Dinosaur world

One morning last week, in the hour we usually have between eating our porridge and walking Brendan to school, I offered the boys some TV time while I "got stuff done". I rarely do this these days because it always ends unpleasantly with Brendan getting very upset when it's switched off. But on this particular morning he said, "ummm, okay, how about that dinosaur one," pointing to the Walking With Dinosaurs video in the "give to charity shop" pile.

An hour later he was so engrossed in creating a dinosaur world that I just couldn't tear him away and take him to school. So we had a home day. We spent hours playing dinosaurs. Or at least Brendan did. I spent a little time playing dinosaurs and lots more time playing with Tadhg while trying not to make it obvious we were letting Brendan play alone. We have a sort of rule in our house: all toys belong to everyone and we have to play together. But sometimes Brendan loves a bit of time undisturbed by his pesky little brother. I try to let him have that time without making a big deal about it but it isn't always easy. Man, can they fight!

Brendan has totally taken to the chickens. He is such a good helper, making sure they don't fly out of the little box while I clean out the big box, refilling their food, breaking up their woodchip bedding, carrying them one by one (or two little ones) to their run outside and counting them about ten times a day to make sure they are all still there.
This whole chicken business is making me daydream a lot more about living on a farm. I look around and see Steve digging another veggie patch, Brendan watering the garden and Tadhg sitting in the chick pen with eight chickens running around and I think of the future... wondering what it holds for us :)