::leonardo the elf::

Some of what Leonardo did this year, 

Leonardo had a great year.  

He was up to no good and caused many problems.

I can't wait for him to come back next year. 

Link here for some of the other things he has tried.  

::christmas strategy::

Lily xmas 2007

I have been taking a personal survey of my friends and family. 

How do you guys divide up Christmas?

Do your kids get that same amount of presents?  The same amount of money spent?  Do you even check that kind of thing?  

We have ages 14, 8, 4, and ten months.  We go with same amount of presents right now.  As time goes by we may have to switch that up a bit.  A teenager always wants some kind of expensive electronic device, but the five year old just wants to unwrap a bunch of toys.  

This year I emailed Santa and we set up a strategy.

Each kid gave one gift to each of the other kids.  For example Max has picked out a gift for Emma, Lily and Quinny.  Each child will also get one gift from Josh and I.  Not two total.  One gift from the parents of this funny farm.  Then Santa will bring five presents on Christmas Eve.  

I find that when I ask people how many gifts their kids get, they all get a sheepish kind of look on their faces.  Like when I ask people in the ER how much they smoke.  "Only a few cigarettes a day."  More like a pack or two a day.  Asking how many presents their kids get is what I call in my head a B.S. question.  Most people lie about the answer.  Maybe lie is too strong a word.  Most people give you an answer that they think is right.  They don't want to be the person that over does it, and makes Christmas into a commercial craziness.  But they also don't want to be a Scrooge.   

When I write that they are getting nine presents, I am not including the gifts Santa brings to the whole family, or the pimped out stockings.  I am just leaving that out.  Or that Santa worked some hard core over time to get the cash to buy those presents.  

Now be honest.  How many presents do you give your kids?  How do you divide up presents?  

::all set::

I never make forever promises when it comes to babies.  I reserve the right to change my mind.  But at this time, I feel like our little family is complete.  I used to hear my other friends say they were never having another baby, and I would want to feel that way too.  I wished that I didn't need another one.  I wished my heart didn't ache with that need.  I know that my nature leads me to always take things too far.  Too many goats, too big a garden - one step too far.  I was worried that because of how much I love babies, my brain would never shut off that constant drive to have another.  

Finally - some peace.  

I have no little voice telling me how to talk Josh into another baby.  It is silent.  It's all set.  

Quishy completes the set.  


For the first time, I am ready for what happens after baby having is done.  I am excited to go through the process with them.  The birthday parties, the Easter egg hunts, the sporting events, the first dates, the prom.  Fighting the girls off Max.  All the parenting/kiddo milestones.     

::a random day in December::

 The chalk board front door had to get a make over.  

 I found this on the tree. 

 Quinny has put lots of focus on maximun teeth growing.  

 One more reason why I couldn't move.

Maxwellington had to take all his cars out and make a train.  

I finally got the playroom baskets labeled.  

Only took ten years.  

No one managed to get hair brushed today.

Quinny hides it well.  

I just got my first issue of Urban Farm.

I know I am RURAL not URBAN, but I still love a good gardening magazine.

The cover made me laugh out loud.  

Lily asked - "What are they doing?"  I went with - dancing.

::goat comment::

I got some great goat questions that I wanted to try to answer.  

 

AnonymousDecember 5, 2012 8:39 AM

From someone who knows nothing about goats here are a few questions your post prompted....
1. Why do you have to sell the boys
2. Can you only show females in 4-H?
3. January in Indiana is COLD....do you have to have a heated stall or something for the babies?
4. How long is typical gestation for goats and how many babies do usually have at one time?....and how often do you breed them?
That's all my questions for now... :)

 1.  We will most likely sell any more than three boys.  The human girls (3 girls this year) each need a baby to show of each gender if possible.  But if we end up with six boys, we will only keep three.  Boys are fixed pretty quickly after they are born.  Too many is just too many mouths to feed.  We don't raise goats for meat, so altered males just eat hay and act cute.  Which they can do else where.

2.  We show altered boys (wethers) and girls but extra girls can stay home and make more babies, extra boys just eat and poop. 

3.  Cold.  Yes.  Cold is a problem.  Eventually I want to get the does giving birth in September, but we didn't get our buck till September this year and we needed babies for summer 2013 to show. We use heat lamps and lots of deep straw to keep the little ones warm.  I will also have a little heater in the stall while I am there to get them warm after they are born.  

4.  Goats are pregnant for about 147 days.  Some people induce the does at 145 days.  I am more about letting nature do its thing.  Last year I induced our doe and the baby died.  Maybe the mama just was not ready.  I'm not sure.  We will see how things go this year after I have lost three weeks of sleep checking on my does through out the night.  They generally have 1-3 babies.  I am super excited to see how many my girls are each carrying this year.  The big breeders breed twice a year.  Because of my professional experience with human pregnancies I just feel like being pregnant over and over, with no time to rest, just can't be ideal.  This round is only my fourth round of goat babies so I am still figuring things out.  

Babies are due January 14th at the earliest, and January 30th is 147 days from the last day they were with the buck. 

::christmas tree::

We have a crazy little stand in our small town here in central Indiana that we frequent.  It's where we get pumpkins, and watermelons, and fresh honey, and Christmas trees.  Obviously not all at the same time, but that would be awesome.  We have played around with a fake tree before but that just didn't do it for me.  For the past two or three years we have a had a luscious tree from our crazy stand.  This year Max and Lily got in another flipping fight on the way there.  The 400th of the day.  So I let Emma pick the tree and made those two sit in the car and watch.  Too far?  Scarred for life?  Maybe.  But I was afraid for their safety if they got in another fight in front of me.  Emma picked a wonderful tree.  Perfect - round - and the cheapest one.  That's my girl.   She named him Clyde - as all good things need a name.  We name just about anything.  The pot belly stove is named Larry.  

Emma's monster ornament

Clyde came home and we got him right in the stand.  By ourselves!  No Josh.  Of course it was crooked and Josh had to fix it when he got home, but that is not the point.  We immediately put on all the lights and ornaments.  Why exactly are you supposed to wait to decorate a tree?  Does anyone else remember hearing that?  Wait a few hours after you get it inside before you decorate it.  Why?  Doesn't that seem kind of unnecessary?  We sure as Christmas didn't follow that.  And I think Clyde looks wonderful. 

From the breeder who sold us Donkey.

Man, I love vintage Rudolph

That rotten elf is hiding in the tree right now.

Any expensive or fancy ornaments I may have bought in our first few Christmas's together have been broken by Max over the years.  The curly head is hard on everything.  My favorite ones are made by my Father.  He is a master wood worker and went through a wood carving phase.  His ornaments are stunning - and durable!!!!  Every year the kids each get an ornament from Santa - this is the first year he will be bringing FOUR.  Amazing. 

::captain max::

Max is obsessed with pirates.

So his Papaw made him a sword. 

And even wrote Captain Max on it.   

He takes it with him every where.

He loves it.  

It may end up in his dorm room with him some day. 

::toy review::

We had Christmas with my parents last night and each kid got a  present from them.  My mother asks for an email list with links to what exact presents to get them.  She is a creative gift buyer, she could do it herself, but she knows I will have some good hook ups for her. 

I wanted to go over some of the toys, since they all seem really great.

Quinny got the Elefun Popper.  It is an elephant that has air power in it so the baby can press a big button and the thing shoots balls out of its trunk.  The big kids are in love with the crazy thing.  It is plastic, but put together well.  They have been mistreated it since it got its batteries (4D!!!) and it looks like it is going to hold up pretty well.  Quinn has barely played with it yet, since the big kids are hogging it.  Even though it was from my parents I found it on sale for $20 at Target and picked it up for my mother.  Its noisy and annoying, but it does have an on/off button.  

Max got the Go-Go Pogo.  This thing is awesome!  First it came in a huge box that my kids turned into a caterpillar and have been crawling around the house in for hours.  CUTE!  Then the toy itself is wonderful.  It has a thick rubber ball on the bottom instead of a peg, like a traditionally pogo.  It kind of reminds me of a toy I had as a kid called a Pogo Ball, but even better.  The ball on the bottom lets you use it inside.  Any toy that wears the kids out is a thumbs way up!  The handle has some buttons that let you play different games or sound effects.  It also has an off button - essential.  My biggest problem with it is that it is pricey.  It cost around $100.  It does seem well made, but that seems over priced to me.  A perfect grandma gift.  Lily has it all figured out, but Max is still getting the coordination for it.   

Lily's gift has not arrived yet.  But she knew exactly what it was and it will work perfectly for us.  It a big platform swing.  It comes from Hearth Song and my kids are going to love it.  Yes - we are in Indiana.  Yes - it is too cold outside to use a swing.  Technically.  But I promise you that when it arrived we will be putting on Carharts and getting our selves on that freaking swing.  Cost for my mom was $130 plus shipping.  Pricey.  But I expect this things to last for a very long time.  I predict that my kids will use it almost every single day.  
               

::bred does::

Goats waiting at vet for ultrasounds

 The four breeding age girls got loaded into the truck and taken to the vet for confirmation ultrasounds.

The youngest of the ladies was not prego.  That's ok.  She was only one in September and that still feels to little to me.  Maybe we will breed her right before fair for a fall baby.

The three other girls are BRED!!!

The vet was not able to tell how many babies we have coming, but I got to see those sweet little babies moving and grooving around.  One of the girls that is bred is my favorite little lady, Nelly.  For her birth story link here.  She is the goat I had to give CPR to to save. 

Now I have to place bets:
Nelly - one baby, caramel doe, will arrive January 25th
Betty - twins, boy caramel and doe agouti, will arrive January 29th
Emme - triplets, two agouti boys and one caramel doe, will arrive January 30th

If we really have that many babies Josh will have a seizure.

The plan with these little ones would be three baby boys and at least three baby girls for my human kids to show in 4h this year.  If we have any more than three boys we will sell the additional boys.

I'll keep you posted with delivery information!!!  I can't wait.  I just love delivery baby animals.
 

::elf on the shelf::

 Leonardo has been a rotten little elf these past few days.