Homemade Bird Feeders~

Since we are unable to play outside today

due to the April Showers~

I decided to make this neat and EASY bird feeder

with the children that I saw online.
The kids were excited when I said these bird feeders would bring

even more birds to our yard to watch!

(We love to Bird WATCH!)

The items needed are simple really:

Just need an empty milk jug or 2 lt bottle (rinsed out)

Some craft paint nontoxic

brushes & stencils

birdseed

and some clear weather paint sealer

I let the kiddos pick the colors they each wanted to paint

their bird feeder and let them go at it~
Hayden really loves to paints things so
he really enjoyed this project!
He's stenciling a butterfly to his bird feeder~
'Lyza Jane stenciled a hummingbird to hers~
After they are done painting and the bird feeder is dry
I sprayed a clear coat of sealer since it would be
outside in the elements~
After the sealer dried Hayden filled up his bird feeder
with some morning song bird feed year round mix~
'Lyza Jane did so as well~

Hayden then helped me hang up the bird feeders outside

in our backyard when the rain let up for minute~

They are both excited to watch the birds come and eat

from their bird feeders~

Now we just have to patiently wait for the pretty birds to

notice our yummy present for them...

Ooohh we have a visitor!

This lil' guy likes the sunflower seeds best~

we watch as he digs through the feeder for the black

sunflower seeds and then sits on top of the welcome sign

cracking the sunflower seeds open to eat.

Our lovey dovey bluebirds~

We call this the Mommy Red bird eating from

'Lyza Janes pink feeder below~

You can tell she is a girl birdy since

she prefers the PINK feeder! hee hee

Here is the Daddy Red bird that stays with Mommy Red bird~

This is Haydens favorite bird I think so far~

Sooo we have been enjoying the bird feeders so much,

we are deciding to make some for the grandmothers for Mothers Day!

They both like bird watching as well, so this should be a hit present~

Gotta go now, time to watch the birds eat lunch! ;-)

Somer Jane

Helllooo Tooth Fairy~

Looky who is 5

and lost his first tooth!

He woke up yesterday morning wiggling his tooth

and saying mom look my tooth is loose!

I couldnt believe he's already loosing his baby teeth~

My baby is no longer a BABY!

Putting his tooth inside the tooth fairy pillow I made him~

Hanging it on the outside of his door for the tooth fairy
to come and take his baby tooth away~
(I wasn't even gonna ATTEMPT to put the tooth under his pillow!)

THE TOOTH FAIRY IS AWESOME MAN!!
(especially in recession! ha ha)

The story behind "Wizzy the Tooth Wizard"~

When I explained to Hayden about a tooth fairy coming

to visit and would take away his tooth, he later explained to

grandma that the "WIZARD" was gonna come to see him and take his tooth?!

Where he got 'Wizard' out of Fairy~ I dont know, but it was sure funny!

So now I like the uniqueness of the "TOOTH WIZARD"~

His certificate he received from the Tooth Wizard!

Funny thing!!

The VERY next day that we lost our VERY first tooth...

Hayden knocks out his second tooth!!

In fairness I want to believe it was an accident since he had

company over playing with him,

and that he didnt do it on purpose to get more money!!

Only Hayden knows for sure!

So this kid made $10 bucks in less than 24 hrs man~

His "SMILE" is PRICELESS though!!

Not to mention he has a new lisp when he talks~

due to the fact that he has missing bottom front teeth!
(Soo cute)

Somer Jane

Homemade Popsicles are Yummy~

We made some homemade popsicles this morning

and the kids couldnt wait till this afternoon when they

finally froze and were ready to eat~

I had a lick and they were pretty sweet and perfect

for this warm spring day~

Hayden loves popsicle season!

Funny thing, right after we got our popsicles the ice cream truck goes by playing its little ice cream truck luring song for the first time this season... and I had to tell the poor kiddos they couldnt have any ice cream since we just got popsicles! Next time on the ice cream truck guys!

Want a Popsicle?! ;-)

Somer Jane

Honeysuckle is in the Air~

Ohhh how I love our backyard!

We have some honeysuckle bushes that have just began to bloom!

For the first time last year I enlightened Hayden on the

art of sucking nectar from the honeysuckles and he

was ever soo excited to see them blooming today!

Lyza Jane is getting in on the honeysuckle action~

I just love the way the honeysuckle bushes makes the whole backyard
fill up with their scent by the time June rolls around!
The aroma is breathtaking and reminds me of childhood~



Somer Jane

A beautiful Park Day~

Gosh it was soo beautiful today!

I mean we could have broke out the swimming pool,

it was soo warm and sunny but instead we drove to a park!

The kids had fun swinging and playing on the merry-go-rounds

that this particular park has available.

They also have a neat see-saw that not too many parks have

around here so that was a fun thing and change....

I always like to switch up our parks since the city has quite

a few of them which is wonderful!!
Can never have enough parks in my opinion~

Hoping your Spring is as happy as ours so far!!

Somer Jane

Hello there Mr.Caterpillar~

Some days I cant even plan the fun it just happens to us!

I love those days when God surprises us...

Today we were hanging outside in the front yard-

just enjoying the beautiful day and writing with some sidewalk chalk.

Well, Miss Elyza Jane spots a green caterpillar on the concrete and

yells for Hayden and myself to come over to check out her discovery.

Sure enough she had found a little green friend for us to analyze.

So I ran inside to get a jar, since Hayden wants to watch it turn into

a butterfly...(even though I dont know if it will or not) but its worth

a try to make my baby boy happy!

Plus that would be sweet if it did manage to change and we could

watch in wonderment at Gods hand in amazing creation~

Soo, for now we have another pet/family member to add to our

ever growing and endless population to our household... hee

Wonder what they will name this little guy?

(or girl)

('Lyza, I hope its not 'Green'!) tee hee ;-)

Somer Jane

Catching Flies~

I think this is the cutest thing!

'Lyza Jane loves to catch flies just like her daddy

while they sleep! hee hee

Ya know shes getting some serious ZZZ's...

wonder what she is dreaming about~

Well Hello Sleeping Beauty!!

Wakey-Wakey time~

Somer Jane

Bird Nest Cookies~

I was wanting to do these cookies around Easter but never

got around to it, but figured it was still a cute SPRING recipe since

we love bird watching in our back yard!

Plus its really simple and no baking required!!

Here are the ingredients you can use:

'Lyza Jane loved helping put the baby bird eggs (jelly beans)

on the nests as mommy made them.

She did a good job too...one for her and one for the nest...

one for her and another for the nest... hee

Hayden loved EATING the bird nest eggs~
I thought they turned out really cute-
and they tasted yummy too!
"BAM!"
(as Emeril would say)

The recipe has many variations to it but this is the

one I mostly went by...I omitted the peanut butter this time though~
Bird Nest Cookies

This is a super kid-friendly and kid taste-approved recipe!

Have fun making some bird nests~

Somer Jane

"Fish are Friends... Not Food"~

We got our first FISH AQUARIUM!

Funny story really...

(grandma-'My-Hope' I hope you laugh when you read this! ha ha)

Sooo, anyway...Hayden spent the night with grandma Friday night!

When I went to pick up my baby boy the next day guess what

Grandma had bought for babyboy to take home~

You guessed it...two brand new fish!!!

Well baby boy, Hayden had asked mommy a few weeks ago about buying

some fish to take home to our house...begged really, but thats not important! ;-)

Of course Mommy said, 'No' since we already have too many kitty-cat pets

to take of and Mommy doesnt have the patience for more animals/living things

in her life right now...but I didnt explain that to him~

I just told him that our kittys would try to eat the fish, so we couldnt have any

hoping that would suffice any arguement.

I did tell him to ask grandma to buy an aquarium for her house

and then they could have fishys over grandmas house!

(Thinking I was slick, I could pass the buck to grandma

or ELSE he would just forget about the fish idea altogether!)

Ohhh NOOO~~ He did not forget...

...Grandma heard baby boys pleas for a fish and answered his spoiled little wishes!

Except one major thing~ she bought him a little carrier to take the fish

home to HIS house and not keep them at Grandmas house!!!

(UGH!)

Well, the carrier thingy had a leak in it so we had to transport the

fish in a tupperware bowl back to my house...

(yes I got water on the floor of my car as I drove, dont even ask!!)

;-P

But when I got the fish home I didnt have time to run to Wally-World to get them

a proper home fish bowl to live in so they had to sleep overnight in a tupperware bowl~

I did feel bad, but I was also stressed about now having new things to take care of!!

UGH UGH!

Soo baby boy Hayden named his fish~ "Hayden"

I know just a little egotistical huh! hee

The other fish was for baby girl, Lyza and

she named her fish....

"PINK"

What else would she have named it, I mean come on!!

(you gotta know her and the inside joke of her PINK addiction though)

So we were the proud new parents of "Hayden" the fish and "Pink" the fish!

(But not for long)

I woke up the next morning to find baby boy looking at the fish in the bowl...

Hayden looked at me and the face read guilty all over it!!

I ran to look inside the bowl and found poor little Hayden fishy swimming lonesome

and half freaked out with panic attack written all over his face...

I turned to my baby boy and said, Hayden where is PINK the fish?

He looked at me with sad eyes and kinda gave me the I dont know shoulder shrug...

Again I repeat, HAYDEN WHERE IS PINK?!!

Sooo, Hayden my precious but wild child son begins to point to the kitchen sink

as he tells me 'Pink went down the sink' mommy!

UGH!

Soo, I shove my hand down our kitchen sink and frantically begin to feel for any signs of life...

I feel something mushy...ugh

So I pull it up...

it was only water logged bread...ewwww!

I feel again and again but no fishy...

Pink the fish somehow made it past the garbage disposal

and down the drain to his new home, lets just hope he made it back to the sea like NEMO did!

(I'm sticking to that for my conscience sake)

Soo now that PINK left us in the SINK

we just had poor little Hayden fishy freaked out by himself in the bowl.

I was bound and determined from that moment on I would protect and take care of

this lone little fish if it was my last thing to do on earth... UGH!

That meant that poor Hayden fishy could not live in a bowl if he was to survive!

Sooo....

Mommy (myself) travels to the Pet store today to get Hayden fishy new living

accommodations and maybe a new friend since he was mourning his loss of PINK!

Well, Mommy ends up dropping almost one whole $BENJAMIN$ at the Pet store!!

Oh my gosh...for a $.38 cent fish named~ Hayden!!

I mean Hayden fishy needed a home...so Hayden fishy got a new home...

A FISH MANSION IN BEVERLY HILLS is what he got!!

Plus Hayden fishy needed a new girlfriend...

soo we got a new fishy for $.25 cents which baby girl-'Lyza Jane named, "PURPLE"!

(hee hee ;-) she cracks me up!)

Soo, now we have our very first fish and fish aquarium in our house!!

Yeah for me!!

UGH

Soo I'd like to introduce you to our newest family members~

Hayden the Fishy (the orange goldfish)

and

Purple the Fishy (the white goldfish)

They seem to like their new MANSION home very much

and each other as well swimming everywhere together!

Ohhh and we JUST HAD TO BUY the $8.00
"SPONGEBOB PINEAPPLE HOUSE"
as well for our spoiled little fishy friends~ GEEZ!
Sooo now I'm called an 'AQUARIUMIST'
and this is my new hobby thrust onto my lap...
I will let you know how my new adventure pans out with
this whole 'AQUARIUMIST' title I have now.

The kids DO seem to like their new fishy friends...So for now it
worked out just fine and everyone is overall happy!

AND
As long as my baby girl, Lyza Jane doesnt turn into DARLA from the movie Finding Nemo~
and taps the glass repeatedly saying "Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!"

"FIND A HAPPY PLACE! FIND A HAPPY PLACE!!"



I have ONLY 1 goal and 1 goal only!!
That is...
TO NOT KILL THE FISH!!!!
(UGH)

Ohh and for my tank to look as close to Nemos Aquarium in the future as possible!
It looks like a pretty place to live! ;-)

To be continued...

Somer Jane