The Initiation.

 So Dman tried out his paintball gun. . .

 . . . while Dad looked on. Gave him pointer's and gun etiquette.

 Scott had decided when we got the stuff that he wanted Dman to know right away what it feels like to be shot by a paintball so Dman won't be so quick to shoot anyone. Scott argued it was part of gun etiquette. I say he just wanted to shoot his kid. I think I'm right.

 The aftermath. D said it stung his hand (that he had tucked inside the vest).

So Dman took off his helmet/mask and we discovered he wasn't kidding when he kept telling us he could taste the paint! Scott almost fall on the ground laughing! Notice he's in the background texting a picture of Dman to a friend! And smiling!

Christmas Day. . .

 . . . was quiet and peaceful. For me, it was a reflection of Christmas past when Scott was deployed. For some reason my thoughts kept returning to that year and how much it hurt to not have him home. It's been five years, but I still appreciate just having him home. I relish my hubby!

 And we had a White Christmas! Wasn't much, but it was different than rain, lol!

 The kids, as done in years past, savored their Christmas Stockings.

They take almost two hours to go through it. I love that they appreciate it!

 Nina received footie pajamas, a robe, home design software, and boots. I asked to take her picture and this was the cheesy look she just had to give me. . . I warned her not to do it, or I would blog it!

Dominic received enough gear to paintball with a few friends. I'm proud of Scott's find: about four hundred dollars worth of paintball gear for only $100! Who doesn't love Craigslist?

Congratulations Beeker!

Yesterday we were blessed--yet again--with four kittens. So far I have counted three girls and one boy. . . I think. It's so hard to tell when they are so little! And these guys are smaller than any kittens we have had before. We have one that looks like a cow, two greys and a tabby mix. Most them have white boots and white "dipped" faces. Like I said, they are adorable, but really, what kittens are not stinkin' cute?

If you know anyone who's lookin' for a furball to love. . . just sayin'. . .  

Introducing. . .

 Frankie!

 We picked her up today at Left Foot Farm.

She's confirmed pregnant!

Now, I am going to go lie down since I am fighting the flu bug.

Saturday.

So with Arabella being a hermaphrodite, the condition that she has does not work well into our business plan of having goats and breeding them. So I thought about what we should do with her. . . keep her so she can tell us when the other girls are in heat? Or, find her a new home? I really gave it a lot of thought and I came up with having to find her a new home. And I had a hunch on where that home should be. . .

Last school year, I went in for a parent-teacher conference for Nina. I met Mr. Duranceau, a wonderful teacher who absolutely adores Nina and her outstanding qualities. As we got to know each other, he learned that we have goats (we were in the very beginning stages of having acquired our girls) and would be breeding them. He expressed that his wife wanted goats. Eight or nine months later we are encountering the issue of Arabella. From the day I questioned whether or not we should keep her, the Duranceau's have been on my mind. When I decided that yes, we should find Arabella someone that would love her for who she is, I emailed Mr. Duranceau via the school staff email list. I told him that I needed to talk to his wife and that I had a opportunity for her. She gave me a call, came out this last Saturday, fall in love with our Arabella, and wa-la! The Duranceau's are so stoked to have Arabella. They remind me of me when I was making all my plans for the girls' arrival. Later this week, they will be coming to get her.

I just wanna shout-out to God for introducing the Duranceau's into our lives, so that later in life a match made in heaven could be played out! I know that God was laying down the path that we would later be taking. I know He knew ahead of time what we would need. Thank you!

So in the meantime, I am in communications with Jeremy, Melissa's hubby, about acquiring a pregnant doe. I do not know which doe it will be at this point, but I saw that they have Frankie for sale and I am crossing my fingers it might be her. She's beautiful and this is her second kidding. Below is a picture of Frankie. (Doesn't Left Foot Farm take awesome pics?)



My only concern is that she is actually pregnant. I am so weary of believing any doe that's been bred. But, I am learning, it's part of the business! So chin up, I can do this!

Anyhow, I will be pleased with any doe that Left Foot Farm provides because I know that all their girls are winners!

So that's the haps over the weekend. How was yours?

Cookies & a Movie!

 I was out in the loft doing some craft stuff and came down for a potty break. . . and this was what I found: three adorable children decorating their sugar cookies!

 They moved the kitchen table to the living room so they could watch Captain America while frosting and decorating the cookies. I thought, what a great idea!

Ellie, Nina's BFF, favored the peppermint sprinkles, while Nina went for detailed placement of each little sprinkle. Dman. . . well, he kept "accidently" breaking cookies. (Notice the 2 broken cookies on his paper?) Because we all know, if the cookie gets broken, it's gotta be eaten!

O Christmas Tree!

Here's our Chrsitmas Tree this year. Unlike years past where it was covered in ornaments, this year I opted for something a little different: pictures!

 I either framed or scrapped each picture.

Pictures include the kids when they were younger, family, me and Scott in our glory days. . . it was a blast in the past making this year's tree! There must be at least seventy pics on the tree. I can't wait to add more to next year's tree with the events that 2013 will bring us!

My sweetums.

 Above picture shows Star, the chocolate brown one, and Arabella, my "siamese" looking baby. Arabella is the one we just recently discovered is a hermaphrodite. On Saturday, I have someone coming over to meet Arabella to possibly provide her a new home.

The reason these pics are at the gate is because they think they are going out into the yard (again). A little while before this picture, I had let them loose into the yard and garden so they could forage. I brought them back in and this was how they responded! Goofy girls!

Meanwhile, Alice was being her onery self. I love that goat, but she is definitely one obstinate girl! Hopefully, she will be bred soon. I hope and pray she will take.

Today, I gave the girls their pedicure and it took me over an hour to do Alice because she fought me like no other, kicking and then laying down so I couldn't get to her feet! I was exhausted after wrestling with seventy pounds of pure stubborn-ness. . . but guess who won? That's right, I'm the boss lady round these here parts! Lol!

Advent "calendars"!

I have ALWAYS wanted to make my children an advent calendar; for years I looked for the right ones. Finally, I found two that really said "this is it"! Of course I found the ideas on Pinterest! What can't you find on there???

Above, Nina's "calendar" has no numbers at all. She just picks a tree and opens it from the bottom. I made these trees out of scrapbook paper in all shades of green, then I decorated the trees with garland, stars, pom poms, brads, pearls, etc. I set up the "forest" in her room and I surprised her with it. She loves opening one up everyday. . . today, she opened hers and it said "Bake Sugar Cookies"! So guess what we are doing in a little while, lol?

Dominic's calendar is more traditional in that it has numbers. What it's made out of is not so traditional: gerber jars! This was a fun project. I can't wait til he opens one up around 16th--I shoved a bouncy ball in the gerber jar and I am not so sure it's gonna come out, lol!

Blessings.

I was thinking. . . I was thinking about when Scott went away for six weeks in early 2011 to the academy in Colorado. I was thinking about how much more thankful I am today than I was then for all the people that made it happen. If it hadn't been for a handful of people, I never would have gone. The entire ordeal was truly a blessing! It's a blessing that I think about almost two years later--a blessing that I use to keep me going through tougher days like today.

It reminds me that a blessing doesn't have to be happening in the here and now to count.

Thank you my god family for giving me a huge blessing to reflect on!