Day 9 My heart sank!

My heart sank as I went out to take today's picture...they are gone!! Jim mowed the grass yesterday and came in and said.."Well you did it! They moved them.." I thought he was blowing smoke because in all my 56 years I have never known birds to move their young. I mean I can't even imagine how they could do it. Has anyone ever heard of that before? There is NO sign of stress, the nest is not torn up at all, there are no body parts left on the ground where an animal may have taken them.. The thing is ...Mom and Dad are still out there !
Now I am left with questions ...did an animal take them as I feared would happen or did the parents move them? If they have lost their little lives is it my fault because I should have left them alone? I mean I touched nothing! Didn't really get close enough to even breathe on them. I hate the unknown! They were just to young to fly away and something has happened to them, will I ever know what that was?

Day 7

They are getting bigger and darker now..You can clearly see the beaks of two of them.. Once again mom was not happy with me and I swear to you all that I go out take the pic and leave. I want to cause her as little stress as possible but I really want to chronicle this event.. Today she actually flew between my arms while I was taking the picture so she definitely means business..that was close. I'm looking forward to the day I go out and when they hear me all four will poke their heads up thinking I am mom with food. THAT is going to be a great picture! If she lets me get it. I absolutely touch nothing and use my zoom so that I do not have to get real close. Anyway..enjoy day seven! (I think you can click on the pic and it will enlarge it for you.)

My umpiring son and hubby

My DH has been umpiring baseball for quite a few years now and he finally talked my son Luke into umping as well. He came up to do a couple games to help one league out and I stopped to watch him. I know I am prejudice but is he not one handsome guy?? Before I got there he got nailed with a ball in the collarbone! I just couldn't understand how that could happen since that chest protector goes up practically to the base of his neck. He thinks it hit the bottom of his mask and ricocheted down to that bone. He is a hairy sort, so it may be difficult to see the goose egg there but it was really painful and it is going to leave a real mark in the morning. Of course I had to call my DIL to remind her to take care of my baby!! She just kinda laughed at me...hmmm..what do you suppose that meant?? LOL

This is my DH (right) and his buddy umpire. They are like a tag team in wrestling...Someone goes after one they might just as well go after the other. They are good umps tho and people request them... I call them Moe and Shmoe! Either they are grumpy or they are acting silly like this...MEN!

Day 5

Not alot of change in these two days but the birth fuzz is just about completely gone.. They are sticking their heads up now to be fed.

Momma was UPSET with me today! She flew right in front of my face, lucky the camera was there. I don't blame her, I try to talk to her first but hey...I don't think she gives a hoot.

Next time I'll take my umbrella to keep her from hitting me. I will open it and hold it close to my head...lol..

I just wish there were a way to reassure her I mean no harm or I wish I had a camera with one fantastic ZOOM lens!

OK, I'm crazy!

At least some of you may think so by the time these birds fly the nest!! I started spring cleaning my bedroom today so I not only opened my blinds but I lifted them halfway up so I could enjoy the sunshine. In a short break, I sat at my computer and looked out at my neighbor's beautiful poppies that are in bloom and her bright red geraniums that she has strategically placed in hanging baskets from her trees and it occurred to me that while sitting here I have a "birds" eye view of the nest!!! Now, it's to far to see the babes but I have been watching Mom and Dad all day!! Staying close and hunting in my yard. It's amazing the bugs that are in my yard!!! LOL!!

I have watched as they have literally fought with the starlings that get to close. Poor birds..they stand back and look at them like they are crazy themselves! It amazes me to see how animals, birds, even insects have automatic instincts and how they act on them.

I haven't always been enthralled with nature, in fact I remember when I was younger that I thought my mom was looney. She would ooh and ahh over a cloud. I remember traveling one time and we went through Georgia and all of a sudden she let out this terrifying scream!! Scared the crap out of my dad, brother and me!! She was screaming because she had always heard about the Georgia clay dirt (it is red!) and she had never seen it and for the first time she was experiencing it.. or the time we pulled into a motel in the dark, went to bed and couldn't find her the next morning..she was outside crying because when she walked out the door to get some air she came face to face with a mountain.

I just couldn't get it..ya know it's kinda like every time your are driving your car listening to the radio and your son/daughter changes the channel..that's it...we just weren't on the same channel.
To me it was just dirt and a mountain...

When I had my kids I found myself doing the same to them..One time I had Katie in the car with three of her friends..all of them guys..we were coming home from a youth meeting at church, it was summer and the days were long then, and the clouds were just so thick and billowy and I kept hitting the brakes of my car to point them out! They just laughed at me and teased me and it was that moment that I realized..I had become my mother!

Now I am experiencing those things with the grandsons and again I take the road back to the memories and I realize that my mother's love of nature was actually her love for God.......

Day 3

Well, the babies fuzz seems to be giving way to allowing the feathers to come in. They are pretty bare here but it looks as tho all four hatchlings have made it so far!

I know it looks like I got incredibly close here but that is all due to the wonder of a zoom lens. Trust me..the way Mom and Dad were dive bombing me I will not get close enough to do any damage or cause Mom and Dad to leave...

I hope you are enjoying this journey with me..

May I introduce to you......

Well, I have no idea for names yet! lol!! They are just little fuzz balls. The incredible Robin Egg Blue has been replaced with fuzzy yellow. Mom and Dad have been most patient with us..I think they can sense that we mean them no harm and we touch NOTHING! This is going to be so fun...I just pray that cat's, raccoons, skunks and all will leave them alone..I don't know why she built them so low to the ground.

What I find is amazing is that there is no trace of the blue egg shell!! I am going to follow this family!!

Another Nature Story

This is the base of my redbud tree and as you can see it is just about three feet from the ground. Now if you look in the "V" of the trunk you will see a Robin's nest.. I am thinking.."Is she stupid?" I mean there are cats, raccoons, possum, even coyote running around here at night and even in the daytime while she is flying for food her nest is open for destruction and pending death for any hatchlings that will come along.

Now why would she want to do that? I have been watching her from my bedroom window and she is scuttle butting all over the ground looking for food so I suggested to DH that we hang one of our feeders in the tree so she can get some food for herself and still be close to the nest. Of course after the eggs hatch she will have to go looking for the worms.......Well instead of hanging the feeder he took older bread out and broke it up and laid it all around the base of the tree! Sometimes he has a good heart and like me he loves nature.

SO here are her four eggs..I only hope and pray they hatch before becoming some animals dinner and then after they hatch hopefully the predators will leave them alone to grow. I just know that when they fly from the nest here, they are in for a rude awakening! Hope they don't knock themselves out in the short distance they have to learn to fly!! I will keep you updated with photos and we can watch them grow together....

Special Olympics Track and Field

Yesterday was our 2ND track meet for my guys and Julie but the Ju-Ju was sick and couldn't go. However, Kevin and Robert did so well, I was so proud of them!

Kevin got FIRST in his throw and SECOND in his dash!!! He is 46 yrs old but he could sure run!! We had one gentleman who ran who was 77!!!! They love it!

This was Robert's first year in track and at our first meet he was disqualified for leaving his lane and going into another. It is so easy to do but the rules of the Fast walk are that you have to stay in your lane and you have to walk fast not run. Someone stepped into his lane so he moved over thus disqualifying himself. This time he stayed straight as an arrow and made it the 100 yards to his finish line in FIRST PLACE!!! Then he finished second in his softball throw...

It was a rainy day but they never complained and what fun we had!!

I hate how this blog works or at least I can't figure it out! When this posts to my blog it is going to have Robert's pic first and then Kevin's dancing pic next..Just so you know who is who.

Jeri's class

Most of you know that I am owner of a scrap booking group called ChitChattin_N_Scrappin. The participation level was pretty near to nothing and it was very discouraging.. I sent an email to the group stating that I thought I was just going to close it down due to activity. I hated to do that because my Katie named it and I love the name and I love the members. I knew that I could catch up with most of them because I am in other groups where some are members and I have email addys of everyone and have made some really good friends.

Still it's hard to give up because then you are left with a feeling of failure. I know everyone has problems, life issues, illnesses , jobs, this stinking economy..and more but I would see them active on other groups and it made me wonder why.

I am on several groups that uses the YIM to have conferences and the webcams and microphones have made the interaction so much fun. Classes are being held where you can learn new techniques or work along side someone teaching a class on a layout, card or other items and I so wanted that for my group but just couldn't seem to get it going.

Along came Jeri..bless her heart she stepped up to the plate for me and gave me ideas for a challenge and then she agreed to teach a class. So ChitChattin had it's first class on Thursday this week and nearly half of the members showed and it was a success! I knew that once they participated they would see how fun it would be and how they could use this tool to learn..

We started a challenge where we put our names in alphabetical order and every three days a member posts a new challenge for a layout, tag, etc... while the posting of the challenges is every three days they actually have five days to post the finished product to an album and providing there are at least three entries or more a poll will be established for voting on the fave from that challenge and a prize will be awarded. All but two have signed up out of 16 and that is a wonderful thing! So we will see how it goes.

The 29Th of May is the one year anniversary of the group and I am going to hold a crop with challenges and prizes. I am excited to see it moving along.

Have I ever mentioned that I just love my Internet friends???

Let me Clarify, please

I don't want anyone here to think I am whining about no comments to my blog.. I know I am not out there that much for one reason, so please no need to apologize about not commenting. I just wanted to temp you all to see who is out there!

And I check out everyone's blogs that are on my list each day and don't necessarily comment either. I am getting my candy together to see who gets it so I will be back on Wednesday with a winner. Thanks for the link I needed!!

Is anyone other than Andrea reading

my blog??? I appreciate you following my blog Andrea and I know that I haven't posted much that is scrap related but I would love to know if others are following. So to find that out I am going to offer up some blog candy!! Not sure just yet what I is..lol..I need to get some stuff together but I will make it worth the visit! It's late right now and I have to work tomorrow but Saturday I will take a pic of the "Candy" and post it. Who will be the lucky winner?

Can anyone tell me how to hook up with the thingy that randomly pics a winner? Or I will do it the old fashioned way and have my DH pick from a cup of names...

Talk to me my friends!!

Scrapbooking

You know..I seem to remember that I used to scrapbook! LOL! I have not touched my stuff except to put it away from retreat the end of March! That is just unforgivable!! I had all of these pictures ready to do and don't you know that now I have two proms to do as well!!

SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!!!!

I need help focusing!! I want so much to get my albums going again...I missed all the National Scrapbooking Day fun and challenges due to work and situations here at home..Well, yeh and then there was the heart cath....

Anyway..I am ready to get going..I am ready to share, I am ready to play...anyone want to play???

Annie's Greenon Prom

Annie had her prom for her school last Saturday. Again she and Stephen (Steven) went and again they looked so good together! This first pic was an accident really but I love it! I love the grass, trees, the stones around the tree and it is not a traditional pic. I love the behind view of her dress. And of course I had to get my classic pic of her dress bodice, corsage and nails! The bodice of this dress had scattered light yellow beading that just glistened in contrast to the pink.

Of course I need to have a full view shot of them together. This time Steve wore a white tux..Annie was not happy at first..until she saw how great he looked next to her dress. His pale pink vest and tie in no way made him look like a sissy..like they always say.."Real men wear pink!"

They had such fun together . I wanted them to have pics taken next door to us. Our neighbors are elderly but have an absolutely beautiful yard complete with a gazebo and

a double seat swing glider and they love seeing the kids in their dress clothes...but because the other couples wanted to have them at one of the girls houses we had no voice. Which ticked me off because we spent a fair amount of money on that prom and I felt they could have at least done both places. SO our pictures have a construction access road in the background and utility lines and an above ground swimming pool with the cover still on it! Gee do I sound grumpy? After the prom they came back to the house to change in to after prom clothing. I was impressed with how patient Steve was waiting for Annie to get ready. She had to re do her hair of course! You can't go to a bonfire looking all dishoveled from dancing now can you?

Anyway, I was sure a proud momma! I love my kids so much and since I didn't get to go to any of my proms it was fun to experience some of Annie's with her. I talked with Steve's mom and we are going to get to gether to exchange pictures and then I will scrap the event. I want to get them done because next year is her senior year and I want to have this year completed to be able to concentrate on next year and have the album finished in time for graduation.

Thanks for letting me share!!

Here I go again!

Well, today I am heading to the hospital for my third heart catherization in 16 months! Is that not ridiculous? I'm not scared I am just over it. I told Jimmy that as soon as this is done and everything is fine I am going to take the heart rehab classes that I should have taken in Dec 07 when I had the stent put in and I am going to take my diabetic training that I should have taken as well. I am going to learn to eat right and I am going to get a membership to the gym and get the fat off of this chassis once and for all!! I didn't take them because they interfered with my job but if I don't take care of myself I am not going to need that job right?

So please think of me today and pray about 12 noon EST that Dr Akhter's hands will be guided by the Lord!!..And then I will be back to let you know just what he found. The only reason I am somewhat concerned is that there were irregularities during my treadmill stress test on my EKG. From experience I have learned that unless you are in the middle of something at the time the EKG is taken it generally doesn't show anything. My MIL had an EKG that showed nothing and came home from the doctor and had a massive heart attack! So for them to find something does give me some concern. But I have put myself in God's hands and he knows I want to watch the grandsons grow and I want to meet my new grand baby on the way. Not to mention watch Annie graduate and eventually get married ..oh there are just too many reasons to live so I am going for it!!!