Chase-Salerno Family Events

Austin Carleton Chase, a.k.a. to us as “Grandpa” and “Great-Grandpa” died this week at the amazing age of 95. He gained the nickname “Gumpa” during family gatherings after Declan’s best attempts to say Great-Grandpa when he was just a tot.

We love you and we’ll miss you, Gumpa! xoxoxo

Meeting his first great-grandchild, Declan, one month old, September, 2003, at home in Little Falls, NY.

Teasing Declan, 1 yr. old, at Gumpa’s and Great-Grandma’s new residence, Alterra, Niskayuna, NY. The move brought them an hour closer to us, which meant we were able to have so many more visits with them!

A big family weekend for Gumpa last April, 2006, where he got to meet new great-granddaughters Kai Lian and Quinlan.

A photo from our last Alterra visit with Gumpa in April, 2007, playing the traditional game of “pool” with Declan who keeps changing the rules! Click on the player below to enjoy the video.

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Saying good-bye at the interment in Little Falls.

This weekend, we had the season kick-off potluck for the farm we belong to, brookfarmproject.org. Here are some pix of the kids enjoying the campfire and s’more-making, as well as the watermelon! The other photo is of Quinny enjoying herself at “Jeepers!”, an indoor game center for kids which we visited with Grandma last week when we were in Schenectady.

Just wanted to let folks know that I am taking a break from the blog for the next couple of weeks as we do some intense spring cleaning around here.

See you in June!

~ Erica

It’s been a good couple of weeks with the chickens, and we’re learning a lot. Like how annoying it is that our chickens suddenly aren’t laying eggs in the coop anymore, and now it’s like an egg hunt every day trying to find them! I finally had to buy a couple dozen eggs from the farm we belong to, and about an hour later (of course!), we found a bunch of our missing chicken eggs in a makeshift nest behind our house! We’ve been given a couple of strategies to deal with this situation, so hopefully things will return to normal and they’ll lay in the coop again soon. Our chicks are growing by leaps and bounds, they’ve got lots of feathers now and are developing long necks and tails. They’re still living in our office/spare room, but we moved them from the cardboard box to a borrowed feed trough which allows a little more room for them to do whatever they do in there. They still have a heat lamp on them, but we’ll probably stop using it within the next few weeks. Once they have enough feathers and the air temperature is warm enough, no cool drafts, they’ll be fine. When they’re bigger, they’ll start to live outside in the coop with the adult hens.

Hammering in the cleats on the entry ramp for the new coop

Declan loves soccer!

I got my nails done last weekend, and Declan was fascinated by the transformation on my hands and feet, as well as the array of colors to choose from in my nail polish collection. Here he is with Livi in our backyard, giving themselves impromptu “manicures.”

Quinny playing cashier with Gemma and Papa, alternately giving Papa money, then taking it right back.

Quinn had her first ride on the tricycle this week, and now we can’t keep her off of it! She can’t reach the pedals yet, her feet just rest on the footstand, but every day when we go outside, she makes a beeline for the tricycle, climbs on, and waits for a push.

(OK. so puns don’t come as easily to me as they do my mom…I wanted something that included wagons, that’s the best I could come up with.)

We had a nice visit up in Schenectady with Grandma, Grandpa, and Gumpa. In the rec-room at Gumpa’s assisted-living facility, Declan discovered Ping-Pong, then invented something I call Ping-Pong extreme, where he used two paddles at once. Then he played a game with Gumpa he made up at the pool table he named, “Battle Cue Ball,” whose rules and aims are kind of confusing to everyone except Declan. Instead of using cue sticks, they used their hands, and sometimes a Ping-Pong paddle. Anyway, you can probably guess who kept winning all of the Battle Cue Ball battles during our visit…

Afterwards, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner and playtime outside. Declan and I were talking about presents, and I said, “You can get me a present for Mother’s Day if you want to – it’s coming soon!” He took a break and played basketball in the backyard, then came back to me and asked, “Mommy, when’s ‘Boy’s Day’?” Too cute!

Mike was home this week trying to recover from another horrible cold. When he started feeling better, he built a little run for the chicks AND a new coop to hold all of our poultry friends. Since the current coop we’re borrowing from Nikki and Mike holds six birds, we’ll need something bigger when the chicks are big and feathered enough to go live outside without the heat lamp. The chicks have changed so much in one week, it’s incredible. From soft down to feathers, longer legs, and getting tails.

We’ve been getting eggs every day, and Declan has been keeping a count with white beans in a jar, adding one bean for every egg he collects. So far, we’ve gotten 23 eggs!

Declan takes Quinn for a spin at Grandma and Grandpa’s house

But it was a little harder pulling Grandpa!

Quinny takes a turn at giving wagon-rides, too! Here she is with buddies Dennis and Willa, friends who came over to play and see the baby chicks.

Building the coop with Daddy

The old saw, “NOT MY PROJECT,” suckers three generations into helping out with the coop.

I’ve been wanting chickens for a while, especially since reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I love the idea of having our own eggs, and later on, some chicken meat. I went back and forth among all kinds of different plans, from incubating and hatching eggs, to getting chicks, to getting mature laying hens from friends. After we were all set up with a borrowed coop, feeder, and waterer from friends Nikki and Mike, I got impatient waiting for friends to give us chickens, so I ordered six chicks at a local feed store and figured that would be it. Ha.

Thursday afternoon, Linda-Brook asked if I’d like 3 of her hens who were getting beaten up by her roosters, and she came that night to drop them off. Friday afternoon, right after the ABC Nightline News crew left, I got a call that our chicks were in! Wow! From “zero” to lots of poultry in 24 hours. Our friend Heather happened to arrive in New Paltz for the weekend and called just as we were leaving to pick the chicks up, so she came with us. I knew which breeds I wanted, and Declan picked them out of the boxes they were in.

After gathering our bags of feed and grit, a chick feeder, a chick waterer, a pack of electrolytes, and a couple of dog treats for Easy and Cleo, we were on our way! Mike (“NOT MY PROJECT!”), who was still recovering from the fact that we suddenly had chickens *and* chicks, set up the heating light and they got placed in their new home. The next morning, we were delighted to see that the chicks were still alive and peeping (hey, we’re new to this…), and we went outside to finally let the chickens out of the coop for the first time. (You have to keep them in their coop for around 36 hours to imprint their new home.) When we opened the door, Declan found our first two eggs! We’re going with free-range right now, which means they walk around freely, no fences. We scattered a little feed on the ground, but they basically scratch and forage on their own. At night, we were astonished to see them do what everyone promised they would do, they retired back into the coop as the sun went down. All we had to do was close the door. As of today, we’ve gotten a total of 5 eggs. So exciting!

Declan loves the chicks and wishes they could stay little and cute forever, instead of growing up into chickens. According to what we’ve read, our chicks should be grown and start laying in the fall. He has apparently named the chicks things like “Slippery” and “Boomy.” Quinn loves to watch them too, and keeps collecting crayons around the house to drop in their box.

The chick breeds I chose were based on hardiness in the cold weather months and “dual purpose” which means they have enought meat that you can eat them, plus the “fun” factor, such as the Aracauna, which lays blue eggs. In addition to the Aracauna, we have a Buff Orpington (yellow chick), a Barred Plymouth Rock (black with a white patch on her head), a gold-laced Wyandotte (black with gold stripes), a silver-laced Wyandotte (black with silver stripes), and a Brown Leghorn (looks exactly like a chipmunk’s coloring). The Brown Leghorn will lay white eggs, and the rest lay brown. They’ll stay under a heating light for six weeks, and then, I’m not sure (I’ve got to read up on what to do after that!).

Our first two eggs!

D trying to pet a chicken, without much success

“Chick magnet!” (thanks again for the great quip, Grandma!)

Quinn loves petting them, too!

Our baby chicks!

We started our week on Sunday with torrents of rain, so the kids and I had some fun at a local indoor wonderland called “Kids Kingdom” in Poughkeepsie. There are lots of ride-on toys, games, and activities like a bouncehouse and a ball pit, along with a few arcade games and a small cafe.

The next few days after that, we had playdates with friends, including “double” playdates for the siblings. Monday, we hung out with Cianan (“Keenan”) and Finnian. Tuesday, Olin and Emily (“Jeeters”) came over. Wednesday, we went to Liam’s house for make-your-own pizzas, and Thursday, we played with Livi (the pix with Liv and brother Daniel are on the education blog).

Friday, we hosted our monthly Diaper Free Baby elimination communication meeting, and we were visited by the ABC Nightline News crew. The team included a producer, the correspondent Jessica, a camera man, and a sound guy. We had lots of moms at the meeting, and a wide range of EC’ing stages, from pregnant moms to toddlers. The crew stayed for 3.5 hours, interviewed everybody, and got all kinds of footage. They did a separate extended interview with Quinn and me in the bathroom as she sat on the potty, and they were astounded that when she stood up to get off, she had actually peed! We took a “souvenir” shot to remember this exciting day, and we can’t wait to see the program air! We’ll get the word out when we find out the date.

Quinny in the ballpit at Kids Kingdom

Playtime with Cianan

Quinny and Jeedees

A little hands-on history lesson as Olin and Declan explore that mysterious contraption, the typewriter! “It’s like a computer, mommy!”

Making pizza with Liam

“Q EC’s for ABC” (thanks for the clever caption, Grandma!)

We had a full week spending time with lots of friends! We visited the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum with Aunt Tracey and buddy Luca, then again with Loretta and 3.5 yr. old triplets Bailey, Lux, and Jagger. We got to see Aunt Nikki and play with buddy Norah a couple of times, as well!

On Saturday, Declan had his first soccer session. It’s called “Bambini Soccer” for kids ages 2-5, and he had lots of fun. It meets once a week on Saturday afternoons for 45 minutes, and the kids have a good time kicking the ball around with the parents and learning new moves.

Quinny and Luca getting ready to go down the slide at the children’s museum

Declan and Bailey playing dinosaurs in the museum sandbox

Quinn and Norah making music

Declan practicing some fancy footwork

YEAH!! Livi’s back from a two-week trip to Israel, and we finally got to play with her again today! When Liv arrived, Declan ran downstairs with his new “Go, Diego, Go!” belt to show Livi and could barely contain himself when he asked, “Do you want to play ‘Go, Diego, Go!’ after you take your coat off?” They started jumping on the chairs immediately, singing the show’s theme song, then kept stopping to retrieve an accessory (“I need Rescue Pack”…”I need Backpack”…”Now, what?”). They love listening to the missions set forth by the Diego radio. Now they’ve decided to “keep” Quinny, the “chimp,” who’s crawling around the play area. D: “She can be our pet!” “Come here, Quinn-chimpy…chimp chimp chimp….” Soon after protesting a “chimp relocation” plan, Quinn came looking for mama in the kitchen.

Olivia played guitar for a while, Declan grabbed a drum, then after a few minutes, he said, “When you are you going to stop playing music?” Olivia then pronounced it to be bedtime. They turned off the radio, took off the utility belt, “Yes, because it can hurt when you sleep at night.” Then Livi suggested, “I can wear that belt for you ‘tomorrow’ because it hurts you.” A surprised Declan said, “It doesn’t hurt me…..” as he helped Livi put it around her waist.

During craft time, the kids made collage Easter eggs, and they kept declaring their own projects “beautifuller” than the other’s. Livi made a smiley face on her egg, and Declan made a robot smiley face, then he proceeded to pretend that his robot egg ate Livi’s egg, which she didn’t find funny.

They enjoyed some Arthur’s mac & cheese (thanks, Mo!), chicken, and zucchini for lunch and some tv time before our playtime was over. Can’t wait until next time!

Music time

Explaining the finer points of the utility belt

Doing an Easter craft

I organized an Easter Egg Hunt event at church, along with crafts and songs, and everyone had lots of fun!

On Easter day, Declan loved looking through his Easter basket, then we headed to church. (Quinn liked playing with the decorative “grass” in her basket.) Then it was “round 2” with Easter presents – this time from Aunt Marsha, Uncle Steven, and cousin Andy – with more cool toys and candy! Afterwards, we headed over to Gemma and Papa Salerno’s house for an amazing Easter dinner feast with Grandma, Grandpa, and Gumpa Chase. After dinner, we did a little egg hunt with Declan outside, then rehid the eggs inside, and finally enjoyed the candy contents along with lots of dessert. We finished with round 3 of presents, Easter baskets, and cards. Wow!

Quinn at the church egg hunt – love the ears!

Grooving along with one of her favorite toys at Gemma and Papa’s house, the dancing chicken!

Clearly planning to collect *lots* of eggs!

She was satisfied with finding one egg, then just carried it around.

Quinn learned quickly that there’s good stuff in these eggs, but can’t open them herself, yet. Big brother has that part mastered.

Playing a little Easter t-ball with Papa