Christmas Still

Merry Christmas, still. Since we're all still (only just started!) celebrating the birth of our Savior, we'll not consider this Christmas post late at all. Here are some pictures. I won't make a lot of comments due to the late hour and the guyying baby. Let it be known that we had a really, really great Christmas with beautiful church services, lots of nice presents, lots of even nicer family (both here and away), lots of love, a fun and safe trip to Asheville, and we're already looking forward to next year.

Just the ladies on Christmas Eve

Evangeline's strange reaction to Christmas tree appearance
on Christmas Eve morning = Shy/scared.

Prune tarts and Christmas hymns. (This photo was not even
intentionally set-up. If you can believe that)

Christmas house.

Kyle brought the Silver Laced Wyandotte in
for some Christmas Eve cheer.

Adorable dresses by Grandma

Finally she can earn her keep

Farmhouse present from the Alaska grandparents. Giant
carrot, too.

Someone must have noticed our cold floors.

....even for the non-walkers, the floors are cold.

Explaining stuff to Irene

New information fatigue

Doing their own things

Only prop up babies with good gin.

Katie and her pal. We thought she might not
want to come home with us.

Cousin Caroline loves this baby

Oh no.

Evangeline's hair is the object of much doing.

This is somehow the best picture we got of them
before the Schell family Christmas.

Happy Christmas!

bootleggin

Evangeline grabbed a beer and ran for the border.

Actually, I usually drink a beer when I give her a shower. She got it for me today when she was ready for her shower.
I don't remember reading this in the parenting books.

Irene can't stand being trapped in this baby body.

Katie got trapped in the chicken run again today.

Bye Bean

...is what Evangeline says when we tell her to tell Irene goodnight.

Got it

I captured the elusive smile of Irene Selma Anne:

Don't let the smile fool you totally, though. In the back she's hiding a wicked hair whorl.

Evangeline did some good Advent work today preparing the house for Christmas:

Aromatic results

Not bad.

The look on my face here is "artistic". Irene's is "mysterious".

four chickens zero eggs

The chickens survived the harsh NC winter night only to find a day full of backyard skirmishes.

There is always the task of moving pots around.

You've just got to monitor these hens.

Now to the action. Ellee took the kids to the library today, and a kitten followed them back home. She came into the backyard only to be met by Katherine of Siena who herself had somehow become stuck in the middle of the chicken run. Having become comfortable with the hens, she took it upon herself to defend the yard from the new kitten intruder. After being freed from the grips of the chicken wire, she proceeded to hunt down and look stupid with this cat. The cat is still in the backyard, and is totally sweet... and sleeping in a collection of towels and shirts that I put there for her... and eating food that we put out for her. So, we might get another animal?

Meanwhile the hens pecked around.

day of poultry reckoning

After months upon months of researching, building, hesitating, thinking, and talking about getting chickens, that day has finally come. I drove out to the country and bought four hens.

Nice to meet you. I am at the top of the pecking order.

These are the cool kids who stick together.
From left to right - Americauna, Rhode Island Red, Silver Laced Wyandotte.

This is the Partridge Rock hen, who is not part of the clique.
She was in a different coop, so the others don't know her, and they don't want to know her.

All in all, I think these chickens will do well if these stupid city people stop taking pictures of them with their obnoxious flashes.

Quiet Happy Sunny Time

Sorry about the title of this post. We're watching a movie set in Japan.
Anyway,

Irene found it appropriate to nap on the changing table for a long
while today.

Evangeline didn't get it.

Irene wasn't really interested in explaining.

She is starting to smile, though. It's just really hard to get.

cool kids

I totally fixed the internet, so here are some photos from the last few days.

Grandma E got her hooked on the outdoors.
Any ideas for those windows that I snatched out of the neighbor's trash?

How hungry does your toddler have to be to eat raw kale?

See if you can spot Irene at Mr. Moses' 93rd birthday party.

Hanging out.

Making Lussekatter

The tradition is that the eldest daughter distributes the Lussekatter.

She actually did a pretty good job of giving them out after service.