Update for Everyone!!!

Hi Family and Friends!!
We have created a Facebook account under "Eric Petska". If you are already on facebook you can go in and look at all our pics and stuff. If you arent already on facebook it is easy to create an account....
We will probably use that more often than this blog site...it is so much easier for me to upload photos to the facebook.
Hope you will all check it out!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Love You-The Petskas

Taylor Turns 10!!!

October 16th was Taylor's birthday...

It was a thursday so before school she got to open

her present from Eric and I...

(you may notice a new set of eyes on Mason...yes, that is a new dog!)

She got her first CD player and was pretty excited!

Now she can play her music in her room with no complaining from the boys!!

After school we went to the state park for her party.

There were 10 girls total including Taylor.

They had quite the time...

lots of hiking on the trails and also a scavenger hunt.

We had tacos and chocolate chip cookie cake while we were at the park.

We stayed for about 2 hours before heading back to our house for a sleepover!!

I have not had to do a sleepover yet so I figured it would be a good thing

to do for the "double digit" birthday~

We had 7 girls total that spent the night.

This pictue is of thier after dark hayride.

They sat in the wagon with a big blanket over their heads...had flashlights and told scary stories while Eric and I drove around the property.

They stayed up till around midnight and fell asleep to a movie.

Here they are in the morning eating their donuts...you can kinda see all the blow up mattresses in the background.

I gave them the great room for the night and it worked out pretty well.

They had lots of fun making up dances and judging each other...

I think this is my favorite pic...

They all loved Taylor's new pony "fritz" and went out first thing

in the morning to see him again....it wasnt even 8am and still really cold out.

I think he enjoyed all the attention!!

Hope you enjoyed the party pics...I think Taylor had a really good time...

she wants to know if we can do it again next year:)

The Three Stooges...

Well here are the horses we have at the moment...

Far left is Blaster aka "David"...he is Erics horse.

We havent owned him very long and are still getting to know him.

Eric has ridden him once or twice...hoping he works out well for Eric.

Next is Blue...which you have all met before, he is my horse.

He is only 4 but he is doing really good...Im having fun with him.

Rain is next and she is my mom's horse.

She started out as Eric's but proved to be too much for him.

Her and mom seem to get along really well

and Blue likes her really well:)

David and Rain are both Tennessee Walkers so they have a smoother gait.
Blue is a Quarter Horse so he just does walk, trot, canter...

although I havent been brave enough to get him into a canter yet!

We hope they like their new barn:)

Our New Barn!!!

We are SO excited about this new barn...

Mom and Dad are having this built for us and it should be done next weekend.

It will have 5 stalls....one of them will be our tack room.

3 of them will be for the 3 horses and we will have one

extra one for whoever may need it at the time.

Maybe goats having babies...sick goats...etc.

It is going to be so nice to have somewhere to put all the feed, saddles, etc!!

As you can see it is really close to the house also...nice and convenient!!

Another storm...

Well we had yet another storm.

This happened about a month ago.

It was a very short storm that blew through but VERY STRONG winds!

It probably only lasted about 5 minutes.

All of the sudden we looked outside and all of our trees were practically laying sideways.

We heard a loud thump and crash and looked out to find this...

Our goat shed had been totally uprooted, thrown against the fence and then up and over

the chicken yard fence and blew over into the end of the chicken yard.

It traveled quite the distance!!

I cant believe how crumpled and flattened it is!

Unfortunately it is still laying there...

hopefully we can get it cleaned up before it snows:)

The chickens think it is just a new little shelter for them to play in...

Here is a perfect example of an old toy becoming new again!

On the last day of summer before school was to start

we moved this playset from the playground and attached it to the willow

to make a "tree house"

It has become very popular again!!

There is ladder attaching it to the tree

and then a slide on the other side.

A regular swing and a double swing.

As you can see Taylor is demonstrating the "zip line"...

well not really but they pull this over to the top of the slide in the tree

and then as they slide down while holding it they are lifted off the slide

and swung around.

Here they are on the first morning of school....very excited!

Summer....

I wish I had tons of pics to put on here but I guess I wasnt real good at taking them this summer. We spent quite a bit of time at Big Surf Waterpark again...probably twice a week.
We also did some boating with my parents. They bought a wave runner this summer and that has been alot of fun too. Eric likes to take the boys out on it and be silly. Taylor thinks it is a little too fast and she is happier to just play on the shore and look for shells.
We had a lot of company over the summer....Grandpa Ronnie and Grandma Barbie came to visit twice and that is always a lot of fun. We also had my Aunt Margaret visit from Kentucky for a week although it wasnt a great reason (my uncle....my dads brother...had passed away) but it still was a lot of fun visiting with her and just hanging out.
While my aunt was visiting we had a baby deer get stuck in our chicken yard that we ended up having to catch....that is not easy if you have ever tried. We finally got her caught and put in the coop for the night and then the next day my mom had to come pick me up and help me take it down to the vet so my friend could take it (she does rescues). It is quite the experience to sit in the front seat of a car holding a deer and hoping it doesnt freak out...they have very strong legs!! It ended up doing great and being turned loose again.
I have a pic of the deer but its on my phone....oh well.
Hope you all had a great summer...ours was fun and relaxing.
The kids started school on August 16th...a little early this year. Taylor is in 4th and the boys are in 2nd. It is going well although it was a tough transition. The boys would come home saying "is every day going to be that long?!"

Some more birthday...

The kids always seem to end up celebrating their birthdays a few times. Once with friends, once with family, etc. Here are a couple pics of the birthday with grandpa, grandma, great aunt connie, my cousin angie and the rest of us. They were laughing so hard in this pic that they had trouble blowing out their candles!!

A couple of goofy boys!!!

How in the world could they be 8 already??

Taylor's Ponies...

Well, this is Taylor's 1st pony...Squirt.

We bought him in July but we sold him at the beginning of this month.

He turned out to not be a very good choice.

He did really well when we went to look at him but then when we got him home I could

tell he was going to be too much for Taylor.

She is very timid and he was too fast for her.

He didnt try to run off but he was a little jumpy.

He ended up bucking her off one day when I sat her up there with no saddle on...

which we had done before but this particular day he decided he wasnt going to stand for it!!

On top of being bucked off it also happened in front of her cousins and great aunt connie!!

Well, Squirt got quite the spanking for that and we went ahead and put the saddle

on and rode him anyway.

We had Taylor get back on him even though she didnt want to...she was brave and did it.

I dont have a pic of the new pony yet, but his name is Fritz and he is black/white paint.

He is about 17 yrs old and seems to care less what you do with him. So far so good and they are getting along really well.

I will post a pic of her riding when I get one.

Boys Birthday....in JUNE!

SO SORRY that it has taken me this long to start updating this blog again!!

The boys had their party at Miner Mikes...and indoor play place with a huge maze,

indoor train, video games, bumper cars etc.

They had a lot of fun.

Eric and Katie VS Mason and Brody

This little girl is so cute...she was the only girl they invited but she just loves playing with them.

She is very outgoing and thinks Mason and Brody are just the coolest:)

Also her mom just had twins and they are boys!!

Preston, Brody, Mason, Tyler, Eric, Katie, Rachel and Taylor

In case you were wondering....Mason had Power Rangers and Brody had Superman...

Horse Update...

I got "Blue" back from his 30 days of training a couple weeks ago and he did great. The trainer said he was like a 20yr old trail horse. He is really laid back and calm. Im excited to start working with him myself. He was also a stallion when we got him...he has recently been gelded so I have given him some time off to heal. We are putting up a small arena area and I will start working him as soon as that is done...hopefully this weekend!!

This isnt a good pic becaue I took it with my phone one morning when I was feeding.

This is our newest member "rain".

She is going to be Eric's horse but shes turning out to be more spunky than we had counted on.

She is 14 and gaited like a Tennessee Walker.

We were able to trade a couple trees for her.

The first time I got on her she reared a few times and tried bucking!!

She is just the kind of horse that will test you to see if you really know what your doing...shes trying to call our bluff.

The second time I rode her she was much better but she definately has more "attitude" than Blue!

We also have recently sold Dazzle which was Taylor's horse.

She is still intimidated by his size so we are going to get her a pony instead to start out on.

She is pretty excited about it and I will get a pic of her and the new pony as soon as we find the right one!

Mud Fun!

This is actually what my kids call fun!

I had no idea they were playing in the mud until they showed up at the back door like this...

It was really funny until they found out they were going to be rinsed off with the hose before coming in!

The water was a little too cold they thought...

I should of got a pic of that....there werent so many smiles during that part!!

New Baby Pics!

Well, it has been a long time since I have updated this blog!!

Sorry!!

Now I have TONS to get on here...it might take awhile...

here are some new pics of the babies...they are growing fast and getting extremely cute!

They are so friendly that I had to turn this bucket upside down just to get them away from me so I could take their picture!!

Now this bucket by the window has become a favorite toy...they jump in and out of the playhouse all day!

I could not get a pic of "ponte" the black and white one cause he would not leave me alone...I guess I was still more interesting than the bucket:)

We have also named the red/white one "copper"...the two of them are so friendly that it is close to annoying!

Just a couple close ups of these guys markings on their heads.

We sure are having fun having them around.

Great entertainment!

We now have 3 more girls that are bred to be due in October...

Looking forward to more babies!!

We Have Baby Goats!!!

Well, it finally happened...our long awaited baby goats have arrived!! I do have these out of order though. We ended up with two sets of twin boys (imagine that:)...

The first pictures are of the two born saturday the 26th and the next pics are the two born thursday the 24th... This little guy is just adorable...nicely marked! These two were the saturday deliveries and this was really cool because we were there to witness it!! Taylor actually helped me and thought it was pretty cool. She is the one responsible for these photos because I was a little busy and my hand were just a little messy!!:)

The black and white one was the first one born and this next pictue was the second one...who had a little trouble making his way into the world. About 15 minutes after the first one was born I kind of figured we were only getting one this time. We were busy taking care of the first one when I noticed another "sac" which I kind of figured was the afterbirth, but when I got to looking I noticed there was a foot in the sac! Another minute or two later the sac broke and there was just the one hoof coming out...not a good sign. You should see two hooves and a nose. I knew I was going to have to check and see if this was a back foot (I've been reading up on complicatons!!) So I tried to check but still wasnt sure what I was feeling. I got my vet on the phone and he talked me through it for the next 10 minutes or so. I finally was able to feel the head because I actually had stuck my finger in his mouth and could feel teeth! That was a relief because I REALLY did not want to have to "turn him around"!! Next I found the other front leg and kind of helped it along and within seconds he was out!!

Oh, I forgot to mention that Eric had the guy he works with and his wife along with a customer and his family out to the house to check out some plants and they of course wanted to check out the new babies we had just had on thursday. So while I am showing them the babies from our first goat I was telling them that I thought the other girl would probably have hers before the day was over. A few minutes later she laid down and started pushing! So, through this whole process above...I had an audience! They thought it was really neat that they had timed their visit just perfect!

Here is a pic of the second one after he was all dry...he is probably about 5-6 hours old here. He is marked pretty close to momma and the other one that's black/white is just like daddy!
Is he just the cutest thing!! I got these photos out of order also!!! Not doing so great with this post! This is the set born first and in this picture of course they are a little older...but I think only about 1 day or less!!

This one has a story to go with it too...I had checked on Zinnie (momma) that morning when I fed and I thought maybe she was getting close, but with first timers (just like humans) it can take a little longer. This was a thursday which is my bible study morning. I decided to go ahead and go but then skip going to lunch with everyone so I could come back and check on her. I left home at 1015 and checked on her again before I left...her and Dahlia were both laying in their shed so I didnt think anything would happen for a couple hours at least. This particular day Eric had his two mexican guys working at the house (which they normally dont) and he had asked them to go over to the goat area and move one of the houses so we could get ready for the babies to arrive. Eric called me a little after 11 during bible study and says the mexicans called him and said their are baby goats!! I kind of freaked out because I really wanted to be there! I raced home to find these two walking around and already dried off!! Zinnie sure does work fast...we will definately remember that next time!!:)

Hope you enjoyed our new baby photos! We are all pretty excited about them. We will wean them at 3 months old and then they will find new homes. Except maybe the black/white one...Taylor is getting attached!!

New Horse....

Well, I got a new horse!!

This is "Blue"...he is a registered paint quarter horse.

He is turning 4 in June and we will be sending him to the trainer on saturday for 30 days....I cant wait to get him back and start riding him.

Dazzle and him seem to get along great...Dazzle is enjoying having another buddy to hang out with.

Plants, Plants, Plants!!!

Things have been extremely busy around here with plants!

Our flower orders have all arrived...

(I didnt think the shipments would ever stop coming!!)

We probably have around 800 flats in the greenhouse.

The picture above is a "mini greenhouse" that Eric put together for the marigold seeds.

This way we can put heat just to them if we need to and keep them a little warmer than everything else.

This weekend we are going to be below freezing...crazy Missouri weather!!

I tried to get a good pic of all the flats, but I think I need a wider angle!

This gives you a pretty good idea though.

I will take another pic when they all start blooming!

This is what the field is looking like at the moment...pretty full!

We have had 2 semi load shipments in the last couple weeks.

In the distance you can see all the flowering trees...

Here is a fun picture of the monkeys! They love to play around in the plants...

Lately they have been playing "spiderwick"....

In case you are wondering....no, Brody does not wear glasses!

He has been wearing some with no lenses just for fun!

Thanks for checking on us and check back often.

We will have baby goats and chickens within weeks!!

We are so excited!

FLOOD WATERS!!

This was a pretty cool site to see....

As most of you know, the Lake of the Ozarks

has had an incredible amount of rain!!

I took the kids down to Bagnell Dam to check out the flood gates that were open...I think all but two.

I was trying to explain it to them the whole way there,

but they didnt really get it till we got there.

It was pretty cool standing there with the sound of the water and all the birds circling...there was probably 100 or more!!

Hope you liked the pics!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

There was an endless supply of candy and chocolate...

three kids that were pretty happy about that!!

Saturday night we colored 3 dozen eggs and watched Veggie Tales Easter movie...

Sunday morning we had a great service at church...

went to eat lunch and then went to my parents house for more egg hunting and candy!!

The boys being goofy in their easter basket "hats"!

They are too funny sometimes!

Bet you cant tell who Mason is!? :)

Taylor got two more Webkinz...she is having fun with these!

These two are Boogle & Horton...

Sorry I didnt get a pic of Eric!!

He took this one of me and the kids....

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!!

New Animal Pics!

Some of you may want to scroll past this one if animal picures bore you!!

I am one of the strange people that enjoys taking pictures of my animals almost as much as taking them of my kids!!

This is Domino playing on the wood pile...the boys are finally growing!

We got this new large hay bale ring from our neighbor.

He is letting us borrow it until he needs it and "the boys" are really enjoying it.

I havent been able to catch a picture of them yet, but Domino and Dingo take turns laying on top of the hay bale!

Three of "the boys" hanging out together.

I think Dingo is the same size as the goats!

The goats weigh more but he has them beat on height!

Keegan's favorite thing to do is see what he can push around!

I was using this to put hay in, but since we got the new large bale I decided to turn this upside down and let them play on it.

They have a great time playing "king of the mountain"...but Keegan has just as much fun seeing how far he can push it!

More Fun!

Have you ever done this?!

This was soooo funny!!

The kids took turns being "bandana man" and telling stories.

We laughed so hard...the kids thought it was hysterical!

The next morning before school I had to scrub the little faces off their chins!

OK....here was some more crazy fun...

Have you ever put shoes on an animal and watched them try to walk?!

Sissy got these new snow boots and she was sooo excited to try them out!!

We were all crying we were laughing so hard!

She looked like she was trying to walk through a foot of snow, picking each foot up as high as she could!

We are easily entertained arent we?!

Random February Photos...

Last weekend there was a HUGE sleepover for 3rd-6th grade girls

in our AWANA program at church.

Some of you will know G Kendall was the hostess for this event and it was awesome!!

There were 35 girls that attended and about 10 adults

(myself being one of them)

It was an action packed evening to say the least!

The girls all arrived friday afternoon right after school.

We fed them spaghetti for dinner and that was quite a task!

Then they rotated in four groups around to different events...

Spa treatments that included an oatmeal mask, parafin hand treatment

and nails painted...

They also had story time with Miss G...

Craft time making a scrapbook and also a picture frame...

Gym time to run off some energy...

A midnight hike through the woods...

An after midnight chocolate fountain with all the trimmings...

As you can tell we were VERY busy!! It was after 3:30 am before the whole house was sleeping!!

While Taylor and I were at the sleepover this is what the "3" boys

were doing...

Dad went and bought a second controller for our playstation.

I dont think he had to work to hard to keep them entertained!

They are pretty cute though arent they?!

Some of you wont know who this is...it is my brother George.

He came down from KC to visit over the same weekend as our sleepover.

I thought this was a neat picture because this is the first time the boys have sat next to him!!

They are still pretty shy around him but now that he is playing video games with them they think he is pretty cool...

he knows how to get them through the tough levels!!

Sissy can sleep in the strangest places!

I found her in the boys costume drawer...

it looks pretty comfortable doesnt it?!

Just a pic of Dingo doing what he does...

keeping an eye on things.

The cows in the next pasture like to play games with him.

Thanks for checking in with us again!