Urban Chicks

Okay so I am not sure that Missoula can be catagorized as 'urban'...but it is not quite rural either....at any rate it somehow fits the profile for being rural enough to have chickens in your backyard but urban enough that it is kind of weird. Last weekend we decided to join in on the chicken craze and got ourselves 4 little yellow poof balls. Sophie is a highly experienced chicken care taker, having gained much experience looking after Nana's chickens in NZ last year. She promised me she would be their 'mommy' and that she is responsible for their well being. That said, they do require a little help from the grown ups when it comes to supervising Noah's interaction with them. For the most part the kids are very gentle with them. They really love them and get so excited to see them/hold them. Their favorite thing is when the chicken poops on someone or something. Yeah, that is my favorite part too...hmmm. I did not know chickens pooped so much! Sophie has very cleverly named them: Diego1, Diego2, Wuzzy1, and Wuzzy2. Not sure which is which at this point though.

The chickens had a wild first couple of days. They got to play in the sandbox, go for rides in Noah's little trucks and wagons, and cuddle under blankets when Sophie decided it was time to sleep. We have since toned down their allowed activity level and thought it best to just let them grow a bit before they try any more death defying acts. Diego (the original one, our dog) is very interested in the little chirpies and would love to see how well they play....
Honestly, I thought I would hate them and would have to devote lots of extra time that I don't have caring for them, but actually I really really like them. They are really cute and sweet and they are our pets. I hope they bring us lots of fun and lots of free eggs. Fingers crossed no roosters!

Easter Funday

I think the fact that there is so much anticipation that leads up to Christmas, Easter ends up getting overlooked as being a really GREAT holiday. I can count on 3 fingers the number of times I have spent Easter without any family around, and this year makes the 4th. Growing up I have such fond memories of Easter with my family, and in recent years we have spent many an Easter in New Zealand having a blast with the Orton whanau, usually near the sea. It wasn't until last week that I realized we would be spending Easter alone this year, and although I would not say I was 'panicking', I was feeling a little bummed about it come Saturday... However, without any planning at all, our little family unit ended up having an absolutely perfect Easter (except that we didn't make it to church, which secretly made the day more fun...sorry Mom).
The kiddos started the day by checking out their Easter baskets and eating Cadbury eggs before breakfast. Matthew made a fresh loaf of bread and a pot of tea. The sun was shining and warm, the air was clean and fresh. We sat on the deck in our sunnies and watched the kids hunt for all their Easter eggs in under 5 minutes. The sandbox made it's spring debut, as did tea time on the deck. We built sandcastles for awhile and then packed a picnic lunch of egg salad sandwiches and headed to our favorite little spot by the river "Fort Fizzle". Diego gave fetching a stick in the water a go, and eating our sandwiches when we weren't looking. Noah never left his Easter candy too far out of sight as it was apparently his goal to eat the whole thing that day. He pretty much left the planet and spent the afternoon hours in sugar-coated la-la land. Naptime, although short, brought me time to chat with family on the phone and read a few chapters in my book while admiring the big Montana sky and remembering just why we live here. Matthew caught a few zzzzz's. We went for a long evening walk in the country, ate barbecued lamb chops and cuddled around the fire until it was time to put the sugar-crazed children to bed. Matthew and I snuggled on the couch with a movie till 11:30pm. We definitely missed both of our families and the traditions, but all in all I'd say our Easter was perfect.

Balance

Although the saying goes 'everything in moderation, including moderation,' this is something that takes a bit of discipline for me. I have tried to move away from the all-or-nothing tendencies that once inhabited my life and have for many years been learning how to establish more balance. It is a learning process I plan to continue tackling for the rest of my life. Well, I bring this up because recently (finally) I got a job. It has really been a long time coming. It has been nearly 4 1/2 years since I have had a job apart from being full-time Mommy. And let me tell you....I am sooooo happy about it. So it isn't the most glamorous of jobs (hosting and waiting tables yet again), but it is fun, gets me out of the house doing something with new people, interacting with community folk and at the end of it all I get to come back to my cozy home surrounded by the most precious people in my life with a little extra cash in my pocket. It makes the tough days easier because I know there is relief in sight, and it makes the good days even better because I am refreshed, excited and relaxed. So, I am actually a better mom because I am now gone a little bit more. And the funniest thing about it is - the joke is on me. All this time I have felt that I didn't want to work because I didn't want to be away from my angels that long and assumed that they of course felt the same way and would somehow be better off because I was home with them all the time. Well, the kiddos are thriving these days. I guess they need a break from me from time to time too. They appreciate me more now that I am not always there and they get to spend lots more quality time with Daddy making up their own routines with him. So we all win. Yes it is hard to leave them when I walk out the door (except of course when they haven't napped and are all cranky...he he), but I feel so much more balanced when I am able to do something that is making a difference for all of us.
Here we are enjoying a wonderful family night at home - roasting marshmallows over the fire, enjoying the emerging spring weather and our amazing little family unit...