Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Not To Mention the Biggest Ella Fitzgerald Ever

And ... I'm back. 

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted.  September!  I had been writing about how summery it was, and here it is now a rainy day mid-February.  At least I have an excuse this time ... adoption paperwork!  That and adoption classes. And adoption interviews. And adoption books.  Phil and I have decided to add a third wee bairn to our family through domestic infant adoption, if the Lord sees it through, and we're pretty excited.  We should have final approval from the Bethany Christian Services chieftains any time now, which means our family profile book will soon be available for mothers in our area who have decided to make adoption plans for their baby.  Never done this before, so I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I'll keep you posted!

Other happenings since last I wrote:

Andrew decided to become a chicken.


The kids have continued to be wild over the chickens, and one day last fall Andrew just up and decided he was one.  He was absolutely determined to sleep in the coop, which entertained me greatly, so we (I mean I ... Phil was wisely against this) told him he could, assuming naturally that as the temperatures plummeted and the scent of hen poopies filled his nostrils, he would come back in.  It turns out our mild mannered boy has quite the will about him, and I think it was about 10pm when Phil and I finally had to force him out of the coop, much to his righteous anger at being lied to.

We had a lovely Halloween with Mario and an Orange & Pink Butterfly

 Elsbeth's orange wings are folded behind her, just so you know.  They were both adorable and had a blast trick-or-treating with dear friends.

Our girls started laying!


In fact, we've just started getting eggs from the younger ladies, too!  We've only got 7 hens left (more on that later), 3 of the older ones and 4 younger and we're probably averaging 2 to 3 eggs a day right now.  Once all the little ones are laying and the days lengthen out (they lay more with more daylight hours), we'll probably be getting 5 - 7 eggs a day.  Not bad!

A Merry Christmas was had by all


I never seem to get any good holiday pictures with my camera - this is the best I could find.  Christmas morning was lovely here at home with Nannie and Papa to add much joy to our festivities.  We visited the extended Mobley clan before Christmas where we got to spend time with my beautiful new niece, Candler (Sallie and David's daughter).  I can't seem to locate a picture of her, blast and wretch, but trust me ... she's pretty fabulous. 

My lovely Nana stepped to the other side of eternity


I am so grateful we all got to see her healthy and beautiful in October for her 90th birthday.  She was such a remarkable woman - so wise and funny and loving and passionate about her Lord.  We all miss her lots, and just can't wait to see her again! 

The children played in the ocean in December on Pawley's Island


We celebrated Christmas with my parents on Pawley's Island just before the New Year and took the kids to the beach to feed the birds and run along the beach.  My mom and Phil claim that the fact that both children were up to their armpits in the ocean by the end of it was entirely my fault.  Whatever.  What's important is  that they had the most tremendous fun splashing in the frigid ocean and no permanent damage was done. 

Hawaii!

Trip of a lifetime!  In January Phil had to go to go to a conference on Oahu, poor darling, so I tagged along.  We went a few days early to Kauai and it was heaven!  Beauty as far as the eye can see.  Mountains, oceans, wild chickens, this place has it all.  I even got to swim with sea turtles and see whales (in between bouts of retching off the back of the boat. No more boats ... EVER.) 

Hawks, Horrible Hawks


Before Christmas a beastly hawk got our little Loretta.  While we were in Hawaii, another got Beatrice.  And about a week later, I ran outside to find sweet Rosemary lying lifeless under the back porch after having been dragged there by yet another evil bird of prey.  I chased that hawk away, screaming insults that I hope he never recovers from, and scooped up my girl.  She was still breathing, but I was sure she had been slashed to bits and was expecting guts and spurting holes.  I checked her over and couldn't believe there were no visible wounds, and moments later, to my delight, she opened one of her beady eyes to give  me the kind of suspiciously ticked off look only a chicken can give.  I coddled her and fed her her favorite chicken treats and she spent the night in a clothes basket on the dining room table.  The next morning during breakfast, she hopped out and took herself on a tour of the downstairs, occasionally stopping to give quite the impassioned speech about her ordeal.  She soon joined the others outside and has been fine and dandy ever since.

Enter Roxanne



So now we have Roxanne, an 87 pound Great Pyrenees with a sweet spirit and a fabulously deep bark to strike terror into the heart of any creature that dares turn a hungry eye towards my feathered babies.  Roxanne was a working dog guarding sheep (or maybe goats?) until her elderly owner got ill and turned her over to a local rescue group.  She's been Roxanne her whole life or I'd consider changing her name since we already have a Roxanna (Nannie) and a Roxie (our Barred Rock hen), but I think we'll be able to figure it out.  The kids are crazy over her and she has the patience of Job with the two of them, and Roxanne herself has fallen madly in love with Phil.  Pretty darn cute.  Shiloh had some startling language to share at their introduction and Mr. Tumnus almost flipped his gizzard when he saw her, but now the dogs just ignore each other and Mr. Tumnus rubs up against her legs and purrs.

And there you have it.  Just another 6 months at the Mobley asylum for the slightly daft and undeniably impulsive.

5 comments:

nannykim said...

OH wow I had no idea Priscilla had died! So sorry to hear about this. I was wondering how she and Harry were doing. Glad the rest of you are doing well.

Nina said...

A lovely presentation of the highlights from the past 5 months. Just don't wait so long for the next one!

Auntie said...

You had me at wee bairn.

Peamama said...

Wow!! Another animal in the Mobley family! But it sounds like she will be a great protector of the chicks. I'm afraid our Kellogg would probably eat chickens if we ever tried to get some. So, if you were thinking of taking them with you next time you visit...:) Miss you sweet friend!
Love, Gill

trmills said...

So glad you're back in the saddle:). I am woefully behind and in need of a good visit- we must make it happen before your new bundle arrives!