Bluebird Babies

Today we went to check on our bluebird babies.  Three of the four eggs have hatched.  It was so neat!  Mark took the picture of the hungry babies.

 

Adrian kept asking if we saw “Scouts” while we were out.  I said that I did not see any and he insisted “yes, you DID.”  He saw this picture of the Tree Swallow watching and said “see, there’s the Scout Bird”.  I guess I did see some Scouts today.

All Boy

Adrian asked if he could have a candy cane for snack today.  I forgot where I put them and said yes.  Knowing where they were, Adrian helped himself to one and then got some to share.

I remembered where the candy was “hidden” in time to get a picture and help Adrian down because his hands (and mouth) were full holding the candy.

Bluebird Photo Shot

I promised my children that we could go and look for Bluebird eggs.  They were shown some the other day, and wanted me to see them also.  They were hoping to find some eggs and some baby birds.  We found some eggs but most of the boxes were empty.

However, we had fun watching the birds “play” in empty birdhouses.  We were not “attacked” by them this time either, but a couple of Tree Swallows put on a wonderful show for us trying to get us to leave.

I read that Eastern Bluebirds incubate their eggs for about 12 days. The babies stay in the nest for about two weeks. So, if we have the chance to return in the next few weeks, we may see some newly hatched birds. That would be exciting!

These pictures are of Tree Swallows. They like to live near Bluebirds and often use Bluebird nests for their nests. They live well near each other.

Experiments in Sepia

Yesterday I had the all kids pose for me in my favorite spring spot.

Today, I “went to school” via internet and refreshed my memory on how to change color photos to sepia.  I need a little practice, but I like how these turned out.

Enjoy the newest pictures of all the kids.

Spring Colors

Audrey and I have been enjoying the Forget Me Nots we forgot we planted in the garden!

I do not think that I ever saw holly flowers. I was surprised to see our holly plants blooming this year after years of trying to get rid of the plants.

In Spite of my Fear

I do not like snakes. My children know that I do not like them. However, that fear has not been passed on to my children!

Today, Mark was so excited to find a small garter snake while playing in the backyard. Audrey yelled asking me to get an aquarium ready for their new pet snake. Mark and the girls waited around for the snake to reappear from its hiding place. They then had a fun time trying to catch the snake.

I am so thankful that they have had a wonderful nature teacher who has been able to teach them a healthy respect for snakes. They are not afraid of them, enjoy holding them and have learned to never tease people with the snakes they hold. I have been encouraged to hold snakes and am not quite so fearful of them–but I still dislike them VERY much! Thank you Miss Krista!