SO loving it...

Inside Caleb Lee's Head...

Just a sampling of Caleb's artwork... Most of which I rescued from the garbage. He's never happy with his drawings... I'm not sure what that's all about, but we're working through it! So, we have our family, our house, Mommy riding a horse, (nice.) and our mini van - through Caleb's eyes! Mini Vans are way cool in Caleb-land, folks.... More on Caleb... Today he comes out of his room after nap and gives me a hug and a pat on the shoulder and says, "You take good care of us, Mommy... You work very hard... You should take a restus." (Plural form of rest) Does this kid ROCK or what??!!

Canned Dog Food... Preferably Beef...

So, the birds have taken flight. I caught the first one as he was contemplating his big leap... The other two weren't as brave - they stuck around for another day. But let me tell you.. I got rid of that nasty wreath as soon as they were out! It was all fun and happy in the beginning, but I have to admit that the dive bombing Mama and the bird dump all over our porch got really old... The last straw was when I discovered that we had bird mites crawling all over our door and rug at the doorstep... Abigail and I were sitting on the front porch today and she happened to be sitting partly on the rug... Yeah... Covered with them.... Absolutely disgusting, people... After stripping her down in the front yard and bathing (scrubbing) her and washing everything within 10 miles of the vicinity in scalding water and extra detergent I still feel them crawling all over me. I dumped a gallon of pesticide on our door and concrete slab and threw the wreath (with nest still attached) into our neighbors yard... (heh heh... kidding.) So - there you have it... The saga comes to an end... And just in case you're wondering... There aren't going to be any wreaths on our door for a loooong time. Oh yeah - I was researching bird mites on line and I found a site that said that rescued baby robins should be fed part of a worm on the end of a toothpick or "canned dog food - preferably beef." So... now you know.

Me First! Me First!

And the baby bird saga continues....

Big Day at Safety Town

It's official... Isaiah is two-wheeling it. I got about half way down the road and I was gasping for air.. Scott has a little more strength and perseverance than I... But I've decided that someone needs to market a new exercise program - "Two-Wheel Training." - Just run your stinking butt off, hunched over a kid's bike and shouting "You can do it! Whoa! You're doing great! You're OK - those are only 3rd degree lacerations... Get back on!! Let's try again!!" for 2-3 hours every day and you will shed pounds like never before.

Squishy Bark in Iowa

While the kids were taking turns riding Dazzle (the horse) Caleb and Abigail were hanging out under this tree. Caleb says, "Mommy, feel this tree... It's squishy." So, I feel the tree.... And jump... And scream... It was a very well camouflaged caterpillar!

Four's A Crowd...

We spent the weekend in Iowa and when we returned we found one of the baby birds splattered on our doorstep. Sad, but true.... So we have three left and they're growing and changing quickly. It's a little weird, though - they never make a noise at all. Sometimes we will look at the nest and all three will have their mouths wide open and up, but totally still and totally silent.. kinda freaky. I keep thinking they're dead and frozen in the "feed me" position or something....

When Mama Ain't Happy....

I'm pretty sure there are four in there now... We've been trying really hard not to disturb them too much. (it probably doesn't seem that way from all of the pictures I have posted!) But we have. We don't actually look into the nest - I stick my camera up there and click and we all look at the pictures on the camera or computer! And we try not to use the door too much. I open the door, click the picture and shut it again gently! Well, Mama bird was not impressed with all of my gracious consideration! Today when I opened the door, she dive bombed me!! And get this - She brought reinforcement - the big guns.... I have been thinking that this moody Mama was a single parent - Carrying these babies, delivering them, sitting on them, and feeding them all by her self! (No wonder she was cranky!) I had never seen any sign of a Papa bird anywhere. Well, Papa must have been away on buisness. I'm thinking he got the hysterical Mama's-been-cooped-up-too-long call because HE was flying at me too!! It was like a bad scene from The Birds.... So, I'm thinking I'll be leaving them alone for a while.... I'm telling you they were TICKED.

The Rain Came Down and the Worms Came Up...

Although we are not sure exactly what is what, we're pretty sure that there are three babies in there. Scott called earlier and I told him that one more egg had hatched. He wanted me to go out and water the lawn - ("about a 5 ft. by 5 ft. area near the nest.") He said that then the worms would come up and the Mama bird would be sure to find food for her babies.... I told him that I wasn't sure I could muster up quite enough bird-compassion for that one.... It's raining now. God and Scott must be on the same animal-loving page.... I love my husband. :)

Truth in Love...

So, yesterday Caleb and I were sitting outside. It was a breezy day and my hair was blowing. He says, "Mommy, your hair is like a tree..." And then he looks so sweetly into my eyes and says, "I love you Mommy... I love you just the way God made you." Sweet, right? Later on that day, Abigail and I were on the deck and some big black bird was feasting on our neighbors bird feeder.. Abigail said, "Mommy! I see the Mama bird!!" I told her that no, the Mama bird was a robin and that robins have big, red, bellies... She laughed and emphasized, "Yeah, BIG bellies..." And then, "Just like YOU, Mommy!" as she looked at my stomach... Nice...

Name That Plant...

The field across from our house is just starting to grow. The kids and I are going to keep a photo-log of the changes in the plants and the rate at which they grow..... First I think I need to figure out what

kind of plant it actually is... heh heh.. Don't worry, I'll keep you informed.

Bald, Bulging, Blue-Eyed Babies

Two out, two to go. Exciting happenings for sure...

Greedy Gutters & Golf Sets...

O.k... My kid is the sweetest kid in the world... So, AWANA has this night called "Store Night" when the kids get to turn the points they've earned into "bucks" and "shop" for toys. As I walked through the room to find Isaiah I'm looking around and I'm seeing some pretty sweet toys... I'm talking like $10-$15 toys!! So I'm getting all psyched to see what Isaiah picked. As I'm approaching him I notice a plastic golf set sticking out of his bag... (You know, those Dollar General sets that are actually probably intended for toddlers and fall apart immediately upon use?) Yeah... So, as he excitedly shows me everything he got it takes everything in my greedy, selfish little heart not to say, "Why didn't you get something COOL??!!" He is SO excited and SO thrilled. I kick my butt out of the greedy gutter and appreciate his sweetness.. But THEN we get back to the fam and he starts pulling all of his toys out of his bag and distributing them one by one to each of his siblings!!! He picked out a toy especially for each kid! A pink ball for Abigail, a pack of cars for Caleb, a truck for Micah... and the golf set for them all to play with together! He splits his Reeses cups with them all and hands me his gum because he "Knows that's just what you like, Mommy!" He was on cloud 9. Is that just about the coolest kid on earth or what??!! TOTALLY.

"Isaiah Rocks!!"

Chowing on some cookies after Isaiah got his ribbon at AWANA's Award Night.

All because of underwear...

Abigail wanted to wear underwear this morning... Which somehow meant she was going to a "dance." (Still not sure about how they correlate...) Which led to the tutu... which led to Isaiah rushing to put on his suit because then he could "Take Abigail to the dance..." Caleb thought it a dandy idea as well and they presented themselves to me fully dressed - t-shirt, tie and suit! (I was still dragging my butt out of bed - keep in mind this is at 7:45am...) I tightened ties and tied shoelaces... tamed Abigail's morning fro and followed them downstairs... Isaiah had found some fake flowers lying around (a "treasure" that he found on the floor at Wal-Mart a few weeks back) to give to Abigail and the two of them moved the coffee table to make room for the dancing. We rehearsed the "May I have this dance?" - "Why, certainly!" and they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.... (see previous post regarding bottle of Aloe Vera Cooling Gel on table in backround!)

Jack-a-bees

Hung out with "Kobi" and her boys on Monday. Susan wisely provided sunblock and t-shirts... Something I unwisely did NOT provide Tuesday in Metamora when my kids got fried... oops.

Cranky Mama Robin

Can you see her giving me a piece of her Mama-bird mind?! She was cranked off at me for trying to take a picture of her in her nest on our front door wreath... Turns out she has a reason to be ticked... She has quadruplets to protect!

Quads

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