In the Garden

I planted pumpkins in my garden after the snap peas were done.

Gavin helping me in the Garden!

My biggest tomato!

Yellow pear tomatoes!

My pumpkins sprouted!

Chickens like to lay eggs under my tomatoes...

Yum!

Darn chickens like to take a bite out of the lovely red tomatoes.

Colin "helping" me pick tomatoes.  Hey, it was keeping him entertained for a few minutes while I trimmed back the tomatoes.  

My big tomato's finally getting red!

Here it is! Hopefully it will be nice and tasty!

School in September!

Gavin has been going to school three days a week since the beginning of the month.



They did a farm animals theme as well as apples.



Apparently he likes to play with chickens on the farm. Gee, can't he do that in real life? ;-)



The teacher sometimes makes notes about progress or things that they like to do: this one says he likes to stamp and make fingerprints.



They have also been doing shapes and colors.



Gavin LOVES to string things! They told me his was the longest in the class and that stringing is a fine motor skill that some kids have trouble with (so yay to not having trouble with something!).

When chickens attack!

Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but Gavin seems to think that's what happened...

I gave Gavin a bowl of cut up strawberries for snack and he took them outside. I was finishing up something inside when I heard him crying outside. Gavin had been cornered by the chickens near the shed outside. I went over and took his hand, leading him out towards the trampoline, which is where he said he wanted to go. I stayed near the shed and watched Gavin go. One of the chickens was still following him and so he ran with the bowl and started screaming! I was laughing and told him it was okay, and then led him all the way to the trampoline.

Today I gave him another bowl of strawberries again. This time he took my hand and wanted me to take him to the trampoline so the chickens wouldn't get him. I think he's been traumatized when it comes to the chickens and them trying to get his food. I do remember, however, being scared of the chickens that we had as kids as well, so I can't say I blame him. Size does matter when it comes to something like this.

Here is Gavin from today with his strawberries, making a great fashion statement. He asked to wear both these things, and no, he wasn't wearing his pajamas all day: he asked to put them on after nap. I'm guessing that they are comfy or that he thinks the dinosaurs are cool or both.

Chicken Rock

Gavin and Daddy hanging out outside. Gavin was playing in the garden, saw one of the chickens nearby, and decided the chicken really needed a rock. This is just the part I managed to get on camera.

Pumpkin Update

What a difference three weeks makes in the lives of pumpkins! Check out what they looked like just three weeks ago...They have pretty much filled the entire space; I have thought about taking the chicken wire down, but I don't think I want the chickens getting in... I am hoping to get lots of pumpkins to make pies with and give away to friends and family.





My strawberry plants are in the front of this picture. They have given up on life. I think I am going to plant some sugar snap peas when the weather starts to cool down. Gavin and I loved to snack on them last spring!

Our New Ramp

Jessica always wants to be getting something done and she thought it was time to put in a ramp leading to our front door for possible future needs after we move out.









The chickens wanted to leave their mark on the ramp, even though Gavin wasn't up for leaving us his footprint there...



Here it is today all dried and already used. Notice that the chickens have christened it with their poop. For some reason they love to group on the porch; probably a shady spot to get away from the kids.

In my Garden

I went out to water my tomatoes this morning and saw that I had quite a few ripe or almost ripe. So, I came out a little while later to pick tomatoes. I had noticed that part of the chicken wire had been bending down, so I tried to lift the plant and fix it. Then I noticed this:





A chicken or two decided to nest in my garden!!! I guess it's a nice shady place. The chicken wire obviously has no meaning to them...hahaha!

Survival Instincts

You know animals have them (and people too) but sometimes it is funny to see them in action.

The two young chickens (I believe Jessica said that they are officially pullets) look for the highest spot that they can roost when it starts to get dark. They used a kids' picnic bench to gain access to the branches and then went from there.