Backyard Visitors

I have a pair of chickadees making themselves at home in the nesting box Ron made for me a few weeks ago. I think I read once that they make several nests before picking one, so I still don't know if they're moving in for the season yet. They are cute to watch, though.

A pair of titmouses (titmice?) have suddenly started visiting. They've been here several days in a row, so hopefully they've moved into the neighborhood. Apparently they like peanuts.

This little guy likes suet and sunflower seeds. He does not like golden retrievers named Clara.

"He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,
That daring young man on the flying trapeze."

Ah-ah-choo!

Allergy season is upon us...also about 3 weeks early. Those flowering trees are bad, but the budding cottonwood in our backyard does me in!!

I think our cherry tree looks especially beautiful this year.

A 1/2 Birthday

Today is Tyler's 1/2 birthday. He forgot about it, which made the cake all the more fun. I made his favorite, which we haven't had in probably 2 years. He was pleasantly surprised. Instead of going for 1/2 a cake, we went for a 1/2 eaten cake this year. :) We followed tradition and had 10 1/2 candles and sang 1/2 the birthday song. I felt like giving him a full 11 birthday spankings by the time bedtime rolled around, but I refrained.

This & That

Our trees are all blossoming already! We are a good 3 weeks ahead of schedule. These are from our cherry tree.

I saw on the hummingbird migration map that hummingbirds have made it to our state already. They are also about 3 weeks early, although I rarely see them before the end of April (4/27 last year). I put my feeder out in good faith this morning. I'll be sure to post when I see my first hummer of the year.

In other news:

Tyler & Danielle will be making balloon animals at the school carnival in May. They are SUPER excited. We need to PRACTICE! I think the carnival is 4 hours long but the kids are only going to do it for an hour or two so they can enjoy the carnival, too. I hope they can pull it off.

We got our papers to sign from America's Funniest Home Videos yesterday. I think everyone who submits a video has to complete them, so it doesn't necessarily mean the kids' video will be aired. It is a step in the right direction, though, and the kids are pretty excited. We completed them and mailed them back today.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and was dismayed to hear my height is 1/2" shorter than it was the last time (last year maybe?). Since I do not want to believe I'm old enough to start shrinking, I choose to believe that my spine and joints were compressed more because it was later in the day and I had been standing all morning. If you don't agree, don't tell me. My doctor said it was a possiblity, and WikiAnswers agrees, so that's good enough for me.

We only have 46 days of school left. Well, 41 if you consider we will be missing a week for vacation next month. While I am ready for summer break, I am sad about the thoughts of having a 5th grader and a 3rd grader. Tyler will move to the middle school next year, which starts soooo early. I don't know how we'll possibly manage to make it to school on time. The kids are just growing up so quickly. I think I'm having growing pains.

Hoops & Hail

Danielle has been begging us to buy a basketball hoop for several months now. Ron has been watching craigslist and waiting for a good deal so we don't have to pay full price for a new one. They are popular, though, and it's hard to snatch one up! We finally got lucky this weekend.

Ron got it put together and set up late yesterday afternoon. Ron and the kids played around a little until they couldn't see any longer, then the kids were right back at is this afternoon. I'm sure the novelty will wear off some, but so far it's a big hit.

I mentioned before that we've had some strange weather for the month of March. It continues to be about 30* above normal and is forecasted to be that high for the next week. The trees are all budding and the grass needs mowed already. It is going to be painful if/when it gets cold again! We had a little rain this morning and then some storms around dinner time. We had 4 different hailstorms tonight. The first one was quite a downpour. The weather turned more severe as it passed us. We could hear tornado sirens going off in the county to our east but thankfully we didn't need to head to the basement.

Enjoying the Weather

While we have had an extremely mild winter, this week has been unbelievable. It has been about 30* above normal this week! Today was a nearly perfect day - blue skies, a gentle breeze, and lots of sunshine. The only bummer was that it was also a school/work day.

I thought this was funny. It's 80* out and what outside activity do my kids pick?? To sit on the patio and read. (Together even!!) I quietly took this picture through the window while they were discussing one of the stories. Moments like these (coupled with sunshine and blue skies) make a mom's heart happy.

Reading isn't all the kids have been doing outside this week. Danielle is determined to learn how to ride a skateboard. She's not doing too bad. She's also been riding her bike and tossing the softball around with Dad. Tyler has suddenly taken an interest in throwing the football with Dad. Clara has been trying to sniff out whatever little rodent has been tunneling in our mulch beds.

Parade Performance

Danielle's baton group marched in a St. Patrick's Day parade today. Danielle didn't feel well when she woke up this morning, but she hung in there and gave it her all. It was pretty chilly this morning, so I'm sure that didn't help. Tyler helped carry the sign again this year. I think he really enjoyed himself. Despite Danielle being a little under the weather, we had a nice time. Ron's parents came to watch the parade, and we enjoyed getting to visit with them today, too. Here are some pictures of Danielle & her group.

Free Day!

We got out of school early yesterday and had today off. I think it was for teacher in-service, but I'm not really sure. Honestly, I really don't care - I'm just thankful for the free day! None of the other school districts were off, so it was a good day to get out and do something. We decided to go ice skating.

When we first got there, we were the only ones on the ice. By the time we left, there were only about 15 people there, including us.We haven't gone for a few months, so the kids were a little rusty. We had a very nice time, though, and I think I'm the only one who ended up with blisters.

Danielle enjoyed a birthday party at a paint-your-own pottery place this afternoon while Tyler enjoyed uninterrupted time on the computer. After dinner tonight the kids spent some time in the hotel hot tub with Grandma & Grandpa. We certainly made the most of our free day! (4 weeks until the next one!)

Parade Prep

Danielle's baton group is performing in a parade this weekend. They have been practicing for it for a couple months now, although the routine is relatively easy compared to some they have done. Last year Danielle and another girl got to lead the parade. This year Danielle and two other girls were placed up front to lead the girls during practice, and she was pretty sure the 3 of them would lead the parade this year. She was rather disappointed, though, when they were placed in their parade line-up tonight. Although Danielle is in the front row, two additional girls were placed in their row, too. The girl beside Danielle doesn't know the routine very well and is always a beat or two off. The other girl cried last year because Danielle was picked to lead, but she doesn't pay attention during practice and will often go sit down in the middle of practicing. Danielle has worked really hard, always does her best at practice, and practices at home. I think she felt like her hard work and effort wasn't really rewarded, which I understand. Sadly, that's the way things go sometimes. Life lessons suck when you're 8. Well, I guess they suck when you're 39, too! I am proud of Danielle's hard work, though, and am looking forward to watching her perform again.