Daisy the Chicken

Our favorite little chicken Daisy passed away this morning. She was our favorite due to her big personality. She would follow us around and was a very social little chicken. She didn't mind at all when the kids would pick her up and hold her. Last month, I built them a little penned in area so that I could take my garden back over. They were eating all the little plants in my garden. I could tell she wasn't doing that well, not getting the food she needed to get due to her crooked beak. Even in a month, she declined rapidly and her right eye was kind of getting a little smooshed by her crooked face. Poor thing. She was still so sweet to the end. She hadn't been as responsive and just seemed to be getting weaker by the day. We tried special containers so that she could scoop out the food, but she still wasn't getting enough. Yesterday I even tried to out some right in her mouth for her, but it kept falling out. This morning when I looked out the window, as I do every morning to check on them, she was just lying there on the bottom of the cage. I went out to see if she was gone, but she was still alive. I brought her in and just held her to me while we had scripture time. The girls and I were a wreck, tears coming down as we tried to read about death and the resurrection in Mosiah. Wyatt and Scotty kept stroking her soft white feathers and talking to her. After scriptures, I gave her to Atalie and Cozette to hold until they needed to get things ready for school. We laid her down on a towel and covered her with another towel in our living room and got ready. Right before we all left for school, we could see that her eyes were open and we all said goodbye to her and that we loved her. She gave a last little shutter and was gone. We'll bury her later today when all the kids get home from school. I'm sure this all sounds really silly since she was just a chicken, but having her since birth and watching her grow and her sweet little personality, you couldn't help but love her. Every time Cozette would open the cage to feed them, Daisy would launch straight for Cozette's head and just sit there. She'd do that to me as well. She just loved us! We will miss you sweet Daisy!

Daisy is the one in the front, just about 2 days old.
Daisy after flying up onto Cozette's head, now on her arm.
Daisy is on the left, about 3 months old, wandering around the garden. You can see her beak is pretty crooked, but it got worse the older she got.
Daisy is the one in the front, looking out under her food dish.

Cozette took this picture last month to take to school and show off her chickens. Her beak got even worse this last month.

Cozette's birthday and First day of School!!!

More photos of Cozette's birthday which was on Sunday and then the kids started school today. I can't believe Wyatt is in kindergarten, Atalie in 4th grade and Cozette in 6th at the middle school! Crazy!!

Wyatt "reading" in his Spanish class before they do the traditional "Kissing Hand" book.
Wyatt and his classroom door with his name on that airplane on the bottom.
Buddies!!!

Wyatt wanted to show off his backpack.
Leaving for school!

They do love each other sometimes!! These two are my kids that get along the worst.

Turning 11! I can't believe it!
Her new bike!




Everyone over for pot stickers (that's what Cozette wanted) and cake!
The girls playing Michael Jackson, Just Dance. I think they are doing Thriller, hence the zombie like looks on their faces!

Bass Lake

Here are some photos from Bass Lake. We love Bass Lake and loved just relaxing and enjoying family. I drove up alone on Monday, July 25 and spent the first few days with me and Jerm's family until he got up there on Thursday morning.

A butterfly kept letting Atalie pick it up while we were in Willow Cove.
Pappy with is iPad and Scotty with an iTouch down at the beach...
Scotty loved running and jumping into Uncle Gary's arms. It was so cute!
Me trying to get Wyatt to dive out of my arms. That time it worked. Atalie was taking the pictures.
A beautiful sunset.
Wyatt and Pappy's air soft gun. He loved that thing and would dig through the trash to get cans and bottles to shoot at.
Atalie modeling on the warm tube.
Scotty loving the freedom of his pink life jacket and the noodle. What can I say, we are too cheap to buy a new life jacket so he has to wear the pink one! Sorry Scotty! Wyatt had to go through the same thing.
Jeremy would play Frisbee for hours if he could. It was fun to get some action shots!
On the top of the Way of the Mono trail. It was a nice overlook of the lake. I think the hike was about 1 mile total. Scotty hiked the whole way! Maybe now I can try a little bit further hikes.
At the bottom of the trail.

Cozette showing us she can carry Scotty on her back in the carrier!

Carpinteria!!

To all those who weren't there, we missed you all very much! I do have to say that I'm kind of a party pooper these days while camping. I didn't stay up a single night and play games. I was so tired by the end of the day, that by the time campfire and my kids were in bed, it would be almost ten and off to bed I went!

Brent, Mette, Charlotte and Else
Elina, Addy, Isaac, and Audrey
This was a hard one to get. Wyatt wouldn't put his hand down and Scotty was grumpy. I think Else was trying to hold up Scotty and he wasn't having it.
Scotty in the shoe. You can see mom and dad's van in the back ground!
Scotty and Charlotte
Eating lunch after their naps. They were both so tired after our walk downtown that they melted down and crashed before we had lunch!
Cute Atalie
Scotty loved having the wave come up and get his feet wet until it got his shorts! Then he was not happy!
Else and I trying to go on a walk with our little ones.
Wyatt in his seat in the tree by our tent.
Me and Kirst at Girl's Camp. I just had to put this one in in case you didn't see it in my own blog!

Girl's Camp

Here are a few pictures from my week at Girl's Camp. These don't even show everything we did, but it was fun. I think my favorite part, aside from the "Quiet Time" they give you for an hour to read the scriptures and write in our journals, was the capture the flag game with my sister Kirsten and Aunt Gayle and our 4th year girls. They were awesome! We won both our games and then at the end, we had an all out flour war free for all. I was kind of on the side lines bombing people in the middle until Kirsten saw me and then attacked! It was great to be silly and have the girls see us moms/old people be silly! I'm so grateful Kirsten and Aunt Gayle were there. I wouldn't have made it without them. I also got to have Lizzy in my group as well. Lizzy is such a wonderful girl and a good example to so many.

Me and Kirst after the flour war! SOOOO fun!!
My wonderful mother in law! She was the kitchen goddess and made us wonderful meals every day! I'm so glad she was there, too!
Lassen women who were at camp!
The sign from the Olive Grove we got to visit and sample the yummy oils and balsamic vinegars!
The pretty bottles.
Lizzy and a friend in the creek we went swimming in. This is where I had my one and only shower. It was so refreshing. I was the first one in and did a canon ball off the rocks. So graceful. My dad would've been proud. :)
This was my horse for about 30 minutes, "OP" for Other Pico since there was a horse that looked just like him named Pico.

P.S. It's really hard to be at camp and not get so emotional! If outsiders could only have seen how utterly exhausted and what cry babies we were as well as tough cookie! I'm so grateful for my past camp leaders who sacrificed for me to go to camp.