Training Wheels

Meryl gave up the tricycle today. And after a few run-ins with parked cars and trees she even figured out the brakes. Watch out world! (and watch your ankles!)

We also got our first big egg today. Lo and behold, it was a double yolk. We had scrambled eggs with dinner tonight with the 6 (!) eggs we've gotten in the past few days. The chickens don't know where to lay. 4 eggs were found in the nesting boxes and 3 out in the pen. And the egg I put in a month ago as a hint, is now gone. Bleck. I really don't want them to develop a taste for eggs. I'm sure we've got a few eggs lying around the yard somewhere since they spent all day out of the pen. I'm going to try to keep them penned in for a few days and hope they develop a habit of laying in the nesting boxes. I figure just as it starts to get colder they'll be in full laying mode.

Climbing From Hell

On a last minute recommendation we checked out Purgatory Chasm. Very cool place for kids ages 3-whatever. Lots of fun climbing, hiding, scrambling, sliding, etc. Average number of deaths per year? Only 2.

Little green Avery speck on left, red Logan speck on right.

Fat Man's Misery
I'm sure you couldn't name something that today!

I kept thinking I should get ahead of them to get a photo of something other than their behinds. Just wasn't going to happen. They never stopped moving.

Mandatory rest break.

Checking out the Devil's Corn Crib.

Oops. Starting to get blisters (not barefoot ground here) and tired. She has got to learn to wear shoes.

(See Cathy in the photo?)

Logan and Avery went off for more hiking while I hit the very cool playground with the babies.

(Yes Mom, I called them the babies. I'm allowed to do that if I want.)

We all napped on the way home. Well, not Cathy, who drove.

Home to a lovely dinner. Except our table didn't have enough room for the adults. Very sadly, we got to eat alone inside!

(I've always said I want my house to be a gathering place for my kids' friends. Lately it seems to be happening for neighborhood kids. So I won't complain(much) and will continue to serve loads of pasta, peanut butter sandwiches, juice and ice cream if it means I get to see who my kids play with and, more importantly, HOW they play.

1st Egg!

Finally! We got an egg! The little one in the middle. The others are from more established layers and are probably L or XL in a grocery store. Logan was the one who found it when heading out to fill the water and let them out for the afternoon. He has first dibs and has asked for scrambled. We'll be watching for more. :)

My tomatillos and ground cherries are also coming ripe. I guess they aren't tasty for groundhogs. We've been having a lot of green salsa and I plan for some enchiladas, but I haven't come around to eating chicken yet. Preparing it for the family, yes. Consuming it myself, no. The ground cherries rarely make it home since I eat them on the 5 mile drive home from the garden. (Nope, no biking to the garden. Takes too long and that is my precious alone time, so I don't waste it by being "green." Everything can be justified!)