More September and a Little October

 The kids are learning so much living the farm life.  It's really fun to see all the new skills they are gaining.

 We went to Gatlinburg, TN in September and I forgot my camera so for the first time ever, all my pictures were taken with my iPhone.  Funny thing is is that I can't find most of them since I have to download the pictures from my phone and delete old ones to make room for the new ones.  I run out of space all the time!! 

 We had nice weather and did so many fun things...hiking, trail riding and a petting zoo, and the highlight...The Dixie Stampede!!

 I wanted to pack these baby pygmies in the trunk and take them home.  What's a few more when you already have 2 goats at home?!!

 There were off the charts in the cuteness factor!!

 This is the view from the deck of our not so nice cabin.  This happens to be the section of our road where the bears cross.  Funny enough, our friends stayed in this same cabin a few years ago and said they saw bears as well!! 

I'm sorry, but these are the only pictures I can find from our trip.  😢

 Meanwhile, back at the farm...

 Ellie is a sand/dirt/mud magnet.  You can bet if you take her down to the barn she'll be filthy in no time.

 I came home one day from running errands to this on the living room floor.  How could I possibly be mad that the barn kitten was sleeping in the living room when Brooke and Ginger look so adorable??

 Breaking in our new fire pit!

 Wow!  Mark's got skills.  Must be a scout leader! 😃

 Double yolk!!

 It is so fun to gather and eat farm fresh eggs.

 Double yolk on the left, regular on the right.

 I bought a pair of cowgirl boots to replace my Walmart mud boots, but they were so pretty it took me awhile to get them dirty.  😏

 On October 6th we drove to Lexington to see this little pony named Elvis.  I was so close to turning him down, but I'm so glad the lady convinced me to get him.  We renamed him Zipper and he's got the cutest personality.

 Brooke turns 13 on October 7th.  We had a joint party for Mark, Brooke and STella that day, but I can't find the pictures from that either.  Ugh! 

 Echo and Zipper getting acquainted over the stall door.

 I had Ruby and Zipper make friends first and that made the transition with Echo so much easier.

 Carrot farming...  Only took almost 4 months to grow 'em, but who's counting? 😊

 Luke getting a riding lesson with Mrs. Tipton.

 I contacted the goats former owner in the beginning of October to tell her the goats needed a new home.  They were becoming a major burden to care for once school started back up and I was the only one who could move them where they needed to go.  They were like unruly Great Danes so "the goat lady" came and picked them up the second Saturday in October.

 Chickens taking a "dust bath" and a nap in Echo's stall.

 This is a spoiler alert, but it turns out that Ivy was not just fat when we owned her, but she was pregnant when she came to us and no one knew!!  The goat lady ended up texting me 2 weeks ago to say Ivy had a baby boy! 

 I took my niece, Emily and her friend's senior pictures on the farm.  It was so much fun and they turned out great!

 What a bunch of cuties!!

 Stella's first ride on Zip.

 We saw Ivy and Benji off...Mark helped hoist them up into the backseat of Moey's truck.  I was relieved to see them go, but I do miss their adorable faces from time to time.

 We let the kittens into the basement sometimes when it's cold at night or when we do school.  They are so sweet!

 #realitycheck  Farm life is dirty and messy! 😄

September 2017...For My Daddy 'O

 I might have posted these pictures of Scout and Ginger already, but they are so cute, that a little repetition isn't a bad thing.  :)

 These kittens are a dream come true.  They are the sweetest, most tolerant, playful and cuddly cats all wrapped into two little cats.  We couldn't ask for anything more!

 Some days Stella and Nash are pals, but most days they are not.  😃 This was a day they liked each other and worked together to have a lot of fun.

 Scout couldn't keep his nose out of my business. It's okay, because I like him... a lot.

 Stella turned 9 on September 28th.  Brooke usually is in charge of the decorating, but I made this little table runner for her.  She's getting so old! 😢

Mark's summer chicken run project was completed mid September.  The run is AMAZING!!  It far exceeded my expectations and I couldn't be happier.

 The little girls finally got let out of the chicken coop jail and they were so happy. Mark made a temporary barrier to keep the old girls and the new girls separated until they got acquainted.

 I found this cute idea on Pinterest and decided one day while Ellie was napping I would take on this mini project.

 😄😄😄

 This run has saved the "dollhouse/crappy coop" because it has been steadily falling apart and was no longer "predator proof".

 My sister's boyfriend gave us on loan his quad to help with the farm work.  When it is working the kids have a blast and will do just about any chore with no complaints.  I wish it was consistent though!!

Ruby's runway was a great idea and has been so useful to allowing her some space of her own, but also access to the outdoors.

 The view from our neighbor's hill.  Notice the chicken fence?  Mark installed that after our neighbors complained the chickens were coming over to eat from their birdseed buffet and then pooping on their deck.  Ooops!!  Thankfully, this fence righted all the wrongs and our girls are still able to free range in the daytime.

 Isn't it lovely??!!

 I decided that instead of looking at an unusable pool all fall, winter and spring, we'd make use of the pool's home to create a fire pit. A few bags of pea gravel, a fire ring from Rural King, and some bargain chairs on sale at Lowes...ta da!!

 Luke loves to take pictures all the time now.  It warms my heart to see him carry that old camera around.

Nash and Ginger snuggling in the hammock.  What a cute pair they make!

 I love having a farmhouse front porch to decorate!

 Happy Birthday, Stella!!

 My friend, Laurel, comes over to give the kids riding lessons most weeks.  She's so patient and sweet! Usually, it's just Brooke taking lessons, but sometimes Stella too.

 Ivy and Benjamin are spoiled goats.

When you live in the country like we do, you can have riding lessons in the front yard!! 😄  Fun times!