The settlement begins

As everyone on the Graves Farm settles into their little life, the storms pass and the blue skies with their white, puffy clouds shine bright in the sky. It’s the time of year when the wind feels magnificent, as it dries the salty sweat off our sun-kissed skin. All while inside, I’m happy to report that we’ve had no need of further switching of rooms and everyone seems satisfied with their living quarters. We are now in cruise mode, finding routine and rhythm in our daily activities.

  

So, how is little Olive?

She’s beautiful, she’s three weeks old, and she’s extremely adaptive. Growing up on a farm with lots of noise, especially dogs barking and a nearby toddler playing and talking along with many people coming and going in the house, Olive thrives well in this environment. She sleeps through much of the hubbub and is what I like to call 'an easy baby'. That's also easy for me to say because I am the Nana. I've seen lots of babies in my life and can say that Olive is a gem to care for and typically cries for a reason not to just cry. So that makes life a little easier as going through the rolodex list of milk, diaper, need of nap, burping, etc that there's typically something on the list she is needing when she uses her voice. 

Nothing like a sleeping baby

And what about Brooks?

I think we all know that having a new, additional member of the family who takes up much of the time and attention can be a bit of a climb for a 2 year old whose used to being 'the only one'. Overall, Brooks is doing extremely well and enjoys living his own little life, which includes playing, more playing, eating, and then playing again. And also for this 2 1/2-year-old little boy this playing includes a lot of running. I'm often asked if he's jealous of Olive, but I typically say No because it's not a competition for him. He mostly just wants his Mama at certain times and I find that's his way of asking for more mom-time when he's needing it. He’s become quite the expert at feeding the farm animals when we go to the barn and is able to navigate his way around the property with ease. By this I mean he knows where things are, he knows where he can go and where he can’t go, and he’s figuring out this big life change slowly. He’s extremely helpful in feeding the animals and loves them very much. He’s not afraid of grasshoppers jumping at him in the pasture, and he’s not afraid to reach out and pet a chicken. Oddly, his kryptonite right now? The wind. Yes, the wind is not his friend and I’m not able to tell you why. But he's likely to be a meteorologist when he grows up with his new-found fascination of wind. He will intently watch the trees limbs moving about, or observe how much the flag is blowing around, or how much the wind chimes are chiming. He's watching closely. And when it's 'too windy', he wants too go inside. Luckily, his sand box is on the front porch and mostly out of any wind environment. And let's also add to this mix that he is in full-on potty training mode. He's wearing big-boy underwear and while he enjoys being out of a pull-up, it's now a constant reminder of 'do you need to potty?' Ahhhh, a newborn and a toddler. I'm here for it.

Front porch sandbox playing now includes
potty breaks.

I'm proud of Brooks as he's doing great all while starting a new school, receiving a baby sister, moved houses, is dealing with  chiggers in the grass and chigger bites (which is new) and the wind. Don't forget the wind. That seems new too. Keep up the good work, Brookie Boo! 

Let's talk adjustment elsewhere, shall we?

How's Maggie? 

Doing great except for the heat. She's not a fan of the 100 degree temps. Maggie is such a sweet piggie. She knows who we are, she knows her name and she knows when there's food involved. Food-motivated is an understatement in her world. All the food all the time please.

She LOVES her swimming pool
but wow, it's always full of dirt from
her rolling around in her muddy water/dirt
when I wet down the dirt in her pen.

Never without dirt on her snout. 

Hey, you haven't updated the Little Girl Area lately

I haven't! Remember when we had a couple of silkie chicks not that long ago? Look at this cutie pie now.....

There's a poof ball on her tail, on her head
and on her feet. 

Chompchi is such a good mama.
An old mama, yet she never stops
nurturing whether it's her babies or 
someone else's. 

In this same fenced land of The Little Girl Area......we also have other visitors besides the silkie hens and chicks. First, we have Rusty who is in confinement until any chicks are older - due to a roosters desire to actually hurt chicks. It's a competition thing for them, I think. So until babies are bigger, Rusty lives a life with fencing around him within the Little Girl Area. Then, he'll eventually come out with the silkie hens providing the possibility of more silkie chicks again. For now, he's living with himself and the rooster in the mirror. 

He's gorgeous and he knows it 💪

Other tenants in The Little Girl Area happen to be 4 little chicks-not-yet-chickens that were gifted to me not too long ago. They were given to me when I went to buy some hens from a lady in Gainesville (off Craigslist of course) and the bonus was 4 random, mixed breed chicks who are now growing up and not yet ready to get out into the gen pop. Are they hens or roosters? Don't know yet. But you know the rule in gen pop..... if you crow, you go. 

AND another fascinating find off Craigslist was this.....

Such a bougie feeder for my bougie chickens!
And there's one of my sweet random 
hopefully-girl teenagers in the background.
Not a girl yet not a women.

I know, I know. I'm excited about a chicken feeder and that's okay. These feeders are way too much $$$$ online in the real world, therefore Craigslist is the way to go for things like this. Since Rusty is confined, he needs a feeder as do the others, so chicken feeders are very important as they are time-savers. Fill them up and leave them for a few days. Why has it taken me so long to learn this.

Tell me more

Okay, so I've been filling up multiple feeders every day of my chicken life. Yes, spending WAY too much time filling feeders multiple times a day esp as my flock has doubled. So finally, my chicken brain told me to purchase large chicken feeders and only fill them every few days. 

These OverEZ feeders are amazing!
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I even splurged and got a waterer one, too.
Life changing over here.

My chicken feeding area has certainly evolved.
Less feed waste, less time spent filling feeders
and a happy flock!

Why did it take me so long to figure this out? I suppose because my flock has slowly increased over the years and I just didn't realize the amount of work I was doing to get them all fed. But now, my friends, I've arrived to a new place in my life. These large chicken feeders are simply amazing and are a gift from above. Ever since my flock doubled recently, I knew it was time to make some serious changes. Managing 150 chickens is something I never would have guessed would be on my resume. 

You may remember years ago that David actually made my chicken feeders. I'm still using those as well, but have positioned them inside the barn. 

These 'trash can' chicken feeders that David 
made years ago are wonderful! They hold a lot
of feed and have very little feed waste. 

This is a popular area with water,
 and food - and a fan. 

This is helpful as the chickens can now eat inside or outside and these particular chicken feeders are best used out of the elements, as the rain can sneak inside them and mold and mildew the feed. The new chicken feeders outside are designated for indoor/outdoor use (so I keep them outside) and the feeders David had made are inside the barn. It works so well that I wonder why I did not do this sooner. Silly me. 

So now I have more time placed back into my life. I can feel the difference every day now, and am most grateful for all the large chicken feeders that each hold a 50 lb bag of chicken feed. It's been life changing for me, and allows me more time to do other things like clean up chicken poop, go for a run, play with Brooks, go on a bike ride, groom the horses or hold sweet Olive. So many options for which to use any and all available free time. The olden days of back-n-forth from the Tack Room gathering chicken feed in scoops and filling all the multiple chicken feeders is gone. Gone I tell you. My biggest obstacle at this time is keeping water buckets full during these hot days. It's all part of the hot summer months and we'll get through it. I've tried auto-fill water buckets, but oddly, the pressure of the water lines on our property wreck havoc on those devices. So for now, the water filling is a manual process. For now. 

So now you know

Alrighty, the chickens are all set up and I never in my life would have told you I'd have this many chickens. The eggs are selling well, along with David's homemade BBQ sauce and his homemade biscuits all of which are sold in the egg fridge up at the front of the property. I'm currently also testing a percentage of the chicken eggs for freshness during these hot summer months. How? By placing them in water to see if they float or sink. They should sink to the bottom. That means they are fresh and good eggs. So far so fresh. And due to the high number of eggs I get each day, picking up all of the eggs out of the heat every day is important. And then testing them to ensure their quality. The last thing I want to do is sell bad eggs. Ugh, that would be horrible. 

How quickly I forget

Coco and Pearl

Goats are the worst 😉 They are mischievous and curious creatures. I just love them. They get in the chicken coops - or try to. They are independent and playful. Sweet, nosy Coco is extremely dog-like and desires to be petted and loved. She always wants to know if I have a treat in my hand. Then there's Pearl - shy and timid. And since she's a fainting goat, that does not work in her favor. Her legs will lock up in a second and over she falls. I try not to scare her, but sometimes I can't help it because I don't see her and since anything scares her.....well, over she goes. 

How's the mini's?

So good! 

They love each other so much 💕

Dora and Hope spend their days in the barn, in their stalls with their fans on them. Most of the time, they stay in one stall together - chosen by them to do so, in front of the fan (even though they each have their own space and own fan). The fans help cool them but also keeps the flies off them. It's genius and works wonderfully. When dusk falls, they are released to their pasture to run around and stretch their legs. Then in the morning again, they come up to the barn for their fan(s) and breakfast. It's a routine that they rarely miss. Hope's skin condition has resolved with this routine and these two mini's are a treat for me. They are easily haltered and groomed. They really are special, as I've heard mini horses can be hard to handle. We've come a long way, esp Hope. Dora is a natural love bug, and has shown Hope that life is good. We are all in a good place together with trusting one another and allowing pets and love. Hope is standoff-ish somewhat still but will likely always be that way due to her history prior to coming to us and I'm okay with where we are at in life with her. Dora, on the other hand, is in your pocket and desiring pets and more pets please. They balance each other out well.

What about Sugar?

So while I'm out and about in the barn with Maggie The Pig, the chickens, Paul The Turkey, the mini's, Coco and Pearl, Belle and Lulu Sheepies, and our amazing livestock guard dogs that forever keep everyone alive.......where's Sugar? 

She's patient. And waits for me to finish my chores.

I come and go from this feeding table in the Tack Room.
She watches and waits, sometimes coming to find me and 
tell me to hurry because she's ready to be held. 
She and I are actually one. 💞

I'm in and out of the Tack Room gathering feed and 
distributing to everyone. Sugar is very used to this routine.

It feels good to give good news and report that everyone is doing well. 

This is what 5 pm looks like. Dogs resting, getting ready for 
a night of guarding the animals. 

And while everyone is well and healthy, I relish in these moments. Our settlement is settling and it's going well. There is one big difference around here.......I burn a lot more trash than I used to. 

4 adults and 2 children can generate more
trash than can fit in our trash receptor. 
Not to worry.....I love a good burn. 

And I also blog with this one beside me:

My newest blog buddy

So as Olive sleeps and I listen to her sleeping-cooing noises and watch her sleep-smiles come and go, I know I'm one lucky Nana. 

Happy 3 week old, Little One!

Love to you all,

Cyndi

So many happy things

It was the last weekend in May.....

Yes, the big move from Fort Worth to Gunter happened. The little happy family of Lauren, Ryan and Brooks made their way to the Graves Farm and moved into the little house on the prairie with Nana and Pops. It was the weekend after the wedding on the farm, and we were ready for our next big event. The move went well, and everyone settled in to what we all thought was going to 'work out' for rooms and living spaces. Little did we know that would change greatly over the course of a few weeks. Time would tell us more of what we did not know.

So how's it going?

Well, let's talk about that. As I take time to settle into my thoughts about all this and attempt to express them, I find myself listening to the storm blowing in from the northwest just outside my window. I watch the sky go dark and observed the light show that is bestowed upon us all. It reminds me how life is reflected back to me. First the quiet and calm, then the dark clouds slowly blow in, then the wind picks up. And as the wind picks up speed, it brings with it its best friend, driving rain. Have I buttoned down the barn enough? Is everyone outside safe and dry? While I listen, observe and think about my invisible check list, I find Sugar beginning to tremble in my lap. And while I know this will all pass, I'm not sure she knows this as I do. Maybe sits at my feet, Buddy and Sophie snuggle into and onto each other as if they have become one. We all wait. We all listen. I think about how grateful I am for this rain. Then it hits me....

This is my reminder of my own life. There's been stormy days in our little home which now houses 6 human beings, 2 of which are small or tiny. We have developed make-shift rooms, and also switched several rooms around (multiple times) since the beginning of June to continue to search for the best use of space for each of us. We are figuring out what works best for each individual and situation. The storm outside moving about the trees and changing nature in its path, reminds me of the movement inside our home. Then the storm passes and we settle in. New rooms, new organization, and new changes in our relationships. We are now two families blended into one, trying to communicate our needs, wants and desires. We are trying to figure out who does what around the house. We are trying to figure out meals, manage a crowded refrigerator, and navigate a newborn with a toddler (well, Ryan and Lauren are anyway). I'm simply support crew. Their well-established family unit operates wonderfully without me injecting my 'will' into it. I've learned many things over this past month and my best advice to myself is always: paddle my own canoe. Stay in my lane. Let them raise their children. Stay out of the way. Only give advice when asked (this is a goal which I've not yet met). What I love most is being of support, assistance and help when asked, when needed, and mindfully watching myself to not overstep mine - or their boundaries. This new era in my life has shown a light on many things I need to work on personally. Ooofff. It's hard trying to be better. But all I can do is keep at it. 

I'm happy to report that despite many life changes happening at once in our little house (new jobs for them, new baby, new residence, new everything) we are working together to cultivate open communication so that when storms come, we can navigate through them as well as we know how. With the hope of leaving us with joy, growth and peace. Fortunately, most of the time we have beautiful 'weather' here inside the house. We are all finding our way with each other, around each other, and continue to work on patience and understanding. 

These things take time and I have no intention of telling you, "I'm fine!". I'm here to speak my truth of what it's like to be a support crew for my daughter, her husband and their children. I won't try to sugar coat it, and instead tell you it comes with many challenges and obstacles. Learning how to stay out of the way of established routines. Learning when help is needed and wanted. Learning how different we really are from one another and respecting that. This is a fluid and ever changing environment inside our little home. Sometimes, it's every man for themselves. Sometimes, we are a beautiful team. But what happens every day (which also happens everyday for me at work, too) is that I'm learning. Always learning new things, new ways, and new thought processes from those around me. I really try to try to stay open to it all. Yes, trying is a little too strong of a word for me right now. Instead, I will simply try to try. I'm far from mastering this, but at least I find myself attempting to stay on the listening road and allow my mind to take in what's happening around me. Only then can I be aware of what's circling my universe at any moment and think about how best to react. I'm trying to try people. 

What you really want to know though

It all started with a sprinkle. Not a shower, because Lauren does not enjoy a full-on rain but rather a light drizzle. So a sprinkle it was for her soon-to-be new little Olive Elizabeth.

Lots of yummy food 

And someone who wanted cake, lots of cake please

We had our sweet friends and family over to celebrate and immensely enjoyed this opportunity to share the love and excitement of her new baby.

So fortunate to celebrate little Olive

David made this, but you probably already knew that

The sprinkle was very nice, and gave us all a wonderful 'reason' to get together and be with one another in communion and in community on that gorgeous day of June 3rd. Little did we know at that time that one month later, July 3rd, would be the big day. 

In the meantime

As our new-found family unit began to blend and take shape, I found myself doing new things. 

Like having a naked toddler playing 
in the living room

Eating smores in the hot tub

This is new.
 Esp the "I peed in the 
hot tub"

But not to worry, there's plenty of (sorta) usual things happening.

Buddy and Sophie playing with their
ball in Brooks wagon

Barn life

Maggie enjoying her swimming pool
in this heat

Sugar looks a little worn for the wear,
but finds Brooks chair comfy cozy.
This change has been challenging for her.

The month of June was a time of settling, changing, adjusting and learning to be with one another on a daily basis. We all felt the tension of a new baby coming, as well as the 'not-knowing' of how it would change things even more. Ah, the unknown. We were all seemingly drifting in a raft at sea. Trying to make our way into the unknown and paddling in a direction we think is best. Then it happened. We spotted land.

Okay, what you really want to know this time

It was July 3rd, induction day for Lauren. Lauren and Ryan were up early to head to the hospital. I had to head into work for 1/2 day, and David was on Brooks Duty. Team Us was in action.

When I got off work around noon, I headed to the hospital with treats, ready to welcome a baby into this world.

I like to call this: 
The Apprehensive Family look.
Like you know a train is coming but can't
get out of the way.

It happened to be the best cookie cake I've 
eaten in a long time. I think Lauren 
would agree since she and I ate it all.

 

Everyone has a birth story. We all do and we all love to tell it. I'll give you the shortened version of hers. Induction first and it was slow going. I happen to arrive around noon-ish. They break her water around 2 pm? These are estimated times by the way. Her contractions intensify and an epidural is placed around 2:30 pm. Things progressed quickly and I'll save you from those details and say that the baby was coming and there was no stopping her - and there was no doctor close by. A mid wife was on the floor, and they called her in and Lauren pushed 1 and 1/2 times - and in that short of time, she had her little Olive, all to the surprise and maybe even horror of the staff around her. There was no waiting. Olive was coming, ready or not. 3:55 pm and boom, she's here.

Whoop there it is....skin to skin time

Now that's Big Foot

It all happened so fast

So now we have a healthy little baby Olive in the world. I've never seen Lauren this happy. With covid, I was not allowed in the hospital for the birth of Brooks. But this time, I was here for it all. I loved watching it all happen around me. The joy!

The happy family 💗

Don't you love the look of a hours-old newborn?

She was so content

Until she's wasn't

It was still up for discussion if Brooks would meet Olive at home or in the hospital, but it was decided that the following day, we would bring Brooks up to meet her. 

The fascination and wonder of a new sister

He could not take his eyes off her 💕

There's a happy ending to this baby story, and we are most grateful. We are well aware that that's not always the case, and we thank God for his blessings and this most beautiful gift He's given us of Olive Elizabeth. 

Fast forward

Everyone is home and settling in, yet this time, a little differently. There's a new tiny human in the little farm house on the Graves Farm. Sometimes when Olive cries, Brooks is startled and unsure. But he's settling in that his baby sister Olive will cry, sometimes even scream and also sleep alot. He's adjusting as children do with new siblings......these things also take time. 

So we are all back to living our lives in this new adjustment period and it's going quite well. 

Happy Family for sure

Lauren is loving all the girl clothing options
just saying

There are so many blessings here. One of my favorites is quality Brooks-time. We spend many an evening in the barn, or out front playing, maybe some sandbox time or hot tub time. Maybe just putting rocks in the chicken water bucket or walking around the pasture. We spend alot of time just doing outside-things that are simple and it makes everyone happy. 

As you know, this story will continue and has many more twist and turns ahead. I just can't see them from here. But there will be signs. Maybe something like:  Watch for Dip in Road, or Bump Ahead, or even the ever famous Dead End. 

Just know this, we will continue to look for the detour when necessary. Or go around. Or just plow through. Or turn back around and go back. One way or another we will continue to find our way in this blessed journey.

Maybe my favorite sign ever

Yes to the queso,

Cyndi

And to my C3 peeps: I wore my shirt this weekend (which I do often!) and thought about you guys. I hope you are healthy and happy, that work is going well, and that your families are good! I love hearing back from you and it let's me know you are okay. 💛