Mama Says

We had a bumper crop of apples this year, and Josiah was a great picker...Brent made lots of applesauce and canned it all for the first time!

We got dressed up in red shirts to go strawberry picking....and I'm glad we did because there would have been quite a few stains...lots of fun!

Family vacation in Long Beach, Wa....they did not want their photo taken. =)

LOVE this picture Brent took of Grace...

Conked out at long last...=)

Wow...It's been a long time...so here's what we've been doing!
So I last blogged in March, and I just realized that March was when we got our baby chicks!  So perhaps between 3 kids and watching our new "pets" grow I've been a tad distracted from blogging fun. =)

This is a picture of our chicken coop, filled with our 6 hens...only 2 of which are laying right now...we hope the others will start earning their keep in the next couple weeks. They get free range in the yard most afternoons, and they are generally really great with tolerating Josiah's chasing and picking them up. (On second thought...maybe that's why the others aren't laying!!)

Here's what they looked like as new arrivals in the brown box sitting on the desk in the guest room...lots of little "peep" sounds...(LOVE IT)

A month later...they look quite different but still "peeping" =). Notice they've moved from the cardboard box to a custom built plywood box...quite a bit deeper...as they learned to "fly the coop" rather quickly. (It's O.K. to laugh at our complete ignorance of raising chickens...we learned as we went along)

In May, the chicks moved out to the coop (Brent's custom coop...he did a fabulous job!) with a heat lamp at night. In this adolescent phase, their "voices" started to change...fluctuating between "peeps" and "clucks"...that was entertaining to listen to. =)

Here's what the chickens look like this morning...Baraka and Birdie are in the first photo, Rosie is the one laying an egg...and Lovely, Goldie, and Matilda (and Birdie again) are in the bottom photo.

Our family LOVES having pet chickens, and now that we are starting to get our own eggs, it's like the icing on the cake. They are so entertaining (we find ourselves mimicking their various "clucks") , they eat lots of scraps, they are kid-friendly, they let us pick them up and hold them, they follow us around, and now they are productive!   The only down side is the poop...free range chickens mess up your yard...tons of poop, everywhere...no more running barefoot through the grass...Ok, Grace and Elijah still manage to get out the door without shoes on...they don't seem to notice the poop...but the phrase, "CHECK YOUR FEET!" can be heard from anywhere in the neighborhood...coming from our back door. =)

These days we see them hugging, snuggling, kissing each others boo boo's, and playing pretend just as much as we see the teasing, chasing, growling, and "fighting".

This sweet cuddler is growing up...he's starting nodding his head for yes, and "pleasing " (using the sign and saying "peas") for everything. He wants to be a part of all the action...anywhere brother and sister are.

Enjoying the first few days of Spring....the sunshine and dry weather. Miss Grace....beautiful...and cunning!

King and Queen....=)

First "ride" on the trike..."More please"

Wow, it's been a while! I guess since the little one became mobile life has picked up speed! Here's a few photos to catch you all up!

This was our Christmas photo taken in front of our neighbor's tree...I think they could see us while our friend was taking our photo...=)  If you'd like a tangible photo for your home fridge, e-mail me with your address and I can send one out to you! =)

Our three kids...we definitely fill up the backseat of the Suby! I'll think we're going to go for one more...but that's no announcement folks! =) Does that mean a minivan is on the horizon???? I never thought I'd live to see the day I'd admit to that...=)

Little "Lijah Bear", as we affectionately call him, is now walking, waving, and working his charm on all he meets. He is an easy smile and loves to be tickled...he also likes to be part of the action and will scurry to the part of the house where he hears the most noise. As number 3 he is frequently getting tackled,  dragged, picked up, squished, and moved by brother and sister, which we hope is contributing to his ability to be flexible. =)

"Gracie Boo" or "Gray" gets all sorts of nicknames, just like the rest of the Rollins family...she is talking up a storm but we still have to ask her to repeat herself so we can catch certain words. This is such a cute language phase!! She is as girlie as her mama is not...but simply entertained with the company of her brothers and the few toys we own that are not cars and trucks or sticks. Her virgin hair has never been cut, though she doesn't have much patience for mama to brush it...we'll see how much longer we can hold out. Our bundle of energy of no fear, is still a "get-in-ta", but no longer dipping into the toilet...Praise the Lord!!!

Josiah, our dear Choleric firstborn...silly, creative, attention-seeker, challenge, responsible...he is such a Daddy's boy! Loves to work and play outside, be independent, help out around the house and comes up with the greatest costumes...always posing the question "What do I look like?"  This year we had lots of struggles with some Asthma attacks and found out he is severely allergic to dust mites. We've made some lifestyle changes and things are under control which has eased our minds quite a bit. Mama is getting geared up to try some homeschooling in the fall....extremely intimidated, but determined to give it a fair go.

Brent was laid off from work at the beginning of the month and has managed to stay busy with home repair projects, helping friends with home improvement projects, leading a community group that meets in our home, playing with the kids (he's a super dad!!), sharpening his cooking and baking skills, making plans towards his next career/schooling move, planning fly-fishing excursions (though he hasn't been fishing in at least 6 months!), and taking our family on adventures. Don't worry...he's not getting too comfortable! =)

Then there's me...learning how to manage a household of 5 (+ 1 new roommate)...to not compare myself to others, to persevere in training up my children...even though sometimes I'm so discouraged, that I need to schedule in play time with my kids and it's OK to let the dishes sit...these are precious and short days, to open open my home in hospitality even though it may not be perfectly tidy, that it is not by MY might nor by My power that I am enabled to do everything well that I am charged to do, that I can be a runner (when my knee isn't disabling me), though I fight for every step, that we NEED community...to be challenged, vulnerable, to bless each other, to learn from each other, serve each other, sacrifice for each other, comfort, encourage...that I need to BE that whether or not I receive that...though we do abundantly!, and that I am exactly where I want to be in life...so be content with today whatever it brings...I will mis it when it's

So I started writing an update for this blog and somehow it erased....so I'm just going to say that we're really busy right now with three mobile, active, challenging, and delightful children...so much that  I have totally forgotten to blog.

I did want to pass on this neat website that I found while researching natural remedies for a sinus infection...Earthclinic.com 
It is a website where people write in with stories of what "folk remedies" worked for them in treating a health issue, and it ranks the remedy based on the number of people who claimed success (by the labels YEA, NAY, SIDE EFFECTS, WARNING, or BETTER BUT NOT CURED)

I tried using the recommended apple cider vinegar (with honey) to help relieve my sinus infection, and I felt such instant "relief" that even though I nearly gagged, I decided to drink it diluted with water throughout the day. It relieved my symptoms but I didn't take enough of it to make it "go away". The thing that completely cleared it up, though, was oil of oregano! Our "roomie", Ryan,  took some with him to India to ward off parasites and such, and gave me the remainder of his bottle of capsules. In two days of taking it I am completely better! I have also altered my eating habits quite a bit in trying narrow down a potential allergy trigger...so that might have contributed as well. Anyway...check out the website and give it a try!

We went on a trip to Netarts Bay, Oregon (close to Tillamook) the last week in July...here's a few pics...