Life is never boring when you live on a farm!  There is ALWAYS something to be done.  This weekend proved to be very productive.  Not only did we pull a full truckload of recycle off our land, we also got the tractor unstuck (it's been stuck in a swampy area for over a month), fixed the PTO, bush-hogged the pasture, cleaned the fence line, cut some trees, and cleaned and organized the garage.  Yesterday, Brandon and I started enclosing the second half of the barn, which to this point has been mostly unused, to get it ready for more goats. We have lots of things to think about, and many different options available.  We have to be extra diligent on the choices we make to ensure the smoothest operations in the future.  It's so exciting to see our farm grow!

This week, I will be working with son, Cameron, building a small cabin on the property.  Cameron will be thirteen this Saturday, and wanted a space of his own by the pond for his birthday present.  I hope we can get it finished before the big day!  Will update with pics during the build.

In other news, Lily and all six pups are doing great!  Lily is an amazing mother, and yesterday she finally felt comfortable enough to leave the cage while they were sleeping for a nice long break in the yard.  She seems to be recovering from the births very well.  Will get more pics of the pups up very soon.  I can't wait to show, because they are SOOO ADORABLE!!

Lily went into active labor around 12:30 am this morning, and had her first puppy shortly thereafter.  She needed a little help with the first, as the head was stuck, so Brandon finally pulled it out and I rubbed it with a towel to get it breathing. She had no further troubles, and by 3:30 she had had SIX puppies!  5 are black and one is brown (I think!)  Here is a pic of the first little guy who needed help being born (who then made a full recovery)...

And here is a pic of momma and her pups this morning...

Lily is an EXCELLENT mom, and knew just what to do!  She is exhausted today and so are we!!  Will get more pics up when everyone is cleaned up.

In a related note, Brandon and I spent all afternoon yesterday shaving down Lily's coat to prepare her for the birth and relieve her from this record heat we've been having.  We figured, while we were at it, we should also give the goats haircuts, and let me tell ya, they look AWESOME!  Check out the goat page for Topper and Trixie sporting their new dos!

Everyone is on puppy watch this week as we are expecting our Shih-tzu, Lily, to deliver any day now.   What will the puppies look like?  It's anyone's guess!  Will update with pics as soon as she delivers.

Beyonce lost 7 of her 8 kits last night and this morning.  As of this afternoon, the last one was still kicking, but I'm not getting my hopes up that it will survive.  I'm trying not to feel discouraged, because it is very common for first timers to lose their first litter due to being inexperienced...doesn't make it any easier though. We will give her another chance, and hope for the best out of the next litter.

Our farm is growing every day, and now I think it's safe to say that we have more babies than anything else!  Our two Nigerian Dwarf goats are doing well and adjusting to their new schedule and surroundings.  I took some pics of them this morning in their new enclosures. We are still having a little trouble letting them out into the pasture because they want to be with us so much that they hate to be alone!

I finished building the goat stanchion this weekend.  We are really happy with it, and it works very well!  Still need to put a coat of paint on it soon.

This is our new barn kitty.  Her name is Buttercup OR Sparta.  We haven't quite hammered down the name that will stick yet. =)

This morning, a coworker brought me 6 Rhode Island Red chicks, who will become our next generation of egg layers.  Thank you so much to Brent @ Grafftek.com !!   The chicks seem very happy in their new surroundings.

In other "baby" news, Beyonce and her 8 baby bunnies are doing well.  We were a little worried at first because she wasn't being very "motherly", but by Saturday morning she had completely changed her tune, and spent all morning filling her nest box with fur and straw.  We can't wait till these little bunnies come jumping out of their nest!

We also have another expectant momma on the farm.  Our shih-tzu, Lily, is definitely expecting.  We figure her to be about 6 weeks along.  Unfortunately, we have no idea who sired the pups, yet, but we have strong suspicions towards a neighbor's mini dachshund.   Dachshihtz puppies anyone???  =)

We were all wrong!  Beyonce was INDEED pregnant.  8 kits delivered July 7th.

Last night, Brandon, Mom and I picked up our Nigerian Dwarf goats from Jasper Pine Farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana.  Kathy and Jim Sullivan were nice enough to show us around their farm and teach us how to perform various goat duties.  We brought our babies home around 10pm, and they settled in for the night.  This morning, our doeling, Trixie, was quite confused, and is fussing a bit, but I'm sure she will calm down soon.  The kids are giving them both lots of attention, and Ethan and Cameron took Topper fishing with them this afternoon.  Below are pics of Trixie and Topper loaded up in the crate for the ride home.  In other news, we still don't have any rabbit babies, and we are all quite certain that our doe, Beyonce, is NOT pregnant.  We are going to try breeding them again tonight and see if it sticks this time.