New Goat

So we (Scott) decided it would be a great idea to get a dairy goat so we could all drink it, be healthier, save trips to the store for milk, etc. So he looked and looked and found one on Craig’s list. We put the carrier in the back of the Commander and off we all went to check it out. Well, she looked cute, seemed healthy, but wasn’t horribly tame. After the people spent about 10 minutes trying to catch her (which should have been a sign) we got her loaded up and took her home. Jacques seems to like his new girlfriend a lot. It’s kind of cute actually. head butts her occasionally just to make sure she knows he is boss, but other than that, they get along great. Her name is Isabelle but we call her Izzy sometimes, especially when we yell at her when she gets loose. Thankfully she stays on our property. I think she thinks it’s a game…

Anyway, she isn't producing yet. First we need to tame her. Then we'll breed her and I'll get to try my luck at delivering goat kids.  I'm pretty good at delivering human babies.  It can't be that much different, can it?

Eastern Idaho State Fair

I love the fair. So does Scott and Ashlynn. I think we all have different ideas about what the fair is all about though. I think the fair is all about eating foods that are fried or exotic enough that you only want to eat them once a year at the fair, petting animals, and looking at all the strange people who attend the fair. Scott seems to enjoy the venders and exhibits as well as the rides , food, and animals. Ashlynn is all about the rides with breaks for food. We compromise and wander around for a bit. I eat, Scott looks at stuff, and Ashlynn is more or less patiently waiting to go ride the rides.

The animals are fun for all including Daniel. He saw all sorts of animals for the first time: turkeys, lambs, pigs, miniature horses (which are different from regular horses that he has already seen), rabbits, and other random assorted breeds of fowl. I changed a diaper in the pig barn. I figured no one would notice the smell, or at least if they did, they’d blame it on porky.

Then it was time eat again. I had a tasty barbeque roast beef sandwich and Scott had a sirloin burger. Ashlynn got part of each. Then it was off to the rides! Ashlynn is tall enough to ride the kid rides by herself, but she still likes having her Dad tag along on the “scarier” ones.

Next year I’m taking a chair so I can watch in comfort. Daniel was pretty happy though in his stroller, feet kicked back, smiling at everyone. Lots of elderly people commented on how cute he was.

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time for us to go home. Oh to be a kid again and be pushed around, able to sleep whenever.

Daniel Laughing

First Day of School

At the same time Daniel was hitting his milestone, Ashlynn was hitting her own. The first day of kindergarten snuck up on us, too. The week before we went shopping for glue sticks and crayons, a very cute Animal Planet backpack, a giraffe print pencil case, and other miscellaneous items that kindergarteners need nowadays. We also picked out a very cute outfit for her to wear on her first day. Somehow, I found an outfit with horses on it that I liked and Ashlynn was persuaded to get. 

The big day arrived. We had rehearsed her getting ready the night before so when her alarm went off, she jumped up and started getting ready. Scott and I had made a turkey sausage breakfast casserole the night before that we enjoyed on her special day. I braided her hair and we did everything to make her feel special and secure. Then it was picture time!

Ashlynn’s nerves started getting to her, although she would not admit it. We all loaded into the car and headed off to school. Scott and I walked her into her classroom, helped her find her name on the table, made sure her teacher new she was there, and just like that, Ashlynn was in kindergarten.
Since I worked the night before, I went to bed, so Scott got to pick her up. The teacher gave each student a little goody bag that had a bookmark, pencil, and eraser in it. She was so excited. Scott and I decided to finish the day by going out to eat. First though, we made a stop by the river to see the ducks. While we were sitting on the rocks we saw an otterish looking animal, almost got decapitated by land gulls, Ashlynn sat in duck droppings, and I got bitten by a duck. All in all, it was a great time. :) Then it was off to Chili’s.We had an enjoyable dinner (even though Daniel got bored and needed to be walked around with just as my food arrived) and then headed home. What a day.

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Ashlynn’s Birthday Party

We celebrated Ashlynn’s 5th birthday once she returned home from her summer visit with her mom.

Scott set up the slip n’ slide and the little pool and I baked cupcakes for the kids to ice. The night before I made up goodie bags with play dough, pixie sticks, and other random assorted candies. Ashlynn had told me she wanted strawberry cupcakes with purple icing. You can’t find purple icing in a container, so I called up Mom and got the recipe for the delicious butter cream icing she made when I was growing up. Then my grade school lessons came into play and I combined red and blue food coloring and voila! Purple icing! Yum!


Ashlynn had a lot of fun with her cousins and friends. Daniel seemed to have fun, too.
She got lots of neat stuff. Scott and I did learn that we should probably start assembling her presents before giving them to her – that way we do it on our own time and she isn’t staring at a box wondering what it really is.

Solid Food

My, how fast time has flown by. Daniel is already four months and ready to experience (semi) solid food. I felt the need to experiment with him in the high chair to make sure he was up to sitting upright.
He was.

Then came the moment of truth. I stripped him down to his diaper not knowing what the adventure would entail and strapped him in.
 He was actually quite happy about the whole thing. He must have sense that he was going to be getting yummy goodness spoonfed to him by his Momma.  Scott videoed the event and then took over the feeding so I could take pictures. Then Ashlynn wanted a turn. Daniel didn’t care who was feeding him as long as he was getting fed! He wanted to “help” so he would grab the spoon and help move it towards his mouth. His coordination skills are still developing, so most of the time he missed his mouth. Instead he got his ear, his chin, his neck, his cheeks, but that was to be expected.

He was so proud of himself when we were finished with the bowl. Then it was BATHTIME!

Yellowstone Bear World

Doris Ann and Jere, my great aunt and uncle, came out to visit and meet the newest member of the family. While they were here, we took a drive up to Yellowstone Bear World, the place where bears that can no longer be in the wild due to human contact now live. It reminded me of the movie “Jurassic Park” as we drove through and were very close to lots of different deadly animals. Scott and Jere were up front, Doris Ann and Daniel were in the middle, and Ashlynn and I were in the back. Daniel thought it was pretty cool to be able to see Momma while riding in the car. 

The outer part of the park had mountain goats, buffalo, and deer.

  They must have been able to read because they all knew where they should be and were all residing near their exhibit sign.

Then we entered the bear section and low and behold, a bear came walking by the car! It was way fun. We even had a bear “altercation” right in front of the car. I think one snuck into another’s territory without permission. That was pretty cool.


Included in admission to the park was admission to the petting zoo and the amusement park.
  Ashlynn was the only kid at their little park so she got to ride all the rides as much as she wanted. Scott went on some, too. Doris Ann held the little man while I took pictures.
Then it was off to the petting zoo part. Doris Ann and Jere watched Daniel as Scott, Ashlynn, and I went through.
I tried convincing Ashlynn that we really didn’t need to go in since we have our own petting zoo, but I was informed that we didn’t have deer and fawns, so we went in. One silly deer took it upon herself to bathe me from my hand to my elbow. One little fawn snuck up on Scott while he was filming Ashlynn trying to pet another one. We also were introduced to feather footed chickens (of which we now have 2).


After exiting the petting zoo, we headed to the bathroom to scrub. Ashlynn rode another ride or two while Daniel ate, then Doris Ann and Jere got both of the kiddos a shirt to remember the day by. Ashlynn got a pink one with 3 bears on it. She told me the big one was Daddy, the next big one was me, and the little pink one was her. She got it because it reminded her of our family. She did apologize that Daniel wasn’t on it. Had there been one with 4 bears, she would have gotten that one.

It was a great day.