The Big Skate Show is this weekend

Ve and Tuki have been practicing all week and will perform at three shows this weekend.

Around the yard today

Myrtle and Inez

Some of the flock foraging in the raked leaves

Bantam chickens Old English Game and Black tailed Japanese and Buff Brahma

Pollyanna our rehabilitated squirrel newly released a few days ago...this is called "hacking" a slow release. Food is left out for weeks and weeks at the hack cage. The newly released animal ventures far and wide but comes back to its home site. Polly is doing just that too. The girls are loving watching her come and go morning and night.

Her food is in the bowl. This photo was taken this evening.

Mabel the opossum was discovered today among the hay in the garage...she was released last week and so her home base is the garage...

Plus the frogs are singing and the Eastern Phoebes have been back since a few days ago....Spring is OFFICIALLY here!!! If you hadn't heard temps have been in the 70's ALL SPRING BREAK!!! and only 10 weeks left of school once we return on Monday.

another year, another one goes wheelless

Ve with her new heavy duty bike -it has to be with Ve, she is hard on stuff

Tuki and her new bike..I put a training wheel on it but she doesn't need it, it never touches the ground

Proud!! Now we are all biking without training wheels. I love this because all four us go for 4+ mile bike rides and as the girls get older we can go for a longer distance. We love to do this as a family.

Bikes are in place of candy for Easter. We are looking for a keyboard for Mim for Easter.

FIVE

Yesterday marked five years since I have started this blog.....it seems I write less and less every year, but I still keep at it...:)..so here to another year of recording my babies' memories.

Random photos from the last few weeks or so

Ve with her required Leprechaun trap...I am not sure of the objective for this project but she did a nice job.

Tuki having fun in the outdoor chicken coop with me. We opened the coop doors yesterday and boy are the birds loving the fresh air, warmth, melting snow and sunshine.

Two call duck ducklings hatched in December outside for the first time enjoying the mud and mess. I think spring is made for ducklings and children. I kind of, A LOT like it too!!!

Mim and her Pedigree Project. She received 52/50 and she has a nice project to keep for future references

Now, Six teeth missing since January

March Madness

it's March, I haven't posted in 30 days, a lapse that lasted much longer than I intended. Actually I hadn't planned it all, it just happened.

Our Spring break is in two weeks, we have had snow sprinklings this weekend, so even though I know the temps are predicted to rise, I am nervous that we will be stuck in the house like last year.

I have yet to plan out our summer since I am waiting on hearing if I have been selected to attend a two week, all expense paid STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) training in TN or WA. Once I hear either way the rest will quickly fall into place.

I dropped one of my admin classes so I only have 5 credits of classes. This is more manageable. I was getting too stressed out and my poor girls had to live with me that way...not good!!

I asked Kiki to stay out of our lives. It has been an adjustment since we knew him for over 9 1/2 years. When he was in town, he was a common fixture around here. Believe me when I say in the long run, for the girls and their expectations it was for the best..It amazes me sometimes how you can know someone (their personality) for a long time, yet then you find out that you never really did know them (their ethics, character) until a specific circumstance arises. We are all a little sad, but good.

I had Mim evaluated for Speech and Language for her "fat tongue" and articulation of words. We will have her IEP next week. In her testing with the Psychologist we found out that she has very very poor auditory short term memory. Something that I have noticed at home and I have also noticed it with Ve. Short term memory problems are linked with malnourishment in early developmental years.

Other wise according to the girls P/T conferences all are doing well. Ve's and Tuki's reading levels are growing rapidly. Ve right at grade level which is amazing for ESL and Tuki is already at first semester at the level she is suppose to be by the end of kindergarten. She is also a good little story writer. Mim's reading level is still way below grade level, but that is to be expected. Her growth rate is good though so we still need to keep working hard at it.

Next post I will explain and show photos on how we handled Mim's Pedigree Project for Science Class.