Excitement!

Well, the days are getting down to the wire before we move into the farm house! We are very excited! My dad will be closing on the property Nov. 10th and we hope to be ready to move in at that time. Other than that, there's not much new going on up here. I did find a great deal on a Fisher Price Jumperoo for Connor today on Craigslist and he loves it!

New Connor Photos

Wow...Connor had an exciting week of "firsts"! He stayed with a babysitter (Uncle Jake and Auntie Tiff) for the first time, got his first tooth, and said his first word..."Da Da"!

Connor is 6 Months Old Today!

It is so hard to believe that our little monkey is 6 months old today! He sure doesn't look it! haha His Grandma says he looks like a 4 month old. Yes, he's still a munchkin but that's okay! At least he doesn't outgrow clothing quickly!

He is the absolute joy of our lives! Keeps us busy but yet so entertained! He loves to lay on the floor with his daddy, suck his thumb while he lays his head on my chest, and have a "conversation" wtih his Grandpa and Uncle Jake. He also enjoys sitting in his saucer watching Grandma in the kitchen and laughs his head off at his Auntie Tiff. He rolls all over, both back to belly and belly to back. He'll often just keep rolling until he gets where he wants to. He loves to grab at objects. Most recently he's started grabbing faces and grabbing the pew in front of him in church.

Connor is still nursing but has also started eating foods. So far he's eating cereal, greenbeans, squash, carrots, and his favorite...........sweet potatoes! He rarely naps during the day but does sleep through the night. In fact, last night he slept from 7:30-7:00.

He loves watching his "Baby Einstein" dvd. Often, that dvd saves the day when Connor is grumpy! Connor also enjoys being at the barn with us kicked back in his stroller. And he loves petting or should I say grabbing the puppies!

It's amazing to see him learn new things each day. And it's so much fun to watch is personality develop!

Happy Birthday, Little Monkey! We love you!

We Are Moved... A Much Needed Update

Hi everyone! Well, we are finally in PA! And I have some access to high speed internet so I thought I'd catch everyone up! Things are going well. There's a lot to update so I thought I'd cover it in categories:

The House: We are currently living with my parents. My dad still needs to close on Grandpa's property and we need to get some income before moving out. We are also in the process of cleaning Grandpa's house and would like to paint some rooms before moving in.

Job: Bobby starts a job tonight on 2nd shift at a Refridgeration company. It's not exactly what he is hoping for but it will be some income until he finds something better. He had an interview this morning for a first shift position very very close to home that pays more. We are praying that that job comes through.

Animals: The goats, sheep, rabbits, dogs, and puppies have settled in well. The goats and sheep do not know how to act with all the green grass here! They love it. Poor things didn't have pasture in SC due to the drought. The rabbits probably don't even realized they moved! LOL The dogs are staying warm in the barn and being let out to run through the fields. They love that part too! The puppies love to follow us around the barn. They will be ready for their new homes on Oct. 16th. You can see them at www.taterhillkennel.com.

Connor: Connor is doing well. He's slowly growing. He is 5 and 1/2 months old and weighs 13 pounds 4 ounces and is only 25 and 1/4 inches long. He's still a munchkin. He has had a rough time the last week because he's got a cold and cough. We met his new pediatrician yesterday and she assured us that it's "just a cold". At least it's nothing more serious.

I am glad to be back in PA but miss SC! We stay busy here though between cleaning the new house and taking care of animals. Dad has named me "farm manager" and in exchange is purchasing all of our feed for us. Not a bad deal until I'm bottle feeding lambs in the dead of winter! :) We went to a sheep sale with mom and dad last weekend and dad added two more sheep to the flock. We are now up to 17! One is a ram but if the rest all have twins or more we will have at least 32 lambs born this season! Fun fun!

I will post our new family portrait as soon as I can!

The Big Move

Well...we are just about ready for "The Big Move". I wanted to get on here an make a post before our internet is disconnected here tomorrow due to the move. We will be staying with my parents' for a few weeks and they do not have high speed internet so I'm not sure if I will get any posts on here or not. My cousin has offered to allow me access to her internet which is high speed so that will help. I will try to post an update as soon as I can.

Here's our plans for the next few days. Please keep us in your prayers...especially for safe travel.
Thursday we will drive straight through to PA. We are moving the dogs there.
Friday we will be there for my Grandpa's Estate Sale of personal property.
Saturday we will drive straight through back to SC.
Sunday we will spend the day with our Church Family.
Monday we will pick up the big moving truck and begin loading.
Tuesday we will hopefully leave around noon and drive 1/2 way. My parents are paying for us to get a hotel. Bobby will be driving the moving truck and I will be driving our pick up truck. Connor will be riding with me because there's no room for his carseat in the moving truck...otherwise we would be towing ours.
Wednesday we should arrive in PA by early afternoon.

Like I mentioned above...we'll be staying with my parents until Bobby gets a job and we get back on our feet. It will also be a few weeks before my dad closes on Grandpa's property. And we are thinking about painting some of the rooms before moving all of our stuff in.

SO....for now....I'm signing off. I will update again as soon as I am able! Everyone please keep in touch!!!!!! My personal email will now be: tabithamrogers@yahoo.com OR our kennel email/Bobby's email will now be: taterhillspringers@yahoo.com Our kennel website: www.taterhillkennel.com will remain the same!

Connor With The Puppies!

New Connor Photos

A Much Needed Update

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. Life has been crazy here with so much going on. We have a major announcement. Many of you may already know or have seen it on our kennel website....We are in the process of moving to York, PA. My Grandpa passed away in June and left the farm to my dad. My dad took the farm and we will be moving onto it. We are so excited. It is seven acres with several pastures and barns. We will be living in the farm house which is 3 stories with 3 bedrooms. I am so excited about having space and storage areas!!!

Dad will continue to raise sheep there. I will be helping him and we are adding a few of our animals to the farm as well. We have already moved our Nubian dairy goats and our two sheep. On Sept. 18th, we will move our Springers up there. We are taking 4 of them. For those of you who "know" them...we are taking: Cheyenne, Gretta, Camila (and her litter of pups) and Jack. Then on our final move date, which is Sept. 23rd, we will be moving our 6 rabbits up there...my good Mini Lops and our pet French Lop.

All of our other animals have already found homes. It was so hard to see them go and it's like a ghost town here now. We don't quite know how to act but we are busy packing.

Bobby has been laid off from his job here in SC and is looking for a new job up in PA. Please pray for us during this time. I know God will CONTINUE to provide.

And now for a Connor Update...................
He's now 5 months old. So hard to believe. He is eating cereal and still nursing. He's also still a munchkin! He was at the doc's for a check up a couple of weeks ago and is 12 lbs. 8oz. and 25 inches long....still wearing most 0-3 months clothing. It's nice that he doesn't grow out of clothes fast! The doc said she is not concerned and someone has to have the little babies!

He is really developing a personality. He loves to suck his thumb, is always smiling, and has started laughing out loud. He now rolls around everywhere from both his belly to his back and back to his belly. His favorite toys are his "huggie", a set of teething "keys", and Roscoe the Banjo Dog that Uncle Jack bought him. He is still sleeping through the night and is a VERY good baby. Mom and dad say that I am spoiled!

Hmmm...well, I guess that's all for now. I will try to post again as soon as we get settled if not before. A photo of the farm can be seen on our website at www.taterhillkennel.com. After 9/17/08, our new email address will be taterhillspringers@yahoo.com.

Connor's Growing!

Connor's 4 Months Old!

Connor is 4 months old today! I can hardly believe it! Just wanted to share some new photos of him! He is doing really well. Still small for his age. We weighed him on Friday and he's 13.4 pounds....so he's doubled his birthweight. I haven't measured him yet but he is still SHORT! LOL He's still wearing 0-3 month clothes. He'll probably grow out of the shirts before he grows out of the pants....poor guy! haha

This was taken in June but I had to show off those cheeks!

Ready for deer season with Daddy's camo and his Bass Pro Shops Pacifier!

Connor with Uncle Jake (my brother)

The shirt Uncle Jake bought for Connor! haha

Peeking out of the Exersaucer!

Hanging out!

Our Vacation! What a Trip Home!

We had a great time visiting family and friends in PA! It was Connor's first official vacation! On the way up there, he stayed in a hotel (with 2 puppies) for the first time. I was amazed that Connor continued to sleep through the night during the whole trip...even at the hotel and Grandma's house!

On Saturday, my mom had a "Meet Connor" Drop In Party. It was sooo great to share Connor with family and friends. It was especially wonderful to see everyone without having to drive all over once we were up there. All the excitement wore Connor out!

Sunday was a great day also....we went to church with my parents. They go to the same kind of church that we go to (Independent Fundemental Baptist) and it's always great to visit there! Sunday afternoon, mom and I were lazy around the house with Connor while the men (Dad, Bobby, and my brother, Jake) hung out. After church Sunday night, we enjoyed brownies and ice cream..........yum!!!!!!

We began our journey home around 6am on Monday and did not get home until 10pm!!!!! We were having a great trip. Making great time and Connor was an angel. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch so Connor could have some time out of his carseat. Later in the afternoon, I was sleeping and woke up due to a funny noise. I told Bobby I thought something was wrong with the truck. He said he thought it was just the uneven pavement. Then, someone drove up beside us and started yelling that our truck was on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We pulled off at an exit and so did this man. Bobby, myself, and Connor all got out of the truck and the guy used an extinguisher he had to put out the fire. A wheel bearing broke and the spindle melted. (Not that that means anything to me! LOL) We managed to get the truck to a gas station 1/10th of a mile away. It was then towed to a Dodge dealership and my sister in law came and picked us up. We were a little over 2 and 1/2 hours from home. It will cost $1900 in repairs!!!! The original quote was $3500, but Bobby convinced them to use used parts from a salvage yard. Hopefully we will be able to get the truck back on Friday.

So needless to say, it was a very eventful vacation!!! OH and when we got home, we saw that our cat had kittens in the basket of Connor's stroller! haha One had died and the whole house reaked! But that's all under control now!

Connor and the New Goats

Meet the New Kids!

As you've probably guessed, we have been so busy here. All are doing well...everyone is growing...bunnies, puppies, and Connor. Connor now weighs 10 pounds 13 oz and is finally 23 and 1/2 inches long. He's 3 months now! Well, this week, a big change has taken place. I decided to sell all of my pygmy goats. After a few emails, all five were sold within 2 days...not too shabby. Why you may ask? Well, the pygmy goats are definitely not bread winners for us. Our registered goats sell for more and it seems that they just aren't selling around here. And they really don't do anything but look cute and eat! haha We've decided to try our hand at a milk goat. I am purchasing a registered Nubian Doe and will be getting a free Nubian buck. She is 5 months old and he is 4 months old. I still haven't named them and plan to pick them up on Saturday. After she has a baby, I plan to continue milking her. We will be drinking her milk, uses it to raise puppies, and hopefully making goat milk soap. In the photos above, the brown one is the girl. The white one is the boy. I'll post their names when I decide.

Photos from Connor's 1st Visit to PA

Remembering Grandpa

Sorry that I have not posted in a while. My Grandpa, Steward "Bud" Ebersole, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. So we made a trip to PA for the funeral. He had a horrible pneumonia infection in his lungs that he was unaware of. He felt sick on Monday, went to the hospital Monday evening, and passed away Tuesday morning. We are so thankful that it was quick and he did not suffer.

Grandpa will be so greatly missed. I miss him so much already. Even though he was in PA and I'm in SC, we were still very close. I did my best to call him every other day. In fact, I had just talked to him on Saturday before he passed away. He sounded great and was excited that he was going to get up to the barn to feed his 150 chickens. We had a wonderful conversation and I'm so thankful for it.

Grandpa will be remembered for many things but probably the most popular will be his chickens and the eggs he sold. In fact, there were even egg customers at his funeral! All of the Grandkids that were able to, took some of Grandpa's chickens. I hauled 8 chickens back with me from PA. We got home last night and I'm already getting eggs! It seems like the trip didn't even phase them! So now we'd like to continue in Grandpa's legacy and will try selling some TaterHill Eggs! I'm planning on making a sign today to hang on our fence. We'll have more eggs than we will need at this rate.

Grandpa never got to meet Connor in person and that's the hardest thing about this. We had a trip planned for July 25th which Grandpa knew about and couldn't wait to see Connor. He did see lots of photos of him though. While we were in PA, we took some photos of Connor around Grandpa's farm....enjoy the photos. And Grandpa, I love you and can't wait to see you again someday!