One Thousand Words

A picture is worth "a thousand words", right?

 Today I have a loooong overdue picture post for you all!

On March 16th, our first lamb of the year was born.

We pretty much had at least one ewe lamb every day after that, so with 11 ewes expecting, it wasn't long before we had 17 lambs running around.  We had only 2 stillborn lambs (their twins survived), so we did really well this year!  Praise the Lord for that!

This little one was jumping around as soon as she was born!

We had quite a few first time mommies this year, and they all did a fabulous job.  Three of them gave us twins, although the norm for first timers is a single lamb.  Very exciting!

I'm not sure why we're wearing bowls on our heads.  But that's okay.

The awesome owl cake that my sister Jenny made for my birthday!

April 21st was Kellie bridal shower.  I had way too much fun putting the candy buffet together!

Shortly after the shower, we went on a day trip with Hank's family.  Actually, we went to a funeral.  But the trip was fun, even though our fan belt broke and we were stranded for a bit.  It's all part of the adventure, right?  :smile:

Hank, Bonnie-the-human (wouldn't want to confuse my sister-in-law with my dog;), and I entertained ourselves in the back seat.

Next on the schedule, shearing our flock of 15 sheep.

The lambs grow so fast!  I'm so glad we ear tagged all of them - it would have been so hard to keep track of who belonged to which ewe without them!

It was around this time that we had to put our ram, Ferdinand, down.  He was apparently extremely susceptible to internal parasites and try as we might, we couldn't seem to get him to gain weight and thrive.  Eventually, he became too weak to even stand up.  So we had to make the hard decision.  And it was a hard decision, especially since he was such a sweetie and only 2-years-old.

At the end of May we headed down to Arizona for another funeral.  We rode with Jenny and her husband, JD.  Which was really fun!

Saw some sheep while driving through Montana.  We also saw several moose, elk, numerous mule deer, some antelope, a coyote, and jackrabbits.  Oh, and Hank saw a bat.

Jenny and JD's dog Rex came along.  He did so well on the drive, usually content to sit in someone's lap...especially if they had a soft pillow. He liked my pillow best. ;)

My handsome man.

On our way down, we planned to stay in Las Vegas.  The lights on the casinos may be pretty and fun to photograph, but I felt uneasy as soon as we arrived.  Fortunately, God had other plans for us.  It turned out that the hotel we made reservations at didn't accept dogs.  Since we had Rexy, we had to find another hotel.  Th unanimous decision was made to head to the next city and get a hotel there instead.  I don't think I've ever been more relieved in my life to not stay somewhere!  So thank you Father for making it impossible for us to stay in that hotel and providing a better one elsewhere!

Like I said, the lights are certainly fun to look at! :smile:

Me with my baby bump.  13 weeks in this pic!

I unfortunately didn't get any pictures while in Arizona.  On our way home, Hank and I drove his parent's car back (since they were driving a different vehicle home).  I loved traveling with Jenny and JD, but it was really, really nice to have my husband all to myself!  Hank says I didn't stop talking till we arrived in St. George.  Being Memorial Day weekend, we had quite the adventure finding a hotel room to stay in.  But we kept praying, and finally found one!

We took a scenic byway on our way home and encountered some snow.  And we drove around the Bryce Canyon area.  Love the red rocks!

And, making their first appearance on the blog, the pigs!

We bought four pigs at the beginning of April, and after 2 months, they each weigh about 100 lbs.  Once they reach approximately 300 lbs, we'll have yummy pork in our freezer.  But for now, I just enjoy having them.  Pigs are so funny. :grin:

And that's all...for now.  So much is happening in our lives right now.

My "little" brother got married on Saturday.  So weird, having my little bro be a married man.  But also, completely wonderful.  He and Sarah make a lovely couple and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for them!

I'm now 15 weeks pregnant.  Not feeling nearly as sick as I was, praise the Lord.  I was beginning to think I might be sick the entire pregnancy - not a happy thought!  It's much more fun now, especially being able to feel baby move around a bit.  I love that so much!

The weather has been insanely hot here for this time of year.  In the 90s.  I'm not much of a heat person anyway, but being pregnant makes it much worse.  So I spend a lot of time in the house.  Which is good, since I'm finally able to do housework again.  I was too tired and sick before.

Anyway, I think I'll wrap this post up and start doing some of that housework!

Has your summer started of busy, busy, busy?
What are some of the things you've been doing?
Is it really hot where you live?
I want to know!