It's hard to explain what it has meant for our family to live around farms and animals. In actuality we're from in-town and miss the sounds, smells, and quick access to convenience and diversity. But living out where no one has heard of our town and half the people who live here seems like they're trying to disappear from the world, has it's perks. We've gotten a real feel for a few things we've been curious about and wanted to learn and one of those things was goats. 

Now that Christmas has passed...tis the season for kidding. Lots and lots of kidding. We've been lucky over the last 2 years to experience a small heard that is housed next door. We've seen more animals die than we like to remember but we've seen plenty live to learn a bit more every time of what it takes to raise a few animals. We don't have more than our small flock of Chickens, a dog and 3 cats at the moment. But we're lucky to learn with some animals that aren't ours. It's all preparation for later when we can find a place for our own goats and such... When we moved here we wanted to teach our kids how to learn from things in a hands on way and we're having that experience every time we go next door. This isn't the first experience like this and it won't be the last, but every time it's special. 

Two nights ago Astor was called upon to help guide the little goats out of this tiny little coop-house. He fit and the goats needed to find their mothers. But while we were there trying to understand goat behavior there was a little guy who was barely holding on. He couldn't walk and he couldn't fight or defend himself for milk. His mother was a first time kidder and she hardly knew what to do either. Astor and I decided to try to help the little guy. I held onto his mother and Astor brought the baby over to try to nurse without the other goats pushing them one way or another. The baby got a belly. Maybe not full. But he got some. He was so week he couldn't even walk on his legs, but on the back of his hooves doubled over. We were delighted to see that The little guy made it. This is him(Teagan) nursing from his mam (Meagan). He  seems like he'll be strong and we'll be happy to watch him grow and frolick... Another fun thing is that last year we met Meagan when she was just a few hours old. He name comes from her coloring of nutmeg. 

We watched the goats and saw another little baby, scrawny and bleeding. A mother goat picked him up on her horns and threw him off. Mother goats know their kids by smell. This little guy is called third wheel because he doesn't quite belong. Nobody will let him nurse, he's skinny, his ears are puffy from frost bite and he might not make it through another night. That's the reality you have to accept when you have lots of animals around. Some are stronger than others. Some will die. 

But we weren't going to leave before we tried to him get a belly full of milk to help him get through the night. Astor was very enthusiastic about helping. He didn't get to do what he really wanted, which was to milk a goat, but he did something more important. Babies can suck much more effectively than we can milk their mothers and there will be more opportunities to milk the goats to come. Astor didn't hesitate to be right at the mothers hooves holding that baby even when she pushed and fought not to let the baby suck and he could have been kicked. He was pushed over a time or two...

Astor tried to get this friendly goat to take the baby... not so much luck. Third wheel sucked on Astor's ears, nibbled on his chin and posed for a picture. 

Astor and 3rd wheel.

Helping 3rd Wheel get a few sips of milk from somebody elses mother...

In other School News:

Ada has been using the typewriter she asked for from Santa Claus to write an adventure story of a wizard. We' played a train game with lot's of geography, strategy and math that will hopefully help her to think of plots twists!

Nahuel has been doing lots of research about different trains and working on his train table Today he helped Papa to change the air filter in the car!

Leonardo got a few awesome books from Santa and has loved having them read to him. He has difinitively decided that he likes the stories that are longer better than the ones that don't have very many things happen...His favorite is Lucia the Luchadora. It's about a girl who learns a special skill from her abuela (grandmother) and her name is Lucia and Leonardo has an abuela named Lucia!