Found: A baby bird

Not a baby bird, more like a fledgling that wasn't quite ready to fly far yet. I had a few extra kids one day (yeah, I just pick them up here and there). Eliana and her friend were playing in the backyeard, in the window well to be precise. It was there the little birdie was found. He (or she) didn't seem to mind being picked up and held by two 3 year olds. Or by all the rest of the kids that then came crowding around.

It's a hummingbird?

About two weeks ago, I was outside around dusk trimming some of my bushes and plants. As I hauled away the cut branches I passed my honeysuckle vines. A little flutter caught my eye and I noticed a hummingbird hovering around the blossoms. I stepped back and saw not one, but three! Amazed, I just stood there and watched for a while.

The kids were still up, so I called them to come and see the hummingbirds. I also sent my oldest for my camera. But, as I watched closely, I realized that they were not hummingbirds. The body shape was different, though the creatures could hover and flutter just like hummingbirds. The numbers were multiply as well. First three, then five, then seven, then I lost track because they were all over. After watching them for a while and getting close enough to see their bodies, it became evident that they were moths. I had never heard of this before. (Yeah, so much for my former life as a biologist.)

I managed to get some really awesome shots. Amazing since they moved so fast and it was dark by then. I looked them up and they are a type of hummingbird moth: the white-striped sphynx moth.

June already?

I apologize for those few who may be following our blog. Our computer died in May and rendered any blog post almost impossible. It is very difficult to access and write much more than a blurb on this blog through my phone or Kindle Fire. The computer was revived and we are on the hunt for a new one, but at least I can say Hello here now.

What have we been doing this last month or so? Well, a lot! I will do a few blog posts on some particular things. We've taken a trip, had family here, replaced our garage roof, had a birthday, did some more preparing for our mission work, and just lived life. This month is going to be a bit busy as I start packing up our belongings. I need some motivation to do this, and I'm not finding any.

Brett finishes residency on June 29th. Hard to believe five years is over just like that. It's bittersweet, as most big changes like this are. I'm looking forward to what God has in store and seeing how He will provide and guide our steps. Please pray for our home to sell. The last month has been most discouraging in that respect. I'll try to get some more interesting things on here. And those pictures, Daniel. :o)

Schedule

I love that my boys are best buds. Their bedroom is right below ours and it is so cute to hear them whispering and giggling with each other. Often they will stay up for an hour after bed just whispering and giggling away. The last couple weeks I was noticing that Liam kept waking up in Kieran's bed. Come to find out almost every night when we tuck them in bed, Liam crawls into Kieran's bed and they tell each other stories until they fall asleep. They love this time together. Kieran was telling us -well, trying to tell us because he was laughing so hard- about the stories they tell. He decided they needed to plan out who was going to tell stories and what they were going to be about. So, he sat down and wrote himself a schedule. Complete with which nights they get to have a drink before bed.

I saw him making this and just thought how funny and forgot about it. However, they've been very faithful to keep their schedule. Sunday night Kieran asked Brett, "What is the date, Dad?" After Brett replying, "The 6th.", Kieran said, " Oh, we get a drink before we go to sleep tonight!" Brett was a little confused until Kieran explained his schedule to him.

Funny boys! :o)

Random Pictures

Happy Easter!

Gone Fishing!

What can I say? We were having a paint day.

It's Morel Season!

Just look at these scrumptious mushrooms! Yes, if you are lucky enough to live in the northern midwest, now is the time to hunt for these delicacies....or maybe last week was.

Unfortunately, I did not find these. Our pastor found a ton of them and gave us some. Twice! I heard these can sell for $10/lb. Not sure I'd pay quite that much, but they were delicious. I dipped mine in egg and panko bread crumbs and fried them in butter. Brett, Kieran, and I finished them in record time, I'm sure. The other kids turned up their noses, crazy buggers. The second bag we received had a morel larger than my hand.

Goose eggs

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Quarry Hill. Just the kids and I. We had a great time rock climbing, hiking, and exploring. We were pretty excited to see a pair of geese had nested down at the pond. The male wasn't too happy about people dropping by. But we kept our distance and got to see about 4 eggs when the female got up to rotate them.

 

The Mallards were also courting and it was funny to watch pairs of males chase around a female. The kids love ducks, thanks to McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings.

  

 We also found a nice toad down by the creek. The boys had fun crossing over a fallen log, and I was surprised how well they balanced, Of course, the creek below was probably an incentive not to fall.