Back in February we bit the bullet and added some chicks to our homestead. We had a couple tragedies resulting in the loss of three of them, but we've got a pretty awesome group of seven left. Here are the names and breeds: Flowery, Ducky: Golden Comet Henny Penny: Rhode Island Red Poofy, Woodstock: Americauna Junior: Silver-Laced Wyandotte Bartholomew: Red-Laced Wyandotte Those that are no longer with us: Frozone: Sapphire Gem Ducky (Sr.): White Leghorn Ne'er-do-well: Barred Rock Chickens are awesome, and we love having them again! Something about watching them run around in the backyard fills me with a great sense of well-being. We finally finished our chicken run and coop last week! A favorite hangout spot for our awkward teens. Addison and I built the coop from a kit. We had a lot of fun doing it. It was like a Lego set for grownups. It hung out in our garage for quite some time and smelled awful. The kids wanted the chickens in our "Easter finery" pictures. It ma...

So many hikes, so little time. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but May was kind to us and gave us amazing weather and we took full advantage! Date night up Beus Canyon. I'm nursing a leg injury, so Nate and I have been hiking lately instead of trail running, but we're loving it. Hobbes with the homeschoolers. We got a little wet (especially Emmie) and saw fish, huge tadpoles the size of pickles, and crawdads. We also lost one of Emmie's shoes to a muddy riverbank. We searched and searched but never found it, so I got to carry her back out. Luckily Daddy works from home and met us at the top of the trail to drive us home! Nate and I liked the Beus trail so much that we took the kids back with us. They were fans. Lots of water and explorey places. And a very friendly butterfly! The butterfly was still there at the end of the hike! Nate and I decided to rediscover Taylor Canyon, which we haven't done for years. Snowpack is super low this year, and while t...