PLEEEASE, MOM!!!

Our barn cat, Taffy, caught something. That's what our cat thinks she is for - catching little things that run around on the ground. And usually, we agree. But this time..... Taffy came running up to the barn with something in her mouth - a pretty big something. Mika, the ever-curious puppy, ran to have a look. She quickly snatched the something from Taffy and ran out into the pasture, where she proceeded to dig a hole faster than we have ever seen, stuffed the something into it and buried it.

Jorin and Jantzen, who are also ever-curious, ran to dig up whatever it was and maybe return it to the cat, its rightful owner. I called to them to make sure and use a stick, not their hands, because you just never know what kind of germs are on dead animals, after all. After a few minutes of searching and digging, they unearthed a little rabbit. And it was still alive. And that's when it began........."Please, mom, pleeease! Can we keep it? Pleease!"

While I appreciated that they were asking in such a polite way, I was pretty sure we didn't want to try and raise a wild rabbit. Thankfully, we determined, after calls to the local vet and the Missouri Conservation center, that the rabbit's best chance of survival was back in the woods. After quite a few more "pleases" and "are you sure"'s, the kids took the little critter behind our house into the woods - and deposited it in a sunny spot, where I am sure it joined its rabbit family and is living happily ever after.

CAVING

Missouri is known for its caves - and we were able to experience the first of many ( I hope)!



Kiely and I spent 3 hours in the Onondaga Cave last Saturday- taking pictures. It was such a cool experience! The typical tour is about 1 1/2 hours - but the photo tour was longer - and minus the commentary on the cave. The guide just let us go at our own pace and take pictures of anything we wanted.



First - I am not a good photographer - but I am learning - and trying to improve.
Second - I would not recommend using an unfamiliar tripod for the first time in the dark of a cave...
...but other than that - I would highly recommend this experience! We had such a fun time trying new things, seeing in a new way and learning from others.

The Onondaga Cave is beautiful! It has so many amazing and varied features! It's like walking through Canyonlands or Arches National Park...in the dark. We were awed by our surroundings the entire time. While I sincerely enjoyed the visual experience, I loved spending time with Kiely, experiencing first hand her talent and passion for photography.

Side note: These caves are only minutes from where we live - and I issue a standing invitation - COME AND SEE! (us and the caves!)

IT'S A BOY....and TWENTY GIRLS!!!!

Jantzen is a mama...of twenty chickens! We drove to Lebanon and visited the Cackle Hatchery. She picked out 6 Barred Rock, 5 Black Australorps, 5 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Crested Polish (the bad hair day chickens) and 2 Araucanas (which lay colored eggs!). She is so excited about these babies. They are growing like crazy and she is counting the days to when they will be laying eggs (a.k.a. money).



Jorin finally has his bucket calf! It is the cutest little black purebred angus. Bottle feeding is a riot! This little calf follows Jorin around - looking for milk. Jorin has named him Old Spice - because..."he's a man, man". (Well, kind of - we banded him last night).

Mika is getting used to the new additions to the family - she watches the chicks closely - and isn't sure about the calf yet (the only animal bigger than her!) - but we are hoping they will soon all be friends! In three months, Mika has gone from being a 15 pound bundle of puppy - to about a 45 pound bigger bundle of puppy.

COUNTRY NEWS

Jantzen and Jorin came up with the idea of producing a weekly newsletter for our family. I love that they are doing this -not only will it improve their computer word processing skills, it is fun to read their perspective on family events! They print it out every Sunday and hand it out to Rance, Kiely and me. Here is their first installment...

Just a day in the life....

I know that you probably think I am canning in the middle of winter - but no - this is actually my cell phone, buried in a jar of rice. My phone was somehow left in my jeans pocket, and then washed - and dried - and then found, banging around the dryer. I immediately stuck it in a jar of rice - with very little hope that it would survive. Three days later - voila! It works!



Last night, Jorin and Jantzen discovered an opossum trying to find a way into our chicken coop! An opossum! Who has those in their yard? I thought they lived in South America or somewhere! While it played....possum, we scooped it into a bucket and drove it down the road to a more remote location and let it out. Two minutes later, Kiely came up our driveway, narrowly avoiding an...opossum!



Jantzen got a balloon kit for Christmas - and LOVES making new things with balloon...(By the way, she is very good at sewing, knitting, crafting, decorating, scrapbooking, and just about anything she tries to make..)

CHRISTMAS TOGETHER

VISITING CARTHAGE
What a sacred place and a sacred experience.

CHRISTMAS IN NAUVOO
There was such a beautiful spirit there - We spent 3 days in Nauvoo. We enjoyed learning about the families that had lived there, were humbled by their sacrifices and were touched by the
Spirit that resides there still. We attended a bell concert and a play, had a 2 hour carriage ride- bundled up in blankets, learned to make rope and candles, ate gingerbread cookies, toured homes, attended a schoolclass, received a brick, a horseshoe and a nail ring, and heard the gospel preached and testimonies borne. We loved being there in the winter - there were only a handful of other visitors - so we had the place to ourselves! I would HIGHLY recommend this time to visit!

MIKA - THE NEWEST EDITION TO THE FAMILY!
We just weren't the same without a great pyrenees puppy.

CHRISTMAS EVE JAMMIES & SLIPPERS

Our family was together at long last - It was a wonderful & relaxing time . I am sure that no one in the picture will be thrilled to see this "early Christmas morning - no make-up" picture ...but this is my heaven right here...my family snuggled together. (Rance and I were snuggling off camera!)

GANNON - The sweetest!

COUNTRY LIVING

We moved! We are settling ourselves into a home in the country - together - finally - as a family. It has been a very hectic, busy two weeks - but the trucks have been loaded, unloaded and returned, the boxes have been loaded, unloaded or stored, the clothes have been packed, unpacked and put away, and we are settling in!

We have put in a firepit, raked millions of leaves, walked around the lake, walked the outer 40 fence line, collected firewood - and it is beginning to feel like home!

I took these pictures today - it is overcast and gray - but I am not sure what Missouri winters are like - so I'm going with what I've got!

Back yard - little fish pond - outbuilding with wood furnace & kennels

FRONT (back) DOOR - right into the laundry room!

Little Barn

Lake - stocked with fish - for you fishermen!

Front Yard

Barn & Greenhouse

Chicken coop