Return of the Bluebirds

I was excited -- no, THRILLED -- when our bluebirds returned! Here are some of the photos I've taken this month. I don't know if they are the same family that was in our birdhouse before, because the female (Sialia) in this family seems a lot thinner and has a gray spot on her belly that the other didn't have. Both Silas and Sialia seem to act a bit different than the other two, but I'm keeping the same names. There are three jeveniles in this family -- I know because we often see the family of five together hunting bugs or keeping watch over the new clutch. The first egg was laid on May 16th, and, like the last family, this mama bird laid five eggs. I continued to take daily pictures, but when I checked the nest on May 25th, I was sad to see it empty. The nest was messed up a bit, and there were some broken shells on the ground beneath the birdhouse. I don't know if it was the same predator that got one of the last babes, but I am guessing the squirrel got to it. I'm bummed again, but I know this is the cycle of life and the way nature works. The bluebird family hasn't moved back into the house, but they are still in our yard often, so maybe they'll come back and nest again. Now, we get to figure out if we need to clean out the birdhouse again or leave it.

Last night I saw FIVE juveniles splashing in a puddle by the porch. Since I could only snap pictures through the dog-slobbered glass of the backdoor, the pictures ended up a bit fuzzier than I hoped. It was funny to see the bluebird kiddos yelling at each other just as much as my kiddos do. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! Today, we started out the day with the Cub Scout Pack. U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert was the keynote speaker, and Will's pack did the flag ceremony and was thanked for all their hard work on restoring a war memorial. The rest of the day, the kids napped and splashed in the little pool.

You can check out some of the media stories here:
Cub Scouts raise money, repair Whitehouse veteran's memorial (KYTX)
Whitehouse Cub Scouts refurbish memorial (KLTV)
East Texas Services Commemorate Troops Monday

Art: Aluminum Foil Sculptures

Aluminum foil (no metal blade on box) $1 per box X 4 kids = $4

Empty toilet paper tubes (about 3 months worth) = $0

Several empty boxes (cereal, poptarts, diapers, etc.) = $0

A few pieces of tape = $0.15

Two hours of safe kids' crafts

while I reorganize, clean, mop, and do laundry = PRICELESS!!

There was a pretty big mess, but it got cleaned up pretty quickly (nothing like saying, "No lunch till it's all put away," to get a speedy cleanup.) Some of the projects were already destroyed or recycled before I got the camera out, but here are a few of their creations. Ben said, "It's a present! Just for you!"

 Maddie had several foil-covered TP tubes, but her favorite creation was the "Box of eggs!"

 Will created a piece he called "Two cocoons on a twig."

 Jon unrolled nearly all 35-feet and paraded around the house with his long strip. As he did, he fussed at the cats and dog and brothers and sister who ALL tried stepping on it. He finally set it across the living room and rested on it. He called his art "Sleeping Bag," even though he often propped it on the windows like a waterfall and river when posing for pictures.

This is definitely going to be another project this summer. It was cheap, easy, and they made so many things that didn't make the photoshoot -- rocketships, airplanes, boats, masks, goggles, hats, capes, etc.

Ending the School Year

This has been a crazy week! Last Friday, we planned to go camping with Will's Cub Scout pack, but the school sent him home from school early because he was sick. Since I already had camp out meals planned, we went ahead and had breakfast casserole for dinner with oven-baked banana boats for dessert. We also let the kids camp in the living room with their sleeping bags. That worked out well because they were a bit frightened of the big storm that hit right around bedtime. I was glad to miss the first night of the camp out because we got a LOT of rain that night, and with four inexperienced campers, that wouldn't have been any fun. We joined the group Saturday morning. The kids enjoyed hiking, a campfire, a scout ceremony where Will advanced from Tiger Scout to Wolf, and then we watched the flag retiring ceremony from the comforts of our tent (the little kids were getting delirious with exhaustion.) We camped overnight Saturday, had a tasty breakfast, then packed up and headed home. The kids all napped for nearly four hours Sunday afternoon, then they got to enjoy the sprinklers while I worked on laundry then headed to the church for a meeting.

Monday evening, the scout pack had a picnic and end-of-the-year swim party (not all the boys went on the camp out). We were out late (for kids), but since Will was only playing at school this week, we weren't too worried about it.

Tuesday, I took Ben, Maddie, and Jon to school and they had fun at their class picnic. Meanwhile, I spent the day with Will -- first at the school during his class's end-of-the-year party, then he was dismissed early so we went to Barnes & Noble and he spent his birthday gift card on a Pokemon book. We stopped for a root beer treat, then we picked up the little ones.

Wednesday, I had to grocery shop since I didn't go Tuesday. The little ones and I started our day at the YMCA so I could work out, then we all went to the grocery store... all of us... together. I think shopping with three four-year olds with their own carts was more of a workout than Zumba, and I came home exhausted and ready for bed (at 10AM). Somehow, we got through the day.

Thursday, was my last day on my own for awhile. I dropped of the kids at school and wandered aimlessly through Hobby Lobby -- just because I could. I picked up some gift cards for gifts, and went ahead and got me a tasty lunch while I was there. I took it home to dine in the QUIET while I read a book. Will was dismissed early since it was his last day of school, so I picked him up. He and I stopped at the dollar store for some summer-fun supplies, then we got the kids from school. Thirty-three minutes into the summer break, I was calling Allen in frustration. The kids were already fussing, yelling, rough-housing, and whining. ALREADY?!?

Friday, the kids watched TV for a little while, but then I got them crafting while I reorganized the laundry room, did laundry, mopped the floor, and cleaned up the kitchen a bit. It was a productive day and a good start to summer. By the end of the day, everyone was getting along and enjoying the sunshine.

I have started working on our summer calendar and it is already turning out to be a busy one. I suppose this is what happens as the kids age, and I am sure I will appreciate that we have plenty of activities to keep from being home-bound, but I do hope we get enough down-time to enjoy the lazy restfulness that summer is supposed to be. June is packed with a circus, Vacation Bible School, Cub Scout day camp, swim lessons for all four, and a MOPS planning retreat for me. In July, we will have a family vacation and a scout overnight at the zoo. All the while, I hope to keep the kids reading and creating art in a way that gives them an "outlet" without driving crazy the neat-freak in me. I have gathered some reading materials for all ages -- Will is reading several years ahead of his age-group, Jon gets mad if he doesn't get enough reading time in each day (yes, he's now reading stories), Maddie reads the same Barbie storybook each day, but she is getting good at sounding out words, and Ben just shouts out words that the others are struggling to sound out (but he doesn't like sitting to read a book unless someone else is reading it to him.) Stay tuned for stories on how the art projects go.

For the Birds - A few more visitors

Guess who stopped by and peeked in the kitchen window... our house finch family! We were enjoying dinner the other night and Jon asked if the birds on the fence were bluebird babies. I was pleasantly surprised to see (who I assumed was) Carpo, Holly, and their three kiddos! The five of them watched us from the fence and snacked in the yard.

I have never considered myself a birdwatcher (except for during vacations to the jungles of Costa Rica and Belize), but ever since we started watching the nests, I have enjoyed watching the feathered friends in our yard. We have recently started to identify the different species that visit, and we are amazed at how many types of birds visit our suburban yard. A few times, I've been lucky enough to snap some decent pictures. Meet some of our friends...

We have a dead tree in our backyard. I was finally getting around to thinking about calling someone to take it down before a storm knocks it through our roof, but Allen noticed some woodpeckers that seemed to be living in it. We definitely have a nest inside the tree, but it is too high up for us to have been able to watch it like we did the bluebirds and house finches. We often saw the two parents out hunting bugs in nearby trees, and throughout the day we watched them come and go. Although I have tried taking pictures, most don't turn out very well because they are so high up or the lighting is wrong. Here are a few glimpses of our Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. The top picture is of one of them peeking out from the nest; the second is of one of them flying away as the other is about to enter the nest hole; the third is of one of the parents with the juvenile following it up the tree; the last is the juvenile (I think). I can recognize the song of these woodpeckers, but they "talk" a LOT more now that the babe is flying around.

This Eastern Phoebe shows up almost every night just before the sun goes down. The silly bird has a funny little hop, but it seems to enjoy the bugs that show up about the same time. It is usually at the back corner of the yard, and, yes, I've named "her" Phoebe, even though I don't know the gender.

These two Brown Thrashers have been around for awhile, but now we know their nest is somewhere on the other side of our fence. It seems we have a lot of long, juice worms in our compost pile, so they are here all day collecting treats for their little ones.

We have also had regular visitors to the hummingbird feeder -- green blurs on film, we are pretty sure they are ruby-throated hummingbirds. A pair of cardinals and a robin are here daily, and, occassionally (see below), the blue jays, cedar wax-wings, and tufted titmouse visit. There are several barn swallows that soar through the air overhead and even buzz through our backporch, but none have landed, that I know of.