Our newest addition: Mango

Last fall, we had a visitor, a BIG one. A bear! We had piles and piles of scat right behind our house. (I have pictures, but I didn't think anyone would want to see bear poo.) Anyway, I don't feel comfortable with the boys outside with a bear roaming around. Yeah, we have dogs, but Peaches (our Lab) is getting very old and Slinkie (our mini-Dacshund) couldn't do much about a bear. So, we decided to get a BIG dog. My cousin's full stock English Blue Tick bred with a full stock Woodstock Grizzly English Red Tick and produced a litter of eleven on the coldest day of the year: January 6! A big dog that will bark and is free? Yep. That's what we need.

When the pups were born, Dalton saw the pics and wanted "the one with the dot on it's head." So my cousin said, "She's yours!"

Here she is at 2 weeks old.

We brought her home when she was 8 weeks old and 7 lbs. She has been such a blessing. When asked what we should name her, Bailey said "We have a Peaches, let's name her Mango."

Here she is at 11 weeks old and almost 20 lbs!

And only the other day,  at 12 weeks old.

We adore her!

Dogs: Chocolate Labrador Retriever at 4 months!

Today we were shoveling gravel around the dog runs and I had my camera with me. Bailey says: "Mom, take a picture of me and Duke." This was the result. Isn't it adorable?

Duke couldn't stay under the hill where he is suppose to run. He had to be nosey and come watch what we were doing. He is growing so fast.

I couldn't just take a pic of Duke. I had to get one of DJ too!

and of course, I couldn't share a pic of Bailey without a pic of Dalton. He was working hard helping his Daddy fill in a mud puddle.

Slinkie our Long-Haired Silver Dapple Dachshund

Bailey, Dalton, and I decided to stop by the pet shop to see the puppies as we do from time to time. Dalton immediately spotted an itty bitty wienie dog with it's paw up against the cage just looking at us with these big eyes. He begged me to buy the pup, but I just couldn't invest that much money in yet another animal without talking to Michael about it. I text Michael at work and explain that Dalton is crying his eyes out wanting this puppy. He says when he gets home we will go look at it. I knew right then and there we would be coming home with the pup, and we did.

How could anyone resist this little darling?

Dalton wanted to name her Slinkie like the slinkie toy on Toy Story. I wasn't crazy about the name, but it was his pup that he cried all day for, so why not?

Turns out, she is worth every penny we spent. The most loving and loyal dog around. Granted she isn't the smartest dog we have, but she sure is the sweetest.

Dalton packs her around like a ragdoll 24/7 and she lets him.

If you are every looking for a dog that is good with kids, this is definitely the way to go.

I am sharing this post at Farm Girl Friday

Dogs: Chocolate Labrador Retriever Puppies

Remember our precious Labrador, Peaches?

She is now a Momma! Yep. She has two gorgeous three week and two day old chocolate Labrador puppies! That silly little dude on the right.. that is Duke and the sweetie pie on the left is DJ.

Aren't they the cutest things you have ever seen? I sure think so!

It is hard to believe that little bit, DJ, now weighs 4 lbs even and Mr. Behemoth, Duke, is 6 lbs 5 oz! They were so small just a couple weeks ago!

 In the photo above DJ is on the left and Duke is on the right. They were only hours old here. DJ was a whole 6 oz and Duke was 12 oz.

Here are a couple photos to show just exactly how tiny they were! I could hold them in the palm of my hand!

DJ

Duke

It has been a lot more challenging having newborn puppies than I could have ever imagined, but it has been worth it. Now we are about to enter the fun stage of introducing solid food and the beginnings of house breaking. Wish us luck!

Family: Just a Normal Sunday

Yesterday was a great day with the family. Bailey and Dalton had a blast dressing Slinkie up as Woody from Toy Story. She is such a good dog, she will let them do anything to her, and she sleeps in the oddest ways.

Michael and I worked on the electric fence AGAIN. Then he weed-eated around it. It is FINALLY working right. Maybe Ill be able to keep some flowers now. One of the bushes {what was left that the goats didn't eat} in the yard has broke out in some beautiful buds and bloom.

Michael, the boys, and I; my uncle and his wife; as well as my niece, her hubby and baby rode on top of the mountain to look at view, take some pics, and check out the goats a friend has running loose up there. While there, Bailey came running to me and said.. "MOM! There is a drug-usin goat up here, we have to leave." I went to see what on earth he was talking about; the goat was chewing on a empty cigarrette pack. It is pretty hard to get something away from a goat when it doesn't want to let you have it. Just sayin.

It is such a beautiful place up there. We took a few family pics of Deidra, Sammy and Kylee.

and before Kylee was dressed in the adorable denim, she had on the shirt I bought her. Melted my heart.

After our trip, we came and changed the water in Crowbar's waterer and gave him {but I believe he is really gonna be a she} some fresh food.

Foghorn and the gang came out to see what all the commotion was about.

Foghorn is starting to crow and it is so comical.

Oh and like I mentioned before.. Peaches is THRILLED to be home! Can't ya tell?!

I am sharing this post at Homstead Revival's Barn Hop. Stop by and see the other submissions as well.

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Installing the Nesting Boxes

My wonderful hubby Michael was able to get two more buckets at work today to use as nesting boxes. Once we cut the lids, he went to work installing them in the coop.

The first one up.  

Screws on the inside.

All four of them up. Now we just need to put something up in front of them for the chickens to stand on. We will go with something low cost. Probably a tree limb because it is FREE.

I don't know what I would do without Michael. He is such a wonderful husband. Even if he doesn't want chickens, he is still so willing to help me get ready for them. *swoon*

Our lab Peaches was laying in the drive way watching as we worked.

Doesn't she look ferocious?

Sorry about the dark pictures. It was getting very late.