To bee or not to bee...

We bee! So, Bob is in the bishopric in our ward. Last spring our bishop got two beehives and he has been raving about bees in their meetings ever since. He is so enthusiastic about it that he talked Bob and one other guy in the bishopric into getting their own hives as well! I must confess that the more I read and learn about bees the more excited I got as well. Bees are amazing little creatures! Anyway, our adventure began last December when Bob started getting beehives and equipment for Christmas. He has spent the last several weeks putting the hives and all the frames together and putting them together in the garden all in preparation for the big day when our girls would arrive. Yesterday was the day!
We got up early yesterday morning and headed into Salt Lake to pick up two "packages" of Italian bees. Each package or box contains one queen and 2 1/2 pounds of worker bees. That translates to approximately 10,000 bees in each box!
We put them in the back of the suburban and listened to the buzzing all the way home. There were a couple of stray bees flying around by the time we got home but they seemed more interested in their sisters than in us which was good! Nonetheless, it was sort of a tense drive home!

When we got home Bob put on his bee suit and headed to the backyard. He pried out the can of sugar water that was feeding the bees and then removed the queen who was in her own little cage inside the box and put her down in the hive. Then he turned the box over and started shaking the bees out into the hive.

This was the point I decided to retreat inside and watch from the window! Dart wouldn't leave though. The bees just fascinated him. He is standing just beside Bob and tried to catch and eat the bees! It was fun until they had enough of him and started stinging him! He would run away and roll to get the bees off and then go back for more! He might not be the smartest dog in the world...

This is some video I took of the package of bees. I wanted to record the sound of all the bees buzzing - it's a one of a kind sound, that's for sure. Anyway, it has been fun and amazingly peaceful to watch the bees humming around their new hives and all the blossoms on the trees. They really do seem to be as gentle as the books say they are. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. In spite of all the shaking and everything Bob had to do to install the bees in their hives he got stung only once and it was by a bee that got trapped in his pant leg and couldn't get out. Next time he is going to put rubber bands around his ankles!

Happy Easter!

We had a very nice Easter weekend. The kids started off by coloring Easter eggs at the Moultries. I'm not sure what Grace thought of the whole thing but the rest of the kids had a lot of fun. They came home with four dozen brightly colored eggs that they want to treasure forever. I had to work pretty hard to convince Jeni that she couldn't keep her Easter eggs in her bedroom!Because of the funny weather we had we ended up postponing our neighborhood Easter egg hunt until the next Wednesday. We got together with four other families and went from yard to yard finding the eggs. The kids were all so excited. Here are Jeni, Nathan and Maddie with their "hunting helmets" on. Ready to go!

Maddie and Jeni were very good about helping Grace find her eggs.

Here is what Dart looks like on the neighbor's side of the fence! I think we have a hole to fill in...

I love my neighborhood! There are really great families with lots of cute kids to come outside and play in the cul-de-sac with my kids. With the good weather we have been having lately it's like a big party out in our circle every day as soon as the kids are all home from school. I love spring!

Here we are with some of our neighborhood friends.