Chicks and Egg Hunt #1

The chicks are getting far too big for their box. I don't have a larger place to put them right now, though, so the box is where they'll stay. I did install a 'roost' for them. They like to perch. Sometimes, when we're in the kitchen or hanging out in the living room, we'll let the flaps down on the sides of the box and the chicks will fly up to sit on the edge.

They watch us for a while, perch, and hop back down to the warmth, food, and water. The chicks are fully capable of flying out of the box at any time, actually, regardless of the flap position, and they know that, but they haven't tried to escape...yet. On warmer days, we've taken them outside to explore. They're pretty nervous outdoors. They're also fantastically interested in little seeds and bugs and will fight each other to gobble them up. Alice loves picking up Agnes and putting her in new places (Edith won't let Alice catch her). Robert points out all the poops they leave behind with an "uh-oh, poop!"

Buddy does wear pants sometimes, I swear. Maybe I just find him more photogenic when he's less formally attired?

All the kids had school off for Good Friday. My friend Natalie and I put on a little egg hunt. Natalie has the PERFECT yard for hunting eggs: so many nooks and crannies and wild bits to search. We hid 120 eggs for 13 kids to find, then Natalie kept re-hiding some more for the littlest kids. I tried something new this year with wooden eggs. The kids collected the eggs and turned them in for a treat/surprise bag. We played other outdoor games, too, like egg and spoon racing and freeze tag. When we took a break for cupcakes, the kids sat down in a strangely segregated way:

See? Robert has pants!

Alice dressed herself extra fancy for the party and insisted that she would not be cold in short sleeves, a skirt, and flip flops. She was completely comfortable running, jumping, climbing, dancing, chasing, and racing. I like a girl who knows her own needs.

My co-hosting duties kept me from taking pictures of everything, but they didn't rob me of valuable chat time with friends. It was a good balance to strike and I would throw another party like that any time.