Abbie and Kaylah's Baby Lambs

Nathan's brother, Chris, and his wife, Katee lived in Arizona when we were out west.  We had fun visiting different places there and even went to the Grand Canyon together.  They have moved back to Virginia since then and now live in the house that the three brothers lived in while growing up.  We knew they had added animals to their space, but I have not been up there to see all that is going on until this visit.

I hit the jackpot when I did go up, because two babies were born that day.  One of them was born minutes before Mom and I arrived and was still all sticky and wet.  What a beautiful thing to be a part of! 

They are all active in 4-H, and shared some of what they are doing there.  Abbie showed us her skills with bracing.

Katee showed off some of the beauties that live here.  It was clear to me that she spends a lot of time bonding with the animals and really loves it.

We can't forget about the chickens.  Well, you really can't forget about chickens because they won't let you if you are anywhere near them.

Every farm needs a great dog and this was one great dog.  I wanted to bring Zoe home with me.

It was so heartwarming to see life and love filling the place that had sat empty for far too long.  Do you think I could fit one of these in the RV?  It could sleep right next to the horse I am wanting to bring along when we start to travel again!  That will be one downside to our lifestyle, no space for the cool animals that the other family members get to own.  I guess I will just have to be content to soak up the goodness of their animals when I visit and be the aunt to both the children and the pets.

 Living the life in VA!

The Snow is Melting...Already!

 One thing that fascinated me when we lived in Virginia was how quickly snow melts here.

 I lived much of my life in Michigan and snows melts at the end of spring.  If it is a warm year.

 Otherwise, snow falls on the ground.  More snow falls on the ground on top of that snow and the cycle continues all winter long.  At some point the ground is covered with dirty snow.  Not real appealing at all to look at and it gets slick to walk on.

Here it stays nice and clean until it melts and then it is just a memory.  I can handle snow like that!  It will probably be all melted by tomorrow at this rate!

Living the life in fickle VA!

Snow in March!

 We woke up this morning and saw that it snowed more while we were asleep.  I went outside to snap some shots of the snow before anyone else was outside.

 I'd forgot how quiet the world is when there is fresh snow on the ground.  It seems like it's nature's way of saying, "hush".

The only other creature I saw stirring was Russ.  Russ was moving around in the snow, but even he was quiet beyond that.

It is such a strange thing to have weather like this in March!  Luckily Mom has a fireplace where we could stay snuggled up next to and see the beauty of the snow while staying cozy and warm.  I think Russ is a bit jealous of that.

 

Sorry Russ!  Living the life in snowy VA!

Trip to Virginia Complete With a Surprise Once We Arrived!

Nathan and I took our first no children with us trip since...well, ever!  We went to Virginia to stay with his Mom.  We headed out on Friday and ended up getting stuck in traffic on Saturday but still made it there in decent time.

On Sunday, we headed down to Daryl and Diana's where we saw their new barn.

We also met Dustin, Lauren's new horse, who was largely the reason behind the barn.  I actually met Dustin once before, but got to spend more time really getting to know him this visit. 

While we were talking horses, Josh came out to see what we were doing.  And he brought some of the white stuff with him.

I'm not a fan of the white stuff.  It cracks me up when people ask if we miss snow.  I can't figure out what on earth there would be to miss.  It is pretty to look at.  If you are looking at it in a picture.  While sitting in Florida!  Beyond that, nope, we don't miss snow.

 

The chickens seemed to agree with me.  They had ruffled feathers over the snow.

 

By the time we drove back to Mom's house, this is what it looked like:

 I think it's time to hunker down and stay inside until the sun comes out and melts it all away again!

Living the life in cold VA!