New York Weekend

It's not a quick jaunt by any stretch, but I was so excited to take the cross-country red-eye flight to New York on Halloween night for my younger brother's wedding.  The weather in NY couldn't have been more gorgeous and the fall leaves were at their finest.  It was the first time I've been with all of my siblings at one time in probably 2 decades--definitely a picture-worthy occasion!  But trying to get one decent picture felt like Christmas-card picture-taking of days gone by.

 In the photos, we're arranged youngest to oldest.  The baby of the family, my brother Paul, is the only red-head and took all of the height genes that clearly missed me.  My sister Anne is 4 years younger than me and despite being the only blonde, she's sporting new dark hair, which really threw me off when she walked into the airport!  My brother Dan is 18 months older than me and is about to retire from the military.  We live in NY, UT, WA, and TX, so clearly it's not every day that we get together.

It was a fantastic weekend and we're thrilled to have a new sister-in-law and aunt, Paul's new wife Janice and my kids can't wait to meet their new cousin, Lucy.

I'd made a bet with Lucy that my brother wouldn't cry during the ceremony.  I felt quite confident that I would win.  Then, during the vows, he went and got all choked up!  Lucy was standing right there with her mother and she made sure to catch my eye, tilt her head over to Paul, and let me know that I had indeed lost.  For payment, I played 5 extra games of hide and go seek with her that night.

Here, Janice and Paul are with my dad.   Note to self:  next time take the nice camera.

It was a tiring weekend, but I'm so, so glad I made it! 

llama llessons

No school today, so what better way to spend the afternoon than on a Mom and daughter date to a llama farm?  We learned about what to look for and what to avoid in a llama, how to feed and care for them, and here, we were getting a grooming lesson with Rosabella, an animal with fur so smooth and soft that I'm surprised Rose didn't shriek, "It's so fluffy I could DIE!"  We learned that there are "packer" llamas with short hair and "wooly" llamas who are fluff-balls.  We learned that llamas very rarely spit at people and those who do are not the type of llamas we want.  No thank you.  We learned that a female would be best for our purposes and that even though they're a herd animal, they can can also bond to other species--like our goats.

I haltered two different llamas and then Rosie took Flight for a walk

and even loaded her into a van.  I was told that many people transport their llamas via mini-van.  

I kid you not.

It was a very fun day and made me think that maybe we are capable of llearning llama.

We're lleaning that way.  

A bad, bad, BAD day for our hen house. And what we're going to do about it.

When we built the hen house, safety for our chickens was a top priority.  We have an enclosed run with chicken wire buried into the ground.  Our split rail fence is reinforced with an inner layer of wire fencing.  We know we have predators all around us, but for nearly 3 years, we've been fortunate.

Then sometime Monday night, early Tuesday morning, something got through the barriers and all heck broke loose.   Where we once had 7 babies and 5 adults, we're left with only 1 sad little baby, 3 nervous-looking adults, and a pasture full of feathers.  It's very unsettling.  And totally unacceptable.   Thankfully the goats are just fine.

So, we've done some research and are considering a guard for our livestock.  We know there are certain dog breeds that are good flock guards, but we already have a food-obsessed golden retriever and an old-as-the-hills lab and that's all the canine companionship any girl would ever want.  At least this girl.

But did you know there are other livestock guardian options?  Oh yes, there are!  

How about a guard llama?!  

They guard chickens.

And they guard goats.

They can carry your gear for you when you go hiking.  Because you know I go hiking all the time.

They can go into hospitals and be therapy llamas. I could always use an excuse to rev up the car and take someone somewhere.  Don't do enough of that!

You can dress them up.  

Finding Halloween costumes for my children has become way too easy anyway.

Doesn't this woman look blissfully happy with her llama?  

She's put together.  She's wearing earrings and makeup.

Her llama looks groomed and smiley.

Her yard seems free of dung piles.

Does anyone else do this?

Imagine things as you think they might be when in reality they might be something else entirely?

Like I might have an ugly, mean, 6 foot tall animal in my pasture that makes me afraid every time I go out to get an egg.  

Or even worse scenario:  I have an ugly, mean, 6 foot tall animal in my pasture that makes me afraid every time I go out to get an......hey, wait.....where are all my chickens?  Some flock guard.

So tomorrow Rosie and I are taking a llama adventure where we'll meet and greet and decide if a llama is right for our barnyard.

An electric fence is also a possibility.

But can you dress up an electric fence?  Let it carry your pack when you go hiking?  Take it to a nursing home?  All things I most certainly would do?  

I think not.

That's-a-some Sadie Hawkins

And this would be Tony....

owner of Tony's world famous restaurant and pizzeria,

where you need to book reservations months in advance,

or like Lucy and her Sadie's date, slip Tony a little cash-o-la

and a table for two might just open up.

Junior waiter Figaro will show you to your seats.

Because when you're here, you're family.

Literally.

With Italian opera playing in the background,

goblets of vintage grape juice on the table,

and made-to-order pizzas cooking in Lyle's outdoor oven,

this bring-your-date-home-for-dinner tradition

is nothing short of delizioso!

A toast of "buona salute" to Sadie Hawkins!  

(Tony shaved to eat-a-some pizza.)

Our Elder is heading to......

A great big city.

The 4th largest in the United States after New York, LA, and Chicago.

A place known for foods our son adores: barbecue

and Mexican. 

It's known for sunsets

and spaceships.

 

Oil

and agriculture.

It's an international city where over 20% of its citizens are foreign born,

and where some of the natives are.....

interesting.

It's a state with undoubtedly more pride that any other state in the union,

assuming of course, that they decide to remain with the union.

Because it's a place that, like our son,

does not like to be messed with.

And so it seems perfect.

Ever since he read his call on Saturday evening, we couldn't imagine him serving anywhere else but the Texas, Houston Mission.

We're thrilled and so very proud.

(Almost as proud as Texans.)

A Blessed Day for Cholita

The eighth birthday is a special one in the LDS church.  We believe that a child needs to be old enough to make the decision to be baptized and by age 8, they've reached the "age of accountability".  With each of my children, I've seen firsthand the truth and inspiration behind that doctrine.  At age 8, they just seem ready.

Cholita had been so excited for her special day.  She was wearing the same dress her older sisters had worn at their baptism.  Mr. XiXi was pretty excited for this day as well.

Cholita was happy to have some cousins in attendance.  We'll be attending this cousin's baptism next week!

Cholita decided on the program.  Her older brother and sister did a musical number, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", she had dear friends give the closing prayer and a talk on the Holy Ghost, and asked XiXi to give the opening prayer and Rose to give the talk on baptism.  Rose wrote her talk herself and was practicing out in the hall before we started.  She did great and XiXi gave a sweet prayer asking that his sister "feel good about herself."

Cholita was baptized by her father. 

She was nervous right before, but after she came out of the water, dripping wet, she said, 

"I feel cold, but I feel so good!"

She changed into a beautiful "fancy" white dress afterward to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

It was especially wonderful that her older brother could participate in that ordinance. 

We so love this girl and pray that she'll always remember this day and how good she felt with her decision.

Two big kids, two little chicks

When Lyle asked XiXi the other day if he wanted to go with him to pick up chicks, I was grateful to know he was using the term very literally.  Baby chickens.

We started a couple of years ago with 8 chicks.  In our front room.  That was fun.  Then they were moved to a lighted box in the garage and somehow, one was stolen from the garage by some crafty animal and then we were down to 7.  Those 7 have served us well, but we've now had one more die of seemingly natural causes and another go missing.  And I didn't know this previously, but chickens don't lay eggs forever, so this is a long way of saying that there was a reason Lyle and XiXi, chick magnets that they are, needed to replenish our stock.

Our 7 new babies are: Baldy, Sandy, Blossom, Missy, Clarkson, a name I can't remember, and Agnes.  They're all new breeds to us--Auracana, Black Sex-linked, New Hampshire Red, and something else I can't remember, but I know it's a white breed.  It's one of those mornings.

But they're cute, I do know that.

And so are my big kids, who I don't take pictures of nearly enough.  As I look at my two oldest, I'm reminded of when Lucy was born and the doctor held her up for me to see.  My very first thought was, and I believe I even said it, "Didn't I already have that baby?"  Their newborn pictures are nearly identical.   When her big brother held her for the first time, he gave her a chubby toddler squeeze and said with great passion, "Oh, I've loved you from the day you were born."  And yes, he said that on the day she was born.

But I digress.  I was talking about chickens.  

Chickens who grow up and fly the coop even faster than kids.

But not much faster.