What Would We Do Without the Dogs??

Hmmm...what would we do without the dogs????....Let's see: Take a vacation without worry about finding someone to care for the dogs, be able to sleep in, RELAX, be truly lazy on Sundays instead of coming home from church rushing to feed dogs and then head back to church, live a "normal" life??? But the truth is...we'd be bored and not know what to do with ourselves!

There is always something to do with the dogs. While I handle most of the feeding and watering, there's some things I can't do especially since I'm expecting. Poor Bobby works all day and then usually has to work most of the evening outside. And on the nights when we think we can be lazy sure enough something will come up that needs done. Just this past Sunday, we got home from church and the feeding was done. Everything seemed to be under control. Then all the barking started. We looked outside and Jack, one of our Springer studs, is running around the yard. How did he get out?? Oh he managed to bust right through the chainlink door on his kennel. Lots of dogs in heat will cause a him to do this I guess. So as Bobby was fixing the door he said, "Something always needs done." And it's true.

But would we change anything?? No way. We are so blessed to have these dogs in our lives. As I type this, an 8 week old puppy named Zander is hanging off my skirt. If we didn't do this, Zander wouldn't be here and on his way to his new home in FL at 2:00 today. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't have the excitement of planning a litter, delivering puppies, watching pups eat food for the first time, or romping in the yard with them. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't have met the wonderful families and friends that we have. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't receive the cards, letters, and videos of our puppies in their new homes and the joy they bring to that family.

We had decided no more puppies until Connor arrives but we couldn't resist. So last night, we allowed our dogs, Buddy and Mollie Bea to mate. If the breeding was successful, we'll be having puppies sometime between March 25-March 30th. The puppies will be around 4 weeks old when Connor comes...if he arrives on time. :) But that's okay...we'll manage! It's all I know to do! We're already planning on adding a playpen to the puppy barn so Connor can hang out with me during deliveries, feeding times, and puppy pen scooping!

So yes, we may gripe and complain every once in a while. But when we step back and ask ourselves "Is it worth it?" Yes, it's worth it! Well, I need to run....gotta get little Zander ready to leave for the airport so that he can meet his new family today!

27 Week Belly Photo

Here's my belly shot at 27 weeks! Wow....getting bigger! Connor is moving NON-stop, which I know is a good thing and I thank the Lord for being able to feel him move. Last night he kept me up all night. When I'd lay on my side he'd kick and push off the bed. Bobby also wanted to share a photo of his new beard! He has to shave it on Feb. 8th before going to National Guard Drill. But doesn't he look fatherly??

Puppy Photos!!

I spent most of yesterday afternoon taking new photos of the puppies! Rissa's puppies are usually cooperative and they were yesterday too. The cropping and resizing probably takes more time than posing the pups. They also had their nails clipped and did great with that! I also spent time observing them here in the living room so I could chart their temperments and personalities. I like doing this so I can be sure to match the right puppy with the right family. I love all of these little boogers! They are soo precious. I just had to share these photos with everyone! So here they are in order from top to bottom: Fuller, Forster, Flint, Fisher, Ferris, Ferguson, and Felix. Fuller found a home last evening and will be going to live in Aiken SC. It looks like Fisher may have found his new home also. And while Ferris is still available, Bobby is thinking about keeping him to train for bird hunting. Enjoy the photos!

New Additions!!

We have some new additions here at TaterHill! Yesterday, we got 3 more beautiful female Springers. Rhea is in the top photo and Annie is in the bottom photo. The third female is named Camila, but I need to get photos of her. We are happy to have them here! They are all settling in well. Bobby likes them too...except where he was introducing himself to them and Annie jumped up and bit his face! He wasn't too happy about that. It's pretty quiet here today. The dogs are being lazy and staying in their dog houses. Probably a good thing since we are getting some freezing rain.

SNOW!!!!!

We got snow at TaterHill! We probably got about 2-3 inches but now we are also getting some sleet. The critters don't know what to think. The cat won't go outside. The dogs were slow to wake up this morning, but now the Springers are loving it! Cheyenne and Greta (photos above) darted out the door this morning to play in the snow. The pig doesn't know how to walk in the snow and the goats don't want to come out of the barn! Enjoy the photos!

Before We Know It....

Before we know it....Connor Jacob Steward Rogers will be here! I think I just realized how soon it will be when I went to my OB appointment this morning. No, they didn't move up my due date. I'm just starting to realize how fast time is going!!!

At today's appointment, I had my sugar test to see if I have gestational diabetes. I'll find out in a couple of days if I passed. I'm praying that I do....we all know how much I love food! Don't really want to give a lot up! ha ha Everything was great and Connor's heart rate was in the 150s. Then, the OB told me that I will come back next month for my regular appointment and after that one, I will start coming every 2 weeks!!! Every 2 weeks! I can't believe it! I remember Bobby and I at our first appointment and her saying when you get closer to your due date you will come more often. At that moment is seemed so far off in the distance. Now that time is almost here!

As these months and weeks are winding down, there's excitement and anxiety. We still have so much to do! #1 being finish the nursery!! The photos at the top are of the nursery so far. And the one features my awesome glider that I love! We are doing a barnyard theme. Are you surprised? ha ha So Bobby painted rolling green hills and blue skies on all the walls. But that's not all he is doing...he is also building and painting a white picket fence that will be attached to the walls. We will need to do the trim, fence, and flooring. Then it's time to put the furniture together! The crib, changing table, and dresser are still in the box. I can't wait to see the finished product and I'll be sure to post photos!

Within the next few weeks I'll also be traveling to PA for my baby shower. I am soooo excited about the shower and spending time with my family, but I'm not that excited about the long ride getting there! Bobby will be driving me to VA and mom and dad will pick me up and take me back to PA from there. We'll also be delivering a puppy in VA on the way.

Then, every Monday night in March we will have our childbirth classes. Hard to believe. It should be a riot. You know Bobby will do all he can to embarass me!

So as you can see...it's winding down! Bobby tells everyone it seems like I've been pregnant for 10 years but I keep telling him that before we know it Connor will be here!

Remembering Gabby

It is with a sad, heavy heart that I share this news. Yesterday, we lost our beloved Gabby due to a horrible accident. Gabby was a beautiful Sable English Springer Spaniel who would have turned 3 on Jan. 21st. Gabby was a wonderful companion. Always by my side and ready for love! She was a superb mother. When we would let her out for a run away from her puppies, she would just want to sit on the steps with me. She will be sadly missed. This is the first adult dog we have lost and it breaks our hearts. These photos are of Gabby and some of her adorable puppies that she brought into this world on October 2, 2007.

Been Sick

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Bobby and I have both been battling the stomach bug. I had it so bad yesterday, they put me on meds to stop the vomitting. It worked...Praise God! If not, they would have been putting me in the hospital with IV fluids due to my pregnancy. Thankfully, I feel so much better today. And Bobby is feeling fine now as well.

And now of course it's back to life as normal. No rest for the weary they say! We are busy with puppies going home again. We had one go home on Saturday. His photo is above. I had named him Emerson, but his new family named him Pistol. He is going to be the stud dog for their breeding program and his full name is "Pistol Packin Papa". Pretty funny! :) He is now living in Newnan GA. Today, I took Pistol's brother, Elliot, to the vet to get his health certificate. He flies to West Palm Beach FL tomorrow.

Well, sorry this is short but just wanted to check in. I need to finish watering all the animals and then it's off to get groceries.

What Not to Say to A Pregnant Woman

Here I am in all my pregnant belly glory at 24 weeks! Bobby took this photo of me last night. Okay...well, I thought I'd have some fun with today's post. And if any of you reading this have made any of these comments to me....no worries! I'm just having some fun!

What not to say to a pregnant woman......

1. Wow! You are big!

2. Are you having twins?

3. Are you sure you're not having twins?

4. You must be having twins and one is hiding.

5. What are you doing to yourself?

6. You must be ready to pop any day! (umm..no, I have to wait till April)

7. You're going to have a 10 pound baby!

8. I bought you a skirt....it's huge! (yeah right, I wore it 2 times and it doesn't fit anymore! ha ha)

9. When are you due?....APRIL???!!!!

10. Why are you so big??

Those are just some lovely comments I have heard....now let me declare a few things....

Yes, I'm big. No, according to my doctor and ultrasounds, I am not having twins. I'm not near ready to pop...and yes, I really am due in April! :)

The Drought

Some of you who live farther away may not be aware of how bad the drought is here in Upstate South Carolina. It is bad to say the least. And yet, I know that it is even worse in other areas like Atlanta GA.

We are now feeling the effects of this drought and have been for quite some time. Our grass is dead and our pastures are non-existent, turning into fields of dirt. And hay...what's that? Hay doesn't exist around here any more unless you are willing to pay ALOT for it. We have 2 feed stores near us. One is in the town of Pickens and one is in Easley. We always go to the one in Easley because I love talking to the old men there! ha ha The feed store in Pickens had hay shipped in from out of state and by the time the truck arrived at the store there was a line of cars following it. All that for hay! Our feed store told us that they cannot get any more hay and don't have a clue when they will be able to. If they are able to get some, they will need to charge a minimum of $12 a bale!!! That's just to cover their costs and the shipping. Of course gas prices play a role in that also. We are lucky....Grandpa gave us 4 bales of hay and mom and dad brought them down at Christmas. The sheep and goats were in heaven. We are using it sparingly and so far are only on our second bale. The price of feed has also gone up. Grandpa said his chicken feed went up in price in PA and he needed to raise the price for his eggs. I think he's getting $1.50 per dozen now instead of $1. Still much cheaper than the eggs at the grocery store! Speaking of the grocery store....I was there today and it costs $6 for a pound of hamburger and $5 for a gallon of milk! Craziness, but all a result of the drought.

So what do we do???? PRAY FOR RAIN! But not only rain, pray that America will turn back to God!!! I believe, as does my preacher and others here in the South, that this lack of rain is God's judgement on America. In the Bible, you find over and over again where God held back the rain or caused a famine to bring people to repentance and back to him. Just the other week, there was a huge group of Christians praying at the court house for rain here in Pickens. Am I worried?? No, as long as I keep my eyes on Jesus. He'll see us through and take care of us. But we better be paying attention to what's going on. God caused this drought for a reason.

Well...I guess I'm blogging!

Well, I don't know too much about computers or blogging. But I do know that I LOVE to read the blogs of others. So, I thought, why not give it a shot myself?? I'm calling this blog "TaterHill Happenings". As most of you know, our "farm name" is TaterHill Kennel and Hobby Farm. We came up with that name since we live at the base of TaterHill Mountain in South Carolina.

So....TaterHill Happenings.....I figure this name will cover a large umbrella of what I may blog about. OF COURSE, many blogs will pertain to the animals we have here. While others may pertain to Bobby and I's personal life. OH and of course.....Baby Connor....who should be making his way into the world around April 28th!!

I know that most of the blogs that I read pertain to a certain topic each day. I'm not sure that will be my aim. I am more interested in "keeping in touch" with family that is not near.

So let's begin.................Some of you may know while others may not...I am now a full time stay at home housewife. I stopped teaching at the children's home a few months ago. Mainly because I was too stressed with trying to fulfill those duties, keep up with my house, serve my husband as I should, and keep the TaterHill business going. Often, my mom asks "What do you do all day?" since I'm not "working". Well, let me say I stay very very busy. Here is the run down of the animals we have now:
12 English Springer Spaniels (that doesn't include the 13 puppies we have right now)(Cheyenne, Greta, Jack, Buddy, Nikki, Gabby, Jeannie, Montana, Rissa, Mollie, Calla, and Freddie)
1 Beagle (Tater)
1 Cocker Spaniel (Jesse)
1 Shih Tzu (Maddie Doodles!!!)
1 Great Pyrenees (Biggun)
9 Pygmy Goats (Mirage, Connie, Rose, Zoe, Breeze, Solomon, David, and 2 unnamed....these 2 leave this weekend for their new homes)
2 Hampshire Sheep (Never really decided on names for them)
1 Pot Bellied Pig (Sophia)
7 Mini Lop Rabbits (Chester, Pixie, Trigger, Simone, Samson, Ginger, and Olivia)
7 Lionhead Rabbits (Dreamy, Lucky, Half Pint, Dot, Peaches, Chin Man, and Mocha Joe)
2 Netherland Dwarfs (Bobby never named them)
2 Georgia Cottontails (Used to train beagles...never named)
1 Cat (Penelope).....For those of you who knew of our cat, Elvis, he unfortunately was hit by a car a couple of weeks ago.
LOTS of free range chickens.

So as you can see.....I have plenty to keep me busy! I absolutely love being home during the day! Who would have thought that I would enjoy being a housewife?? ha ha