Welcome Chloe Grace

Chloe Grace with Daddy a few hours after her birth

On Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 2:55 p.m. PDT, our family joyously welcomed the newest addition to our family, Chloe Grace Moses. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20 inches long. The labor and delivery went wonderfully.

Long Time, No Blog

It has been ages since I have gotten on here and blogged. The truth is that I have let other things get in the way. But I am hoping to make my way back. A lot has gone on in our family since I last posted. So I couldn't even begin to catch up on the latest and greatest, and even the not-so-greatest. I won't even try!

However, tonight, James and I will be driving down to Santa Barbara, where I will be induced into labor to deliver our fifth girl. Stay tuned!

Introducing Nibbles

On Saturday, Justina visited White Rail Ranch in Porterville, California to pick out a goat for her 4-H project. She will raise it and show it at the Santa Barbara County Fair. We stayed the night at my mother's house in Bakersfield on Friday. Then on Saturday, Justina and I, along with my mother, drove up the 65 to Porterville. When we arrived, we were greeted by owner, Judy Kaye.

Judy led us over to a pen of about ten wethers, born in November. (A wether is a castrated male goat or lamb.) She had pretty much picked one out for Justina, Ear tag 501, but I looked at all of them anyway. And the one she picked was the best one of the group. Of course, my goat experience isn't worth a hill of beans. For the Santa Barbara Fair, they need to be born after October 1st.

November Wethers

This is Justina's first year showing large livestock at the Fair. Up until this year, she had only shown rabbits and cavies. The wether she got seemed to bond to her instantly. And he was extremely calm which is great for a young person like Justina. She eventually named him Nibbles for the way he liked to nibble on her sweatshirt sleeve.

After we decided on the wether, Judy went to get her mule cart with a trailer to take Justina and Nibbles over to the scale to weigh.
















Justina rode in the trailer on the back of the Mule cart, as Judy showed us around the ranch and took us to the scale. The goat was weighed, wormed, and dusted for lice. She also changed his herd tag for a scrapie tag. On the way home, Justina said she loved the ride because she felt like she was in a parade.

During our ride around the ranch, we got to see Nibbles' dam, Mo Special, and his sire, Jack Knife. He weighed 70 pounds. The minimum weight for the Fair is 75 pounds. One year, Amanda's lamb barely made weight. That was a nerve racking experience and one that I would like to avoid. With being only 5 pounds under the minimum and four months until Fair, there will be no weight worries with this guy. While on the scale, Judy changed out his ear tag for a scrapie tag, wormed him, and dusted him for lice and mites.

Judy Kaye, owner of White Rail Ranch and Justina, my mother in background

As a project leader for sheep, I try to encourage kids to go with a breeder that has the mindset to teach and guide them, not just sell them an animal. All sorts of things can happen with livestock. Years ago, we were an agrarian society. If you had a question, you could trip over experienced livestock people. Now, at least on the Central Coast, not so much. Connecting with someone who not only has that knowledge but want to pass it along is crucial to a positive outcome with that project animal. I really feel like we did that with Judy Kaye at White Rail Ranch. She was very encouraging with Justina. And even by the time we got home to Orcutt, Justina had more confidence in handling him.

























We got home around 5 pm, which worked out perfectly because that is the approximate evening feeding time, we were hoping for. Justina took a brush and brushed off any shavings and mud. Then she put a blanket on him as it was still getting pretty cold here at night. She fed him and then spread out some pine shavings for him in his shelter. It will take him a few days to get settled into his new home.

Nibbles was sad to see Justina go home.

12 of 12 for March 2009

Today is March 12th and that means 12 of 12 time. My 12 started out a little late as I had a hard time getting motivated this morning. I was still wiped out from yesterday's goat pen renovation. But fortunately, tonight, we pretty much finished it. Tomorrow, I will spread the sand in the pen.

So on with our countdown . . .

I took lunch up to Alyssa (left) and Amanada (right) at school this afternoon.


Abby and I went to Farm Supply in Santa Maria. She loves the baby chicks.


While at Farm Supply, I picked up the Five-high galvanized panel to finish the pen.

The rabbits got run around time on the lawn. This is Pink-Eye, the New Zealnad buck. He will be a father times three by the end of April.


I picked up some all-purpose sand at Hell Depot . . . I mean Home Depot . . . to help with the drainage situation in the pen.

Here is that rotten piece of plywood I ripped out and the wire mesh that was coming apart. Most of the wood disintegrated when I pulled it off. And after pulling off the wire mesh, James and I found all sorts of nails sticking out. Believe me, I am grateful that we have place to keep the animals. But I have nicknamed our temporary little 4-H farm "Tetanus Acres".

Abby asked if she could play in the "little house", referring to the shelter we built. I told her that it was going to be the goat's bedroom. So here are Justina and she playing in the goat's room.


Abby wanted to help. So she has claimed this hoe as her own.


James tacked down an old tarp across the plywood roof of the shelter. We get lots of misty mornings and evenings here on the coast. So this will keep water from pooling on the topside of the plywood. And the tarp is old. So if it doesn't survive until next year, then no biggie.

As I mentioned before, the back fence was pretty unstable. James is reinforcing the rails by screwing them into the posts. They were nailed before and now the nails have come out.

Unfortunately, Justina got a late start on her homework this evening. She is working on a math paper. Math is actually one of her strongest subjects.

Keone is a family friend who was a trememndous help in repairing the pen. He came by for a refreshing , ice cold beverage after they finished tonight (and a little Rubik's Cube action).