Summer 2009

I found Moses in our bathroom looking @ a hunting magazine. I had to frame it and put it over our toilet.
We went to the Gulf in Sept and camped @ a state beach in Destin, FL. It was our second year there and we had a blast. We all had so much fun @ the beach and fishing.
I love this picture and if it had all of us in it I would totally use it as a Christmas card this year!
Cole caught this ladyfish when we rented a boat. He reeled it in like any good deep sea fisherman and if only you could have seen the excitement!!!
Rezin followed with a catfish. I never knew that there were catfish in the ocean....
Man, Rezin seems to grow daily! That sweet face just melts my heart.
For Halloween we have 2 dirt bike riders and a muscle Spiderman.

What we've been doing lately

Cole caught this huge catfish at the lake by grandma's house. He is totally obsessed with fishing and feels like he don't get enough fishing time. The kids fishes at least 5 days a week!!
Rezin did a "Boy's Only" art camp for a week and loved it. He also got to work with clay everyday:) He is such an artist.
Rezin helping knead dough for supper.
Moses & his pacifier:) How will we ever get him to give it up?
Rezin & Moses having a picnic in the dining room! I love it when the kids have fun together.

A new Old toy

This is Moses playing happily with a train set that has been in our homeschool room for over a year and has NEVER been played with. So now that I am cleaning and purging we (Dan & I) decided it was time to get rid of it.
Well, Moses and Rezin do not agree!! They have been playing with it in the garage for half the day. Why are toys better when it is time for them to go?
Moses has a love/hate relationship with this train set. He loves it when it stays on track but when they fall of he resorts to this...
Yes, that is a John Deere tractor in the background.

Keeping It Real!!!

I do have a really sweet friend, Janell and with her there's no pretense, if you're invited over your gonna eat what their family would eat every night and the house is gonna be like it always is, and I LOVE that about her, I love being invited over to be part of the family!

This is what my really good friend Cyndi wrote about me on her blog. You should really check out her blog "www.oldtimecyndi.blogspot.com" and read more on what she had to say on us moms/wifes and all we do, want to do, and want others to think we do! Anyway it got me to thinking.
I could post just this pic of Cole reading to Moses and talk about the wonderful sides of homeschooling and how I love to see my kids help each other out. Only show pics of my house looking tidy, all my kids smiling, and photoshop pics of me if I knew how. So often we only let others see what we want them to see. We don't keep it real.
So many times us moms only see that part! It is so easy to notice what others are doing and what I am not doing. I realize that Satan so wants us moms to either be caught in the trap of being focused on our shortcomings, compared to other Moms, or he wants us to be on the other side and put our focus on how we want to look on the outside. Like Cyndi was saying, wanting others to see us, our homes, families, abilites, etc so much more than they really are. I think that this would be called pride and pride sucks. It is debilatating!!!
Lets keep it real!!! There are only 24 hours in a day. The kids need us, our husbands, friends, we need time with the Lord, house needs cleaning, bills need paying, school needs to get done, and so on. You get my drift.
Moses I just love this kid. He loves, I mean loves his pacifier, and blanket and we have no idea how we will say goodbye to the pacifier.
Little boy booty crack is so cute!!
Cole found these frogs at the lake. They were in the process of mating and he tried to seperate them but daddy frog held on tight. He put them in a tank and the next day we found them still together and the momma was laying a ton of eggs.

What we have been up to...

On Memorial day we took the kids to Amicalola Falls and the kids swam and fished in the water. Moses was not content to be in the mellow pools of water. He really wanted to make it to the raging rapids. He calls swimming - "swimim" !! Dan and I spent the day being pulled by a really strong and determined two year old.
Everyone but Moses and I caught at least one fish!!!
This is so funny. It was pretty hot out and the boys had been out a lot that morning. They wanted to go back out while I put Moses down for a nap. I was fine with that as long as they both wore a hat. This is what I found when I looked out my bedroom window. They are going down into the creek looking for frogs and snakes, one has a winter beenie (which will NOT protect the face and neck from the sun) and the other has one of my sun hats on. I had to laugh and I still smile when I see this picture. At least they listened.
Can you guess what this picture is? I wish I had awesome gifts to give to the first person to guess correctly, but I don't so I will tell you....GOAT BALLS!!!
I told you that they were kinds cute! I can't believe that I just said that.

All Before 10AM!!

Our days are always filled with "adventure" and there is rarely a dull moment. Today has been no different.
Cole, Moses, and I went out to feed animals, let the chickens out of their coop, let the goats into the back pasture, and hang the clothes on the line. While I was hanging the clothes on the line I pulled a pair of jeans out of the laundry basket and something feel on my bare feet. You will for sure NEVER guess and let me guarantee you that it would have NEVER happened in California. GOAT BALLS!!! Yes you read that right. When Dan made our male goats wethers he used the band method. You put these heavy duty bands around their ...... you know and they eventually fall off. Rezin found something cool in the yard yesterday and brought them to me. I told him what they were and he decided to save them in his pocket for daddy to see.
So I washed them, not knowing of course and I know that is gross. But, I am glad that I was on top of the laundry because that could have been really bad left in the laundry room.
I found Moses in the creek. When you let him out he makes a beeline for the creek. He brought some "inside" toys out....which means they probably will never make it back in. When I finally got him out, his cloth diaper was covered in mud and poop!!! He cried all the way to the bath because he would rather stay in the mud and poop.
Rezin was on the back porch and was peeing in a fish aquarium that he had tadpoles in. GROSS I know!!! I don't think that the tadpoles would make it. I have no idea what makes them do these things. I made him pee in the grass and not the tank. This afternoon we will be cleaning that tank, I assure you.
Just think if I updated daily how much adventure I could share with you:)

What did you just say????

Rezin and I were on the couch the other day and I thought that he was asleep. I was flipping through the channels (which isn't that exciting since we don't have the DISH anymore:). Well, anyway... I came across Legally Blonde and you know the older lady that Reese Witherspoon hangs out with who always seems to be popping out of her tops, if you know what I mean!! rezin, who I thought was asleep says, "Momma, I can see her pits!!! He was half asleep so I had to have him repeat himself. Heck, I probably still would have needed him to repeat himself even if it was during the day. He went ahead and repeated, "I can see her pits!!!"
I am trying to figure out what he means...can he really see her armpits I mean she is wearing a strapless dress? That is such a weird body part to comment on! So I say, "Honey what do you mean her pits? Her armpits?" He replies, half annoyed & half disgusted, "those FAT things that girls have!!!" OH MY GOSH!!! He is talking about her chest....he is referring to them a fat things with disgust!!!
Dan and I have been laughing about this ever since and will probably laugh over this as long as we live:) I am just glad he said it to me and not his Sunday School teacher. We are trying to straighten up the difference between our ARM pits and our chest.

I pretty much love our chickens!!

Ok, so take a look at these beautiful eggs!!! The blueish one is from our Aracuana chicken (we have 2 more we are waiting and hoping that they will start laying soon). The Aracuana "Easter Egg" chicken will lay eggs varying from turqoise to deep olive to shades of brown. Everyone else lays shades of brown. Cole is selling his eggs at church and he tries to make sure that everyone who buys his eggs gets a blue one!!!
So anyway, I just... we just LOVE our chickens and hope to always have them. We have always had a rooster (well, always meaning since we moved to GA and started the country life thing.) We would hear all these stories of roosters flogging people (more about that later if you have no idea). Well we have never had one of those kinds of roosters......
until now!!!! Meet Mr. Flogger!!!!!! He is huge, you may not be able to tell from this picture but trust me on this one. He loves to strut his stuff, cock-a-doodle-doo, puff up his hackle and try to scare the you know what out of people. Well all of his "cockyness" has been making me more and more nervous, and as of today Mr. Flogger and I are no longer friends.
Look at how much bigger he is than everyone else. I would have loved to have taken a picture of him on the other side of the fence but I am terrified!!!!
Here's the story...
I went out this morning with my barn pants (old pair of jeans that get poo, mud, and other yucky stuff on them), my egg basket, and my bin of kitchen scraps to feed the chickens with. I took care of the goats so that they were happy!! Then I let the chickens out and gave them their scraps. One important thing to point out is I also bring a broom, you will see why. Today I had very little scraps because we ate out last night. Well, Mr. Flogger was not happy about that. He meet me at the door of the chicken coop and when I tried to leave with my basket full of eggs he said NO. He wouldn't backdown and when I went a little to the left, so did he. When I went a little to the right, so did he. By now my heart was racing!!!
All I could think about was how Dan was flogged by the rooster twice on Saturday while we where trying to round up goats. Dan though was not scared. He is so very brave!!!! He just did what he keeps telling me to do...Soccer kick him. I don't have my witts about me in that situation to think to soccer kick. I was raised in the city remmeber and never had to worry about flogging roosters. Plus my legs are way too short and if I get close enough to kick him, then that rooster is just way too close.
Anyway back to my story. My heart was racing and I was telling the rooster to "STOP" but he didn't listen. Well I scooted a little bit too much to the right for him and he went up to flog me. Which means he jumped up, and tried to get me with his spurs. They jump up really high (for me anyway) and they are really quick as they try to go pow, pow with their spurs. Thank God for that broom because I was able to scream and pin him to the ground. What good does that do? I still have to get out of there. I can't stand their all day holding him down. When I let go he started all over again and I was yelling "NO, STOP IT!!!!!!" I threw an egg to try and distract him and he didn't even look away from me. He wanted me dead!!!! That is how I took it:) I have no idea what made him walk away, he probably saw a hen that looked good to him. He is such a cocky little punk!!! I high-tailed it out of there and called Dan to let him know that when he got home from work today we would be making some fresh chicken stew!!!!!!
I would have killed him myself...if I knew how to:) I will learn tonight though.
Oh, yeah during all the flogging, he made me break all the eggs in my basket.

Gardening

Our super nice neighbor Mr. Daryl came over with his tractor and started breaking ground for our garden. We are so excited:) It was so much fun to watch him break ground and talk about all the yummy things that we will be able to grow.
Today I cleaned out the chicken coop and filled a wheel barrel full of poop for the garden. The kids asked if they could poop in the garden? I say no way!!! They want to know why not, if we put chicken poo and horse poo in the garden, why not our poo? I have to think about that one!!!

Kung Fu Rezin!!!

Rezin is now an orange belt!!!! He has been doing Karate now for about a month or so and he is so funny to watch. Sometimes he is in to it and sometimes he is in lala land.
The one thing about Karate that will always bring Rezin back is kicking. He loves kicking, he is one great "board breaker".

Wild Olive Tees

You guys have to check out this website:
www.wildolivetees.com
They have the cutest tees with verses. I am so excited to get me one!!
Janell

Georgia Clay!!!

The boys LOVE mud!!!! This is the damage of Rezin, Moses & a little bit of mud!!! Mud has some type of magnetic force that draws my children. The red Georgia clay is continually growing our amount of "play clothes" because of the stains. So if you ever come over and wonder why my children look like mountain children, it is because they are!!! They have fun outside and they can prove it, just look at this water.

Building a Dam

The boys can rarely ever sit still!!! We are so blessed to have the property we have because they love every piece of it. Today we enjoyed building Dams. I watched as they busied themselves. They built one up the creek earlier in the week but today they decided to move it downstream. Moses loves wading in the FREEZING water until he is begging for a bath. I love to watch their little minds work and think everything through.

Today was a good day!!

Today was so nice because we were able to spend so much time outdoors. It has been really cold and we have all been cooped up in the house. The boys are so wound up that they can't keep from wrestling, which we all know turns ugly really quick.

Cole is so in love with these goats (we all are, really). Shadow was giving him a kiss.
Cole would just love to spend all day out with the animals. He would love it if I could follow him around reading to him while he goes about his business. Outside school is his favorite.
Cole wears Dans' boats around outside and they are rather large.
We are trying to get Moses to stop chasing the goats and stay still long enough for Cookie & Shadow to come up to them.
Here they come!!
Cookie and Shadow love to play ring around the tree. They jump out at each other and it is so fun to watch. Rezin was cracking up when they started to play with him.
One of my favorite things about winter is that you truly appreciate a warm sunny day!!! When the warmth of spring approaches you can feel, see, hear, and smell everything outside is out and about, excited to enjoy that warmth. I find that there is a renewed sense of awareness when everything begins to come to life. I am getting way to excited, winter is not over and we will surely have plenty of really cold days to come. But hey, that is what makes the warm ones so fun!!!

Dan is ready to milk a goat!!!!!

Well the lastest excitement at the Samstag Farm started when I got back from California. I really wanted Sasha (our goat) to wait to have her babies until I got home. She honored that requested.
Here is what happened...
We got home Monday night around 10pm and after laying the kids in bed Dan and I went out to the barn to check on the animals. Sasha had 2 babies !!! One didn't make it (so sad). They were/are both boys because that is how we roll!!!! The problem is that Sasha is so timid that she does not want to be around us humans. This makes it really hard to help her out and tend to her and the baby. Anyway Dan had to take the baby and help dry him off because it was below freezing. Of course Sasha didn't want anything to do with us but Cupcake (the other momma goat) came with her babies to check out the new baby. Then the drama began......and didn't get us in bed until 2 am.
Our super sweet, really good momma Cupcake went in to see Sasha and they started fighting, it was not pretty. The really sucky thing is that Cupcake went on to headbutt Sasha's baby
so hard that the baby flew a few feet. Oh my goodness, I freaked!!!! So we had to separate everyone, it was freezing, late, and a crazy welcome home to the farm. I like it though!!!!
So back to the milking. Sasha doesn't seem to be as good of a mother as Cupcake and every time I went out to check on her and her baby the baby was under the heatlamp and Sasha was on the other side of the stall.
After dinner Dan went out found the same scenerio and we were concerned. The feed stores were all closed but they answered the phone. The ending consenes was that if we don't get colostrum in the baby he won't make it through the night. So remember that Sasha doesn't like to be around us humans and she has horns. So Dan dressed up in his dirt bike helmet and chest protector and told me to get it together and come help him catch the goat and milk her!!!!! So off we went to the barn with the children.
Dan caught her after some effort and it went surprisingly well. At one point Dan had straddled the goat and he had two horns resting on his butt as he was trying to readjust. Talk about sweating bullets. If she freaked out she could have been the one to decide if we have another baby or Dan would have had to go to the ER with some puncture wounds to the butt!!!!
We got 8 ounces of colostrum out of momma and then little bugger wouldn't take the bottle. He fits right in here. He is a boy and he is a stubborn fighter. I will let you know how it turns out. It is 10 pm and we are waiting for the kids to fall asleep so we can go back out to try again.
We are learning so, so much!!!!

New additions!!!!

We are so excited to have new babies at our house. We woke up to these two new additions!!!
The black baby looks just like his daddy and the tan, white, and black baby looks just like momma. As you can see Cole is so very proud of his kids. Dan and I are so blessed to watch him nurture these new babies. He is glowing with excitement and pride. He is content to just lay in the barn with them.

I tried uploading the pictures on flickr.com to see if it is any faster. I am just trying it out. Next time I will add the details with the pictures. Slowly but surely I will get it. But anyway, enjoy the pictures. We are having so much fun with all the animals that we have now. We are also learning so much from them.

New life is so amazing not only in us humans but also with animals. Dan and I are so stoked that our kids are experiencing all of this first hand. Just another reason we chose to leave Southern California and move to Georgia.

Love you guys,
Janell

www.flickr.com Go to janellsam's photostream

Goats & Kids

Sasha is very pregnant and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of her kids.
Moses desperately wants to be in on the action. Look on to see why I don't want him in.
He is trying so hard to get in. (It is in the low 30s and the wind hurts)
Cole & Rezin have decided that they will lasso Billy and teach him to walk on a lead leash. Billy says HECK NO!!! They worked so hard for so long in the cold. I love the determination when it is not against me. They ended up trying to get into his pen with him. I had to remind them several times that he has horns and a much harder head. Cole put the rope on a stick just like Steve Irwin and tried to get that lasso over Billy's head.
Finally he succeeded and it took both if them on the rope to pull Billy out of his pen. Once he was free he bucked and thrashed and got loose. They worked so hard and had so much fun doing it. When they can out of his enclosure Cole told me that he would work with Billy everyday until Billy was comfortable with it. He has been out there everyday.
The reason Billy is apart from his pregnant ladies is because he is so ruff with them. He won't let anyone but Cupcake eat until he is done. He makes eating time a fight. Also we don't know exactly when the girls were breed because he stayed with them all the time. He is not happy to be away from them though. He needs a friend.