Spring Chickens

The kids have learned a new skill...the art of catching a chicken! (It's harder than it looks)

March, 09

What a month! We had many visitors and had a great time with them all. Grandpa Mack calls them "Bed and Breakfast" visitors when they spend the night. He always asked "how many sleeps?" Cousin Kellan and Aunt Kim, Grandpa Dean and Grandma Mary, The Trumble family, Papa and Sue Sue all took the Bed and Breakfast option. Thanks for visiting. And to the rest of you, we hope you will consider a visit too! You can consider this our promotional video:

With all the snow gone and temperatures slowly climbing, we're all getting anxious for more time outside the house. Here is what I turned around to find the kids doing while I was finishing up the chores yesterday.


Here's Kristin with the FFA preschool rep from Teed's Grove, IA.

January

About the middle of January, the whole family caught the stomach flu. One afternoon while I was at parent-teacher conferences, Kristin bundled up the kids and headed outside for afternoon chores. Nora's turn to get sick happened that afternoon. As Kristin was preparing milk bottles, she heard Nora throwing up outside. After cleaning her up (with some help from Mable), Krisitn set her in a sunny spot outside the barn where there are some straw bales for insulation. She returned to her moments later and found Nora sound asleep!

Go Team! Here are the kids getting the eggs cleaned up, packaged, and ready to sell. Ben is responsible for the spot-free checking and for the drying. Nora is in the packaging department. She makes sure that each carton is filled and shipped off to the refrigerator.

Helping in the kitchen is a standard daily activity as well. Here you can see Ben's solution to his onion cutting dilema.

Nora received a "Loving Family House" from Papa and Sue-Sue as a Christmas gift. Ben has been enjoying her present too. When he is not making the "Daddy" fall from the roof of this 4 story Victorian to break his bones, he can be found strategically placing the family in various poses...mostly precarious (note the baby in the high chair on the third story ledge)

December update

Two months since the last update? Here's whats been happening at the Brown's house.

I'd say the biggest event of the last few weeks happened yesterday as we were preparing to leave for church. I was just about to load the kids in the truck when I looked out the kitchen window to see about 30 calves casually strolling out of a "secured" gate into the great wide open and a 30 below zero windchill blizzard. I quickly threw on some warm clothes and headed out to cut them off and get them back into their yard. At the sight of me their casual stroll turned into a stampede up the county line. I was able to catch up to them in the truck about 1/2 mile up the road and turn them around. As I was driving them back home, Kristin was hustling to the gate to corrale them back into the yard. She arrived just in time to watch them sprint past the gate and go about 1/2 mile in the other direction. Fortunately Kristin called a neighbor to come and help and after about 45 mintutes we had them all back home. The last time we called this neighbor, it was to ask for his help moving a piano. I'm sure he's thrilled to have the Brown's in the neighborhood!

September Pictures

A trip to the apple tree! This has been a dialy event for the kids...sometimes 2-3 trips and then a belly-ache.

Cousin Malachy and came to visit from Honduras. Loving the wheelbarrow ride! Was there just manure in there, mom?
Friends Lily and Faith came to visit. Ben shows them how to do chores.

Ben on the Haywagon. Nora wasn't a big fan.

Taking a break with dad.

Visitors from Washington

Well, its been long enough since I updated this that I forgot my username and password. It was a great summer on the farm. We are up to 27 calves (heifers and bulls) and needless to say this provides plenty to do in our "free time". Our latest batch of chickens has just started to lay and we are enjoying about a dozen eggs per day and anticipating that number to go up to 2 dozen. Time to start advertising and selling around the school again.

Biggest news around here has been the recent visit of our friends the Brewers and the Felmley's from Bellingham, WA. The two families went in together to buy a 1973 Winnebego Brave for the road trip. After buying it, they tuned it up, modified it slightly to fit their needs, and successfully drove it across the country and back! The 4500-mile trip was made with 7 children, all 4 or under. The time was such a joy, and a great chance to remember how the Lord blesses us in our marriages, our frienships and with our children! See the video below for some of the action!