Seth's Game

Seth came up with a little game all by himself, and I've caught him playing it several times.

First he opens the toy ottomons and finds a coaster inside (not sure how the coaster gets in there, but whatever).

Then he climbs up the ottoman onto the couch.

When he reaches the top, he turns to throw the coaster back down into the ottoman.

Then he climbs back down...

...and gets it back again.

Then it's back up to the top he goes...

...to do it all again!

It's so cute to watch him play it, and it keeps him occupied for quite awhile!

My cute little game inventor!

Aspirations

In my earlier years, I had all kinds of answers to the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question. My list ranged from nurse to piano teacher to heart surgeon to FBI Agent. My friends used to call me "phase girl" because my interests changed so often! I will say, though, the thing that came up most often was "housewife and mom." How thankful I am to get to be just that!

And now that I have my own children, I think it's sweet to hear the boys talk about what they want to be when they grow up. I'm sure their desires will change as they grow (considering how none of them are even 5 yet!), but it's fun for me to hear what they think about adult life and what they aspire to be.

Cole has mentioned three things; a dad, a crane driver, and most recently, a paleontologist. Dinosaurs are all the rage in our house these days!

Max has made me chuckle a couple of times recently in talking about what he wants to be.

One day after church, we passed a Bye Bye Buggy as we walked down the hall towards the parking lot. (For those of you who don't know what a "Bye Bye Buggy" is, it's basically a stroller on steroids. Most of them hold 6 kids and are used in our church for the younger children. The kids get strapped in and get to go sight-seeing through the halls.)

"Mommy," Max said. "When I grow up I want to be a buggy-pusher!"

And you know, it fits. Max is always asking to push things any chance he gets; the shopping cart, the stroller, the lawn mower.

But the one I like the best is this one...

"When I grow up," Max said, "I want to be a Grandpa."

"Oh yeah?" I replied, "So you can be a police officer like your Grandpa?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And I can have hair on my lip. It's called a mustache."

"Oh, I see." I said, smiling.

"And I can drive a truck. And wear boots," he continued.

"You love your Grandpa, don't you, Max?"

Max nodded.

That boy sure does love his Grandpa!

Honey's Eggs

For the last week or so, little Honey Hummingbird has been flitting to and from her nest, busy as a bee making it just perfect for raising her young (see last post for details). But as of 2 days ago, she has spent considerably more time at home, making me suspect the nest is complete and the time has come to have her babies.


Sure enough, when Honey took a short break from sitting on her nest yesterday morning, I looked and found...


...one sweet little egg! It's only slightly bigger than the eraser of a pencil.




And then today...




...another one!

I've never been much of a bird-watcher, but I am just fascinated with this whole thing going on in our backyard, right outside my window. I am in awe of God's creation and how the One who "fills the heavens and the earth" (Jer. 23:24), Who created the vast universe, would also create such a tiny little creature with delicate wings and movement, and give her instincts and abilities to make this soft little nest, and then fill it with tiny little eggs. It's beautiful. And I thank Him for giving us the opportunity to see it so close!

Taking Up Residence

I was in the living room a few days ago and just happened to look out the window in time to see a sweet little hummingbird hovering around our patio. I did a double-take, because I know these little birds can be fairly elusive, even for those who take great care in placing feeders around their gardens, hoping to catch a glimpse. I have no such feeder, so I wondered what brought this little visitor to my home.



The next day, she came back. Curious as to why this tiny creature would find my patio worthy of a second glance, I investigated. To my amazement, I discovered that she has determined this wire...



...to be an appropriate place to build her nest!



I'm fascinated, but also a little concerned, as the nest is so high off the ground and dangling over concrete. If she lays her eggs and one of the little birds falls out, I'm afraid it won't fare well.


In the meantime, it's been a great learning experience for all of us. I did some research and learned that a female hummingbird will use materials like moss, cotton fluffs, soft plant pieces, dryer lint, and leaf hairs to make her nest nice and soft. She brings these items back to her nest a little at a time, and uses spider webs to glue it all together.




Doesn't it look soft and cozy? It's tedious work, and she'll labor on it about 4 hours a day for 5-7 days before the little nest is complete. Apparently, she'll make about 34 trips for materials per hour!* I can believe it, as our little hummingbird flits to and from her nest at an amazing rate. The boys and I have enjoyed watching her arrive at her nest with a little bit of something in her beak, tuck it into just the right spot, and then jet off to find something else to add to it.



It's only been a few days since she started working on the nest, so I assume it's still under construction. It's been fun to see it take shape. We have a great view!


Here's our little bird working away on her home. The boys have named her "Honey Hummingbird."




Hopefully, we'll have some pictures of eggs to post soon!


*The website where I found my information: http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/nest.php. Check it out if you'd like to know more about the amazing process of hummingbird nest building! :-)

The Wedding Flower

When Derek and I were married 8 years ago, our delicious wedding cake was adorned with Stargazer Lilies.



As the years have gone by, Derek has given me flowers, which on occasion have included the same striking lily amidst the bouquet.



When we bought our house a couple of years ago it was winter, so all the flower beds were quiet and bare. When Spring came and the ground began to warm up, little green shoots began to sprout from various places in the front flower bed. The previous owner had planted several different varieties of perennials, and since I am not skilled to recognize them by their foliage alone, I watched eagerly to see what they would turn out to be.

Imagine my surprise when one day I checked on the progress of the flowers, and discovered this:



Stargazer lilies! In our own front yard! How neat is that? Our wedding cake flower grows in our very own flower bed. Pretty cool if you ask me. Now if only the cake itself would show up in our refrigerator, that would be fabulous!