Snuggle Buddies

I think I might have mentioned before that we have the best puppy ever! I think that these pictures might prove that theory. Jasper meet Peter...Peter meet Jasper...

 I think Jasper might be the most laid back puppy I know (Peter was so calm as well).

 It was so adorable, Jasper kept giving Peter a bath. Then he would snuggle up to him like this!

 Enough cuteness to make your heart melt, right?

Peter loves to be held like a baby (Rusty, our other bunny, not so much)....and the kids are happy to accommodate him.

Who Walking Who?

We have been working with our 4-H animals lately, and I thought you might like a little peek into how that works and what it looks like.
Step ONE: We play "Who Walking Who"! Ohhh you've never heard of  that game?
 Let me explain it to ya', that's where all the kids and the animals they are "walking" get tangled up in each other and giggle a whole bunch.

Also part of that game is animal interferance....Jasper thinks it is a great idea to kiss the animals while they are "walking".

Sometimes "walking" is more like "pushing"......

Sometimes that "walking" is more like cuddling....

Ohhh and occasionally "walking" looks like real walking!

No matter how we do it these two seem to have a lot of fun "helping"!

These photos are from several weeks ago, and I am happy to report that animals and children alike seem to have come to more of an understanding of what walking really looks like. I can't believe fair time is only about 6 weeks away!

Bunny Love...

Our new bunny friends....we can't get enough of them!
Yep, he lays on his back so we can pet his belly...to funny!

 Since two weeks ago when when Peter & Rusty joined the Homestead they have been doted on, and looked after very well by the two littlest people in the family. They have been very diligent about getting them out to exercise them each day, along with essential cuddle time.

 It's a good thing these little bunnies like people, because they get handled a lot! The dog even thinks they are fun to sit and watch. Last Sunday we have a bunny (wild, not a pet) in the garden, and Jasper just sat their and watched him like a good ole' boy. I giggled because he didn't realize the bunny wasn't invited and it was okay to chase him away. I was very proud that he was such a good puppy and didn't chase him because that's what we had taught him when the baby bunnies were near him.

The First Swap Meet of the Season

This past weekend, we arose at 4:15 am to head off on an Adventure! SWAP MEET TIME HAS ARRIVED!
These two cuties have been waiting for their bunnies so patiently for a couple months.

 Meet Julia's rabbit (both are a mini-rex & 8 wks old.) Peter, and Zach's bunny Rusty...They both are adorable and so very calm. The are both treasuring their new found responsibility of feeding and exercising them each day.

Along with the bunnies, we scored several things: bolts (for my clothes line), Carhart bibs for Lance, 5 lbs of fresh rhubarb ( only $1 per bundle!!), an old barn siding frame, a wooden box for storing some of our potatoes this coming winter! It's always so fun to go and check out what things they will have. Each month they have different things...if you've never been to one you should go!

Our Animal Population is GROWING...

It's that exciting time of year when we start filling up the barn with 4-H projects! Lance & Caleb will be in 4-H this year so it's been double the fun. Let me introduce you.....

Remember Jake? He was the little gut we started bottle feeding mid-January.

 He's back with us yet again, but this time he brought a friend with him....

 Her name is Rachael...She still has all her wool (Jake got a hair cut), and she is so soft!

Caleb will be showing both of these at the fair. He is over the top excited to start learning all he can.

 Meet Webster & Wibley (I have no idea how they come up with these names)....Caleb's pigs.

 Lance's pigs are Warrior and Tiger.

 This is our barn cat Happy....On occasion she gets to come in a cuddle up with the kids on the rug right inside the door. She very lovable, but is still unsure what to think about Jasper (the new puppy).

 This week we brought home 25 (now 24) Meat Chickens. We like doing an early batch, then getting another group of them later in the summer. They take about 10-12 weeks to reach maturity.Last year we could butcher an entire batch in 2-3 hours, even faster if we bag them as whole chickens. 

They are so easy to raise (yummy too).

 So cute as babies....Not cute as adults!

 Everyone loves holding the little chicks, especially Julia. The kids know why we have them, and it is not traumatizing on butcher day. Everyone enjoys adding the meat to our freezer.

Lance is also taking a couple ducks for 4-H....Speedy & Junior. Sorry they were no available for a photo op at the time of this post.

Meet Jasper Our New LOVE!

ONE YEAR AGO this week we moved into "The Dream Home"....I can't even hardly believe I'm saying that!!! A WHOLE YEAR!! That just seems unreal and totally crazy but it's true. One of the things that we promised our four little people was a puppy once we lived back off the road. Last Spring shortly after moving in we made good on our promise and brought home two adorable Beagle pups. That turned out to be a very bad choice for our family and we learned some good lessons.
 #1 Don't bring a puppy home just because they are cute.
(Those pups went to a teenager who now has trained/hunted them, they are happier & so are we!) 

#2 Research is really needed to decide/narrow down the breeds that will be a good fit for our family.
After our first strike out, and the first puppies departure last fall I have been investigating what breed of dog we should really be looking to add to our homestead.

Our Criteria:

1. Good with other animals

2. Great with Kids/Family Pet

3. Guard Dog

4. Easy to Train

Lab, Golden Retriever, & Huskies seemed like a good fit.

Justin thought an older puppy might be a better fit for us and would help guard the garden against critters later in the summer. I was apprehensive to the idea because I knew it would have to be a puppy who had been well trained already, used to other animals, used to kids. After more thought and talking we remembered our great friends had a litter of Golden Retriever pups back in November. I REALLY wanted to get one when we could in January, but Hubby thought it wasn't a good idea for the winters months. So I called them to see if they had any left and GUESS WHAT?  They indeed had two males left in the litter. We went and looked and them and fell in love with this little guy.

 His name is Jasper...we liked it so we kept it!

 He's 20 weeks old, and pretty much the smartest dog ever! Not to mention he's obedient, loving, super gorgeous and a soft furry coat. We seriously can't get enough of him.

 We brought him home this past Sunday night. On Monday the kids had school done lickety split, and then spent the rest of the day playing with the dog. He really likes tennis balls, and playing fetch.

 The kids are so thrilled with his performance each time...he's a super star around here.

He does let us know when he's tired and ready to cuddle up.

I am beyond thankful for this little guy. I am thankful to the family we got him from as well. He has came to us with amazingly great manners & obedience. I love his personality, he is so eager to please us. I am so excited to have him join us.....they kids are even more excited (if that is really possible). He has completely stolen our hearts, not to mention all of our productivity for now. We would rather play, snuggle, or lounge with him than do anything else. I think he likes us a little bit too, he hasn't been sad at all since we brought him home. I thankful for such a smooth transition for all of us!! 

Here's to MANY YEARS of family memories with JASPER!

Two More Added to the Homestead

Lance has been wanting to add to his duck collection. This week were purchased two baby ducks from our local TSC store.

 Meet Junior & Speedy..don't ask which is which we can't tell them apart yet.

 They are both Mallard ducks, and there is a lot of holding these cuties going on these days. The plan is to take one of them in 4-H, but we are still looking into that.

 Two new ducks equals one really happy young man.

Over the next couple months we plan to add four 4-H pigs, two pet rabbits, a batch of meat chickens, two sheep for 4-H, possibly a couple baby cows,  24,000 honey bees for our new hives, and a puppy!

Like I mentioned before, we will not be bored here at the HOMESTEAD this Spring!

New Baby Chicks.....

 At our Tuesday Homeschool Coop Classes, the science class has been getting to watch some eggs hatch into chicks. They have had such fun watching the process, but by far they seemed to enjoy holding the chicks and watching them. Of course that meant these chicks needed a home after all the fun. Well I was offered them and it ended up no one else wanted  them. So now we have added 7 more chicks to our collection. I am very excited because we do not have either breed I inherited! We have 5 Barred Rocks, and 2 Leghorns. Do you want to take a peek and see what those furry little darling look like?

This first picture shows how they felt after being held by little people ALL DAY LONG!!!

 I think I can relate to how they feel after Tuesday classes....I know they look dead...but they are not

 Here they are getting a little drink before they crashed again

Another shot (because I just can't help it!) all cuddled up

More Jake LOVE....

It's been just over a week since we brought Jake home, he's doing really great!

Here is his little hut we made to keep him warm.

 He likes to stay put under the toasty heat lamp.

 We've started giving him just a little hay with his bottles....he LIKES it!

He's a cutie....we're totally smitten with him!

Meet Jake......

We welcomed a new member to The Gaertegang Homestead last night. His name is Jake and he was born right at the first of the year. His mama had twins and just can't produce enough milk. Uncle Nate decided, with our permission, that this might be a great project for the boys. They are all thrilled to have him!

 Since we have ZERO knowledge about taking care of sheep. Uncle Nate was giving us a crash course in the easiest way to bottle feed him. Then it was time for them to try it out.......Lance was first.

 I think Lance was saying here, "It's not as easy as it looks mom."

 Caleb seemed to do very well...not much milk spraying when it was his turn. Caleb is planing to take this little guy for his 4-H project which makes it extra fun. (At least at this point)

 Then Zach had a turn. Zach was VERY GOOD at spraying milk all over poor Jake. Although he really didn't seem to mind all that much. After feeding him, we loaded him up and brought him home, and he was cuddled like this for the next hour and half..........

Jake seemed to enjoy all the loving and attention. Julia enjoyed petting and talking to him. Although she didn't have any interest in feeding him yet. She just kept saying, "Ahhhhh he's so cute mom." Jake seemed to enjoy his first night with all his straw bedding and heat lamp to keep his warm. Hopefully I can get some better shots of just him and share them soon.

A special thanks to Uncle Nate & Aunt Christa for thinking of us and giving the kids a chance to experience this new adventure. We are hoping it provides them with some sweet memories of spending time out in the barn together.

Kitty Kuddling (with a K)

 We still have some KITTEN KUDDLING going on around the Gaertegang Homestead! This is last call for some (or all) of these little cuties to find new homes. (I'll even deliver them if need be.) Staying here is not an option! The mama's are going to get de-mommyfied....it's a word trust me on this. If you yourself or you know someone who'd love these little furry mouse catchers please send me a message quickly.

As you can clearly see they think they are real babies...so does Julia!

Caleb is right there with Julia...holding them like they are an infant...the kittens don't see to mind!

Homestead Happenings

It's been a long while since I updated on our Homestead Happenings. Here are some pictures of how things are going around the Gaerte Homestead. The first picture is of Lance's ducks...all grown up now. We had a sad event happen, we lost of the ducks to a predator of some sort.

 I love watching how all the animals hang out together....this playful kitten "Happy" loves to lay in the sun and watch the chickens roam.

 We moved the one laying chick and ducks to this pen so the other chicken could get used to them before we combined them all together....which we did this past week. Everyone is getting along!

 These ornery puppies have grown like weeds.....boy do they have a LOT of energy!!! 

Camo on the left, Caleb, Hunter on the right.

 These are the second batch of meat chickens we have raised this year. In just about a week or so they will be joining our freezer...I have to admit there is a remarkable difference in taste with these chickens compared to what we were getting from the store......YUMMO!

 This is one of Lance's 4-H pigs that didn't meet market weight during the fair. We thought it was a great opportunity to keep him, fatten him up, and add him to our freezer as well....which will be happening very soon as well.

 I bought and canned peaches for the first time EVER. I was so surprised at how easy and rather quickly I was able to accomplish this task. My total was 15 quarts of yummy goodness to enjoy during the winter months!

Yesterday, we welcomed yet another liter of kittens! They are so stinkin' cute! I've been trying to convince the MISTER that we NEED to get these females fixed so this doesn't keep happening. If for no other reason.....to save my sanity when we have to get rid of them and all the children vote to KEEP ALL of them. So in 8 weeks your welcome to let me know if you would like one of the four little beauties for your own!