Our Lyla at 3 years old is her own person!  One Saturday night I thought I'd get crafty and make Lyla's dress or Sunday... After 2.5 hours of sewing and getting it just right, I was satisfied.  Sunday morning rolls around and Lyla just wasn't having it!  She did wear the dress to Church but against her will and covered in a long pea coat... what a little stinker she is!  Rob told me after making the dress to hang it in her closet & just act like it was no big deal when I brought her clothes out for church, otherwise she wouldn't wear it.  Well I didn't listen, I started telling her about Mommy working hard on her dress and how I added a little lace apron on it for her.  Then came the look!!!  I knew then that she was just going to say 'no' simply so she'd be the one making the decision.  Why this story!??!  Just wanted to mark my word that one day Lyla will cling to the tiny little hand made dresses, as if they were plated in gold.  So, this is to you Lyla:  Momma will keep making you dresses and forcing you to wear them and when the day comes that you are grown and have a daughter of your own.. I want you to give me a hug & say thanks! :0)   I love you girly.

My heart is happy.

Tonight as I crawled in bed I thought about the rain that was coming in the morning and then thought about the bunnies and how they needed their bunny box inside their cage to shield the wind and rain.  So, I stumbled back out of bed & threw on some mud boots to set up the cozy little box for them.

On my walk in the dark to the bunny yard I thought about the sweet brown bunny that we had lost the day before.  Coco had some how snuck through the fence and was gone!  My heart was broken as were my children's.  Coco was a mini Charcoal (momma Bunny), she was the exact colors of her and was wild with adventure.  Coco was Lyla little bunny and I was beyond sad that she was gone.

As I set the box up inside their cage I tried to angle my flashlight so I could see Midnight (tate's baby bunny) and make sure he wouldn't get smooshed by the box.  As I shown the light on him I noticed a noise outside of the cage.. with the move of the flashlight I saw Coco!  I tried so hard to catch her, but she kept hoping from my grip... I lost her in the dark & she wasn't to be found inside the fenced area.  As I prayed for God to bring her back and I shown my flashlight all over the ground outside the fence I saw Banana Peel (Daddy Bunny), who lives in the hen yard fencing.. he had a little extra fur underneath and I realized it was Coco!  Banana Peel continued to love on Coco and snuggle with her as I watched on with tears in my eyes.  What you must understand, is that the male father will most times eat the baby bunnies or act aggressively with them... so much that you must remove them directly after birth from the same inclosure as the babies.  As Banana Peel loved on Coco I realized that the whole time that Coco was gone, Banana Peel had been caring for her.  We spent hours out by the hen yard today and not once did I see Coco.  I'm not sure where Banana Peel had her hid, but he did a great job keeping our lil one safe.  I was so proud to see Coco hop back through the fence to be with Momma Bunny.. she set right to nursing and is happily at home with baby Midnight and Charcoal.  My night is complete & I can now journey off to bed with a happy heart. I can't wait to tell my children when they wake that Coco found her way back to Charcoal and is safe and sound.

With two dogs who watch the bunny yard like hawks, this is a miracle in itself... so blessed to have witnessed such a sweet thing on The Engle Farm.

Here are a couple of videos of our sweet little Coco.

This video is before we moved the bunnies outside.  This is where my children spent most of their evenings :)

Our 3 acre patch of heaven holds more love than a city filled full of millions of people.

What we know as home is the best place we could be.  I feel so blessed to have such a fine place to raise my children.  Everything we've started here at our home was started with love.  What is being instilled in my children is better than any text book could teach.. we are teaching them to love.  We are teaching them that with love comes hard, selfless devotion to ourselves, each other, our land and animals.  It is days like today that we reap the rewards of our small farm.  

After eye balling our baby bunnies for the past week, I decided we'd hold them for the first time.  They are crawling around well & are covered in sweet, soft fur. The moment the kids held the bunnies my heart melted.  Lyla looked up at me in amazement... she looked at me and smiled such a content and happy smile as she held the lil creature that she will later feed, water and love.  

As Tate held the black baby bunny he looked up at me and asked why it was quivering a little bit, he was so concerned.  With this question and his expression I realized that the small things I'm doing to take a step back into the older days is working.  With Video games there isn't concern, love, communication, etc. But with our farm animals my children learn these things.  They also learn that with love comes a hurt, for if we didn't love these little creatures it wouldn't hurt so badly when we loose them.  After loosing our first set of bunnies, my children (and myself) were hurt.  We did everything we knew to do to keep them alive.  What we all learned from that was to let Momma bunny do what God set her here to do.  And look now, we have two healthy little bunnies!

I could go on and on about the things we learn and enjoy here on our lil' patch of land.. but I could never put it all into words.  So, when you hear of something strange I've done... like adopting a baby lamb, putting a diaper on it & sleeping on my couch with it ~ try to step outside of the box and look at the big picture.  After all, how many children get to bottle feed a sweet 3 day old baby lamb, or hold a two week old bunny in their tiny hands?  Mine do... and that's what matters to me.

And might as well throw this in there while I'm at it ~ Yes, I walk barefoot in my garden, and yes my feet are normally stained the color of clay during the summer months.. but gosh it feels so nice to feel the Georgia Clay between my toes ;)  So don't hate.. pull your shoes off and live a little! 

Have a nice night to all of you who follow my blog, make sure to live without worries..  live as if it didn't matter what people thought.. and then (only then) will you truly be living :)

OKAY ~ Forget the blog challenge.. I failed!

I can't possibly blog every single day of my life with a photo included.. so I'm going to update as I can & try to record our life and live it too :)

And to start all that off, while cleaning out our JUNK Cabinet that holds school work, taxes, etc. I found an old envelope that had scribbling on it ~ in that scribbling was words I jotted down that Lyla said to me about 8 months ago.  So that I never ever forget her innocence, here they are :)

LYLA:  Momma, did you know that Lady Bugs Cry?
ME: Nope, I didn't know that.
LYLA:  Yes, if they are outside they sometimes cry.
LONG PAUSE...
LYLA:  Well maybe they don't have a mouth to cry with!??!?!
ME:  Well then how do they eat?
LYLA:  I guess with their eyes!

 This is a convo we had about the horse that had died named Bella.

LYLA:  Mom, how did Bella go to Heaven?
ME: Well she was sick, very sick and just couldn't make it through.
LYLA:  Did God give her pink wings??

Just love that lil girl, so curious and sweet.  

Can you pick out the child who's mother is a photographer?!??!

In above photo, please look at the boy in Orange ~ front center.. behind his head you will see my son hiding! 

In above photo, please look at the boy in Orange again.. next to him you will see my son hiding AGAIN.. so this just tells us all, why I don't even attempt to photograph Tate any longer ;) These images were sent to me from Tate's teacher.. there was one more & he was completely hiding though I can't find the picture at this time.  I'll make sure to add it soon ;) Lil Turkey better stop hiding that cute lil face.. did make me laugh though ;)