Let the countdown begin!

We know it's not New Year's Eve yet, but we're starting a countdown of our own...to July, when our fourth child is expected to be born.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." Psalm 34:8

Want milk?

Get goats.

Twelve days have passed since our two nannies, Krus Bien (by the kids) and Kiki, arrived. They came with their names, by the way. Having them around and learning to care for them has been a fun experience for our entire family. B.J. and I have enjoyed starting these crisp, still fall mornings out doing chores, although now that we've both got the hang of milking, we don't really need to do them together anymore. Marie guzzles the milk (she wouldn't touch cow's milk) and gobbles the yogurt without getting a rash (she would get rashes from yogurt made from cow's milk). Kiki and Bien are both Toggenburgs, which means, I've now discovered, that they are great producers but (much to my chagrin) their milk has the strongest goat flavor of any goat breed out there. That being said, even I'm learning to enjoy our fresh, raw milk! Kiki is a yearling, just bred, which means Bien is the only one lactating right now (we'll be drying her up in about a month, so currently she produces only about 4 lbs. of milk a day, which is a little more than 1/2 gallon), and she is bred as well. Come February, we should have kids and a lot more milk, to boot.

Leah and Willem help us with the milking and play in the goat pen every day. And, hey, when they get sick of the goats, they enjoy watching combines as well.

I took these photos just the other night, at dusk, as the moon was rising. Another day that boasted our Lord's beauty!