Nature's Balance Beams

The storm on June 12th that took so many of our trees did give ClaireAnna a pretty neat playground. We spend a couple of hours yesterday walking the many balance beams of trees that are fallen, some on the ground and some up pretty high across the creek! It was so much fun, even I got in on it. I promise, I climbed and walked them all, but just when she was going to take a picture of me, the camera's batteries died. :)

So Many Christmas Parties!

The REACH (Russellville Education Alliance of Christian Homeschoolers) Co-op Christmas Party was Friday. We had a story, games and great food!

Then today, we had our Pope County 4-H Rabbit Club Christmas Day. First, an hour at Wildflower Nursing Home sharing our bunnies and some puppies with the residents.

ClaireAnna brought her sable point Lionhead doe, Ginny.

Ginny was very good and didn't tinkle on any one's lap!

Everybody loves to pet a bunny!

Afterward, we went to the extension office for pizza, treats and funny Christmas games!
And last, Fellowship Bible Church's Happy Birthday Jesus Party on Sunday, Dec. 20th. ClaireAnna and two friends sang a "solo".

Waiting For Jes at the Airport

ClaireAnna was restless waiting for Jes at the airport!

But it was worth the wait!!!!! JES IS HOME!

Cookies For Donors

Everyone who donates money or materials to the Pope County 4-H gets a wonderful bag of homemade cookies hand delivered by a 4-Her at Christmas time! What are ya waitin' for?

ACME Christmas Program

ClaireAnna has taken weekly music classes with ACME (Arkansas Center for Music Education, http://www.ac-me.org/index.html) for three years now. Tonight was their Christmas Program. Look at this crowd of homeschool parents and grandparents! This is only 1 side of the room!

My camera was NOT cooperating and I didn't get a clear picture of the group on stage. This is the only one remotely usable. Below is a partial video of the song with her solo in it. She did great!

Here is ClaireAnna with her music teacher, Mrs. Shirley Falkner. We love her!

Last But Definately Not Least!

This little doeling is only hours old. She was born to Cana, our tiniest doe, who usually has twins, but this year, instead, produced one giant kid! Holy Cow, Cana! Since Cana always has plenty of milk for two kids and grows them fast and big, this gal will no doubt be the biggest kid in the barnyard this year! She's so cute!

That's her tiny mother behind her!

The huge kid on the right, Noel, was born on Wednesday and is 5 days older then Cana's doeling on the left!

ClaireAnna has "taught" Noel a trick!

Goat kids get stuck sometimes.

Well, that's all the kids we expect for December. We lost Frenchie's buckling and the small doeling Thacia had yesterday. ( She just never suckled.) So we've got 5 healthy doelings and 2 bucklings. There are three does left who may kid later this winter. I'll keep you posted.

More Sunday Kids

Thacia gave us two doelings this morning. That's two weeks in a row one of us has missed church due to kid's being born! One doeling will be given away as a bottle baby since Thacia only has one teet. ( She lost her other one due to injury last summer.)

We'll be keeping this doeling, at least till weaning. This is a full sister to our Grand Champion Market Goat, Grace, so we are excited to see how she will turn out!

This doeling is small and not as hearty as her sister. She will nurse for a couple of days and then go to a new home. ( I don't have time to raise a bottle baby!)

I have no idea what this is, but it's cute so I put it on here!

Congratulations, Ruthie!

Ruthie Kitten is my pet. She was born here in the spring of 2006 the day before my mom arrived for a visit. Claire had named her Kitten, but when my mom came, she added the "Ruthie". She is one of two cows I claim as my own. Kate took her to the county fair as a weanling, she is halter broke and she just loves her neck scratches. She is the daughter of Bossy, who was the queen cow here for several years. Ruthie's first calf was stillborn prematurely two years ago. Last year, her calf rolled under the fence line as he was born, on a very hot day and was not found until he was too weak to survive. She never even got to lick him off. This year, I was really nervous for Ruthie. But the third time's a charm. Here she is at almost 4 years old, and finally suckling a calf for the very first time. If you listen closely, you can hear him. Yay, Ruthie! (ClaireAnna named the baby Comet.)

More Christmas Kids!

Meanie had her kids on Wednesday, but I'm just now getting pictures of them. She 's got a red buckling (Rudolph) and a black and red painted doeling (Noel). They were born huge and healthy and are already jumping and bucking around in their little pen. ClaireAnna, Noel and Rudolph. Can you believe these kids are only 3 day old?

Noel, chewing on ClaireAnna's boot.

Cheetah just gave birth tonight. It was her first time and she did a great job. She had her kids all dried off and fed by the time we found her. She had a tan and white doeling ( Clarice) and a red and white painted buckling ( Prancer). (Are you picking up on ClaireAnna's theme?)

Cheetah, Clarice and Prancer

Clarice

Prancer

2009 Pope County Wrangler's Club Christmas Party

Tonight we had our 4-H Club Christmas party. It was a big success and lots of fun for everyone. We had yummy treats, listened to Christmas music, colored and decorated a Christmas tree, voted for our club officers and finally, made treats for our horses. ClaireAnna, Dayna and McKenzie, dancing to the Christmas music.

ClaireAnna and Katelyn applying glitter to the tree project while moms chat and snack.

ClaireAnna's finished project.

Eli, Kurt, Malcolm and Cody

Paige Tipton guided all the kids through the directions to make their own horse treats. Everyone got their own bowl and mixed together flour, oats, shredded carrots, oil and molasses. At home, they will shape and bake the "cookies" and put them in their horse's stockings for Christmas! It was quite a messy project, but so much fun! Thanks Paige! Bethany, Caitlyn and Sarah Beth

Kurt

Malcolm

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sunday Morning Surprise!

We woke up this morning and got ready for church as usual. As we pulled out of the driveway, we figured we'd better check on Ruthie down at the barn. ( Our cow, not my mom! hehe) She's expecting a calf any day and had trouble the last time. As we arrived at the barnyard, we found Ruthie safe and sound and still expecting. But around the corner from the cattle pen came upon some barnyard action! Frenchie was having her kids! We found them just in time to dry off the first kid as she delivered the second. She had a cute, black headed little buckling with black spots on all four feet and his chest, and a red headed doeling. Both are healthy and doing fine! We weren't expecting kids for a couple of days yet so this was truly a surprise!

Here is what we call Nanny Row. We've got kidding pens set up on one side of the barn. Just today we've brought in three does who look close to kidding and set up the heat lamps. Don't they look cozy!
This is Meanie. (She's mean to other goats, but not people.) Look at that belly drag the gound. We think she'll give us triplets again this year.

Here is Cana. Our smallest and friendliest goat and a dairy / dwarf cross. Cana's kids are always the smallest at birth, but the largest at weaning because she is a milking machine! We use her in the petting zoo because she is so sweet. She will have twins. This is Cheetah. She is 1/2 Kiko, 1/2 Boer and was born here two years ago. This will be her first kidding.