With a peep, peep here, and a peep, peep there...

Last Tuesday, we were invited by some great new friends to come to their farm in Franklin to see their new "herd" (flock?) of baby chickens, or chicks! They had recently received their shipment (yes, they picked them up in a box at the post office!) of 100 fuzzy chicks to raise, and of course, we accepted and were super excited to make the short drive to see them!

When we got there, Shelly (the mom) took us on a tour of their chicken ranch. They already have quite a few grown chickens in their care, so we were able to see them first. Here's Brody, their second youngest, and Cash's good buddy, showing Baylen the grown-up chickens. B wasn't too interested in petting them, but he did seem mesmerized by the whole picture.

Keila and Nehemiah also came down to see the farm and baby chicks. He was very curious about these feathered friends!

Shelly's father was there, too. He held one of the grown-up chickens for the boys to pet. Cash jumped at the opportunity!

After seeing the big chickens, we went into the warm garage to see their new arrivals! Brent (their oldest son) caught one so the little kids could get a closer look. Cash really wanted to hold one. That morning, he explained to Heath and I that he wanted to hold one and touch it to his cheek because they were soft. He even went and got one of his books to show us. On the front was a little girl holding a baby chick up to her cheek. We were impressed!

There they are! Shelly told us that this might be the last week that they would be cute. She mentioned that the next week they would be in the "awkward teen stage" and not be as fuzzy and sweet looking. Cash got a kick out of the way they would scurry to the other side of their box when you came close. They were definitely quick little chicks!

He got his wish! Here he is holding one of the chicks. I held onto it with him for awhile. I was afraid he would drop it on the concrete floor. He did really well, though!

He said it felt "just like my blanket."

And he remembered the picture, and did just like the little girl did. He put that baby chick right up to his cheek all by himself. I could really tell he was having a great time, and what a great learning experience, too!

Yes, B was there, too. But he wasn't interested at all in petting them or holding one. Honestly, he was more interested in all the tools and gadgets that were in the garage (he's such his father's child!)

We stayed long enough to get a good look and check them out, but we didn't want to stress them out too bad. Bryce (their second oldest son) said that if they got stressed, they wouldn't lay eggs. So we headed outside and around back to see their new chicken house they were building.

It was quite the set up! I was really impressed with the place! I've never been in a chicken house before, (have I?) but this one seemed to be really planned out. Maybe they all are, but it was sure neat! Shelly explained how they would roost on the rods at night, fighting over the top positions.

They had laying boxes, too, that were accessible from the outside. Here's Bryce peeping through showing how he'll be able to get the eggs without having to enter the chicken house. Cool!

B found some of the scrap wooden rods. He was using it to hammer on this board that already had nails in it. Again, he's his father's child. :)

It wouldn't be a complete playdate without some time on their swing set.  Cash and B both did some swinging on their bigger double swing, but B liked this one the best.

And Cash liked this one best.

Brody did some swinging, too. What a fun day! We ended up staying for lunch and some inside playtime together before heading home. This sweet family has really welcomed us to Rich Pond, and we are thankful for such faithful new friends! Love you guys!