Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Sorry for all the bird posts lately, it's migrating season :) We had this little guy passing through the past few days. It's a Ruby Crowned Kinglet. Flitty little thing and REALLY hard to get a good pic of him, so here's the best I got!

Ring Necked Duck

Yesterday we went to go find the Andover Snowy Owl that Meg got pictures of last week...my guess is that that was the last day he was there because she has stopped by on a few occasions since and has not seen him, and he was not there last night either. It was pretty rare for him to still be here in April to begin with! But at least we found some cool ducks on our search. These were in a pond behind some commercial buildings near Hanson and Bunker. Ring Necked Ducks. (Sorry, this blog is suddenly becoming more and more about my bird nerding!)

Magazine Stars!

Ok, so here it is...maybe...We were contacted last Fall and asked if we would like our Little Free Library to be featured in a short article about Little Free Libraries being published in FamilyFun Magazine in the February "I Love to Read" issue. That issue didn't have enough space so the article was scrapped. But then I was contacted again this Spring and asked if they could expand the article to be a full feature of Little Free Libraries and not just a sidebar with a love of reading focus. I don't know how many LFLs are going be featured, but they asked me to take some photos of the kids (with very specific criteria - sunny day, no cars in the background, etc.) so here's one that I submitted! We shall see if it makes it into the magazine this time, but the August issue might be our LFL magazine

debut!

Rowan and Kiley...Church Singers!

This is the last of the performances that will feature Rowan AND Kiley. Next year, Kiley joins the big kids and won't have Sunday school anymore! How weird...that and I just finished registration for Rowan to be in Kindergarten next year! EEEEK!

Here We Go Again!!!!

This year we try a new Spring routine...Rowan is doing swimming lessons solo. We told Riley she on'y had to get through Level 5 and after that she could choose if she wanted to take lessons. She chose not to this Spring. So we started with Rowan this week and Riley will start Softball soon. Thus begins the one parent going one way and the other with the next kid...

Swimming lessons took some re-entry...it took him 20+ minutes of the lesson fighting with the teacher over the goggles (we forgot his and he refused to wear theirs) and bobs (1st level stuff). But by the end he was doing productive Level 2 Stuff.

Easter Take 2

Cooley Easter was on Saturday this year, then we did church and brunch on Sunday with whomever didn't have plans. Meg has better pics of the two boys together...and probably of all 6 kids too...so if you want to see more I am sure her's will be up later this week!

Bird Nerd Adventures

This week we have had a few random encounters with nature...totally unplanned but glad I had my camera!

 On Tuesday, the kids were at my parents' house while I was at an appointment. After I got back we went for a long nature walk with my mom. It was a perfect day for it!

 When we walked by the lake near their house, we found these hooded mergansers hanging out. Never seen them before! Kinda cool...

 Then Wednesday we decided to surprise my niece who was the only kid of our 6 on the Cooley side who had school that day...everyone else was on spring break including her little sister...While we were waiting to leave to go to her school, we did some sight-seeing from Meg's deck. We saw sandhill cranes, eagles, swallows, robins, a woodpecker, and these beautiful eastern bluebirds!

I didn't get pics of the rest because they were flying and I have not quite gotten the hang of this camera for motion shots yet!