Peckin' and Scratchin'

I think it's funny watching them peck and scratch at the cardboard. They really must have a small brain! My favorite part of this little clip is when the big chicken (I call her Mama) flicks the cedar chips all over the other chicks - and they don't even seem to notice.

Meet the Cats

Gus (the black cat) and Surgi (the grey) decided to welcome the little chickies to their new home. The chicks weren't so excited about the cats looming above them - they let out some loud chirps and all huddled in the back corner. After some long curious glances into the box the boys grew bored and left the chicks alone.

The chicks peck and scratch fairly continuously until dark and then they go to bed. Earlier one of the chicks pecked really hard on the side of the box just as Gus was walking by. Gus jumped about 3 feet in the air, sideways away from the box. He looked cautiously at the box...after a few more pecks and scratches he chose to reroute himself through the bedroom to get past the chickens! What a scaredy cat!!

Wedding #2: Alex and Brie

One of my best friends from high school was married this past weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony at a private residence in downtown Nevada City. The redwood trees towered above us and a local guitarist, and a close family friend, played all of their music.

Alex and I started kayaking together our sophomore year and we have remained close friends ever since. Brie also went to high school with us, so the wedding brought together a lot of old acquaintances!

A Yuba Anniversary!

For our 4th anniversary we decided to relax on the Yuba River. We hiked up the river a couple of miles and then proceeded to swim/float/bump our way down through the rapids and clear pools of the river. It is one of my most favorite summer pastimes! This time we came equipped with goggles - which Mikey made fun of me the entire time (apparently my head was too small for the goggles...you can make your own judgment!).

Here are some more pictures of the Yuba, just because I think it is so pretty!

Meet the new Grasses!

We decided to expand our family! Here are the newest additions...

The egg layers:

The funny looking ones...

I am not sure of the breeds of the egg layers. I think the lady said one was a Standard Red, the lighter black one is a Silver-tipped or Silver-laced something, and the darker black one was a Brown-speckled something...as you can see I was paying close attention!

The funny looking ones I did pay attention to, primarily because I already had done some research on these ladies. The first one pictured is a Cochin Bantam, Red Frizzle. She will have lots of curly feathers. The second one is a Buff Standard Polish, she will have a large tuft of feathers on top of her head. The last one is a White Cochin Bantam.

Currently these 6 lovely ladies are living in a box. They are too young to be outside. As you can see, most of them don't have their feathers yet, just lots of fuzz and a few feathers. In about a month they will be ready to move out. Some friends are going to help us build a coop in a couple of weeks.

So, if I thought I was going to be at all bored this summer...think again! I've been trying to handle them as often as possible to get them used to us. Today we spent a good amount of time out in the yard. Unfortunately they can't all be out at once - they are quick little things, I have a hard time just catching one of them!

Our Trumpet Tree

I just wanted to share our Trumpet Tree with everyone. It is currently in full-bloom! It has been attracting all sorts of people. They stop and stare at it, ask if they can take pictures with it and even if they can have some of the seed pods. Too funny...and to think we don't work hard at making it look that fantastic! I just hack away at it every 6 months or so to keep it from taking over the yard! It's a great privacy shield for our living room and it is nice to look at from the inside too!

Who hates cats???

As many of you know...Michael likes to talk big about "hating" cats. If hating is too strong of a word, perhaps strongly dislikes is better? Well, here is proof that puts his relationship with our cats in perspective!......I promise...I have done no doctoring to this picture. It is all there, plain and simple truth. He loves the Surgi cat! I think it is telling that they both nap with their mouths open!!

Wedding #1: Claire and Whit

So gorgeous (of course I am speaking about the bride!!). The location was pretty impressive as well. The snow-capped mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe were a finishing touch on this venue! Claire went to high school with Mike and then attended Scripps with me. The four of us all played ultimate together in Claremont as well as here in the Bay Area. They truly put together a weekend of fun for all of their friends and family. From diving contests at the pier, happy hour in our cabins to softball, croquet and ultimate at a nearby park - this wedding had it all!

Weddings!

Over the next few months you'll see a number of posts with the same title...our summer and fall will be punctuated with 8...yes eight weddings!

We are so excited for all of them! They range from high school friends, to college friends, to Bay Area ultimate friends and family!

Visiting the beach with ALL the nephews!

We planned our visit to LA to meet baby Zachary to coincide with a visit from our other nephews! Mike's dad, and his brother's family also came down from Oregon to visit and meet baby Zachary. It was great being able to all plan our visits at the same time!

We spent the afternoon at the beach with a picnic. It's too bad we don't have any pictures of when Mike, Caleb and Andy got soaked by a big wave. Fortunately Jakey was spared - Auntie Becky kept him safe!

After Paul W, Caleb, Andy and I buried Mike in the sand it was Caleb and Andy's turn. Baby Zachary stayed all bundled up - he's got a few more years before all the cousins gang up to bury him! What a fun day!

Nephew #4!!

Over Mother's Day weekend we celebrated the arrival of our newest nephew, Zachary. Mike and I were very excited to see the little guy! He only spit up on Mike a few times...me...I was his favorite!...one morning I got soaked! It's such a delight being an auntie!!

I also got to help Peggy give him a bath. He was so tiny he barely fit in his tub! Congratulations Peggy and Paul - he's a cutie!

Sorry these pictures are so tiny - I stole them from Peggy's Picassa album : )