Empty nest syndrome

It's a little early in my life to be suffering from empty nest syndrome, but here I am. I was lucky enough to be able to say goodbye to the last little one. It was off to the side when I took this picture, but soon after, took off. It's wings brushed by my arm as it flew away.

I am a little sad.

A few updates for you....

One: I am totally overwhelmed with everything going on in my life. The 2 classes, a little bit of work here and there, 3 kids, a house to clean, food to cook and have around, plus Kevin has me on this diet contest against him. I want to write a more in depth blog about all this, but not sure when it will happen.

Two: Dillon lost another tooth this morning. That makes 4 gone (only 2 spaces right now though), and 1 still loose. He is getting ready for the end of the school year by consistantly forgetting to bring his homework back to school and consequently having to do it all over in study hall.

Three: Bailey graduated from preschool last Friday, pictures will be coming when I can get Kevin to forward them from his cell phone. Yes- I can't believe it either, but I forgot the camera that day.

Four: Avery is zooming everywhere, eatting a lot, but not always sleeping through the night. But she is being very flexible about how she goes to bed at night. Because of my work and school, there are about 3 nights a week someone else has to put her to bed. Usually when I get home, she wakes up and I nurse her then.

Five: Our baby birds are 2 1/2 weeks old and look like real little birds. I have set a bowl of bird seed out on the front porch for mama and them. I am expecting them to learn to fly any time now. They are too big to be in the nest anymore, and have to sit on top of one another.

Six: Kevin has a goalie camp that will start in one or two weeks, I can't remember. It is a weekly summer camp that will be on Sunday mornings early. They only have 17 kids signed up so far and they have room for 30. So pray for more to register soon.

Seven: Regarding school- I got my first graded paper back and got a perfect score on it. Yeah! That is great since I have 3 papers due next Thursday night.

Eight: I have entered over 40 books into my book database, but still need to read 12 more chapter books. Plus I am sure that I will have more books asigned to read tomorrow. Yikes!

Okay- I think that is it for now. Cute pictures to follow...

Literature class

My classes this week have kept me very busy. It has been a hard week for my kids. It must seem to them I am constantly typing away at this computer. Doing one task or another. I have found a part of it that they love though. The books.

Lots and lots of books.

One of my classes is on children and adolescent literature. Of course my focus is on the children part. And with that comes books. I am in the process of building a database on children's books. Picture books, poetry, traditional stories, fanasties, you name it. And in this database I have to name the book, author, genre, grade level, theme, classroom application, etc... Some of these books I can pull from our collection. (We do have a great collection of books.) But mostly I request books from the library.

My kids love the library. We always sign up for the summer reading program. And whenever they can, they beg me to go. Now I am going weekly and they love it.

Dillon is even getting interested in my plans. He loves my database. And he will pick up a book that I need to read and asks "Mom, why is this in your picture book pile." "Mom, I love this one. When are you going to enter it." "Wow, I've never seen this one before." I have to admit, it make this class a lot easier.

Well, I gotta go read some more.

Anyone need a book suggestion?

Little birdies

My little birdy...
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My adopted little birdies....

I noticed yesterday morning that their eyes are now open!

Pink blankie

None of my kids have ever had that one security thing. No special teddies. No passies. No real blankies. Sure, they had things that were special but never must haves.

I think Avery might be onto a must have thing.

Pink blankie.

Sure, she can go to sleep without it. She doesn't pout when it is not there. She can even use another blanket that is green and yellow. But nothing tops pink blankie.

One laundry day I took her sheets and pink blankie out to wash them. I carried the basket downstairs, but it stood waiting for me in the kitchen. Avery spotted pink blankie in there. She scooted over....tipped the basket...and saved pink blankie.

It was so cute.

Then this past week, I washed pink blankie again. As I was folding clothes on the floor, Avery came over to help me. I pulled out pink blankie and threw it a little ways away. She immediately headed for it...full tilt. Dove into it. Rolled around on it. And came up with it in her mouth.

Yes, I think pink blankie will be around for a while.

Extra mothering

I am not sure why, it could be that I have a little open mouth to feed of my own, but I am really in love with these little birds. I love to watch them through the peephole in my door. It's a little voyeristic I know, but I am okay with that.

I wait for mama bird to show up and feed these little guys. I worry when I haven't seen her in a while. I keep worrying that we have somehow put our people smell out there, and she will abandon them. I am trying to not use the door at all, but there are occations when it has to be opened.

A warm glow just overcomes me when I see their little beaks being filled up by mama. Or just seeing the sleeping bunch of little bodies. How can you not love them when you see the warm glow on this little face?

Another page

My first classes!!!

I am now officially back in school. I had my first two classes yesterday.

After flying home from New Jersey late Wednesday night, and getting Dillon to school early Thursday morning, I settled in to some computer time. I figured out how to log into my online class, Children's literature, and headed off to school. I was the last one of the nine students in the class to log on and read the first assignment. Actually some of the students are already onto their second assignments. Opps.

I left a quick response as to why I was late, and then headed to the learning center. There I had to learn about the Dewey Decimal system, how books are coded and how to read those codes. Then I had to create my own database to record the 60 odd books that I will need to read in the upcoming weeks of the class. That is done, now I have to catch up on the class reading. There is an assignment on that due by Saturday.

On to my next class, Current and Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education, otherwise known as Teachers and the Law. This class is an actual class and since I left Kevin behind in New Jersey, I had to get a babysitter for Dillon and Avery. The first time someone besides me has put Avery to bed. I wasn't sure how that would go, but that worry was unfounded. Avery did great, but woke up as soon as I got home to nurse.

I was so worried about my first class. I was sure that I would be the only one to walk in with a notebook and pen. Little snickers all around. Look at her. While they all had laptops typing away like crazy. My sister in law, Kate, said not to worry. I would have been the only one not playing solitaire. This worry was also unfounded. Out of eight people in the class, I was one of seven with notebooks! Plus 4 of the eight were in their first class, and two others were in their second class in their first semester. Four of us are stay at home moms. I fit right in!

Do you remember when you started out a new class in college. The first day the professor would go over the expectations and sylabus, and you would sit there with wide eyes thinking "I can't do this" or "How am I going to get all that done?" Well, we went over the sylabus, and the professor joked about our wide eyes. But really, I think it'll be fine. I have 8 papers due in 8 weeks. Most are 2-4 pages, not bad. One is 9-10 pages. I also have to log in 5 classroom hours and 4 interviews. I think I can do this.

Okay, where do I begin? =)

New life!

We have baby birds!!

5 little balls of skin and little bits of fluff.
10 little closed eyes and 5 open mouths.

I am not sure when they hatched because we were gone for a few days, but sometime after Monday at noon and before Thursday at noon.

This is so cool!

A new page

Tooth number 2.

Avery is getting in tooth number two. Do you know how sharp baby teeth are? Think puppy teeth, very sharp.

On Monday she took a bite of me. A very sensitive private part of me.

Still hurting today. I think it is post tramatic stress syndrome.

Learning about "no"...

So now that Avery is on the move, she is having to learn a new word..."No." She doesn't like it. At all.

With two older kids in the house there are lots of things a little 9 month old should not be touching. Especially one that is VERY oral.

Bailey likes to string beads. She likes to make necklaces, braclets, and even a ring once. They make great presents for her friends. And she knows that she needs to pick them all up when she is done. I always double check the floor when she is done, but the other day I found a bead in Avery's mouth.

Bailey also likes to color or paint on the floor. Avery likes to sit on Bailey's work and it drives Bailey crazy! So funny. I try to tell Bailey that it means Avery is interested in what she is doing. She is not impressed.

Dillon likes to play hockey in the house. Avery would like to be right in the middle of it. Not safe. We can't have that. She also likes Dillon's homework. If he leaves it out and low enough, she tastes it. Try to explain that to the teacher...my sister ate it. Yeah, right!

Also Avery has a way of finding plastic bags. She would really like to taste them, but Mom is mean and won't let her play with them. I have two bags by my desk that I have had to move several times because she keeps finding them.

Life sure is tough for a 9 month old.