chickens are out

It's been a busy weekend!  We got the chicken coop finished (by we, I mean my father in law and Jeremy) and outside and have some happy chickens who spend their days outside pecking.  

It's funny how much more they like people now too!  When I walk up to the fence, they actually come toward me rather than jump away and cower in a corner.  Jeremy's dad did such an amazing job on the coop!  It has lots of doors for access and when they start to lay their eggs, we can just lift a lid over their nesting boxes and pull out the eggs.  

We have had fun giving them scraps now, too.  Shea likes to go out with a little bucket and toss it in to them. Today was the first time I had to shoo a dog away from the coop, too.  An animal could definitely get into the fenced area if they tried, so we keep an eye on them during the day and lock them up in their coop at night.  They are such little work now - I am so glad they are no longer in the garage!

Today it stopped raining for a little bit and the sun was shining, so I had the kids get their boots and coats on and we headed out to the yard.  I was hoping to start moving the rose bushes, but I treated my garden beds with lime and then started pruning back our hydrangea bush when it started to pour!  Oh well.  At least I got the lime in.  Yesterday Shea and I planted a bunch of starts for our garden.  So far we have bell and hot peppers, three varietys of heirloom tomatoes, jade cauliflower, some herbs and chamomile, and I planted something else but can't remember what it was!  Once I get some compost and stuff in the beds (hopefully in a week) I am planning on planting our greens and peas.  I am getting super anxious to get out there before school starts, so I hope that we have some nice days this week.

Last Tuesday I took the math placement test (I only got a 73.  I basically had to get every single question right to test out of math99) so I will have a little bit of a heavier load throughout the year, but it doesn't look like it will be too bad.  I am going in on Friday to meet with my adviser and register for classes, which start in three weeks from today.

The other night, Jeremy and I were up so late just talking and dreaming and making plans for the next 5ish years.  It was so fun to map out our goals and think about the possibilities.  It has been kind of freeing to not be looking for any ministry jobs and to just be pursuing these dreams we have.  I mean, of course our plans might not happen exactly the way we are envisioning them now.  Becoming a midwife is probably going to take me at least 6 years to become certified at the pace I plan on going.  I am planning on taking a break after I finish my AA so we can save up and I be with the kids full-time another year or two until they are school aged.  Community College doesn't look like it will be too taxing on my time away from the kids with the way I am able to spread classes out, but Bastyr is a demanding program and will be a huge time commitment.  I'm not willing to miss out on this time of their lives, and having that perspective makes my end goal not feel like it will never happen.  I can just take my time.

We are even talking tentatively about moving to Bainbridge Island in 2 to 3 years, if things work out.  It would make a lot of things easier.  Jeremy already works on the Island and has connections there through work, plus he grew up there.  They also have one of the best school districts in the state and its a great central location for me to pursue midwifery.  Jeremy wants to complete some schooling at the Seattle School of Theology too, so both of us would want to be close to the ferry for commuting.

SO lots to look forward to and work toward.  We will see how it all pans out, but having a bit of a plan helps me not get so overwhelmed right now with everything.  I like having these stages so I can focus on certain things and not worry so much about the next thing before I get there.

I took a break from writing this post and just got the kids down for their rest time.  They were running around the house giving each other hugs and saying "we looooove each other" (ok, so Shea was saying that, and Hailey was just giggling like a silly little girl).  They have been big on hugging lately.  Cute, but the chasing part of their game was getting old fast.  I read Shea the first chapter of the next Ramona book and Hailey her toy story book.  Now I have two baskets of laundry to fold, lunch dishes to clean and put away, and some food to prep for the week before my Mom and brother stop by.  But the sun just came out and I am tempted to leave it and go out to do more yard...