birds, squirrels, snow, gratitude

We're back to snow on the ground, which makes this Momma glad.  

For three days last week, the ground was clear.......and muddy.  Each romp outside led to two loads of laundry.  Forgive me for thinking of the weather in terms of how many loads of wash it entails, and how many vacuumings.

The fluffy white stuff fell for two days, pretty steadily.  This squirrel found a cookie sheet of seed buried under the snow on the kids' picnic table.

He was so happy, having hit the jackpot!  He ate and stuffed his cheeks for a half hour!

He took a break, once, for a drink from our pond.  Oh....I mean our sandbox. The kids forgot to put the lid back on.  They're quite thrilled to see it become a bird and squirrel watering area.  Whatever we can do to help our friends is okay with me.

Who knew I'd suddenly become so enamoured of squirrels, that I'd stand at my window and take an insane number of pictures of their antics?  I just can't get over this guy digging in the snow like a dog, looking for the seed he completely ignored for a week, when it wasn't covered with snow.

So, with a snow-covered yard again, we're back to indoor fun, most days.  Like oatmeal cookie making.  And dough eating, despite my egg warnings.

Forgive me for the sight of our cookie sheets!  I finally replaced these old things, just yesterday.

The Lincoln Logs have been a hit this week.  The cowboys, pictured here, have metal cars, in addition to their horses.

When snow covers the ground, and some days are too cold to venture out, they run around the circle created by the dining room, entry way, living room and kitchen.  Thank goodness for that circle!

Since I last wrote about birds, we've put up a suet feeder.  Here is a friendly nuthatch, come to visit.  Beautiful!  A downy woodpecker was also spotted in this tree, but he didn't come to the suet.  You can put bacon grease in a used yogurt container and nail it to your tree for a suet feeder.  Add seed to the grease, or not.  The birds really need the fat this time of year.

We also added a peanut butter-and-seed-covered paper towel roll, which is holding up well considering the weather. It's a week old here.  The peanut butter is holding it together.

Here we have some cowbirds (or is that a starling beak?), come to fatten up.  At one point, five of them were eating at a time.

Mommy just couldn't get over that squirrel!

Here they are, last week, enjoying their bikes.  I really need to get my littlest sweetie a tricycle.  She is a tiny thing, but in the 75% for height, so maybe her feet will reach the pedals of something.

Quote of the week:  Momma:  "Make your beds quickly!  The plumber is coming in twenty minutes."

Mary:  "Can I show the plumber how nicely I made my bed when he comes?"

Friday Gratitude

- For helpers doing more and more around the house, so Momma has time for stories during the day, and board games, and cookies.

- For Paul, saying the past two mornings, "This has been a great morning!"  He loves the feeling of us all working together to make the house neat and tidy.

- For Barney's Farm, one of the best videos ever made for children.  It contains a myriad of songs my two year old loves!  She previously never watched a stitch of anything.  When she does the motions for When Your Ears Hang Low, I'm so tickled.  And every time the square dances come on, she comes to get Momma for a lively time, kicking up our heels together.  Yeehaw!  I think my favorite lines, and hers too, are  "Who knows how to waddle all around the farm?  Quack, quack, quack!  The duckies do!"  She puts her hands under her armpits, flaps them, gets down low, and waddles!  Oh, how I love two year olds!

- My perm, to disguise my limp hair, happens in a week.  I'm so thrilled!  Just resting for two hours and being taken care of, will be a blessing.  I plan to bring Ann's book.

- My Mary is learning her letters in a most unusual way.  Paul loves to spell words with the foam bath letters.   Lately, he's taken to asking Mary for the letters he needs, as though she were Vanna White, his lovely assistant.  (My Mary is lovely, IMHO)  He does it on purpose, to help Mary learn.  In the past two weeks Mary has learned five more letters!  As she gives him a letter, she'll ask me, "What things are for G?"  I then name as many G words as I can.  This is great fun at bathtime!  Beth loves to get in on it, holding up letters for me to name.  Whatever big sister does, Beth does!  Mary is her heroine.

- When the children list their prayers, it gives me insight into their thoughts and worries.  Both Paul and Mary have prayed about Peter's behavior, which can be erratic.  I needed the reminder to pray for them, as they learn how to live and play with a special-needs brother.  Life is more complicated for them as siblings, then it otherwise would be, though they both love their Peter and enjoy his imagination.

- For the privilege of mothering.

- For the way God provided for me, a desperate mother, twenty-six months ago, when I was having so much trouble nursing my newborn, Beth.  How I've loved our nursing relationship over these past two years.  How Beth has loved it, and still does.  I hope someday to help mothers look into the future, those first newborn weeks.  Yes, this seems impossibly hard now, but the memories you'll make, the good you'll do, are worth the tears.  Some women want to so badly, but just need loving encouragement and someone to be strong with them, for them.  It's so hard to walk the nursing road alone, if family and husband don't support. It most certainly does not happen naturally, most of the time--although hospital birth experiences may hinder what God intended, those first hours.  I've often thought about what God was thinking, when he made the beginning nursing relationship so hard.  I know it's part of the childbearing-pain curse--from Eve--but what else was on His mind?  

- For God allowing me this writing time, to chronicle motherhood, and spiritual awakenings and whispers.  

- For the nice plumber, who didn't mind three of my kids watching him, fascinated, use his loud snake thingy, which for $130 solved all our drain woes.  Oh, a working tub drain again!  I'm thrilled! 

- For Peter saying this morning, "Wow, between you and Paul and me, we're going to have this place so clean, we won't even have to prepare for Lorrie's visits!"  He remembers that each time an overnight guest comes, Momma does hours and hours of cleaning, which stresses the family.  They like the money they're earning for extra chores, yes, but the sense of accomplishment and team-work feel?  That is thrilling them more.  I'm so grateful.....I didn't want to turn them into mercenaries!