Owen plays peekaboo by covering just part of his face and averting his gaze for just a moment. I think it’s the cutest thing ever, though I realize I’m not terribly objective.
Archive for April, 2013
26 Apr
Backyard birding
As Bryan and I watched a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flit about the backyard last night, we complied a list of everything we recall seeing in the trees behind our house over the last six and a half years. We recalled 48 birds in total, which I’ll list below. What’s on your list that missing from ours?
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Baltimore Oriole
Barred Owl
Black-capped chickadee
Blue Jay
Brown Creeper
Brown Thrasher
Brown-headed Cowbird
Canada Goose
Carolina Wren
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Cooper’s Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe
European Starling
Great Blue Heron
Grey Goose
Hairy Woodpecker
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged blackbird
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-rumped Warbler
24 Apr
Ava Fix
Ava and her friend Emma are working on a screenplay about two kids who sneak out of the house and travel to a different solar system (one made entirely of candy, naturally). There’s a snag, though, in that they are caught by their parents upon their return. No problem—the children just erase their parents’ minds, and everyone lives happily ever after (or something like that)…
22 Apr
Weekend wrap-up
We’ve hustled across the state line many times in the last few weeks, for occasions both happy and sad. It’s left us grateful for additional time spent with our families, but also a bit rundown and generally behind at home. So, when we woke early on Sunday morning, we set to work on responsibilities shirked in the many days prior. Thankfully, there was a reward come late afternoon…
18 Apr
Livie Lou who’s most certainly no longer two
Olivia and I spent the morning at Quail Run for Kindergarten Roundup, and yet again, I found myself in a rather confusing state when it comes to this sweet girl. On one hand, it seems astonishing to me that she’s just now reaching this milestone. On the other, while she is already five, she is a very young five. Time expands and then contracts, I suppose.
Try as I might, it is hard not to draw comparisons between Olivia and her older sister. While Ava has always been incredibly mature, she has not been particularly outgoing. So Kindergarten Roundup for my eldest daughter brought a bit of concern on both of our parts.
Olivia is much the opposite – she has no problem jumping right into a new situation and making herself right home. And yet, she just seems so little. I even had to remind her to leave her blanket and her favorite stuffed animal – Sleeping Bunny – at home today.
Perhaps it has as much to do with birth order as personality–or even more likely, my own notions. Whatever the case, seeing my youngest daughter in her new role today made me realize my perception of her age means very little. Children grow up, whether we recognize it or not.
Olivia had a wonderful time this morning. She is incredibly excited to join her big sister at the schoolhouse up the street this fall…even if there may be a toy rabbit tucked away in her backpack those first few days.
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