Just a little background: About two years ago, we inherited a "riding" lawn mower from a co-worker for free. While we received it for free it took close to $400 to get it moving (other than dragging it behind the car). It has done fairly well until mid-summer of this year. Parts started falling off despite my best efforts. As of today, the lawnmower is pretty much an engine with a steering wheel. I have had to remove most of the frame in order for the beast to have enough power to move. In some instances I need to get off and coax it to run. I also have to jump start the mower due to something with the starting unit (battery works fine). Well today I decided I was going to mow the lawn. After going through the pre-mow checklist (30 minutes), I thought I was ready. WRONG. The tire that I just pumped up was flat again. No problem. I have the green goo stuff that can be pumped into the tire to plug the holes. (That was an adventure in itself). So after another 30 minutes, I started mowing. Adonyah decided she wanted to help so we were having a great time watching the clippings fly. In a matter of minutes, the left tire was riding on the rims. (By the way, you can have a zero turn mower to the right if the left tire is completely flat). I left the mower running, because if it is shut off then I have to jump start it again, and I pumped up the tire. I thought I was set again. Three more minutes passed and again I was back to the zero turn to the right scenario. Needless to say I carried the pump with me from that time forward. It was quite the event holding onto Adonyah, a bicycle pump and trying to steer a rusted machine that is ready to buck me off. Every three minutes the tire was pumped up and we finished the job!
Eric/Adonyah 1:Mower 0
Pretty sad that I wrote all of this about my lawn mower!
--Eric
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Wow....we are not MIA anymore!
We are sorry for the long departure from our blog. One of the main reasons is that our computer thinks it is a terminator. It has successfully crashed and ruined many things/pictures/reports, etc. at the worst possible times. It may get its memory reloaded.
Anyway.....we are doing fairly well. Isaiah is in the first grade and has at least an hour of homework every night. He gets home at 3pm, does the homework and then it is close to dinnertime. When is he supposed to run around a be a little boy? Somehow he manages!
Sequoyah is in kindergarten and has a struggle on occasion in the dropping off aspect. She has a favorite teacher's assistant that she loves. If that lady is not there.....head for the tornado shelter. She is having fun though.
Adonyah gets to do "Mommy preschool" with Tennille. This is nothing too organized. It is something that she and Adonyah do every day. They match M&Ms, do colors, puzzles, read books and anything else that Adonyah wants to do with her free time with Tennille. She is also doing soccer through the JAG program. She is good for 30 minutes and then all interest turns towards the snack!
Nakiyah is growing at an ever increasing rate. She is almost 7 months now. She is almost crawling. Somehow she manages to spin on her belly and wiggle around the room. She is quicker than I am at removing my glasses from my face. Her new fascination is with all of the animals. She seems to finally see them. She squeals and jumps up and down whenever she sees Dragon or Small One.
ANIMAL NEWS:
We are sad to say that Peanuts, our pygmy goat, is gone. Things did not work out between her and our neighbor's Alpine bucks. Not to worry though...we found her a good home with a handicap boy who will be using her for therapy.
Also, Isaiah finally got his birthday present that he has been saving for....a parrotlet. For all of you who do not know what this is (myself included before purchasing), this bird is like the chihuahua of the dogs. It is a full blown parrot but miniature sized. Not to worry, the beak is still sharp and very capable of inflicting unwanted punctures and lacerations. She is not that bad...just needs some training. Her name is Tinkerbell and she sure can fly for a bird with clipped wings!
We are on round 2 of the chicken raising. Apparently Dragon found a new taste that he likes. Duck was getting old so he found the white meat more delicious. I think he wanted to just play with something. He often watched the chickens roosting on the kid's fingers, heads and arms and wanted to be a part of it. So naturally when we were not there....he seized the moment. (I still have not figured out where all of the feathers go).
That should do for now. WE (Tennille included) will try to do better in posting from now on. Pictures may be a little more sparse until the computer cooperates better.
--Eric
Anyway.....we are doing fairly well. Isaiah is in the first grade and has at least an hour of homework every night. He gets home at 3pm, does the homework and then it is close to dinnertime. When is he supposed to run around a be a little boy? Somehow he manages!
Sequoyah is in kindergarten and has a struggle on occasion in the dropping off aspect. She has a favorite teacher's assistant that she loves. If that lady is not there.....head for the tornado shelter. She is having fun though.
Adonyah gets to do "Mommy preschool" with Tennille. This is nothing too organized. It is something that she and Adonyah do every day. They match M&Ms, do colors, puzzles, read books and anything else that Adonyah wants to do with her free time with Tennille. She is also doing soccer through the JAG program. She is good for 30 minutes and then all interest turns towards the snack!
Nakiyah is growing at an ever increasing rate. She is almost 7 months now. She is almost crawling. Somehow she manages to spin on her belly and wiggle around the room. She is quicker than I am at removing my glasses from my face. Her new fascination is with all of the animals. She seems to finally see them. She squeals and jumps up and down whenever she sees Dragon or Small One.
ANIMAL NEWS:
We are sad to say that Peanuts, our pygmy goat, is gone. Things did not work out between her and our neighbor's Alpine bucks. Not to worry though...we found her a good home with a handicap boy who will be using her for therapy.
Also, Isaiah finally got his birthday present that he has been saving for....a parrotlet. For all of you who do not know what this is (myself included before purchasing), this bird is like the chihuahua of the dogs. It is a full blown parrot but miniature sized. Not to worry, the beak is still sharp and very capable of inflicting unwanted punctures and lacerations. She is not that bad...just needs some training. Her name is Tinkerbell and she sure can fly for a bird with clipped wings!
We are on round 2 of the chicken raising. Apparently Dragon found a new taste that he likes. Duck was getting old so he found the white meat more delicious. I think he wanted to just play with something. He often watched the chickens roosting on the kid's fingers, heads and arms and wanted to be a part of it. So naturally when we were not there....he seized the moment. (I still have not figured out where all of the feathers go).
That should do for now. WE (Tennille included) will try to do better in posting from now on. Pictures may be a little more sparse until the computer cooperates better.
--Eric
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Hot Days
Well we have entered into August with some hot weather. It's not really the heat but the humidity. I can't complain with where others live where its like living in a shower all day long. We have stayed in the house today in order to preserve our sanity and keep our hydration status up. We just do the chores around the house and yard first thing when we get up.
We recently had a fight with a bacteria known as Shigella. This little thing can wreak havoc in a matter of days. Just a few germs can wipe out a family for a week or longer. Tennille, Isaiah, Sequoyah and Adonyah all encountered this creature at the same time. Lets just say that hydration status was a concern. Nakiyah and I did not get it...luckily. The pediatrician was worried that Nakiyah would get it and told us to keep them informed. This is a bug that the Health Department likes to check up on. So we get calls occassionally from them seeing if they can pinpoint where it is coming from. Lots of laundry and house cleaning. I think if we move into a house that we choose to build...I am strongly going to recommend rhino lining it. That way we can set off a bleach bomb and then just rinse the place down.
We had three baby chickens hatch last week. They are cute and different colors. Each of the kids has claimed one of them as their own. This way they only hold their own chicken and they can name it whatever they want. Isaiah named his Arrowhead because it has a red spot on its head shaped like an arrowhead. Sequoyah and Adonyah change their chickens' name daily....when a permanent one come....I will inform everyone. We also acquired another duck...it is a different kind of duck that is twice as big as the others. When we first introduced it to the other ducks it tried to establish dominance. Let me say to all the other ducks out there that free roaming Indian Runner ducks are not to be messed with! The new duck tried to dominate one of the older females and she put the newbie is its place. After that, the rest of the flock ostracized the new duck for a day or so. Now everything seems to be just fine. I think the Runner ducks are ok with the new one because he/she is slower than they are. That means first pickins for the fox. (We did lose 5 ducks last week to a fox). Not to worry...I have been out several nights with my shotgun and fox calls....he has not been back since.
We recently had a fight with a bacteria known as Shigella. This little thing can wreak havoc in a matter of days. Just a few germs can wipe out a family for a week or longer. Tennille, Isaiah, Sequoyah and Adonyah all encountered this creature at the same time. Lets just say that hydration status was a concern. Nakiyah and I did not get it...luckily. The pediatrician was worried that Nakiyah would get it and told us to keep them informed. This is a bug that the Health Department likes to check up on. So we get calls occassionally from them seeing if they can pinpoint where it is coming from. Lots of laundry and house cleaning. I think if we move into a house that we choose to build...I am strongly going to recommend rhino lining it. That way we can set off a bleach bomb and then just rinse the place down.
We had three baby chickens hatch last week. They are cute and different colors. Each of the kids has claimed one of them as their own. This way they only hold their own chicken and they can name it whatever they want. Isaiah named his Arrowhead because it has a red spot on its head shaped like an arrowhead. Sequoyah and Adonyah change their chickens' name daily....when a permanent one come....I will inform everyone. We also acquired another duck...it is a different kind of duck that is twice as big as the others. When we first introduced it to the other ducks it tried to establish dominance. Let me say to all the other ducks out there that free roaming Indian Runner ducks are not to be messed with! The new duck tried to dominate one of the older females and she put the newbie is its place. After that, the rest of the flock ostracized the new duck for a day or so. Now everything seems to be just fine. I think the Runner ducks are ok with the new one because he/she is slower than they are. That means first pickins for the fox. (We did lose 5 ducks last week to a fox). Not to worry...I have been out several nights with my shotgun and fox calls....he has not been back since.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Mommy/Daughter Date
Sequoyah is all fancied up and ready for her date with her mom.
Growing up way too fast, and yes....I do own a shotgun.
4 Months Young!
Nakiyah has an evil look in this picture. She was all smiles during this...of course she just woke up from a nap!
Big blue eyes!
Nakiyah pulls out her binki so she can suck on her fingers. This is how we usually find her after a nap or in the morning.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Daily Life
Adonyah was playing with some flour and having a great time...by herself. Then Dragon decided to come along and start licking the flour. Well Adonyah seized her opportunity and doused Dragon with flour. As you can see by the next picture, he didn't seem to mind.
He was licking flour for a long time afterward. He had a lot to drink after this endeavor...water that is. He ended up with half his body covered by the time Adonyah was finished with him. I have never read about this in any parenting book.
This is our bat Stellaluna. This bat has made its home in our outside umbrella. He/she is there every time we open the umbrella and decides to stay with us for our meals when we eat outside. The girls think it is "cute." We like to watch him crawl around when we first open the umbrella.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Isaiah's Running Days
These are the two relay teams that were sent from Isaiah's elementary school. He is the youngest on either team. To qualify for the team, he beat all of the other kindergartners, all the first graders and came in third out of all of the second graders. This final race for the relay teams was a county wide race. Isaiah's team ended up taking 3rd overall in the county!
At the mark and ready to go. He just wants to run.
And they're off! Isaiah is second from the right....just in case you couldn't find him.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Awake
Adonyah and I just finished breakfast and decided to write on here to let everyone know we are still alive. We are all doing great! Sequoyah is done with school for the summer and Isaiah only has until Friday! As for me....I am taking summer classes to get ahead a little. Tennille and Nakiyah are both doing good. Sleeping schedules are starting to normalize...a little.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Grandma adventures
Grandma Tracey came to visit when Nakiyah was born. Here she is looking for the LOST set of car keys. Dragon (our tricky dog) set off the alarm the next day once he found them. (or unburied them from his hiding place.)
Granny Gus helping us get ready for bed. Sequoyah loves reading books.
Random Pictures
Dragon had a hay day when he found a magazine left out! It was all over the yard.
SUMMER TIME IS HERE!!!!!The kids were so excited to sleep under the stars...they took about 1 1/2 hours to fall asleep!!! They were sure they would wake up when Eric got home from work on his motorcycle, but they were out cold. I even went out to sleep with them (9 months prego) but it only lasted until about 3am. Eric was a trooper, even if he was sleeping on the blowup mattress=)
HAPPY MARCH!!!!Sequoyah and Isaiah had a great time making rainbows with creative decorating!
LAST SNOW STORMWe need more HORSE power! Small One was just not making the rounds with all three kids...so here comes the lawn tractor....great fun was had by all! What a fun dad.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
She's Here!
Nakiyah finally made it! She was born this morning at 0506. We made it to the hospital at 0330 then she came. She weighed 7lbs 11oz. She was 20 3/4 inches long with lots of hair. Tennille and Nakiyah are both doing great. I will post more later.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Good Times!
Isaiah is doing the parallel bars here. He enjoys these and finds many different things to do on them.
AIRBORNE! Sequoyah got a running start and hit the trampoline full speed. The instructors didn't expect anyone to get much air because most of the class cannot hit the trampoline with two feet at the same time. Sequoyah managed to get about 3-4 feet in the air and then she landed on her knees and hands. She loved it!
Parallel bars for Sequoyah! Way to go Koya!
Ready for church!
We are unloading a round hay bale for our horse. We had to roll it over the fence because it was too wide for the gate. These things weigh about 600 lbs. We did not think ahead about how we were going to stop it. Once we got it over the fence it just kept on rolling until it hit the other side of the fence. It broke a support and some of the fence but that was easily fixed. The man with the crowbar is Eddie Cleveland. He is a great guy and helps us out a lot with many projects.
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