New additions to our 'brood'

We recently 'inherited' a bunch of laying hens from a neighbor. They are moving and obviously couldn't take the chickens with them so we are the lucky recipients. It's been fun having these feathery ladies clucking around in the front yard. Just wish V would learn to stay out of the chicken coop and Mindy (the dog) would leave the eggs alone. Not so much when you go out to collect eggs and all that's left is a bunch of egg shells. Also hoping to see a decrease in the amount of ticks that come into the house. So far, not seeing any difference.

My Two Men

V's very much like his daddy. It doesn't matter if it's a toy tractor, a block, or even a shoe...If it can be pushed while making Brrrrr sounds, it's a truck or tractor. Blocks become hay bales. His toy schoolhouse becomes a second barn. L is like that too. He can often picture 'what could be' while looking at 'what it is' (something that has helped while we are drawing up house plans).

Another way V is like his dad is they both share a love of climbing and the steeper the surface, hey all the better, right? The exception is L sticks to climbing rocks while V climbs all available surfaces in the house. My couch, chairs, book shelf, his crib, our bed, the kitchen table, his high chair, the cabinets, the toilet, etc...Anything he can find a way up onto, he will. I'm just waiting to find him on top the fridge...

Reading is another love they share. L reads books like The Non-Toxic Farmers Handbook, The Untold Story of Milk, and westerns. V reads Tootle, Berenstein Bears, and, his favorite, Ten Little Babies. (He even knows which page has the little boy hollering QUIET.)

And I can't forget tractors and farm equipment. Both of my men have several tractors at their disposal, most of them are green, and both boys spend quite a bit of their days working with them. The only difference is L plows the fields with his tractors and equipment while V plows the living room floor. They also spend several hours peering at the latest Tractor House magazines.

V absolutely adores his Daddy. Heaven forbid he have to ride with Mom to the barn in the van...No, he's got to go with Dad in the Be-bup (V speak for Pickup). The last time Daddy took him in the tractor V was waving Bye to me while heading for the door wearing only a diaper and shirt with no boots. He wasn't going to chance Dad leaving without him. No sirree. He saw the guys plowing and discing the pasture yesterday and spent part of the afternoon trying to rig up a plow of his own. It didn't work so he went back to loading 'bales' (blocks) into his wagon.

I can only wonder if my little girl will be just as enthusiastic as her brother about all things Farm.

Strange Diagnosis

I went to the chiro yesterday for an adjustment. After hearing me mention I was feeling a bit tired, he poked and prodded along my collarbone til I jumped. A Hmmm, a I've got to get something from the other room, and a Look at the flashlight later, I didn't hurt anymore. His diagnosis-I'm sunlight deficient.

Really? SUNLIGHT?

Weirdly enough, it's true. Apparently there's a gland that needs direct sunlight to function and it can affect everything from moods to muscles to your middle. My prescription for the next two weeks is to sit under a full-spectrum light for at least 15 minutes every day. Finally, a treatment I am actually enjoying. :)

Where's the Mousey?

V got a cute book for Christmas and in each scene you need to lift flaps to find hidden animals. There is also a mouse hidden in each picture and V absolutely LOVES to find the 'squeak, squeak mousey'. He's quite good at it.

Well, a couple weeks ago, we were visiting at my in-laws and V came wandering out of the toy room. He was oh-so-proudly showing his great-grandmother and grandmother the mousey he found while playing. Unfortunately, he didn't know the mouse he was holding was not a fake one but a real (dead) one caught in a trap! After hearing a few SHRIEKS, V thought he was being scolded and threw the trap on the floor. To make him feel better, Grandma T had him 'help' bring the dead mouse outside.

Poor kid didn't know what to think. He was only showing off his mouse! :)