled eggs anyone? Next I’m going to ask Dave if we can get a pig to add to the menagerie.

My Dearest Big Kids,

I can’t believe how much you’ve both grown! Isaiah, you just turned 6 and Lilianna, you are 3.5.

My little Rooster, you’re doing so well in kindergarten. You are at the top of your class in reading. You’re reading books at a 2nd grade level! You love school and you have lots of friends! Even one little girlfriend that you sometimes hold hands with (Victoria)!  We recently pulled you out of school for a week for a family vacation. Upon your return, the whole class was so happy to see you, they all wanted to give you a hug! We’ve never been invited to so many birthday parties in our lives! The boys you play with most are Anton and Bison. They are sweet boys, just like you! You love it when I volunteer in class- you are so happy that I am there and I’m so happy that you want me there! What a blessing that you enjoy school so much. You were student of the month in January. We are so proud of you! You’re learning Spanish every Wednesday after school. You’re the youngest one in the class. You told me once that all the girls say that you are “so cute”. Hmm, maybe that’s why you like it so much! You’re still doing karate every week. You really take it seriously. You listen and try really hard each and every class. I’ve never seen you goof off. Your form is so awesome, your Sensei has commended you, saying that your form and stance is even better than the older kids’. I say this often but, I love the age you are RIGHT NOW! I feel like this truly one of the last of the most innocent years of your life. You are learning so much so fast! I love that you get so excited about the little things. You still believe in leprechauns (amongst other things), and you see that the world is full of good. You still love Buddy, robots, snakes, bugs and now VIDEO GAMES. Typical boy! You are also a dog lover! You’re so good to Oscar. You talk to him and pet him EVERY morning when you wake up! You take such good care of him, even though he’s old and stinky. You truly love him, and when we leave on a vacation you talk about him and worry about him every day. Your heart is pure gold, and we are amazed by you! You are the best big brother a girl could EVER ask for. You adore your little sister. You can’t wait to see her- you play with her, read books to her, and always look out for her- even among your peers, you stay by her side. This makes my heart so happy! Strangers have come up to me in stores and have told me how wonderful it is to see to siblings like each other so much! I hope and pray it stays this way forever!

Little Lala, Lili, Peetie Pie, Honey Bunch… we have so many funny names for you because you are very funny. You make us laugh all the time. You tell stories that you make up as you go and come up with new songs daily. You love preschool and can’t wait to go. We go to a parent participation school, so I get to be there with you a few times a month. You talk about your teacher Ms. Jodi all the time. Your favorite thing about school is snack time. Ms. Jodi says you’re the best eater in the whole class (always the last to leave the table)! You may be a chef one day because you are always putting strange things together and eating them… like ham and blueberries, or raisins and cheese. You’re still doing gymnastics weekly and getting braver and braver! Doing forward rolls and crazy jumps and ladder climbs all by yourself! You’ve got lots of friends, but Tyler is your boyfriend and you say that one day you’re going to marry him. He does gymnastics on the same day and you two are always getting in trouble together. Mabel is your other best friend. You hang out at the park with her almost every day (while we are waiting to pick up the “Bubbas” from Kindergarten). She’s smaller than you so she gets all your outgrown clothes. Whenever something gets too small for you, you say, “We better give this to Mabel”. Whenever we go to Joann Fabric Store, you say, “I miss Mabel.” Because we often see her there with her mom (hoarding fabric, like me). You’ve been a tomboy most these years with fits of girly-ness coming through. I think the girly-ness is starting to take over though. We just went to your first “all girls-princess-dress-up-tea-party”. It was a birthday party for your preschool friend, Auden. You wore jewelry and your high heel play shoes. You had pink milk from fine china, got your nails painted and your makeup done (a little bit of blush and lip gloss). Everything was pink (naturally your favorite color) and flowery and fancy. You LOVED IT! I can’t believe you are getting so big! You talk about being a “GROWM- UP” all the time. You say that one day you’ll “have big BOOPS just like Mimi” (which is your nickname for me)! You have recently asked me to start wearing earrings. I told you about piercing and how it hurts and you said you still want to do it! We’ll have to ask your Daddy! You love your brother the MOST. Once you told me that you loved him more than you loved me and Daddy. It made me sad but so happy at the same time! He’s your very best friend. Daddy and I adore you and can’t believe how stinkin’ cute you are.

You both love going to church. You’re learning so much about the Bible and about doing the right thing. You both come out every Sunday talking about the stories from the Bible that they teach you in your class. Your Bible stories and books are your most favorite books at home. It is a dream come true for me since I grew up Athiest and struggled to find faith as an adult. I hope and pray that you know God and feel His grace all your lives, and never feel that hole in your heart that I did for all those years.

I want to slow you both down so badly. You are growing up right before my eyes and it’s happening too fast! I cherish everyday with you and thank God that I am able to be a stay at home mom to you.

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

I love you,
Mama

Click play for a short video of our ride on the Ferris Wheel in DCA. We recently went to Disney to use our “Give a Day, Get a Day” vouchers. It was a magical time! The kids are both at such great ages! Isaiah was really in to pin trading and they both were so enthralled with all the characters. Lil was simply star struck when she saw Minnie Mouse! Isaiah still loves Pluto and Mickey. They loved getting the character’s autographs! We went to Goofy’s kitchen for a character breakfast and it was so much fun! The characters come right up to your table to say hi, give autographs and take pictures! Isaiah lost his first tooth there while chewing on a gummy worm. He was so proud of his new smile! The first night there we stayed to watch Fantasmic. It had been years since I’ve seen it and I forgot how magnificent it is! Isaiah couldn’t believe his eyes! He kept asking, “Is this real or is this my imagination?” Lil got scared a few times, but was so happy to see the princesses and Tinkerbell! She loves Ariel the most! The next night we saw World of Color. I didn’t think it could compare to Fantasmic but I was wrong. It was so amazing. The show took my breath away and I actually teared up a few times! We can’t wait to go back!

Our baby girl turned 3 at the end of June. She requested a Princess Peach (from Super Mario Bros) party. We had to make all the decorations and party hats so it was a lot of work!  Dave and I stayed up late at night drawing, painting and cutting out decorations. Lots of work, but lots of fun! Lily kisses her Princess Peach poster that now hangs on her door- she just loves her!  We had a very small party- family and a few friends. We played pin the crown on princess peach, smash the yoshi egg, and had a yoshi egg hunt in the yard. Everyone had a great time with the “mario mustaches”.  The amazing cake was made by Grandma, and it was of wedding size proportion! Lucky girl. I loved making her mushroom dress! We are so blessed to celebrate another wonderful year of Lil’s life!

Our big boy graduated from Pre-K at El Camino Preschool on Friday! Yes, I cried… several times. I can’t believe Isaiah is going to kindergarten. He looked so big in his cap and gown. We will surely miss his wonderful teacher Ms. Debbie and all his friends. We will miss this amazing school with the best teachers, a great director (Ms. Heike Burton), and plenty of room to roam. Ms. Debbie has the patience of a saint and has such a special way with kids. They adore her and look up to her. She never needs to raise her voice. She’s calm cool and collected at all times, yet, she gets down and silly with them! She has a love for children, learning, and art that is so inspiring. Isaiah spent his days here learning, imagining and making friends… catching bugs, watching caterpillars turn into butterflies, being a super hero, astronaut, dinosaur, listening to stories, singing, dancing, climbing trees, scraping knees, and dreaming up adventures. He came home with an armful of crafts, holes in the knees of his jeans and plenty of dirt in his shoes every day. That’s what I call fun! It took at least 10 minutes to leave when it was pick up time because Isaiah always wanted to get every last second of being there… playing on the play structures, the boat, the playhouses, the kitchen, the stages, the telephone booth, the cars and tricyles on the road… this school has endless avenues for kids to role play. He would climb the tree outside almost every time while his sister would pick flowers in the field out front. He couldn’t wait to go to school each day! Thank you El Camino Preschool for a priceless experience that we will never forget!