Animals and more animals, oh my

I know I have said it before but I don't really like animals (go ahead and GASP). I would be perfectly content with zero-not even a fish. I feel like keeping 6 little people alive, fed, and well dressed is enough for me to handle. Thankfully, Adam makes sure the kids get a pet to have while growing up-or should I say a whole bunch of pets. We started with 12 chickens then 10 got eaten by the hawk. Adam was very sad. He loved his chickens and I was tired to listening to him complain so we got some chicks-like 50 chicks. Then, the rooster arrived (thanks Lindsay). The chicks have now grown into small chickens. So, along came the dog. Apparently, you need a dog if you have a bunch of chickens to scare of the foxes. So far, our dog doesn't care about the chickens really but does enjoy herding the kids. Adam then got more chicks. He wanted Domickers to go with our Rhode Island Reds. Along came 30 little dom chicks. So, take count of 82 chickens (2 from the batch that the hawk didn't eat), a rooster named Dinner, and the dog named Elvis. Then, this weekend, we went to the feed store. They had ducks and the ducks were so cute (plus I knew I wanted something for Easter picts). They were too cute to pass up so we got 6. On Sunday, Adam called and had found the perfect white goat. We have been wanting a few goats for awhile because there is lots of brush and such for them to munch on. After work on Sunday, he went to pickup out goat (his name is Blue). For those who are good at math, we went from me not wanting any pets to having 82 chickens, a rooster, 6 ducks, 1 dog, and a goat. I will try to post picts of the bunch soon.

Kindergarten Graduation!!!!!

My heart just breaks. Our baby is growing up. Not just growing a little-but a lot! He weighed 50 pounds at the doctor today. That is half of a hundred and I can't calculate how much of me but one day he will weigh more than me! While all of our kids have their own story, Easton was our first. He showed us that we could have children and opened our hearts to wanting more. He is so smart. He reads giant, encyclopedia like books. He knows lots about everything. He is the best big brother ever. He nurses Weston back to health in a way that I can't explain. He says he wants 12 kids and I pray for his future wife. Not just because of the kids, but I pray for all of the kids future wives and husbands. He loves babies and can feed, change, put clothes on, and put a baby in their carseat. Maybe that comes from having so many brothers and sisters. He says he wants more-who knows?

Did I mention how smart he is? While I like to think Adam and I are pretty smart, Easton is amazingly smart. Like in the weird way and you wonder how can he possibly know that? Yeah, he is like that. He has taught himself to read and write and add and subtract and all kinds of science stuff. He wants me to buy him a chemistry set but I am scared he will build a bomb-just for fun. He is currently on 2nd grade reading since Nana let him read all of the books for 1st grade reading while Adam and I went to lunch. It was a huge surprise for us to come back and him to tell me he was done with 1st grade. He shakes all of Weston's doctors hands and tells them to take good care of him. What a giving little guy.

I always joke that if I ever die, he will be in charge. Adam will be busy working. Easton will run the house and organize Easton's medicine. He is one of my best friends. We have this funny thing where we write notes to each other everyday. Mainly, we write about loving each other and fun things we have done. He is such a little treasure.

Rain, rain, go away

I finally updated Weston's caringbridge with the latest news from the cardiologist. For those who don't follow, it is www.caringbridge.com/visit/westonkeeton We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers. And, not to sound overly preachy, I do not believe that it is Weston's time to go. God isn't ready for Weston yet. Nor (that is a sentence starter that I don't get to use often), do I think that time will be in the next few months or even in the next few years. I don't care what those doctors say and I don't care how many kids they have seen. We have had many, many emails and the thoughts and prayers have meant so much to us. So, where do we go from here? We aren't just sitting around waiting on something to happen to Weston-that is for sure. He has way, way, way too much left to do. Today, he is playing tball. The doctors are frowning 500 miles away but we don't care. He wants to play tball and he enjoys it. He has a base runner and really great coaches who will watch out for him. Monday, we are being referred to the Make A Wish. I talked with them some on Friday and we talked to Weston a little. He said he wants a playhouse and to go to Disney World. I would type more but we have got to get ready. It's going to be a wonderful day-as long as it doesn't rain.

thoughts of the day

The funny thing about hospitals and doctors is that they "claim" to want you to get better but there is no way to get better in a hospital where they wake up you all night long and poke and prod you all day. CHOP took great care of Weston and minus the shared room that, still to this day, makes me want to take a bath in hand sanitizer, we were happy with everyone. Also, minus the cocky nurse who told me I was "just" a mom and that they didn't like parents to spend the night in shared rooms-again, clearly this man was out of his mind. Adam and I don't leave the kids and I am certainly not going to leave our 4 year old alone in one of the most dangerous cities in America. No sir-I saw those securtiy guards. I am way scarier than any of those folks. Plus, there is no way that a little IV is going to keep Weston from hopping out of bed and leaving!

Since coming home, it feels like we are just trying to stay above water. Weston's new around the clock medicine routine has been an adjustment. He hates his oxygen so we sneak in, when he is sleeping, and put his space helmet oxygen blower thingy back on. Around 4am, he has an episode or 2. These stopped in the hospital but have come back now that we are home-VERY BAD NEWS. Then, throughout the day, Accredo calls me, not once, not twice, but 3 times. Yesterday, I spent over an hour on the phone with them and then had a nurse come visit for an hour. They have yet to tell us anything we don't already know so I am wondering what all I am really getting for the 55,000 dollars the insurance paid for him to be on the meds for the month. We are trying to keep life normal but they seem to be standing in the way. Last night, Adam got so frustrated, he said he didn't even want to do a garden. That is a huge thing for Adam and I was sad that really, it has gotten to the point where we feel like we can't live our lives because of all of these people. It's not even giving the meds that gets in the way-it's that I am constantly on the telephone. I hear you all saying "don't answer the phone". Well, my friends, they don't take the hint. They continue to call over and over and when you answer, they reprimand you for not answering earlier. It is like being on call 18 hours a day. I don't get to talk to people I like on the phone and I definitely don't want to talk to people I don't know on the phone either-especially people that aren't giving me helpful information.

Pantry cleanout

This weeks grocery theme is Pantry Cleanout. You know, the week where you eat all of the food you have hoarded away just in case you run out of all of the "good food" yet still need to make a meal. For us, this means all sorts of odds and ends. I am trying to use up the green tomatoes that I canned last summer so we will have a few meals with fried green tomatoes. FGT's are one of my fav foods and I was thrilled when I learned how to can them so we can eat them year around. I found some blueberry muffin mix-I don't even know when I bought it or why-but I added some leftover oatmeal and walnuts to the muffin mix and it is baking now. Let's hope it turns out well because there will be 6 unhappy campers if it is a flop. Oh and rice-lots of rice. I am a terrible rice cooker-I admit it. But, I like rice so I buy rice. Then, I remember that I am not a good rice cooker so I don't cook it. So, I am a rice hoarder. I have been needing to buy a rice cooker for a long time. I want one like my vegan friend, Jamie's. Her rice cooker steams veggies too (or at least I think she told me that-maybe I dreamed it). For some, it might be a waste of money but I genuinely cannot cook rice. I will also be going through the freezer to start the clean out before gardening season gets here. I know there are still lots of bags of peaches and corn (not mixed together, obviously). I used up 2 boxes of couscous last night and I promise here and now, that I will never serve 6 very small children bowls of couscous if we are eating inside. DISASTER! Zillions of couscous grains all over the floor.

Our chickens are laying eggs and more of them should start laying in the next 6 weeks. We thought one of the chickens might be broody (for non chicken people, this means when a hen wants to sit on her eggs til they hatch). I think that watching chicks hatch would be a wonderful experience for the kids.

We have lots going on in the next few months but I will post more about that later. We appreciate everyone who has prayed for Weston and our family. God is so good and we know he has a plan for Weston and our family.

You know you are number 6 when

You know you are baby number 6 when you completely skip pureed food all together and dine on sausage and peppers. Seeing as how she weighs 11 pounds at 6 months-a little more fat in her diet might get a little meat on her bones.

Before our trip, Avery wouldn't take a bottle and hated anything pureed-granted, I had only tried about 3 times a week when I remembered that she is getting older and needed to eat (bad mom, I know). So, off we started on our trip and she was sitting at the table and wanted our food. Since I don't carry a large stash of pureed food with me, we fed her table food. She has done amazing. The only thing she seems to have any trouble with is chicken and a couple of dinner roll type breads. And, yes, tonight, her dinner was sausage and peppers per the nice lady at the RMD house. She is one well fed little lady.

Maybe an animal liker

I am not an animal lover by any means. I feel completely ok without any pets-EVER. Adam, on the other hand, is an animal lover. He got the chickens and then the dog-and we have gotten along quite well. In the last few years, we have been eating more home grown/locally raised fruits, veggies, and meats. Adam wanted to get chickens to raise for eggs and meat and they live in a chicken condo. They are free range all day-until night when we put them up. They roam the field and if you come to the house, expect to be greeted by a few. On our way to Philadelphia, we decided to go to a certified organic farm. I have no idea what the heck I pictured in my mind but WHOA BABY! There were hundreds of "organic" chickens in these greenhouses with tons of rabbits in cages. I am not an animal person by ANY means but even I found this disturbing. I think they were overcrowded (in my super chicken babysitter opinion). The smell and dust was so bad, I could barely stand it. Apparently, there are lots of differences in organic, free range, and cage free birds. Let's not even talk about commercial chicken hatcheries-those are super duper yuck (checkout some Netflix documentaries). I really had no idea-I pictured a certified organic farm to be about like us-chickens runnning around, being carried like babies, pushed in baby carriages, pulled in wagons, etc-but I guess that just happens at our house. It makes me definitely feel better about having our own chickens.