Babies are here!

What a fun treat it is to have baby goats to love! We found the mother, Rosemary, just after she delivered the last kid early in the morning. We helped her clean two of the kids and promptly warmed them with towels and a heat lamp, while Nathan made a stop at our local feed store for milk replacement and bottles. 

Our little mother had triplets, which is quite a demand on her milk supply. Now we have the adventurous task of bottle feeding them to supplement their diets. The kids (the human ones) just LOVE this task, and get in all the cuddles they can with these gorgeous babies. 

They are named Nutmeg, Star Anise, and Kabob. Two girls, one boy. We are delighted. 

They already have distinct personalities emerging. Are you familiar with the characters from My Little Pony? 

Nutmeg is like the pony Rainbow Dash- daring, adventurous, smart and confident. She likes to explore the pasture and isn't afraid of anything.  

Star Anise is like the pony Pinky Pie- social, silly, a bit hyper, and super friendly. Everyone adores her, and she loves to seek out affection. She's genetically special for three reasons- blue eyes are rare, she's naturally hornless, and we adore the white star on her head. 

Kabob is like Fluttershy- timid, quiet, and still. He's also the runt and struggles to latch onto teats or bottle nipples. We had the sad job of force-feeding him just to keep him alive the first few days. Luckily today he started latching on to his mother's teats much better, so we are hopeful that he will survive long enough to introduce solid food. From there he has a much better chance of survival. 

Look how beensy he is! Not even as tall as my boot!

We get to feed him every 4 hours, which is a sticky mess for both of us. At least he's growing and healthy by all appearances, even if he is much smaller than the other two. 

Our children just LOVE playing with the babies each day or watching them frolic around the pasture, skipping and dancing through the fallen leaves. It's so comical to watch, and we all spend happy hours just hanging out in the barn and playing with the goats. 

Our animal count is as follows:

1 dog

2 cats

4 rabbits

3 grown goats

3 baby goats

30+ hens

40 incubating eggs, due to hatch any day now

Sarah and Matthew pointed out that our place is becoming more and more like a petting zoo. The past few days have been busy with friends visiting to play with baby goats, and this weekend we are hosting a simple picnic lunch for several of Nathan's coworkers who are bringing their children over for an afternoon of fun in the country. 

I should say NATHAN is hosting a picnic this weekend, not I.

I am booked from 9 am- 7pm entertaining at birthday parties and then face painting for my favorite client. She throws the biggest party I have ever seen. It's just like a private State Fair in her backyard.

Seriously. This party is legendary in the Austin area.

It's one of my favorite gigs of the year, and she always books me a year in advance for her Halloween Bash. I'm really looking forward to it!

The next few days are packed for us, with a Halloween Spooktacular at Nathan's work place, our church Trunk-or-Treat and Chili Cook-off, and our annual neighborhood hayride. I'm so thankful we have the chance to create such fun memories with our family!