A Series of February Shots

Just a series of random February shots...

This is the photo that the big girls have as Joe's avatar on their cell phone.
Joe calls them, and this is the image that pops up.
Dad is watching...   ;) 

A girl and her puppy.

Adele loves the cold, snowy weather! 

Just a random school day shot... At least Andrew (and maybe William?) appears to be working on academics...  ;)

The strange things the big girls do to the little ones... This "dress" is a sweater of Anna's. The head wrap is a scarf of Anna's. The ammo-strap-looking things across her chest are belts...
Really, they are strange kids. 

Big girls getting ready for the Father-Daughter Dance.

Surprise!

And when Anna Marie arrived home from March for Life, we had this massive surprise awaiting her—a brand new St. Bernard puppy!

Joe is "blindfolding" Anna Marie, as we walk her down to Adele's pen. Everyone is so excited to see Anna's reaction. She has always wanted a dog.

The reaction: priceless.

Love.

We were in the background telling Anna Marie to wait a few minutes until some of the kids went back inside before opening the pen. Adele had only been with us a few days and was very boisterous around all the new faces. We wanted Anna to have some one-on-one time with her, as Adele got to know Anna.

And here she is, with another proud owner, Mr. William.
Adele is 15 months old.

How to Butcher a Rooster (or How Joe Butchers Four Roosters)

I guess we're moving out of the "wanna-be a hobby farmer" category, with the recent butchering of our four roosters.

If you're faint of heart, ignore the following series of pictures. But for those who want to see how Joe skinned the cat (or butchered the roosters), here you go... It wasn't exactly pretty, but it did work. We dined for two nights on the fruits of Joe's labors.

Skinless breasts might be the way to go next time. Plucking was not a favorite part of the routine for Joe and William.

Chasing Chickens

The kids are pretty much having a field day -- every day -- with the poultry in the yard.

The chickens have been part of our family now for almost seven months. We're getting six to seven eggs a day from our eight hens. They've been a great addition to our little homestead.

The big issue is going to be figuring out how to incorporate Joe's dream bird-hunting dog into the family...

Pest control problem? We have your girl.

Have some uninvited pests in your home? Insects, spiders, ants? Rodents, perhaps?

Just call our Anna Marie.

Unafraid, undeterred, she'll catch any living thing that finds its way into your abode.

Witness the trapped ground squirrel which she caught in our home this summer.

How did we end up with a ground squirrel in our house, you ask? Ahem. Please ask that question of William and Andrew, primary culprits of the leave-the-door-open-every-time-you-walk-in-the-house routine.