Compliments

So yesterday I was out running errands and I went to the extension office to find some information on 4H. Anyway, the man I talked to was very helpful and after I had finished talking to him he gave me a booklet that Liam insisted on holding. The man said Liam could read it in the car and Liam (after giving his "you're not as intelligent as I had hoped you would be" look) informed him that he was only 4 and did not know how to read but he did know his letters and his mom was teaching him. Liam then looked around the room for something to practice on and saw the labels on the filing cabinets. Coincidentally the ones closest had the words "cat" and "dog" on them so he sounded out d-o-g and put it together and read the word. The man was impressed and asked Liam what his name was, Liam answered verbally and then for good measure spelled his name in sign language. The guy was surprised and said "wow, what a little genius". That is the first time that anyone has ever referred to Liam as a genius without the word "diabolical" attached. Maybe there is hope that he really will grow out of his Calvin from "Calvin and Hobbes" personality and someday be an upstanding member of the community.

chickens

Sometimes I wonder if I thrive on stress. I can't think of any other reason for a mom with six kids who has a to do list longer enough to wrap around the outside of the house twice, who can't seem to figure out how to juggle husbands, kids, church, and all the hundreds of things that go with it, and who is always complaining about having no time for herself to suddenly decide to get chickens. We had thought about getting some chickens in the spring when it gets warmer but my obsessive self suddenly kicked in and voila, 24 hours later we have a coop and 3 chickens (Ellinor, Chloe and hawk). So far the kids love going out to look at the chickens and gather their eggs and I have enjoyed the half dozen eggs they have laid so far but sometimes I wonder what is going on in my own head.