Just some fun photos!

Chad was being silly and put a grinder wheel on Jaina's ponytail. She really didn't like it.


Dara--9 years old


Eva--7 years old


Martha was really enjoying her pizza!


I was trying to get some pics of Martha and Jaina, but Jaina wasn't being cooperative and this was the best one of Martha. Not wall worthy, but still cute!

It's done!

Chad did a great job putting in the new flooring for the hallway! I really wish we had enough to do the kitchen/family room as well, but not only are we still waiting on the insurance company, we might invest that money in a different way to benefit the family.

Now we just need to get the bathroom done!

Martha Monkey

Well, Martha has joined the ranks of being a monkey with the rest of the girls! Eva discovered that she knew how to climb to the top bunk (where Eva sleeps) when she saw Martha's eyes peeking at her this morning. I didn't believe it, but sure enough, she did it again this afternoon!

Eating is hard work!

Yesterday I had to eat a quick dinner and then go milk the goat so I could get to my Scrap n' Chat. When I came back in from milking, I found Jaina sleeping in her high chair! No one else even noticed until I said something about it. Of course, that meant that Sabra and Cora had to start messing with her. She briefly woke up, but then put her fingers in her mouth and went back to sleep. I told Dara and Eva that when they were done eating to just put her in bed and not worry about getting her in some pajamas. When Eva went to bed later, Jaina was sitting up, so she told Chad that she was going to change her diaper before going to bed. Jaina went back to sleep and slept until this morning.

The Carmichael Flood

On Monday, our bathroom was completely flooded. I wasn't quite sure how it happened as the toilet wasn't visibly clogged, but it filled the bathroom and then seeped out into the hallway and through the wall to our closet. The bathroom door had been shut because the air-conditioners were on and because the babies have a fascination with toilets (as all kids do!). We didn't realize it until Eva was walking down the hallway and her feet got all wet!

Here are some pictures that Chad took while down in the crawl-space before we pulled up any flooring. This is how we knew we had to do something.

Our closet after pulling up the carpet and throwing out the padding.

Our doorway into the hallway.

The hallway (taken from both ends).

The bathroom.

Under where the toilet had been. Come to find out, the valve must have been slowly leaking for a while before it finally gave way. Chad had turned off the valve to take out the toilet (which we thought had been the problem) and even after it was off, water was leaking out of it. We had to turn the water off to the whole house to get it to stop. Chad replaced the valve so we could have water again.

First Lost Tooth!

Allyn lost her first tooth last night! It has been loose for a while, but she would not let me pull it out. She was eating corn on the cob at VBS Family Fun Night and it got even more loose. She let her friend's mom pull it out.

Our "Mini" farm

I wanted to share pictures of the barn that Chad (with the help of his dad and a couple of friends) built in two days. We ran out of tin to finish up a few spots, but he will get that done and it works for now! I can't believe how much he was able to accomplish in a Saturday (with the help) and Monday to finish it up; I have such a talented and hard-working husband! It has taken a while for Rebekah and Ruth to get accustomed to it, but they seem to like it now.

The "Barn"


The goat's end of the barn. We now have an area fenced in around the barn (but that still needs some work as Ruth, the kid, keeps getting out!).


The milking parlor is in the middle of the barn and holds the milking stanchion. We are going to make a modification to the stanchion (put in a larger feeding bowl), but it works great!


The chicken coop end of the barn.


The inside of the chicken coop. We still have to put up the "shelves" (or whatever you call them) that the chickens will lay their eggs in. They should start laying sometime in September so we will have to get something up soon so we are ready!


The chickens go into a fenced in area from the coop. We open the door to the coop during the day so they can roam our yard, but want to keep them locked up at night because of the danger of wild animals (or neighbor's dogs).