The Goats Have Arrived!

Bright and early this a.m. Marc loaded up the chickens to go to the Hennessey's. He had been raising 12 chickens for them because they do not have much success with chicks. In exchange for raising the chickens to full size, the Henesseys deducted from Marc's goat bill balance.

Last Tuesday 'Twilight' gave birth to 'Little Creek' (a buck). Today was the big day...Marc finally got to bring his goats home! We went to visit the Henessey's farm last fall and discussed the "Nigerian Dwarf" breed and what Marc would need to do to prepare for goat farming. After a great deal of thought and prayer Marc decided that he wanted to invest in a Nigerian Dwarf goat. Since they are 'herd' animals we needed at least 2 goats. Sharon Henessey said that she would sell Marc Twilight and her kid when she delivered. It's been a long wait for Twilight to deliver, but by the look on Marc's face today, the wait was certainly worth it!

The Goats Have

Paris Fashion...NOT!

This morning it was a bit chilly and foggy. Katelyn decided that she needed a few layers to be warm while doing her chores and having her 'swing time'.

A few minutes later I looked out to see Matt doing some of his chores decked out in some of the apparel from his movie making wardrobe.

A busy week...

It's been a busy few weeks and we've been trying to get a bunch of loose ends tied up before September hit and the school routine sets in.

We went to PA to a family reunion and I got to meet some of Wayne's family that I hadn't met before...as one of his uncles said, "It's taken 23 years and 7 kids but I finally get to meet Linda!" We had a great time.

Nathanial got to come back for church Sunday. It helps to have his pastor also be the head of the Ministerial Studies program at the college...he gets a ride up whenever he wants for church. We had a church picnic afterward which was fun. Matt took his brother back to college later on Sunday evening.

Wayne's Mom, Dad, and Aunt Millie came out to spend a few days on Tuesday. Mom's friends from Massachusetts drove out and got to visit with us Tuesday evening/Wedn. a.m. Our former neighbor Gary stopped in also. When he found out that Aunt Millie would like a ride on his Harley, he was only too willing to oblige! Mom J, Aunt Millie and I then went down to see Nathanial at college. I had some papers to deliver and it gave him a chance to visit with Gramma and Aunt Millie. Dad J. worked on cutting up some of the trees we had taken down in the spring.

After our visit, it was time to buckle down and get things ready for the goats' arrival on Monday.

Ian and Captain decided that with all the activity, it's nice just to take a rest every once in awhile.

Changing Seasons

Today marks a new season in our lives...Nathanial leaves for college. Matt has been attending a local college and commuting, but today marks the day when one of the seven leave the nest and strikes out on 'his own'. It's a bittersweet day...one that you look forward to with excitement seeing where God is leading each child, but it also holds some sadness. I'll miss having all 9 of us around the table talking about crazy stuff each evening. I can't think about that right now though...it's packing time, baking day, violin lesson day, and then moving into the dorm. And in the midst of it all I'll be praying for 'my boy' who's become a young man in a blink of an eye.

Back to Reality...

One of the hard things about going away for a few days is that when you get back home reality hits. This afternoon Wayne was out with the kids on the back lawn. He came inside to tell me that "we have a problem with water out back". The water line from the house to our hydrant by the alpaca pen had sprung a leak. Marc started digging and soon we found the problem...a connection had worked itself apart and now the water pipes were too far apart to clamp together again. I took this picture thinking of the title "boys at play" but I don't think the 2 eldest boys in the pic are enjoying their afternoon! Marc was resting from digging all that heavy wet dirt, and Wayne was up to his shoulders in mud trying to figure out how to get the problem solved. Jonathan was perfectly content to play with the tools in Dad's toolbox. The temporary solution...a shut off valve in the basement for that water line and tomorrow another piece of pipe patched into the line. Yup, we're back to reality.

Our girl and her dog

Katelyn has been praying for a dog 'of her own' for a long time. She has spent months researching breeds, reading books on training, and asking every family member which breed they liked best from the list she created and posted on the front of the refrigerator.

Our trip to Maine resulted in a surprise for Kate. Our friend Sue trains dogs (and their owners!), works with Cocker Spaniel Rescue, and has found homes for many a pup. We knew that she'd probably be the best person to ask for help in our search for a new 'family member'. It's been a long time in developing, but Captain has become Katelyn's 'best surprise ever!'

When we got home from Maine, I asked Katelyn to go help her dad get things out of the car. When she went to his side of the car, he opened the door, handed her the leash, and said, "Could you take this for me?" The look on her face was priceless.

Welcome home, Captain. We're glad you're here!