Values-Driven

Things have been quiet here lately (relatively speaking). Marc has been home for the past couple of weeks and that has allowed him needed time to invest in his local disciples. He’s also been able to do some work around the yard, including fencing in with chicken wire for some rabbits and chickens and making proper housing for each. The children are thrilled with the new additions! Feels more like home and brings back good memories.

Here are just a few of the new additions–the one gray rabbit is Peter, and he’s officially the “pet,” though the others will eventually end up in the pot. 🙂

With the difficulty of getting eggs in quantity, I was especially pleased that we acquired  twelve chickens (though only 8 are hens and quite a few of them still young). Within a few days we started getting two eggs a day–yay!! But our neighbor insisted that one of the hens we had gotten from him would go broody if we let them collect, and he assured us that increasing our flock was a good thing. Marc agreed, and so…we’re still buying eggs, a few here and a few there, as we wait to see if Mama Hen will, indeed, step up.

Enoch (at almost 18 months now!) keeps us all smiling, although as Marc said the other day, “He’s one-foot-three with a five-foot attitude.” Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. As we say, he is rather “vertically challenged.” Here’s a recent photo of Enoch reading with Jubilee:

I remember Isaiah at this age–talking a blue streak such that I was able to have adult-like conversations with him. At the time, I thought that was normal. By the time we got to number 5 (who was rather slow to talk), I remember asking the pediatrician about his lack of verbalization. He assured me that by 18 months, most children only have about six words in their vocabulary. I was rather surprised but could actually count six words that Micah was able to say. Enoch also seems rather non-verbal, though he certainly makes himself known and his intentions clear. Here are his words (you can see he favors the “N” sound!):

Nigh-Nigh (when it’s sleepy time)

No-No (you can guess he hears this a lot!)

Nose

Nice (He was so mean to the cats that we’ve trained him a bit on how to pet them “nice” and he’s actually getting it!)

Dada

Mama

Bye (when Daddy leaves on the motor bike…accompanied by “vvvvvvvvvvvvvv,” since he loves the vroom-vroom!)

Dit! (When the chickens come in the house, I say, “Git!” and chase them out. Very cute to see little Enoch chase a chicken, waving his fat little fist at it, boldly declaring that it should, “DIT!”)

Wow, just shy of 18 months and…eight words!