More babies ...

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost two weeks. Last week was spring break for Mike and the two older kids who take classes at the junior college, so everyone was home and busy! At the end of the week, the girls and I attended a homeschool conference. Margaret and I spoke about community colleges. Our session appeared to be well received. Margaret also led a Harry Potter book discussion with a group of children.

While Margaret and I were giving our presentation, the population at Antiquity Oaks grew by another two baby goats, both doelings! Jonathan and his dad were home to dry off the babies and make sure the kids got a good start nursing. Then Saturday night after we got home from the conference, Margaret checked on Carmen and came into the house to tell us that she would definitely be giving birth before the night was over. And she did. We all went out to the barn for the event. She had buck-doe twins, and I want to keep both of them. (They're the kids in the picture.) They are the first kids out of our new sire, Pegasus, who is the son of the 2005 National Champion Doe. Then Sunday night, our mini mancha, Tulip kidded with a single doeling.

The conference was wonderful, and my mind has been spinning ever since. Being around homeschoolers and speaking about the subject intelligently (as opposed to hashing over the same old issues that non-homeschoolers talk about) helped me to figure out a few things that I had never thought about before. DoesMargaret's perfectionism come from all those years of music lessons, having teachers who wanted her to "get it right" before moving on to the next piece? Does student-led learning work so well for our family because Mike and I are constantly teaching ourselves new things ... like housebuilding, sewing, spinning, etc? Do the parents of those kids who "watch TV all day" watch TV all night themselves, setting an unfortunate example for their children? Maybe I came back with more questions, not necessarily answers! But I came back with new questions and new ways of looking at things.

Green grass is finally starting to peek through the dead grass that has been covering our pastures for the past few months, and the visits from wild ducks and Canada geese are getting more frequent. It is always so exciting to see the first signs of spring.