Our First Adoption of the Year!!

Yeah!! Praise God. Today Dorthy got a new home. As you've read below, I have been looking, and good news came this week. A women from work has a small farm and has experience introducing new chickens into her flock.
BUT - I have never given a pet away before, and I'm a bit sad. When we got our three chickens, they were only day old chicks. I raised them on our back porch until they grew their feathers and could withstand the elements outside. This took about 3 months. So for that time, in our then tiny house, it was three chickens and a dog. I was pretty attached to my babies. And I say, 'babies' because I ventured into this project while I myself was 'nesting' and just waiting for my husband to give me the thumbs up sign that he was ready for a baby...the real kind. I can say now that it must have been an effective maneuver because after living with chickens, he agreed to starting a family. And my mothering got put into proper use.
We named them Dorthy, Mildred, and Theresa after my grandma (Dorthy) and her two sisters. They were always known around town as the three girls, so when we got our 'three girls' I couldn't pass it up. So today was bitter sweet because I knew that Dorothy needed a good home, but it really made me sad to leave her. Isaiah talked to her all the way down to the farm, and mimicked her noises from the back. Then when we got there, Isaiah insisted on getting out and saying good-bye. Then he kept telling the lady to put her down, when she would pick the cage up to walk away. It was very sad, he tried to give her a kiss through the cage. Then on the way home, I called Rob a bit sad, and from the back Isaiah - ever perceptive, said- 'Mommy crying?' 'No, mommy's not crying,' But I sure felt like it. I really do love living things of all kinds, and it makes me sad to see them go.
But the happy news:
In exchange for Dorthy...........
We adopted Hazel. In good old fashion form, my work friend and I did an animal exchange.
Hazel (named after Rob's grandma...we had to keep the tradition going) is a Holland Dwarf Lop. Isn't she cute! So sweet! I got her new home all ready, and Isaiah just loves petting her already. She comes in such good time, just as my maternal instincts to have another baby are kicking in full bore, and we got not so good news from the 'Real' adoption agency...Hazel will be a good distraction. Welcome to the family!Our new farm includes:
2 chickens
1 dog
1 turtle
1 rabbit
occasional deer, squirrels, birds
1 child
2 adult children
**That's a lot of mouths to feed and keep happy....but oh so much fun and worth the work.

2 Questions??

1. Can anyone tell me what the going rate for babysitters is these days? What are you all paying?
2. Please, please help me find a home for my beautiful Americana chicken named Dorothy. She is the sweetest bird. She never pecks at you, she will just follow you around the yard, she comes when called, and will start laying beautiful blue-green eggs again in the spring. This is my last resort before advertising her on Craigslist. I would love for her to go live with someone I know, or to someone who knows someone I know....you get the point. From what I understand, the people that respond to the Craigslist free chickens ads are not looking for chickens as pets, if you get my drift. Can you say, "winner, winner, free chicken dinner." So sad. Dorothy is named after my grandma, so it's hard to give her away, but the other two chickens pick on her so she can't stay here anymore. Please help....spread the word.

You know you're the mom of a toddler when.....

You know you're the mom of a toddler when.....

Your husband stands at the bathroom mirror and says, "I need to trim my goat (short for goatee of coarse)."

You reply with, "What does the goat say?" I swear it was almost reflexive the way that came out.

Yes, and then I laughed histerically, and still am as I write this.

(***please note, this 'goat' is after 8 weeks of wandering around europe in '05*** this is about as rebelious as Rob ever got)