Cheep! Cheep!

We've been talking for a couple years about getting some backyard chickens and last night we took the plunge.  We purchased a variety of breeds to see what works best for us.  We got ten chicks, five of them we had sexed to ensure they are hens, the other five are a gamble.  One of them is a Jersey Giant and is already twice the size of the other chicks.  The odds are good that a couple of them are "Easter Eggers" and will lay colored eggs.

This is the Jersey Giant...roosters can grow as big as 15 lbs!

They will be great at helping us keep our extensive tick population off of Kona's back, will provide lots of entertainment for the girls, and, best of all, will (hopefully) lay lots of eggs.  

Dustin says we have to start saying things like "I reckon" and "darn tootin'" now that we are officially chicken farmers.  I say let's not get ahead of ourselves. I hope to share pictures of vast amounts of eggs later in the summer!

9-months-young

Our little Kaia boo is growing up so fast.  I swear McKenzie's first year didn't fly by like Kaia's has.  She had her nine month checkup last week and we were surprised to learn that she is actually smaller than Kenzie was at this age.  She looks like a little chunker to me.

According to the charts, 93% of babies Kaia's age are heavier than her.  Can you imagine bigger cheeks than these?

While some second-borns are content to sit by and watch their older siblings play, Kaia refuses to be forgotten.  She is a little troublemaker.  I'm constantly stopping her from climbing over the Candy Land board or puzzle or book that Kenzie is playing with.  I'll set up decoys so she'll have her own book or puzzle to climb on, but she's only interested in the one Kenzie is using.  She is always sneaking into the forbidden breezeway (where Kona's food and water are kept), or crawling to the one plant I can't seem to keep her hands out of.  She loves outlets and wires.  She's always on the move.  Whew.  She's busy.

It doesn't matter what room I put her in, the first thing she does is  leave.
She's cute when she's escaping, though, isn't she?

Dustin calls her Hoover because she find every single thing on the floor and sucks it up faster than we can get to her.  We'll see her pinching her tiny thumb and forefinger together and yell "no" or "eh-eh" to try and stop her, but we're never fast enough.  Instead we need to use all our might to pry her jaw open before she swallows said object.

She had her first bath by herself in the big tub.

Splash, splash, splash!
. 

 She's able to stand on her own and does this often.  She has learned how to fall gracefully

She made a canine friend and LOVES to spend time with him. He's pretty indifferent (unless she happens to be holding his tennis ball).

Conversations with Kenzie

McKenzie: Mommy, can I have some water please?
Me: Yes you can.
McKenzie: Ha!  You never say no to that question, Mommy!

                                                                                                      

"Haha.  Kaia, you make me mile." (note: Kenzie pronounces many words that begin with "s" as if the s was silent . mile=smile, no=snow, etc) 

                                                                                                       

Dustin was searching for a video on YouTube for Kenzie to watch.  He couldn't find her specific request.

McKenzie: Daddy I want the money Barney, please, Daddy.
Dustin: I'm looking honey, I can't find the video about money.
McKenzie: It's at online dot com, Daddy.

                                                                                                      

 She does a lot of things based on age...

When getting tucked in to bed:
Me: How many blankets do you want?
McKenzie: Two.  Cause I'm two.

When having a snack:
Me: You can have one more cracker.
McKenzie: I'm having one cracker because Bennamin (Benjamin) is one.  Madson (Madison) is one too.

When getting dressed:
McKenzie: I have two socks because I'm two.
Me: So when you're three are you going to wear three socks?
McKenzie: No, Mommy, that's silly.

When playing:
McKenzie: I'm making three castles.
Me: That's good.
McKenzie: Cause, Yeeyee (Lily) is three, Mommy. 

No Man

We were all very excited to have our first real snowfall this winter.  It was perfectly packable snow and McKenzie couldn't wait to make a snowman. I did all the work, of course; the packing, the careful placement of eyes and nose, the scavenging for two perfect arms, the digging through the bonus room for a suitable hat and scarf.  All the while, Kenzie cheered me on and Kaia whined about having to sit in the snow.  I worked fast and was reasonably satisfied with final product.

I snapped a couple pictures.

And it's a good thing I did, because two minutes later...

Take a Stand

Kaia has learned how to pull herself to standing and there's no stopping her now.

Deeda Daamp

Over the past few months McKenzie has been learning her address.  It started one day in the car when we pulled onto our road and, to distract her from a meltdown, I told her the numbers of our house.  She was intrigued.  I held up one finger and she followed suit.  She learned all three numbers and moved onto the street name.  She now knows her house number, street, town and state.  The zip code is next.

While we hope there is absolutely no reason for her to ever need to know this information at her age, we are happy that she does. McKenzie loves to share her new knowledge, but requires that everyone play along.  She will hold up her pointer finger and say, "do one, do one."  She won't move on to the next number until everyone in the room is holding up one finger. 

We aren't sure how much good it will do her, though.  Unless the person she is telling is fluent in toddler speak, he/she may not be able to translate what Kenzie says into "Cedar Swamp Road."  We can picture her at the police station, every sergeant, detective, officer and desk clerk with their pointer fingers in the air, hoping this little girl will be able to tell them how to get her home.  She'll slowly but surely direct them through all three house numbers only to lead them to"Deeda Daamp Road."

Handmade Christmas

This was a fun Christmas for the Riccis.  We went to my in-laws for Christmas Eve, spent Christmas day at home with my mom and brother, and traveled to celebrate with my dad and sisters on the 26th.  McKenzie, of course, loved opening gifts, and Kaia liked to chew on wrapping paper.

This year we started a new tradition.  Santa made wooden toys for the girls to find on Christmas morning.  Mrs. Claus helped too (i.e. painting giraffe hoofs at midnight on the 23rd).  We couldn't wait to see McKenzie's reaction when she first saw them.  Unfortunately, the new giraffe and horse were overshadowed by the small bin of candy that Santa left.  Eventually, though, she noticed the wooden playthings and has since been taking donations to fill her giraffe's belly.

It's going to be really fun each year when they find a new, handmade toy under the tree.  It will be even more fun when they realize who Santa is and will be able to appreciate the thoughtfulness of each gift.  Our hope is that someday their own kids will play with these well-crafted pieces.  But that's a long way from now, our girls are never going to grow up.

In case you missed it on Facebook, here's a quick peek at our Christmas morning festivities.