Happy Birthday to this guy...

….who would make this exact face if I put him in a dress today. 

Matthew continues to be the greatest dad, husband and friend ever. Sam, Miles and I are so lucky to be a part of his life.

We love you Matty! 34 never looked so good.

5 months old

Our little boy is getting so big! He's over 16lbs, eating constantly and learning so much every day. 

He is grabbing everything and loves to taste it all. Even dog hair. Yuck. Miles has started eating solids and enjoys apples, bananas, pears, prunes, sweat potatoes and carrots.

Miles is a very serious soul. His smiles are seen often, but his laugh is a rare occurrence. He loves his family, especially Sam. He is happiest when he can sit and watch big brother. 

This baby is LOUD! He is exercising his vocal cords and is learning to make lots of new noises. We think he'll be an early talker. 

Mymy has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks (which we LOVE) but he is a short napper (which is hard). He loves to rest in his swing and sleeps on his tummy at night. We have a bouncer for him that hangs in the door way and we still laugh at how crazy he gets in it. 

Miles can sit up on his own, roll over and make kissing noises. We think he's pretty cool. He is such a sweet little boy and we love watching him change and grow. 

Doris

Go ahead and call me silly for posting about a chicken. I don't care. I don't like you anyway.

Yesterday morning was like any other. I let the dogs out to potty and I spent a few minutes petting the hens and asking them about their day. You heard me.

About 20 minutes later I was upstairs when I heard crows outside freaking out. Because this is so out of the norm, I looked out the window, searching for the chickens. When I couldn't see them scavenging  bugs throughout the yard, I knew something was wrong. So I went outside.

There I found my poor Doris killed by a hawk. The raptor looked at me and then flew up into the tree full of screaming crows.

My immediate reaction was horror. I can honestly say I have never seen something so horrible. My sweet pet chicken being devoured! It was not a pretty site. I quickly called my Mom who I knew would sympathize with me. I used her to calm me down and figure out what steps to take next.

At some point I took a breath and realized that Doris was gone. There was nothing to do. And, in order to make sure she didn't die in vain, I allowed the hawk to return and finish his meal. (After returning Dotty and Daisy to the coop.)

Here is where the dilemma occurred.

My Rhode Island Red lay in the yard, bloodied and plucked. But here was this AMAZINGLY beautiful and awesome bird that was doing what it did best; prey.

It was hard to watch, like REALLY hard, but I couldn't help but marvel in the power of this tiny raptor that took out my giant chicken. And trust me, she was BIG.

Sam learned a few important lessons about life and cried a few tears for his favorite bird.

I loved that girl. She was the sweetest of the 3 and was always the first one to knock on the door in the morning begging for food. She had beautiful shiny feathers and loved sprawling out in the sunshine. I'll miss her. But here's the thing. She lived 3 very good years. Digging for worms, chasing dragon flies and scratching at moss. I can honestly say she had a great life.

The other two, for obvious reasons, are hesitant to return to the yard so I will keep them cooped up for the rest of the week, mostly to make sure that the hawk doesn't return.

Today we picked up 2 new babies to add to the flock. Their sweet fluffy selves are sure to help mend this frazzled family.

We'll miss sweet Doris!

Doris at 6 days old. 

First day in the backyard.

 She was very curious about the camera. 

 Sam relaxing with "Big D"

 Pretty girl. 

 Me and my favorite chicken enjoying the sun. 

4

Miles turned 4 months old this last Monday. He is just the sweetest baby and we can not get enough of him! 

He is 16lbs 3oz, 25" long and perfectly healthy. He had a bad week after contracting a cold and having a bad reaction to his vaccines, but he is on the mend and we are starting to see more of our happy boy again. 

Miles loves rice cereal, tummy time, jumping in his new jumper and lots of attention. He can grab toys, puts most everything into his mouth and showed us today that he can roll over. 

He is the most talkative baby I have ever met! Coos, grunts and loud growls are often belted by this very vocal baby and we love his laugh. Miles is very ticklish and loves to play rough. 

 Although he is a very happy baby, he has a serious side as well. He loves to watch what others are doing and seems to think about things a lot. When meeting new people he's a little shy, which just makes his smiles seem even more special to those of us that get one. 

I hesitate to say this, but Miles has been sleeping through the night for 2 months now. 

It. Is. Amazing. 

He goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up in the best mood every morning around 8am. Sam and I love to go into his room and make him laugh in his crib. 

 Miles most favorite thing in the world is his big brother, Sam. They are the cutest! Miles always has a smile for Sam and big brother loves to help with the baby. These two kill me!

 Sam will only be a 4 year old for a couple more months which is CRAZY. Five sounds so big! He is excited for his birthday and has already started planning it. 

Sam still loves all things animals, learning to swim, playing with his dogs, collecting things, drawing pictures and writing stories. He is the nicest little boy and treats his friends like royalty. 

He is extremely creative and I love to hear his take on life. Sam hates tomatoes, celery and egg yolks. But he will eat anything else and especially loves pot stickers.  

 Samuel is very smart and loves to learn new things. He knows a lot about animals, the human body and nature. He is constantly asking questions and enjoys experiencing new things. 

Matthew and I feel so lucky to have these amazing boys in our lives. We ask ourselves often, "How did we get so lucky!"