Three More Kids - Just What I Needed

When I checked my email this morning there was a message from My Man in my inbox.  I clicked on it right away.  Normally, he doesn't email me, and on the rare occasion that he does it's to tell me how much he loves me and how wonderful I am - who doesn't want to open that email first?  Today, though, it wasn't a message of lovey dovey stuff, but a link to a listing for FREE goats.  

I clicked that link even faster than I clicked the email from My Man.  The ad said that the owners were going out of town and had planned to take the goats with them, but at the last minute they decided not to - and so the deal was this: take three goats, two bucks and one doe, and then return the doe when they get back. 

I called right away.  One of the first questions that the owner asked me was if I had ever had goats before?  Sheepishly, I replied no, and then I asked if he was looking for someone with experience?  Not necessarily, he replied.  We talked, well, mainly he told me all that would be required to take care of the goats - he wanted to make sure that I knew what I was getting into.  When it was finally my turn to speak I told him that I had wanted goats for a year, even longer actually, and that I had ten kids, and their ages, and that I had manged to keep them alive all of these years, so I thought that I should do okay with the goats.  He laughed and immediately loved our big family and started asking questions.  It was like the whole thing was meant to be.

I really have wanted goats for over a year - it seems like I've wanted them forever, but it's just never been something I felt like we had the extra money for, but that didn't stop me from stalking our local classifieds in search of a super-duper-deal.....I never found one, but today My Man sure did.

We went and picked up our goats this afternoon, which gave My Man and the boys plenty of time to put together a temporary goat house.

At the goat farm.

These are Boer goats - mainly bred for meat or showing.

The owner had over 200 goats on his farm.

On the way home, Baby Man got his first sucker:)

I had to fight off a few of the kids to get a turn at feeding
one of the goats.

The Rose is SO excited to have goats - she still says
that she wants to grow up to be a farmer.

Me getting another turn at feeding.

Sassafras feeding our little boy.

Einstein with our other little boy.  The owner didn't tell me on the phone, but this little man has no bottle experience and was just taken from his mother - I hope that he catches onto the bottle quick.

Elsinore checking out her new herd.

Little people spreading straw in the new goat house.

The new goat house.

Another shot of the goat house - we just used material that we had here, so nothing fancy.

He's going to grow up to be such a good daddy:)