Silly bird...

We have a strange phenomenon occurring here again this spring. A bluebird flies around and straight into our sunroom windows. It flutters around from window to window. This has happened the past 4 springs. Here is what we think is happening. What do you think?

In June 2004, we moved 3 trees in preparation for adding onto the house. This evergreen was on the west side of the house, which you can see on the far left of the pic.
In this pic, this evergreen was in the hole kind of in the center of the picture. Look at the roofline...it will be referred to later.
Here is the addition built in the summer of 2004. Can you identify the previous west side of the house? Find the wood stove chimney. The horizontal roofline is over the library addition, and then the sunroom is to the west (left) of that. The upper windows of the sunroom is where this silly bird flies around. We think it is looking for the tree we moved. It hasn't figured out where we moved it to. What can we do? The poor thing can't build a nest. Oh, the trials, oh, the confusion...

Sunday best...

Mister Dimples and Miss Sober

Mister Messing Around and Miss Finally Smiling!

Annisia is wearing a sweet red velvet dress with satin trimming and a black netting petticoat she received from Daryl and Tara, and Jim and Tammy in Vancouver, WA.
Jonathan is wearing a pair of blue cordouroy pants (size 24 month!, skinny little bum) from Aunty Janice and a handsome sweater from Gramma.

Vallhalla venue!

Jonathan is SO funny sometimes. This afternoon, he said he needed some things from the kitchen so he "could make chopped soup for the beef soup and then we'd take it to the Vallhalla venue". What prompts him to say some things is beyond me. If you have ever read Graeme Base's Animalia, you'd know where "Vallhalla venue" comes from, but we haven't read it for over a week. My son has a memory like an elephant!

On Friday, we were outside and he was driving his backhoe loader. He said, "Mommy, me, Baby doll, and Annisia have to move away to go to school." I said, "Oh really?!", feeling like I stepped back into the time of Laura Ingalls Wilder. "Yep! We're moving to a different town to a ranch that has a C and a A." "Are Daddy and I moving with you?" "Yes, you and me and Baby doll and Annisia are going to go on my loader tractor and Daddy is going to come later in his big truck." So! Now that we have THAT figured out, the big question is, do I start him in preschool next fall? He'll just be 4. We're of the mind to not start until he's 5, then kindergarten when he's 6. But lots of his peers are already in preschool at 3 1/2. But if he needs to move away to another town with a ranch in it that has a C and an A in it, I don't know if I am ready for him to start school yet!

Here is Jonathan, sacked out half on and half off his little couch. He was really wanting me to play him the video his Gramma and Papa have of their ranch and the Andalusian horses they have for sale. I fell asleep on the living room floor, though, and he must have gotten tired watching me sleep!
Then we went outside when everyone woke up. It was a beautiful day with a slight wind. Enough wind to bother our ears, so we all put on our ear bands. Jonathan took his Baby doll out for some fresh air. Isn't he a sweetie?Annisia was busy pouring sand onto the lawn despite my directions. Argh! She is such a busy little helper though.
Yesterday, Saturday, Daddy and Jonathan went out to the ranch to work on whatever it is Michael is building me. So Annisia and I were home alone. She picked up one of Jonathan's little tools he uses for a "shoot gun" and walked around shooting things! I laughed so hard! She says, and you have to put a 1-2 second pause between each word to sound like her, "Shoot gun, bziu, amlopt (antelope)." (bziu is the sound you hear antelope make to each other to warn.) Both the kids have learned to open the door or window and shout, "Bziu, antelope, get out of here!" Can you tell we have lots of antelope here? They come into our yard and I encourage the kids to scare them away! Anyways, that's what's going on here!

Scrappin'

I have actually been able to get some scrapbooking in lately. I hang my head in embarrassment, I am still working on my NZ album from our trip in 2004. BUT! I am working on it. I go to our senior center where a Creative Memories consultant has set up on Tuesdays. Gramma has watched the kids for me twice recently. Jonathan has been working with me at home. I gave him a box of scrap photos and a pair of beginner scissors as well as some of my decorative scissors. Here are a couple of pictures of him scrapping...literally.

Notice the pile of scraps on the floor? It is a great source of fun until Mommy says it's time to clean up.

Isn't he a monkey?!

Wazzup!

This is what's been up...the last month! I know I have posted some happenings, but here are the pics. On Feb 23 and 24, we refinished the sunroom deck. This meant Michael did lots of back breaking work with a belt sander, I followed up with the random orbital sander, Jonathan showed us (numerous times, ie every time I let go of it!) just how to use the RO sander , and Annisia crawled up onto (and off again, and on again, and off again, you get the picture!!) the dusty deck. Then we recoated the deck. It was really looking gray, especially the outside boards as they get hit with the sprinkler and the stuff we used before isn't very good. If you click on the pic below and look at the area where Annisia is standing, you can see how gray the boards look. The sunroom deck you see above is before we coated it. It really looks nice now. Come visit and check it out!
I have cool kids. I mean, just look at this one. It was a chilly, windy day so the kids have on ear bands. Jonathan gets frustrated with the wind. I have to wonder if it hurts his ears. I don't like the wind either. Lately, he's been beating on one of our pines that sits where it blows no matter which way the wind is coming from. I think he sees the branches moving and thinks it is creating the wind, instead of moving because of the wind. So he gets the hoe out and hits the branches and says, "No wind! Stop blowing! You're frustrating me!"

Annisia, on the other hand, just likes to go outside. She doesn't really like the wind, but it's because it's "cold". She says, "Oooh, told!" But if she's bundled, she's fine. She giggles, plays with anything Jonathan lets her play with, and begs for swings.

So, this is after a day at Gramma and Papa's. Hmmm...who's exhausted?
Daddy and Jonathan left one evening to run back to the office for something. While Jonathan was gone, Annisia kyped his bike helmet to wear. Don't you think her sideways grin is too much?
Then she "needed" her tights off so she could see her toes. This is something she learned from her big brother. He is one for taking off his socks and picking the lint from between his toes. He calls it "getting the itch out". So down she sits, not really knowing what it is he does, and looks between all her toes!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned the big 38 last Wednesday. My dear Michael is building me something and it's taking him longer than he planned, and I don't know what it is, and I am excited! When I get it, I'll be sure to snap some pix and post them. The kids got me a Longaberger bread basket. It's lovely! I hope to find a nice springy dress with some cash I received. Coldwater Creek Outlet, here I come!

Michael made plans for us to go to Billings on Friday eve and Saturday without the kids. He did all the planning! Aunty Angela (Michael's sis) and Uncle Mike babysat Annisia, and Jonathan went to Gramma and Papa's. It was the first night I have been away from Annisia, and only a few nights away from Jonathan. He's old pro at it, though! On our way to Billings, M's niece, Brady, sent us some photos on our phone. Annisia was dyeing Easter eggs! All was well, and I immediately stopped worrying AT ALL! We had a good time, but spent most of it buying things for the kids! hee, hee!

Maybe I'll post some pics tomorrow. Not in the mood right now. Thanks for all the birthday wishes I got in email (and by post!)

Here's what's up!

We have had a week of sick kids last week. Both went to the doc on Monday last, the10th. She put them on Zithromycin. The next morning and thru the day, Jonathan would throw up about an hour and a half after eating. He ran a temp from 101 to 103, and Motrin didn't seem to help much. Wednesday eve he hit 105.5. Into the bath he went.

Michael must have seen my crossing eyes, hair sticking out in all directions and steam rolling from my ears from being stuck in the house with two kids who didn't feel like playing, couldn't eat without throwing up, wanted to be held constantly and fussed if they weren't on my lap. I went off to Gospel Meeting alone!

Thursday, Jonathan really had that glazed look kiddos get when they haven't eaten much all week, run a temp all week, and have a sore nose from blowing it all the time. He spent most of the day watching home videos. I don't feel nearly so guilty about him couching it if he's watching videos of himself and sister sledding, riding in the sleigh, riding horse, pics of the bighorn sheep G'ma and Papa M saw at Yellowstone, and ranch pics and videos of Papa and G'ma driving the horses in tandem (one horse in front of the other) and in a unicorn (one horse in front of a pair). Another video he watched was one Papa M gave us called Lorenzo. It's a French gentleman who does amazing driving, and, at one point, drives 8 horses while standing on two horses backs. Click on the link to see a sample. It's amazing! The kids are transfixed, as are we. Incredible horsemanship!

On Sunday, Michael woke up around 5am. By 8:30am, he was telling me how he didn't feel well and crawled back into bed. Needless to say, we all stayed home from meeting. He slept until 11:30am and felt better after that. I got some time to do some finishing touches on a little album for a brother of mine. WOW! Scrapbooking! WooHoo!

What's happening...

This is a pic of the lunar eclipse. Michael just snapped it with our little Panasonic digital camera. It was pretty cool to watch. Hope you saw it. (I know, it was weeks ago...)

Here's a little of what's happening here. We/I have been helping friends settle into their new home here in our subdivision. Yay! Jonathan is saying his "L"s really well now. Annisia's vocabulary is growing...today's word in the grocery store was "go away" to Jonathan! eeek! My day lilies and columbine are sprouting in the south flower bed. The day lilies are about 4 inches tall already! And tonight and tomorrow, I am doing some YMCA education to get certified to be an instructor. Tomorrow's class is Pilates. My kickboxing class comes in May. That's all I have time for right now. More posts and pics later.