Update: Lydia's Bees

It's been almost a year since Lydia got her bees.  So far, so good.  The bees survived the winter and have managed to escape the many scourges that ravage beekind.  I've repeatedly reminded Lydia to be grateful to God for His mercy in sparing her bees.  That may sound dramatic, but every time I hear about someone else's bee problems and/or losses, I learn a little more about how tricky beekeeping is.

It's a task that requires vigilance, an eye for what problems may be present and a knowledge of how to treat those problems quickly and effectively.  Lydia is either super confident or naive.  Probably both.  She never seems to be worried about her bees.

Each month, Lydia attends the local bee club meetings with her beekeeping mentors, Roger and Suzy. Lydia is not technically a member of the club because she hasn't paid any dues.  However, because of her good attendance and participation in the meetings, they've given her a name tag anyway.

Every week since the beginning of January, Lydia and I have had a date with the allergist.  She gets a bee antigen shot and we wait together in the office for 30 minutes before the nurse checks Lydia for a reaction.  So far, Lydia has not had any significant reactions, so we're on track to finish this process sometime in the next couple of years.  Honestly, when I first learned of Lydia's bee allergy and what it would take to treat it, I wanted to throw in the towel.  Get rid of the bees.  Call it a day. But Lydia was heartbroken at the prospect. So I take her to get the necessary treatment.  It's what mamas do.

Lydia plans to harvest her first batch of unadulterated honey after Easter.  Her very first batch of honey was made mostly from the sugar water that she fed the bees when they were first getting started. We've eaten that honey, but it's not proper to sell it.  So hopefully Lydia will have a batch of salable honey soon.

Lydia has informed us that the bees are likely to swarm this spring, which is what bees do when the hive gets too crowded.  So we need to get another hive very soon.  She has her heart set on a top bar hive ($$$!).

I questioned Lydia the other day on the subject of swarming.  "So, if we get another hive, will the extra bees just transfer over to it?"  "No," she said, "They'll still swarm.  Then you've got to go find them and get them back."  Alrighty then.  That sounds easy.  Or, apparently, the bees can be separated before they swarm. "That's why we need Dad to build a hive this weekend," she said.  It's all so very simple.

The Kids: Joseph

Joseph Athanasius.  (You can read more about my pregnancy with Joseph here.  You can read about Joseph's baptism here.)

This child has given us a run for our money.  The only one of our eight children to sleep through the night before eighteen months of age (in fact, he was sleeping through by the time he was 6 months ), I came to the early conclusion that Joseph would continue to be a dream child.

However, Joseph  has outclassed all of his siblings in the toddler department.  This kid finds trouble our other kids didn't even know existed.  Climbing and standing atop dressers and counters, running the microwave and turning on the faucet by himself are only part of his repertoire.  My friend says he has an "impish grin."  Elizabeth calls him "that devil baby."  One might wonder how in a house with this many people someone wouldn't see Joseph when he commits his acts of mischief.  I've wondered myself.  I have no answers.  The kid is a piece of work.  Yet, he's completely adorable.  He melts our hearts and makes us laugh every single day.

Joseph does not look like his four older brothers, who all take after their daddy.  In fact, I've been told the boys are all "clones" of their father.  All except Joseph.  He is almost a dead ringer for my baby brother, Jacob.  Since I was fourteen years old when Jacob was born, I remember a lot about him as an infant and toddler.  Joseph's mannerisms are almost exactly the same as Jacob's.  He also appears to be left-handed, just like Jake.  He observes what people do and then does the same (like running the DVD player or iPad, etc.).  Jacob was the same way.

Joseph still speaks very few actual words.  My brother, too, was mostly non-verbal at this age.  That's not to say that Joseph doesn't communicate.  He communicates very well.  His use of sign language and his own made-up gestures tell us exactly what he means.  If Joseph sees that his older siblings are headed outside to play, he points very forcefully to his feet to let me know that he wants shoes on so that he can go outside, too.  When he's found some sort of trouble and I catch him in the act, he waves both hands and says, "Uh, uh."  Translation:  "Don't punish me!"  When he eats something he really likes, he gives the "thumbs up!" sign.  I have no doubt that Joseph will begin talking more soon.  My brother started talking when he was three years old.  He spoke in full sentences and has hardly stopped talking since. (I love, you, Jake:)

Joseph is also a lot like my dad, in both looks and personality.  He doesn't like it when his hands get dirty.  My grandma tells me that my dad was the same way at a very young age.  He is very organized in his own little way, just like Grandpa.  Let me explain.  Every night, we have to clean out Joseph's pockets. Each pocket is full of the things he has collected throughout the day.  Each pocket has similar items in it.  For instance, rubber bands, marbles, Lego heads, buttons, pennies or bouncy balls. Always multiples of the same category and the categories are never mixed.

Joseph likes to pretend with his older brothers.  He is especially fond of playing cowboys.  Much to his delight, his big brothers always let Joseph think he's the sharp shooter who never misses his target. He shows great concern when one of his brothers gets hurt.  He tries to lend comfort by giving the injured party a hug.  When I pick him up, he looks me in the eye, gives me a huge grin and then proceeds to give me a big hug, complete with back pats.  When I ask him for a kiss, he presents his cheek to me so that I can kiss it.

Joseph is still in love with his blue blankie.  In fact, I had Grace make a duplicate in case THE blue blankie ever got lost.  Joseph knew we were trying to pull one over on him.  He would not accept the counterfeit at first, although he now prefers it over the original.

We can't wait to see what God has in store for the littlest guy in the family.  I wouldn't be surprised if it has to do with taking things apart:)