The Replacements

This year we let each of the boys choose special chicks. Cale has been begging for a crested chicken for the longest time, so he chose a polish. We got 2- a buff and a white polish. One for Rylan and one for Cale. They are both yellow as chicks so we don't know who's who yet.

Bu they are pretty cute with the big pompadours on their heads. And names? So far I think they are named Fluffington Hat and Pearl.

We got a couple black Australorp chicks. One is named Shadow....after Shadow...


We are trying new types in general this time- Speckled Sussex, Brahmas with feathered feet, Partridge Rocks, Columbian Wyandottes, Delawares....


Lakin and Cohen chose top hat chicks too. Lakin's is a Mottled Houdan

It doesn't have quite as much fluff on it's head....but it does have this:

An extra toe! Her name is Black Hat.

And this...

Is Cohen's Crevecoeur- Francine.

Growing Green

The garden is starting to pick up, with warm days and lots of rain this spring, the peas and strawberries are growing strong.

Our strawberry bed is in a slow year, the heat (and the weeds) last year made them a little weaker. Last Mother's Day I picked nearly 3 basket-fulls...this year I got about half a basket:

Tomatoes are starting to take off....this is my main tomato bed. About 20 plants. Over behind the slide you can see in the background of this picture I have about 20 more.


Peas are growing tall. 5ft in some spots. The I have 2 8ft rows and at some points the boys have to crawl through the jungle of vines to get to the pods they want.


So far none have made it into the house...not many strawberries have either. We all like to snack when we are in the back yard.


Even the littlest gets in on the pea-stealing

Family and Flowers

My brother came into town last week, just in time for Lakin's birthday. We don't get to see him too much, he's lived in Austin, TX since Rylan was about 1 yr old and since last fall he's been in Colombia....

He came bearing Colombian gifts. Like this hat Lakin is wearing.

And Annika's new favorite doll.

He headed out west on Sunday, but before he left we spent a day in the mountains with my dad and my brother's friend Lili.

Rylan has been wanting to get out and take a wildflower hike but the month of April slipped away from us. We hiked up Porter's Creek Trail to the old Smoky Mountain Hiking Club Cabin and hoped to find some flowers along the way.


We found Thyme Leaved Bluets, which Rylan identified without his guide, along the water's edge. Then my dad took them off the trail to find something special.


A Pink Lady's Slipper


Lakin was dragging a little. But the bridges and little cemetery and a reminder that we were actually making it to a destination and not just walking along helped him to keep going.

Cohen was completely attached to his uncle. With Uncle Justin this and Uncle Justin that almost the entire trip.


We made it to the cabin and hung around exploring for awhile before turning back.

Stopped to play in the water a bit. Cale fell in, like usual.

We saw a few more flowers- Meadow Parsnip, Robin's Plantain, Little Brown Jugs to name a few...