The miracle we witnessed

I know that chicks hatch out of eggs everyday and that it probably silly to be amazed that a breakfast food, when given a little bit of heat for 21 days can turn into a living being... but I will forever be awestruck, elated, giddy and so very thankful to experience this miracle with my family...

We actually got to witness this amazing miracle twice out of the four eggs we hatched. After the first one hatched, my oldest just couldn't stop jumping up and down shouting "God is so awesome!!" I secretly wanted to jump up and down right with her but instead just agreed with her....This little guy just happened to hatch on her birthday!!

I am feeling so fortunate that we get to experience so much in our homeschooling journey and hope that we never lose the wonder that comes from a tiny chick hatching out of an egg! :)

This little guy was less than a minute old when I snapped this picture thru the top of the incubator!! My daughter is SO right- "God is amazing!"

Look who showed up early...

It all started with a crack... I wondered what it would look like when the egg first started to crack. Yesterday I thought for sure I had heard a couple cheeps coming from the incubator but then, of course, it wouldn't do it again... so  I figured I was just crazy! lol It was early afterall...

We spent a lot of time watching that little crack grow... but finally couldn't take it anymore... and had to go out and work in the garden since we actually had nice weather! :) I came back in about an hour later and had this little face staring back at me!!

Meet Dandy... short for Dandelion! :)

And this little guy didn't even take the time to make a crack in his egg! lol We called my mom to tell her about Dandy  and when I went back in to check the other eggs this second one was born and the egg shell was blasted all over the incubator!

This little guy is still awaiting a name :)

Chicks, Chickens and more!

It's that time of year... The feed stores are full of those tiny cheeping sounds... those bins of chicks are like magnets for my girls, and I must admit I love to stand and watch them too. It's SOO hard not to just bring a few home each time we are at the feed store. Boy would I be in trouble if I did that! lol If you've never raised baby chicks, you really should give it a try if you can. I never thought chickens would be addictive but they are!

This spring we were lucky enough to have a friend give us her old incubator... and we had a few other friends who were nice enough to give us some eggs to hatch! Not that I don't have enough eggs of my own but I really wanted to add some new breeds to our little flock! We are trying to hatch out two barred rock, three Araucana, and one that is a Heinz 57...



 or a cross between two of our favorite chickens... our Ameraucana rooster (Cabela) and our leghorn hen (Daisy)

 I'll be anxious to see how that chick turns out! :)


 To gear up for this experience, we've been reading every book about chickens and eggs that we can get our hands on. Our library has been WONDERFUL for this research!!


     

 

  These three have been favorites so far but we still have a stack to go! :)

In addition to all the reading we've been doing, we are also working on a  Chicken Lapbook at Homeschool Share! It is GREAT and the girls are really enjoying it!! It is even giving J good practice looking up Bible scriptures that mention a rooster crowing! This lapbook is definitely a win win! 

Life cycle of a chicken  Lots of printable pictures!!!

This picture is of our one white egg at 8 days in the incubator. You can "candle" them with a flashlight in the dark so you can be sure they are growing! This little guy has been dancing around in there ever since but has slowed down in moving around because she is almost ready to hatch! Chicken eggs take 21 days to incubate and this one's 21st day fall on Easter Sunday! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her (or him). R already wants to name "her" Tulip since her mama's name is Daisy! :) I'm just praying they all hatch out safely since we are so new to this! :)

More pictures to come... you can be sure!!

Fairy stitches and crocodile tears

I was sitting on the porch enjoying some sunshine (it never lasts!) when I heard the running of little footsteps thru the house, and then I heard the shrieking and the saw the tears as my youngest slid the door open to come get me... She was so upset and out of breath I could hardly understand her as she cried " Come quick mama," sob " it's J's fall fairy... I think she's dying!!" .... and then I saw my oldest holding her fall fairy ever so carefully in her hands and her face was blotchy red from crying and the tears were still falling.... By the time she spit out all the words and I realized that they were ok I almost felt guilty for feeling the relief that it wasn't something more and quickly had to kick into fairy mode and go console my girls without laughing! :)

As it so happened, after nearly 4 years of playing with her almost everyday, the wire that was used (a pipe cleaner) finally gave out and broke... leaving poor Delia broken in half at the waist! The only thing holding her together was a few threads that attached her shirt to her skirt! I don't know what came over me but I told her to just tuck her into bed and say a prayer for her and maybe rest would help her heal. We decided that maybe after all this rain we've been getting it is finally time for spring and that maybe fairies molted their flowers after awhile? ... I know pretty lame but I wasn't working off-the-cuff! lol

Of course the girls couldn't make it to bed on time last night so I could work on her. Not when I really needed the time to sew in private.. so I had to think up something else that would put their minds at ease! :) I went in to check on the fairies and found the sweetest little setting.... Delia in her bed under a quilt (from a swap) and all of her little fairy friends were sleeping in beds made on the floor of the fairy house and little animals were tucked in all around the house too....a circle of glass stones were around her bed and her trusty cat was on the bed too! It was so sweet!! I'll try to get more pictures in the day light as this one was not easy to get in the darkness of the school room....

 Since I didn't have time for a late night fairy operation I knew I had to do something for the fairies and to show J that she really would get better... so I set off to make some TINY knitting needles... Where do I get these crazy ideas?! Gosh I must really love these girls.... lol

The little note and knitting needles are in place, just waiting for the girls to find them.... I see more tiny knitting in my future... and of course a fairy operation... sigh... The things I will do for our fairies! :O)