Little Flamingo's Little World

2012-01-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and lots of family time. Now we're settling into routine life again. You know, things like school, cleaning, cooking, cleaning, baking, cleaning, unpacking, cleaning, playing, and did I mention cleaning? It seems to be a never-ending activity here. But I know that one day I'll look at my clean house and wonder where all the little finger prints disappeared to and why there aren't piles of dirty shoes and socks in my entryway. I may even use my vacuum and wonder why it doesn't bubble, smoke and sizzle. Yes, you read correctly, bubble, smoke and sizzle. "Why?" You might ask (or might not but I'll tell you anyway). Because my son, the Blue Bird was too enthralled with the pulley system we'd arranged to send a basket from one end of the dining room to the other for the two older kids to send messages and toys and treats back and forth. Too amazed by this contraption to realize that he needed to relieve himself in the bathroom and not on the chair which he was standing...which was above the central vac plug-in in the floor. Yes, he peed in the high voltage plug-in. And before I knew what had happened, the Big Bird tells me he's peed and I'm trying to figure out what that odd sound is. Quickly enough I see the sizzling smoke coming from the floor and run to turn off the circuit breaker just in case. I send him to the bathroom to clean up, too. After a call to my dad to figure out which circuit the vac is run through, I was able to clean it out and get it mostly dry with rolled up pieces of paper towels. Then when I used the vacuum later, I told the Big Bird, "If I get shocked, don't touch me, just call Dad." She thought it was funny at first but was a little worried just before I turned it on. Anyway, I might miss that one day. I might also miss the "adventure" we experienced the following day of mopping up the bathroom floor when the same Blue Bird DID remember to get to the bathroom (the pulley system was taken down now, so nothing major to distract him again) but DIDN'T remember to use only 3 squares to flush. No, he used the entire roll. And it was new. So I tenderly got down next to him when I saw the roll missing and said, "Honey, you can't put the whole roll in the toilet, it will break the toilet." "No, Mommy, see? I can flush it." *flush* "Ahhhhh! Honey," I screamed for my husband,"the bathroom.....glub glub glub." Too late. But we got it mopped up and it was funny in hindsight, especially the part where the bird looks at us and says, "I go sit in time out." Then he comes back to see how we're doing and throws more towels on the floor as we're putting them away to wash and I say, "No, we don't need anymore." and he say, "I go back to time-out." And he did. Cute, he's learning the ropes. Even if it's one-strand at a time.
So, all that being said, here are some pictures of our recent history, the beginning of 2012 in the Bird Nest.
Enjoy!

january 2012

2011-12-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Baptism Day!

The littlest bird was baptized today...here are some photos from his wonderful weekend. Mama and Papa arrived Saturday and we all enjoyed visiting and dinner together then the girls and the baby went to see The Nutcracker. Sunday morning began with a beautiful Mass celebration which ended with the big bird singing in the Christmas show, finally got to be an angel after waiting 2 years! We briefly came home so the older blue bird could take a nap (up at 4am) and the rest could eat some lunch then back to the church for the big celebration! We were so blessed and surprised to arrive and have so many friends and family join us there. The baby bird was happy throughout the ceremony and grinned when the water washed over his head. What a peaceful baby. Enjoy the pictures! We'll cherish them for years to come!

Baptism Paul

2011-10-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahhhhh.

Really, Mommy, you're still taking pictures of this?

Train engineer, Sheriff in pink and Count Dracula (and Mommy).

Engineer: "People going to give me candy for wearing this?"
Mom: "Yup."
Engineer: "Okay, let's go!"

Count "sleep-ula"

Walkin' the railroad ties.

The people at this house went all out with their pumpkins...aren't they neat?

What do we say again?

Boo!

Our little tootsie roll!

Candy!
And by 12:00, they were all fast asleep.
(okay, maybe a little exaggerated, but that's what it felt like by the time their pieces of candy wore off)

And I'm glad Halloween is only once a year.

2011-10-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air and the harvesting has begun...our beautiful tomatoes with our beautiful girl.

and her silly Daddy.

Posing for the camera...

Not a happy camper at first,

but by the end it wasn't so bad.

pretty snuggly, really.

and then they made him get dressed. He didn't like that much.

The next bath was much more peaceful.

Good (and giggly) little helpers.

Daddy's fishing trip...

beautiful fish...

beautiful river. Nice getaway.

Back at home, we dined like Dad (teriyaki elk skewers).

And had a childhood right of passage...the first lemonade stand.

They sold 10 cups, made $2.50. Each got half and promptly spent it that evening at our church's "Sausage Fest."

The silly string war-zone at Sausage Fest.

Learning to push the button and make it spray.

Getting mom!

Target practice!

Shooting the can for a prize.

2011-09-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, she's a bona-fide school girl now, her first day of kindergarten has come and gone, with only a few tears from Mom.

Walking to school...

Our good friend and neighbor met us at the corner, they're in the same class this year!
His sister (big 2nd grader now!) joins in the morning walks and the little blue bird gets a ride in the stroller.

The next L.L. Bean catalogue models?

Could be, but we'll finish kindergarten first!

Playing at the playground until the first bell rings.

Whee! And she's off to kindergarten!

Lining up to head into class, the neighbors stuck together.

I (mom) was doing great up until I saw our little neighbor wipe a tear from his face and learned that my good friend (his mom) was choking up. Then I couldn't hold back, but she never saw! (thanks to the sunglasses)

I mean, kindergarten is a big step! And she's waving goodbye, it's like she's heading off to college!

He wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole thing.

After a hard day at school, she came home to a snuggle with her baby brother.

Aren't they sweet?

The little blue bird was tired, too, from all the one-on-one play time with mom.

That evening, we did a little photo shoot with the baby bird...

Tiny fingers

Tiny toes,

Tiny guy with his button nose!

Awww, that was some hard work, all that posing, now he's going to take another nap.

2011-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

One more that was just too cute not to post.

God made them little for a reason, so we'd love every part of them right from the beginning!

2011-09-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Proud Daddy helping his little boy.

While mom went to nurse the baby, the little bird got a "wild hair" to do something crazy!

6-year-old turned watermelon rock star in seconds!

"How do I look, Daddy?"

The next day she was back to her sweet self (not that the watermelon wasn't sweet!).

Her first Open House! Posing with her wonderful teacher.

Pointing out her artwork.

The next morning, up bright and early, both kids were ready to rake leaves. Unfortunately none had fallen yet, so they knocked some off the trees with the rakes (at 5:45 am!) and raked those up.

Our other little rockstar...

A windy day lent itself to kite flying!

I love how she leans into it!

Can you see the dot in the sky? That's the kite, the dot in the grass on the right is the little bird and the larger dot in the left corner is mom and baby.

Mom took the kids to a wildlife refuge and on a short hike we discovered a tee pee!

Stretching a hide inside.

Then off to vaulting! She's getting good at standing in a trot even.

Doing "clicks"

And back home again to make mud puddles and get gooey!

What a great start to fall!

2011-08-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!

After what seemed like the longest wait ever, our beloved baby #3 is finally here! The littlest bird was born on August 19th, weighing 7 lbs. 7.8 oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. He is beautiful, sweet and cuddly and we're all enjoying the ride together. Happy birthday, littlest blue bird!

2011-08-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

We're keeping busy while we wait for the baby's grand entrance into this world! Still no sign of it, but we're trying our best to be patient, but it's getting harder as we approach Monday's due date. Here's how we're keeping busy.

2011-08-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

The other night at dinner, Daddy mentioned he was taking the big bird fishing the next evening...when the blue bird heard this, he got so excited, opened the door to the garage and said, "Daddy, we're going fishing?" "Let's go!" So we left the table, packed into the car and headed down to the river. The lack of fish didn't seem to deter the fun, here are two videos for you to enjoy.

2011-07-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

More summer fun for the bird family! We've had great visits with cousins from both sides and celebrated the big bird's 6th birthday!

6th birthday and cousins' visits

2011-07-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

It's only the 8th of July, but we've already had a lot of fun this summer, check out some of our recent activities!

Swimming, Horse Camp, 4th of July, Ballet Party

Bunny gets attacked

2011-05-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Drama in the Flaminguito Household! Our beautiful bunny was attacked by two dogs last night while we were out for a walk. The back gate had blown open in the wind and thankfully, she was in her hutch, but some dogs got in and scared the daylights out of her, when we got home, we saw our kind neighbor in our backyard and went out to see what he needed. He told us about the dogs and that he'd scared them off. We went to check on Carrots and found all four paws covered in blood and her hutch looked like a mini-crime scene with blood splatters on the walls, food bowls and litter box.
We bundled her into a towel to keep her warm from shock and then began to look at her paws. Dad got some $50 anti-infection miracle spray that should prevent things like MRSA, etc. and set to work clipping hair and removing the toe that had torn off one of her back paws. We held her all evening and the made a temporary home for her inside where she seemed pretty content each time I checked on her throughout the night. This morning she was eating a lot and seemed pretty content to be held, but also wanting to jump around at times. So we're going to re-build an outdoor pen for some outside play time for her today but still keep her inside away from anything that could hurt her for now.

2011-05-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Well, she did it...the Big Bird has graduated!
Yup, she walked the aisle tonight with all the fanfare (and tears on Mom's behalf) of a "real" graduation as she moved on from Preschool with her certificate of Kinder Arts and Sciences toward Kindergarten, ready to "take on the world" as the class of 2024! She was so adorable, even though I've personally never really thought a cap and gown were necessary (or really had a place) at a preschool graduation. Nonetheless, it worked to help make some fun memories and pictures...so without further ado...here are the photos from our Big Bird's graduation!
(double click for the slideshow)

Graduation 2011

2011-05-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Because I don't post very often anymore, here are a slough of random shots from this spring. You can see it's a little outdated with all the sweaters and beanies and gloves, and the really dead back yard, but wanted to share them before we got too backlogged!

Random Springtime shots

Baby #3 at 5 months

2011-04-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest pictures of our little bug, he/she is doing well at 22 weeks gestation. The legs were crossed the entire time so even if we'd wanted to find out, which we'd decided not to again, we wouldn't have been able to. Here's a peek at the little one. The big bird and the baby bird loved every minute of the ultrasound.

2011-03-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Baby Blue Bird turns 2!
Today we celebrated his 2nd birthday together, we had a great time, he really enjoyed playing with his sister all day with their new toys...especially the squeaky little honking horn for his tricycle, that went on...and on...and on...and, oh wow, not quite sure why we got him that. The Big Bird was so excited all day about it, in fact, she tiptoed into our bedroom this morning to ask me for help because she couldn't reach the cereal and wanted to make him a surprise breakfast all by herself. She tried a chair, but it was still too far to reach. Then she baked him a "crown" cookie at Sunday School and said she plans to do it all again tomorrow on his actual birthday. We ended the day reading Dr. Seuss' "Happy Birthday To You!" together and he thought it was great, both kids were laughing, she because the story is funny and he, because she was laughing.
Enjoy!

Fire Station, Rainy Spring, Vaulting, Grandma Visit, St. Patty's, 2nd Bday party

2011-03-03T21:44:00.001-08:00

Oh...us? The bird family? Yeah, we're still here. Just haven't posted since...well, NOVEMBER! But we're still here! We've been a little busy and I'm not even going to attempt to catch up on pictures from the last few months, but now that it's March, we'll share some Spring time fun. To kick off our Springy month, the Big Bird is jumping into a whole new territory for us...she's now in vaulting lessons. That's gymnastics on a horse. Don't call CPS yet...here's how it went down. She's been asking for about 2 years to take riding lessons and we kept putting it off (cost, time, commitment, etc.). But finally agreed to look into it one day after school when she reminded me she's no longer taking gymnastics and ALL of her friends are in dance. I said we'd have to choose ONE thing to try, not everything, reminding her of the horse lessons she'd asked for again just hours earlier, and the violin and piano lessons, and re-joining gymnastics, and anything else that might suit her fancy. So, with the persistence of a five-year-old, I got on-line to research riding lessons. Lo and behold, there are plenty in our area and as it turns out, she's "of age" to begin some of them. After some phone calls and discussions between the Daddy and Mommy birds, we decided to enroll her in vaulting lessons, the first requirement before any other riding lessons can begin. These teach balance and rhythm in each of the three cadences, a walk, trot and canter in what seems to be the safest way. So we went to her trial lessons today and she was hooked. She did fantastic, too! We were so proud of her, it seems gymnastics helped a bit even though it's been so long ago (we quit in the fall of 2010) and she's always been comfortable around horses. So, without further ado, here's our little vaulter. Oh, and her other two siblings are in there, too.
As usual, double click on the picture below for the slideshow.

First Day Vaulting Lessons

Snow, Snow, Snow...snow!!!

2010-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

As we're tucking our little girl into bed on Sunday night, she says, 'Daddy, Mommy...don't forget to wake me if it starts snowing." "Okay, goodnight, little one...we love you."
Then, three hours later, around 10:30, we peek outside before going to bed and notice it's started snowing. We ask ourselves, "are we crazy?" as I walk into her room to wake her up. We told her we'd do it and we never lie to our children... So as I gently call to her and say, "it's snowing, honey," she shoots both eyes open. pulls her lips tight and the corners of her mouth turn down in wonder at what I'm saying. She asks, "really, it really is?!" Then I carry her to the window and she looks outside and sweetly whispers..."Thank you, God." Then watches the flakes fall almost as fast as her eyelids closing again. It was worth keeping the promise. Enjoy the pictures by double clicking on the image below.

2010-11-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hoppily keeping busy together.

2010-11-14T13:35:00.001-08:00

Aaaack!
It's a spider!

And not just ANY spider, it's a black widow with eight braided thing-a-ma-jigs on her head!

Quick, I know what to do about that, Mom!

All gone, Mommy!

2010-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the famous duo...in full costume! Bob the Builder and Black Widow!

Busy working on his glow stick...breaking it into perfection!

Ready for some candy!

Trick or treat!

2010-11-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

A man on a mission...

Cousin A. in her "vampire" costume

Hard to get everyone to say "cheese" at the same time.

Cousin A.'s back-up plan for when her dress got too hot...she turns into a vampire skeleton!

2010-09-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...

Yup. She won her first "earned" prize. Our big bird won a prize for her book review in the summer reading program at our library. Here's the review of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking. She said her favorite part was "when Pippi went INSIDE the tree and said, 'this is cool,' and she got a ladder and she even threw her coffee pot down from the tree and it broke and she said, 'oh, it's okay,' and she rode her horse to school!" Here are the images of all of it. I thought it was downright adorable!

And the baby blue bird got a "participatory" prize for his review of Graem Base's "The Water Hole". He said his favorite part was "da daaaayyyy." (translation: "I really like how the illustrator used so many different colors to create such beautiful images...the bears are neat, too.")

Random Summer Photos

2010-09-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Some summer/fall photos to share with y'all.

How to raise a bunny

2010-09-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

In case anyone needs to know...here are instructions on "how to raise a bunny." By Me, the little bird raising my own bunny.

First Day of School

2010-09-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

My Very First Day of School!

It's official, our little Big Bird is now a school girl! Today was her first day. She goes in the afternoons so at lunchtime she said she was kind of nervous. "Why, honey?" "Because it's something I've never done before and I'm just not sure." "Oh, I understand, everyone gets nervous about new things sometimes (trying to fight back the tears and in doing so, avoiding telling her how nervous I am) but I have something that will help, do you want to see?" "Yeah," she replies. "Do you remember when we found this agate on the river?" I ask as I hand her an agate we found this summer on a walk with the whole family. "Yes!" "Well," I tell her as I kiss the agate, "if you keep this with you, it's like I'm right there beside you, whenever you get nervous or just want to share something with me, just feel for this rock." "Okay," she agrees. Then we put it in her backpack. But when we get to school, she has to take her backpack off, so she quickly transfers the rock to her jacket pocket and wears her jacket the entire time she's there, so it was close.
It worked well, I didn't even cry (when she could see me), although I was on the verge of it all day. I knew it would make it harder on her, but couldn't help thinking of what a milestone this is, all these images are flashing through my head as I'm driving her there...honestly, I was thinking about the day she was born and how nervous I was going into the hospital to have "our baby girl" then standing in the parking lot crying because I just didn't know what to expect. Then, I was thinking about her first day of gymnastics without me, and how I couldn't help but cry then too, then about her starting Sunday School and singing in her first Christmas program and then about how I'll feel when she graduates from high school and goes off to college...I mean, we have so much we haven't even done together yet, so many things to talk about, she's not ready for college yet--maybe I should just turn around and drive her back home. Then it occurs to me, she's had a lot of firsts and has made it through all of them, and college is, well, a little far off still, so why should I cry about it? Shouldn't I show my joy in another way? So with a LOT of prayer, I was able to keep my tears at bay and remind myself that she needed to be excited, not held back by a crying mom, and needed me to send her off with smiles. So, I handed the camera over to my loving, faithful husband, whom I think knew better than to ask how I was doing (he always knows when I'm on the verge of losing it) and handed him the Baby Blue Bird as he showed him around the room so I could stay near my little girl and not lose it until the teacher said, "Okay class, it's time to give hugs and kisses and say, 'Goodbye' to our parents so we can start." "Goodbye? She has to say, 'Goodbye?' But I'm her Mommy!"And then it happened. I hugged her, she hugged Daddy and Baby birds, she said, "Bye." And we left, got in the car and drove home to bake cookies so she'd have something to dip in fresh milk while she told me all about it. Two and a half hours later, I got the biggest hug she's ever given me as I heard, "it was great, Mom!" So that was that, all that build up, and it was great. She did great, we are all great. I hope you enjoy the photos.

2010-09-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been about 2 1/2 weeks since the Big Bird's learned to ride her bike without training wheels...big news for the big bird...now she's the master of her domain on two wheels, so much so that when we took a trip to visit her grandparents, she starred in her own movie about it. See below for the frightening footage...should be coming to a theater near you by Halloween time, quite a fright, take a peek and see, if you dare!

Playtime gets messy

2010-08-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes playtime is just for giggles, other times we get a little silly, here are a few of the sillier ones...my personal favorite is the fire engine rendition performed by the baby blue bird.
Enjoy!

Summertime without training wheels!

2010-08-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

We have BIG News...
Introducing, our little Flaminguito, formerly known as our baby bird, then the big bird, is now, officially, a BIG GIRL! The training wheels are off and she's rollin'! But that's not all, we've been busy the past few weeks, so we're including a few other photos. Nothing as amazing as our little girl riding her bike for the first time...mark this date, August 18, 2010, the first day she rode without training wheels. Here's how it went down: obviously, we've been practicing every night and in the mornings some, but today, after our run, she's riding with my hands on her arm and shes wiggling all over the place, I tell her, "Honey, you'll fall down for certain if you keep wobbling your handle bars like that." "I'm trying to get you to let go of me, Mom." "Oh, okay?" I say, a little unsure...then I follow her like she's a hot coal, my hands jumping and dancing around her shoulders ready to catch her when she falls...but she doesn't! Now, I know all children learn to ride a bike without their training wheels at some point, but when your own does it, and she's barely 5, wow! It's amazing, like the most incredible thing you've ever seen in your life...the neighbors must have thought I was nuts outside clapping and carrying on like she's just won the Olympics, but to me, she had! Wow. My little girl can ride a big girl bike, wow. Wow.
Okay, now those are the very last pictures, like how I roped you into viewing all the others, too? Really, I just hadn't posted in a while so I thought I'd put them all on there together and the last few are from tonight's amazing adventure! Now I'm off to rummage through the dress-up box for the two missing knee and elbow pads, because I have a feeling they may come in handy in the next few days. Just in case (I'm no fool, Lance Armstrong doesn't need to worry, yet, and I'm sure even he crashes now and then). Okay, please enjoy our photos...especially the ones from our big news!
(double click below to view slideshow).

2010-08-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

Summer fun.

Rainier Camping

2010-08-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Our first camping trip of the year. Here are some photos to share with you, hope we get to do more soon!
Double click below to view the show.

5th Birthday!

2010-07-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

I realize every year is a milestone...perhaps more so when you're a parent. But reaching the age of "5" was a HUGE deal in our house. The little flaminguito, whom I started this blog for about 4 1/2 years ago, has grown so much, that now, instead of writing about her learning to talk and using her first signs...I'm writing about her asking how tall she'll be on her 5th birthday, and what kinds of things can she do that she couldn't do when she was "only 4". Now, she sleeps through the night (except the one before her birthday, it's just too exciting to sleep) and I don't wonder what I did wrong and why she can only fall asleep while laying in my arms. I don't have naptimes to battle anymore with her, instead, during naptimes, we do things like read chapter books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Pippi Longstocking" and she asks me questions while we visit over foot soaks in the waterfall about things I actually don't know the answer to...or don't know how to explain. It's funny how approaching 5 one becomes less a little preschooler and more a little lady. She crosses her legs, even when she doesn't know I'm looking...and crosses herself after prayers and meals. She teaches her brother to do things I thought she'd NEVER learn. She amazes me every day with her thoughtfulness and caring ways she ponders things and then asks me about them...or when I watch her in the pool in the "Big Minnows" class with her entire face underwater blowing bubbles and doing the crawl stroke on her belly...learning from somebody else! These were things I would have panicked if you'd have told me she'd do when she was 5...because only 4 years ago, I was in the same pool, hugging her so tight so she wouldn't get a drop of water on that precious face and start crying and I'd have to get her out and nurse her in the car to calm her down before going home. So, as a parent, 5 is, well, amazing really. God has given us such a wonderful little teacher in our beautiful little girl, pardon me, lady, I've learned so much from her about myself, my husband, and life in general...and I've learned why those moms cry when their kids do silly things, like go to Vacation Bible School...2 whole hours...by themselves...without Me to hold her hand! I'll never again think they're losing it. I know. They're experiencing that amazing thing called growing up. Now, as my tribute to my 5 year old...and our 5 years of parenting...here are photos from our little lady's 5th Birthday. (double click to enjoy them all). And here's to many more beautiful years of loving, learning and growing together.

First Haircut

2010-05-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!!!

We finally took him in for his first haircut after a little guy at the park asked how old "she" was. Now, we can say for certain that he looks like Daddy...just double click for the whole show!

2010-05-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, Day #4 of the burn on the baby bird...
the kids got to "visit" with a squirrel in the backyard

Saying hello.

A comfy place to sit.

Making friends.

Peeking high...notice the bandaged hands...then...

2010-05-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

An exciting update!
The doctor who originally saw him at the ER called today to request that we still call the surgeon, that he'd like him seen right away. So I called and they asked us to come in this afternoon and cancel our regular pediatrician visit. We went and look at the results! Yay! Our baby bird has his hands back!!! The surgeon said he's pretty sure all the skin will regenerate on its own and that he should go without bandages! He said not to worry if he pops the blisters, in fact, to do it ourselves to relieve the pressure once he's sleeping. So here he is! Once he took the bandages off, the little bird kept saying, "Owww? Owww?" But he doesn't seem to be in pain. Now we guard him from infection, no sandboxes or public bathrooms for a while and we'll go back for a follow up in 10 days. I'm so happy and so thankful for all of your prayers and support!

Hi Mom, I have fingers!

Here is the right hand, this was the bad one, it's not so bad now!

Showing the Big Bird for her inspection :).

2010-05-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Little Blue Bird's Burn Day #3

Today we were back at the ER for a follow up from Friday's burn. Yesterday they said it was likely 3rd degree because of the lack of pain. A second opinion today tells us they are likely all 2nd degree burns because of the blisters. A third degree burn goes beneath the tissue and will appear more "charred" than this, which is good news, a blister means there is liquid forming beneath and skin is beginning to regenerate. The next step is to call the surgeon (a local hand surgeon the ER found for us who is very reputable for what he does, also good news) and see whether he thinks a skin graft is still necessary, at this point, it may not be needed! Then we'll go back for another follow up on Tuesday at the ER, because today's doctor said you can tell the most 4 days after the burn occurs. The little bird is still doing really well, he doesn't seem to be in pain, a little annoyed by the clubs at the ends of his arms, but otherwise very resourceful, using his teeth and chin and elbows to get things rather than his hands. Smart little guy.

this morning's blisters, he kept clapping his hands when the bandages were taken off...

then he wasn't too happy when they put them back on, but it doesn't seem to affect his sleeping.
A sidenote: During Mass today, we sang, "Do not be afraid, I am with you..." there are some verses in that which really hit home and just made me feel good knowing that God will take care of him. He has already provided us with wonderful doctors and nurses, one of whom sang camp songs to the little guy this morning (we sang "Dicky Bird" together) and a network of support we can lean on. I know this is minor in the whole scheme of life, especially in the face of other recent tragedy our family has been through, but still, I thank you all for your prayers, it's been a big deal to us to see our little boy (and brother) in pain and going through this.

2010-05-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Poor Little Blue Bird

The little guy is recovering now from two hands gripping onto a hot curling iron yesterday morning. I made a poor decision to try to curl my hair and left the bathroom door open while I ran to finish getting dressed...the curling iron was on the bathroom counter. Our sweet little boy grabbed the hot iron, I heard the clink of the metal on the sink and ran to the bathroom where he was screaming yet still holding on, not knowing to let go when it hurt. I peeled his fingers from the metal and the big sister bird grabbed a diaper and some clothes and we booked it to the hospital with the emergency lights on, passing cars when it was safe to do so. They took him right in and gave him a sedative, but it took 45 minutes before it worked so the little guy screamed in pain that entire time. They were able to evaluate him once he'd falled asleep and gave him some more groggy medicine for the rest of the next few days and sent us home, to come back again for re-evaluation in the morning. He has 3rd degree burns to his right hand, across the fingers and onto his thumb and on two fingers of his left hand. For now, we're waiting for the surgeon to get in to the ER this afternoon and he'll call and we'll talk about skin grafts and move from there. I feel so bad for our little boy. The fact that he isn't in pain makes the doctor suspicious of deeper tissue damage into the nerves. But we'll pray while we wait for the best case scenerio, which would be recovery at home with visits every few days, just to check for infections. Here are pictures of him, he's dealing with it remarkably well.

Just got home from the ER.

What are these things on my feet? (an oxygen sensor on his right big toe and a bracelet on his left ankle)

And what are these things on my arms? I'm like a kitten with paws!

Sleeping soundly, until he pulled off the bandages in his sleep and woke up, then we put socks over his arms after that.

2010-05-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Groggy all day, asleep in the sling...

And on Dad, wherever he was, he was sleeping.

This morning, they removed the bandages to check the burns, this is his right hand. While the bandage was off, he kept rubbing the blister and tried to bite it off.

The nurses bandaging him up today gave him lobster claws, but I didn't get a picture of that and he's sleeping now.

2010-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

We returned this week from a brief trip to Texas. We went to visit family there and only took a few photos we wanted to share. A few hours after we arrived, my cousin was killed in a car accident. While we felt fortunate to be there to help the family and support them through these beginning stages of grieving, it was a difficult trip. We came home before the funeral services, but think of dear Scott often. May God rest is soul and provide comfort to his family. Thank you to everyone who prayed for him and his family when I called on you.
Below are photos from some of our trip. Double click on the killer whale and the album will open :).

2010-03-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a while...a long while...and the littlest one of our nest is now one! I can't believe it's been a year already, here are some photos of the blue bird's birthday. As usual, double click on the photo below to open the slideshow, then run it however you prefer.

1 Year Old

2010-03-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today was incredibly windy...so...what better to do than fly a kite? Enjoy! We certainly did!

Let's go fly a kite

2010-02-01T16:56:00.001-08:00

Well, the weather outside is far from frightful, so we're playing in it a lot, it's been really nice, and we've been enjoying it.
Here are a few photos of our fun. The little blue bird is now walking...everywhere! And he's signing a few words, "all done" "more" "pig" and making kisses (just started last night and it's adorable, though I haven't been able to snap a photo of that). Please enjoy the photos! We sure enjoyed taking them! I'm going to rescue my new ream of paper from the baby bird.

warm winter fun

2009-12-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, look closely at those "hands".
She was playing with Dad this morning when she was getting dressed...notice anything "standing" out?

2009-12-07T21:25:00.001-08:00

And you gotta love this 'do.

2009-12-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

Stylin' in MamaWear, by Grandmama.

2009-12-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

And a walkin' to a different beat here!
Look at that drool, a couple of days after we took this, his top two teeth poked through.

2009-12-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ain't he sweet? Just a rockin' to the beat!

2009-11-18T23:09:00.001-08:00

From Dancing Baby

2009-11-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

I....can go anywhere! I'm the
Reading Princess!!!

So we started reading "chapter books" this week...checked out "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" at the library on Monday (today is Wednesday) and we just finished the last of the 125 pages tonight. She followed me around for three days saying, "Mommy, can we read some more?" While I nursed the baby bird, while I changed the baby bird, while we ate breakfast, while we ran, while I showered(!!), while we played, while we baked, she wanted to read it all the time...it was...great! I never guessed she'd be that into it, we'd read the original "Wizard of Oz" two years ago, but it had a picture on every page, so we tried this one with only a sketche every few pages, and her little imagination was fully occupied, wanting to know what was going to happen next. Then, she decided she didn't need me to read her "Clifford" book to her tonight, because she could "do it herself"...she didn't do too badly, of course, she wasn't reading but memorizing, but she's on fire about learning to read now, which is fantastic! We're going to start on the "Magic Tree House" books we have on her shelf tomorrow and then move to "Junie B. Jones" and then back to the library. She can't wait...could hardly sleep over it, of course, that could be from the brownies we made just before bed, too...(also due to the book, because Mrs. Semicolon in the book was baking brownies, so she wanted to do the same.) I'm so excited to see her this into books! She didn't seem to realize that the books beyond the children's section were also full of stories, this has opened such a world for her! Yay!

2009-11-18T22:05:00.001-08:00

A new batch of photos...hot off the press!

November

2009-11-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Arrggghhhh, Matey, give me all your candy!

2009-11-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Mommy, how can I be sure Daddy won't eat my banana in the morning?

That should do it!

Poor Cinderella, hard at work before she can go to the ball...

but she finished on time.

And here's our Super Son!

2009-10-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

I found some photos from the end of summer I hadn't posted yet, so I added them to the blog below...there are a lot, but I hope you enjoy!

End of summer photos we haven't posted yet...

2009-10-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

What are you doing with me, Mommy?

Oh, we're gonna go run? Ok, let's go!

2009-10-27T21:31:00.001-07:00

A few pictures to share from recent adventures in our nest...lots of bath time...vote for your favorite baby bath time pose and you could win...the opportunity to print it on your very own computer! Everyone's a winner! Enjoy!
No purchase necessary to vote. Just double click on the link below, if it doesn't automatically show up.

Christine's Camera...bathtime, making raisins, cute baby

2009-10-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Flaminguito and baby blue bird patiently waiting for their lunch...

2009-10-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

This summer, I learned to fish. I caught a lot, Dad didn't catch so many. You can tell from all the pictures, they're all of me with the fish, he's just helping by holding onto them because I don't like to touch them when they're alive...they have pokies on them. Here's my blog about all our family fishing trips of the season.

Summer Fishing

2009-09-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

Baby Blue Bird is Baptized!

We haven't posted in quite a while, but I'll add some of the highlights over the next few days now that we're settling into fall and will be home a bit more. In July our baby blue bird was Baptized in a joint Baptism with his cousin, "Sweet Pea," who is three months older.

The water was warm, but after touching his toes in it, he'd had enough and didn't want to get in the rest of the way.
Finally, he gave in and was beautifully Baptized...no tears, at least not on his part, can't say the same for mom and grandmama and his Tia.

Even great-grandma was able to take part in the grand event!

And of course, it was a lot of work, so he napped during the reception.

2009-09-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

But not during the entire reception, he woke up for some family visiting time...

with Grandpa.

With his Auntie.

Sweet Pea with Father.

The whole nest!

2009-09-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

We also had a great time visiting with my sister and her family...this is little Sweet Pea!

Isn't she a doll?

And Flaminguito celebrated her 4th birthday with a "Fancy Nancy" party.
(The cake is her "monogram," just like Fancy Nancy does in the books...it was worth staying up until 2am finishing it when she saw it in the fridge on the morning of her birthday and said, "Wow! That's just what I wanted!")

Doesn't she look grown-up?

He was in style, too.

2009-09-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

So cute!

Enjoying the view with Papa...look at all those mussels!

2009-09-24T00:01:00.001-07:00

We also had lots of great time with great-grandparents!

Visiting with Great-Grandma...

and Great-Grandpa...

Of course, it wasn't all fun and games.
(actually, he'd just started crying when we set him down, it wasn't like Grandpa made him do it)

2009-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Even the miles won't keep us apart!

2009-07-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Our first attempt at camping with the baby blue bird went really well...he's three months old now and was quite the trooper. We went to Mt. Rainier and had a great time, now Mom and Dad are ready for a vacation, though. Here are the photos. Double click below for the slideshow.

Mt. Rainier Camping and Drums Along the Columbia

2009-07-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

So we've been a little busy in the bird's nest lately, but here's the beginning of catching up on photos. More to come soon.
Hope you enjoy a brief taste of home from our little nest below.

At Home

2009-05-09T11:13:00.002-07:00

Through the ears of my child

Today before lunch I was teaching my little bird the song, "John Jacob Jingle Heimer Smith" and, thinking she was just enjoying listening to it and not wanting to sing it, I stopped when Daddy rang the lunch bell. We said our prayers and started eating when all of a sudden she stops chewing and yells, "Jingle Spider Spit!" I looked at her and just grinned before laughing out the explanation to Daddy bird, now she's tromping around the rest of the day singing John Jacob Jingle Spider Spit. So cute!

Another cute thing?

We were eating watermelon the other night and she tells me, "Mom, this is soooo good, it's delicious, you've got to try it, you're going to hate it!" Huh? I asked why I'd hate it and she innocently looks up at me and asks, "What means, 'hate'?" I told her what it meant and she changed her mind quickly, saying, "You're going to love it, you won't hate it."
Sometimes the English language can be hard to grasp, especially at the tender age of 3 1/2.

2009-05-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Some new photos to enjoy of our beautiful kids!

Baby Blue Bird's 7 weeks old!

2009-05-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Big Bird's Sunday School Spring Program was today, here are photos of the big day! The baby blue bird even got dressed up to watch her sing, but he couldn't keep his eyes open through mass so he'll just have to watch the video when he wakes up.
As usual, double click to see the slideshow (there are three videos in there, too).
Enjoy!

Sunday School Spring Program

2009-05-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

So I found some pictures on another camera we don't use as often and thought I'd put them up, a little late, but still cute. This is the big bird getting ready for the baby bird's arrival. My favorite part? When she notices her tummy growling :^) But the baby bird is here now, obviously, and sleeping very well in his cleaned crib, thanks to the big birdie sister :^)
Double click to view the video if it doesn't play for you on this page.

Getting Ready for Baby

2009-04-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

He's 4 weeks old now, one month already! And I'll post more recent pictures from this last week soon! He's getting over his cold, thank God! And on the mend now, that means a little better sleep for everyone! Here's another photo album (did you realize the one below is an album, too...not just that one photo?) I heard that some people didn't know that, so be sure to double click on the picture and the album will open. Enjoy!

Baby Blue Bird's first 3 weeks

2009-04-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

He's Here!
Baby blue bird arrived on March 21, 2009 at 6:05pm after only 16 hours and 3 minutes of labor. A lot longer than with his big sister, so I was surprised about that, but it wasn't so bad, I knew the end result would be worth it and that (and a lot of prayer) is what got me through it. Weighing 7 pounds and 20 1/2 inches long, he is a beautiful baby boy! I was surprised, Daddy bird was not (he's known since the 20 week ultrasound when he got a sneak peek). We are slowly adjusting to life with one more, and so far, it has been a roller coaster of happiness, late night feedings, cryings (from not just the baby blue bird, but sometimes Mommy, too...for unexplained reasons other than hormones and just looking at this new little blessing that's come into our lives...thank you, God!), just overall adjusting to having to share Mom, Dad and the big sister. It's amazing how a mother's body can function on only 3 hours of sleep and how she doesn't resent the little alarm clock that wakes her over and over again. It's amazing how tiny those little features are and how big his sisters' hands, feet, everything are now that she's next to the tiny one. I couldn't believe it when my 3 year old "baby" walked into the delivery room to meet her brother and she looked huge! It's amazing how much you can love one child when you only have one and somehow, you love the 2nd one just as much, I didn't know I had it in me. It's amazing how I can ramble on and on about my children (wow, childREN!) and not even know the day's news events anymore. It's absolutely amazing, all of it. Welcome, little blue bird!

Casey Neill Birthday

2009-03-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Oops!
The bird got her "bird" finger stuck in a doll's curler today. It started off calm enough..."um, Mommy? It's stuck.""Oh? Let me see...why yes, it is stuck." Hmmm...after pulling and trying to twist and tugging this way and that, I called Daddy bird...he had some slippery suggestions, but it was stuck good and not wanting to budge. He had to go, so I tried for a little longer with lotion and cold water and whatnot, but it wasn't working.

Finally, this face you see below turned to a tear-soaked frown and I called Papa Bird (Grandpa), who suggested soap...no luck.Then he suggested a file, so out we tromped to the garage between sobs and found a square file in Daddy's tool box. It looked scary, I presume, because then she really started crying, but calmed down when we told her it would tickle and she had to try not to laugh while I worked on it.

She sang songs with Papa on the phone and told stories while I filed like a madwoman.After just a few minutes more, she was freed from the bondage of the plastic toy and looked at it as though it was quite the novelty, then jumped down and ran to put it back in her doll's hair.

Tune in next time for Adventures in Birdland!

2009-03-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Mommy bird was feeling a bit of stress in her neck one night at dinner, so she climbed right up behind me and gave me a massage while I ate...so sweet! I think she's seen Daddy do that enough times that she knew what to do when I rubbed my neck.

Then she lightened the mood a little more with this silly smile :^).

2009-03-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

She can't wait to be a Big Sister! She's practicing below...

taking her baby lion for a walk in the rain...

She decided she didn't need the umbrella this day because it was too hard to pick things up while she was holding it.
Now, I'd hope that when she's a big sister, she takes the little one's health into account better (or that I do) than this...notice how she's all covered from the rain, but the baby lion is a bit exposed? Still, nice of her to take it along on her puddle jumping romp.

2009-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes...(or a dress)

These two photos of the baby bean in the bulging belly were taken just a few days apart, but the second one looks a bit bigger.
Could be the dress, though, too.

2009-03-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, we joined Mommy Bird's parents for a trip to the snow.
Here are some photos from the cold, beautiful weekend.
Mt. Bailey behind Diamond Lake with the bird and I in a sled.

Skiing through the parking lot.

Spinning wool with Mama in the cabin.

Exhausted, after a long day of playing...sleeping in the pizza parlor.

2009-02-18T22:49:00.000-08:00

Shhh...it's right there..between the legs of the couches...what is it?

...can you tell yet?

A little closer...
It's a tent for a baby, of course, sewn on the bird's new sewing machine from her Aunt W. Isn't that what you make with sewing machines? Ahhh...the things she comes up with... (of course, I helped a little bit...lot...with this one).

2009-02-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Just precious...that's all.

2009-02-18T22:44:00.000-08:00

I can felt, I can felt, I can felt!

I feel like Wendy in Peter Pan when she realizes she can fly, I have this newfound freedom discovered in knitting and felting things. I did a purse to start with and then tried these mittens...and they worked, they really, really worked! I'm so excited, they're a little big for the little bird, as you can see below, but better than being too small, I suppose! Anyway, I had to share my newfound skill with everyone!

2009-02-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

We can't seem to help it...we just keep taking pictures of her...

and then feel compelled to post them to our blog regardless of whether or not there's a story behind it. This was just a snowy morning that turned into a sunny, clear, dry day...but still, we snapped away...she just looked cute!

2009-02-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

A day at the beach...

The baby bird and her mama overlooking the waves...

Not as pretty, but hey, it happens to the best of us...sometimes the pants are just a little too big.
We got so close to this little guy, well, he wasn't exactly little, but we got close to him...he was napping so we snuck in for a photo op and backed out without disturbing him.

Little girl on a big log.

2009-01-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas photos to present...there's quite a bit here, but if you want to know what we were up to during our break, here it is. Including some birthday and snow days, too :^) As always, double click on the slideshow below to open in full screen or to print or save any photos. Hope you enjoy!

2009-01-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

Just ONE more story, please?

After reading her stories, she asked for more that she could read to herself...but it seems the story was a bit too boring, she fell asleep like this and when I went to check on her before going to bed myself, this was what I found.

Of course, we removed the book after taking a picture, so she could rest peacefully without flattening her nose.

2009-01-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Fanjama

So, I leave for one evening...just one, and I come home to learn about the "fanjama" party Daddy and the little bird had. They put all the p.j.'s on the blades of the fan (notice the new fan, pretty, huh?) and wait for them all to spin off as the fan starts swirling...whichever lands closest to the bird is the pair she will wear. So yes, of course, she asks about it the next morning, wanting me to put all her clothes on the fan before getting dressed...did I...no, we'll leave that up to Daddy Bird.

2009-01-12T21:25:00.001-08:00

I know it was a while ago, but I just got all the pictures in the same place from the Father/Daughter Snowflake ball, so here they are...

2009-01-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

First Bubblegum Experience...

Mom said to chew it up and spit it out...NOT to swallow it!

So that's what I did...with the entire package, one after another...

What a silly idea for a snack!

2009-01-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Warming up...

Ready to perform...

Ta-Da!

2009-01-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Trying out my new gift.

I'm so fast!

2009-01-06T16:21:00.001-08:00

Snow Day!

2009-01-06T16:12:00.005-08:00

Check out our little Picabo Street! Double click on the image for video.

From First Time Skiier

2009-01-06T16:08:00.001-08:00

Woody Woodpecker Working Away:

2008-12-18T23:59:00.000-08:00

Hangin' out with my cousin Baby LOV

2008-12-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

Making a joyful noise.

Caroling by the tree.

Cup o' cocoa.

Went out to the store with nothing but "bear" feet!

2008-12-18T23:36:00.000-08:00

Ready for Christmas!

Waiting for presents to appear under the tree...

Ohhh, my bedtime snack and milk?!? You shouldn't have!

Trying to get the perfect notes...practice makes perfect, I always say.

Precious fingers playing precious music.

2008-12-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

2008-12-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

The apple (or daughter) doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

Maybe the little bird fell out of her nest?

2008-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

New Photos of the Baby Bean

The technician had a difficult time getting a face shot because of the way baby was laying.

She was able to get a few (you can see the hole at the top of the head) and filled in the missing spaces, the baby was buried into me and didn't want to be looked at.

It gave a little wave here...you can see its right hand up by its face.

It got tired of all the paparrazi action and finally put its arms up to signal that it had enough.
So we stopped and will go back in 8 weeks for another one, we'll see if it cooperates a bit more.
The doctor came in for the follow up and said he could definitely tell what it was in one picture, so he asked if we wanted to know. Daddy bird wasn't with us anymore and we said no, so he said he'd forget in the next 30 minutes and its not recorded anywhere
so nobody will slip up and tell us.
Isn't he/she cute? We have an ultrasound from the baby bird at 29 weeks and it looks identical to picture #2. They're definitely related!

2008-11-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

Hee hee hee...I'm trying out for the part of the grinch...

Hee hee.

2008-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, finally...here are our Hawaii pictures. As usual, you have to double click on the photo and it will open up the folder, you can then view as a slideshow, one by one or get prints or save to your computer or whatever. Enjoy! We sure did!
Thank you, Camp Fire, USA!

From Hawaii