Gardens, snakes and floors... Oh my!

Weekends are for resting, right?

WRONG!

At our house, weekends are for getting projects done! Ohhhhh, how I love the weekends!

This past weekend we decided to work on the wood floors in the hallway and laundry room. We have been working on this project since... uh-um JULY!

But, in my defense, thank God we didn't finish them because we decided to move the wall in the hall a few weeks ago and that would have messed up the floors. So in hindsight, it was a blessing we were procrastinators, I mean, BUSY for the last 8 months!

In the middle of working on the floors, a friend offered to let us borrow their tractor to till up our garden. "Till up or garden", don't we sound like farmers?

The decision wasn't difficult.

Hummm, use a tractor for 20 minutes or spend hours doing back-breaking labor? Sorry, Levi Yoder, I am choosing the tractor!

After the tractor was finished doing it's work, we hired 4 laborers to work the soil and remove all the grass and sticks.

Every man, woman, child, and fowl must pull their weight around here!

Wes ended up killing a snake (out of fear) before he realized it was a harmless snake. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that it had 2 lumps in it's belly so I don't think it was hungry. I felt better knowing that it had a final meal.

The next day, we called the SRT (Snake Removal Team) to come over and dispose of our snake. This includes hanging it on a tree as a warning to any other snakes who have thought about coming onto our property.

They can be a little dramatic sometimes.

It took all 4 of them to get the job done.

They took it to the woods and then just couldn't help themselves. They just had to see what those 2 lumps were inside the belly of the snake. I won't go into details but they managed to push the 2 lumps out of the snake. Poor baby birds...

Thank goodness he didn't get to our chickens! Snakes just don't realize how valuable chickens are to a farm. We have spent hours training ours in the art of bug removal, garden tilling and protein making. We will protect them to the bitter end.

By the time the weekend was over, we felt very satisfied!

• We finished the hallway floor and half the laundry room

• Prepared the garden

• and saved the lives of our chickens

Just another day on the farm...

The triplets are going rogue!

For the last 8 years, Wes and I have made all decisions for the girls.

What they wear, what they do, what they eat, where they go... it was all decided by us.

Well, maybe mostly me. Wes doesn't really care about what they wear... or what they eat... or what they do. Ok, he helps decide where they go. Sometimes.

Ever since they were little babies, I have matched them. Not because I am a control freak but because it makes it easier for me.

And really, isn't that what it's all about?

Every self-respecting, EXPERIENCED, mother of multiples knows the reasons for this:

1. I can spot them easily in a crowd. And count... 1,2,3. 1,2 uh-oh... where is 3. It's always 3!

2. I know if there is an outfit missing when it comes to laundry. I am in the habit of counting articles of clothing as I put them in the washer. "One purple shirt, two purple shirts... Girls, I am missing a purple shirt." "Here it is mom, I found it in the Lego box." (Don't ask, it just happens!)

3. There is less fighting that way. Nothing to fight over... Oh really, you don't like green? Too bad, the other 2 dresses are green too!

We have a rhythm. We have a flow. We have a pecking order.

UNTIL...

Kennedy decided to cut her hair and McLaine and Andie decided not to.

WHAT? I was in a panic... We can't have 1 with short hair and 2 with long?

The earth will stop spinning on its axis. Time will stand still. This will affect so many lives!!

But as the supportive, non control-freak parent that I am... I simply said "Ok." Although I was secretly hoping the other 2 would change their minds.

I kept suggesting it, encouraging it.

But they didn't.

And now... we have started a downhill spiral.

Everybody is wanting their own voice. They have found independence! AGHHHH!

McLaine has decided she wants to play baseball. Alone.

Kennedy wants to cheer and do a bake sale.

Andie is holding out for basketball. (She found out there is no bowling league in our little town) Phew, did we luck out there!

There is complete pandemonium breaking out in the Seagraves household and I have to stop this train!

I want to go back to when they were little and just wanted "juice pweese".

I want to go back to the matching outfits.

I want to go back to stifling their creativity.

I am afraid... I am very afraid.