Our new hens

Here are the girls in the new coop. ..

Chickens!

The guys also built a chicken coop. Our friends the Leakes generously sold us a few of their laying hens. We had 4 eggs just a few hours after we got them home.

Lofty living

There has been a lot of building here at our new house. The boys and Bill (with help from our friends the Matthews!) painted and built three loft beds for Zack, Evan, and Joel. They are quite tall so they can be walked under. Leaves a lot of space underneath for desks where they will hopefully study...

News

In case you haven't heard, we're having a baby in July! Don't know if it is a girl or boy...

And, we're moving! Finally. We found a house in Cedar Creek, TX on 10 acres. It's not too far from the 76 acres, which we likely may still build on and move to in the future. Here is a photo of the front of the house. We hope to move in a week or so, round about May 8-10. It has 2 acres of pasture, 8 acres of woods, about 2500 sq ft. We are all looking forward to more space, especially outside.

The boys

Eliza gets a fish too with Evan's help

Luke's guitar he sawed and nailed himself

Winter/spring happenings

In January, the big boys (which refers to Zack, Evan, and Joel, and often Bill) went hunting on Bill's parents' ranch with some friends. They shot 4 deer most of which we have been eating ever since (yes, Jenni knows 101 ways to cook venison). The younger boys (which refers to Nathan and Luke and Bill wishes him too) got to go camping also, this time on our land, the 76 acres that we bought back in October. They even found fish in the pond (see photo). Eliza is ready to be a bigger girl and get to go on these trips too.
The other major happening for early '08 was that Zack and Jenni took classes and became certified "permaculture designers." Here is a link about permaculture if you care to know more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture. Basically it is sort of like landscape design with an environmental emphasis and it includes home design and farming/agriculture elements, in both urban and rural settings.

Princess Eliza

Eliza is now 3, and definitely a joy to us all. She is happy most of the time, especially when she is outside. She is extremely independent, and has learned to do a lot of things "by herself" at an early age. She likes to hang out with Luke and Nathan, but also enjoys her "babies" and books.

Big Luke

Luke turned 6 in August, though he is big for his age and already has permanent teeth on top. He is kind of an enigma. He loves music and wants to learn to drum, he is a very good artist (probably the best in the family), but he is also very active. He is the kind of kid who can sit still for about 2 mintues and then needs to go run around, unless he is drawing, in which case he can sit still longer.

Nathan ready for action

Nathan turned 8 in December. He loves dressing in costume; he has been thrilled with the "guns" that he got for his birthday; he and Luke go "squirrel hunting" in the mornings some days. Nathan is starting to read but still struggles some with learning, though he is making progress. He looks forward to being a real farmer soon. He likes his 4-H club and going to home group to see his friends.

Joel the outdoorsman

Joel is 9, nearly 10, and definitely the most athletic of our family. He enjoys football, baseball, and basketball, and loves doing most anything outdoors, like fishing, camping, and mountain bike riding. He got baptized this year, and is also involved in Scouts and doing photography in 4-H.

Evan posing

Evan turned 11 this year (he likes that he rhymes again). He got retainers awhile back and is learning to keep up with that responsibility. He loves to read too, and especially enjoys reading about cars, planes, WWII, and other non-fiction. He is more of a math and science kind of guy, and is also enjoying being a Boy Scout and doing 4-H with Zack.

Zack hits the trail

Zack is 13 now. He's getting tall. He's now 5' 7". He still plays violin and enjoys Boy Scouts. He reads constantly and talks like someone who reads constantly (he knows more than Bill or I do about history). He also enjoys computers and Lego robotics.

The Latest Happenings

This fall was a little less busy on some fronts. The older boys are still involved in Scouts; all the kids go to 4-H at Pioneer Farms and to another 4-H club for Robotics. We are homeschooling everybody still, which is a bit of a juggling act, though the older boys are getting to be pretty independent. They have been learning to cook (well, mostly bake) which sure is a big help. Nathan and Luke are always together and never bored. They are learning to read; they really are like twins since Nathan is still delayed in his learning. Eliza charms everyone and fits right in. She loves motorcycles and cars, though she also is obsessed with babies.
The big event of the year was buying 76 acres of wild, overgrown farmland in the southeast Austin area, near a town called Cedar Creek. We are still not sure whether or not we will live there any time soon, but it certainly will be a place for Bill and the boys to get their energy out (Bill still has some, believe it or not. He is drooling over 4 wheel drive diesel trucks and chainsaws).
Jenni remains ever amazed at what living with so many males is becoming, as they mature especially. She started a home school support group last spring, for those who follow the Charlotte Mason philosophy, which includes field trips, discussion meetings, and occasional pot lucks. It has been a real source of life-giving friendships and encouragement.
Bill is still working from home and doing well in his career. He has dreams of having his own workshop and getting more into the production side of his engineering, soon.
We look forward to getting some rest this Christmas season, and to good things ahead in 2008.

A Cool Summer

Okay, so for Austin, Texas is has been cool and still rainy! It actually stayed green the whole summer.
In June, we took a lovely vacation to the Davis Mountains in west Texas. We hiked, swam, toured the McDonald Observatory, a desert nature center, and historic Fort Davis. We are always a happy family outdoors (lots of roosters, you remember).
Jenni turned 40 (surely not!) and spent two days away with Bill, no children. We did have some adventures though, even without them. The cabin we rented in Bandera, TX got stranded by a flooded creek crossing. We couldn't cross in our car, but that didn't stop us. Note the wheelbarrow in the photo. We are handy, courageous people you know...(or loony, perhaps, which is the natural result of having 6 children).

Lovely Spring

We had an enjoyable spring. It rained a lot! What a novelty. In fact, it just keeps raining. The wildflowers were gorgeous. We also had two "big" birthdays; Evan turned 11 and Zack 13. I read an article recently about the rooster syndrome. Basically, when boys get to a certain age, they start exerting their desire for dominance like a rooster would in a chicken yard. With more pre-teen and teen males on the way, I am thinking that we will need to get all these roosters out of the house; let them go tame some wilderness out there somewhere...

Winter happenings

We had a lot going on this winter. Evan and Zack were in the Lego Robotics competition at the beginning of January. Their team got second place in technical design. They placed well for being a first-year team.
Later in January, amidst ice and freezing temps, was the Travis County youth fair for 4-H kids. Zack got a grand champion for his leather belt, Evan got reserved grand for his desert drawing, and Joel got a grand champion for his drawing of a rainbow trout. They all won around $300 each in the auction. Unfortunately our photos for these events didn't turn out well, but I will try to get one posted of the boys with their ribbons.
Now that it is warming up again, we'll be off camping and hiking and biking again. Got to enjoy these warm days before they turn hot!

A Boy Scout now

Evan crossed over into Boy Scouts the end of February. Here he is getting a Boy Scout neckerchief. He is now with Zack in troop 146. He is excited about being with Zack, and getting to go on campouts and heading to Boy Scout camp this summer (how will I survive with my two big boys gone for a week?)

Joel's birthday