DAY 151

Have you ever been pecked on the head by a mommy bird protecting her babies?

Seeing this bird today hiss at the children reminded me of a bird that once pecked my head as a child. Unbeknownst to me there was a nest in the tree and I got a little too close.

I was surprised to find this nest in plain sight in the open, rocky landscape right beside where we parked at church. If anyone got close, she would hiss and flair up her wings, hence the orange feathers.

After a little research I learned that this bird is a killdeer, named for the peculiar sound it makes. Nesting in open areas (like lawns or parking lots) in rock or gravel is common amongst them. Who knew?

DAY 150

I made it to 150 days (5 months)!!! Can you believe it?

Photo of the day: Little Man going down the blue slide

Earlier today Little Man had a soccer game. This picture is him getting one of the 4 goals that put his team into the tournament next weekend.

Little Man squeezed Pokey's nose so hard she got a bloody nose. Ya gotta love sibling rivalry. After several lies I finally got to the bottom of it. The kids had to exchange apologies so we could go to the pool.

The pool was fun, but my heart skipped a beat when they blew all the whistles and I couldn't spot the kids. Somebody was injured and paramedics and firetrucks came.

We enjoyed watching this bird try to get the chip. He even had a throw down with another bird over it, but never got it.

Other highlights of the day include:

• the bead store's going out of business sale (Center Point road 50-75% off)
• being burned on one side of my body at the soccer game
• watching "Up", which we give 2 thumbs "up"
• Anna and Jason being married (Hadan's sister). Congrats!
• And not to worry, I'll be back to one photo/day tomorrow. I decided to post multiple pics for my husband as a recap of our days away from him.

DAY 149

I wanted this to be the photo of the day, but when I downloaded it I was disappointed yet again. It's been a rough few days for pics. All my pics today had bad composure or shadows or were overexposed or blurry. I've decided to give myself a break for the weekend and just have fun with the kids. I'm just not meant to be a photographer, but I am documenting our life.

It was a beautiful day today and the kids had fun just hangin outside after school. Pokey jumped roped and Little Man played DS with Emma outside.

Then we went on an exporation walk around the neighborhhod until the kids got side tracked with their friends. We found a bee (picture above), some white flowers, a spider, a muddy puddle, some milk weed, and a roach crossing the street.

We went to the mall to try to find Pokey some capris and have dinner and ran into a carnival in the mall parking lot. At first we thought they were closed because nobody was there, but they were open. It was all way over priced. I'm glad I only went with $30.

The kids went on the slide after it had just been waxed, so they say. Pokey about flew off, literally. They have one just like it in Kentucky the kids have been on, but nothing like this. It really shocked her and she was a bit shaken up after. We started to walk away and she noticed her toes were bleeding. Turns out this blurry picture I got captured her right prior to slicing her toes on the edge of the wall. It actually took the skin off her pinky toe and took a chunk out of the toe next to it. When she saw the blood she starting crying. I managed to track down a couple band-aids and one of the staff even gave her some cotton candy to make her feel better.

Haldan and his Dad went on a small fishing charter in WA today and caught some strange creatures. I don't know if Haldan is holding the lingcod or the cabezon, can't remember.

Haldan's Dad caught this crazy looking wolf eel.

So, we made it through our Friday. Only two days until Haldan returns home!

DAY 148

"Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so called scientific knowledge." -Thomas Edison

I had a rough day with my camera. I decided I really want to learn my meter reader so I only used manual setttings. I didn't get many great pics. Most of them turned out blurry or blue. So, I have more to figure out. I think deciding aperture or shutter priority is key. Any great photographers out there that would like to lend some helpful advice?

Angela asked a good question about my camera and I realized I failed to mention what I use. I have a canon EOS 20D with a Tamron 28-300mm lens.

DAY 147

The Action Replay DS is specifically designed for use with the Nintendo DS. It is used to enhance a game, usually by giving the player extreme advantages not normally obtainable. It allows users to enter cheat codes through a PC application, which are copied to the software. I can't believe this is legal or ethical.

Little Man has been saving his money for some time and finally earned enough to purchase this at Wal-Mart for $19.99 + tax. Now he is obsessed. Most days this is how I find him, DS in hand curled up on his bed. In all fairness, it was a rainy day today, but I've had to start reinforcing the 30 minutes/day rule and no DS before school. I'm not sure what is a fair amount for the summer, but he can't do this all day long. Hopefully we'll be busy enough with other things that it won't be a problem.

He called his cousin Ethan tonight to see if he could help him figure it out. It was very sweet watching them interact on the phone. I can't wait for our reunion next month.

Baby Book

Here's a sampling of some of the scrapbook pages I've been working on for Pokey's baby book. Yes, baby book. I have a book I wrote in, but she's been begging me to make a book like Little Man's. I made a homemade 6X6 book for him with an ABC theme. I used the same color palette throughout and each letter represented something for a page. It actually was harder than I thought it would be. For Pokey I thought I'd do the first 7 years since it's taken me so long, but I'm struggling to come up with a theme. I want something different than the ABC theme, but I don't know how to incorporate doctor's data, growth chart, and firsts, etc. I was thinking about 2-3 pages for each year, but it's not that cute and where would I add the charts? OK, I need some help from you more creative folks out there. Any ideas for a cute baby book? Can I use all of these pages together or not?

I just had 175 pictures from negatives put onto a CD for Pokey's first 4 years. That's another problem I've run into. Doing a digital book proves to be challenging when all of the pics are on negatives. Can you believe it costs 29 cents/negative to transfer it to a CD? It is cheaper to make prints, but I thought this would be better for preservation and then I can make it into whatever size I want and make as many copies as needed. I only copied the ones I wanted, but it took me a while to figure out which ones I wanted from those tiny negatives. I have a negative reader that came with my scanner, but the quality is horrible. Has anyone found a cheaper way to burn to CD?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've waited too long to start this. I need to finish!

DAY 146

"Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments." -Rose F. Kennedy

Little man finally got that tooth out today, thanks to Mr Fred - again. We owe him big time!

Yesterday Pokey had a haircut. It wasn't just any haircut. She got to go to a salon and spa for the first time. She liked getting her hair washed most. She wanted to know if we could get a sink like that in our house. I asked her where we'd put it and she said we could take out the sink in her bathroom and put that one in instead.

And here she is after. The stylist said 5 inches, but I'm thinking it was at least 6. It's definitely shorter than I had in my mind, but luckily her hair grows fast. She has thin hair, so I thought this would be easier for the summer. The important thing is that Pokey likes it. She wanted to go even shorter, but I think she's glad we can still pull it back in pony tails. I wanted this to be my photo of the day yesterday, but the lighting in the salon was horrible. I thought I should at least document it.

And a short story for the day:

Tonight we were driving to soccer practice when an old David Cook song came on the radio. He just recently sang his new song on American Idol as a tribute to his brother who just died, I think of brain cancer. Pokey and Little Man were discussing how sad the song was and how sad David was. Pokey told Little Man that she would be sad if he died. She'd miss his tickling and laughing and soccer, etc. Then she said, "You're the only brother I've got, but Mom could have another one." I told her that I'm too old. Little Man disagreed and quoted some guinness book record of some old lady in her 70s having a baby. I told them that some people can't have babies when they're that old because they go through menopause. I wished at that second that I could take back what I said because I knew it would open a whole flood of questions. Little Man asked if it was like puberty when girls get periods. I quickly agreed and hoped that was the end of it. There was a moment of silence and Pokey said, "Mom, you could start dating again." I told her that I couldn't because I was married to Daddy. The reply, "Well, you can have dates with Daddy. You can start kissing and then you can have babies like on Marley and Me."

Kid's minds work in mysterious ways. Pokey clarified something she said a couple weeks ago. The quote was, "Mom, when you die can I have all your clothes." She told me yesterday that she doesn't want me to die, but she was wondering if we could share clothes when she gets older. What a relief to know she doesn't wish me dead. Also, an update on her story she wrote about dolphins. Turns out she actually read a story with that title and then she summarized the story in her own words. Maybe she's not the story writer I thought she was, but it would appear her comprehension has improved.

Congrats to Michael and Kirstina on their new 7lb 4.8oz boy. They named him Orion. I'm not sure on the spelling. This is Haldan's 3rd sibling to have a child in the last few months and there's a 4th due the first part of July. There's definitely a baby boom happening in his family right now. It will be fun for those cousins to be so close together.

DAY 145

“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.” -Melba Colgrove

DAY 144

"You're never too young to be a writer." -Dian Curtis Regan

Today while I was trying to take a nap Pokey came in and tapped me while she repeatedly said my name until I opened my eyes. She was very excited about her story she wrote and wanted to share it with me. It's her first story she's ever written. She's done paragraphs and she's copied stories from others, but never has she written her own before. After feeling so great about her accomplishment she announced that she wants to be a teacher and an author when she grows up. Both noble, realistic goals.

The quote comes from someone that actually started writing when they were in third grade and later went on to become an accomplished author.

Tonight we finally had the boy's walleye from Lake Erie. I decided to try Sarah Hall's "Red Lobster" Rolls. They were a hit. They only use a few ingredients and are super fast and easy. That's what I'm all about. So if you want to try it, here it is.

"Red Lobster" Rolls

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 c. milk

1/2 c. shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients together and bake in muffin tin or drop on cookie sheet at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Spread

1/4 c. melted butter

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients and spread over top of rolls after baked.

DAY 143

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." -Joseph Addison

The subject of dymensia came up at dinner tonight. We discussed the importance of always using our minds so it doesn't go to mush. As much as I would like Connor to turn off the lights and be obedient, there are worse things he could be doing than reading, especially when it's bible stories.

In other news, we had a busy day. Highlights include:

• cleaning the church this morning (which I have mixed feelings about, not that I don't like to clean or work)
• training for the tri with Haldan's team out at Palo Lake (the actual course for the Pigman coming up)
• folding laundry- the kids helped match socks
• teaching piano lessons (still looking for a different teacher)
• planting our flowers
• organizing hair accessories- Connor helped for the remaining 50 cents needed to buy his DS action replay he's been saving for
• attempted to get the kid's hair-cuts, but were unsuccessful - I guess all salons close at 5 on Saturday
• And yes, Connor STILL has that tooth!!

We wanted to rollerblade if it didn't rain, but it was patchy today. So, we decided to go see Up, but I guess it doesn't come out til next weekend. Bummer.

Congrats to Anders and Lauren on the latest addition to their family! They had a 8lb 13oz girl last night. Still not sure on the name.

DAY 142

“Life is short and full of blisters.” -African-American Proverb

Pokey came home from school today with two popped blisters. She said she cried a little after the first one popped and then cried a little more on the way home because it still hurt. Her hands are a mess these days. She's still biting her nails, she picks at her hang nails (some go back to her 1st knuckle), and now she has 5 blisters on her palms. I'd think she was part monkey with how much she likes to climb except that I don't think monkeys get blisters. As I looked closer at her hands I noticed several calluses as well where blisters used to be. Daddy cleaned them and bandaged them several times before he finally resorted to the water-proof knuckle bandages and surgical tape. By dinner that too was falling off. When she plays her hands get sweaty and nothing seems to stay on. I'm afraid monkey bars might be out for a little while. Poor girl.

I always knew you could get blisters from hard work, but I guess I never realized you could also get them from hard play. It's rough bein' a kid.

DAY 141

Can you say MIXED DENTITION?

That's my favorite term from dental hygiene school. I think it sums up this time in a child's life well. Not only is it anatomically accurate, it sounds awkward and seems to be a fitting phrase for the phase of life they are in. Little man is definitely going through this right now. His two front teeth don't seem to fit his face anymore. I do hope he grows into them some time, preferably in the near future. I think it would help if he could just get that right lateral incisor out. He's been wiggling it now for weeks. I'm waiting for him to swallow it. Today he was saying he could feel the tooth behind it, so it's time. He sat and wiggled it for a good 10 minutes off and on, but it's still hangin' on.

I'm always amazed at the photo opportunities that present themselves when children are present. you don't have to look far. Watching them experience life is... amusing, enlightening, and definitely never dull. I would give anything for a fraction of the energy and passion they have. I get tired just trying to keep up. Their minds are non-stop.

The last few weeks have just flown by and I wish I would have written everything down that they've said that struck me as funny or maybe caught me off guard, but I'm not that together. I did manage to remember a few things.

Highlights for Pokey include:

"Mom, when you die can I have all your clothes?" (eating breakfast while I was folding clothes before school)

"You're squashing all my dreams." (directed at me because I couldn't play outside with her just then)

"I think I want to shower when we get home. I'm worried about my blood coming out because I've already lost blood and I'll die." (We were driving home from mushroom hunting and Dad had a tick on him. I had just explained why we don't want ticks on us. She hates showers, but after much consideration she spewed this out."

"Squishy, Squishy" (which is very embarrasing, but she seems to be having questions about anatomy these days)

Little Man highlights:

"What the fudge." (which we quickly had to put a stop to- don't know where he picked it up)

"Whatever" (after I told him I loved him while dropping him off at school)

I can't remember anymore, so for you younger mom's out there, I recommend keeping a notebook handy. They grow up too fast.

DAY 140

"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice." -John Calvin

Highlights of the day:

• I went with Little Man's class on a field trip to Iowa City's Old Capital and Coralville's Fossil Gorge and Reservoir Dam. I was excited that Little Man still wanted me to come and even sat by me on the bus. I started the day with 4 class pictures that were totally over-exposed because I had the camera set to the wrong settings. Needless to say, I didn't get many wonderful pics. It got up to the high 80s today and was a beautiful day to be outside. The Fossil Gorge has standing water and more vegetation since last time we went. There were tons of tadpoles and snakes. Little Manwas in heaven.
• We had the Fords over for the season finale of American Idol. I even let the kids stay up and I was very disappointed with the language and inappropriate parts, such as bikini girl and Kara flashing everyone, even if it was for charity. We were super stoked about Kris' win. I was hoping, but had convinced myself that Adam would win. What a great surprise. I think that the judges had already made up their mind, especially with the critiques from the night before after Adam & Kris' last song. Kris was at least a mile better, but not according to the judges. It was as if they were already saying good -bye to him and preparing him for Adam's win. I also think that any Danny fans out there drifted to Kris, so he took those votes also. Adam is a great performer, but a little odd and theatrical and Kris will be a great recording artist, someone you'll want to listen to on the radio. I've already downloaded a couple of his songs. He's great.

DAY 139

Adam Lambert or Kris Allen?

For some reason my canon EOS 20D just wouldn't let me get a picture of American Idol. I kept getting bands of different colored stripes. Any thoughts out there? I used my canon power shot SD780 and got this one. A little grainy, but at least it doesn't have lines through it. I was almost convinced that Fox coded it strange to prevent pictures or it was my TV, but my other camera got this one. It'll have to do. I was trying the panoramic feature at the soccer game earlier and accidentally left it on that setting. Not a great picture, but one we wanted to remember.

BTW, 2 votes for Kris and 1 vote for Adam at our house. Haldan isn't voting. We're still trying to get through, but have only got the busy signal so far.

DAY 138

"Seventy-five percent of our planet is water - can you swim?" -Author Unknown

Ali's Weekend Challenge

Ali Edwards posted this challenge on her blog. The only thing needed was a camera and a willingness to document my life over the weekend. I decided to do it for a 3 day weekend starting on Friday. The result was a nice mix of photos. It's like a mini project 365 and a fun overview of our life right now. Thanks Ali for the great idea! As always you are an inspiration.

DAY 137

"Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." -Herbert Hoover

We don't normally fish on Sunday, but Becky Ford put together this wonderful day of fishing/ BBQing for Mr. Fred's class at Pleasant Creek. It was for the students and their families. Pokey and Little Man didn't even want to eat, they only wanted to fish. Pokey caught a tiny fish, but no keepers. Pokey definitely enjoys fishing just as much if not more than Little Man. She's always bummed when she gets left out of the fishing excursions. Mr. Fred has been a wonderful teacher for Pokey this year. He came over from Taylor Elementary when it flooded and we're glad we got him. Pokey has really enjoyed being in his class.

DAY 136

This is the roach that has taken up residence in our mailbox.

Almost everyday for the last three weeks he has greeted me as I've gotten the mail. He snacks on the mail and then appears as you go to get it out of the box. Today he was between the electric bill and a magazine and he fell out as I pulled the mail. I've been waiting for him to fall in my lap. A few days ago my mom suggested I get some bug spray and put it in all the cracks because that's where he is when there is no mail in the box. I was thinking of doing just this today when I came face to face with him. He stared me down for some time, which is unusual. He usually slips down in a crack right away. I guess I was tired of being scared to get the mail. I took a deep breath, grabbed the magazine, covered it, and pushed as hard as I could. I was worried he would still be alive, but when I turned the magazine over he was very dead. So, today this roach met a dreadful fate all because he decided to live in my mailbox. So long roach. Now I only hope that he didn't have relatives living with him.

The picture was a little tricky. I was holding up the mail with one hand and the heavy camera in another; hence the mail being extremely out of focus.

DAY 135

"Laugh alot, and when you're older, all your wrinkles will be in the right places." Author Unknown

DAY 134



"If the rain spoils our picnic, but saves a farmer's crop, who are we to say it shouldn't rain?" -Tom Barrett

When did this happen?

I understand why it happens, but I can't figure out for the life of me when it happened.

I dropped the kids off at school the other day and there was a bus blocking the road, so the kids got off there and walked the rest of the way. I yelled out, "Love you, have a good day at school," like always. Little man's response was, "Whatever." I tried to brush it off, but as I sat there waiting for the bus to move I saw this other little girl get out of the car behind me. She was probably a kindergartner. Her mother and her were blowing kisses back and forth and using body language to give hugs. The little girl got to the school, turned around, and continued to blow more kisses. Then she waved until her mom was no longer in her view. I started to tear up. I couldn't figure out if it was because it was such a tender moment I witnessed or because my children are past the sweet public displays of affection. Maybe both.

One of their first words is mama. They cling to you like no one else. You can't get anything done to save your life. They want to be held 24-7. You leave their sight for a second and their whole world crumbles as they begin fits of screaming until they can be safely reunited with you again. I remember anxiously waiting for the age I could drop them at nursery; counting down the days to get a couple hour break only to realize that they weren't ready to part with me yet. It took several months of going with them before I could wean them off me for those 2 hours. They wake up and want to be with you. They love to snuggle. Your name is like a broken record. When they start school they want you there at every opportunity. You're cool and they're proud to show you off to their friends. They like you.

So, when did all this change? I noticed thismorning that they don't come in my bedroom when they wake up anymore. I miss our morning moments. They make their own bowl of cereal and dress themselves. They don't want to be seen getting out of my car let alone having mom say mushy things in front of their friends.

I think it's some sort of master plan. Little by little they need you less and less until they are not dependent on you at all. I know it's important that they come to this otherwise they would never leave the house, but the process is so painful. You want them more and they need you less with every passing day.

I've really been aware of this lately. As they assert their independence there seems to be more of a battle of wills so to speak. I've decided I need to pick and choose these battles very carefully so that the time we have together can be more enjoyable.

Summer is just around the corner and I'm really looking forward to our lazy days ahead sandwiched between a few fun trips. On the upside, one of the perks of the children getter older is that they travel better. I'm not going to take this time we have together for granted.

DAY 133

"Each day is a 24-hour miracle to be treated with awe and experienced to its fullest."

- HBS, "Daily Thoughts"

DAY 132

"When a habit begins to cost money, it's called a hobby." Jewish Proverb

(Photo taken by Mike Strope with Olympus waterproof camera)

DAY 131

{Franklin’s Letter to His Daughter}

“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”
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Haldan took a vacation day and we played all day long. I guess he can do that now that he's on shift work again. No complaints here. It was like an extension of my amazing mother's day weekend. We went to workout together, went to a matinee and saw "Taken" (which I loved), did a little shopping, and then had a fun family night with the kids at Bever. They've been begging for smores. It was clear and in the high 60s with no wind, perfect conditions for smores! I'm trying my hand at some digital scrapbooking. The turkey is the photo of the day, just thought I'd share some of our other family pics.

Free stuff for all you scrapbookers out there!

This is the mother load! I found this blog that is dedicated to nothing except finding free scrapbooking supplies, mostly digital but some paper. It's great for scrapbookers, but can also be used for all sorts of projects. There's templates, borders, paper, kits, embellishments, brushes, etc. I've had fun checking out her links. She puts updated freebies almost everyday in a wide variety. Most of the links are to designer's blogs who just want to share their free templates and kits. It's amazing!! There are so many talented people out there. Some of the links are to stores giving freebies or discontinuing items. I used one of the free kits for my mother's day page. You can find her blog here. For those of you looking at this via email and cannot connect to the link, go to http://ikeagoddess.blogspot.com/. This was too good to keep all to myself. Enjoy!!

The winner is...

April 1st place

April 2nd place (tie)

April 2nd place (tie)

There were 3 that were tied up until 2 days ago. Camille with the daffodils wins and the willow and scowl pics tie for 2nd place. Thanks so much for voting. It makes my life easier. This was the most votes yet. I've decided to use an idea my mother in law had and have 2 categories, nature/ scenery and portraits/ people. They are very different kinds of pictures. It seems every month except for Mar has had those results anyways. So, from now on instead of 1st and 2nd place we'll have 2 categories to vote for.