The Cousins are Here! The Cousins are Here!

"The Cousins are Here! The Cousins are Here!" This was the cry we heard coming from the sandpile at my mom's yesterday as all the girls piled out of the van. Elizabeth and Claudia raced down the hill happily embraced their cousins. They hugged their Aunt and Uncle too.

Sam supervised the kids' swimming while my mom and I made lunch. The kids did more swimming after lunch. Mom loaded us up with all kinds of goodies: watermelon, cookies, cereals that normally don't cross my kids' paths, bread, rolls, and hotdogs. We left for home with the children already squabbling over who got to sit next to Claudia or Elizabeth. I think we have worked out a rotating schedule.

Yesterday before we had gone to mom's Hannah had found another chick that had hatched. This one was white with the brown stripes. It looks very much different from the other two. Hannah can't decide if she wants to keep them. I am trying to talk her into giving them back to Mrs. Gilchenok (from whence the eggs came), and we'll try to raise some of our own eggs. At this point she can't decide.

Today is clipping goats. Our plan is to go over and help Mrs. Ski in the AM, since she has 14 or so to do. We only have 4 left to clip (I think??). Hannah has 10 chickens to bathe, but Claudia is rather excited to help her.

It is a bit of "Country Mouse, City Mouse" here with the Kansas cousins. We were stuck behind a John Deere towing a hay baler last night on our way home from the 4H meeting, and our girls started telling Elizabeth and Claudia about all the different types and brands of tractors and pointing out the different ones that the farmers on our way home had. Later, when we got home, Abby showed Elizabeth the hay baler we have in our yard.

While we were driving home we saw some deer in a farmer's corn field. Elizabeth was telling the girls, " I can see deer at home in Kansas when I look out the window in my closet." Abby stopped her at that point with, "Wait a minute! You have a WINDOW in your CLOSET!?!"

I think Elizabeth feels the same "shock and awe" about having goats in the back yard that you can play with anytime you want...