I don’t know if you noticed this picture from my last post, Ten on Ten. If you clicked on it you would have seen the title, deciding on a last minute birthday trip for Alan. It was either Disneyland or up to the snow. We decided on snow.

Here’s a bit from our day:

Have I ever mentioned that Nathan likes coffee? Well he does.

Video on Flickr

COFFEE!!!!

On the weekend we went swimming again. When we took a break to eat, Isabelle was running around with the camera. Then she handed it off to Nathan. He shot this.

I love how you can hear him saying, “picture picture picture”. And then the part with him running and all you see is his feet? Ack, I die, it’s so cute.

Video on Flickr

We’re not really great on planning ahead. This weekend, as you can tell from the video, we went to the library and to Waterworld. We knew we were going to the library simply because I had put a book on hold and it had come in. But Waterworld? Well, that was sort of last second. On Saturday, the weather was so nice, we were bummed we didn’t go swimming after the library.

So on Sunday, a little after noon, I hopped on the bed to wake Alan and said, “LET’S GO SWIMMING!!!” And we went.

When we got there, we saw a big ducky walking around. We thought it was a little weird. Isabelle wanted to take a picture with him but when we walked up she changed her mind. She was scared. We didn’t give the ducky much thought beyond that. If we were more observant we would have noticed a couple of tables with duckies on them.

I didn’t see them until we went to grab something to eat.

Turns out there was a rubber ducky derby to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Oakland. I wonder if there was a big ducky derby sign on the entrance that we missed as well. That would not surprise me. That’s what happens when you’re herding two kids, so I say to myself.

I’ve never seen a ducky derby before. Is was quite fun to see so many duckies all at once.

I think I was more excited than the kids. No. Definitely. Nathan could have cared less. And Isabelle thought it was cool but I’m the one who dragged her closer to look. And I’m the one who wanted to hang around in the kiddie playing area so I could snap a photo of them.

And right when the duckies were in sight, when I was just about to take my picture with the lead ducks in front and all the ducks streaming behind them, some young people jumped in front of me, past the RED DO NOT CROSS LINE to snap pictures of themselves (I sound so old saying that. I should have typed some young whippersnappers jumped in front of me. Ha ha ha).

I have a few pictures of one of the girl’s fingers. And some of the girl’s face. They were just snapping away while the lifeguard repeatedly told them they weren’t allowed past that section. They ignored him. They heard him. Oh yes they did. They acknowledged him but kept on going. These young people now-a-days, no manners (imagine me as an old woman saying that. Hee hee).

Alan joked that it would have been funny if they had dropped their phone, which they were using to take pictures, into the water. I laughed evilly at the thought. That’s a little mean but bwa ha ha (imagine that as an evil laugh)!

Well, after the rubber ducky derby we shared some ice cream.

And then we went home.

Seriously Bridgette we need to go together THIS YEAR. Let’s make a plan for it ok? Helen and her kids want to come sometime too.

I haven’t talked about the chicks in a while. Well…they’re not chicks anymore really. But I still call them that, “the chicks”.

They weren’t really cooperating with my efforts to take photos of them.

Here. Video. A bit better.

Not chicks on Flickr

You can see they’re really not chicks anymore. But are they full grown chickens now? I don’t know. Alan doesn’t think so. They need a couple of months more to start laying. And they sound mostly like chicks still, not chicken sounding much.

Well, the chicks have been moved outside finally.

We got an Omlet Eglu cube for them. Chicks aren’t expensive at all. But housing for chicks? My yes that is expensive.

We thought about making a coop but materials aren’t cheap not to mention the actual making part. After doing some research, seeing how much people were spending to make coops then seeing that Eglus are easy to clean, insulated (which the chicks desperately need in our unforgiving sunblasted backyard), and safe, we went with them.

Yes, safe. Well mostly. I think we still need to get some hardware cloth. I’ve never seen a raccoon but I worry they’ll get our chicks and I’ll find bits of them in the morning. So very morbid and paranoid of me.

In fact, the first night we put them out, I was so worried, I had Alan stay home that night. And then one night we didn’t lock them up safe and tight. When we got home late I refused to let Isabelle check on them, worried that we’d find bits. Obviously they were fine and I am a weirdo.

But back to what I was saying. The cube. Why we got it. It probably helped that the cube was on sale at the time. Also if we want to get rid of it down the line, it is probably more sellable than a wooden coop we make.

And now that the chicks are outside, we’re outside a lot more too. You know, hanging out in the pool for one.

And your basic shenanigans.

Have a good weekend everyone.