The Incubator Works!!!

It has taken me a few tries, but I have finally figured out how to make our cheap-o and not very good incubator to work. On Tuesday, we had 4 ducklings hatch. Early morning Wednesday, two more hatched, and then Wednesday night, we assisted the hatching of one duckling that seemed to be stuck. The assistance was definitely needed. The little duckling had no more yolk sack, the membrane was too hard to get out of and there was an injury that was bleeding near the leg, I think from not having enough room to turn. That leg was over the ducklings head, so something was off. We thought that duckling would die, but by midmorning on Thursday, that duckling was running around and drinking and playing will all the other ducklings. 

This is Kate with the first and biggest duckling to hatch: Jack.

Then came Kack, the one with yellow spots on its head by the yellow water dish, then lack who hatched moments later. Lack is black. Next came Mack, whose feet are in the water dish. The next morning Nack and Pack were born. Nack is the darkest gray one and Pack is the yellow duckling standing up. Quack came last of all with assisted. He's yellow and curled up in this picture. 

In this picture Quack is sitting up. He still has a splayed leg, but can walk fine. We will give that leg some support for about a day, so he won't be so hobbley. 

This is Pack.
 

Rachel on Current Events

 
When I said Rachel was going to sign up on a website for current events, she said:

I don't need current events. Wait, I already know current events. 'Blah, blah, blah. People are bad. I don't care. 

Sam, blocks, and Gideon

 

Gideon knocked down Sam's block tower. Sam immediately grabbed Gideon by the head and was about to bite him at the same time we were stopping Sam. John called Sam over to him and said that blocks are not as important as his brother and that he needed to be nice to Gideon. Sam turned to Gideon and in a sweet voice said, "Hey Gideon, do you want to fight?" Everyone laughed but John called Sam over and had a long conversation about loving your brother more than your blocks in which Sam was not very convinced and the conversation ended in Sam having to pick up all of the blocks. 

Easter 2022

 

I wanted to make Easter bigger this year, because what happened is worth a better celebration. So I spent the week going over the scriptures very carefully with the younger kids and providing them special treats each day culminating on Easter morning when we gave them a lot of treats! After the regular candy hunt that the kids really do enjoy, we made a large fire and roasted peeps, but it was a little too warm for that. We still have a large feast and a cake and more scriptures to go. It has been good to make it bigger and more celebratory. I think that I am going to do more next year when I have more time to plan. I would like to have more special dinners and some singing times and some white lights hung around to decorate. But Easter 2022, I think has been one of our better, more celebratory and more spiritual celebrations. 

Gideon found a few packages of M&Ms hidden in the couch pillows where he was sitting beside me and that was enough for him. He didn't go and look for any candy after that. He just watched everyone else and talked about the candy that they were finding. 

Spring Photos

I brought the kids out to the woods on Easter morning to get a casual group pictures. I had told them to wear their shoes, but not all of them got the memo, so they weren't very happy with me. Here they are waiting for Adam and Ruth to show up. There's a lot of poison ivy in the woods, which I did not say much about because it was hard enough to get them out to me and I did not want to give them an excuse to run off. So far, none of my kids have ever had a poison ivy rash. I have never had a poison ivy rash and John has never had a poison ivy rash, so I think that we are the rare family that is not allergic to it, but that could change and we are certainly exposed to it plenty. 

Our flowers have bloomed and Susan is walking around like this everyday right now. She loves these flowers. I currently have a vase of them on my bedside table and there are piles of them among some other ground flowers. This is all the work of Susan.

Arwen is holding a flower and told me that she was disappointed that the flower did not appear brighter in the picture. She obviously had a plan for the picture with her flower. 

And here they all are. All 13!

This is the corn that is coming up. It has been a very dry spring. I have never had our soil this dry. But the corn seems to be doing fairly well. I expect that I need more fertilizer, though. I am still always uncertain about how much fertilizer to include. 

These are peas and green beans, possibly a squash plant, and some tomatoes towards the back. The furthest set of hills has herbs and tomatoes. I have a lot of squash plants that are still too small to plant that will be moving in and some sun flowers that I want planted. 

We got this plastic couch free from the neighbor. It will replace the other free couch that I got 3 years ago that despite a lot of sewing and repairing the frame, it is ripped and broken and did not last long with this many bouncy boys. 

 

Johnny after he got his hair cut. 

Johnny before his hair cut. 

Sam after his hair cut. He has been asking for a short hair cut for about a month now. I like his long hair, but I think that his cute snub nose and blue eyes look nice with his short hair. 

Gideon asked for his hair to be cut, but I had said no and that he has to grow his hair as long as a girls. He fell on the floor and growled at me. But the girls and John would be mad at me if I cut Gideon's hair. He has to keep it long for now, and anyway, I like his long boy hair. 

This is Joseph's hair looking all sorts of lengths and I thought that It looked terrible, but he apparently hated his haircut and told me that I am the worst at giving haircuts. But his cut came out the best with everything perfectly smooth and even with a shaved neck and all. His after pictures are in the above photos. 

This is a snail that Joshua made out of toostie rolls and wanted a picture of. 

The flowers are in blossom and we have had a lot of butterflies visiting, plus a lot of bumble bees. Those flowers are buzzing.